Winter Break 2017: First Hibachi Grill Experience!

As noted before, it turns out the Milam Men are a skiing family.  Bruce is an old pro, Pai's lessons were a success and the boys loved it.  Ethan even proclaimed, "Is skiing a sport?  If so, I'm good at sports and found one that I love!"

On our last night in Whistler, we'd made a reservation at a Hibachi restaurant just next to our hotel.  Though, after a day of skiing, we were all tired and leaning towards some R&R (Robes and Room Service, that is).  

I pushed for us to rally out to dinner and was very happy we did.   The place we went to was like a Benihana - 12 people around a table and it's a production.  Lots of knife skills and action to be witnessed.  And we tried our best to keep the big ball of fire a surprise to the boys - check out their reaction in the videos below:

Ethan was very particular about his outfit - he even stole my cap to complete the look.
He also took his hairbrush so he could redo his hair once we arrived and the hat came off. 

Pai and Noel looking sharp.

Ethan bellied up to the bar like he owned the place - toothpick and all.

Noel wasn't feeling the photo opp.

And the moment we've all been waiting for:

Winter Break 2017: Whistler & First Skiing Experience!

This year, we decided to take our first Snow Vacation up in Whistler.  We consider ourselves a warm and sunny kind of family and this was a gamble.  Neither of our boys have braved the cold very well and we (namely Pai) were preparing for all scenarios.

Bruce has gone skiing a number of times and I haven't really gone skiing since I was a teenager.  What I was really unsure of was how the boys would take to 3 days of Ski School and we'd be separated all day.  Well, lo and behold, we had nothing to worry about - the Ski School at Whistler is amazing and the boys emerged each day to regale us with tales of their adventures and everything they achieved.  Most notably was that the boys were better skiers than Pai after the end of it all.

See below for some highlights:

The boys wearing their ski gear on arrival day.

Bruce snapped a picture of the boys in school

Pai taking the Peak 2 Peak gondola with Daddy - our first time skiing together

A view from below on the gondola

Sunny at the base of the mountain - grey and cold up top

Brotherly Love

Know we sent this picture around earlier this week, but wanted it somewhere permanent.

They recently began sleeping in the same bed again and we came in from date night to this scene.  Beyond adorable and makes our hearts swell.

This perfectly illustrates their relationship - they rely on each other first and foremost  - even before us.  It's a fascinating bond to witness - one that's more like a marriage or partnership than a typical sibling relationship.

Ethan's Reading Time

We have the boys in such a great school - they create so many opportunities for parents to be involved.  It's less about big events like Bake Sales and School Auctions and more about frequent times for parents to come in, be a part of the community and then get back to their day - it makes the kids feel important and the parents feel connected.

While our Wacky Wednesday isn't until January (keep your eyes peeled for a post on that), Bruce went in for Reading Time earlier this week and he had such a great time.  The kids are split into groups (based on the number of volunteers that day) and they spend 30 minutes reading to kids from books selected by volunteer's children.

Ethan was so proud to pick out his books - he showed me his books before heading off to school and said, "You know 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus' is a good book because it has this silver medal on the cover." (Referencing the Caldecott Sticker on the cover).

The picture below is so awesome - Bruce is having a great time and Ethan is so engaged and proud.  Though, apparently Fabiana (Of "Awww - Fabiana got kicked in the face" fame) wasn't as impressed as she simply got up and wandered off shortly after this photo was taken.

And a sentimental shout out to Ethan - he told his teacher he wore his Buccee's t-shirt in honor of his Grandpa Buck that day.   Sweetest kid ever!!!!!

Ethan's Early Christmas Acquisition: A New Remote-controlled Helicopter!

Every year, Dad hosts a fun party for some folks at work . . . a great dinner followed by a fun White Elephant gift exchange.  They boys have always been at the house during the party, but have never shown any great interest other than greeting everyone, having some food and then retiring upstairs for TV and bedtime.  Well, I guess things are changing as we round the corner to their 7th birthday . . . 

This year, Ethan, our extrovert, who has never meet a person he didn't adore and want to chat with, was super intrigued by the gift exchange and made his way down as we started and sat in my lap to observe the festivities.  He asked great questions about the proper strategy of a White Elephant (when to steal, how to discern good wrapping from good potential gifts, etc.), and laughed along with us as people opened the various lemons.

His interest spiked off the charges when, as one of the last gifts opened, a remote controlled helicopter was uncovered.  He then really wanted to know how it could end up with us.  I'd selected a gift early in the cycle, so I explained that someone had to steal our gift first before I could I'd then be eligible to make our own steal of the helicopter.  Upon hearing this, Ethan went into full salesman mode . . . displaying our gift (interestingly, 3 artisan beers, a bottle of wine and a troll doll piggy bank) prominently in an effort to entice one of the last three participants.

We ultimately reached the end of the road and, alas, our gift was not stolen and the helicopter resided with another guest - a new kid we've hired this year named Nathan.  Ethan was doing his best to contain his disappointment when Nathan made his way over and asked Ethan if he'd allow him to give him the helicopter even though the exchange was over.  For a kid that already has a bright smile, this led to one of the brightest.

The pictures below represent the post-acquisition love and adoration he felt for this helicopter - genuinely like no other present he's ever received.  I think he was so genuinely proud that he did this all on his own . . . having a twin brother gives both of our boys more confidence to achieve more than they would on their own - but Ethan rarely goes out on a limb like this and it was incredibly nice to see him get a great reward and the satisfaction of accomplishing his acquisition goal!

Ethan literally sitting in "Big Bed" staring lovingly at his new prized possession.

He begged us to let him sleep with it . . . I assumed that he'd push it over to the side to get comfortable, but this picture was taken around 11:30 PM, roughly 4 full hours after his bedtime . . . arm still firmly around the treasure.

School Photos 2016-2017

A little brightness for your day.  School photos came in and the boys win again for most photogenic! See below for solo photos and class photos.

Notes on Noel's class photo
- Jack: in the denim jacket and Timberland boots - Jack is here for 2 years from England and you can see the mischief in his eyes.  The other day I asked why he was dressed so sharply and he told me he'd entered a hip hop dancing competition and won second place.  When I relayed this story to his mother she let me know there was no such competition.  I loved how Jack gave himself second place to add validity to the story (anyone else would have gone too far and said 1st place)
 -Sid (to Noel's left): adorable to boot and a total nice kid all around
- Theo: totally looking longingly into the distance

Notes on Ethan's class photo
 - Abe (back row, glasses):  the sweetest kid on earth with the voice of man who smokes a pack of Marlboro reds every day
- Fabiana (front row): Love her one leg up jeans look and will forever be the girl who got kicked in the face by her Capoiera teacher ("Aw, Fabiana got kicked in the face....)

Soccer, 2016 - Undefeated Ghost Raptors!

Catching up on old posts -  we gathered a group of boys together for a soccer team not knowing how things would go.  Bruce was head coach and I was Assistant Coach.

Bruce has a long history with team sports and great Project Management instincts.  He was great and keeping the boys on task, supportive of each other and led us to an undefeated first season!!

There were a few weeks, though, when Bruce was out of town, leaving me in charge.  And unlike Bruce, I have a long history of one individual sport (with none of the skills translating to soccer) and am easily distracted - you can imagine 6 boys and a manic coach - chaos was certain....

However, Bruce and his PM skills came to the rescue.  Before he left, he handed me a piece of paper that I simply had to follow - complete with team rotations and timely reminders to give to the boys throughout the game.   The Ghost Raptors' first season was undefeated (stay tuned for a recap of the following Spring 2017 story - SPOILER ALERT - the boys got a nice dose of defeat).

Oh - and about the team name - we asked all of the boys for some name suggestions and many were thrown out.  The Milams rallied for the "Dino-mites" to make a comeback from their first team in Dallas.  A few others were thrown out (The Snow Leopards, The Tigers) - however, when Abe suggested the Ghost Raptors, all other names paled in comparison and there was no turning back - the Ghost Raptors were born!

Fall 2016 Ghost Raptor roster (L to R) - Keaton, Ethan, Abe, Sid, Noel, Jack)

The coach included

Getting crazy after their last game

Coach Pai wrangling the herd of kittens while Bruce was gone.

And some photos of the Ghost Raptors on action:

Halloween 2016!

2016 marked our third Halloween celebrated in Seattle and the second one in our N. Cap Hill home. Our location in Seattle continues to be the unplanned/unexpected gift that keeps on giving . . . N. Cap Hill does Halloween like nowhere we've ever seen - two blocks down are streets lined with incredibly decorated homes, elaborate costumes and themes, and wall to wall people working their way to get a view.

This year also allowed us to continue our goal of social immersion in the city . . . we invited a host of families from the boys' school to join us for dinner and trick-or-treating and had a fantastic response. The boys were proud to show off their house and neighborhood while Dad and Pai continued to get to know their parents a little better.  The rain did set in about halfway, but luckily the neighborhood is flush with large, full trees and we were able to squeeze a good 90 minutes of trick-or-treating in before returning home to assess the candy haul.

Now for the important stuff . . . 

Hard costume year - who knew that Harry Potter costumes are pretty much limited to Harry Potter!  Boys finally decided on Ant Man with Dad and Pai following suit.

Ant Men ready for battle!

The mob before being released . . . that's some pure joy on the boys' faces.

First Day of School 2016 - 1st Grade

Today was the first day of school for the boys.  The summer was super fun all around - loads of camps, trips and general loafing around.   Though, we realized about 10 weeks in that the boys were around each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - more time than any two human beings should be around each other.  They really weren't too bothered by it until the end and you could see it wearing them down.

So when the first day of school came around, they were super excited.  Ethan laid out his clothes perfectly and Noel chose his comfiest pair of pants for the special day.  Speaking of - apparently, we didn't document last year's first day, so we'll rectify that and update with a reference link so you can see how much changes in a year.

A few pics below of the big day:

Noel picked up this "cool guy" pose that neither of us has seen before 

Ethan LOVES his brother

We finally got a great pose!

 And then we said "Go Crazy!!" - Noel went with "Cool Guy" pose again

Ethan at his new desk decorating his name - he was so happy to see his friends again!

And Noel in his new class - he sat next to the new kid iand immediately starting talking to him - very sweet and inclusive.