BEWARE of the snakes that will squeeze you until you are dead with your tongue hanging out!

Beck and Cade, who are both home from school sick today with Strep throat... and Strep in the eyes (Caden - who knew?!?) informed me in no uncertain terms that when the snakes squeeze you to death you look like this:

Apparently, everyone who dies, does so with their eyes closed and their tongue hanging out.

Honest.

They wouldn't make this stuff up.

AT LAST

Here's a quickie:

Alex and I were dancing (think waltz style) in the kitchen to our wedding dance song a few minutes ago... Etta James' - "At Last". (It's still playing in the background... Soso can only dance for so long when there's a football game to be watched... so here I am...)

We were all cozy and swaying to the music (waltz style) with #1 and #2 watching from the counter eating up the remnants of their lunch...

And Beck says: "Hey, you guys look like a teapot!"

TRANSFORMERS! Eee-Ooo-Awwwww-Ooooo-Eeeee-Oooooo

Santa was good to Beck and Caden this year (well, he is every year since they're such good little boys.) He left a clue in the 25th door of the Advent calendar and sent the boys on a wild treasure hunt around the house. A few more clues later and they were unwrapping the presents that Old St. Nick and his reindeer had left under the tree (of all places - where would you expect to find treasure on Christmas?)

The hands down favorite for both boys was two TRANSFORMERS. (Not that either boy has seen or will see this movie any time in the near future... but it's like Spiderman, Superman or Star Wars... it doesn't matter if they've seen it - they're obsessed with the characters none the less! It must be a testosterone thing.)

Well, when Santa delivered BONECRUSHER and OPTIMUS PRIME, an 18 Wheeler Autobot that transforms into a really super cool red and blue robot... one of the "good guys", Beck and Caden Sosa couldn't have been more excited. (Well, maybe the two thousand-nine-hundred-eighteenth and nineteenth Cars movie diecast cars that Santa got for $3.49 a pop at Target were received with slightly more fervor... but this is Beck and Caden after all...)

Anyhoo...

They've been playing with these Transformers quite a bit (or I should say, daddy has been transforming them for them... they are a little tricky for preschool fingers to manage on their own). And everytime Cade wants to play with Optimus Prime... he tells us:

"I want to pway wif OCTOPUS PRIME now!"

Beck wants out of politics

Yesterday morning, lying in bed, I looked over my left shoulder and found Beck wide awake staring at me intently, practically willing me awake.

He had something to say:

Whispering, so as not to wake up Caden over my right shoulder: "Mommy, I know what I want to be when I grow up!"

Me: "What's that, Bug?"

Beck: "I want to be an Ice Cream Man!"

I tried hard not to show my disappointment. Can you imagine what this will do for my diet!?

Rudolph WHO?

Left to Right: Aunti Sheri, Great Grandma Lennie, Grandpa Ek, Great Grandpa Rudy

Earlier this week, Beck and Caden were sitting at the breakfast table, waiting for me to finish making their pancakes and pondering some very existential thoughts - for preschoolers, anyway. It all began like this...

Beck woke up earlier than the rest of the family that Sunday morning and went down to his "office" to color some pictures for us while he patiently (uh-huh, seriously, I really said patiently) waited for the rest of the house to wake. He made one for himself, one for Caden, one for Mommy and one for Daddy. When I finally crawled out of bed to make breakfast, he moved his creative genius to the kitchen to continue his work and await his flapjacks. He informed Caden and I that he'd be making more pictures for the rest of his family since he'd be seeing them over the holidays... starting with Grandpa Ek since he wouldn't really get to see him.

Now, my dad has been gone for over two years, but I try to keep his memory alive in the boys since they were so young when he passed away. So whenever they present me with an opportunity I jump at it. Today, in that vein, I quickly snatched a picture off of the board in the kitchen and showed it to them. It's a picture of my Dad and Aunt Sheri with my Grandparents, Lempi and Rudolph Ek. Dad probably wasn't much older than Beck in the photo...

The following conversation then took place:

Me: "Beck, do you want to SEE a picture of Grandpa Ek when he was just about your age? Here, look."

I handed Beck the picture.

Beck: "Uh-huh..."

Caden: "I wannoo see too!"

Me: "And look, there's Aunti Sheri and your Great Grandma Lennie. She was MY Grandma!"

Beck: "YOUR Grandma?"

Caden: "Whet me SEE!!"

Me: "Yes, now let Cade see too... and that man there, that's your Great Grandpa Rudolph. We called him Grandpa Rudy."

Beck: "Grandpa Rudolph?"

Me: "Uh-huh. He was your Grandpa Ek's daddy."

Caden: "WHET me SEE!!!!"

Beck FINALLY passes the picture to Caden...

Caden (with brows furrowed): "But MOMMY! Where are his antwers?????"

Daddy saves the world

Last night was a long one at our house... Beck came down with a stomach virus that wasn't pretty (all over the hallway, in fact). Don't worry. There won't be any pictures.

No one got much sleep.

Mommy was out earlier in the evening and daddy the superstar took care of everything (and sweetly didn't even call mommy to tell her what was going on...). When he had cleaned up the mess (later reflecting that he never imagined in his life that he would willingly touch someone else's vomit...) and had Beck snugly (though greenly) tucked into mommy and daddy's bed for the night, the following conversation ensued:

Alex (gently rubbing Beck's head): "I'll stay home from work with you tomorrow, honey. I just have to email my boss and let him know that I won't be in."

Beck (worriedly): "But daddy! Who will fix all the computers?"

Puff Da Magic Dragon Revisited

And they're on a roll today...



Caden is all about getting his name in lights (or on the blog at least...)

Here it is on my computer, Caden!

Happy Thoughts by Beck Sosa ala Robert Louis Stevenson...

And Beck will not be outdone by his little brother...

This is the kind of video clip still shot supermodels fear most...

Caden Earns His First Dollar

Caden's philosophy is...
if his big brother can do it...

then so can he!

(He accepts all forms of payment, Nana.)

discovered ping.fm

Robert Louis Stevenson pays us a visit

This morning, Beck woke up and tapped me on the shoulder. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as he said "Mommy, I have to tell you something!" I mumbled something akin to "uh-huh?" and he said:

"A birdie with a yellow bill

Hopped upon the window sill

Cocked his shining eye and said:

(At which point Beck also attempted to wink, which he hasn't quite mastered yet...)

Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy head?"

Robert Louis Stevenson

Beck and Caden's Nana and Grandpa sent them home from Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with two wonderful books of poems and some financial incentive to memorize them (fifty cents for short poems, $1 for longer poems, etc.)

But that Beck Sosa, he's not in it for the money! (Although Caden sure is... he wants all the cash without having to learn the poems... we're working on that...)

As it turns out memorizing poems is the key to solving another little problem we've been having at bedtime of late! Beck has had some trouble going to bed - afraid he'll have bad dreams and the like.



Wouldn't you know, saying a poem over and over again to yourself as you fall asleep makes it so you don' t have time to think about being scared anymore!

From the mouth of my babe... Beck.

"Do you have to get your brains sucked out if you go to outer space?"

I don't know... do you?

Picture of Beck at 3 years old - two years before he posed this question to us...
he's been pondering it for awhile I guess.

Puff the Magic Dragon!

Oh Caden, Caden, Caden…
Could you be any cuter?!?

Those of you that know Cade, can imagine his sweet little voice singing this; his favorite new little ditty:

“Puff da magic dwagon… wived by da sea…"

"O-wet in da Autumn mist in a wand cauwed Honaweeeeee…!!!"
big deep breath...

“Oh…..”
and back to his favorite part which is yelled at the top of his little three year old lungs…

“PUFF! da MAGIC DWagon… wived by da sea…”

Are you smarter than a Five Year Old?

Are you smarter than this Five Year Old?

So, a couple of mornings ago, as I’m helping the boys get out of the car to head into school, Beck and I have the following conversation:

Beck (making one last ditch effort to avoid going into school this morning):
“Mommy, can we listen to the “Portside Pirates” song before we go into school?”

Me: “Shoot! We could, but I don’t have the CD with me in the car!”

Me again (cleverly trying to appease him): “But tonight we can burn it onto my itouch! Then we can listen to it any time we want to - mommy always keeps the iTouch in her bag!”

Beck (in his 5 year old know it all tone): “It’s RIPP mommy. Not BURN onto your iTouch!”

Apparently, little ears are listening when daddy has to correct mommy about how we get music onto her iTouch. Clearly, hearing daddy tell mommy we “RIPP”, we don’t’ “Burn” CD’s in the twenty-first century, four-thousand nine-hundred ninety-two times has had an impact.

At least it has on Beck…

Birthday season comes to an end at Casa Sosa

It has happened again... Another birthday season has come and gone. Why does it still take me by surprise when my boys are another year older every November 15th and October 20th?

Beck is 5!

Beck celebrated his 5th year in style at JW TUMBLES with 20 of his classmates from Step By Step and his brother and Cousin Livi. He had the time of his life and it was like Christmas morning in the living room after he opened all of the gifts he received from his friends (THANK YOU FRIENDS!!). I'm not sure what we'll do when the real Christmas morning arrives in a few weeks!?

Caden in 3!

Caden opted to celebrate his 3rd birthday with, Carson, one of his best pals from Step By Step at a little playdate at our house. His little friend Owen Stanley called in sick :( which meant half of his guests didn't show... but it was a great day nevertheless :) He had two parties in one day, lucky little monkey! He and Beck also celebrated their birthday's together with their Coskran and Ek families on the same afternoon right after nap time!

On to Anniversary, Turkey Day, Santa and Below Zero Temp season...

As the World Turns

Picture this:

Sweet little, recently turned three year old, Caden Charles Sosa is sitting properly and quietly at the dinner table, as usual (ah-hem), having just eaten his entire meal without a single complaint (ah-hem) patiently (ah-hem, ah-hem) awaiting his turn at the "Who am I" game that ensues.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere... He pounds his little fists on his sea life place mat on either side of his big boy dinner plate, which is clear of every morsel, of course, (ah-hem) and yells: "DAMN IT!"

Alex and I look at each other with shock and amusement, and ask him what he just said again... and again he says "Damn It!" with just a little less force behind it and an “uh-oh, I might be in trouble look” to boot.

Do we laugh...(OH YES! But very quietly)?

Do we chastise him...(Yes, but not very hard)?

How do we explain to our little ape that it's not okay to say that... ?

Even if Grandpa Chuck (around whom the earth rotates) does !!?

Beck's Vote Counts!

Last night at dinner, Beck informed us that he and his classmates at Step By Step Montessori each got to vote for our counrty's next new president too. Apparently, as Beck informed us very seriously, all but two of the children voted for the same nominee.

They all voted for "Rock Obama!"

Caden was given the opportunity to vote as well, after all, Step By Step IS a democracy. But he chose to be an absentee voter in this, his first election.
No I VOTED sticker for him.
He told us, with that impish little look of his: "For my vote I didn't talk to Ms. Brooke." No big surprises from Caden on Nov 4th!

Both boys agreed, however, without hesitation that the first thing President Obama should do when he takes over the oval office is add another "stay at home day" to each week. Can't say I disagree!

Leveraging candy

Friday night. Halloween. Ooooohhhhh... Spooky...

I think I have a new favorite holiday! I've never been much for Halloween (at least not since I was ten or eleven years old). But I think that's changed now that Beck and Cade are old enough to get the concept of Halloween and trick or treating. It was so cute to watch them yell "Trick or Treat" to complete strangers and then use all of their little will power to take "just one" piece of candy... looking up beesechingly to see if they'd be offered more than that at this house.

Then coming home and weeding through the insane amounts of candy in those little orange jack-o-lantern buckets (that I had to carry the majority of the way when they got to heavy) looking for the perfect treat to have before bedtime. And then they were so tuckered out. I love halloween now...

The morning after...

Woke up to a car race between Chick Hicks and Mr. The King next to me in bed (Caden). But it was smooth sailing from there on out. All of our ealry morning conversations went somthing like this:

Q: "Can I have a piece of candy?"
A: "When you finish your breakfast"
A: "OK!" munch, munch, munch...

Q: "I'm done! Now can I have a piece of candy?"
A: "After you get dressed?"
A: "OK!" then "urgh, upmph, I can't do it!, uh, oh, there, I got it on!"

Q: "I'm dressed! Now can I have a piece of candy?"
A: "When your brother is done eating and dressed, then you can BOTH have one."
Q: "Caden, do you want me to eat that????!"

And so on until everyone was nourished and dressed for the day. I wish we had the power of candy on hand everyday. It sure makes the morning routine go smoothly!

Spagetti dinner...

At just about every dinner we end the meal with a game of "Who am I" or "I spy with my little eye" or "Opposites" or some joke telling. Tonight was joke night. And Caden was on a roll:

Him: "Knock knock"
Us: "Who's there?"
Him: "Corda-doo-daba!"
Us: "Corda-doo-daba (huh?) WHO?"
Him: "Corda-doo-daba BOAT!"
All of us: "he he he he he he he he he!"

Gotta love three year old knock knock jokes!

Vote for Beck Sosa on Tuesday, Nov 4th - See his plan to save the ecomony!

If you vote for Beck this coming Tuesday you won't be disappointed. Watch the following videos to hear his plan for bailing out the economy in his own words.

Part One

Part Deux

A day in the life at Casa Sosa (last Sunday to be precise)

Last Sunday...

Beck discovered the (not so) secret birthday presents (not so) hidden under the dining room table this morning.

SPIDERMAN boots!

Cade put his on immediately, barefeet, (too small-highwater) Buzz Lightyear PJ's and all, and started stomping around the kitchen watching them light up (because, of course, Spiderman boots have red lights that flicker with every step a little boy takes!) I think Caden may have a little bit of a shoe fettish.

Beck, on the other hand, set his aside and said he'd try them on later. He was much more interested in playing with the new cars he got for his birthday yesterday...

We saw our first snow today and Caden said: "And we can pway out in the snow and I will get snow on my head! And I will BAM into the snow wif my hat!"

Beck is slightly obssessed with the time and temperature lately - especially this morning with the first snowfall (if you can call it that) of the season. He's been marching around the house stating "It's 39 degrees" today. And he'll check the clock and tell us "It's 8:30." Then, a minute later (after staring intently at the clock) "It's 8 hundred 31"!

No one under the age of five got out of his pj's today - until bathtime. Then they put on new ones! Someone that recently turned three years old tried not wearing pull-ups all day. He only had to change his undies and jammie bottoms 5 times... better luck next weekend!

Out of the mouths of my babes recently...

"I'm sowwy, do you want a hug, Beck?"
After punching his Ninja brother in the face... on accident of course! 10-19-08

"Hey, Beck! How 'bout we bofh be MOMMY tigers?!" 10-19-08

And the one that makes me proudest...

"Toot your booty off"
This one is repeated daily by both boys... as they giggle and say it back and forth...louder and louder.

The "New" Chronicles

Welcome to the "new" Beck and Cade Chronicles! We haven't managed to update http://www.thesosas.com/ in almost a year so we thought we'd give blogging a try... makes sense, right?

So here it is. Our new attempt to record all of the cute things the boys keep saying and doing that we keep saying we need to write down before they grow up and we forget them.

And if I can figure out how to upload pictures... even more reason for you to become a follower!


Dana (and Alex)