We have a big week ahead so I thought I'd get one last blog post in while the boys are playing with Edward's train. (Note: Daniel's participation consists primarily of trying to eat the train pieces.)

Last Saturday friends invited Edward to play at their house to let us focus on packing, so he had his first solo playdate. By all accounts it was a rousing success. We'll have his friend over once we're settled in the new house, giving her parents a taste of the same (limited) freedom. He was very upset with me for taking him home, but could barely stay awake for the five minute drive. Once home he collapsed in bed for a three-and-a-half-hour nap. So not only did they keep him busy all morning, but they exhausted him so he slept for the whole afternoon. Three cheers for the J Family!

Daniel also did his part by taking two solid naps, leaving lots of time for packing. Grandma and Grandpa came over in the late afternoon to occupy the kids while we continued with tasks too loud to complete while they are sleeping. Then we all went out for pizza. An exhausting but successful day. The only glitch came at the end when we got back from dinner. Edward was running up the back sidewalk and tripped, landing head first on the cement--a scary moment for all of us! We rushed in to put ice on it and distracted him by turning on Thomas the Tank Engine on TV. This was so successful that for the next three days he kept saying, "I need ice," as a ploy for more TV time.

As noted in the last post, Edward is quite proficient in nursery rhymes these days. The night of his accident he was reading "Jack and Jill" and asking "Where's his crown?" "How his crown get broken?" We tried to explain that "broke his crown" simply meant "bumped his head." Edward, clever boy, now answers those who inquire about his bruise: "I broke my crown."

Well, now it's been two hours since I started this post. Daniel needed a nap just before the above paragraph and Grandma and Grandpa arrived to take Edward for the day. So with both boys occupied it was time for some packing and dumpster filling. Now Daniel is waking up, proving that he does in fact have good sleeping skills when given the proper environment (e.g. the removal of his brother from the immediate vicinity of his bed.) This will be much easier to accomplish in the new house, where his bed will be upstairs, away from daytime activity.

We close on the new house Tuesday, move Thursday and close on the old house Friday. We will send an alert with the new address after the dust has settled. For those who need them, our phone and email will remain the same.

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, here is Daniel's favorite post-nap activity (also, clearly amusing to his brother):