As a younger brother, there are very few instances when Ethan has all of the attention of every person in the room.  Its always Isaac and Ethan.  But this past weekend we went to Holy Cross from a chemistry-related holiday (Mole Day...what you don't celebrate Mole Day?), and Isaac was hanging with Mom, making the traditional Mole Day guacamole (get it?) and Beethie was entertaining the throngs of colleges girls (college guys are generally allergic to babies...a visible reminder of the worst case scenario for a drunken Friday night encounter).

He busted out all of his best tricks--he ran, he "jumped," and he showed off his belly.  All of the girls applauded and Beethie ran around.  He would walk up to people studying and they would take a break of the screen they were worshipping to say hello.  He loved playing near a fountain.

Then he would break out his big trick, his grand finale--he can stand up, bend over and touch his forehead to the ground.  Pretty impressive, no matter who you are.  He got a round of applause for this trick.  And he loved it. 

Well, it took some doing and some serious and kindly help from Nanna and P-Pa, but GG, made it out to Massachusetts and we were all spectacularly grateful and thrilled that she was here.  Suffice to say, there was a lot of activity over the weekend, but it was a happy bustling house for three glorious days.

They landed Thursday night, very late.  Isaac laid out some goodies for GG, a brand new school picture and some artwork.  Then, the next morning everyone woke up.  Isaac did his usual and dropped downstairs to see his grandparents.  Ethan slept in and in a bizarre, almost dream-like event, I went downstairs and saw GG, just sitting there in the kitchen.  I went to work, while GG, Nanna, and P-Pa took care of the Beethan and got I-man off to school. After school and work ended we all came home and had a feast composed of Bianca's delicious sauce and pasta.  It was a warm evening full of laughing and memories being made.

The following day, Saturday, we all got up and went outside for a spectacular New England fall day.  Here are a few of the relevant participants gathered around the fire waiting for some camp pies:




After hanging out outside, we all hopped in the car and got dinner at our favorite spot: Gibbet Hill. It was a meal I think we all enjoyed and some place that GG felt good eating.  It was tasty and well made but definitely not us livin' above our raisins.

Sunday came and went too quickly as we all played outside a bit more.  It was nice to see Ethan and GG interact and though he was a bit skittish after GG took him downstairs after nap to no Mommy, he got over it quickly.  Isaac and GG had a very good time together and though I think I said five words to Nanna and P-Pa, they both got quality time with their grandkids.  So thanks to Nanna and P-Pa and extra big thanks to GG for making the trip.  Our boys are better for it.

And to think, for three days there were four generations in one house.  

No, it is not a tongue made up by JRR Tolkien, it is a language spoken solely by our Beethan.  In this language, there are some sound replacements because, well Ethan can't say a few sounds yet, like "X".  But if you are attentive and know what he is talking about (usually one of three things--Mommy, milk, or beebeeps) you can get a pretty large vocabulary of Ethlish. Here are some of the better words:

Bu Doe Doe: bulldozer

Ek ka kay tor: excavator

Mi xh (the tongue click sound, found natively in Ethlish and Xhosa, a unique language from sub-Saharan Africa): mixer

But: Boat

Bu Bu: Bubble or (context dependent) brother

Isaac: Isaac (note the similarity)

Mommy: Mommy (again, the similarity)

Da Da: Daddy, or sometimes Ding Dong (note the lack of precision)

Dang Dang: Ding Dong or rarely Daddy

Noonle: Noodle

Cur Cul: Circle

Ethee:  Ethan

Busssss: Bus

Yes: Yes

Yeah (with a sad sound): Yes I will be a good boy

No: NO!

All Duh: we covered this one before, but it could be all done, as in "finished" or go F--- yourself, depending on the context.  Don't worry you never have to guess which is which. 

There are many more, but since Nanna, P-Pa and GG arrive this coming weekend, I thought I'd give them a primer.