I had such fun telling about Miles' reindeer project that I want to briefly share his vocabulary Christmas tree from the last day of school before break. (Yeah, yeah... so I'm on the road to "Insuffereable Mom Bore." I got it. I'll exit soon....)
On green construction paper in the shape of a tree, next to glued-down shapes of the following images, he carefully printed their names:
star
gift
reef
sadta
gigr
bred
men
krismstre
My favorite is "reef" -- either that or "sadta." It sounds like someone with a head cold or a SERIOUS accent. :)
Oh, one more thing comes to mind to share -- a cute moment from the Rm 201 Christmas Party.
I took baby Owen to Miles' school, so every girl immediately became my friend. (I had no idea 5-yr-old girls were so into babies! 'Cause 5-yr-old boys? Sometimes yes, sometimes no...) A little round-faced, shaggy haired brunette named Rachel took me under her wing and started pointing out notable things about her class and classmates. Eventually, she went to another girl's backpack, lifted out a small jewelry box, opened it and said: "See what Jordan bought Tiernan for Christmas?"
(Ed Note: Jordan = boy. Tiernan = girl. These things aren't always clear.)
Inside were two pink snowflake earrings and a snowflake necklace. "It's for the marriage," Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "Jordan asked Tiernan to marry him, and she said yes, so they'll be getting married when they're adults."
Jordan's mom overheard this and made eye contact with me -- a bit surprised, a bit amused and a bit alarmed. She said, "He didn't tell me that." I said, "Oh, I believe it!" She leaned down toward her son's intended, the sweet smiling, blond-banged Tiernan, and say, "Did Jordan really say that, honey?"
First she just nodded. Completely serious-faced. Then she smiled, shyly, and said: "Yep. And I got JEWELRY!"
OK, then! Deal sealed....
Any of you single friends out there, who may want to get married "when you're adults," can take this as an encouraging tale. Always remember the power of jewelry and chutzpah. Offer up something sparkly (pink snowflake... pink diamond...) and the girl just might say yes!
Just a girl, asking for grace, to survive her happily-ever-after.
12.22.2007
12.21.2007
Cracking the K-Code
A feml rader has begr huvs.
Rad(lowercase b erased behind the d) r hav white pup.
Rader hed the(word since erased and replaced with) tuo alrs.
(All periods added.)
What is all this, you ask? Why, boy genius at work, of course! :)
Miles brought home a kindergarten coloring project yesterday -- a paper reindeer booklet made by folding square pages into triangles and stapling down the longest side. Cut-outs of his little hands were stapled along the long edge for antlers, and the point of the triangle became a little red nose. Voila! A Cubist Rudolph.
Inside were crayon and pencil drawings of an angel and a reindeer face, plus these hieroglyphics.
Each side of a page had a different statement. I asked him what his words said, and he couldn't remember. He looked at the pages a long time... squint-eyed and silent. Then he burst out with his characteristic drama: "This is crazy! I can't read one of these words! They do NOT even make sense! I don't EVEN know what I was thinkin'!"
I said that's OK, and he continued... "But, really, Mom, I didn't even do that today. It was two days ago!"
So, two days ago he could have read it back to me, I guess. But I have some ideas.
A feml rader has begr huvs. ...A female reindeer has bigger hooves? I could be insulted, but it has a sort of logic to it. His teacher and I are both females with kinda big feet.
Rader is definitely reindeer, as I asked later and Miles suddenly recognized the word.
The second line is still something of a mystery -- "reindeer have white pup?" The word "white" came out perfectly because the class has spent a lot of time on colors. Sometimes, Miles writes the word of a color, in the proper color, inside an image rather than coloring it in.
On to the last line: Reindeer had two antlers?
I'm not sure I'll ever know where his boy mind was wandering as he scribbled away, but how precious that I got to read (and I get to keep) the evidence of early writing in process!
...Also, on an aesthetic note: He traced and cut out his own antler hands, so one side is rather stunted while the other is freakishly puffy. I don't mind at all, because...
Rader hav cute atlrs!
Rad(lowercase b erased behind the d) r hav white pup.
Rader hed the(word since erased and replaced with) tuo alrs.
(All periods added.)
What is all this, you ask? Why, boy genius at work, of course! :)
Miles brought home a kindergarten coloring project yesterday -- a paper reindeer booklet made by folding square pages into triangles and stapling down the longest side. Cut-outs of his little hands were stapled along the long edge for antlers, and the point of the triangle became a little red nose. Voila! A Cubist Rudolph.
Inside were crayon and pencil drawings of an angel and a reindeer face, plus these hieroglyphics.
Each side of a page had a different statement. I asked him what his words said, and he couldn't remember. He looked at the pages a long time... squint-eyed and silent. Then he burst out with his characteristic drama: "This is crazy! I can't read one of these words! They do NOT even make sense! I don't EVEN know what I was thinkin'!"
I said that's OK, and he continued... "But, really, Mom, I didn't even do that today. It was two days ago!"
So, two days ago he could have read it back to me, I guess. But I have some ideas.
A feml rader has begr huvs. ...A female reindeer has bigger hooves? I could be insulted, but it has a sort of logic to it. His teacher and I are both females with kinda big feet.
Rader is definitely reindeer, as I asked later and Miles suddenly recognized the word.
The second line is still something of a mystery -- "reindeer have white pup?" The word "white" came out perfectly because the class has spent a lot of time on colors. Sometimes, Miles writes the word of a color, in the proper color, inside an image rather than coloring it in.
On to the last line: Reindeer had two antlers?
I'm not sure I'll ever know where his boy mind was wandering as he scribbled away, but how precious that I got to read (and I get to keep) the evidence of early writing in process!
...Also, on an aesthetic note: He traced and cut out his own antler hands, so one side is rather stunted while the other is freakishly puffy. I don't mind at all, because...
Rader hav cute atlrs!
12.19.2007
Braking Slightly for the Curves
So we've turned a corner in my house. We no longer have a newborn. And -- holiday deviations notwithstanding -- we have something of a routine here, too.
I knew this would happen! NEEEVER doubted for a moment! (OK, maybe a couple seconds... Here and there. And most of November...)
But we've arrived at something. Our little game-of-Life car, with the pink and blue plastic pin heads in front and the two blue pins in back, is on the road again! We may not be on cruise control (to push the metaphor), and we certainly aren't speeding, but I think we're keeping up with traffic.
I manage to provide clean clothes, folded into drawers, each week. I semi-regularly clear the living areas of clutter. Most days, our bed gets made. Every day, the dishwasher gets emptied and reloaded (if for no other reason than to clean lots & lots of bottles). Between us, Jer and I feed the family evening meals (of a sort... in some fashion) and feel no guilt over regular outings to Chick-Fil-A.
Miles' backpack is always cleared, his classroom notes read; his lunches get made and his outerwear matches the changeable Texas weather. The baby is always bundled when we head out in the chilly a.m., and we're never late to school.
Of course, the big kid often looks like Huckleberry Finn when he gets there -- too-short pants and messy bed head, resisting any effort to be "sivilized." And I have not always showered when my day starts. But these are details -- pish, posh!
We're (basically) making it as a family with 2 working parents and 2 kids.
...Did you hear that? I have.... TWO kids! Count em: ONE. TWO! It certainly feels like an achievement, and I'm giving myself the right to celebrate.
(Don't think I haven't noticed that what comes most naturally to a lot of people is actually hardest for me. I know plenty of folks who seem to make babies and dinner and tidy beds as a matter of course in life. Me? Not so much!)
BTW, all you far-flung relatives and friends who may occasionally lurk about: I DID think of you this card-sending season! Swear!
I dug out Christmas cards and had wallet-size pictures printed. I sorted and contemplated and even decorated the family room floor with stacks of stationery and lists (some on the backs of envelopes) of names. I was going to combo a birth announcement and a holiday card in one envelope to each dearly loved one.
...I guess you already know, by the absence of any mail received, where this is going. I haven't even gotten the "Owen has arrived" cards mailed!
I think it will happen -- but I beg your right pardon now: 1.) if you prefer and generally maintain more timely communication in your own life; 2.) in case you never actually receive anything from me and start to think you are not remembered; and 3.) should I misspell your name or any common words/ not write in complete thoughts/ actually make no sense at all. ...We've got a routine, true enough. It just doesn't involve all that much sleep or brain food for the Mama.
OK. Enough for now. The bridal biz calls. Kitchen duty whispers my name every time I walk through. And that BIG stack of addressed envelopes, waiting on personal notes, is a siren song in the middle of a work day. Too, too much to do! ...But what a privilege that I get to try!
One stretch of road at a time -- with detours and exits and tricky on-ramps -- I think we just might be headed somewhere good in this family!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, my fellow journeyers!
I knew this would happen! NEEEVER doubted for a moment! (OK, maybe a couple seconds... Here and there. And most of November...)
But we've arrived at something. Our little game-of-Life car, with the pink and blue plastic pin heads in front and the two blue pins in back, is on the road again! We may not be on cruise control (to push the metaphor), and we certainly aren't speeding, but I think we're keeping up with traffic.
I manage to provide clean clothes, folded into drawers, each week. I semi-regularly clear the living areas of clutter. Most days, our bed gets made. Every day, the dishwasher gets emptied and reloaded (if for no other reason than to clean lots & lots of bottles). Between us, Jer and I feed the family evening meals (of a sort... in some fashion) and feel no guilt over regular outings to Chick-Fil-A.
Miles' backpack is always cleared, his classroom notes read; his lunches get made and his outerwear matches the changeable Texas weather. The baby is always bundled when we head out in the chilly a.m., and we're never late to school.
Of course, the big kid often looks like Huckleberry Finn when he gets there -- too-short pants and messy bed head, resisting any effort to be "sivilized." And I have not always showered when my day starts. But these are details -- pish, posh!
We're (basically) making it as a family with 2 working parents and 2 kids.
...Did you hear that? I have.... TWO kids! Count em: ONE. TWO! It certainly feels like an achievement, and I'm giving myself the right to celebrate.
(Don't think I haven't noticed that what comes most naturally to a lot of people is actually hardest for me. I know plenty of folks who seem to make babies and dinner and tidy beds as a matter of course in life. Me? Not so much!)
BTW, all you far-flung relatives and friends who may occasionally lurk about: I DID think of you this card-sending season! Swear!
I dug out Christmas cards and had wallet-size pictures printed. I sorted and contemplated and even decorated the family room floor with stacks of stationery and lists (some on the backs of envelopes) of names. I was going to combo a birth announcement and a holiday card in one envelope to each dearly loved one.
...I guess you already know, by the absence of any mail received, where this is going. I haven't even gotten the "Owen has arrived" cards mailed!
I think it will happen -- but I beg your right pardon now: 1.) if you prefer and generally maintain more timely communication in your own life; 2.) in case you never actually receive anything from me and start to think you are not remembered; and 3.) should I misspell your name or any common words/ not write in complete thoughts/ actually make no sense at all. ...We've got a routine, true enough. It just doesn't involve all that much sleep or brain food for the Mama.
OK. Enough for now. The bridal biz calls. Kitchen duty whispers my name every time I walk through. And that BIG stack of addressed envelopes, waiting on personal notes, is a siren song in the middle of a work day. Too, too much to do! ...But what a privilege that I get to try!
One stretch of road at a time -- with detours and exits and tricky on-ramps -- I think we just might be headed somewhere good in this family!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, my fellow journeyers!
12.06.2007
Hunka Hunka Baby Love
So Owen has officially reached 2 months old, and he weighs 14 pounds. (OK, OK, not the chart-topping number I was expecting, given my exhausted frame at the end of each day. My back hurts; my arms ache. I think the lesson is: I am actually a weakling. Must accept and move on...)
But the baby does have a big head! (Of course, they all do. I've seen the growth charts.) Owen began life with a 13" diameter head and has added 3 inches in just 8 weeks. I find this pretty impressive. I mean, really: When was the last time your HEAD GREW? Bellies, yes. Craniums, no.
If you'll allow a paragraph of gushing, Owen is JUST. SO. PRECIOUS, what with his big blue eyes and his ready smile. His quizzical brows and his quivering chin. He is a glory to behold, and even the rough spots I count as joy, brethren...
It is a great stage when little babies come into their own personalities. It's powerful to watch them "turn into people" all of a sudden. Jeremy used to say about Miles that, if you sat and watched long enough, you could actually see the baby grow. That appears to be true this time around, too....
Oh, and speaking of Miles: Guess what? He knows a story about Jesus. One I don't think I told him or read to him. One that goes beyond "when Baby Jesus was born." And he thinks it's COOL!
...Now, I do realize that kids exposed to church at a young age are bound to pick some things up, and I have known toddlers with better Bible chapter recall than my own, so I've got no bragging rights here -- but seriously, I am so proud! :)
Miles just recently got a "real" children's Bible (as opposed to the board books for babies, or the ones with a single story in them). And he brought it into the TV room yesterday. He flipped through, looking at the pictures, then suddenly stopped and started an animated ramble (with hand gestures) that goes pretty much like this:
"Oh, I know this one! This is the story of when Jesus took those fish. You know those fish? He made, like, 5 fish into, like A THOUSAND fish!! Because, actually, he just had 5 fish and, like, 2 pieces of bread. It was just a little bit of food. But then he made food for ALL THESE PEOPLE -- like, EVERYBODY who was there. And it was a lot. He turned those fish into THOUSANDS! All by himself.
...That is SO AWESOME!"
I had to keep from laughing out loud at, "That is SO AWESOME." It was exactly the same voice he uses to tell me about how General Grevious can kill two people at once, because he has 4 arms and two lightsabers.
I've been a bit worried about the embracing of the Star Wars violence -- and I might need to be -- but when a picture of a cartoon Jesus and the memory of a Bible story can illicit such a response, I guess we're all right here.
And that's the round-up from my daily life. More happens. Lots every day, really. And some of it even matters. ...But right now, nothing matters more than the health and well-being of those two little boys who grace our lives.
Amen and Emmanuel.
But the baby does have a big head! (Of course, they all do. I've seen the growth charts.) Owen began life with a 13" diameter head and has added 3 inches in just 8 weeks. I find this pretty impressive. I mean, really: When was the last time your HEAD GREW? Bellies, yes. Craniums, no.
If you'll allow a paragraph of gushing, Owen is JUST. SO. PRECIOUS, what with his big blue eyes and his ready smile. His quizzical brows and his quivering chin. He is a glory to behold, and even the rough spots I count as joy, brethren...
It is a great stage when little babies come into their own personalities. It's powerful to watch them "turn into people" all of a sudden. Jeremy used to say about Miles that, if you sat and watched long enough, you could actually see the baby grow. That appears to be true this time around, too....
Oh, and speaking of Miles: Guess what? He knows a story about Jesus. One I don't think I told him or read to him. One that goes beyond "when Baby Jesus was born." And he thinks it's COOL!
...Now, I do realize that kids exposed to church at a young age are bound to pick some things up, and I have known toddlers with better Bible chapter recall than my own, so I've got no bragging rights here -- but seriously, I am so proud! :)
Miles just recently got a "real" children's Bible (as opposed to the board books for babies, or the ones with a single story in them). And he brought it into the TV room yesterday. He flipped through, looking at the pictures, then suddenly stopped and started an animated ramble (with hand gestures) that goes pretty much like this:
"Oh, I know this one! This is the story of when Jesus took those fish. You know those fish? He made, like, 5 fish into, like A THOUSAND fish!! Because, actually, he just had 5 fish and, like, 2 pieces of bread. It was just a little bit of food. But then he made food for ALL THESE PEOPLE -- like, EVERYBODY who was there. And it was a lot. He turned those fish into THOUSANDS! All by himself.
...That is SO AWESOME!"
I had to keep from laughing out loud at, "That is SO AWESOME." It was exactly the same voice he uses to tell me about how General Grevious can kill two people at once, because he has 4 arms and two lightsabers.
I've been a bit worried about the embracing of the Star Wars violence -- and I might need to be -- but when a picture of a cartoon Jesus and the memory of a Bible story can illicit such a response, I guess we're all right here.
And that's the round-up from my daily life. More happens. Lots every day, really. And some of it even matters. ...But right now, nothing matters more than the health and well-being of those two little boys who grace our lives.
Amen and Emmanuel.
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