Pup Pup Boogieing in Nashville

You wouldn't know it from the picture, where Aubrey is picking her nose and Graham looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, but the kids and I had a great time at Paw Patrol Live on Saturday night. We just couldn't get a good photo that reflected as much.

With Erica out-and-about celebrating her birthday with Melanie, the three of us headed to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) to catch Ryder, Marshall, Rocky, Skye, Rubble, Chase, Zuma, and Everest in action. They didn't disappoint.

My dad tells the story of when we saw "The King and I" in London and I skipped down the street singing "Shall We Dance" afterward. It was a sure sign I enjoyed the show. Well, fast forward some 30-plus years and there was Aubrey, sitting atop my shoulders as we waited for our car outside the theater, singing Paw Patrol songs ("Pup Pup Boogie" was a favorite) and having her Marshall stuffed animal dance on my head. Eat your heart out, Yul Brynner.

One of my favorite moments during the show was watching Aubrey spin in circles with her arms spread wide mimicking Skye, who was flying about the stage at the moment. Graham, meanwhile, cheered enthusiastically during the show. His attitude went from grumpy six-year-old to happy-go-lucky child the moment the curtain went up.

All told, the kids got in bed late, they had Sour Patch Kids and buttered popcorn for dinner, and we paid way too much for parking. And it was all worth it.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Aubrey and I used some of our snuggle time on the couch this evening to record a video. The Taylor girls introduced us to the Musical.ly app, and we had fun using it before Aubrey got sick a little while later. We both know the lyrics to the song well as we listen to it during Aubrey's bedtime routine most nights.

Here's our version of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" from "Frozen."

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Graham discovered a full-length mirror after church today. I spied him eyeing his reflection. I think he was imitating his favorite video game characters, but he may have been practicing his dance moves. Either way, we have the Wii to thank rather than any sense of vanity. It was a joy to capture such an innocent moment.

Christmas Memories 2017: Train Gardens

Posing with Pop-Pop at the Kenilworth Train Garden

We visited two train gardens during the holidays, first at Kenilworth Mall in Towson on Dec. 29 and then at the Ellicott City Fire Station on New Year's Day. It was fun to see the kids excited about pushing buttons to see what happens in the garden rather than having them push our buttons to see what happens. (I kid, I kid ... not really, they push our buttons a lot.)

It was our first visit to Kenilworth, which didn't disappoint. The kids circled the train garden multiple times, with Pop-Pop keeping an eye on Aubrey while I followed Graham. They probably would've stayed much longer had the enticement of lunch at Red Robin not been offered.

We've visited the Ellicott City train garden in the past. This was the first time, however, that we accepted their challenge to try and locate items throughout the display. It was no easy task. Erica had already taken Aubrey to the car by the time Graham and I completed the list ... with some help.

For the young and the young at heart

One item escaped us despite our determined efforts to track down everything on the list. "Too Close to Call" was the clue, which left me looking for tiny figurines that were racing each other. Sleds, perhaps. No such luck.

As it turns out, "Too Close to Call" was the tiny headline inscribed on a newspaper held up by a newsboy figurine. The firefighter who guided us to its location assured us that it was the item everyone struggled with.

Graham was deservedly proud to have located the "three hens laying eggs," who were inside the window of one of the train garden buildings. As Graham describes it, he thought they were turkeys but then took a step back and saw that the word "egg nog" was written on the outside of the building. That tipped him off to the fact that these were in fact the much sought after hens, and they were laying eggs. It was an impressive find at any age, much less at age five.

Graham surveys the sports scene in the train garden

As you can see in the picture of Pop-Pop and Aubrey, the train gardens were enjoyable not only for the actual kids, but for us big kids as well as they offered a reminder of the magic of Christmas time.

Animals, Insects, and Empathy

For as much time as we spend rushing around to provide the kids with special experiences, I find that the simple moments with them are often among the most enjoyable.

Graham and I spent time in a local park recently feeding the ducks. It was so peaceful, and it provided what I hope is a glance into his character.

I took great joy - and yes, pride - in listening to him speak softly to the ducks as he fed them, offering sweet comments about things like it being feeding time and making sure they all got food. He even started naming the ducks and invited me to join in that process.

I attempted to explain empathy to Graham as we crossed the walking bridge afterward. As usual, my parental teaching became complicated and muddled. I essentially explained that empathy meant putting yourself in someone else's place, so he had done a good job at putting himself in the place of a duck.

That same gentleness has emerged again in recent days as we've started a habit of collecting lightning bugs outside the house each night.

I wasn't prepared to explain death to Graham just yet, especially given the troubles I had explaining the much simpler concept of empathy at lake. However, I also didn't want him to expect to keep the lightning bugs forever.

After a parenting discussion, Erica and I decided that first night to hope that the lightning bug, Electric, survived a stay in a glass jar. If so, we would convince Graham to release him the next morning.

The lightning bug survived, and Graham was amenable to releasing him when I explained that his stay was like a sleepover and now he had to return to his family.

Once again, Graham's gentle spirit shined through as he encouraged his new friend to leave the jar with words like, "Don't be scared." We've had several overnight stays, so the catch-and-release program appears to be working well.

Meanwhile, Erica and I visited a pet shop ... just in case.

Memorial Day Classic

I've been trying to garner the motivation to run a 5K for a while now. I originally targeted the Shoney's 5K this past spring - (Because, come on, what's better than an appearance by Shoney Bear and a post-race buffet?) - but we ended up having a scheduling conflict that day. Instead, I settled on the Memorial Day Classic in neighboring Hendersonville, Tenn.

Aside from some minor setbacks like locking my keys in the car prior to the race, things went well. I beat the goal I established for myself in terms of finishing time and went home with an age-group medal to boot. I believe the last age-group medal I received was when I was a teenager. The guy who finished in first place asked what my next race was going to be. My thought was, "To the fridge."

The advantage of having locked my keys in the car was that Erica came by with the kids after the race. They arrived in time to hear my name announced as an age-group winner. I want to lead by example for the kids on many things, including the importance of taking good care of your body. Based on his comments as I arrived at the car, Graham was clearly impressed.

"Congratulations! I wish you had gotten first place, but second place is pretty good, too."

I took this before the race, not as I headed toward the finish line. That would have been impressive.

I was pleasantly surprised to head home with an age-group medal. 

Preschool Graduation

Our expressive little boy graduated from Tots Preschool on May 26 during a program that included the "Pomp and Circumstance" processional played on the Preschool Director's iPhone, several enthusiastic musical performances by the kids, and a fun certificate ceremony. Oh, and snacks. Aubrey particularly liked the lemonade and sheet cake.

Graham was the most demonstrative graduate. He called out his classmates' last names as they went to get their certificates. Imagine several variations of sayings like "Way to go, Doyle!" He also provided something of an echo as the Preschool Director offered her closing remarks ("Yes, thanks for coming.")

We watched Graham experience tremendous growth during his several months at Tots Preschool. Most notably, he started sounding out words and has begun the reading process. He's also gotten much better about shaking off injury (i.e. toughening up a bit). We were consistently proud to hear how well he treated his classmates and that he worked not to exclude anyone. Okay, he occasionally fell into the "No girls allowed" trap. We see that one at home, too.

"...and strum your guitars." He's not off script; he was supposed to be playing air guitar at this point in the song.

A close-up of the graduate. 

Aubrey was all smiles for her big brother.

Graham and his teacher, Ms. Jamie. 

"and wave your arms." Again, on script. We heard him rehearsing this song in the car several times leading up to his graduation ceremony. It has become a family favorite.