Thursday, February 14, 2013
New Computer!!!
I think we can attribute a large amount of my current blogging fervor to the new computer that Marcus bought for me last week. I had been using the same Dell computer since we were newlyweds in 2003, and it was a constant source of frustration. It froze all the time, it had no available memory, it couldn't read DVDs, it couldn't handle updates without crashing, and every day I wondered if today would be the day it didn't come on at all. But all that is over now! Marcus picked out and ordered me a super-awesome Asus computer with tons of memory and hard drive space and Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010. Did I mention all the hard drive space? It is so fast! And I can have several programs open at once without freezing it up! At the moment, I can't remember ever getting a gift that I've enjoyed more than this one. Thanks, babe!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Reading, Reading, Reading
My six-year-old is addicted to reading. Anytime he is allowed to sit undisturbed (in the car, downtime at home, waiting at the doctor's office, etc.) he has his nose buried in a chapter book. He has read six chapter books in the past two weeks (4 from the Magic Treehouse series, Little House in the Big Woods and another one I can't remember from his school library). Today was the clincher. Caleb, a media junkie who savors every minute of the rationed media-time he gets each day, was riding home from school while a movie played on our minivan's entertainment system. While Ethan was engrossed in Swiss Family Robinson, Caleb tuned it all out and kept his face buried in his latest Magic Treehouse book, never even glancing up at the movie. This was an unprecedented event. Until today, I don't know that I've ever seen Caleb in the same room with a flickering screen without also seeing him staring at it. Yesterday, I took his book away for the evening as a consequence for being grumpy and mildly disrespectful at dinner. I don't think he has been that devastated since we withdrew his Peter Pan-pretending privileges when he was three. Who is this child?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Funny Kids
The kids have been full of funny stuff lately. Here are the stories/conversations that I can remember:
#1 Nanna is here for a visit, and the other day, she and Caleb were playing chess. Ethan was watching (and contributing his ideas to the game). At one point, Caleb and Ethan were discussing the possible results of a move that Caleb was considering, when Nanna looked back and forth between the two sides of the board and said, "Wait a second, I'm confused." Ethan didn't miss a beat. He broke off from his conversation with Caleb, turned towards Nanna, and said, "That's because you're sixty-one."
#2 Caleb walked up to Nanna and watched her mending one of Ethan's superhero costumes. He was impressed with her skill and told her that he and Ethan had never seen me sewing. Caleb didn't give her very long to enjoy her burst of superiority, though. His very next sentence was, "Maybe she will start sewing when she's old."
#3 This story doesn't really have a punch line, but it is still cute. Lydia has her very own unique sense of humor. She frequently cracks herself up with some joke that she initiates. This week, she is fake-whining for about two seconds, and then cracking up saying "I whined! I whined!" The whole sequence is hilarious and even makes Caleb and Ethan laugh.
#4 Nanna, Ethan and I were in the van together. Ethan was talking about a tooth that he thought was loose. I told him that he probably didn't have a loose tooth, since he is only four and most kids don't start losing their teeth until they are in 1st grade. He was quiet for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "But Mommy, I'm not very much like most kids." Nanna and I burst out laughing, assuring him that he had an excellent point.
#1 Nanna is here for a visit, and the other day, she and Caleb were playing chess. Ethan was watching (and contributing his ideas to the game). At one point, Caleb and Ethan were discussing the possible results of a move that Caleb was considering, when Nanna looked back and forth between the two sides of the board and said, "Wait a second, I'm confused." Ethan didn't miss a beat. He broke off from his conversation with Caleb, turned towards Nanna, and said, "That's because you're sixty-one."
#2 Caleb walked up to Nanna and watched her mending one of Ethan's superhero costumes. He was impressed with her skill and told her that he and Ethan had never seen me sewing. Caleb didn't give her very long to enjoy her burst of superiority, though. His very next sentence was, "Maybe she will start sewing when she's old."
#3 This story doesn't really have a punch line, but it is still cute. Lydia has her very own unique sense of humor. She frequently cracks herself up with some joke that she initiates. This week, she is fake-whining for about two seconds, and then cracking up saying "I whined! I whined!" The whole sequence is hilarious and even makes Caleb and Ethan laugh.
#4 Nanna, Ethan and I were in the van together. Ethan was talking about a tooth that he thought was loose. I told him that he probably didn't have a loose tooth, since he is only four and most kids don't start losing their teeth until they are in 1st grade. He was quiet for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "But Mommy, I'm not very much like most kids." Nanna and I burst out laughing, assuring him that he had an excellent point.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Christmas
I have been working on our family scrapbook the past week, and in the process I've been reading over blog entries from 2010. I realized that without the blog, I would have no idea what we'd been up to three years ago. And that has motivated me once again to sign on and write something about our lives as often as I can.
So, I'll start with a quick recap of Christmas. This was the best Christmas that I can ever remember having, and it was primarily because we stayed home the whole break and just enjoyed being together as a family. Nanna and Papa came and spent a few days with us, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The whole two weeks out of school, the kids and I enjoyed our break from a daily schedule and just hung out around the house all day every day. We played board games, built Legos, explored outside, played Wii, built a marble race, and took just about every toy and puzzle in the house out of its box at some point in the two weeks. It was wonderful. It felt like when the boys were little, before Caleb started kindergarten, and we had no agenda except learning and playing together.
Another thing that made this Christmas fun for me is that this is the first year that I have been able to buy presents for our kids. Before this year, when Marcus was in med school and residency, everything under our tree came from grandparents or other family. And I have to admit I went a little nuts this year. The boys got new bikes, Star Wars and superhero Lego sets, books, toy guns, a few movies and the biggie, a zip line in our backyard! Lydia got a rocking horse, two Elmo movies, books, a new doll, and six stuffed Sesame street characters, which she surprised us all by correctly naming as each one came out of the wrapping paper. Nanna and Papa brought Caleb a magic set and a Mario Wii game, Ethan a wrestling pillow and a stomp rocket, and Lydia a beautiful wooden doll high chair and crib. I loved waking up in my own house and seeing their excited, sleep-fresh faces first thing on Christmas morning. They were all so cute in their Christmas PJs (except Lydia, whose diaper had leaked in hers, so she was wearing a Christmas dress). After they opened presents, I cooked Christmas dinner (first time to try a standing rib roast, and thanks to my friend's awesome recipe, it was amazing). All-in-all, it was the most relaxed and enjoyable Christmases that I've had in my adult life, and it reminded me very much of Christmas when I was a child.
In closing, a few words about the Santa thing. We had a lot of questions at our house about Santa this year. Neither Marcus nor I are big on the Santa thing, and I feel strongly about not lying to the kids, particularly about something that is so psychologically similar to their faith in God. Each year, I avoid the Santa questions. When Caleb was four, he backed me into a corner with his questions, so I told him that Santa is something fun that we pretend, like superheros and Disney characters. I don't think we got that far the year that he was five (successful dodging :), and by Christmas this year, he'd forgotten that conversation two years earlier. And he had totally bought into the whole Santa thing from movies and friends and just the culture around him. He talked about Santa like he talked about God, hoping that Santa would see his good deeds, etc. etc.
All of this really bothered me, because Caleb's faith in God is so pure and complete, and I hated hearing him talk in the same way about a fictional character. So this time, I forced the conversation. I told him that Santa was something that is fun to pretend, just like superheros and Disney. He did not take it so well this time. He reacted emotionally and accused me of "not believing enough" (thank you Polar Express). But we talked through it, and everything eventually seemed to be back on track. I even remembered to tell him that many of his friends believe in Santa and it would be better to allow them to talk to there parents about it rather than hear unpleasant news from him. Unfortunately, before I had a chance to have this same conversation with Ethan, Caleb took care of it. And before I realized this and talked to Ethan about bursting his friends' bubbles, he had already announced to his whole class that Santa was pretend, and argued vehemently with his teachers when they tried to redirect the conversation. Oh well, you can't win them all.
So, I'll start with a quick recap of Christmas. This was the best Christmas that I can ever remember having, and it was primarily because we stayed home the whole break and just enjoyed being together as a family. Nanna and Papa came and spent a few days with us, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The whole two weeks out of school, the kids and I enjoyed our break from a daily schedule and just hung out around the house all day every day. We played board games, built Legos, explored outside, played Wii, built a marble race, and took just about every toy and puzzle in the house out of its box at some point in the two weeks. It was wonderful. It felt like when the boys were little, before Caleb started kindergarten, and we had no agenda except learning and playing together.
Another thing that made this Christmas fun for me is that this is the first year that I have been able to buy presents for our kids. Before this year, when Marcus was in med school and residency, everything under our tree came from grandparents or other family. And I have to admit I went a little nuts this year. The boys got new bikes, Star Wars and superhero Lego sets, books, toy guns, a few movies and the biggie, a zip line in our backyard! Lydia got a rocking horse, two Elmo movies, books, a new doll, and six stuffed Sesame street characters, which she surprised us all by correctly naming as each one came out of the wrapping paper. Nanna and Papa brought Caleb a magic set and a Mario Wii game, Ethan a wrestling pillow and a stomp rocket, and Lydia a beautiful wooden doll high chair and crib. I loved waking up in my own house and seeing their excited, sleep-fresh faces first thing on Christmas morning. They were all so cute in their Christmas PJs (except Lydia, whose diaper had leaked in hers, so she was wearing a Christmas dress). After they opened presents, I cooked Christmas dinner (first time to try a standing rib roast, and thanks to my friend's awesome recipe, it was amazing). All-in-all, it was the most relaxed and enjoyable Christmases that I've had in my adult life, and it reminded me very much of Christmas when I was a child.
In closing, a few words about the Santa thing. We had a lot of questions at our house about Santa this year. Neither Marcus nor I are big on the Santa thing, and I feel strongly about not lying to the kids, particularly about something that is so psychologically similar to their faith in God. Each year, I avoid the Santa questions. When Caleb was four, he backed me into a corner with his questions, so I told him that Santa is something fun that we pretend, like superheros and Disney characters. I don't think we got that far the year that he was five (successful dodging :), and by Christmas this year, he'd forgotten that conversation two years earlier. And he had totally bought into the whole Santa thing from movies and friends and just the culture around him. He talked about Santa like he talked about God, hoping that Santa would see his good deeds, etc. etc.
All of this really bothered me, because Caleb's faith in God is so pure and complete, and I hated hearing him talk in the same way about a fictional character. So this time, I forced the conversation. I told him that Santa was something that is fun to pretend, just like superheros and Disney. He did not take it so well this time. He reacted emotionally and accused me of "not believing enough" (thank you Polar Express). But we talked through it, and everything eventually seemed to be back on track. I even remembered to tell him that many of his friends believe in Santa and it would be better to allow them to talk to there parents about it rather than hear unpleasant news from him. Unfortunately, before I had a chance to have this same conversation with Ethan, Caleb took care of it. And before I realized this and talked to Ethan about bursting his friends' bubbles, he had already announced to his whole class that Santa was pretend, and argued vehemently with his teachers when they tried to redirect the conversation. Oh well, you can't win them all.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Zion National Park Vacation (Part 1)
During Fall Break at Caleb's school, the five of us joined my parents and my brother's family at Zion National Park for a whole-family vacation! We planned this almost a year ago, and everything was even better than Dad promised it would be :) The villa was gorgeous and huge, Zion National Park was the perfect playground for our kids, and we didn't see so much as the scat of a bear! The weather was nice, a little cold first thing in the morning, but in the 60's during the most active part of the day. I liked it because I never broke a sweat in all the miles of hiking we did.
Despite the fact that our travel took us through all four of the continental U.S. time zones, the kids did remarkably well. They were tired the whole week (I had to get up with at least one kid by 5:00 am every day), but they were only mildly whiny and still had a great time. Caleb had the hardest time with the lack of sleep because he needs more sleep than Ethan does, and he can almost never catch up during the day, so his tolerance level for frustration just stayed a little low all week. Ethan did great, rolling with the 5:00 am wakings and catching a nap when he could. Lydia got enough sleep, but she cut her first molar the day we got back and was struggling with a cold the whole week, so she spent quite a bit more time being unhappy than is usual for her. All the kids loved playing in the backyard with their cousins, and Caleb and Ethan loved all the hikes and exploratory trips that we took them on.
Despite the fact that our travel took us through all four of the continental U.S. time zones, the kids did remarkably well. They were tired the whole week (I had to get up with at least one kid by 5:00 am every day), but they were only mildly whiny and still had a great time. Caleb had the hardest time with the lack of sleep because he needs more sleep than Ethan does, and he can almost never catch up during the day, so his tolerance level for frustration just stayed a little low all week. Ethan did great, rolling with the 5:00 am wakings and catching a nap when he could. Lydia got enough sleep, but she cut her first molar the day we got back and was struggling with a cold the whole week, so she spent quite a bit more time being unhappy than is usual for her. All the kids loved playing in the backyard with their cousins, and Caleb and Ethan loved all the hikes and exploratory trips that we took them on.
Aunt Jennifer and the boys hanging out in the backyard of the villa.
Jasper (far left), Bennett, Ethan & Caleb
Another shot of the villa's backyard, with a better view of the beautiful desert/mountain formations all over Zion.
Ethan looking cute and contemplative.
Ethan throwing rocks in the Virgin River, the main body of water the park and the "creator" of Zion canyon.
Our most exciting wildlife sighting: a squirrel that stole a granola bar from my brother's backpack :)
All of us taking a break during a hike, completely unaware that we were being profiled by a squirrel.
We took a day trip the Grand Canyon.
This picture is at the end of short hike out to Bright Angel Point. The path was treacherous enough that I left Lydia back with her Papa.
Mom and Dad, after her hike out to Bright Angel Point.
The four cousins showing off their muscles. Youngest to oldest: Jasper, Ethan, Bennett, Caleb
Lydia. Just to prove she was there :). We did leave her back at the villa a lot with Nanna, but both she and Nanna had a great time hanging out.
Family shot at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
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