cabinet of curiosities

Recently, Greta's taken to finding someplace private -- the back of a closet, behind some furniture -- when she needs to go to the bathroom.  We try to catch her at these moments so we can place her on her little potty.  (The fact that she recognizes when she needs go indicates to me that she's close to her post-diaper stage.)  Today, while Jen and I were working in the study, we caught Greta -- who was working with us -- moving behind this glass-fronted paper cabinet . . . and concentrating.  That's a first (for our kids, at least) in the game of hide-and-poop.

M: I a naked baby! I like the wind!

animal magnetism

Spats is both the boldest and the most headstrong of our cats, but I don't think I would have called him the clumsiest until I saw -- and photographed -- this particular incident.  Trying to climb down from the eight-foot "privacy" fence which separates us from the apartment complex in our back yard, he managed to slip, fall, and thump down in the yard in the most ungraceful and undignified manner possible.  I don't think that the fact that the entire family was sitting around a table watching him contributed to the act, but I hope that it caused him some consternation.

This is why his nickname is "Spaz."

pique-nique

Because it fit in with some game they'd been playing, the children decided that they wanted to eat dinner outside. And since they were willing to make the food in order to get their way, we went along with it, helping them make quesadillas and some fruit and pasta salad.  Under Gwennie's direction, they set up tables and chairs in the back yard.  It's was nice how it all worked out, and on a pleasantly balmy evening -- particularly since we have a fairly narrow window in which to do this kind of thing.  By late next month, it will be hot enough that none of us will dare spend an evening outside.

Margaret: [on the novelty of eating outdoors] I like this outside world! But it's windy and kind of cold.

glamorous Greta

Margaret: There's a monster in the attic!
Todd: Oh, no!
M: But it's not! . . . monsters are pretend.

Todd: What's in that egg?
M: It's chickens -- no, ducks.  It's geese birds!
T: Are you sure it's not snakes -- or turtles?
M: It's bunnies!
T: No, bunnies come from mama bunnies.
M: No -- they come  from my egg!

T: [talking to an upset Greta] Is that a goblinface I see?
M: No! It's a piggy! [walking out of room]

M: Can I have shoes and a jacket? Daddy, are you ready to go outside? I want you go outside!

M: You have o's on you shirt.
T: That's right -- there are two o's right here.
M: You have another over there!
T: That's true! [the shirt said "Book History Workshop"]

M: Is Mama up yet?
T: Yes -- why don't you go say hello?
M: I will as soon as I finish my Olaf!

Casper the sower

Casper: Did you get me a veggie burger at Burger House?
Jennifer: No.  Since when did you eat veggie burgers?
C: Since Gwennie forced me to become a vegetarian!

Linus the planter

Margaret: Let's go jump on the tampa-bean!
Linus: [teasing] Let's go jump on the Ketta Bean!
M: No -- No! I'd be smushed!

One result of our day of gardening is that fair-skinned Linus got a touch of sunburn.

Linus and Gwennie have been having recorder lessons as part of their Fine Arts Friday program.  The other day, Margaret saw Linus' -- and of course wanted to play around with it.
M: Can I try that?
Linus: [wisely moving his recorder out of reach]
M: I'll give it right back!

glowing smile

Jennifer: What did you do today that was fun?
Margaret: I jump on the tampa-bean, and go into Space with Gwennie, I buckle up and drive. . . .

M: [talking about Spats at his scratching post] He's really scratchy, all right!

M: This is peppa-moan-ey [pepperoni].  You have this; this is mine.

M: [having a conversation between two pieces of candy, before she eats them] Hi, Mama! Oh, hi!

This is Greta being introduced to a pair of ladybugs, only one of which is visible here.

Gwennie and her greenthumb

Even though we're a few weeks late (for Texas), we decided to focus some of our energies on our garden, so spent much of Saturday getting our planters ready and putting herbs and vegetables into them.  Each of the children chose two plants they particularly wanted to grow -- Casper picked mint and strawberries, and Linus chose rosemary and beans.  Gwennie decided that she would put in catnip and strawberries, but had planted some other plants from seed as one of her Activity Day Girls projects, so she's placed them in her box as well.  So far, everything looks good -- as long as we can keep them well watered, I think that they'll flourish.

the floating world

Casper's been afraid of heights since he was an infant, and you can see how much he enjoys this position

Ever since Casper was given a postcard depicting Hokusai's Great Wave Off Kanagawa, he's been fairly obsessed with the image and its writing.  (Before I caught wind of it, I heard that he had talked to Kevin Pepper about whether he would translate it, because he'd learned that Kevin served his mission in Hong Kong.  He had to disappoint Casper by telling him that he couldn't, in fact, read Japanese.)

Early in the semester, I found out that our campus art museum was bringing in a visiting show of ukiyo-e prints, and I wanted to bring the kids to campus and spend some time working through the gallery.  My plans to get them in during the week were roundly defeated by my schedule, so when I remembered that the show was coming down late this month, I checked -- to find out that today was the final day.  I fed the kids and we ran up to campus.

The exhibit was good, and well received,  I think.  While there were other artists represented (including a lone Hokusai and a single Toyokuni), the bulk of the show was Hiroshige.  His late prints, in particular, were wonderfully evocative and compressed -- it's easy to see why the post-Impressionists were so drawn to his compositions.  Though the boys got a little tired, we finished our tour with a walk through the gallery so that each of us could talk about the prints we particularly liked.  Winter scenes, night compositions, and -- particularly for Casper -- representations of Mount Fuji were among the most memorable.

derbiers

We've spent the past two weeks working hard on Linus's pinewood derby entry this year.  He decided to include space for two of his Lego minifigures, and to call the car after his large Christmas set (it's Kragger's Command Car . . . though I don't think I'm going to spell that with all k's).

Not only was the car highly stylish, but he had done a good job in polishing his axles and wheels, so it was one of the faster cars in the derby.  (Or it would have been, if one of his weights hadn't gotten knocked off by the judges for the style competition.  Due to derby regulations, we weren't able to reattach it until after the formal race.)

He seemed excited by the race and being involved with his friends.  Once we were able to replace the weight -- during the free-for-all, when he and all the rest of the boys sent their cars down the track together -- Kragger's Command Car came in first repeatedly.  But I think Linus was mostly happy to get caught up in the excitement of the event.

finery

Margaret: No guys! Get out of my way! I trying to go into Daddy's office any time!

M: I'm rolling like a worm!

Linus: Do you want to play bunny?

M: No! You not real! You play with youself!

Jen: [also holding Greta's clothes] I need to go get dressed.

M: Those aren't you clothes . . . those Ketta's!

M: [after Jen read her Joyce Carol Oates' story, Little Reynard, about a little orange kitten] Oh, I love that little Reynard! I've got to get a little Reynard like that for me!

M: [after Jen returned from a prenatal appointment] Is Baby Cinq at another house?

M: Baby brother always kicking you tummy!

finally

As far as I can remember, it's been years since Gwennie has lost a tooth.  And since she needs to have all her mature teeth before she can get her orthodonture (not to mention the cosmetic work on her broken canines), we've been anxious for this eventuality.  Today, finally, one of the little things has come out.

G: I woke up feeling kind of sick.
Jennifer: Well, I want you to have a bowl of grape nuts.
Margaret: I sick too! I want a bowl of grapes!

Dr. Clownius

Casper: Daddy, look, I made an alien! I even made a penis.

C: You yoinked my twenty dollars, Daddy!

C: [after I shaved] I've never seen you without your beard!  It looks weird.

[Greta also got in on the action: Daddy, I liked you mustache. You not need to take it off! . . . You have another one?]

Gogglor

Margaret: I . . . am . . .monster! [said while wearing her goggles]

M: I'm barely naked. I'm naked of my pants. [said while wearing a diaper]

M: I like puppies! Puppies are so cute! I must have a puppy like that!

M: I do not like kitty cats.  I like dogs.
Gwennie: We are not getting a dog.
M: Yes we are!
G: Cats are better.
M: No they are not.

Lep Recon

Gwendolyn devised this leprechaun trap in our living room, hoping that she'd luck out by capturing a creature that would pay out.

She added a lure made of golden ribbon, the only gold to be found in the house.  The children were disappointed when they discovered the trap triggered and without its bait, but with no leprechaun to be found.

Apparently, though, their quarry was impressed enough with their effort to leave a treat -- some sidewalk chalk for each of them, plus a box of Lucky Charms.

fashion plate

Margaret, disappointed that Casper is staying at karate: Can we go pick up baby Cinq now, so I can hold him and cuddle him and give him all my toys?

M: This my rocket ship! 1, 2, blast up! I gone for long time -- I go a moon!

M, seeing an enormous construction crane from a distance: Look at the really big ladder! Go up high . . . higher . . . higher . . . up . . . up . . . down . . . down.

Look, Daddy -- a fire truck! [actually, it was every pickup truck we passed]

Referring to a little spat with a brother: I want him to stay in the car and in the house, but him don't.

For the record, we fiddled with the color of Greta's eyes in these last two photos.  They are light, but not this fluorescent.

Spring Break!

This week has been Spring Break, which we've gotten to spend with Grannie, who came down with Dallas to be with us.  (Grandad followed to take us to dinner and attend church with us.)  In addition to all the fun, Jen and I spent a good amount of time in the pressroom, where we finished printing nine and four halves cards.  We also got some drizzle to play around in -- and it's not hard to see the joy that came from that: