Quotable Kids (mostly Owen)

 Owen, strumming on a toy guitar: "Oh it's hard to stay caaaaallllllm, when your parents say noooooo!"

J: "Why is there a chair in our front bush?"

Owen: "I was angry."

Owen: "I've been thinking that I'd like to play my piano songs on a stage in front of people."

Me: "That kind of sounds like a piano recital. Sometimes piano teachers will have their students do that, and maybe you could?"

Owen: "Would they give me money?"

Owen to Felix: "I'm going to be a running back for a football team when I grow up. Or maybe a baseball player or a hockey player."

Felix in response: "I'm going to be a song player!"

Owen back to Felix: "I might be a soccer player too, but I don't love soccer. I'm only fond of soccer."

Owen to J: "Don't tell anyone at your birthday party that Daddy is your favorite person, because they will be jealous."

Owen, complaining: "Felix and I were having a sword fight and when I shouted, 'Zeus favors me this day!' Felix hit me right in the eye with his sword and it hurt."

Owen, strumming the toy guitar: "When you're riding to camp will you be loud in the van? Will you act kind? Maybe? Or maybe a bit of both."

Owen, looking at High Falls with his binoculars: "I see a rainbow! And a fish going over the waterfall. And there's a deer! And there are some flamingos! I think I see some fossils too. There's a wooly mammoth!"

Summer pictures

 

Eastman-Durand visit

Boys in the sprinkler

This was funny until I realized that he'd had an accident in his pants

James is happiest in the water

Felix moved all of his stuffed animals into the front yard for some reason

Working on whatever his plan was with Big George

Sprinkler play with Lucia (a girl) and Shosti (a dog)

Everyone on the trampoline.

Uncle Oliver sent along these pictures from when George was lost at his house

Apparently George had some great adventures

I hope their hammock doesn't smell now, though

This is basically Felix's ideal day

Except for this part

A boy and his hot dog

Another visit to the lake

Hard to see it, but these are apartment buildings for animals. James announced that he wants to be an architect.

No humans allowed in the animal apartments

Owen driving the pod-racer

James made a model of the pod-racer from Phantom Menace

Felix's hair is getting lighter in the sunshine

Celebrating the kids visiting grandparents

Felix getting nervous up in a tree

"We are like monkeys!"

Doing some scrambling in Ellison Park

Owen leaping from high places

Making pizzas during an Alexa playdate

Felix waiting on the older boys to finish homeschool

Summer is good

Missing: Big George

 Felix is on my lap. He is scowling. He is tired. He has cried a lot. He is angry at James and Owen. He misses his Big George.

Big George might be somewhere in our house. He might be somewhere at Uncle Oliver's house. No one can find him. Felix had him yesterday, but we couldn't find him last night at bedtime. Felix slept with Owen's George. Owen's George is not the right George.

Then Owen decided he needed his George back this morning. So Felix has been lying on the couch, mostly scowling. He danced with Owen for a bit, but then he remembered about Big George and was sad again.

"Dad, can I have your watch?" 

The answer is no, and this makes Felix inconsolably sad. But he doesn't have Big George to help him feel better.

"Why do you miss Big George, Felix?"

"Because I can't sleep."

"Where do you think he is?"

"At Uncle and Aunt Oliver's."

"Where is he in their house?"

"Somewhere."

"What will you do when you have him back?"

"Sleep." <giggles> "That is far."

Felix is happy again now because he has a sippy cup. It was taken away because he was taking the top off of it and making puddles on purpose. When it was taken away he needed Big George. But Big George wasn't around to help him feel better.

Felix didn't want to sit on the potty this morning without Big George either.

His oatmeal also didn't taste right.

Big George had a bath last week because he was caught outside in the rain. But even after a bath Big George pretty much smells the same now. He has a permanent odor.

Felix spilled some sippy cup on himself, and he is upset again. 

He doesn't want lunch. 

He doesn't want to go to church this evening. 

He says going to Nama and Papa's house would be okay.

But he mostly misses Big George.

Brothers in the Woods

 J took Felix with her to a coffee date, and I had James and Owen done with school a little early.

"Boys, what would you think about riding your bikes to the woods and then going for a run on the trails?"

They both seemed to like the idea. Once we were at the trailhead and I'd already pulled Owen back from bolting down into the woods immediately I gave them some reminders.

"Okay boys, I want to remind you of four things. The first thing is that there is poison ivy growing in these woods, so please stay only on the trail and don't go crashing off into the woods or grabbing at the plants growing on the side. No Owen, I said four things. Please wait to start. The second thing is that we are going to run for over a mile, so PACE yourselves. If you run as fast as you can right at the beginning you're going to be too tired to make it all the way back. The third thing is to remember to watch where you're stepping. There are a lot of tree roots and rocks in the path, and it will hurt if you catch your foot on and trip. The last thing is just to keep in mind that it's a warm, sunny day and that there might be snakes out. They can't hurt you, but I just want to remind you that you may see one so that it doesn't scare you. Okay, are we ready?"

Owen immediately took off running as fast as he could, and within two steps had tripped over a tree root and sprawled into the dirt with howling indignation. James pointed and laughed at him and said, "Well, there's strike one!"

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, JAMES! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU TRIPPED AND ALMOST DIED?"

We dusted Owen off and confirmed that he would need a band-aid when he got back. (Not because he was bleeding, but because he just felt like he needed one.) We ran a little bit further and James tripped and fell. Owen pointed and laughed at him, and James answered back in a wounded voice that it wasn't funny and that it really hurt.

Owen talked the entire time that he ran. He talked about which trees we were running by, mostly mispronouncing the types of wood that are used for wandmaking in the Harry Potter books. (Is that a hoilly tree? I think that one is a leendeen!) He commented on a weird name Fang was for a boarhound, and are boarhounds scary? He wanted to know why Mom hadn't noticed that he wasn't scared of bees anymore, and he jumped a mile when he saw a bee. He and James kept their eyes open for snakes and repeatedly crashed off into the brush in search of one, but without luck. James fell again and Owen laughed at him. Owen fell again and James laughed at him.

Owen declared, "I live my life by one simple rule!"

I asked him what his one rule for living was.

"Never hit a bush with a hockey stick!"

Owen got tired out after less than five minutes of running at top speed and lagged for the rest of the (now) walk. He laughed at James when he fell again. He smugly walked past his older brother and declared, "How lucky I am to the be the smartest child!"

They picked up handfuls of dirt from the sandy areas of the path and threw them at each other. They both tattled on the other one for throwing sand when I told them not to.

Owen fell again. "Strike seven!" yelled James, cheerfully.

Owen started to lag further and further behind. "Fine! Leave me here!" he shouted at us as we kept up a steady pace back towards the bikes.

Sometimes he doesn't know how appealing that sounds.

BONUS FELIX STORY:

J was baking something and banging on the side of a bowl with a wooden spoon. We heard it from out in the yard. Felix whipped around and asked, "Is dat a poodwecker?"

BONUS OWEN STORY:

For reasons known only to him, Owen has started barking whenever he is excited. (And he is a very excitable child.) I'm not even sure he can help it. He looks a little embarrassed when it happens, but it definitely does happen whenever he is joyous. "Bark, bark, bark!" he yells. Offer him ice cream the next time you see him, and you can see for yourself.

North And Hillard Exercises (Latin Prose Composition)

A poor soldier was one day leading a mule laden with gold which had been sent to Alexander the Great. The mule was so tired that it could no longer bear the burden, and the soldier was compelled to carry the gold himself. But by chance Alexander himself was following the man, and he admired his kindness so much that he said, "My friend, try to carry the gold home, for I give it all to you."

Miles pauper aliquando mulum oneratum auro quod missum erat ad Alexandrum Magnum ducebat. Mulus tam fessus erat ut non diutus onus ferre posset, et miles aurum ipse portare cogeretur. Sed accidit ut Alexander ipse illum sequebatur, et humanitatem tantum mirabatur ut diceret, "Amice mi,  domum aurum portare conare, nam omne tibi do."

A poor father was one day leading a child laden with poop which would not sit on the toilet. The child was so tired that it could no longer walk, and the father was compelled to carry the child himself. But by chance two other children were following the man, and they so admired his kindness that they said, "Father, we have broken one of your windows and stolen your phone."

Pater pauper aliquando puerulum oneratum stercore quid latrinae insidere nolebat. Puerulus tam fessus erat ut non diutus ambulare posset, et pater infantem ipse portare cogeretur. Sed accidit ut duo alii filii illum sequebantur, et humanitatem tantum mirabantur ut dicerent, "Pater noster, vitra fenestrarum tuarum perfregimus et telephonum gestabile tuum furavimus."

Felix and the Fox

 J was pulling out of the garage with the kids in the van. James suddenly gave a mighty yelp. There was a toy rattling around on the top of the van. (Sometimes it pays to have the sunroof.)

J got out and found, not just the one, but several toys on top of the van. 

Time for a chat.

James, who is honest beyond reproach, denies any involvement. Owen, who lies habitually, pointlessly, and recreationally, also denies it. Despite pushing from J. 

When asked, Felix's eyes get very big. He says, earnestly, "I sink a sox jumped up on the woof and put it there. A big surry sox."

J looks away. She looks back. Felix nods MOST seriously.

Felix, spelling out Apples to Apples words with Aunt Martha. 

"What's this letter?"

"That's a 'S!'"

"Good, and what's the next letter?"

"That's a 'M!'"

"Good, and the next one?"

"This one is a 'A!'"

"Right...and what is--"

"That's a 'eleven.'"

Felix, plunking down a stack of books between James, Owen, and me.

"Read these books to me!"

<Thinking better of his manners while he met with silence.>

"Read these books to me, please."

<Seizing an opportunity to be even more polite.>

"Read these books to me, please, gentlemen."

Owen's Day

 Last Saturday we masked up and took a long walk in Pittsford. The real reason for the trip was replace Owen's broken glasses. (Again. Thank goodness for the warranty on those frames.) We ended up taking a several miles long walk to a bakery since there was lovely weather, and Owen complained the whole time. He complained about rocks in his shoes, about a stuffy nose, about needing water, about James and Felix giving him mean looks, about James and Felix not looking at him, and about not being permitted to go in the bounce house. He basically complained about whatever happened to be in his head at the moment.

Once you understand that Owen loves the sound of his own voice, you have a little more patience for walking next to him for an hour. He just has to process the world out loud. I don't have as much patience for how he needs to process the world by touching it.

He touched old gum stuck on the asphalt. He touched a massive pile of horse poop along the side of the trail. He even stuck his head into a lidded garbage can because "It looked nice and shady."

I also don't understand why all of his words disappeared as soon as he was at the optometrist's. (When asked questions by the doctor he barked like a dog.)

He was plenty talkative to the barista at the bakery. He told her "Excuse, my name is Owen. And this little kid over here is called Felix. Wait, there's more. I have more to tell you. This guy is named James. And those are called Roy and Julie. And do you know what? All of us have the same last name! It's SMITH! I'm going to have a Cookie Monster cupcake and Felix--he's the little guy--is going to have the Elmo cupcake. I don't know what James is going to have yet, but I'll tell you when he makes up his mind. Hey, don't go away, I have more to tell you!"

We were happy to get him home, although less than thrilled when he brought his new "pet centipede" inside. (And then got teary when we told him he couldn't have a pet snake either."

Bonus Owen Story:

Owen: "Daddy, from now on we're going to call Felix 'Eli Manning.' Okay?"

Me: "Okay?"

Owen: "Good."

Me: "Good."

Owen: "I have some news. Eli Manning pooped in his diaper."

Felix had to be brought down to lunch after sobbing inconsolably on his bed for 20 minutes because of a piggy bank fiasco. Our neighbor paid each of the boys $3 to pick up sticks from her yard, and J put Felix's money in a plastic container. Then (this is where she made her big mistake) she wrote his name on the side. 

"YOU SPELLED IT WRONG!!!!" 

He shrieked. He screamed. He sobbed. He made threats. He stormed upstairs.

It was spelled F-E-L-I-X. 

But, as we noticed after, the L and the I were slightly touching. 

Some kids can't stand to have any of their food touching on their plate. Apparently Felix can't stand to have the letters touching in his name. 

In a perfect encapsulation of how school has gone this semester, I had to call James back downstairs to have him correct some of the grammar copywork he'd done. 

Here was one of the sentences:

A sentence is a group of words that begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark.

James' version:

a sentence is a group of words that begins with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark