Sometimes, you just don't have time to make your own pinata. And on these occasions, even when you decorate the party tent pinata to look like a birdhouse, it will sometimes be such a poorly-constructed pinata that only the birthday boy gets a swing at it before its roof breaks off completely. Well, there's always the candy.
(Don't worry. All the glory belongs to the birthday boy.)
Gwendolyn is eight and a half; Linus just turned six; Casper is three and a half.
1. What is something Mama always says to you?
G – I love you.
L – I love you.
C – Get your sleepers on.
2. What makes Mama happy?
G – A clean house and happy family.
L – When we do our chores.
C – Always cleaning up.
3. What makes Mama sad?
G – An angry family. And a dirty house.
L – When we don’t do our chores.
C – I don’t play football in the yard . . . back place.
4. How does Mama make you laugh?
G – She’s sometimes silly, and that makes us laugh.
L – Do funny things, and jokes.
C – That’s a good question. She says things that are funny to make me laugh.
5. What was Mama like as a child?
G – Reading.
L – I think she would be in a house and the bathroom was really clean.
C – I don’t know much of it but I know a little bit of it, but when she growed up, I’ll tell you, it’s in state.
6. How old is Mama?
G – Um . . . 36?
L – Six . . . teen.
C – 3 years.
7. How tall is Mama?
G – Five feet.
L – Nine feet.
C – As tall as you – no, you’re taller than her. But she’s tall. That’s a hard question to ask.
8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
G – What’s it called, Daddy, what’s it called? Um, the news. The weather.
L – I’m just guessing this one, ok? The news.
C – I’m trying to guess her least favorite thing.
9. What does Mama do when you're not around?
G – She works on her computer, and sometimes watches shows.
L – Work. Like, wrapping presents.
C – Can you ask the first question again? She asks questions to you when I’m sleeping.
10. If Mama becomes famous, what will it be for?
G – Probably having such a humongous and awesome garden.
L – For being nice to us.
C – Picnic cake.
11. What is Mama really good at?
G – Kissing you.
L – Cleaning.
C – I really like it when she gets Harry Potter Top Trumps down.
12. What is Mama not very good at?
G – Being mean.
L – Moving type.
C – She’s not so good at getting Star Wars.
13. What does Mama do for her job?
G – She takes care of us.
L – Takes care of us.
C – What does she not do for her job?
14. What is Mama’s favorite food?
G – I don’t know. She likes a lot of stuff.
L – I’m just guessing – potatoes.
C – She said to me, my favorite food is strawberries with oatmeal! That has a lot of protein in it.
15. What makes you proud of Mama?
G – Everything.
L – That she made me.
C – She turns the fans on and off.
16. If Mama were a cartoon character, who would she be?
G – Can it be from a video game? Sheik, from Ocarina of Time.
L – This is one from PBS kids – someone in Wild Kratts. Aviva. She really likes when Nubs came in . . . he’s a baby rhino. And the next one was an elephant, Thornsley.
C – That bird that steals food, with the guy that has the house with all the balloons . . . from Up.
17. What do you and Mama do together?
G – Lie down and cuddle.
L – Play games like Go Fish.
C – Play games a lot. I’ll write that down first [taking my phone and pretending to text].
18. How are you and Mama the same?
G – We both have blue eyes and we’re both girls.
L – We both like to do certain kinds of cleaning, like vacuuming. And one of my favorites is making Mama’s bed and your bed.
C – Mama cuddles with me, and I cuddle with Mama.
19. How are you and Mama different?
G – She has short hair and I have longer hair.
L – We both don’t have red hair.
C – I’m small and she’s big.
20. How do you know Mama loves you?
G – She always says it, and I know it.
L – She says it a bunch of times.
C – I’m gonna write that down. [Texting again.] Because she always kisses me.
21. What does Mama like most about Daddy?
G – Everything.
L – That her and you are married.
C – She likes you, um, playing games.
22. Where is Mama’s favorite place to go?
G – England.
L – Taco Cabana.
C – Taco shell. That has the chocolate milk and the white milk. It’s Taco Cabana.
(Jennifer requests that I note that she is not, in fact, a huge fan of Taco Cabana or any other Tex Mex fast food restaurant.)
The centerpiece of Linus' birthday party was the building of birdhouse and birdfeeder kits we'd purchased at Lowe's. The children were excited to hammer these together, and once they were constructed, they spent a good portion of the party making them aesthetically appealing to
birds.
Casper was also really excited about participating, but ended up making himself appealing to birds. (Good thing we made him wear that smock to keep the paint off.)
(I wonder what the body language here says about each child's feelings toward his or her creation.)
This morning, we had an appointment for a full ultrasound at a local radiology center. Because we anticipated finding out the gender of the baby, we decided to take Gwendolyn with us. (She may be the most invested in this topic, though of course we're all anxious to know.) It took the technician several minutes to determine the answer to that question, so we were able to see the contours of the baby moving about, the tiny heart beating, and so on. It's thrilling to gain confirmation of something you've been living with but have been unable to see directly; now we can visualize this new member of our family a little less abstractly. Turns out she's a baby girl, said the tech with a good measure of confidence.
We're pregnant again!
I've been hesitant to make any kind of public announcement after what happened last year, but I'm now that I'm 20+ weeks along, have heard the baby's heartbeat twice, and seen the little one via ultrasound (at 8 weeks), I feel it's safe. The first trimester is always so brutal for me. I'm nauseated so much of the time, not to mention exhausted. Even now, a full month into the second trimester, I'm still tired much of the time and sick at night, but I have come a long way. If I never throw up again in my entire life, it will be too soon.
This new little babe is expected mid-September which means that, true to form, I will be nine months pregnant in Texas in August. Awesome. Aside from my sickness and chagrin about the summer heat, we are beyond excited. Gwendolyn is determined that this baby is her long-awaited sister and her excitement has rubbed off on the boys. There is talk about Baby Sister everyday. We should know for sure tomorrow!
Linus, our most stoic child when it comes to the expression of emotions, has been overcome with excitement all day -- especially while opening his five birthday presents (lego people from Gwennie, a dragon book from Casper, a big bag of lego pieces and a 100-piece puzzle from Mama and Daddy, and a B-26 Marauder cap from Grannie and Grandad). He's been chortling uncontrollably, in fact.
After he finished opening the packages, he exclaimed, "This isn't just any birthday -- it's a terrific birthday!"
We also want to note that this day is special for another important reason -- it's the 15th anniversary of the day we met. Good things happen on May 2nd.
Linus and I have been working on this design for his birthday card. He's turning six on Monday, and we're planning a birthday party for him and his friends for the following Saturday. Together, we printed this tribute to some of the tools in his (and my) toolbox. He was responsible for the ink choice and the presswork. We're both pleased with the results.
Here's an outtake from last Saturday's outing. The children are enjoying flaunting their red-stained mustaches, because we tend not to have such vibrant beverages (with the exception of hand-juiced punch) at home.
Casper: "You can't catch me, I'm the fruit snack man!"
Daddy, talking to the children who have gathered around him to beg for a bite of the treat he's eating: "Do you know what you children remind me of?"
Gwendolyn: "Baby birds."
Casper: "Angry birds?!"
Casper: "Daddy, I found a book that was much too 'cary. It was about a lion that eats people."
Jennifer had a small baggie of Dove dark chocolate eggs on her dresser. This morning, Casper brought the baggie filled with small torn foil bits to her and announced, "I sneaked the last egg last night."
Mama: "After I put you to bed?"
Casper: "Yep."
Mama: "After you brushed your teeth?"
Casper: "Yep."
Brazen.
I'm usually proud of my kids, as every mother is, and I try not to use this blog as a forum for crowing about how smart, talented, cute they are, but every once in a while, a child does something truly remarkable which warrants a "brag post." Here is one for Gwennie.
After arriving in her primary class, Gwendolyn waited with her fellow students for their teacher, but no one appeared. After a few minutes, Gwendolyn voiced her concern about the situation, telling her friends that she thought they should go find a grown up, but she was overruled by the rest of the crowd. She finally told the others that she was leaving to go to the bathroom; apparently, some of her friends tried to block the door to prevent her from leaving the room, fearing that she would go find a teacher. She finally extricated herself from the room, told an adult she knew about the situation, then proceeded to the bathroom. The grown up came in and taught the students for the remaining time, but one of Gwennie's fellow classmates was particularly unhappy with the situation.
The whole story unfolded when we got home from church. Gwendolyn expressed concern that her actions had permanently damaged her friendship with this other little girl. She went to her room to pray and returned feeling confident in the decision she had made and wanting to be the one to take the first step in reconciling with her friend. We spoke about making correct choices even when it's hard. We spoke about the kinds of friends we want to have -- those who support us in our efforts to do the right thing instead of getting upset when we don't go along with them. We spoke about peer pressure and the fact that it is even difficult for teenagers and adults to do what she did (she was hilariously incredulous: "Really!? I thought it was easy! I was just living my life!"). We spoke about the fact that she will have many opportunities in her life in which she will be faced with more difficult situations and will need to stand up for her beliefs. I told her I wanted her to always remember how good it felt to choose the right in difficult situations.
Gwendolyn spent some time in the afternoon making a card for the little girl which read, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm glad that we're friends!"
I later got a call from the adult who taught the class and another from a parent of one of Gwennie's classmates, both expressing their admiration for the way that Gwendolyn had handled the situation. We're proud of her, too.
On Saturday, we went on an outing to the University's holistic garden to get some tips about our planting and composting. We heard a number of fine strategies about planting in the inhospitable ground in these parts (which I know we've complained about -- this mixture of clay and rock, dashed with various minerals which seem to make the groundwater close to poison for trees, flowers, herbs, &c). The students had also planned some games and treats for the children, so we all had a good time.
Casper, seeing the lizard that Gwennie was carrying around, wanted a chance to hold him, too. At first hesitant, he soon became more confident with Deadie (especially after seeing that I had gotten the camera out).
Though he began by holding the lizard at arm's length, he soon started clowning, holding Deadie up near his face. Of course this was a greater indignity than Deadie could take, and he promptly bit Casper on the nose, as captured in the following shot:
Ah, the perils of hubris. Does anyone remember the scene in The Adventures of Robin Hood when Basil Rathbone's Guy of Gisbourne smacks Errol Flynn in the face, but when Melville Cooper's Sheriff of Nottingham tries the same trick, he gets kicked in the chest? This reminded me of that.
Several days ago, Gwennie caught a lizard in the yard. After carrying it around for several minutes of breathless triumph, she began to try out names, eventually settling on "Deadie" because he sat so passively in her hand. Imagine her amazement (dramatized in this photo) when we caught the same lizard again in the most curious of circumstances.
Earlier today as I was preparing to jump on the trampoline with the children, I noticed a lizard on one of our stumps. Unfortunately, Plume noticed it as well, and attacked. I was able to pick up the cat while Gwennie went after the lizard. Unfortunately, it was looking for a dark, safe place to hide, and after scampering over to my foot, it ran up my pant leg. I'm not squeamish, so I just grabbed the lizard and pulled him out (from beside my kneecap).
We've been enjoying fruit and vegetable juice much more frequently since receiving a surplus juicer from Grannie and Grandad. (This replaces the other juicer which I used for years, until it was destroyed in a child-related mishap.) The children agree that there's nothing better, and request favorites such as pineapple-orange or tangerine-carrot-strawberry. Shoot; now I'm thirsty.
Disclaimer: This is not the juicer described in the post. 
He's showing off his carrot tattoo -- nothing says 'manly' like a root vegetable
As has been the trend with Gwendolyn's baby teeth, when they're ready to go, they really go. We were eating dinner when Gwennie started complaining of her loose tooth. I suggested that she eat using the other side of her mouth, but it's a challenge to avoid a front tooth. When we told her to be careful not to swallow it (think of the revenue that could be lost!), she got scared and excused herself from the table. A minute later, she returned with the tooth she'd just pulled out. I know that this trick shouldn't be impressive the third time she's tried it, but I'm still in awe.
Saturday was a perfect day to set up the slip-and-slide (with apologies to our readers who are still snowbound). The children inflated the slide, then waited patiently for the water to fill the receiving pool.
The thing is, Gwennie's really the only one who has mastered the art of careening down the entire length of the slide. The boys run down and either slip for a few feet (Linus) or plop down in the pool (Casper). It's all pretty entertaining to watch.
And this is what the boys look like after a heady session on the trampoline. They'd like to issue a blanket invitation to any cousins or friends to come and jump around with them. (Recently-invented games include "Into the White" and "Bouncing Boulder Valley" and "City of Dragon of Death.")
Casper, never one to let his brother get the better of him, tried to emulate his brother's hedgehog hairdo. Linus, meanwhile, just wanted to show off his leaping.
Gwennie's a terribly sweet girl, but she has her imperious moments. The other day she turned to her Mama and, after expressing her frustration with Linus in hyperbolic terms, said, "Why did you have to make such a mean child?"
Linus is quite a deep child. When we're having a conversation about nature or church or literature, it's very frequently Linus who comes up with the obscure detail which even his older sister (who has always caused us to marvel at her memory) has forgotten. He tends to be bashful in company, however, so his recall is not always apparent.
More impressive, really, is the fact that he tends to really consider things he hears. His sensitivity and sweetness are characteristics that we love in him, but which seem fragile; I hope that he can retain them.
We spend a lot of time before church getting the children dressed up as nicely as possible. Somehow, things go wrong over the course of the three hour block. They always tend to come home looking like delightful little ragamuffins.
And the blue raspberry sucker that Linus ate right before the photo session didn't help
Casper's always been something of a talker -- we've written about how, when he was an infant, we would sometimes enter the bedroom where we'd put him down an hour before to find him gabbing away in his crib. And he's only grown more articulate these days, although the way he expresses himself is frequently the source of some hilarity. Our late favorite is the way he pronounces the name of an off-brand breakfast cereal the kids had this weekend: "Fmarfmallow 'tars."
A few others:
To Mama: "Is your name Jennifer? But I call you 'Mama' -- and I call Todd 'Daddy.'"
"Last one out of the tummy is a rotten egg!"
Look at those faces -- you know they're up to something
