dear tennyson

 dear tennyson,

i love you,

but you are kind of a madman.

kid,

you are driving us absolutely wild.

because you think

(and it isn't true)

that everything that goes wrong

is the absolute end of your existence.

it's okay.

we understand.

we were two once.

but when maggie steals your puzzle piece

(for the tenth time),

you don't need to unleash your banshee scream

(for the tenth time).

you really can just move your puzzle.

or, heaven forbid,

play with one of your umpteen hundred other toys.

and kid,

you need to ask around.

i think your friends would tell you

that pizza is the bomb diggity.

i bet a few of them even like apples.

or grapes.

or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

we aren't trying to feed you anything exotic,

like snail or grasshopper.

it's about time you figure this out.

because, tennyson,

man can not live on french fries alone. 

 here's something that may surprise you.

we get tired of watching the same youtube video

over, and over, and over.

even if it is of "tennyson and maggie".

it's still only thirty seconds long.

and it just isn't quite as cute

or funny

on the two hundredth view.

though i know you beg to differ.

and on a semi-related note,

i'm not sure your sister appreciates being called

"gaggy".

she might not care now,

but once she figures it out,

well, it's just not a nice nickname to have.

let's work on that speech some more, okay?

one last request,

stop being so stinkin' funny.

because you really are making us wild,

but your laugh,

and the millions of silly things you do

keep making us forget.

you're quite the performer, kid.

and we sure do love that about you.

love,

mom and dad

dear maggie

dear maggie,

we love you but

you are kind of a stinker.

girl,

you are driving us absolutely nuts.

because you never (and i really mean never)

stop eating.

seriously, child. you are almost ten months old.

you can probably go all night without needing milk.

ask around, i'm sure a few of your friends do.

(and while you are asking around,

i am sure you could find someone who will tell you

that it really is okay to be without your mom for two seconds.

some of your friends probably even prefer their dad.

just saying.)

and maggie, that tongue.

do you realize how often it sticks out of your mouth?

on a semi-related note,

please stop licking things.

it's gross.

(and please stop making us dig around in your mouth

just to figure out what exactly you found to eat this time.)

one last request.

stop being so stinkin' cute.

because you really are driving us crazy.

but those cheeks

and that smile

keep making us forget.

love,

mom and dad

p.s.

i think you might be driving your brother a little nuts, too.

stop stealing his food

and climbing on top of his head.

doppleganger

mike and i have recently been watching a lot of how i met your mother on netflix.

in the show, they've had a lot of fuss over finding their dopplegangers throughout new york city.

it's pretty silly. and really, finding someone who looks so identical to you isn't realistic.

but here in the fiske house, we just came pretty close.

in the form of an ensign article.

i'll link the full article at the end, but for those of you who (like me) are too lazy to ever click on links, i'll copy and paste the first little bit, since that'll be enough to let you know what we are talking about...

"I cried silently as I rocked my baby in our hand-me-down rocking chair. Although Tennyson was almost a month old, I was anything but accustomed to my new role as a mother. My nearest family members lived over 300 miles (480 km) away, and though my husband was supportive, he was enrolled in a rigorous law school program that kept him busy much of the time."

as the article goes on, well, it becomes less like me and not quite as freaky, but if you'd like to read more, click here.

so for those of you who will be reading the march ensign, and for those of you who will sit there and wonder if it is me, it isn't. but it is pretty freaky, and it's given our heads a good spin.

baths

it's no secret that tennyson is not a fan of baths.

in fact, they may be the worst form of torture we put him through.

but a funny thing happens when we put maggie in the tub with him.

suddenly, baths are the most fun we ever let him have.

so we let them bathe together. tennyson loves it, and maggie puts up with how many cups of water get dumped on her head by big brother.

it works out for all of us.

sleep

it's a beautiful thing

when these two sleep at the same time.