MAL SAL HAL TAL

What happened to 2011?

2011-12-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

The worst bloggers ever....MAL & SAL

We started this blog for friends, family and to document the boys growing up....they will probably think 2011 did not exist in their lives. To be fair, they can check Twitter. But I realized how many times I wanted to document what they were doing in more than 140 characters.

So our New Years resolution is to be better bloggers.

For 2011...The year started out with brutal snow and more snow and more snow...at one point we had more than 4 feet on the ground. Henry had his first ski lesson ("Pizza and French Fries") and he continued to mature physically and emotionally. The second half of his Pre-School year was better than the first half, but still not a great year. He would be old enough to start Kindergarten in the fall of '11, but we decided a year of Pre-K would be a good thing to allow him to continue maturing emotionally. One of the first signs that convinced me he was really turning the corner was the bungee jumping he did at the mall. http://youtu.be/Ioj1y2ceJ-c There was no coaxing to get him to do this...he wanted to.

Ted started the year being more toddler-like...moving around on his own, more demanding, more engaged. He's much more physical than Henry ever was...he's a climber and a jumper! He had a little "Fun for Ones" class at the Montessori school in Redding and it went really well. No worries about Ted...it's amazing how you worry about everything with the first one and nothing with the second.

Spring came and we spent hours in the yard watching the snow melt...the last spot finally disappeared on April 4, 2011!!! Henry had his first trip to Disney World with Sandra...a big success. The biggest news of the spring was an addition to the family....our dog, Phineas (Finn). A rescue dog, half boxer, half bulldog...he's a very sturdy 70lbs and incredibly good natured. The spring also brings the annual Nantucket countdown....

School ended, summer started and Henry spent a few weeks at RugRats...a day camp at the Redding Country Club. But the summer was really dominated by a full month in Nantucket. Henry went to a wonderful day camp where the counselors had great things to say about him. The rest of the time was the usual yard time in the sprinklers and water guns but we also and spent more time at Washing Pond Beach which is on the north side of the island and the water is lake-like at mid-tide. Teddy could even wade out 50 yards and stand up on his own. Huge beach fund. Bike rides, Fish grills, Bartletts Farm and always lots of Juice Bar time!

Henry's 5th birthday was a great success. We got back from Nantucket on Saturday, Aug 13 and his birthday was Sunday. He had a couple of friends over and it went really well. The big gift was an aquarium for his room and his pet fish have been a big success.

While the dog was the big spring addition...we had a bigger addition during the summer. We purchased the property at 139 Limekiln Road, directly adjacent to our home. The property has a main house and a guest house. We're thankful that Lalla agreed to sell her house in Bethel and move to the main house at 139 Limekiln...a significant upgrade in housing for her and convenience for us.

The end of Summer brought another significant weather event...Hurricane Irene...not as bad as I expected but we did lose power for 5 days. That prompted the purchase of a whole house generator...getting it installed was a different story. The second freak weather event of 2011 was the Halloween snow that will not be soon forgotten. We got more than a foot of snow that destroyed trees and knocked out power for a week. We spent that week in the lovely Stamford Suites hotel. The whole house generator was installed a few weeks later....never again.

School started and it was like flipping a switch on the boys. Amazing how they both loved the routine and discipline of a schedule. The decision to have Henry do a Pre-K year was huge. He really blossomed from Day 1...while he has a different teacher this year, he has the same classroom aides and they were amazed at the difference. He is the oldest in the class, not by much, and the kids in the class this year are significantly better behaved...a great combination for Henry. The first half of the school year for him has been amazing...he's reading, reasoning and doing some lite math...he is the human GPS, almost to stalker quality. He can recite his entire class list, their addresses and turn by turn directions..by heart...maps and geography...his specialty. But he is 5 and he does really annoying 5 year old things also...he's a little whiny, not a great listener, always negotiates his meals for dessert and watches too much TV. But wow, he is so smart...his mother is a better judge of this, but I've had some experience with some of his peers lately and some of them don't even know all their letters or can't count to 100....he's reading 1st grade level books and doing math!! pretty cool :) Socially and emotionally he has grown up so much. Lots of wonderful friends at school and tons of birthday parties and play dates. He is very much in demand!

Ted is in the Montessori School 3 days a week in the mornings. An amazing experience for him as he learns to interact with other kids and follow basic "school" instructions. He is very ornery but we never get mad at him...he's too cool. He and Henry are getting along more like brothers...mostly from the fighting over toys perspective. Henry is really well behaved when it comes to Ted. Ted will really go after Henry...hitting, biting, yelling...and Henry is really good at not retaliating. A fabulous big brother.

Ted celebrated (cluelessly) his second birthday on December 4...a low key celebration that I'm certain will be very different next year.

All told...the boys are amazing. Growing up nicely as we learn to be more patient with them.

So enjoy the new pictures and let's hope we can keep our new years resolution.

SAL's Birthday

2011-11-16T07:43:00.002-05:00

Create a thank you

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T23:39:00.000-05:00

Some photos of Christmas 2010.

It was a very musical Christmas...Santa brought Henry a guitar, keyboard, snare drum and accordion. Teddy scored a slide and his favorite toy, a scooter. The boys definitely were feeling the Christmas spirit with lots of classic music (Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, etc.), classic TV shows (Rudolph (50 times), Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty) and classic movies (Wonderful Life, Elf, Curious George Monkey Christmas). Henry and Mom made great cookies for Santa and we had a wonderful Roast Beast for Christmas dinner. We went all out decorating this whole house this year and Henry has stated on multiple occasions the last couple of days, "I miss Christmas." We've been wondering when he would "get it"...I think we're there.

It's been a great few weeks. Henry is really starting to mature. After months of him being consistently contrarian, he has really started to play by the rules. He still has his tantrums, but he is 4... We really believe his first semester of 5 day a week pre-school is playing a big role. After much deliberation and testing at school we've decided to keep him at Redding Elementary where he will move on to pre-K next year.

It appears Teddy is wise beyond his years. A mother of one of Henry's classmates commented, "Teddy looks like he's always in on the joke." Walking, crawling or riding his scooter, he's always sure to have a smile. He can understand most basic conversation or commands and he's impossible to get mad at!

The official "O.P" (Orange Playroom) is finished. The entire upstairs of our 4 car garage has been converted into a finished playroom for the boys. We've been spending tons of time over there and the adults are happy to have some rooms in the house that aren't overflowing with toys.

We spent 4 days at the Greenbrier a couple of weeks ago. It was great visiting with Granddaddy and Mama who came over from Lexington. It's was Teddy's first plane trip and unfortunately, he only got to fly one way. Traveling by plane with two little ones is a definite challenge in today's airline environment. The outbound flight was 3 hours delayed and presented some challenges but we finally made it to the Greenbrier. The return trip wasn't so easy. After an initial delay of 2 hours spilled into 5 hours, we decided to forgo the return flight and drive the 9 hours home. A 7:30am departure from the Greenbrier led to an 11pm Connecticut arrival...very very long day. The boys were remarkably great about the whole ordeal. The Greenbrier isn't what it used to be...it appears the $99 rooms attracts a certain "element" that doesn't adhere to the old school dress code that I thought made the Greenbrier a special place....that's gone.

We've had a great week of vacation post-Christmas at home. We survived an awesome blizzard with lots on new toys and finally made it out of the house for a visit to the local aquarium. A stellar outing that the whole family enjoyed. Although it was a simple 5 hour day trip, I think we will all look back at that trip as special.

Looking forward to 2011...don't forget to follow us on The Twitter!

2010-10-31T20:53:00.000-04:00

HALLOWEEN 2010

A couple of scary pumpkins for Halloween this year.

Lots going on. Trying to be very patient with an immature, impatient Henry. He's excelling in school with his academics, but he's having some problems socially. He's one of the youngest in his class, so we're confident he'll come along in his own time. He is a human GPS that knows every road between here and Norwalk. Always full of song and dance, the "Wiggles" are a big hit and he is destined to win the World Air Guitar Championships one day.
Teddy is doing great. He's days away from walking on his own and he loves his books. His favorite is "Ready, Set, Go!" Which has become his first discernible, repeatable word..."Go"! Fantastically good natured and always smiley, he is Henry's #1 Fan!

SAL & HAL - Beantown!

2010-10-17T20:41:00.000-04:00

Henry and Mommy set out for an overnight adventure to Boston. Henry's first trip to Beantown commences with a picturesque train ride courtesy of Amtrak. Although Mom was armed with an iPad and other distractions, Henry just wanted to look out of the window. We visited the aquarium (the penguins were a huge hit)and finished our day with dinner provided by the fine folks of Room Service fame. An early wake up call and we were off across town for a Duck Tour and a trip to the top of the Prudential Center for a bird's eye view of the city. Finally, we makde it to the Boston Children's Museum. This was the most fantastic children's museum either Mom or Henry had ever visited. Henry climbed, played with shadows, lifted his own body weight with pulleys and played in water and sand. We had to leave far too early in order to catch our train back to New Haven. We shall return.

Yo gabba gabba

2010-10-03T22:13:00.006-04:00

What a weekend! You can follow all the action on twitter, but I will expand here. Started Saturday morning with his very first soccer practice. He really enjoyed it, but had no clue what was going on. Then HAL and Dad boarded a train to NYC, checked into a beautiful hotel room and spent the afternoon cruising Central Park. Shared a pretzel and Snapple, watched the accordion player for a few minutes and then marveled at the wall of porta-pottys! The Central Park Disco Roller Skaters were a big hit. After a short rest in the Sheeps Meadow, we headed off to an early dinner at Blue Smoke for ribs and were joined by Uncle Joe Peta. After returning to the hotel, we ordered room service dessert, which was a HUGE hit. "Room Service is awesome Dad!", said Henry. Finally some sleep and then a big Sunday finish. Early breakfast at Sarabeths, a stroll to the Grand Army Plaza fountain, some fun at the Apple Store and then off to the main event. Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Fantastic show, we had a great time. Will put together a video for future viewing. HAL danced, sang and had a rowdy good time. We then headed off to the Gruss picnic where Henry played soccer and made a new friend, Sienna Gruss. We made it back to the train and HAL was asleep in my lap before the train left the station. I couldn't wake him up when we got home and had to carry him to the car. Big weekend. He was really, really awesome. Looking forward to having more one on one weekends away. You can view more photos and videos of the weekend here.

From Yo Gabba Gabba NYC!

Twitter...

2010-09-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

We've given in...We're tweeting...you can follow us here.

http://twitter.com/malsalhaltal

HAL School....TAL Walking....

2010-09-07T22:04:00.000-04:00

It was a great summer, but it's back to school. Henry started 5 days a week Pre-K which has been great for everyone. He still has his moments but we can already tell that 4 years old is going to be better than 3 years old. He is definitely drawn to music of all kinds...everything from The Wiggles to Katy Perry to playing his own drums and air guitar!

Teddy...is starting to walk. He only started crawling on Aug. 1, so he's really moving along. His 9 month measurements....32 inches and 23 lbs. He had a couple of shots and blood drawn today...according to SAL, he laughed through the whole thing.

Nantucket 2010

2010-08-01T22:00:00.002-04:00

Vacation...naps and giant lollipops!!

Everyone had a great time in Nantucket this year. A new location for us, Cliff Rd., led us to a new and wonderful beach called Water Tower Beach. Lots of quality time with the boys, riding bikes, visiting lighthouses, cruising town and many trips to the "Juice Bar"! It was great having Lalla for the first week and our friends Ian and Virginia visited for a long weekend.

Henry loves maps, signs and knowing every road we drive on...he has a strong opinion on how to get anywhere! Teddy is a light sleeper, unless he is sideways in bed with Mom and Dad. He started to crawl on his last day and as usual..is always smiling.

Happy 4th Birthday Henry!!!

2010-08-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

The big guy had a fantastic 4th birthday weekend. A low key "party" with his friend Aidan and a few grandparents on Saturday, followed by a block party in Bethel with his Lalla.

His annual birthday measurements....44/44....44 inches tall and 44 lbs....all on his 4th Birthday!!

2010 Summertime

2010-06-27T21:52:00.000-04:00

Summer has arrived...Henry finished school and starts camp. We've been spending a lot of time at the country club, both boys love the pool. Henry is great to his brother, not always so nice to his mom or dad, but we love them both.

Teddy is a charmer...always smiley, happy, joyful. He's got a couple of teeth cutting through and he's close to crawling.

Another Saturday...

2010-03-31T22:20:00.000-04:00

Henry and Teddy having a good time. Henry is really starting to grow out of his "terrible 3's". Despite a little potty training setback, he has really started to be a good listener and helper. He's going to pre-school 5 days and week and loving it! Curious George still rules the day, but with the weather getting warmer, he loves to be outside. Plus he's counting the days until we go to Nantucket.

Teddy will be 4 months old this weekend. He has been a dream baby so far. He's been sleeping through the night consistently for a month now. Always smiley and relaxed, he's a very cool dude.

The Boys and Friends....

2010-03-31T22:09:00.001-04:00

We spent a day a with some friends that have two boys the same age as Henry and Teddy. Overall good fun!

Teddy Pics...Henry Sleds

2010-02-12T22:42:00.003-05:00

We've had several requests for new Teddy pics...follow this link.

http://darcey.smugmug.com/Portraits/Babies/Teddy-4-weeks/11071342_qqxaj#775082774_8LVJ5

They are a little old...but beautiful...our neighbor is a professional photographer.

Teddy had his 2 month check up this week. 14lbs and 26inches...he's growing nicely. We are convinced he is all charmer...He rarely cries and smiles all the time. While Henry will get whatever he wants from brute force/will....Teddy will be able to talk a blind man into buying a book.

Today's blizzard provided an excellent sledding opportunity...

New Teddy Photos

2009-12-31T17:37:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T11:57:00.004-05:00

Christmas was a big hit for everyone. Of course, it was total overkill on the presents for Henry...he didn't finish opening gifts until the 27th. He's started to get the whole "Santa" thing, but it will be next year before he really starts putting all the pieces of Christmas together. One big hit this year was the holiday cartoons...especially Rudolph...it was on a continuous play loop all day on Christmas Eve. He also was a big fan of "Elf" with Will Ferrell...one of Dad's personal favorites.

Thanks to everyone for all the gifts...hopefully we can get it under control for next year.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Henry!

2009-12-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

Henry got to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas today. A little shy at first...when he learned that Santa had candy for him, he was knocking kids out of the way to get to him.

In the last few months, he has completely morphed from toddler to little boy...it's amazing. He's adjusting to life with Teddy...as we all are.

A very exciting Christmas week ahead of us...stay tuned.

First shot...The Boys!

2009-12-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a week and we finally got a shot of the two of them together. Great first week for everyone. There was some concern about Teddy's weight as he lost nearly a pound in his first 4 days and he his jaundice condition almost warranted a return trip to the hospital. But, by his first week birthday he had gained a half pound and grew an inch!

So far, he's been wonderful...he only cries when you change him and he sleeps about 20 hours a day. We actually have to wake him up at night to feed him.

Henry is interested in his little brother, but he isn't quite sure what to make of the situation. Whenever Teddy cries or we have to take him to the doctor, he is very concerned....but for a 3 year old wild child....his little brother laying in a bassinet isn't very interesting.

Henry is getting into the Christmas spirit...Rudolph marathon yesterday....Frosty today!

Welcome Teddy!

2009-12-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

Theodore Alden Lugar
December 4, 2009 12:55am
8 lbs 10 ozs
24 inches

Halloween and Pizza Time!

2009-11-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

In the Lugar house, Saturday night is Pizza Night! As you can see Henry enjoys lending a helping hand.

We continue to prepare for the new arrival, which could arrive anytime. The most likely scenario is sometime around the week of Thanksgiving or just beyond.

We don't think Henry fully grasps the idea of being a big brother, but he knows baby brother is in Mommy's belly and his name is "Michael Jackson".

He continues to do well at Pre-school and music class. He's potty-trained, still loves road signs, is very good with driving directions and has the memory of an elephant. Sesame Street, The Wiggles, Elevators, Railroad Crossings and of course Traffic Lights are all very popular on YouTube.

Speaking of the aforementioned Traffic Light...this was really his first Halloween and the video below shows he had a great time.

He certainly has some carry-over from the terrible two's with the occasional toddler "fit", but he really is learning wrong from right and making better decisions. My favorite recent comment from Henry was this exchange:

Mom: "Henry, please eat your vegetables."
Henry: "I could, but I don't want to."

Gotta love him.....stay tuned for the new arrival!

Kiawah

2009-04-05T20:27:00.007-04:00

Spring Break in Kiawah was great! We tried to create a summary video to show how the week played out.

New School...

2009-09-07T16:33:00.002-04:00

Henry started his first day of Redding Elementary Pre-School this week. As you can see from the video, he was less than excited and needs to work on his "sharing" skills.

Potty Time!!

2009-08-31T22:01:00.009-04:00

As the first day of preschool at Redding Elementary approaches

...we've made a big effort at potty training.

Henry is doing a great job and spent most of the entire weekend in big boy underwear...

Thomas the Tank Engine Big Boy Underwear!!

Lots going on...

2009-08-01T21:19:00.001-04:00

Here's the first video from Nantucket...there will be more.

Despite the incredibly rainy, damp, cool conditions...we had a great time. Great days at the beach, both Cisco and Children's. Bike rides to Bartlett's Farm and Seafood 167...shopping trips to town, ice cream cruise in the harbor, flying the frog kite, treating the skeeter syndrome and general Henry madness.

Turning the Big 3!!

2009-08-16T21:29:00.001-04:00

Henry had his 3rd birthday and similar to the first two...it was not a stellar day...

A refresher...Birthday 1...Blue Smoke...105 degree temperature...early onset Roseola...and a very scary rash that broke out halfway to Maine.

Birthday 2...big night at our friend Hadi's restaurant in NYC...HAL vomited all over the place about 20 minutes after getting there.

And this year...big plans...Dad stayed home from work, trip to the Beardsley Zoo, birthday party with a Curious George theme and Ice Cream Cake...so...he had a complete meltdown at the Zoo and we stayed for about 30 minutes...came home and he opened one present and refused to open any more...had about 2 bites of cake and passed out.

We love him....Happy Birthday H-Bomb!!!