Mulberry Street

Benjamin Me:  "Good morning buddy!" B:  With his head tucked to his chin he responds, "PPPPThhhhhhhitttttt." Emory E:  "Batman can handle this!" E to G: "We get to have primary together." E:  "If I get hit by a car then I go back to Jesus." Me caught off guard: "Um, yup." E:  "Well, I want to stay here with you." Me: "Then don't get hit by a car." Genevieve G: "Does Jesus have moles?" Me: "How did your spelling test go?" G: "Good.  I didn't even cheat!" Me: "Oh?  Have you cheated before?" G: "No, but so-and-so has..." Me:  "What was your favorite song?" G:  "Let it Go." Me:  "Why is that one your favorite?" G:  "Because it's like your destiny, you know..." Me:  "What does that mean? Like you can be whoever you want to be?  That you should be yourself?" G:  "Yeah."

Genevieve's school has a special art program once a month.  Parents teach the kids about an assigned artist or topic and then take the kids through a related art project.  I am lucky enough to help out in the classroom for these art days.  While it is a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun!  One particular project was worth mentioning for two reasons; 1) I had never before heard of shrinky-dinks (I can't believe I missed out on such a craft in my childhood!) and 2) Learning about glass blowing is super cool and so too, is the work of Dale Chihuly. The kids used sharpie markers on a  sheet of shrinking plastic and then adults used a special heat blow dryer to heat/shrink the sheets.  It was fascinating. YouTube Video I took the kids' pieces and turned them into a mobile.  After displaying it for a month, the kids got to bring home their "blown glass." To learn more about Dale Chihuly's work:

Genevieve is most content with a bin full of art supplies.  She can entertain herself for hours and make enough cards/decorations to fill a house!  One day Genevieve came down the stairs with this piece and said, "I call it Broccoli in the Wind ."  I had to stifle a laugh because of her artistic demeanor, but I was impressed that she interpreted ribbon as wind. Genevieve doesn't love first grade.  That makes me sad.  After such a great start in kindergarten it is hard to see her so deflated and uninterested with learning in general.  Art remains her favorite subject and whenever she has free time she is working on something.  This winter Genevieve has cut a slew of snowflakes, proud that she folds and cuts them out all by herself. A nearby building where Genevieve likes to pick flower petals for her pretend baby's bed. Self Portrait Depiction of the movie Frozen, which she hasn't even seen. (New Year's Resolutions - First Bell: "I pro...

Remember when Emory was little?  I don't.  Where does the time go?! YouTube Video YouTube Video YouTube Video YouTube Video YouTube Video

...organizing LEGOs by color, that is. Sometimes I just can't turn the OCD-crazy-manic-whatever-thing off. I would love to play LEGOS all day long, but unfortunately my time is limited. It took me about an hour to make this set for Emory today and all the while poor Benjamin whined and cried in the background while I searched frantically for "just one more piece." But for heavens sake why?! There are so few pieces it should only take about five minutes. I spent 95% of that time searching for all the right pieces and only 5% putting the bricks together. This experience, repeated daily for the last nine months, is why I spent the following hour sorting the bricks into old plastic containers by color when I should have been drying my hair or vacuuming or feeding my baby. Eric has often mentioned that sometimes you have to sharpen the saw.  Sharpening the saw is one of those tasks that will make things more efficient but usually comes down to whether or not you can ...

Like last year, Emory has attended co-op preschool with all little boys. It goes without saying that teaching these boys has been very different from teaching Genevieve's group a few years back. But, little by little, the boys have found some desire to actually learn, in addition to all that playing. Here is a sampling: F is for family. J is for jellyfish. L is for little and large. R is for raccoon. Emory recently found that it is fun to draw and make cards (his sister has a tremendous amount of influence). He draws people and practices writing his name and often leaves pictures on each of our pillows. Six months ago I wondered if Emory would ever put down his cars and pick up a crayon.

Life on the homefront has included a lot of snow lately.  Like, A LOT!  So, the kids have made snow forts, gone sledding, and made snow angels. YouTube Video YouTube Video YouTube Video

Twelve years of marriage have provided many opportunities for interesting anniversaries.  They haven’t all turned out quite like I had hoped, but they all mark another year with a man I love, even more than the year before. 2002 – On my one-year anniversary I shared my bed with my mother, while my cousin slept on the couch and my husband slept alone, over four thousand miles away.  It was far from ideal and not very romantic, to say the least, but with Eric in Zurich, Switzerland, I didn’t have much of a choice. 2003 – I assumed, that since Eric and I had spent our first anniversary apart that we’d make up for it on our second anniversary.  I assumed wrong.  Our anniversary fell on a weekday, a Thursday, if I remember correctly.  Our new friends, the Beals, were remodeling their basement and needed some help laying tile.  I was unaware of all this.  I was also unaware of the fact that Eric and I had volunteered us to help lay tile.  Eric ...

Benjamin is becoming a good little eater. The kids love to help feed him, probably because of the mess.  It's hard to anticipate sneezes, but we take cover when they erupt.

Today I vacuumed my stairs. Today I washed five loads of laundry. Today I dropped steamed broccoli down two flights of stairs (the ones I had previously vacuumed). Today I scrubbed cat vomit out of the carpet. Today I bathed my baby. Today I made homemade baby food, then watched my baby gag on it, and eventually spit it out. Today I talked with my sister on the phone. Today I stood my ground while my three-year-old threw two, very long-winded tantrums. Today I skipped exercising and changed from one set of pajamas into another. Today I dealt with a very impressive blowout. Today I let my kids watch hours of tv, which may have included unsupervised YouTube time, while I slept. Today I made peanut butter sandwiches and warmed up leftovers. Today I missed my opportunity for a shower and played Legos instead. Today I am grateful to remember that tomorrow is a new day.

Seven months old with a new tooth and the ability to sit up unassisted. I suddenly don't want my baby to grow up!