Linee's command ship

Linus devotes part of each day to perfecting his version of this lego creation, a set he received for Christmas.  (He frequently wants to show us that it will, in fact, float in water.)

I've also been getting him up in the morning so that we can exercise together (usually with Gwennie).  He's been pretty excited about it (except maybe first thing, as I wake him up).  Jennifer was walking past the boys' room when she heard Linus ask Casper, "Do you want to see my muscles again?"

lego eyes

Greta found these translucent lego pieces on one of Linus's creations.  When she took them off to use as glasses, Linus made a fuss, trying to get them back from her.  As usual, she resisted: "But I want to be a ladybug!"

Todd: Did you hear what Greta just said? "I took you chappie [chapstick], Daddy! I like you chappie."
Margaret: I not say that!
T: What did you say?
M: I say, "I got you chappie!"

These days, Margaret doesn't like to be called a "little kid" or a "little baby."  She prefers to be called a "big baby."

dovecote

The other morning as I was leaving the house for morning meetings, Spats the cat shot out of the door, ran back into the blind of trees behind the house, and immediately came back out with a mourning dove in his jaws.  I got him to drop the bird, which didn't seem injured, and Gwennie came out to get the cat back inside.  She wanted to get the dove into the trees -- or at least away from other predators which might find it -- so she moved him to a spot which seemed safe.

I'm just a boy with a new haircut

Casper hates to have his hair cut.  He makes it impossible -- he wiggles and ducks, grimacing and acting as if the scissors or clippers are going to gash him.  It's funny to watch his eyes follow Jen's hands as she tries to make even cuts.  It generally takes two sittings to get him still enough for any trim to look balanced.

Casper recently asked Jen to squeeze between the couch and the wall, a child-sized space.

Jennifer: I'm growing another human being right now.  Are you?

Casper [laughing]: No!

J: You aren't? Why not?

C: Three reasons.  One, I'm not human.  I mean, I'm not a grown up! Two, I'm not a girl.  And three, I'm not pregnant.

flyin'

We haven't spent much time talking about Greta's love of Peg + Cat, which she watches on PBS (and, frequently, on my computer).  I changed my ringtone to "Problem Solved!" -- one of the catchy tunes from the show -- which causes her to cover her face and get shy, for some reason.  The other day, I heard her talking to herself, reciting these lines: "I'm totally freaking out! . . . Tetta's right -- let's count backward from 5! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

snow gal

snow boy

The snowball below is the one which actually hit me -- even after I'd gone into the house.  Great shot, Linee!

snow lad

Casper: [talking about his brother's first birthday party] Linus got eaten by termites, didn't he?
Todd: Only his wooden head.
Gwendolyn: No, by mosquitoes!

C: [talking, unprompted, to guests visiting our house for the first time] May I take your coat?
[The funny thing about this is that he was re-enacting a scene from the Simpsons which he'd seen just a week earlier, when Bart and Lisa hide in the coat closet to get away from a visit by Patty and Selma; this is their uncomfortable response when they're discovered.]

snow baby

Margaret: I like you shirt.  I like you pants.  I like you leggings, Mama.  I like you hair.
Jennifer: You know what I like, Greta?
M: What?
J: I like when you sleep.
M: I not asleep, Mama.

M: I finished my lemon.
J: Was it yummy?
M: It was a-licious!

Daddy: I know what would make you feel better: blackberries!
M: No. . . .
D: What do you want, then?
M: I want keep crying.

D: Did you have breakfast, Greta?
M: I had honey buzzers, and I drank milk in my mouth.

J: Are you hungry?
M: No, I nursey.

M: You amazing, Mama!

M: Daddy's friends nice . . . [pause]. I can't like Daddy's friends.
J: Why not? Aren't they nice?
M: I want them go home.
J: Why?
M: I want Daddy.

M: Okay . . . I guess.

Greta's new favorite lovey is part of our kitchen toy set, a fabric vegetable which Greta calls her "little little leek."

Is Casper playing air guitar there in the background?

J: Did Livie's Mama change your diaper while you were playing at her house?
M: Yes. [clearly lying]
J: Who else's diaper did she change?
M: Casper's diaper . . . Linus's diaper . . . Gwennie's diaper.
J: They don't wear diapers, do they?
M: Yes!
J: Does Linus wear a diaper?
M: Yes!
J: Are you sure?
M: Yes -- he has a bum . . . and an elephant!

M: Okay, okay, okay, Gwennie, calm down.  Livie's my friend.

M: I need my bouncy ball -- it's falling in lava!

(It is possible to see Greta's snowball in front of Casper's right ankle.) 

M: Don't worry, Tito -- I will help you better.  Don't feel bad.

J: I'm sorry that Daddy has to leave and go to work.
M: [patting Jennifer's arm] Don't worry, Mama. He be back soon. Here's some ice cream [a felt-covered ball in a toy cup], that help you feel better.

snow team

Since we moved here, we have generally gotten no more than one snow day per year.  Last year we got nothing, so the prospect of a polar vortex-derived snowstorm was the cause for great anticipation.  On Friday morning, I woke to the sound of Greta slipping into our bed to announce, "It Snow't!"  Unfortunately, what we ended up with was the remnant of some freezing rain that had resulted in a half inch of crystalline ground cover.  Despite its lack of resemblance to actual snow, there was enough there for us to have a good time playing in it (even if snowpeople were out of the question).

The coverage on the trampoline -- which shattered into chunks as soon as Linus crawled onto it -- was extensive enough to provide a base for snow angels.  Greta did her best, though she was very hesitant on the slippery surface.

Casper produced a creditable angel -- though it looks more like a dove in flight to me. 

What's sadder: that this is the best snow day that Texas can provide, or that it's still enough for us to get so excited about?

Polish play

Generally, the walking toys which I brought back from poetry conferences in Poland are on display in the playroom.  Greta is fascinated by them, though, so we  periodically pull them down for her to play with (and hold dialogues between).  She says her favorites are the horse (the fastest of the group) and the dragon (the most ferocious).

The children also all love the music box, these eight rattles and noisemakers which also came from Krakow.  (I found these toys, together with a modular wooden train set and our cloth puppet theater, in the store of the greatest toy company I've ever seen: Bajo.)

serious/goof

These are the two sides of Linus: serious and introspective one moment, playful and goofy the next.  We always have a good time together.

echo echo echo chamber chamber chamber

The echo chamber is one of our favorite features of the city park closest to home.  Not only does the cement structure provide a great racket for anyone playing, yelling, or stomping below, but it's possible (though difficult, without help) to scramble up top, which gives a great view of the landscape around.

Greta uses the echo chamber mainly as a venue for dancing.  Casper's in the background providing percussion, which is his expertise.

swinging quartet