Life Together

Dinnertime Prayers

2012-01-31T19:13:00.001-08:00

Nathan (singing):
"Oh the Lord's been good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need,
For Baby Drake and the food we eat
The Lord's been good to me.
Amen. Amen. Amen-amen-amen. Amen!

Bea:
Thank you for Baby Drake that he was born and he's staying alive and
for Daddy bringing baby bottles and the pumper and
sloppy joes and my favorite soup and
Mommy and Daddy's rings and
their wedding!

A Problem Solver...

2011-12-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

After having trouble staying in bed the night before... Bea created this to keep herself in bed. (its masking tape)

Children's Choir

2011-12-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ballerina

2011-12-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

Bea's Tea Party

2011-11-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Bea had a tea party for her fourth birthday. Very sweet. Nathan helped out as a server.

Snatch a Cold

2011-11-27T18:46:00.000-08:00

Nathan: Bea snatched my germs.
Bea: Yeah, I snatched them!
Nathan: But not all of them because I was still sick.

Happy 4th Birthday Beatrice!

2011-11-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hats from Texas

2011-11-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

Soundbites

2011-10-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

B: Me and mom and Nathan don't have fur like Daddy.

While Bea is whining and fussing that mom is leaving the house:
N: Bea just wants mom to come back so she can trick her.

B: Swing me.
Mom gives a big push.
B: Not up to God!

Nathan, thinking about age:
N: Daddy is the furthest, then me, then Bea.

B: There's a spider over there. He's just starin' at me 'cause he doesn't know my name.

Looking at a mosquito swarm:
N: There's a whole bug palace.

After spending the morning with his Sunday School class that is all African-American:
N: In our family we're all twins.
M: Why?
N: Because we're all light-skinned.

Plunge

2011-10-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

Nathan has been taking swimming lessons for over a year now. He is an excellent swimmer but has refused to put his head under the water. He's mastered techniques of jumping in, swimming across the pool and even a kind of dive without letting his head go under.

Tonight in the bathtub he finally decided to try going under with his goggles on. Not surprisingly, he loved it. He instantly started playing multiple underwater games. He was guessing how many fingers were held underwater, saying his name underwater, making a fountain, meeting his sister underwater... I think he had watched his friends play these games for quite a while.

Reading

2011-10-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Nathan sounded out the word bug today! He was reading his Reading A-Z level B book from school with his dad and I was pretending not to notice nearby. It's been really fun to watch him put the pieces together, checking the pictures, looking at the letters, checking the sounds, matching words on the page to words he says.

As someone who teaches this to children for my work, I am very aware that I don't want to push my child too fast just because I know what step they'll probably take next in his reading development. My professional self says, "Great! He's right on track. He's using concepts of print, self-monitoring for meaning, using his phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge." But my mother self says, "He is the smartest 5 year old ever! What an amazing one-of-a-kind kid!"

Outing to the Art Museum

2011-10-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

We had a fun adventure to the art museum. The L ride there was probably the most fun. Nate and Bea were real troopers.

Soundbites

2011-09-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Bea just got 2 new sets of jammies- one is a purple cheetah design, one is a gumball design.
M: Which jammies are you going to wear tonight?
B: Well, if I wear the cheetahs I will be wild. If I wear the gumballs I will be settled.
M: Oh, which one will it be tonight?
B: Gumballs.
Bea came into storytime in her Cheetahs and true enough, she was right about the wild thing.

Bea bumped her head on the car door.
M: Oooo, are you okay.
B: Yeah, it was just a crump.

Dancing

2011-03-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

Nate and Bea have really enjoyed dancing lately. Bea likes to wear her ballerina costume and dance to ballerina music with leaps and twirls. She also likes our family dance nights and has a few moves that are her own. She shakes her hands in front of her and wiggles her hips. She also does a version of the twist. These are her moves and we are told we cannot do them. Nathan's dancing involves a lot of jumping and sliding these days. His favorite song is Monster Mash, but he also really likes Dynamite. He sings along and dances crazy when this song comes on.

Last night we noticed Bea hit a milestone in her dancing. She started following along with whatever dance move Nils or I did. She was watching and mirroring it back. Once I noticed this I tried to see how much she could do and it was amazing. She got weight changes, arm movements, hip movements, Nils' fancy footwork, tempo. I was quite impressed.

Soundbites

2011-03-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

"Thanks for making this great food, honey!" Bea at the dinner table... showing some good habits she learned from her dad.

When Bea was asked what flavor her lollipop was: "It tastes like chocolate Parmesan cheese!"

Nathan: "You never know when you might change into a grown up. 'Cause maybe when your 5 you'll be sleepin' and then you'll change into a grown up."

Bea: "What does the tooth fairy leave under your pillow?"
Nathan: "A tooth."
Bea: "I thought you left..."
Nathan: "No. Toothfairies... First... It doesn't really happen."

While a yogurt snack is being served...
Bea: "Don't eat it because its goo!"
Mom: "Do you like goo?"
Bea: "Yes, because I'm a goo monster and I eat all the goo in the world."

Mom: "Its four days until my birthday!"
Bea: "Wow! How old are you gonna be?"
Mom: "34"
Bea: "We have to make you a BIG cake, work hard on it and get our energy out!"

And now some soundbites heard afterschool. Now that they're both in pre-school full-time, Nathan and Bea have been processing school rules and classroom culture among 3yr olds or 5 yr olds.

Bea: "I was good all day long. No hitting, biting, kicking, or grabbing!"
(then she promptly hit and kicked her brother 2 minutes later)

Nathan: "No kissin' at school because you might get spit all over the floor! If you kiss it's automatic red. (referring to the traffic light behavior system in his classroom). You can hug a friend not no kissin'!

Bea: "Don't tickle eyes. No. You will run away. You can tickle like this (touches the corner of her eye) but not like this (pushes on the middle of her eyes) No."

Valentine Shoes

2011-02-14T20:20:00.000-08:00

Bea has started to express her interest in more "girly clothes." I usually dress her in pants, sneakers, soft materials for comfort and mobility, but I see that she is ready to expand another part of her wardrobe.
Yesterday as she was getting dressed she asked me, "Where are my skirts?" She asked this as if I had been keeping them in a different drawer that she hadn't come across yet.
Today as she got dressed she asked, "Where are my party shoes?" Once again, she did not ask me for new shoes but inquired in a tone that could be used when looking for her favorite shoes she wore every day.
After school today she asked, "Where are my Valentine shoes?" This time I had to clarify and without hesitation she described, "They are red, sparkly and have bows on them."
Okay.... I think I see a pattern- more twirly, sparkly kind of clothes. I can do that.

Angry Birds

2011-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Big Snow

2011-02-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Director

2011-01-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

Bea has taken the lead in directing plays. Our standards are The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Ridding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and Jack and the Beanstalk. This weekend we were at Mimi and Papa's house with her Great Aunt Cindy and Great Grandma Lucille and Bea assigned parts to everyone. She had Lucille tasting porridge, Cindy saying Fe Fi Fo Fum and Nils pretending to be a wolf. The wolf part actually did scare her a bit. No matter how much it still looks like dad sitting in mimi's chair... it makes a kid look a little closer and walk a little slower when that creapy voice says "All the better to see you with, my darling!" Bea jumped and ran before that wolf could finish saying "eat you up!"

Cousin Playtime

2010-12-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Bea!

2010-11-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

Bea wanted a snake cake for her 3rd birthday... and Mimi delivered!

Soundbites

2010-11-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

Bea: You comb the back. You make it flat. If you comb it like that, you don't look like a mom.
Mom: How?
Bea: combs mom's hair over face
Mom: What do I look like?
Bea: A monster.

Nathan: wearing the tiger ears he went to sleep with I was a tiger all night.

Nathan: perhaps contemplating war, tragedy and life choices What if a man who didn't have a son and didn't marry someone was a star war and someone tried to kill him and his leg got broken off. THen he wouldn't go back, he would just go find a house to live in and someone to marry... or just live in a house by himself.

Bea: I love roasted seeds! I love roasted goo!
Mom: You do?
Bea: Ye-ah! You put celery and pepper and all the things and its so good. You never had that?
Mom: No.
Bea: Nana had that at her house.
Mom: Roasted goo?
Bea: Yeah.

Nathan: What if this whole place stayed dark and all the gloomin' eyes were on this place?

Nathan: looking at a Christmas wreath Look a coral reef!

Bea: Do you know string cheese or pombees?
Mom: I know string cheese but not pombees.
Bea: Oh. You take celery. You put it in water, soak it, put it in the cups. There!

Nathan: while discussing gifts I know since Papa Mike loves airplanes we could give him airplanes. We could give him a whole bunch of paper to make airplanes. Its like how we made slime (jello) from our box. We could give him the ones not already made.

Nathan: while Grammie, Papa and Mom are cleaning up dinner and Nathan and dad are "working" on putting together a new toy crane Why are you all in the kitchen when dad and I are in the living room WORKING!?

Nathan: scattered throughout the day, Nathan often tells everyone what his sister loves Bea loves purple. Bea loves toys. Bea loves dolls. Bea loves cranes. Bea loves orange because I loved orange and then she loved orange. Bea loves puppies. Bea loves cake.

Rainy Days

2010-11-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

Writing!

2010-11-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Nathan has seemed to know some letters before but wasn't very interested in writing. I thought he probably knew how to write an N, but not any others. Then one night, he suddenly wanted to write his name, mom, dad, mimi and Katherine. It was amazing to see him know all these letters!

Halloween Costumes... no pictures please.

2010-10-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Bea both made cars out of boxes. Bea was a ballerina in a car. Nathan was going to be a person in a car but abandoned the car (next to him) and just decided to be "puppy guy." We had the pleasure of trick or treating with our neighbors Red Ridding Hood and Tinkerbell.

Biking on Ridge

2010-10-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Soundbites

2010-08-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Nathan: every night after stories and before bed "I'm flip flop tired. You have to fork lift me into bed."

Nathan: his positive response to any question such as Do you have your shoes on? "Yep-I-do!" or sometimes "Yes-aroo!"

Bea: looking at a nectarine "I want a nectar dreeeeeam"

Bea: singing while her dad plays guitar "Louder! Louder! LOUDER!"
Nils: "What should I play next?"
Bea: "I love my head"
Nils: "How does that song go?"
Bea: "I love my head, I love my head, I love my head"

Another Beatrice original... "My nose is washed. My nose is washed. My nose is washed. My dog's nose is washed (or maybe lost)"

Ponytails

2010-07-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Bea has been fascinated with ponytails for a long time. At last, her hair is long enough for several ponytails. Bea was not satisfied with one or two... we had three on this inaugural ponytail day!

Bullet-Proof

2010-07-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

On my first day of my new job I had arrived early and decided to fill up my gas tank since I had some extra time. I went to get my receipt from the cashier I saw the bullet-proof plastic covering the window and the turnstile system of passing money or chips or receipts back and forth without ever exposing the cashier. "Welcome back" were the words in my head. As I waited for my receipt to circle around to me in its cubby, I remembered that this was part of my regular routine of working, living and shopping 5 years ago. Thoughts started to dart through my head: this must be a dangerous place. is he afraid of me? should I be afraid of him? this system takes longer. i shouldn't stay here too long. After being away from bullet-proof glass for a while, seeing it again brought a flood of thoughts and emotions... and I think it should. What messages have my students internalized about themselves, their community and the world if this is the only kind of cashier booths they've ever seen?

Gone Fishin'

2010-07-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Mechanics at work

2010-07-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Now that Nils is happily working on his "new" truck, we have quite a few mechanics in the family.

Waterballoons!

2010-06-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Robot

2010-06-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

A little robot......who needs some help getting up.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hair Twirling

2010-06-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Bea's hair is still taking its time sprouting on top, but she it's getting quite long in the back. Her favorite habit has become hair twirling. She twirls all the time! In fact, she has twirled so vigorously that she has made several large tangles. The first few I tried to untangle and eventually cut off. Then one really large one became a dred lock. I let it evolve because I knew that if I snipped it off it would either form again or Bea would be very sad that she had nothing to twirl. Then one day, she handed me the dread lock and said, "here." It had fallen out on its own from repeated twirling. What do you do with your child's first dread lock? I decide to save it since I didn't really get a baby lock of hair from Bea yet... but it fell out of my pocket before we made it home. The first dread will have to live on in our memory...

Soundbites

2010-05-25T19:46:00.001-07:00

after Nathan's second ever tragic balloon loss
B: Nathan, I'm sorry your bloon is lost.
N: (scowl)
B: Where is it?
N: Everywhere.
B: Everywhere that Mary went?

looking at dried cranberries
B: These are the kinds Grammie has. I want some. More Gramberries.

while riding in carseats (one of the silliest times in our day, not sure why)
B: Nathan, hear this: do da be la pu zee!
N: giggling
B: Nathan, hear this: ahhhhhh
N: giggling
(this pattern goes on for a long time)

after enjoying his press on tattoos
N: Did you know the tattoo store is 500 streets away from our house?

after loosing the stick he uses as a light saber
N: I haven't seen my lifesaver!

after having a bad 24 hr stomach bug
B: I like when I get sick and better and better and better and better.

a typical Nathan story
N: Last night I went to Colton's house for 5 days. I took Mimi with me. Someone had to drive me. It took a very long time to drive to the airport. Ah! We had to vroom there. I took Papa with me too. It was his cousin's birthday so he brought a present. Papa let me choose what present to give Papa's friend. I chose stuff to fix his car because he likes fixin'. You know what, when he was there he already had his pajamas on.

before using the potty
B: I need a grown-up here.... so I don't fall and don't flush in the pipes. I might break.

mom was informed that...
N: I like dinosaurs and pirates and everything bad.

Pirate Cupcakes

2010-05-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Captain Kidd's Treasure Map Found at Nathan's Birthday Party!

2010-05-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Treasure Hunters

2010-05-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Silly Pirates

2010-05-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Paper Flowers

2010-05-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Joanie's making space ritual to help her get ready for baby #2, we had our own fun with paper art.

Volcanos

2010-04-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Easter Egg Hunters

2010-04-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Take Apart Day

2010-04-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Bea have a daddy who shows them the joy of taking things apart. Today the projects were a walkman and a computer drive of some kind.

Washing Feet

2010-04-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

After a fun morning outside in sandals, enjoying our crazy 80 degree weather, I noticed that Nathan and Bea's feet were quite dirty. We haven't had to wash feet before naps since last summer... and by the end of the summer I probably didn't bother. But the first days of sandaled dirt digging are a contrast to our socked, booted, covered up experience of winter and I felt the urge to wash feet. I was thinking about the best place to do this, when I realized that it was Maundy Thursday. Suddenly a regular kind of kid-cleaning took on a deeper meaning. I got to tell them the story of Jesus washing his friends' feet and we talked about caring for our friends and how God isn't afraid to see our stinky feet.

Dunes

2010-03-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Wrapping Game

2010-03-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

One of Nathan's new favorite games is to wrap something up and give it to Bea and squeal when she opens it. Another version is when he and Bea hide while I wrap 2 mystery items up and then they find them and open them. I am getting very skilled at re-using the same wrapping paper many many times!

Backyard Campfire

2010-03-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

Reflections on a Christmas Manger

2010-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

We made a collage out of some Christmas cards and a paper-doll-style barn. After getting started, I realized there was some depth to this art project. I like this piece of art because it reminds me of some important things about the Christmas story.

-The divine comes to our familiar little neighborhoods. This barn and farm animal scene is a pretty common image for children's toys and books. Just as this barn feels familiar and ordinary to N and B, when God came to earth he came to real people's ordinary and familar lives. Kind of feels odd and great at the same time. Kind of like the feeling I get seeing the barn pictures next to the Christmas card pieces.
-Each piece of the picture is open for some interpretation in what it actually is... but the material it is made of is clearly full of meaning. While its a little hard to tell from our collage if there is sky or ground or trees next to the barn, all of the pieces are made out of cards sending love, peace and hope.

Daily Reminders

2010-02-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

"I want it like it was!"

2010-01-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of changes in our family recently: sorting out health issues, Nils resigning from his job as pastor, and saying goodbye to our church family to name a few. Amidst this tumultuous time many people have asked me how our kids are doing. I think they are doing remarkably well; but, as some of these changes start to affect our day to day life more obviously, they are not going unnoticed by our children.

We had a wonderful and emotional goodbye to our church family last Sunday. I cried most of the time, overwhelmed by feelings of tenderness for the dear friends and special moments that our family has known in that community, sadness for the change, and gratefulness for God's work in all experiences of life. If it hasn't already been clear to our children that there are some significant changes happening and that mom and dad are a bit emotional these days, it was definitely clear on Sunday. We've been pretty open and have told our kids about the changes as they came up in conversation, but seeing their church community all say goodbye gave them an experiential understanding of what is happening. Bea noticed I was crying on Sunday and periodically patted my back and gave me hugs. We named the changes and then she was off and running. Nathan was a little clingy on Sunday and was clearly understanding the significance of the goodbye, but he waited until the next day to show his deep emotion about it.

Monday morning Nathan decided to deconstruct a pad of paper (taking things apart is a common activity for him). Then, in growing levels of frustration, he tried to put the pad of paper back together... exactly as it had been. We used hole punchers, bent paper clips, tape, scissors, everything we could think of and the panic only seemed to get worse. Finally, Nathan melted down into shrill screams of "I want it like it was!" that lasted one hour. After an hour, he suddenly stopped yelling and was asleep. I have only seen this behavior one other time in his life (which unfortunately was on an airplane, but that's another story).

I don't think it's a coincidence that the day before was our goodbye party at the church. While his 3 year old self may not have known why he felt so devastated about the change in his pad of paper, it is clear to me that leaving our church home is a big change for Nathan. Nathan was born at this church, in fact he was in church community before he was even born. Nathan, Shu-Mei, Nicole and Esther were all in utero at the same time and inspired a baby shower for the church nursery. He was in the back of the sanctuary when he was 3 days old, grew up at the parsonage next door, was baptized at 3 months, was a founding baby of the neighborhood playgroup at the church, came to Grow and Go meetings weekly with other moms and tots. He was an expert at the banister slide, felt very comfortable on the front platform (as we occasionally saw with his stage runs during the singing time or his daddy leg hug during the prayer time). He also went on pastoral visits. He accompanied Margaret to almost all of her chemo appointments and doctor visits during the last 2 years of her life and enjoyed our "lunches out" at the hospital cafeteria (which is so much better than you'd think). He went to funerals, talent shows, football games and new member visits. He spent a whole summer playing with the church rocks along the sidewalk and not going anywhere without one in each hand. He knew how to turn all the church lights on and off. He knew where the stock of coffee stirrers was kept. This community of people and this physical space has been a big part of Nathan's world.

As we left the goodbye party Nathan asked again why we had to say goodbye to our church and said he still wanted to play with Esther and he still wanted to go to the singing time. We explained again that we could still see all his friends and even visit on a Sunday once in a while. Even though there are plenty of things that will stay the same, I know it won't be "like it was." This is the sadness of change. As hard as we try, we can never make the pad of paper look exactly like it used to. Let's hope that after a time of grieving, we can all take a breath (or a nap) and then be able to wake up and move forward into the good things that are growing in the next season of our life together.

Soundbites

2010-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

N: I'm going to kill you!
B: (crying)
K: What happened?
B: (still crying) NayNay killed me!

after an argument about sharing a box...
N: Do you want to keep that box forever-and-ever-amen?
B: Yah.
N: Nooooo, Bea. You can't keep it forever-and-ever-amen because you have to share.

N: (scream)
K: What's the problem?
N: Bea pushed my head and she said I couldn't feed her baby Jesus! (Bea had been calling her dolly baby Jesus for the day)

B: My nose is slippery.

N: Bea, would you like soy milk or cow milk or duck milk?

after looking closely at a batman action figure:
B: Batman wears diapers?

a conversation with a 4 year old at the park
N: Hi bouncy boy!
Br: Hi.
K: Aren't you the kid nicknamed Taco?
Br: I'm not taco!
N: Taco! Taco!
K: Yeah, I thought I talked to your mom about how when you were a baby she wrapped you up like a taco and the name stuck.
Br: No! I'm not Taco ...but you can call me peanutbutter.

Stopping to Stare

2010-01-12T13:09:00.001-08:00

Winter has been a hard season for the 2 days a week that I care for 3 little ones. It's just so much easier to let them run around in a sunny park than to deal with cabin fever or all that is involved in venturing outside. Here's a typical internal dialogue for me on these days:

Snow suits on. Nathan's pants are on backwards, oh well, don't disrupt the flow. Snow boots. Stay calm. Shove the foot in. Ignore the child running the other direction, you can herd him when you're done with this set of boots. Hats on. Okay, I can velcro your hat. Will you stop crying after that? Mittens on. Where is Zen's thumb? Was that mittens flying across the room? I thought I just helped everyone put them on? You want me to snap your jacket all they way to the top? I hope you're not so hot in your jacket that you fall asleep in the car. Oh, yeah... my gear. Okay, out the door. Down the slippery steps. Hold on. There's the icy patch. In the carseats. Ugh, these straps are too tight with all the layers. Push. Shove. Snap, snap, snap. You're hand's squished? Where is it? Okay. We're in. Now... do I have my keys? I hope so, the front door's already shut.

Amidst this high intensity season we had a special moment today. We did eventually make it to the Nature Preserve and saw a deer in the distance. We stayed very quiet and watched her walk closer and closer. Finally she stopped in front of us and looked straight at us. We shared quite a long a moment of eye contact- enough for me to stare, take a picture and stare some more before she ran off. In a busy day where eye contact is at an all-time minimum... this deer reminded me to stop and stare.

Sledding and Sliding

2010-01-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Holiday Dress Up

2010-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

Cute. I'm glad I got these photos, but it wasn't easy.

First, there is getting them into "fancy" clothes. Usually dressy clothes don't feel quite as comfy, I don't usually suggest these clothes to them so they are "different," and kids can always sense when you really want them to do something like wear nice clothes so I can take a holiday photo. Then, there is the arranging... getting them to stop playing momentarily to take some pictures but not run to see the picture on the camera screen before the shutter flashes, getting them to smile but not smile too much, stand next to each other but not on each other, etc, etc.

The stars were aligned today and somehow I was calm about it and they were easy-going and we stopped and looked at photos on the camera screen and we stopped and played puppies and we stopped a lot in general. But in the end, we had a few nice photos and we weren't all frustrated with each other. This is quite a contrast to my first attempt.

The First Attempt (at a Holiday Photo)

2010-01-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

"Yes, but hold her nicely."

"Bea, are you picking your nose?"

"Okay, sit still."

"I know, Bea, you can nap right after I get this photo."

"Bea, take your finger out of your nose."

"Okay, I think we're done."

Lego Vehicle by Nathan

2009-12-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

It must have been McNutt or maybe Swiper

2009-12-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

"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...

2009-12-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

Soundbites

2009-11-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

"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!

2009-11-24T20:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

"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

2009-11-15T20:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

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:

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

2009-10-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-10-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

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?!"

2009-09-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-09-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

"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

2009-08-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-08-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

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.

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.
I do the plugging in while they make a big show of covering their ears when the noise comes on.
Anticipatory squealing while the kernels are heated and jump up and down in the machine.
Squealing turns to yelling "Yeah!" as the first kernels explode and then mass of popcorn pushes down the slide and into the bowl.
2-3 late poppers usually surprise us.
Popcorn can be scooped into bowls, bags or... best or all, eaten in a pile on the floor like a puppy.

One

2009-07-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Soundbites

2009-06-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-06-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-06-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

"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)

2009-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

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.