slippery fish

It seems that the swimming lessons paid off. Today at the pool, Gwendolyn was absolutely fearless. She swam until breathless and even jumped off the diving board with no hesitation (something she was terrified to do last summer).

Casper, who turned 9 months old today, had his first visit to the pool and enjoyed splashing in the baby pool.

"new"

Gwennie and Linus are always making up words and silly gibberish when they talk and sing. Using nonsense words as adjectives is a favorite. While Linus was looking through a drawer in the kitchen, he pulled out a pastry knife and exclaimed, "This is a bitchin' tool!" He told me that this silly made-up word meant "new." He continued to empty the drawer, telling me that everything was "bitchin'."

Todd came home a little early from work today and took the kids to the park, which we all needed, because today was a long day.

goodbyes

This morning we said goodbye to our city friends. It was really emotional. Gwendolyn figured out that this was the last time she would be seeing her friend Thomas before he moves to Minnesota. Those two have such a connection, a connection which never seems to fade, even when they don’t see each other for weeks at a time. As hard as it was for me to say goodbye to my dear friend J, I know that she and I will still email and write and talk, but five year olds can’t connect in those ways. It breaks my heart to know that Gwennie's glorious, lovely friendship with Thomas is essentially ending. I’m so glad that she’s had this bond with him, this comfortable intimacy which I think is rare in children, but today I can’t look at pictures of them together without tearing up; I know she feels it too. After he left, she immediately asked if there was anything in the house which would remind her of Thomas. I brought her the fairy he had given her for her birthday, and she’s carried that little blue figurine around with her all day. Through her tears she told me, “My heart is breaking right now.”

dancing (and talking) the night away

Our dear city friends arrived early this evening for an overnight visit and my kids were beside themselves with excitement all day. We walked to dinner (where there was some dancing) and played outside until we had to drag the tired, sweaty, little bodies inside for baths and bed.

Gwendolyn was up far too late because she’s bunking with her best friend in all the world and that means talking and playing instead of sleeping. Upset over the position of the nightlight in the room, she said, “I only want one thing, Mama!”
Mama: “What’s that?”
Gwennie: “I want to fly!”

Thomas: “Gwendolyn, I’m going to put you to sleep.”
Gwennie: “No, I’m going to put you to sleep. I’m older, and I can handle it a little better than you can.”

something to smile about

The kids had dental appointments today. This was Linus’s first trip to the dentist and he did very well. Both kids have perfect little mouths and the dentist and hygienist were both impressed that Gwendolyn, all on her own, completely stopped sucking her thumb. I’m so proud of my girl. She was pretty excited to learn that she has a loose tooth (bottom right) and may lose it by the time her birthday rolls around. Todd had a later appointment with the dentist today and will also be losing some teeth very soon, but via oral surgery (wisdom teeth extraction).

captain afro and his tiger bride

While playing dress-up, Gwendolyn and Linus get married. As soon as the ceremony is over, Linus is ready to move on to another game, but Gwendolyn tries to convince him otherwise by giving him career options: “You can draw lots of pictures and live your life and make lots of money by sending them around. And I’ll write the books. Let’s go!”

home sweet home again

We left Granny and Grandad’s house today. While packing up, I ask Gwendolyn to help Linus look for Nougat (who ultimately got left behind because no one could find him), a task she describes as “disgustingly boring.”

Linus sees a picture of a girl walking in the woods.
Linus: “She ran away from home.”
Mama: “I think she’s just taking a walk.”
Linus: “No, she ran away from home. Wild animals are going to get her.”

Todd tells Gwendolyn a princess story but mentions that the princesses are grown ups. Gwennie corrects him, “They’re little princesses, like princesses should be. When they’re grown up, princesses should be queens.”

picture perfect

This morning, I overheard the children playing with the scale:
Gwendolyn: It’s not a timer, it’s a weighter.
Linus: And are you weighting yourself?

We spent the afternoon at the mall, trying to get photos of all 5 cousins together. It didn't work out as planned, but the kids did enjoy riding the carousel and watching ice hockey practice at the rink.

bumps along the way

Gwendolyn is quite sensitive and has been known to hold a grudge when her feelings get hurt or her ego bruised. Today, Gwendolyn’s feelings and ego both got a beating after Grandad scolded her for doing something she knew she shouldn’t be doing. Gwennie told me she didn’t love Grandad anymore and never wanted to visit Dallas again. I comforted her as best I could while still reminding her that she had broken a house rule. She cried and pouted and requested some alone time. About 15 minutes later, she came to me all smiles and informed me that she had decided to “make up with Grandad.” She did this all on her own, realizing that it felt better to forgive and forget than to remain angry and hold a grudge. I was impressed with her emotional maturity and told her so.

day with the cousins

the babes

Gwendolyn is feeling much better, but today when I called to her for something, she had selective hearing. When she finally did acknowledge me, I asked why she hadn’t answered me before and she responded, “My ears are full of water, remember?”

Linus, upset with Mama, “I’m going to run away from home! And Dallas! I’m going to live nowhere!”

Linus, upset with Gwendolyn, “My Holy Ghost is going to pick you up and throw you in the garbage can!”

sunday clinic

Last night, Gwendolyn woke multiple times complaining of an earache. This morning we took a trip to urgent care and got some antibiotics for a double ear infection. She’s been pretty miserable, poor kid, but is feeling better tonight.

Since Gwendolyn is sick, I promised the kids they could watch a movie today.
Mama, to Linus: Are you hungry?
Linus: I’m hungry for a show.

over the river and through the woods

How does a 3 1/2 hour trip become a 7 hour trip? When you return home for your forgotten laptop, you stop to eat, you stop to get gas, you stop to pee, you stop to buy produce and a cowboy hat from a roadside stand, you stop to nurse someone, you stop for milkshakes and then you take a wrong turn and end up in the wrong town. But we're finally at Granny's house, safe and sound, and those kids of mine? Troopers, all the way.

dig it

One thing you should know about Linus is that when he has to go potty, he drops his drawers and waddles to the bathroom with his pants around his ankles. Well, today Granny treated us to lunch at a fancy little tea room filled with old ladies and their friends. Linus announced that he needed to go potty, so we rushed down the hall and I opened the door to the ladies' room. I then turned to see my son with his trousers around his ankles, waddling into the restroom.

Linus: “I like to use my belly as a napkin.”

While cuddling in bed with Granny, Linus (who was supposed to be going to sleep) walked around the foot of the bed and put his water cup on the nightstand next to Granny before returning to his side of the bed.
Linus: “Granny, will you hand me my water?”
Granny: “I can’t reach it. It’s too far away.”
Linus gets out of bed, goes to the nightstand and moves his cup as close to Granny as it can possibly get: “You can reach it now.”
Linus returns to his side of the bed: “Granny, will you hand me my water?”

Granny bought Linus some new gardening tools this week . He got to break them in tonight when we planted some flowers and ground cover in our front yard planter box. He is a very enthusiastic gardener and cleaner of muddy tools.

notes on a 5 1/2 year old

As I cleaned up someone’s poopy bum, Gwendolyn provided this commentary: “Ewww. When I’m a Mama, I’m not going to clean up any poop. I’m going to go to work all day and Thomas can stay home and change the poopy diapers.”

Yesterday during quiet time, Gwendolyn canvassed the backyard for flowers and vines before coming inside to make nature collages. She put them all in a large basket and informed me, “I’m going to ride my bike and you’re going to walk beside me and we’re going to go to all our neighbors’ houses and to the houses of some people we don’t know and give them these pictures.” It was so sweet I nearly complied, but we had already made other afternoon plans which included Granny, Linus and Casper (and Gwendolyn wasn’t disappointed – I think her joy came in creating the art).

Swim lessons end this week and Gwendolyn is such an enthusiastic little fish. She is swimming so well and so hard that she is always out of breath during lessons (she made it half the length of the pool after jumping in at the far end today).

I think Gwendolyn is approaching the six/seven year change (when the veil starts to close, which can be a scary time for little ones). Certain things that used to be second nature to her are now approached with trepidation and reluctance, which is very hard for me to watch. She is still a very sweet and friendly little girl, but gone is the confident, attention-seeking firecracker. Now, she is sometimes so shy it borders on the anti-social. Two weeks ago when she was to give a talk in Primary, she completely balked and wouldn’t even stand at the podium. This past Sunday, she refused to join the primary children on the stand when they sang a Mother’s Day song. Her attachment to Baby Pillow seems stronger these days, but she did come to me today and express a desire to stop sucking her thumb. This growing up business is hard on us all.

mouthing off

Linus gets angry with Gwendolyn today. He tells Mama the worst insult he can think of: "She's not Gwennie anymore -- she's nobody."

We've written before about Linus and how LOUD he is. He also talks in his sleep and even then, he bellows.

righteous indignation

See that adorable little baby up there? He will totally stand up for himself, even if he can’t yet stand up by himself. Linus is pretty passive aggressive toward baby Casper – putting his foot right in Casper’s way, nudging him over so that he falls, splattering cottage cheese on his face while Mama is out of the room – but Casper has no fear of his older, bigger brother and can hold his own. Today when Linus took a toy away from Casper, that little baby charged at Linus, yelling at him the whole time. And when Granny wouldn’t let Casper play with her glasses, he swatted at her and told her off in his best angry-baby voice. No crying, no whining, no temper, just standing up for his little self.

mama's day

After seeing Lady and the Tramp at Grannie’s house, Gwennie decided that “masketti with meatballs” was her new favorite food, even though we’ve never had it at home. We let her pick the meal for Mother’s Day, and, predictably enough, this was the recipe she chose. After the bowl was placed before her, however, she decided it really was not what she’d anticipated. We were aware of the danger of allowing reality to compare with the fiction – the Platonic meatball – but we thought she’d respond to the packaging of the food, if not the flavor. After tasting the homemade meatballs and sauce-from-scratch, she told us she didn’t like them and came up with a different request: “masketti with candyballs.” (I said, “how about spaghetti with gumballs?” and she started to give us an excited “yes!” before realizing what a bad deal that would be.) Finally, after we distracted her by teaching her how to slurp noodles, she came down a little: “this food’s not so bad, anyway.”

mr. clean

So after all our car woes of last week, we decided that perhaps it was time to sell the Caravan and Buick and get a vehicle which was less than 10 years old. We were led to a lovely, affordable, super-clean Chrysler Town & Country minivan with low mileage. So we bought it and we love it. Linus and Todd took it for a car wash today and as a result, Linus has discovered a new favorite tool – the high-pressure wash gun.

little man liney-bones

Linus had his 3-year check-up today. The boy is finally slowing down. He weighs only 35.5 lbs (between 75^th and 90^th percentile) and is 39 ¾ inches tall (95^th percentile). Have you done those how-tall-will-your-kid-be predictors? Linus is predicted to be 6’2” by the time he’s 18.

Tonight, Linus was lying in his room where he was supposed to be asleep, and Todd was in the living room working on a project. Linus heard the familiar sound of a power tool and called out, “Again, Daddy! Do it again! Again!” (The whirr of the drill.) “Yea! Yea, Daddy!” That boy loves tools of any kind.

floods came up

Unlike the past few days of swimming lessons, when he's balked at entering the still-frigid pool, Linus jumped in and fully enjoyed swimming time this afternoon. He's been wanting to follow his sister's lead, but hadn't been able to muster the courage until today. (Of course, temperatures did reach ninety here, so perhaps it's gotten a bit warmer in the water.)

"Now, how do I get this in my mouth?"

Casper is crawling like a pro and pulling up on everything. His balance is good and the desire to cruise is strong, but he hasn't quite figured out how to put one foot in front of the other. I hope it takes him a good long while.

domepiece

Linus tells us what's inside people's heads: "there's blood, and ske-te-lons, and round rocking things, and blood." As far as what's outside his head, in the photo above it's a cap sized for four to ten year olds.

a girl and her frog

Gwennie is our resident entomologist/herpetologist. She announced today that she is good at catching fish and walked us through the steps of fishing (What to use for bait? “Things fish like to eat.” Of course.). We talked to her about the summer fishing and crabbing trip we have planned and she now wants pet fish and a pet crab.

three

Three! Linus, my sweet angel boy, I can’t believe you are so old! Just six months ago, there was so much baby still in your looks and actions, but that is all gone now. There is no denying what a big, big kid you are.

You have such a tender, caring heart and love your family so much. You are truly the most affectionate child I’ve ever known. You often randomly give hugs or kisses or a kind word to members of your family (though less often to Casper). A couple of weeks ago, you decided that from now on, Mama would no longer get kisses on the lips, but only on the head. Thankfully, that has passed, because I was heartbroken. You often talk about family members who are far from us, who you love: Granny and Grandad, Grandma and Grandpa Sam, Nana (you often pretend to be Nana -- last week when we had to drive Daddy to the local airport, you got so excited because you thought we were going there to pick up Nana), your aunties and uncles and cousins and friends.

You love trucks and trains and bikes and tractors and tools. You are ALL boy. Anything with wheels will captivate you (currently, you are asleep in bed with your new toy truck and tractor). Tools, especially Daddy’s, fascinate you. Anytime Daddy is working in his press room, or in the shed, you rush to get your shoes on and then are right there by his side.

You also love to help me around the house. This includes taking the vacuum apart, washing (playing in the water) in the kitchen or bathroom, and dusting with the feather duster. If there is a tool or prop included in the cleaning, you’re in. If we’re just picking up toys and books, you aren’t so interested.

But you do love to help cook and bake, and eat! I swear that I feed you all day long, but you approach food with such a passion that it seems I’ve starved you. Many meals, you eat more than I do, and there are very few foods you will refuse.

I sense that your spirit is still very close to your Father in Heaven. You love to pray and have the sweetest little “spiritual voice.” You are often the one to remember your personal prayers, and you love Nursery and reading the scriptures, even though you don’t quite grasp most of the stories.

Linus, you are a joy to have in our home and in our family. You brighten my day, every single day. I love you, my sweet, big, three-year-old baby boy!

May Day Birthday

Linus is THREE! We celebrated by going to the city for the day.

First stop was the May Day celebration at the beloved Waldorf School that Gwendolyn attended for two years. Gwendolyn was completely in her element there. It was so much fun for me to watch her fall right back into the rhythms and friendships that come with that magical place. And Ms Dorothy, who Gwendolyn was timid around a couple of weeks ago, was greeted with smiles and hugs and a special rose.

My friend Allison and her children also came to the celebration, and I can’t express how glad I am about that. For the first time, I felt as though my former life as a Waldorf mama was blending with my new life as a Waldorf Homeschooling mama.

Though my children decided to boycott the actual dancing around the Maypole, we all had a wonderful time at the celebration and potluck.

The next stop was all about Linus: The Fire Museum. This is an old favorite of his and he’s been asking to go, and he later told us this was his favorite part of the day. What kid doesn’t enjoy sitting in fire trucks, sliding down poles, and dressing up as a firefighter? Birthday heaven.For an early dinner, we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. This would not have been the children’s first choice, but Todd and I were craving it and Linus actually ate more tofu with chili and lemongrass than I did.

And our final stop was a two hour playdate with our beloved city friends (we’ve seen them three weekends in a row! How lucky is that?). The children went on “adventures” and played so sweetly while the mamas visited and Todd walked Casper over to the museum to visit old coworkers and friends. Really, the perfect ending to our day in the city.

We returned home later than expected, tired and happy, but well enough to open the remaining gifts before bed. Linee received some outer-space themed sheets and growth chart for his soon-to-be-decorated room (from Granny and Grandad), some new fancy big-boy underwear, a toy tractor, a toy truck (from Thomas and William), a new baseball cap, and a remote-controlled car. Wow! He went to sleep a very happy three year old.

the glorious month of May

It feels like there’s been a change in the weather. We think we're nearing the end of our car woes, we have a birthday to celebrate this weekend, and Todd brought home some lovely May Day flowers for me.

when it rains, it pours

And at our house, it’s monsoon season.

Here’s what happened today:

An electrician was called first thing this morning because the laundry room was quickly filling with smoke and I naturally assumed the house was about to burn down due to an electrical fire. In actuality, the electrician discovered the smoke was coming from our washing machine. It’s only 4 years old, and still under a partial warranty, so I called Maytag. They have to send one of their service people out and the soonest available appointment is 7 days from now! Hello, local wash-a-teria; it’s nice to meet you.

The wrecker came and towed Blue Parge (the Buick) away.

Because of a problem with the shower in the Master bathroom, the plumber had to be called, but won’t make it out here until tomorrow.

Five hours after we pick up the van from the repair shop, we take the kids out to get sno-cones and the van’s electrical system goes out. We barely make it home.

I’ve been trying really hard to keep a light heart and find humor in the events of the past three days, but I’m not laughing anymore.

At least Linus enjoyed the sno-come.

reasons I should have stayed in bed today

The van is back in the shop.

Our back-up vehicle, the Buick, won’t start and has to be towed as well.

When I turn on the garbage disposal, it won’t turn off.

Gwendolyn is extremely sleep deprived and is difficult (to put it mildly) all day long.

Casper has a hard time nursing and sleeping (because he must pull up to a standing position every moment of the day), making him tired and cranky.

I get my haircut today (an appointment I’ve been looking forward to), but it is cut way too short and the more time I spend with it, the less I like it. Linus says my hair, "looks funny," and Gwendolyn tells me that "it looks like a broken teapot that's lost its spout -- but still looks really cute." Thanks.

Linus poops in his big boy unders.

I run to the store for some essentials (in the only car currently working) and when I get there, the key won’t come out of the ignition.

As a stress reliever, I go out back to pull some weeds growing around the apple trees and the sprinklers kick on, getting me nice and wet.

the science and technology of meat

Today we all drove over to the University’s Meat Science and Technology Center (seriously, folks, that’s what it’s called) to shop at their little store. After purchasing some insanely low-priced, free-range, grass-fed, locally-raised beef and pork, we pile into the van . . . which doesn’t start. So we walk. To Todd’s car. Over a mile from one side of campus (which, I might note, is one of the nation’s biggest) to the other. With Casper in the sling, Gwennie holding my hand, and Linus in the stroller being pushed one-handed by Todd because he has a big bag of eggs and frozen meat in the other hand. It would be hilarious if it didn’t suck so much. Here’s the silver lining: the weather was beautiful, the kids were amazingly happy and patient (even when we drove them back over to meat science land to unsuccessfully try to jump-start the darn thing), and towing was covered by insurance.

a boy and his bear

Today we went to a birthday party at a bowling alley and the kids had their first taste of “bowling balling." It was a fun, fun party -- and, even better, bowling was a hit. We’re already planning a family night at the lanes. Gwendolyn came home and immediately invented a bowling-type game which she set up on the kitchen floor.

Gwennie smells the cereal bag and tells us: “It smells like rotten eggs with a little meat added.”