Lego Vehicle by Nathan

It must have been McNutt or maybe Swiper

Grammie introduced Nathan and Bea to a character (from a book, I think) named McNutt. He seems to be a friendly imaginary guy who can be blamed for ... almost anything- moving things, making a mess, cleaning things up, making mysterious and otherwise unexplained noises. McNutt has been very helpful in our house. I really have enjoyed this imaginary guy. In the past, I had been doing a lot more reassuring in situations that seemed worrisome to N and B or explaining of why I had meddled with their stuff. Now, whenever there's something new or changed that might have made my slightly particular children worried or annoyed they tell me it was just "McNuckt" before I even think of what to say. A few weeks ago, Swiper was added to the characters who can make mischief in our house. It took me a while to realize that this was a character in the Dora cartoons who tries to swipe things away. So, now instead of being upset when the lego sculpture has been moved or the juice cup that was still half full is gone, we play an imaginary game together about 2 endearing and meddling characters.

Soundbites

N: in reference to a juicy pear "It's so drippy that I don't bite it, I slip it." (sip it)

B: "Way Da Min-it! I have 'dult fork!" (Katie takes away the adult fork and replaces it with a small one) "Nooowwww I have kid fork."

N: "Mom, can I be nak-ed now?"
B: jumping up and down "Nak-ed! Nak-ed! Now!"
N: "I really want to be naked now."

B: while playing with play doh "Cupcake come out! It's ready!"
K: "Can I have one?"
B: "No!"
K: "Oh, are we waiting? When can we have it then?"
B: with very serious frown... "Yesterday."

B: "I makin' popsicle. Big one."
K: "Can I have a bite?"
B: with very angry look "No! Only bunnies."

N: "I have a big family. McNuck, Swiper, the ladybugs..." in reference to the small family of lady bugs living on our enclosed front porch

N: "Never, never, never!" in response to a variety of requests and topics ranging from putting clothes on to scooting a chair a few inches

N: while talking to himself... "Man, if Bea doesn't listen to me, I'll just pipe her! If daddy doesn't listen to me, I'll just pipe him. If mommy doesn't listen to me, I'll just pipe her!" Hummm... what is piping? Should I be nervous?

B: multiple times a week, this happens... while covering one eye "You can't see it. Eye going potty. Psss Psss Psss." covers other eye "Other eye going potty."

Singers

"Clink, clink, clink, on a pleasant day! ... clink, clink, clink, on a pleasant day!..." This line was sung over and over this morning in loud and soft, silly and serious voices. I think Nathan and Bea were inspired by a morning of building with their new Crystal Climbers that happen to make a nice clinking noise when they hit the floor. First Nathan burst out in this song and soon Bea joined in from the other room. Soon there was marching, dancing, and lots of giggling.

Still Designing Shooters...

I thought this was a pretty nice design. We have still not gotten Nathan a real toy gun... except for a happy meal one. About once every 2 weeks there is another home-made model. This one is a dismantled golf club tied to a piece of a dismantled soccer net, filled with foam dice for the ammo. I know he will play with guns (and already is), but he's only 3. So... can I keep letting him invent his own for a year or so or am I denying him a vital tool for play? Any thoughts?

Potty Highlights

Bea continues to develop potty skills and in the process I've noted her incredible flexibility with which potty she uses. I remember Nathan used his little white potty for months (we brought it with us everywhere) and was slower to warm up to the strange big potties in restaurants and parks. But Bea started yelling, "No, big potty!" from the beginning and has always preferred that to the little one (probably because she sees her brother use the big one now). So here are some potty highlights:

Bea's All-time Potty Highlights/ The big toilets

• Minneapolis airport (first big potty)
• Restaurants... you name it
• Public Park Restroom

Nathan's All-time Potty Highlights/ Best locations for the little potty

• Yosemite Nat'l Park foodcourt
• On the sidewalk in front of Bennison's Bakery
• In the airplane restroom (on top of the closed toilet lid)

Adventures in Pottytime

Bea has started the potty adventure. You can stop reading here if you don't have any interest in poop and pee talk. This topic shifted from gross to completely fascinating when I had kids of my own. Without the personal experience of changing stinky diapers and the motivation to one day live in a home without a diaper pail... I wouldn't have had much interest in the subject. So, if you keep reading... I'm going to talk about gross things. Turn back now if you need to. You have been forewarned!

The Preparation:
Bea has been doing morning poops on her little potty for several months now. I started putting her on her potty while she eats breakfast and that developed into a pretty regular routine. I had noticed that she usually pooped after or while eating and breakfast was a motivation for her to be still for long enough to sit on a potty. During this time she also started noticing when she would pee into the potty too.

A few months ago, I tried a stint of no diaper to see what would happen. She didn't catch on to the whole thing very fast, so I decided to go back to diapers and try again later. But, one thing that came of that time was her ability to stop her pee.

Recently she had also been very proud of the fact that she can pull on her pants by herself. She practiced for about a month and really had to work at figuring out how to reach behind her and pull her pants up over her bottom. It was quite amusing to watch her tug with all her might, determined to do it on her own. Whenever anyone would offer to help her she would yell, "No. By sef!"

With good language skills, an awareness of poop and pee and some experience controlling her poop and pee, and the ability to pull up her pants, I thought she was ready for another try at no diaper.

My goals were:
1. Not to make a big deal about it. Be comfortable with where she is in her learning.
2. Make a clear distinction that there are no diapers while awake so that she can truly learn the potty skills she needs whenever the urge arises!
3. Be willing to work with her, dropping other tasks to help her get to the potty quickly.

After a month of experimenting, I think Bea has done great. She knows how to tell us when she needs to pee and if we encourage her to do her morning poop, she is usually fine for the rest of the day. There have been some moments... but all in all, Bea is on her way and mom prefers a few wet clothes to constant diaper changes.

Working on a Thanksgiving Pie

Soundbites

• "Mommy, you good friend." (Beatrice)
• At the kitchen table... B: "You done?" N: "Yes." B: "Go play."
• "You like creamy. I like plainy." (Beatrice about noodles)
• Nathan has seen me leave little notes of encouragement around our house lately. One morning he wanted to make some too. He taped a paper onto Bea's chair, one onto his chair and one onto his Dad's chair. "That's all my love to Bea. This one says Bea loves me. These are my love to Daddy."
• "I want to have a snack because I'm a little snacky." (Nathan)
• N: I want a refrigerator. K: Like the one you play with at school? N: No. K: Like the one outside? N: No, like that. (points to an almost empty egg carton). K: Oh. Okay.
  
• Beatrice saying prayers: "Tank Papa (Thank you for Papa). Tank Mama. Tank Daddy. Tank Papa. Tank Mimi. Tank Nana. Tank Papa. Tank Dedi (Thank you for Jedi, the dog). Tank NayNay. Tank Papa."
• After Zen and Bea started sharing a room for naptime: "Z: loud moaning. B: Zen! You too loud!"
  

Happy Birthday Beatrice!

Bea, blowing out 2 candles on her puppy cake (made by Mimi Martie). After finishing a sizable slice of cake and a peanut butter cup "eye" she proceeded to quietly scoop the frosting off with her finger, one long swipe at a time until the cake was moved out of reach.

A Birthday for Bea

"Mom, look! I made a birthday for Bee-trice!" Nathan was so excited to show me what he had worked on for quite some time. Included: Marble birthday cake (center), truck and car presents (lower), roller skates presents (right), rain boot and truck presents (top), more car and knee pad presents (left). About ten minutes later the party grew even more elaborate with almost all the toys from his room covering this display. What a party!

So Mature

Bea's birthday is almost a week away, but it often feels surprising to me that she will only be 2 years old. She is so advanced. Yes, I am one of those parents who really believes my kid is incredibly unique. Here is just a little evidence for why it is indisputable that she is a very mature almost-2-year-old.

• Today she counted to ten twice while practicing jumps off the bed. The jumps could use a little work, they're more like a falling tumble, but the counting was amazing!
• She can speak in long sentences, paragraphs and even shows teen-age speech patterns such as, "like... um" and "I'm good."
• She has an incredibly developed social awareness, especially regarding hosting skills. At meals or snacks she often asks each person: "Enough? More?" and serves them more if they request.
  
• Her emotional awareness is also right up there. She seems to feel the sentiment of the room and often gives pats on the back when people need it and has been known to pull mom and dad's heads together for a kiss when that is what's necessary.
  

Candy Magic

I think we stumbled on a great Halloween candy routine... at least for this year. I think we got lucky because we had definitely not planned it out ahead of time. As Nils and I were watching our kids run from door to door collecting gobs of sugary cavities, I mean candy, our conversation went something like this:
K: So, I remember counting out 20 pieces and giving away the rest of our candy to my dad's office. I liked the whole sorting process and I think 20 pieces was plenty.
N: Oh, that wasn't my experience. We always kept it all and we ate as much as we wanted.
K: Did you get sick?
N: I think getting sick was its own lesson... but I don't think I ever got sick. I rationed my candy so it would last all year.
K: Oh.

When we got home they both poured their candy on the floor. We all ate a few candies, we enjoyed a little sorting and Bea quizzed us on the names of each candy while Nathan asked what was in each one. Then in a moment of divine intervention... we had them each chose one last candy and we put all the candy away before we opened our last treats. Now our nightly ritual is:

1. Near the end of dinner, Bea reminds us, "Af-er din-er, can-dee."
2. We wait until we're all ready and then Nathan pours out the entire candy bag on the floor.
   
3. We all squeal.
   
4. We sort and talk candy until we all pick one.
5. We all put the extras in the bag and the bag immediately goes out of sight in the cupboard.
6. Candies are opened and enjoyed!
   

I know this system will not last forever, but for now... they seem content to choose 1 candy, even our sugar-lover, Bea. And, I think this system works for both Nils and I. Nils gets to pass on the fun experience of seeing gobs and gobs of candy and being excited about mass quantity and I get to pass on the fun of sorting and planning a special pick and we all experience kids that are not sick or excessively high on sugar.

And the costumes will be...

I was uncertain what the costumes would be (or if there would be any) until the moment we stepped out the door. Nathan was definitely not into dressing up last year when I wore his builder costume while he trick or treated in his regular clothes. This year we had several options in the house to see if he would warm up to one of them. There was a furry tiger (worn by Bea above), a simple tiger tail and ears, the Hulk (as pictured above) and a black cat ears and tail. 15 minutes before trick or treating, Nathan decided not to be the Hulk, but to go for the furry tiger. Fortunately, Bea does not have the same uncertainty about dressing up and almost any costume. She easily got excited about switching to a black cat.

faith, hope and love

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor 13:12-13

Pumpkins

Nathan demonstrating what he wanted his pumpkin face to look like. I think we actually got pretty close with an open mouth pumpkin with two hands flying up on his face.
Beatrice, with mixed feelings about the pumpkin goop.

Carwash

Nathan and Zen do a very thorough job of washing the car... and most of the other outside toys and trees.

"Why'd you move the pipes in the couch?!"

There are toys that parents enjoy playing with as much (or more) than our kids and there are toys that we wish our kids did not love. The dismantled soccer goal is one I wish Nathan were done with. We got it in the tired-of-winter days of February when we were looking for more indoor activities. It was a soccer goal for about an hour. Then it was quickly dismantled into 6 plastic poles, 6 L shaped connectors and a floppy net. It turns out that these poles have many uses: baseball bats, periscopes, sword sheaths, water sprayers, plumbing pipes, fishing poles, musical instruments, shooters and marble tracks to name a few.

What annoys me about them is that they are cracking on the ends and have sharp plastic parts despite the masking tape attempt at safety and they are often flying in the air throughout the day or poking into my ribs during bedtime stories (he usually sleeps with a few in hand).

I have been tempted to throw them out or at least "retire" the broken ones to the basement. But in the same way that I have a sixth sense about where my children are even when I'm not watching, Nathan seems to feel when one of his poles has been moved. From another room I heard a distressed voice, "Why'd you move the pipes in the couch?!" I guess I was trying to clean up. I had moved the poles from behind the pillows in the couch, but I hadn't realized he was laying pipe and I assumed he wouldn't notice right away since he couldn't see them. Silly me. When I hear the way Nathan talks about his poles and clearly loves to work with them, I have the endurance for a little more time with these broken apart, broken-down toys.

I am... I mean my son is in preschool!

I'd heard of moms crying after their kids went to school for the first time. I'd heard of parents feeling stressed about the busy schedule of school being added to the family. But I didn't expect to feel like I was the preschooler.

On the first day of school, the teachers had the class pet on the rug for circle time and Nathan barely heard me say goodbye before he was drawn to the rug with his new classmates. There were no tears; however, I was almost in tears yesterday after picking Nathan up from school at the end of his second week. I think it was because I was not expecting my own transition into a new time where other adults have a fair amount of input into my child's development and suggestions for my role as a parent.

I was left surprised and speechless when one of Nathan's teachers instructed me on 2 specific ways to interact with him at pick-up time and described several parenting skills to work on outside of school. Upon reflection, I think they were all good suggestions; I was simply not expecting that I would be the one learning new skills in preschool. While I was hearing the directions and suggestions, I had a flood of explanations and reasons and opinions swirling through my head, but my pre-schooler self just stared at the teacher, unable to find any words for my thoughts. Frozen. As I was walking out of the building, my teenage self wanted to yell and start a debate... but my mom-of-school-age-children self, that is new and fragile and still forming, managed to say, "wait."

It's my mom-of-school-age-children self that seems to know that learning new ways to be a mom at school and even discovering parenting skills will only help me. It does not mean I am a student like the other 3 year olds in the room, it just feels that way because this new self is so young and still taking shape. In some ways I am a student in this preschool class, we're all learning how to grow up just a little more.

Soundbites

• "When I get 5 and live by myself, I'll go to Dewey School" (our local elementary school). Nathan.

• "Do you want to see something AMAZING!" Nathan, multiple times a day.

• "Enough?" Heard often from Bea who likes to make sure everyone has had enough to eat, drink or snack on.

• "Doggie woofin' at me!" Bea.

• In response to a question about what they were making with play doh: "Cheese flips, ching beans, ham cones, cicada candy, and a snake named Broccoli." Nathan. "Boggie." Bea, pointing to her play doh snake named Boggie.
  

Nathan: "Do you know what nosin is?"
Mom: "No, what is it?"
Nathan: "Smushing your nose in something."

Nathan singing:
"Beatrice, Beatrice, Bea,
Beatrice in the mud!
Beatrice, Beatrice, Bea,
Why'd you go in the mud?!"

Shooters

Nathan has started to make "shooters" out of... just about anything. This is a replica of his older friend Zion's nerf gun that was constructed out of a T-ball top, strings, links, and plastic nuts and bolts. Today a string was tied onto a straw in two places and items were blown out. Earlier in the week cylinder blocks were flung out of the shaft of a dismantled toy golf club. For safety reasons, we may have to get some toy guns pretty soon.

Why?

Beatrice has fully embraced the "why" stage. She loves to ask why... about 30 times in a row. It's actually a fun game. I feel like it is a philosophical and logical puzzle to keep up with her, finding appropriate and true answers without resorting to easy enders like, "that's just how it is." I can remember only 3 times that someone has actually reached the end of her whys. The stoppers have all been pretty deep thoughts. She might have stopped to ponder these thoughts or she have gotten tired of the game and by the time it took to get to that deep thought. One time our friend Kristin got silence with the statement, "Because God likes to be creative." Its a fun game we can all add to our mental games for long lines or boring car rides... start with something tangible and close to you- a dog barking, a napkin, a design on your shirt. Then start asking why. Its amazing how much personal philosophy and world view emerge from this game.

Superheroes.

We made superhero capes. Nathan and Bea were running so fast it was hard to get a picture... or was it because they were they flying?

Giant Zucchini

Our friend Stella gave us this giant zucchini from their farm! Bea wanted to hold it and then said, "Too heavy. Too heavy. Mama hold it." We made 2 batches of zucchini soup, zucchini bread, zucchini rolls and some stir fry. Yum.

Pool Gear

We came back from vacation with a new knowledge of pool gear- life jackets, floaty rings, water balls, rafts etc. Apparently, these pool toys are just as fun in a kiddie pool in our backyard as they are in a big one full of kids.

Roller Skates!

After about a month of talking about roller skates, pretending to wear roller skates, and a number of invented roller skates (i.e. mom's fuzzy socks pulled up to his knees with spoons inside them), Nathan finally got real roller skates! Lots of wobbly, rolly, fun. He has already discovered the fun of roller skating at the park and in the backyard, the hardship of trying to use the potty without taking roller skates off, and the excitement of being pulled along by Daddy on his roller blades.

Growing Garden

Our garden is growing and changing week by week. We had a small harvest of cauliflower and broccoli (probably small because I kept moving them). Our lettuce and Swiss chard are doing great. Our favorite so far has been the snap peas! Once I made a mesh of strings for them to climb up, they kept growing and getting bigger and now they're producing really tasty snap peas... and quite a few. Bea and Nathan love picking these when were outside and popping them in their mouths. What a great snack food!

Invention: Banana Plate

Nathan announced with enthusiasm today that he had invented a banana plate. Nice design- biodegratable, perfect fit, easy to find when eating a banana.

Popcorn Party

Popcorn is our new favorite snack. (I know you're happy about that, mom and dad!) I grew up with Iowa popcorn fanatics for parents. I remember them munching on popcorn every night while reading before bed. Now... my children have discovered the excitement of popcorn and while we don't eat it every day, it is our afternoon snack several times a week which makes it the most popular snack.

Nathan and Bea love the process of popping corn and the silly way we eat it.

1. Nathan and Bea get our our air popper and the jar of kernels out of the cupboard by themselves. They measure the cup of kernels and pour it into the machine.
2. I do the plugging in while they make a big show of covering their ears when the noise comes on.
   
3. Anticipatory squealing while the kernels are heated and jump up and down in the machine.
   
4. Squealing turns to yelling "Yeah!" as the first kernels explode and then mass of popcorn pushes down the slide and into the bowl.
   
5. 2-3 late poppers usually surprise us.
   
6. Popcorn can be scooped into bowls, bags or... best or all, eaten in a pile on the floor like a puppy.
   

One

Bea has been telling us about some of the mathematical concepts going through her head! She is currently practicing, enjoying and exploring ONE! Bea likes to point to 1 thing and say, "one." If there are three objects she points to each saying, "one, one, one." In kindergarten and first grade, teachers recognize this important mathematical concept called one to one correspondence. It's hard to count bunches of things or add groups of things if you don't understand that each object gets only 1 number assigned to it. I think Nathan understands this too, but he sometimes demonstrates what it looks like if you aren't using one to one correspondence. When he's excited about a certain number, let's say... fourteen, he might look at a group of three things and tap his finger about twenty times in the general area of the group of objects and say, "one, two, three, four, ba, da, ba, da, ba, da, fourteen!" Its fun to watch Beatrice discover and communicate about her world... one thing at a time.

The Carrot Seed

Just like the little boy in the book The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, we had planted a carrot seed. Actually, a lot of carrot seeds. We watched and waited and watered and weeded and they didn't come up. I checked the seed package to see how many days the seeds take to germinate and I counted out the 14 days after we planted. We waited and watched, and nothing came up. Finally after about a month, we decided the carrot seeds didn't work and we planted tomatoes and onions in that patch of the garden. Two months later, I was weeding around the tomatoes and... surprise! A baby carrot came up. I think I had been weeding them out for a while without realizing it. Bea and Nathan both got to sample the two baby carrots we harvested. Just like the boy in The Carrot Seed, our carrot was not for complying with the timeline of impatient people!

Computer from the Sky

We had been saving up for a new (well... used, but new to us) laptop and we were about 1/3 of the way there after our garage sale when a computer seems to have dropped out of the sky! Nils was walking home from work and found a computer lying in the street. After assessing the scene and realizing it was not a lost computer but a discarded one, he scooped it up to have a closer look. It was pretty beaten up and had probably been run over by a car.... but after a little tinkering he realized that the hard drive still worked and was actually faster than our current one but the screen and the mouse did not work (making it pretty hard to use). This turned out to be just what we needed!

Our home computer was getting slow and it also had a broken screen that we were making do with. Our screen was broken on the hinge and we had to baby the right side where it often detached from the laptop and made the screen go black. This new found computer had a working hinge but the actual LCD panel of the screen did not function. So... Nils was able to fix the mouse and take the inside of our screen off and put it into the inside of the found computer.

I am amazed at my husband's handy skills. While he has always been good with technology, he does not refurbish computers on a regular basis. He had to check a few on-line resources while he worked and the only computer that could connect to the internet at that time was the new found one with a completely blank screen. So... he plugged this computer into an older monitor to navigate through what should have been on the screen and read about which wires to cut as he snipped away on that same live computer. He likened this experience to brain surgery in which the patient has to be awake during the procedure. Wow.

Whether this was a computer from the sky or a moment of great recycling, I am grateful that my needs... and even more... are always taken care of. Today I am reminded that the things I need (and want) are not all bought and sold by my careful planning or spontaneous choices. Sometimes there is a Provider who can step in with a gift. This gift of a computer makes me happy because it was a very nice gift with monetary value, but it makes me smile even more because it was "just what I wanted!" How did He know? I'm always surprised by how well the God of the Universe knows my little life.

Dress Up

Soundbites

• after a hug "I still have more hugs."
• singing with guitar "Bagel, bagel, bagel!"(Bea's first original song)
  
• 8pm, just before bedtime "Jammie said I should go to her house tonight."
• While slapping her chest "Too! Bea too!" (aka 'Me too')
• While following mama around "Mama, ah-doing? Ah-doing?" (aka what are you doing?)
• "Ballgame. Ballgame." Repeated until the song 'Take me out to the Ballgame' is played.
• "Do it. Do it. Bea do it. Sef. Sef." (aka- Bea will do it by herself)
• After trying a bite of too-hot oatmeal "We needed someone to tell us what weather our oatmeal was."
• While letting her toy puppy peek into the potty Bea said "Oh!"
• "I'm going to get all the warm stuff off you so I can put it on my bed."
  

Can God teach me to roller skate?

During bedtime prayers with Nathan tonight I was thanking God for his Spirit that guides us and teaches us when Nathan interrupted me:

"God teaches us?"
"Yes, his Spirit is with us and can teach us."
"What does He teach us?"
"How to love, how to be a good friend--"
"How to roller skate?!"
"Ummm, maybe..."

I know Nathan was probably just wondering who would teach him to roller skate since his mom hasn't gotten around to getting him those skates that he's been asking about... but his comment got me thinking. So often adults compartmentalize and categorize which parts of life are spiritual, which parts are business matters, which parts are personal tasks... and maybe we could learn something from the open and expectant attitude of children. I tend to expect God to be involved in the big decisions and tough moral questions of life, but... when I think about it, I also believe God is present and active in the daily work and play of our lives. He probably will be with Nathan as he learns to roller skate, celebrating with him as he enjoys the coordinated body God gave him and comforting him when he flies down a hill too fast or scraps his knees. And who knows... maybe if Nathan listens with his heart, he'll hear the Spirit teaching him how to move forward on those wobbly, rolly wheels!

Chapstick

Beatrice loves chapstick. I remember in my life before children that chapstick tubes lasted a really long time and I even wondered occasionally, "Will I ever finish this?" and I often felt really satisfied if I actually used it all up before I lost it. Nowdays, they go rather quickly. First of all, they get lost more frequently because both children love to play the game of unpacking bags and purses and sometimes repacking them but often flinging the contents around the room. But secondly, Bea actually uses all the chapstick up. She starts by putting it on her lips. Then I calmly smile and say, "Good job! Now can you put the top on?" "No," she replies with a determined stare. "Can you keep it in your pocket until you need it again?" I say as if I expect her to be excited about this option. "No." Then if I get distracted or choose not to intervene, Bea goes through the rest of her chapstick routine. She moisturizes her cheeks, puts some on Mama (and Nathan if he'll let her), she conditions her hair and then tastes a tiny bit in her mouth. If there is still some left over, she digs her finger into the tube and looks for a nice surface to paint.

Friends!

Nathan and Bea have become really good friends with our next door neighbors. After a long cold winter of peeking at each other through windows and rushing into warm homes, we are now all relaxing outside a bit and we've been able to get to know each other. We have all really enjoyed their company. Bea wakes up most mornings saying "Mone, Mone!" and Nathan has to be reminded that 7:00am is a little early to knock on their door. They squeal when they see their car is in the driveway or their front door is open. Last week Kathryn and Simone had dinner at our house twice, and Nathan lost his voice from cheering and squealing the whole time. They called it an "eat-over" and want to do another one soon.

Make-Do Composter

When I started my vegetable garden this spring, I moved my compost heap surrounded by chicken wire to make room for more veggies... but there wasn't a great place to relocate my compost heap. The other spaces in my backyard are the grassy play area and a cement bike riding area. The best composter for these spaces is probably one of the more contained and covered options such as the big barrel that uses the sun's heat to help decomposition and a crank handle to keep air circulating. I didn't have one handy, but I did find some black plastic pots that plants had come in... and discovered a "Make-Do Composter." One pot is slightly bigger than the other so they fit together pretty nicely. See picture below. So far, it has worked great. It gets warm in the sun and I flip it once in a while to keep the air circulating. They have some holes on the bottom so rain water doesn't collect and animals haven't been interested in it yet. We mostly deal with squirrels, who get plenty of interesting finds out of our trash cans, so I can imagine a more determined or desperate animal might get into this Make-Do Composter. I was prepared to try duct tape if my squirrels got interested. Recently, I upgraded to 2 giant pots that some big shrubs came in. Now I have plenty of space for my kitchen scraps and the compost is starting to look pretty good!

Puddle Hoppin'

Nothing like a good puddle for Beatrice these days. Most mornings, when she hears that we are getting ready to go out she yells, "boot, boot!" Then she gets her yellow boots on by herself whether she is in a dress and heading to church or getting ready to visit the farm (picture above).

Rockin at the Farm

Nathan and his friends, Colton and Eli are enjoying the rocking chairs at Wagner Farm. What a fun way to start our summer of outings with friends. It is fun to watch all their personalities learn how to have fun together. Right now they are working on figuring out what makes a joke funny. At lunch we spent most the time squealing phrases that had "nobody" or "anybody" or "everybody" in it. Their comedy careers are off to a good start!

Soundbites from the week

"Mommy, you're my pillow." (Nathan)
"Let me see that in pixels." (Nils)
"Mommy, I need my glasses so I can use the sledge hammer." (Nathan)
"Ba-be Fo-na. Ba-be Fo-na. Hug." translation: I want to hug Baby Fiona. (Beatrice)
"Beeee-tris, wanna go on a-venter?!" (Nathan)
"Man-a-moni" translation: macaroni (Beatrice)
"Bring your own potty." (Nathan)
"When I was a baby... and I didn't have mommy. There was a hole in me... and I took my bones out and fell and bumped my head. Then you came back and you picked me up." (Nathan)
"co0-kie, coo-kie" (Bea)
"up-cake, up-cake" (Bea)
"No NayNay, No NayNay" (Bea)
"ah-lu-ya" (Bea on a Sunday afternoon)
"I was holding my poop in all year long" (Nathan)
"Mine. Mine. Mine." (Bea)
"Be-trice, you're my friend." (Nathan)
"It's hard waiting." (Nathan)

Yummy Spring Recipes (that my kids ate)

Here are some winners from our week. Yes, my kids even ate spinach! I have to admit, it may have been because when we made this soup I taught them how to slurp for the first time. I'm still going to assume it was my great cooking until I get proven wrong. Please share your recipe successes in the comments section and we'll never have to wonder what we should eat tonight!

Udon Noodles and Vegetables
(my adaptation from Mooswood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

1 package Udon noodles or rice noodles

Sauce:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sprinkle of basil (1/4 cup if you have fresh basil... yum!)

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 tofu cake, cubed
3 carrots, shredded

Cook noodles, drain. Mix sauce ingredients. Combine noodles, sauce and veggies and tofu. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Sausage and Greens Soup
(my adaptation from Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert)

4 Polish sausages chopped small
1 bunch green onions
4 cups chicken broth
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or whole milk
1 big bunch spinach (can use kale, or other greens)

Brown sausage in soup pot and then take out of pot and set aside. Cook onions and potatoes in sausage drippings for a few minutes. Add broth and spinach and cook until potatoes are soft. Puree. Add milk and sausage. Enjoy!

Little Workers

Nils gave Nathan his own drill for his 3rd birthday. We had a few parenting discussions about when this gift... but in the end decided he was ready for it. Nathan is actually quite good with his tools and Nils is really good about teaching him how to use them. They spend a lot of quality time together with their tools. This drill is lightweight and pretty simple and without the drill bits, its hard to get hurt with it. After realizing that this was a real drill, Nathan got right to work on his fort. The next day he put it to use at the church work day by taking out some screws that were in a place that only he could reach. After the drill present was given, Grammie Martie realized that little Nils was working with real tools when he was 4 (and probably earlier). Maybe this aptitude and interest in tools is genetic.

Mr. Plumbean's House

One day we were driving by this neighbor's house and Nathan gasped, "It's Mr. Plumbean's house!" I think he's right. Nathan was referring to Daniel Pinkwater's book, The Big Orange Splot, in which an accidental splot of paint slowly inspires a community to change their houses to reflect their own personalities. While this house may look like a eyesore of tagging and vandalism at first glance, I think it may actually be closer to Mr. Plumbean's house. A few years ago it did undergo a progression of more interesting paint jobs. There are colorful stripes and patches of bright colors. Then there is the crazy face and the words, "Beware of crazy dud (dude?)!" There is nothing to indicate that it is an abandoned home, no foreclosure sign, no broken windows, and the colorful paint job looks like too much time consuming work for vandals. So... I have to agree with Nathan, it's probably Mr. Plumbean's house... or at least someone who talked to him. If anyone speaks poorly of this house I know what Nathan and I will have to say. Referring to our favorite repeated line in the book we'll chant, "His house is him and he is it. His house is where he likes to be and it looks like all his dreams."

Nature or Nurture?

Yes... that's my son hanging on to the door frame. If you know Nils pretty well, you also know that this is one of his special talents- climbing into small, high, and strange places. Nathan actually can get up there pretty much by himself, but we spot him for now. Is this unique aptitude genetic or is he influenced by watching his dad's special talents?

The garden is growing and it's almost magical to me! Above are the snap pea sprouts and below is the lettuce/ spinach/ chard with a few cauliflower and broccoli plants at the end. What used to be a big dark pile of dirt with some tiny seeds is now sprouting up and starting to look like vegetable plants. Even if we don't produce a very big crop this year, our garden is connecting me to food production in a new way.

I planted these seeds and seedlings with a sentiment of mystery, wondering if the food we rely on from the grocery store could really grow up in our own backyard. I know, I know, we all learned this concept in kindergarten, while watching our pumpkin seed sprout in a cup. But it's not the plant biology that's a mystery to me, its the 'growing food because you want to eat it' concept that is still new to me. When I started trying to plan out a vegetable garden that might actually produce a lot of the things we eat on a regular basis, I had the feeling that it couldn't be that easy. Surely there were complicated processes and procedures and technologies that were necessary to produce the kind of veggies I buy at the store. Maybe my soil wouldn't be right or the sun wouldn't shine just so or the seeds would require special heat lamps or something.

So far... there have been no complicated technologies or expert procedures taking place and the seeds are becoming vegetables! In fact, all of the garden work has been done with my 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old working by my side, poking seeds in not-so-straight lines, digging things up when I'm not looking and then re-planting them together, watering one seedling a lot and dashing a sprinkle past the others. So when I look at the new snap pea plants with their spindly vines starting to reach out, I just kind of giggle with a sense of nature's amazing strength. When I inspect the shiny lettuce leaves, I feel little bit of empowerment well-up inside me as a small kitchen-garden farmer who might be able to provide veggies for my family even if we lived in a place that didn't have a giant supermarket nearby. And when I pull out a few weeds from around the onions, I feel a little more of a sense of freedom because I'm a tad bit less dependent on a large farm industry that's not always so fair to farmers or to the environment or to consumers.

In an over-eager and excited moment the other day, I even pulled a few lettuce and spinach leaves off for a salad... and they were good.

Our New Pets!

We have pet worms! Nathan and Bea like to check on them, spray water in their tub when it looks dry and dump in some fruit and veggie scraps about once a week. Nathan also decorated their bin with stickers and informed me that they like it when he stirs them up. Worms are pretty easy pets to have and this project should result in great home-made fertilizer for the garden. I really like this concept since it reduces our landfill contribution and gives us cheep, organic and safe fertilizer. This is actually my 3rd attempt and I hope I have learned something from my first so-so result and my second frozen worm tragedy. This time I also know a few things not to do:

• Don't let them get too wet or dry. Too wet will get stinky and too dry will dehydrate and kill the worms. You can monitor this by spraying water or adding more bedding (newspaper or egg carton shreds)
  
• Don't put in more food scraps than they can eat. While I was once told that red wigglers will multiply to handle the quantity you add... I found this not to be entirely true. Maybe it was because we added a ton of scraps brought in from the kitchens of all 28 of my students... hummm, probably needed more space to handle that. I got flies and smelly compost from having more food than my worms could eat. Now I add only a cookie jar-full a week and put the rest in the regular compost. I like to see the food getting chewed up by worms and bacteria before I add more.
• Don't leave the worms out in freezing weather. They will freeze and die! I went to my garage one winter to check on my worms and found a frozen block of compost and worms. It was sad. Now I know that worms like warm tropical weather. So when winter rolls around I may have to bring them into the basement if I want to keep it going.
  

Dancing

Bubbles

Beatrice discovered how to blow bubbles in her smoothie.

One Determined Bird

Recently, we've been watching a determined bird. One morning we noticed a mama bird carrying dried grass and twigs into our neighbor's window sill; but after several seconds of balancing, the few pieces of scraggly nesting slid down the slippery vinyl into a pile in our driveway. At first it was fun to watch her making the nest. She would swoop so elegantly out of the sky with another piece of dried grass and work on her home so patiently one piece at a time. Then, after a few days of no results I started to get a little bit nervous every time I saw her working steadily away. What happens if she needs to lay her eggs and the nest is still in a pile in our driveway? After a few more days, I started to groan every time I saw her fly in with yet another piece of dry grass. "It's just not going to work there," I thought. "Don't waste your time, try another spot while you can!" Then one morning two weeks later, Nathan squealed that Mama Bird had finished her nest. Indeed, she was nuzzling in the last pieces of fuzz and fluff to the inside of her sturdy nest. Somehow, she had done it. We were all very excited and Nathan and Bea drew pictures of the completed nest.

Unfortunately, Mama Bird's nesting project had one more challenge to face. The next day, our neighbors noticed the nest in their window and took it down. We were pretty sad, but you can't blame them. A bird nest can be a little loud and messy for a window sill - they really seem better suited for a tree. While I was pretty discouraged for Mama Bird, I think she'll probably use that same determination to build a nest in another spot no matter how long it takes. I know I am a little higher on the evolutionary ladder than Mama Bird... and maybe my instinct to quit and try a new location or a new technique could be helpful... but there is still something admirable about Mama Bird's pure determination. I could probably stand to learn something from Mama Bird... maybe something about patience and endurance and being willing to work on a challenge in my own little nest and neighborhood for more than one day before I deem it impossible.

Praying with Beatrice

As usual, I said a prayer before our dinner and after the "Amen," Beatrice shook the hands she was holding and whispered a strong "Am-eh." But this time, instead of grabbing at the food on her plate after the prayer she grabbed for our hands again and passionately said, "Gack! Gack! Am-eh! Am-eh!" We all held hands and made our best attempt to pray with Beatrice.
"And thank you God for ducks."
Bea shakes her head no. "Gack! Gack! Am-eh!"
"And thank you God for dogs."
Bea shakes her head no. "Gack! Gack! Am-eh!"
"We're thankful for you, God."
Blank stare. "Gack! Gack! Am-eh!"
"Yes, Lord, thank you for that too."
Satisfied. "Am-eh."

Gardening

Our garden is ready to go! Nils built 3 amazing raised beds and a "bunny fence." On Saturday a big truck squeezed into our back yard and dumped a pile of gardening dirt for us to shovel into the beds. Now we have a few seedlings and some seeds planted and two enthusiastic members of the watering crew. We'll see what happens!

Exercisin'

"Let's do exercisin!'" This is what we hear from Nathan many mornings and evenings. Here are some of his amazing moves.

Then it is usually followed by either a string of jumping somersaults or a wrestling match. He also likes to do frog jumps or boxing with his dad.

A Conversation Overheard...

Dad: Ouch! Don't throw golf balls. That hurt.
Nathan: Why?
Dad: Because golf balls are hard and it hit my head. That hurts.
Nathan: Why?
Dad: It does. But... I have a pretty hard head too, I'm okay.
Nathan: Why?
Dad: Why what?
Nathan: Why do you have a hard head?
Dad: To protect my brain. Everyone has a brain in their head and it helps them think.
Nathan (giggling): I have a brain.
Dad: Yes, you do.
Nathan (very serious): Does Beatrice have a brain?

First Ice Cream

Yesterday was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. We took a rainy evening outing and both children enjoyed their first ice cream cones. Beatrice knew she would love ice cream... I think she's always known this. I don't even think she needed to see it to know she loved it. She loves all sweets. In fact, her first step was prompted by a coke can in front of her (she still hasn't tried coke, but I'm telling you, she knows where to find sugary things! She is drawn to them.). Nathan has been the opposite. Until just recently he really didn't like any sugary treats. He doesn't like chocolate, he's not a big fan of icing or candy. He turned down his first ice cream cone at about a year old. He spit out gummy candies at a year and a half. Even this Easter he was trying and spitting out various candies at Grammie's house. But how long can a kid really hold out in our culture before we train them to like at least some form of sweets? This winter Nathan discovered that he likes plain sugar cookies and this spring, he's been saying he likes white icing and last night he got a "strawberry pine cone" (a.k.a. strawberry ice cream cone) and he ate it all up with pleasure. For better or for worse, I think his sugary taste buds are starting to develop. Beatrice also dove into her cone and sucked almost all of the ice cream out of her cone before eating the cone, starting at the bottom. That made a mess. On our way out we ran into our friends. Nathan and Beatrice enjoyed a nice, sugar induced, bouncing "ice cream dance" with Zoe, Tessa and Tate.



fsa