Grandmas' Blog

“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates”

2009-05-31T16:15:00.002-04:00

The cake looked better than it tasted, but hunting for treasure and water bombing the attacking army were great fun.

Hmm, what to wish for?

2009-05-28T19:08:00.001-04:00

...a race car or that my brother forgets where we live?

Precision

2009-05-28T19:03:00.002-04:00

This is the best pic I could get. Jesse testing for his orange belt in April.

Big News

2008-12-05T21:18:00.002-05:00

Turner would like to announce to the world that he has a loose tooth. To quote:

"I've been waiting five years for this! And in my sixth turn around the sun, it came."

Recent Gems from the Little One

2008-10-24T21:14:00.005-04:00

T: Everyday of Halloween season I get scareder and scareder of those creepy Halloween things because I haven't learned yet that they're not real.

_____________________________________

T: I can't wait to grow up and have a baby of my own. If it's a boy, I'm going to name it something funny, like Fence or Exit.

A: Exit?

T: No. Fence.

A: And if it's a girl?

T: I don't know, because my wife will name her. I guess I'll have to wait.

_____________________________________

Feeling the Music

2008-06-06T18:53:00.003-04:00

Today was Turner's last day of school, which consisted of a singing program and graduation for the kindergarteners and the 3rd graders, followed by a little reception on the playground. Tonight we had this conversation.

T: You know that song that the upper school sang? The one, "I'm leaving, on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again"?
A: Yeah.
T: That was a sad song, wasn't it? I wasn't sad and then I was very sad after I heard it. It was so so so so so sad.

What We Had for Dessert

2008-05-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

Watermelon on the cobb!

and a watermelon bowl!

Mission Accomplished

2008-05-01T22:50:00.001-04:00

Swimming lessons are going well, although the little one still looks like a drowning beetle.

Against all expectations he somehow makes it across the short width of the pool (4 yds).

The goggles do contribute somewhat to the beetle impression.

"But last week you said you were proud of my persistence!"

2008-04-30T17:49:00.005-04:00

Last week, Middle Kid spent an entire afternoon learning how to blow bubbles with bubble gum.

Today, he learned to make noises with his armpit.

Technology Lacking

2008-04-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

Why have they not invented a camera that captures that new baby smell?

Giving Dad Hope

2008-04-26T12:00:00.003-04:00

Conversation in the Car:

J: [apropos of nothing] Mom, why is a triple rarer than a home run?
A: I don't know...Oh, I know. Because usually a home run puts the ball over the fence, so it's not in play. But a triple necessarily has the ball in play, so it's more likely that they'll stop the runner at a single or double.
J: Unless it's an error.
A: What?
J: Like if they drop the ball.

Can you imagine how delighted Randy would be if Jesse were as fanatical about baseball statistics as he is about Pokemon stats?

Sock Races

2008-04-24T12:24:00.000-04:00

Earth Day Conversation

2008-04-22T21:48:00.005-04:00

T: Mom, do you know what the enemy of food is? That makes your food bad?
A: What?
T: It's ethylene gas.
A: Really? Where did you learn that?
J: On TV, on a commercial for Greenbags.
T: Yeah.

For a moment there I thought they were getting really advanced in their science lessons at preschool.

Turner's View

2008-04-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

Turner looks adorable walking around with the camera, strap around his neck, like some sort of Japanese-tourist savant.

Bon Appétit!

2008-04-18T23:14:00.002-04:00

Turner turned his nose up at dinner, and we refused to make him something else. So he decided to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich, even better than mine because he cut off the crusts.

Is this what they call a "tween"?

2008-04-17T21:01:00.001-04:00

Conversation between me and Jesse:

A: Do you want a sandwich, skinny boy?
J: Yes, mother who is in danger of getting diabetes.

Excessively socialized

2008-04-16T23:16:00.002-04:00

Jesse had his class picture today. I carefully combed his mohawk down, out of deference for those parents who might not wish to see a mohawk in their child's class picture.

Strings Performance

2008-04-14T09:28:00.001-04:00

This is Jesse during his strings performance in December. It's a lousy photo, but I was way in the back so I was lucky to get a shot at all, even with a lovely bald head in the foreground.

Yew Nork

2008-04-12T16:48:00.004-04:00

T: Mom, can we go on a trip tomorrow?
A: No. But where do you want to go?
T: I want to go to Yew Nork.
A: Yew Nork? What do you want to do there?
T: The stuff there is to do there.
A: Yeah, New York is a pretty cool place to go.

Big Changes

2008-04-11T09:10:00.000-04:00

I was too slow to think of taking a picture, so you don't get to see the roof with the shingles off.

They replaced the flat roof last week, thank goodness. We previously had a perfectly flat roof--actually convex in spots--which was holding water and breeding mosquitoes for the whole neighborhood. It was also leaking and rotting the wood underneath. They stripped the cover off, replaced a bunch of the wood, covered it with a product specially designed to convert flat roofs to sloped roofs (and is incidentally insulating), and topped it off with a tough white membrane which reflects heat. Now it is ever so slightly sloped, so the water runs off on all four sides.

This week the roofers replaced the asphalt shingles on the mansard roof with faux slate, which looks fabulous and is supposed to last longer than the house. The windows for the upstairs have been ordered, and the window guys will clad the wood in cream trim when they replace them. The roofers also replaced a lot of the wood around the windows because it was also rotted.

Sigh. It's going to be gorgeous when we are done.

Lunge

2008-04-10T11:57:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that Jesse has started fencing lessons?

Turrrrrrnerrrrrrrrrr

2008-04-09T08:43:00.000-04:00

When Turner hadn't mastered pronouncing his r's, even to age 4 and a half, Randy and I asked him a few times to carefully repeat a word or two. He obliged, pronouncing his r's clearly. We were satisfied that it was just a bad habit, so we let it drop.

Last week, Turner decided it was time to start enunciating his r's, with a vengeance. Now every r sounds like a baby bear, a throaty growl, grrrrr without the g, like a snippet from a pirate's signature, "Aaarrrrghhh."

"Rrrrright, mom?"
"Can we go to a rrrrrrestaurrrrant?"
"Where arrrrre we going?"
"I'm rrrrrready to get up now!"

It makes my throat hurt just trying to imitate it.

Cherry Blossom Festival

2008-04-08T15:28:00.002-04:00

Taken March 30.

Happy Hunting

2008-03-24T22:54:00.002-04:00

Can you give me a clue?

None up here!

I have an idea where!

Whoo-hoo!

2008-03-15T09:38:00.001-04:00

After the excitement wore off, Turner had Randy put the training wheels back on because he didn't like starting and stopping without them.

Valentine Planes

2008-02-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

Doctor's Kit

2008-01-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

T: This is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me.

Iroquois Warrior

2008-01-11T23:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, I actually gave him a Mohawk for Colonial Day at school. He is an Iroquois brave, after all.

What I found in my fridge this morning

2007-11-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

Because apparently Thomas the Tank Engine doesn't have refrigerated freight cars.

What Makes Art?

2007-11-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

We bought a conversation-starter card set at the preschool fundraiser, and broke it out over dinner.

Tonight's question: What makes something art?

T: A paintbrush!

J: (Off the top of his head!) It has to show beauty, skill, or talent.

Mom and Dad were unable to top that.

One last thing to do before falling asleep

2007-10-29T21:49:00.000-04:00

T: D!...A!...D! Come here!
R: What do you need, Turner?
T: Here, give me your hand.
[Kisses the palm of his hand]
T: There. When you miss me, you can put that on your cheek and get a warm feeling.

We're off to the Neighborhood Halloween Party

2007-10-28T19:47:00.000-04:00

Corn Maze

2007-10-27T10:54:00.000-04:00

The weekend before last we took the kids to a corn maze.

Flag Waving

The drought is a little more obvious there -- the corn barely reaches 5 ft, and it's usually green still in mid-October.

Pumpkin Babies

Wheelbarrow

Obstacle Course

Face Painting

"I want to party with that guy!"

Everybody laughed as they passed Turner, covered head to toe in red dirt. The title of the picture was my favorite comment.

Honesty

2007-08-07T14:10:00.000-04:00

T: Mutter, I love you.
A: Aww, that's sweet. I love you too babe.
.
.
.
T: But I love daddy better.
A: Everybody does, sweetie.

Reminders

2007-07-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

This pic is from June, Jesse during a chicken fight at Tae Kwon Do.

The Three Amigos

2007-06-15T19:58:00.000-04:00

Turner and his two best friends from preschool.

Hello, pavement!

2007-05-24T22:32:00.000-04:00

I guess when you're that close to the pavement to begin with, you get to be pretty good friends with it.

Suppression

2007-05-12T23:34:00.000-04:00

Dinner conversation last week wound from Jesse's fear of bees to the 78 rolls of film Grandma Pat's friend filled with penguin pictures on her trip to Antartica.

T: Did you know? Penguins eat fish. Real fish, fish that swim in the water. Not fish like people eat.

Of course not. Because that would be too horrible to even consider.

The Triumph of Time

2007-04-26T22:06:00.000-04:00

New this week! Yes, that is Jesse riding his bike. Hallelujah!

Meanwhile, Turner races down the driveway at his tricycle's top speed. And he's started begging for a bicycle.

For auld lang syne

2007-04-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

...right before he removed his pants and tossed them in the pine tree. Spring has arrived.

A Little Privacy Please?

2007-02-23T21:47:00.000-05:00

T, at the toilet: Mom, I don't need any privacy today, because my privacy went on vacation for a few weeks, until I'm four.

On Vacation

2006-12-24T02:26:00.000-05:00

I have to get up in an hour and a half to catch a plane. This is vacation? Oh yes, Christmas Vacation.

What I've been up to:

2006-12-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor?

No -- I finally went down to the big box store and bought myself some 2x4s and some drywall. Stay tuned.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2006-12-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

While Garrett was here for Thanksgiving (yay!) we put up the Christmas tree. You would not believe how many photos I took trying to get these guys to smile and keep their eyes open all at the same time.

Alouette

2006-12-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is Turner singing in his preschool holiday program. The production value (my camera work) is awful, but I'm posting it just so I know I can.

Conversation in the Strip Mall Parking Lot

2006-12-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

T: Mom, is that it?
A: Is what it?
T: That!
A: The store? Is the store what?
T: Is it the fixing store?
A: Is that the fix-it store?
T: NOoooo, is that the fixing store?
A: The fixing store?
T: Yeah, for dogs.

Good job brushing my teeth, Mom!

2006-12-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

Day 10

2006-10-20T18:35:00.000-04:00

Jesse adores archery. (One more thing for my to-do list -- find him an archery program.)

Garrett hit the deer...

but he didn't get to ride the ATVs, poor fellow.

That afternoon we took a walk up to the Emerald Pools in Zion National Park.

(That's me and Garrett waving.)

It was dry and the water was low...

but the scenery was still breathtaking.

Day 9: Reaching Zion National Park before sunset

2006-09-24T22:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, that would be the boys climbing the rocks across the street.

Where am I?

2006-09-16T16:05:00.000-04:00

Oops, I did it again.

Sigh. Yes, I lost my computer data without any backup. Not a clue what was originally wrong, tried to fix it myself and on the cheap and ended up making it worse.

I'm back, with a new internet security program and a stack of CDs with old data, but it's left me rather bummed.

FYI, if you have never emailed me at my gmail.com account (or received mail from me at that address) then I have lost your email address.

Picture of the Day: A Rite of Passage

2006-08-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

He seems delighted with his new glasses, I'm not sure why. Maybe because everybody in the family needs them?

I can't remember the last time I saw my middle child this happy. It has nothing to do with the glasses -- I'm just commenting on his general state and his mom's corresponding moment of peace. Randy thinks it's a harbinger of better days ahead. I almost dare to hope that it means moving stateside was the right decision.

Day 8, Wedding Day

2006-08-28T22:44:00.000-04:00

Father of the Bride

Mothers

Mike, the groom, escorting the mothers.

Bride

The wedding was lovely, and the reception was great fun, but very few of my photos are in focus. Turner danced with us for over an hour, and my cousin's daughter Brittany dragged both David and Garrett out on the dance floor. (Thank goodness for teenage girls.)

Day 7, SLC

2006-08-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

Sweet

John and Megan's daughter, Rebecca.

The rehearsal dinner was at an Italian place, where I was apparently more concerned with keeping Turner in tow than taking photos. Here's one nice one of Grandma.

Day 6, SLC

2006-08-23T01:37:00.000-04:00

No pictures from days 4 & 5.

Telling Tales

Jaz telling stories to David and Clare's girls.

Deck

So I installed a faucet. Big whoop. My brother Mike went and built a deck (shown here). I won't even mention my brother John, who renovated his whole house and installed solar panels on his roof so now the power company pays him for electricity. He's just much too together for me to even contemplate.

Earthy

The very cool couple (Mike and Carey) whose marriage we were celebrating this evening, and only two years late. Taken by Jaz, who had absconded with my camera.

Hangers-on

Something tells me I did not take most of these pictures.

Which explains why there is a picture of me!

Practicing his Lines

2006-08-20T22:11:00.000-04:00

T: Mommy, can I swim in your eyes?
A: What?
T: Can I swim in your eyes, and hunt for sharks in them?

Where does he get these things?

Pictures of the Day: Day 3, Idaho

2006-08-20T21:36:00.000-04:00

We picnicked by the Payette River on the way back to Boise.

Here I told Jesse to look serious in an effort to forestall the inevitable tongue sticking out.

Thirteen

Water's Edge

We somehow managed to stay dry and mostly clean for the ride home -- hey! DROP THAT SANDBALL!

We got to stay with Grandma Patricia for the night.

Picture of the Day: Day 2 @ McCall

2006-08-16T22:24:00.000-04:00

It's blurry, but he looks like he's having fun. We spent most of the day dragging this kid around in the tube.

Later Randy showed off. This is what comes of a wasted youth.

Garrett was kind enough to bury his brothers in the sand.

By the end of the day everybody took a turn on the tube.

Pictures of the Day: Day 1, McCall

2006-08-15T20:00:00.001-04:00

We arrived in the late afternoon Sunday, but we still made it to the lake.

Why am I not surprised this ended with a sandball fight?

Floating with daddy.

Aaaah! I'm blinded! Sorry, folks, I tried to improve this photo with a little judicious fiddling, but there was nothing I could do about the white boys in the middle of it.

Picture of the Day: Our Time in the Sun

2006-08-14T23:54:00.000-04:00

More vacation pictures coming soon...

and thanks to Carey for the inspiration in photographing flowers.

Picture of the Day: Birthdays!

2006-07-29T07:53:00.000-04:00

We celebrated two birthdays last night. It was great fun. Turner's punchline of the night was "Tuna fish. Get it? Tuna fish! Ha ha hahahha!"

There was no joke, just a punch line. But it got funnier every time he told it.

We're heading off on vacation this morning, and I don't expect to be able to update this for about two weeks. See many of you soon!

O' Glorious Faucet!

2006-07-26T21:45:00.000-04:00

There's a commercial I've seen on HGTV, where a woman asks a snooty and supposedly world-reknowned architect to design a house around a faucet. I now understand her motivation: she installed the faucet herself!

That's right, folks. I, Momma, installed that there faucet myself. The snail-like pace of the kitchen designer and the insistence of money on flowing out faster than it comes in both suggested that the upstairs bathrooms weren't going to be redone anywhere near as soon as we had initially--naively--hoped.

So, annoyed with the tiny faucets that stood about 1 inch above the top of the sink and barely dribbled onto the edge of the pan, I, Momma, had the idea that I should just go ahead and replace the incompetent faucet.

I, Momma, went down to the big box store, where I bought myself a box o' faucet.

And I, Momma, read the directions, and replaced the faucet, even though they said to use the plumber's putty according to manufacturer's directions, but my plumber's putty had no such directions.

That is one gorgeous faucet. I'm not sure where I got the idea that replacing a faucet required so much training that it was beyond all hope of ever accomplishing in my lifetime. It wasn't--but you wouldn't know that from how proud I am of my faucet.

Now I'm thinking about heading down to the big box store and buying myself a sledgehammer, some 2x4s and a bit o' drywall.

Economist-In-Training

2006-07-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

When I picked Jesse up from his friend's house yesterday, I found he had traded away all his Pokemon cards (clearly worthless) and all his Yu-Gi-Oh cards (a sizeable stack) for 8 Yu-Gi-Oh Elemental Heroes cards. I hemmed and hawed...we had encountered this situation before, with another friend, only that time we felt Jesse had taken advantage of his friend and made him undo the trade. After that incident, Randy and I had a long discussion about the value of letting the kids learn their lessons from trading, about whether a bad trade would ruin a friendship, etc., but I couldn't remember our conclusion. I didn't know the relative value of the cards, but I was pretty sure Jesse didn't either.

However the aunt of Jesse's friend was visiting, and she wasn't as conflicted as me. "All of his cards, for those few cards? That's not right. Give him back his cards." But they're all mixed up, the boys complained. So let's sort them out, I chimed in.

It ended badly, with Jesse crying behind the couch and threatening not to leave. But I waved my magic wand (loss of electronic privileges) and he followed me out to the car, where he promptly castigated me with language most effective for punishing an economist:

"Why did you make us undo the trade? That was a fair trade. We were both happy. It had nothing to do with you, but you made us undo it, and now we're both unhappy."

It wasn't quite true that it had nothing to do with me--I buy the cards--but still, I was incredibly proud of my budding economist.

Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum

2006-07-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

Turner: Fee!...fum!
Momma: Fe, fi, fo, fum!
Turner: Fee, four, five, fum!

Picture of the Day: Monday Raccoon Blogging

2006-07-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

Note the trash we cleverly set out to lure the creature. Chablis (reflected in the glass) is staring it down.

I have a habit of setting the trash out on the deck, above the garage, and when Randy arrives home I call for him to pull the bin out from under the deck and open it, so I can drop the bag in it. Unfortunately, I all too frequently forget, and we get visitors helping themselves. Once we had a momma with a string of babies in tow. We usually only realize they are there because Chablis and Sapphire are watching.

Picture of the Day: Red Towel Day at the Nats

2006-07-23T22:11:00.000-04:00

Waiting in line to run the bases.

Unfortunately, they ran so fast I didn't have time to get into position for pictures.

Garrett helped Turner around the bases. It was his last opportunity for this 12-and-under event, because he turns 13 this week.

Picture of the Day: At the Coloseum

2006-07-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

The crowd celebrates the victory of our champion, Chablis, over the menacing black wasp. Chablis rests on her laurels over the body of the challenger, while her attendant, Sapphire, checks to make certain it is really most sincerely dead.

Picture of the Day: Potty Party Grand Finale

2006-07-21T21:32:00.000-04:00

At the infamous Chuck E. Cheese's. When the other little boy climbed up the side of the truck, I thought for a moment Turner was going to pitch him overboard. But Turner just looked at him, then patted the seat to invite him in. I am so grateful for moments like this.

The Boys are Back in Town

2006-07-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

Everybody's here, and they have been since Sunday. For reasons having mainly to do with my own anxiety and procrastination, this has been an incredibly stressful week, but I do so like having the boys here.

I would rejoice more and share more stories, but I'm exhausted and worn out, and sorely in need of a vacation.

Just a little postscript on the potty-training: I didn't mean to say the book was bad, just that the title was rather overstated to sell books. It really is about using every psychological trick available to move your child from "perfectly content to pee in a diaper" to "really wanting to pee in the potty." That can happen in one day, if your child is physically ready, but as a parent you have usually spent months introducing the kid to the concept. ["Kid, I'd like you to meet potty. Potty, kid."] And it still takes at least a few days of follow up to really get the concept down.

Results? One accident Sunday, and one accident today. Many many reminders to use the potty. I'd definitely call it a success, but I wouldn't say he is completely, independently toilet-trained.

The French call it propre, meaning "clean." Which is what he will be, once he figures out how to wipe his own butt.

"How to Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day"

2006-07-16T11:14:00.000-04:00

is a bunch of BS.

I knew that before today. I'm no fool. I've read up on the subject. I took 'Human Development Age 0-5' in college -- I believe it was a required course for an MRS degree at my perpetually unspecified alma mater. And the coup de grâce: I have two older children. Yes, I've been around the block enough times for it to show.

But I tried it anyway. Because potty training has to be done, and sometimes you have to throw every psychological trick in the book at the child in order to move him from "perfectly content to pee in his pull-up" to "really wanting to pee in the potty every time."

Today was one big marathon party. Yes, we held a potty party. It started with the presentation of the doll, an anatomically correct baby boy dubbed "Pookie" that we jointly taught to use the potty. It ended with the dreaded trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. In between was a blur of balloons, stickers, treats, prizes, videos, games, puzzles, and books, lubricated with enough sodas, juices, sunny D, and chocolate milk to float away in. All of it glued together with non-stop positive parental attention. Not to forget the symbolic tossing of the diapers in the trash. Nor the presentation of the official big-boy Thomas the Train backpack, intended for use on the impending vacation and at the subsequent preschool, both of which require a potty-trained 3-year-old.

The move from "perfectly content to pee in the diaper" to "wanting to pee in the potty" is a critical transition, and in my experience, it takes no more than three days to reach complete daytime dryness once you have crossed over. I would be happier if I were more than 60% sure that we had made it. And I wish I had followed the book's advice to buy and wrap a present for myself, one that I particularly, utterly, palpably desired. Exhausted and accomplished would be exhilarating. Exhausted and pampered would be comforting. Simply exhausted is just abysmal.

[I was so tired I not only posted this on the wrong blog, I wrote it for the wrong blog. ]

Picture of the Day: Cream

2006-07-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

A: What are you doing down there, Turner?
T: Sssshhhh! I don't want Daddy to see me.
[Daddy is on the other side of the sliding glass door behind him.]
. . .
T: Momma, can you help me with this cream?

Daddy's the go-to guy when you want to avoid going to bed as long as possible, but when you want a treat, Momma's the one to ask. Even when she's just heard daddy tell the child that whipped cream is not to be eaten by itself. What can I say? The need to feed your children runs deep.

Picture of the Day: Pizza Man

2006-07-08T14:51:00.000-04:00

Hooray for Saturday! when Daddy gets to stay home and play with play-doh.

Picture of the Day: Plenty of Cake

2006-07-06T23:08:00.000-04:00

From our trip to the reservation this past weekend, where I had some trouble with my camera card and didn't take nearly enough pictures.

L-R: Nephew Stephen, cousin Molly, cousin Noel's daughter Kaia, and nephew Brian.

Picture of the Day: Happy Fourth of July!

2006-07-05T14:42:00.000-04:00

Roadtrip!

2006-06-30T09:18:00.000-04:00

The monsoon is over. We're heading to the rez for the weekend. Our route goes through western PA, west of the flooding.

Hooray, hurrah. We haven't seen daddy for a week; he's been working on heavy trucks. I just love those code names, like I'm married to a secret agent.

Showers

2006-06-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

It's getting hard to take a shower around here. That is, it's getting hard to find a little peace and quiet in the shower. We have a shower addict, a boy who wouldn't miss a shower like he wouldn't miss his next donut. Turner will wake up in the morning, hear Randy showering, jump out of bed and run to the bathroom, stripping off his pajamas and diaper along the way. "Daddy, can I shower with you?"

Daddy's a sucker.

It can take a while to finish up when you're rinsing with only half the water. But after his shower, Daddy will set the kid up with some cereal at the table. Sometimes, before he leaves for work, he'll even put Caillou on T.V. in the basement.

That's my moment to try to sneak in my own private shower. The water warms, I've got the shampoo in hand when I hear thump thump thump coming up two flights of stairs, flat feet running a square around the stairs to the master bath, and the door to the shower slides open:

"Mommy, I think I got a little bit dirty at beckfast."

There is really only one solution. Shower faster.

Picture of the Day: Crane Feeding

2006-06-26T16:03:00.000-04:00

Our Budding Linguist

2006-06-24T10:47:00.000-04:00

Turner has the best conversations in the car, presumably because he has a captive audience.

I overheard the following on Thursday, once again in the car:

T: Dad, what do cars do?
R: What do cars do? Well, cars drive.
T: Noooo, cars don't drive! People drive. Cars move. On wheels.

Il me manque

2006-06-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

Jesse has gone to Chicago for a month. Il me manque. That translates to 'I miss him,' but I like the French version better because it changes the order of the words. More literally, it might be "he lacks in me." Randy never felt the phrase made sense until I pointed out the similarity to the use of the word haunt: he haunts me. The French word makes missing something that happens to you, not something that you do, which I think better describes the hole in your heart when someone is gone from your life.

Real Tools

2006-06-22T19:06:00.000-04:00

As we passed a garbage truck this morning, Turner announced, "Mom, I want to be a garbage man. With tools. Real tools."

For the past week, all I've heard about is how Nicky has real tools, and how much Turner wants real tools too. Nicky is five, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't been bringing his tools to the babysitter for Turner to see, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Nicky's tools are not much more real than Turner's. But either way, given Turner's propensity for pretending to hammer nails in such things as the wall, my arm, and the television screen, he's unlikely to get any real tools anytime soon.

Picture of the Day: Tools!

2006-06-22T19:05:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Daddy wins...

2006-06-21T15:59:00.000-04:00

... the Who-Can-Build-a-Block-Tower-Taller-than-Himself competition.

Picture of the Day: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2006-06-12T10:25:00.000-04:00

I don't think Randy will be able to wear a W cap until the current administration leaves office. If ever.

Pictures of the Day: Haircuts!

2006-06-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

The boys love this place because it has TVs.

I'm not sure why he's pouting; he's watching Thomas. Maybe he's worried about the mean old freight cars.

The finished product:

Picture of the Day: Jesse and the Deer

2006-06-06T18:02:00.000-04:00

I picked up a new camera card this afternoon, and arrived home to find a deer in our backyard. That's not an uncommon occurrence, but this one was particularly comfortable with humans. She stayed put with Jesse watching while I got the camera card out, searched for scissors to open the package, returned and walked around the deck and yard looking for a good vantage point. She finally turned tail and ran when Jesse went around the bush to get closer.

Picture of the Day: Thomery Cottage

2006-06-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

Found an old pic -- I believe this was the week we moved.

You Didn't Hear This From Me

2006-06-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

I've misplaced the card to my camera...waah, no new pictures. I guess I'll have to tell a story I wasn't supposed to tell.

The other night, DH heard, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" followed by someone stampeding down the hall.

"I wasn't wearing any underwear! ALL DAY!"

Freaky.

Out of the Mouths of Babes, Part II

2006-06-02T18:10:00.000-04:00

Jesse's class play was yesterday, a musical titled, "Imagine If...." where the kids imagined lots of crazy things. At the end of the play they showed a film made of the children asking us to imagine what the world could be like, while John Lennon played in the background.

Jesse expressed the longest wish, "Imagine if the world went back to what it was like before people started littering and doing other things that damage the earth."

Bless those socialist liberal educators who socialize our children.

Out of the Mouths of Babes, Part I

2006-06-02T18:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, apropos of nothing, a little voice from the back of my car announced, "Mommy, people like you." What angel told him to say that?

2006-05-31T20:55:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Nephew!
One year ago.

2006-05-27T22:20:00.001-04:00

The Dixie Chicks, Part Two

You must get this album [Taking the Long Way] if you are still singing to babies. It’s no accident that both of their last albums have contained a lullaby – the Chicks have seven young children between them. And while the Time Magazine article said a childless person might mistake “Lullaby” for a love song, this mama is here to tell you, it’s a lullaby. And it belongs in the pantheon of lullabies, for every mother to sing and pass on to her children. It’s simple, repetitive, with a narrow range anyone can sing, and it’s beautiful. More than that, the Dixie Chicks have perfectly captured the oxytocin-addled tender bliss that accompanies nursing, once you make it a little way up the learning curve. It makes me want to crawl into bed with my baby and fall asleep. Except that he turned three today, and as he told me tonight, "You forgot, I'm not a baby, I'm a big boy."

2006-05-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

Pictures of the day:
Somebody had a birthday!

Make a Wish!

Look what I caught!

But I ate two pieces of cake instead, because we don't eat fish.

Use the force, Luke!

2006-05-26T18:27:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Jesse before turning 3.

Turner's birthday has got me thinking about my other boys at age three. Here's one of Jesse just before he turned three.

2006-05-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: The usual state of my living room rug.

2006-05-24T14:24:00.000-04:00

Mystery solved

I finally asked the right question: "Who did you play with at recess today?" And the answer came, Ashwin, and we spend every recess racing around the track. My legs get tired. But when Ashwin's legs get tired, he keeps running.

"And is that why you wanted running shoes, so you could run better with Ashwin?" A nod in reply.

2006-05-24T14:19:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Jesse occupying himself on the way to dinner.

2006-05-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: "If you dream it, you can do it." Walt Disney

Randy and I were working in the yard this weekend, when Turner spied his wading pool in the storage room. I told him it wasn’t warm enough to use the pool, but he replied, in his zen master form, “Mommy, if you say that, then it won’t be warm enough!”

I laughed and went back to pulling weeds. A few minutes later, he had pulled the pool from the storage room, through the garage, out onto the driveway. He disappeared into the house, returning ten minutes later wearing his Nemo swimsuit, then ran up the driveway to fetch the garden hose.

Of course, at this point I had to admit that it must be warm enough, because there was the pool and the swimsuit and the hose. I really hate feeling that I’m losing my sense of logic, or that my two-year-old has a better grip on the nature of reality. But I do believe in rewarding initiative, or letting initiative reward itself.

I found the following quote from Henry David Thoreau on a web page titled "Manifesting Reality: How We Make Things Happen."

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live a life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him, or old laws will be expanded and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings."

It's just one more reason we don't really push him to eat meat -- which he doesn't like. After all, what if he really is Buddha reincarnated?

2006-05-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: At the Library
That's about five nights of reading in Jesse's book bag there--he stays up really late. Turner was "reading" out loud, all about Thomas and Gordon and Percy.

2006-05-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Warriors.
Last summer, somewhere in Pennsylvania, again with cousin Steven.

2006-05-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: DH at the Washington Monument.
From January 2003, taken by Randy's dear friend David Nolan, who passed away in February.

2006-05-18T08:49:00.000-04:00

Picture of the Day: Who let the paparazzi in?