Tuppence a Bag: Two Weeks in Photos, in Reverse Chronological Order

Will on the National Mall shouting "Boo!" to the pidgeons Papa was feeding.

According to the FBI, Brigham's prosecution of Edward Okun (guilty on all 24 counts!) was the 8th most important thing to happen in law enforcement this week. The #1 most important thing to happen in our family this week was that, on Thursday at 11:30pm, Brigham finally returned home for more than 36 hours. We had been living on a Saturday-visitation this whole month.

And here are the things we have been up to while Brig was away, in photos.
Will at the National Gallery on Wed, after Andrew's class. We saw an underwhelming photography exhibit but had a delicious lunch in the cafeteria.


Andrew's class was about sunlight. While Andrew was doing this . . .

Will was attending his first political protest. My dad couldn't resist talking with a few of the war protesters, who got in a tangle over whether or not they supported Obama, whose war policy has gone distinctly Right in many respects, whether there is any war worth fighting, and learning basic history of the 20th century (like the difference btwn North and South Korea). One of these pacifists got so worked up he just about attacked a 65 year old disabled veteran (holding a tiny, sleeping, tube-fed baby on his shoulder) for disagreeing with their views. What a world. Will broke by awakening and crying. We also visited the UdVar Hazy, where Andrew got the treat of his life (a $7 space shuttle that I resisted buying until I saw it was half the price of the simulator ride I was about to take him on.) Will, too, loves the "shuttle! me! me!"
Doing some yard work.
The Smithsonian gemstone craft (complete with hammer, chisel, safety goggles, scratch plate, magnifying glass and identification table) was $8 at Michaels. Andrew had hours of delight.













We've kept busy with lots of outings. Did you notice how often my Dad was along? About half the mornings when Will wakes up, his first request is "Papa, Nana, house. Go." This morning he added another command: "Move."

Andrew at the Botanic Gardens

This has got to be one of my favorite photos of Andrew. Taken last Wed at the Botanic Gardens downtown.

A Little Sunday Night Politics

A big reason a lot of my friends have cited for their support of Obama was that he would supposedly be far superior to Bush in our War on Terror policies etc. I think it is really interesting to see how Obama has in fact turned out to be: change more in word or term than deed. That makes me happy, but I am curious if anyone besides the ACLU is disappointed? Here is what Andy McCarthy had to say:

Obama wants to have the advantage of — and take credit for the security provided by — the Bush post-9/11 policies. However, he has a rabid left-wing base that rejects the notion that there is a war and wants terrorism returned to the courts (and by the way, if/when that happens, that base will immediately go back to arguing that the court proceedings are inherently unfair, which is what it did for the eight years before 9/11). Throughout the campaign, Obama stirred this base — which consequently voted in droves for him — by trashing the policies he now wants to leave in place. So now he is in a quandary: "How do I keep these policies while preventing a revolt from these crazy people — er, I mean, my voters?"

What Obama, Holder & Co. have done on "enemy combatants" is a somewhat more elaborate version of what they've done on Gitmo, rendition, state-secrets, interrogations, etc. Call it, as the editors of NRO have called it, "Change George Bush Could Believe In."

Essentially, we're no longer going to call our captives "enemy combatants" ... but we're still going to detain people without trial, and Obama claims the unilateral authority to decide who gets detained.

We're no longer going to rely on the President's Article II authority to detain these enem — er, whatever we're calling them (how about "undocumented freedom fighters"?) ... but we're not saying there is no such authority either — and meantime, we're relying on Congress's post-9/11 authorization to use military force and on international law principles that, under these circumstances, are so overwhelmingly valid that Article II is just icing on the cake (notwithstanding that it was our basis throughout the campaign for saying that George Bush was destroying the Constitution and the United States).

And we're going to tell everyone that, because we're much more careful vetters than that bad old administration, we're only going to hold onto undocumented freedom fighters who provided substantial assistance to al Qaeda ... even though we realize that this is exactly what that bad old administration meant, and did, when it held people who it said had provided plain old assistance to al Qaeda. (And, by the way, Obama reserves to himself the power to decide what constitutes substantial).

In sum, Bush's policies are validated, and Obama is banking that his base will be content with a few rhetorical crumbs. Of course they won't be — the ACLU, which is crazy but not stupid, is already blasting this move. That being the case, what I continue to be very concerned about is the likelihood that Obama — to meet or at least be close to his ill-considered one-year deadline for closing Gitmo — will start releasing droves of the remaining 240+ undocumented freedom fighters to countries where they will promptly rejoin the jihad. And, yes, I know we're not supposed to say jihad like it's a bad thing either, but I just don't think what these guys will be rejoining is an internal struggle for personal betterment.

Restraint

"No, Mommy! Don't eat him because then we won't have him anymore!"

And that, Andrew, is the only reason why I don't, for either of you.

Cookie Time

Calories. Whatever it takes.

A Boy Hero

We spent Monday in West Va with the cousins. Will spent a lot of time on this horse and never napped.
Andrew was justing sitting like this with me. I love it.
While Papa was putting some new quilts on the boys' beds, he found and helped put Andrew into this Spiderman suit. Andrew was so excited to show me his surprise.
He added a cape later. The cape was made by my grandmother for my uncle, who is now in his 50s.
We jumped on the trampoline and picked up the older cousins from the bus stop. Andrew could only be enticed off the trampoline for this trip by the lure of showing his costume to the kids on the bus.

It was cracking me up all day, every time I looked over at him in that costume. He wore it over his clothing and it made him look pudgy and hilarious. And he was wildly happy about it.

The best act of heroism, though, was giving his brother a ride around the house in the back of his trike. They usually just fight over it, but they seem to have worked out an arrangement. Andrew has been very sweet and tender with Will ("Cute face! Little bunny rabbit!") lately. I love it.

The Return of the Father

Brig had been away for 10 days before returning on Friday evening. We spent Saturday at the park since the weather was so nice. As a bonus, Andrew consented to wearing something besides his track suit. They were the best-dressed little brothers in the park, in my estimation.
Brig took the boys to McDonalds after dropping me off at the C&O path. I was to run down into Vienna and meet them at our favorite park, pictured here. I guess is was not as many miles as I hoped, because I beat them there. (As an aside, please take note of the figure in the other swing to Andrew's left. It looks like a doll but it was actually a little girl. Does it make anyone else laugh, too?)
I just want to add that in the 60 hours that he was home, he easily reinserted Will's tube (something a nurse failed to do after 20 min of trying), he woke up early with Will on Saturday, did the dishes, played in a basketball game and scrubbed two toilets. My Saturday went the way many women's Birthday Saturday or Mothers' Day Saturday would have gone.



Showing off the gifts Daddy brought back from Richmond (mini monster trucks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for Andrew and Hot Wheels for Will). Will is actually crying here.
And here. We waited too long before pulling out the camera. He really had been happy to see his dad at first.

Bedtime Conversation

At bedtime, rustling around for books and covers

Andrew: Little girls grow up to be mommies.

Me: Yes, and what do little boys grow up to be?

Andrew: Daddies and heroes.

And a Photo For You

Today's Happenings and Recent Conversations with Andrew

Today was supposed to be Andrew's first class at the Botanic Gardens in DC, but strife over outfits got us out the door too late to make it on time. Rather than get discouraged, I took heart that we had established a new rule ("Andrew can choose any outfit so long as it is clean, but dirty clothes cannot be worn.") and we opted for Plan B: Udvar Hazy Air and Space with friends. It gave me psychological strength that Andrew was wearing the blue track suit he has refused to put on his body since the purchase of the yellow one. It was better, in his mind, than wearing jeans and a sweater.

Udvar Hazy was a great success: fighter pilor simulator, Cessna piloting, racing around with other boys, the shark-faced WWII plane. It all ended with Andrew throwing a tear and scream filled tantrum because I would not buy him a space shuttle toy that cost $38. So we left, taking the long, snowy stomp path back to the car for Will's snow-smashing eager feet. Andrew was strapped in the stroller I brought for Will or tantrums, and coatless.

In the car on the way home: "Why did you say we were not going to go and then we left? Why did you say that?"

Me: remembering that I had told him we would look around in the bigger souvenier store before leaving, but then leaving directly when Andrew threw a tantrum, tells him like it was, "You threw a tantrum, so we had to leave."

Andrew: "I am ready now. I won't cry anymore."

Me, bracing for another bout of tears: "But we have already left. It is too late now."

Andrew, shockingly brightly: "I have a nice idea! How about we try again next time!"

Me: "Good idea."

Andrew: "Good thing Daddy makes so much money."

My dad watched the boys while I went to a very uneventful appointment. I returned to my parents' house to find all three of them in my parents' room watching cartoons. My dad and Will were under a blanket. Everyone had chocolate candy and a giant bowl of candy lay a foot away on the bed. Apparently Andrew had spotted the giant candy bowl on the shelf in their room, gotten a huge happy smile and raced to help himself. My dad instructed him to eat out of sight of Will, who then began loudly protesting, "Me! Me! Mine!" Andrew, who had initially hidden behind a sheer window dressing, was allowed to come out and eat Hersey's kisses on the bed. Will did the same. Who am I to judge? I fed the boys ice cream for breakfast for goodness sake. (Andrew also ate a tuna sandwich cut into footballs.) Calories. (Speaking of, I weight 10 pounds more than I did a year ago.)

My dad also told me that Andrew told him all about the toy that was "too expensive" and leaving the museum because he "cried and cried." Slowly and painfully, perhaps, Andrew is learning. Right? (please!)

We took Will to the pediatrician for the sole purpose of getting his tube reinserted. The nurse was unable to do it (and his poor sweet nose bled and continued to spot bleed for the rest of the evening), but the office is charging me for a visit anyway. It seems that if a mechanic cannot fix the brakes of my car, he wouldn't charge me. It is awkward to dispute these things with my care provider, however, so I will wait until I get a bill and then take it up with the office managers. It just does not seem right to charge me for something that was not accomplished. Nothing else was done, after all.

I recorded a few little things Andrew said yesterday and today about you or ice cream or both.

"Mommy, I just like eating ice cream for some reason." Yes, that was at breakfast.

"You knw what I think about when I go to school? You. And William."

"You know why I was putting ice cream on the floor yesterday?" (I have no idea what he is talking about, btw) "Because I wanted to feed daddy! I was pretending to feed daddy?" This was followed by hysterical laughter.

He has also been talking in his sleep and reporting dreams about monsters who are scary but then are scared of children. From Monsters Inc? He is asleep now, and if his closing bedtime story infilatrates his dreams, he is dreaming about a boy who refused to sleep until he had little strength or speed and was cranky and then turned things around by going to bed. And his mom was grateful. It is a very realistic dream.

The UnWilling Sledder

I actually did have to sort of force Andrew to keep sledding for a bit. I was sure he would be thrilled by the hill that he recognized as "very very steep!" He liked it.
Will in Alisha's car after he was forced to sit on a sled. His discontent was such that I never made him go down a hill. The wind was fierce and it really was cold. He had a great time in the car, according to Alisha, who stayed with him and Genevieve.
See how upset he was? We were just pulling them in the snow at this point.
During breakfast (Will was already done refusing food, can you believe it?). I am fostering a love btwn him and that doggie.
I wish I could crop this to just his face bc it is so cute and sad. We did have a fun day in the snow.