I.
Owen: <holding James' history book> What is this picture? What is it? What is this picture?
Me: I can't see it. You'll have to bring it over here.
Owen: What is this picture? What is it?
Me: I really can't see it. Bring it over to the breakfast table.
Owen: <brings it over> What is this picture of?
Me: Oh, that's a she-wolf. She's going to give suck to Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Owen: <with indignant fury> It is NOT a wolf. It is a MOOSE!
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
63/100
Owen: <sweetly> Mommy, I love to sit in your lap!
J: <with circumspection> Yes, I like to snuggle you too.
Owen: Can I please hold you?
J: Okay, sure.
Owen: <eyeing her omelette> Say, can I have a bite of your eggs?
J: Did you eat all of your breakfast?
Me: Nope, he didn’t finish it.
J: Then I don’t think we’re going to give you parts of our breakfast.
Owen: AHHHH!!!!!!
Me: And you can’t sit with us if you’re going to scream while we eat.
Owen: But I am so hungry for your breakfast?
Me: Do you know what other animal scavenges other people’s food?
J&Me: <singing The Vulture tune from the boy’s leapfrog, Owen’s favorite song>
Owen: <incensed> Vultures do not scavenge! That is ZEBRAS!
J: <with circumspection> Yes, I like to snuggle you too.
Owen: Can I please hold you?
J: Okay, sure.
Owen: <eyeing her omelette> Say, can I have a bite of your eggs?
J: Did you eat all of your breakfast?
Me: Nope, he didn’t finish it.
J: Then I don’t think we’re going to give you parts of our breakfast.
Owen: AHHHH!!!!!!
Me: And you can’t sit with us if you’re going to scream while we eat.
Owen: But I am so hungry for your breakfast?
Me: Do you know what other animal scavenges other people’s food?
J&Me: <singing The Vulture tune from the boy’s leapfrog, Owen’s favorite song>
Owen: <incensed> Vultures do not scavenge! That is ZEBRAS!
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
62/100
Little Bighead (Felix) doesn’t provide nearly as many interesting anecdotes as his brothers, since he isn’t talking yet. But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t interesting—he is smiley for just about everyone, squinty in the bright sun, and either very smelly (from his spit up stains and the laundryish odors of his nightclothes) or incredibly powdery-baby-sweet smelling when he’s just had a bath. He lies in his little jungle chair contentedly and strains for the pull string, reaching it occasionally, when J is working in the kitchen or when I am practicing in the basement. (I have a space heater running when we’re down there together.) He sucks his two fingers just like Owen, and when you change his diaper he makes lunges for his feet and looks please with himself when he catches them. He gnaws on my thumb when I hold him and sends long drips of drool down my arm and his shirt-front. When J nurses him he sticks an arm up in her face and whimpers between sides as if she’s going to forget to feed him the other half of his meal. He rolls from his back to his front and then gets stuck. In a house full of noisy boys, he always smiles when he realizes that one of his big brothers is looking and talking at him. He goes down for any babysitter and seems content to be held by anyone except for one of the Saturday pastors at J’s church. (I don’t know what he holds against him, but apparently he freaked out.) He is a good baby.
Monday, November 27, 2017
61/100
Me: Listen to this boys, it’s called “The Chipmunk Song.”
<groovy sax waltz>
Owen: <giggles>
<chipmunk voices sing>
Owen: “I like it!”
<song ends>
Me: So boys, who does Alvin remind you of?
James: I don’t know!
Me: Who do we know that has two brothers, maybe isn’t very good at listening, but is really funny and loves Christmas?
James: <grinning, points at Owen>
Owen: It is NOT me! That is like GRANDMA!
<groovy sax waltz>
Owen: <giggles>
<chipmunk voices sing>
Owen: “I like it!”
<song ends>
Me: So boys, who does Alvin remind you of?
James: I don’t know!
Me: Who do we know that has two brothers, maybe isn’t very good at listening, but is really funny and loves Christmas?
James: <grinning, points at Owen>
Owen: It is NOT me! That is like GRANDMA!
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
60/100
I. Happy Birthday
We went into the older boy's room yesterday morning to sing "Happy Birthday" to our sweet oldest son at 7:30 in the morning. It's hard to put into words how proud I am of him. He is patient with both of his older brothers, he is kind, and we knew he was terribly excited about his day to open presents and eat cake. Here's how the first thirty seconds of the morning went:
J and Me: <singing> "Happy Birthday to you,"
James: <sitting bolt upright and smiling>
Owen: "NOOO!!!! NOO!!! NO! NO! NOOO!!!!
J and Me: <singing> "...Happy Birthday to you,"
James: <ignoring Owen, still smiling>
Owen: "NONONO!!!! NOOO!!!!!"
J and Me: "...Happy Birthday to Ja-ames,"
James: <buries his face in his stuffed animals>
Owen: "NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""
J and Me: "Happy Birthday to you!"
James: "Can I open my presents?"
Owen: "NO! James, it is NOT your burfday!"
II. It's MINE
James opens Cars 3, a gift "from Owen and Felix." He asks whether it is ours to keep now.
Owen: "You cannot keep it. It is mine. I need to have it."
James opens a watch, which is the exact double of the watch that we gave Owen two weeks earlier.
Owen: "I need it."
Me: "You want me to go get your watch from upstairs?"
Owen: "No, I want James' watch."
et cetera...
III. Vertebrates
Me: "Okay, James. The last thing we are going to do today is Science. And let's see...today we're starting birds, and we're going to do the Turkey!"
James: "Okay, can I see?"
Me: <tilting the book towards him and reading> "There are over 9,000 species of birds in the world, and they are the only animals with backbones capable of flight besides bats."
James: "Can I tell you something?"
Me: "Sure!"
James: "I think the author made a mistake, because he forgot about pterodactyls. They can fly and they have backbones."
Me: "Well....yes, that's correct."
IV. CO and Ice
Last Saturday we had a carbon monoxide scare. J texted me as she was heading out of the house and we were heading back to it (from a performance of Treasure Island) that something was funny in the garage. Sure enough, the carbon monoxide alarm was going off when we got home. A visit from the Fire Department and RG&E later, we really didn't have any answers as to why the alarm was set off, except to say that there definitely was a high level in the garage and that our alarms were working correctly. (Our best theory was that the door to the kitchen was cracked open and that the heat from the house trapped in the exhaust from the van backing out even though the garage door was opened.)
But really, what a day for the boys. They got to skip their naps to see Treasure Island, and then within five minutes of being home there was a real fire engine parked in our driveway and some firefighters working in our garage. I took them over to our next-door neighbors while I worked with the Fire Department. Our neighbors, being kind and hospitable people, offered them food and drinks. James had a capri sun and a granola bar. Apparently Owen only wanted a cup of ice. They gave him one. And then, because he is Owen, he told them that he had ice for sale and would sell it to them for "fifty-nine cents."
V. The Digger
Our same neighbors have been doing a lot of work on their house recently. It started with putting up some new siding, which looks great. And then they hired someone to excavate a corner of their foundation to try to repair a leak. The digger operator immediately damaged their brand new siding, of course, and then left his digger parked in our yard overnight. They were deeply apologetic. But the Digger man was back at 7 this morning digging the hole deeper, and he was right outside the boy's room. I had to change Owen's diaper standing up this morning, so he could watch the Digger outside the window.
We went into the older boy's room yesterday morning to sing "Happy Birthday" to our sweet oldest son at 7:30 in the morning. It's hard to put into words how proud I am of him. He is patient with both of his older brothers, he is kind, and we knew he was terribly excited about his day to open presents and eat cake. Here's how the first thirty seconds of the morning went:
J and Me: <singing> "Happy Birthday to you,"
James: <sitting bolt upright and smiling>
Owen: "NOOO!!!! NOO!!! NO! NO! NOOO!!!!
J and Me: <singing> "...Happy Birthday to you,"
James: <ignoring Owen, still smiling>
Owen: "NONONO!!!! NOOO!!!!!"
J and Me: "...Happy Birthday to Ja-ames,"
James: <buries his face in his stuffed animals>
Owen: "NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!""
J and Me: "Happy Birthday to you!"
James: "Can I open my presents?"
Owen: "NO! James, it is NOT your burfday!"
II. It's MINE
James opens Cars 3, a gift "from Owen and Felix." He asks whether it is ours to keep now.
Owen: "You cannot keep it. It is mine. I need to have it."
James opens a watch, which is the exact double of the watch that we gave Owen two weeks earlier.
Owen: "I need it."
Me: "You want me to go get your watch from upstairs?"
Owen: "No, I want James' watch."
et cetera...
III. Vertebrates
Me: "Okay, James. The last thing we are going to do today is Science. And let's see...today we're starting birds, and we're going to do the Turkey!"
James: "Okay, can I see?"
Me: <tilting the book towards him and reading> "There are over 9,000 species of birds in the world, and they are the only animals with backbones capable of flight besides bats."
James: "Can I tell you something?"
Me: "Sure!"
James: "I think the author made a mistake, because he forgot about pterodactyls. They can fly and they have backbones."
Me: "Well....yes, that's correct."
IV. CO and Ice
Last Saturday we had a carbon monoxide scare. J texted me as she was heading out of the house and we were heading back to it (from a performance of Treasure Island) that something was funny in the garage. Sure enough, the carbon monoxide alarm was going off when we got home. A visit from the Fire Department and RG&E later, we really didn't have any answers as to why the alarm was set off, except to say that there definitely was a high level in the garage and that our alarms were working correctly. (Our best theory was that the door to the kitchen was cracked open and that the heat from the house trapped in the exhaust from the van backing out even though the garage door was opened.)
But really, what a day for the boys. They got to skip their naps to see Treasure Island, and then within five minutes of being home there was a real fire engine parked in our driveway and some firefighters working in our garage. I took them over to our next-door neighbors while I worked with the Fire Department. Our neighbors, being kind and hospitable people, offered them food and drinks. James had a capri sun and a granola bar. Apparently Owen only wanted a cup of ice. They gave him one. And then, because he is Owen, he told them that he had ice for sale and would sell it to them for "fifty-nine cents."
V. The Digger
Our same neighbors have been doing a lot of work on their house recently. It started with putting up some new siding, which looks great. And then they hired someone to excavate a corner of their foundation to try to repair a leak. The digger operator immediately damaged their brand new siding, of course, and then left his digger parked in our yard overnight. They were deeply apologetic. But the Digger man was back at 7 this morning digging the hole deeper, and he was right outside the boy's room. I had to change Owen's diaper standing up this morning, so he could watch the Digger outside the window.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
59/100
Quotes from the boys today:
Owen: Hey, I need a snack.
J: No snack right now.
Owen: But I need a snack!
J: You already had a snack.
Owen: Oh. ... ... That was just a joke.
James: Owen tore down my pictures from my bed! All of my
hard work!
Owen: Yup.
Me: Owen, did you really do that?
Owen: Yes, I tore them down!
James: THIS is the WORST THING that has happened to anyone
in my WHOLE WIDE LIFE!
Owen: Hey, are there dinosaurs in libraries?
James: <primal sobbing>
Owen: Hey, are there dinosaurs in libraries?
James: Great, now I have nothing but two blank pieces of
wood to look at.
Dad: Think of it as a fresh start.
James: <to J> Great, now I have nothing but two blank
pieces of wood to look at.
J: Think of it as a fresh start.
James: It’s not a fresh start. It was a fresh start a long
time ago.
Owen: Hey, let’s do this puzzle!
J: Okay, you should help me!
Owen: I AM helping you!
J: No you’re not.
Owen: Yes, I am!
<some time later…>
J: Well, that’s it. I finished.
Owen: Okay, put it away!
J: You should help me.
Owen: I don’t need to help. You did it all!
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
58/100
J and I were trying to remember which books we’d (successfully) recommended to each other over the course of our knowing each other. I can credit her for the introduction to James Herriot, for which I’m deeply grateful, and I don’t think I’d ever read a John Grisham before we met either. More recently, Just Mercy was a discovery of hers, as was Single Gay Christian, the recently published journal of one of her college friends that is being well reviewed everywhere it’s read. She has me to thank, on the other hand, for those sorcerous Harry Potter books, To Kill a Mockingbird, Bridge to Terabithia, and most recently, Erik Larson’s books.
That being said, I have a recommendation for everyone—a 127 page novella that I picked up this afternoon and finished by this evening.
The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J.R. Ackleu, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.
That being said, I have a recommendation for everyone—a 127 page novella that I picked up this afternoon and finished by this evening.
The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J.R. Ackleu, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.
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