Chemistry Set

Things that James and Owen have learned from using their chemistry set:

1) When you use a magnifying glass to look at a substance, your brother will also want a magnifying glass.

2) When dissolving sugar and salt into saturated solutions, the sugar is much tastier to eat.

3) When you mix 150 mL of plaster powder with 90 mL of warm water, the resulting chemical reaction will get spilled onto the dining room table.

4) When you heat a solution of dissolved sugar or dissolved salt water over an open flame you can observe that the effect makes black marks on the bottom of Mommy's nicest spoons.

Living Arrangements

I.
James: Daddy, where were you in 2001?
Me: I had just started college. At Roberts.
Owen: And where was Mommy?
Me: She was still living at home.
James: At Grandma and Grandpa's house?
Me: That's right. And before I went to college, do you know where I was living?
James: I don't know. Where?
Me: Well, think...if Mommy lived with Grandma and Grandpa before she went to college, where would I have lived?
Owen: With Grandma and Grandpa too?
Me: No, I lived with Nama and Papa at their house.
James: But wait. I thought that Nama and Papa had six kids.
Me: Yes, that's right. Me, Uncle Sam, Uncle Oliver, Uncle Calvin, Uncle Lucas, and Aunt Martha.
James: <as if explaining something terribly obvious> But then where did you all sleep?
Me: At Nama and Papa's house.
James: <holding up fingers, muttering, counting to himself>
Owen: Do you want me to tell you how Aunt Martha was born?
Me: I would be very interested in what you think that story is.
Owen: Well, Nama said to Papa that "There is a baby coming!" And Papa said, "Do you know who his name is?" And Nama didn't know.
James: <still counting> Which room was yours?
Me: The room with the staircase for a little bit. And the hall for a little bit too. Keep going, Owen.
Owen: And Papa said the baby is coming out of her tummy. And he said do you know what her name is? AUNT MARFA! And she is Papa's favorite teacher of them all. That's the end of the story. In Jesus' name, Amen.
James: I don't think that there could be six people that live in that house.
Me: Eight people. Nama and Papa lived there too.
James: <dinner plates for eyes>

II. Last week
James: Felix can stay.
J: Where he's sitting right there?
James: No, he can stay as part of our family.
J: Oh...
James: But we can't have any more babies, because I want to stay in this house forever.

Update on the Boys

James:
The child is OBSESSED with Mario Kart. O&K returned our long-lost copy recently, and we popped it into the Wii to show him how you race cars with funny characters. James latched (as he is wont to do) pretty much immediately, and he's since memorized the names of all the characters, the tracks, the types of shells, and pretty much any other information that came in the little game booklet. He builds astonishingly detailed LEGO replications of the tracks, asks several hundred times a day whether or not we can play that evening, and wanders around mindlessly humming the theme music.

Upon J's coming down the stairs in a little black dress for a cocktail event: "Mommy, you look nice, but I wish that you would wear a sparkly gold and silver dress that was all shiny." He also told one of the babysitters that she'd look good in a red shirt with black pants.

James broke our beautiful and super-expensive heirloom clock by standing underneath it and repeatedly bumping up against the wall. It fell eight feet to the ground and shattered glass everywhere. His reaction when he realized I was going to tell J about it: "Remind her that people are more important than things."

Owen:
Owen can have Nutella now. He saw the "peanut doctor" last Friday for a hazelnut challenge, and after successfully eating four large spoonfuls of the stuff (poor kid) did NOT have an allergic reaction. Also, Nutella is now the only thing he wants to eat for lunch. And James too, since we didn't keep it in the house very often back when Owen wasn't allowed to have it.

Owen is all about the "Jesus songs." J found some sort of Getty collection on Spotify and Owen absolutely disappears into a trance when you put it on. The child who never sits still will be statuesque while he listens to the album in 40-minute chunks, and he can sing most of it back to you on command.

It's Sunday morning at my church. The whole congregation is seated expectantly as they wait for the organ prelude to start. Just as the first notes begin Owen breaks loose from back in the choir area and runs up to the very front of the church calling for the senior pastor. When he reaches her, delivers his very important announcement: They have a new LEGO table. She asks if she can come and play with it sometime. (After the service) He says no, because she lives at church.

They all really need to get outside, but Owen needs it the worst. We got back from a run on a "warm" day last week, and he was practically blue while he begged to stay out and play some more.

Felix
While Owen was at the peanut doctor Felix taught himself how to army crawl. (Ish) He's been rolling to wherever he needs to go for the past month at least, and it's about time he had a forward gear. Too bad it was on a disgusting hospital floor, but he really just needed an enclosed space and nothing else to do to work it out.

He squeals whenever you hand him his little Curious George doll. It's definitely his favorite toy.

He takes his socks off and sucks on them all the time.

James and Owen on the Punic Wars

Owen: It was funny! And the Romans tried to run away, but the elephants tried to spray them!
Me: Are the Romans elephants? (We were confused about this earlier.)
Owen: No, the elephants tried to get the Romans and spray them. The elephants ran fast and got them with water.
Me: James, what can you tell me about the Punic Wars?
James: Chickens
Me: What about chickens?
James: They threw.
Me: Who threw? And why?
James: They were thrown overboard.
Me: Why were they on a boat?
James: I don't know.
Me: Who was Hannibal?
James: A waddick.
Me: What's a waddick?
Owen: A waddick is something that gets mad.
James: It's just a waddick.
Me: What can you tell me about Carthage?
James: I don't know.
Me: Is it a city?
James: No.
Me: It is a city.
James: Oh.
Me: Are they friends with Rome in Carthage?
James: I don't know.
Me: Should we read that whole chapter again?
James: No.
Me: Then tell me something you remember about the chapter besides chickens and elephants.
James: They marched down from the mountains.
Me: Do you remember why they were fighting?
James: No.
Me: Were they fighting over who got to have ships in the Mediterranean Sea?
James: I think so.
Me: Do you remember anything from the last chapter of Wayside School?
James: What was it called?
Me: It was called Ears. It was about Wendy Nogard.
James: There was an ear on her head.
Me: And what could the ear do?
James: Hear people's brains.
Me: Is that more interesting than the Punic Wars?
Owen: I remember why they were fighting!
Me: Why, Owen?
Owen: Because the elephants were trying to spray them! That's why they were fighting.
Me: Okay, let's read some more Wayside School.

Safety Training

Today Owen sat in on James' school so that both of them could work on a Safety unit we're going to do this week. But before we talked about fire, strangers, and bike safety, we just did a basic review of names, addresses, etc.

Me: Okay, James. What's your full name?
James: James
Me: And your middle name?
James: Davis
Me: And what's your last name?
James: <pauses> Bear?
Me: No...not exactly.
James: Smith?
Me: Yes. So your full name is James Davis Smith. Owen, what's your name?
Owen: I don't know.
Me: What do we call you?
Owen: <grinning> Owen
Me: And what's your middle name?
Owen: Smith.
Me: That's your last name. What's your middle name?
Owen: I don't know.
Me: What do we call you when you're in trouble?
Owen: Oh! NICHOLAS!!!
Me: So your name is Owen Nicholas Smith.
Owen: <looks as if he's getting in trouble.>
Me: And where do we live?
James: November!
Owen: Pennsylvania!
Me: No, what's our address?
James: America!
Owen: New York City!
Me: This could take awhile...

Football Plans

I. During the Super Bowl
James: Hey Mommy and Daddy! I just did a good thing!
Me: Oh? What was it?
James: Well, when I just sitting on the potty, I said a prayer to God!
<brief pause>
Julie: That IS good! What did you say?
James: I prayed that the Eagles would win and that the Patriots would lose!
Me: ....well, I think--
James: And I prayed that the Patriots would stop being cheaters!

II. During Dinner
James: I've changed my mind about what I'm going to be when I grow up.
Me: Not a scientist?
James: I'm going to be a football player.
Owen: I'm going to be a football player too!
James: Yeah, I don't know which team I'll play for. Probably the Minnesota Vikings or something.
Owen: I like the New England Patriots!
Me: Owen, did you mean to say "I don't like the New England Patriots?"
Owen: I LIKE the New England Patriots!
Me: <stern look>
Owen: I'm going to play for the Patriots when I get bigger.
Me: See that snowbank out there?
Owen: Where? Yup!
Me: That's where New England Patriots fans sleep.
Owen: No, they sleep wherever they want to!
James: But Owen, the New England Patriots are cheaters!
Owen: <happily> Yes! And I LIKE cheating!

Guest Blog-Owen

It's getting really snow outside. And I'm gonna tell if Daddy tells if I'm to close in the road. Okay?
So, if you are in the road, you would get snowy. You'd get hit by a car.
But, the cars can't move right now.

We are going to keep our room clean and get Chicken Charlie pizza if we keep our room clean all day to every day!

Felix cries a lot. He does laugh when I make him laugh. I have to stand up. Where can I sit? I have to sit with mine photo album.

In mine photo album we see sometimes Felix and sometimes different babies. Like Ms. Shannon in the nursery of his church.

Sam, and I don't what the other names are.

I see Abby, me, and is that Lachlan?

I see me buried under pillows. You should do that again sometime.

I like it because I like too. And George likes it too. He thinks it's funny. And I say "oof, woof, dow-wow-treg." George and Felix thinks it's funny.

We are building a garden in this picture.

Daddy, I hurt mine foot. I got a Lightning Band-Aid on me.

There's me and Aunt Martha. Aunt Martha takes care of us. He's mine next best friend. I want to play with him or two.

There's Felix!