All About Josephine (and Sam, too!)

Josephine's Black Eye

2012-02-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

She wouldn't let me take a photo.

But since this is kind of a babybook for the kids, I had to log this event in: Jo was on the playground and a little boy accidentally bashed into her, causing her to slam into a metal jungle gym. What started off as a heinous bruise - the nurse called, I took her home to give her medicine and ice - grew bigger and bigger. The entire side of her cheek blew up like a balloon - and I ended up taking her to the ER.

The ER doctor was impressed. "I haven't seen anything this swollen in all my 20 years," he said. But if there is a break - and we still don't know - it's not a bad one, one that would have required an MRI that night. We were told to wait till the swelling went down. Her cheekbone might be fractured, we may need a plastic surgeon - or she may be fine. We still have yet to know.

But poor girl, even as the swelling has gone down, the purple, blue, brown, and black has shifted around within her face and settled around her eye, making her look like she got in a bad bar fight. She's been scared to see her own image in the mirror, and terrified of other kids seeing her and "not liking it."

The accident happened Thursday. By Sunday, she was feeling well enough that she'd started in on her acrobatic hijinks - balancing on her head, standing on top of precarious things, hanging upside down - things she's not allowed to do when she's well let alone still puffy and healing.

Saturday in the bathtub, she was obviously back to her philosophical self: "Mama," she mused, "We're not replaceable, are we? We can't be replaced when we die. Except maybe by little kids. Or a doll."

My sweet girl. She's back at school today. She's so brave.

Celebrating Sam's 4th Birthday

2012-02-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that my son is healthy, happy and blossoming into a fine little man.

Now that he's 4, he has earned the right to this smirk.

Josephine spent some time trying to learn "Happy Birthday"

One of Sam's presents was a real version of Angry Birds

Sam set this up himself and eventually learned how use the slingshot.

The music room has returned, and so we're spending time playing again.

Sam caught us just as we were about to bring the cake to him!

Sam loved his Lego Space Shuttle, even if he's not too keen yet on learning how to put it together.

Mandi's present to Sam was a 3D puzzle

The cake. It was Super Bowl Sunday, after all.

He may not have wanted to put it together, but he was very careful playing with the shuttle doors.

All three of us worked to put the finishing touches.

Sam Turns Four, Pirate Style

2012-02-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Before the big day, the girls practiced being mermaids. Josephine, performing as always.

Nonplussed.

I found the girls doing Sam's hair. Getting him handsome.

Two friends donated large boxes to become a pirate ship. of course, Sam was just happy to climb in the box.

Josephine getting wrapped up "like a baby."

Pirate cake!

In his pirate cape, watching the cake being made.

The completed pirate ship and crew.

Checking himself in the mirror.

A little put out that I made him stop so I could take a photo.

After the cake.

Sam is way impressed with himself for turning four. And very reluctant to give up being the Birthday Boy, a role he lived up to the max for three days straight.

We're all very proud!

Mid January pictures at Daddy's house

2012-01-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Ballerina Josy

If we were wilderness children...

If we were wilderness daddy

Sam and his new friends

Strumming Cowboy Sam

Early January pictures

2012-01-11T18:14:00.001-08:00

Trip to Amazement Square

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Playing with the river section on the top floor.

Playing in the bug exhibit

Climbing high!

It's electric!

Future career?

Leaving the museum.

Rock band Josy!

We gave a show to a guy playing a game on his phone. He didn't look up.

They'll do anything in their own way!

Climbing the lighted stairs. Sam loved this part.

Here's looking at you, Daddy!

Boxing Day 2011

2011-12-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

The Loose Tooth Has Left the Building!

2011-12-01T07:14:00.001-08:00

Jo lost her first tooth last night! Well, I say "lost" but really the kid couldn't take it anymore and ripped it out.

She woke up at 4 a.m. with excitement to find the Tooth Fairy had a left a note and a Hello Kitty watch-locket-necklace.

She's so super excited.

Josephine's First School Report

2011-11-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I'm more proud of - Josephine's "grades" and reading level, or her kindness.

I just got back from my first parent-teacher conference (as a parent!) and I'm just so proud. She is already reading at the goal-level for the end of the year, and got a 92/102 on the "pals" reading test - scored 10/10 on how the "most difficult" word list part... She knows all the science concepts already, so she is getting gifted enrichment for that, and she's rocking math and everything else. The teacher's goal for Josy's reading is that she's reading at the end-of-first grade level by May. Of course, I'm not surprised. Any kid who can define "laboratory" and "immigration", likes to do math in her head, knows that moonlight is a shadow, draws schematic diagrams of soil-mixing machines (as well as princesses & cats) - well, I'm not surprised.

But also, there is a little boy in Jo's class who won't talk to anyone, because he is shy and ESL, but he WILL talk to Josephine. So Jo has been moved to sit next to him, and comes to 'lunch bunch' with him, and I am just so glad that my child is being such a kind friend to this little kid.

And she's become so kind and helpful to Sam recently, too.

She's a pretty amazing kid.

Videos from November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a lot of fun! Josephine's writing is really growing in leaps and bounds. Today she made a birthday card for her brother Henry, and did it completely by herself. As you can see in this video, she also made snowflakes. I was standing by carefully to make sure she could use Mandi's scissors. Today, they also helped me test some colors in the back bedroom of my house. This explains why Josephine is playing the drums with paintbrushes. Josy also ate a second helping at lunch and pronounced herself a member of the Eat A Lot Club. But, I am proudest of the unsolicited lesson on the solar system that comes from Josy here!

Witch of Sweets

2011-10-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Watch this video of Josephine singing her song about being the Witch of Sweets for Halloween, who "keeps candy ripe" and paints rainbows of candy... http://youtu.be/ftQbKbGuN1A

So many updates about Josephine and Sam...

Josephine's into drawing maps, because, of course, she's been learning about "immigration" in after-school (which is awesome). She drew a picture last night of agricultural machines mixing dirt to make soil and layers of clay. She's reading more everyday. And her teacher recommended her to a gifted program this winter.

Sam loves his new school, and they love him. He dressed up as Super Penguin for trick or treating on the downtown mall today. They both have terrible colds.

I tend to do lots more updates on Facebook, so it's hard to get into this blog, but I'll keep trying...

Hanging out at our friend Sarah's

2011-09-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

Notes from the Meet Yer Eats Farm Tour

2011-09-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today was the 3rd annual Meet Yer Eats farm tour put together by Market Central. They are the organization that helps support the Charlottesville Farmer's Market. I thought it would be a great day to spend Labor Day with Sam and Josephine. Above is Josephine at Forrest Green Farm in Louisa County with miniature Herefords in the background.

One thing we learned at the beginning that there is manure everywhere. This is Josephine shortly after understanding exactly what the big black or brown splotches where.

Sam was also pretty interested, though he had found a stick that was kind of shaped like a sword, so that was his main interest.

Josephine was fascinated by the chickens. We stood outside this pen for about 20 minutes. I've never seen her so captivated by something for so long. These chickens are raised as broilers and will end up going to market in a few weeks. Neither Josephine nor Sam eats chicken.

She looked at the chickens from every single angle and was trying to understand their behavior.

This is Rob, who owns Forrest Green with his wife Krista. He's explaining to us the layer chickens and how they live. We learned so much about the choices he makes in order to bring eggs to market. It was great to be able to ask questions.

Sam and Josephine in one of the hoop houses at Forrest Green. I was more interested in they were, so we didn't stay too long.

Here's Josephine touching the comb of Lester, one of the roosters at Ted's Last Stand farm in Louisa County just up the road from Forrest Green. She was rapt with attention as Michael Levatino took on the tour of his farm. We actually went on the tour one and a half times. Sam was not quite as interested, but was very patient. He chose not to touch the rooster at this time. I can't blame him.

She paid full attention as we learned about how the soil is maintained at Ted's Last Stand without using any sort of pesticides or chemicals.

A group of grad students from UVA remarked that she was wearing a most appropriate dress to be at a farm that specializes in flowers.

In all we had a fantastic day. For me, it was probably the best way I have spent Labor Day in my entire life.

Window

2011-08-27T04:44:00.000-07:00

"Why do I have to window?" Jo asked this morning.
"Huh?"
"Because I'm in a contest!"

Get it? Win dough. So I asked where she heard this.
"I made it up!"
"No way."
"Yes, I learned it from MY HEAD. I went in there and learned it. But I only do that at night."

She's also sounding out - reading words, like "Glad" off the garbage bag box.

Meanwhile, sister Leah is in labor so we should have a baby niece / cousin soon - hurricane approaching but hopefully Richmond will just have strong wind and rain. Of course, Sam says it's "MY baby." Hmmm.

Josy (that's how she is called at school) has turned into a self-possessed firecracker this week. Suddenly she's a comic. Here she is below being a hippo, and then she started doing her feet as puppets at the table. Sam finds this enchanting.

He is, meanwhile, in love with his Mickey backpack (yay for Goodwill)... he was very frustrated when he couldn't figure out how to get it on correctly but once I taught him how he did it and is very proud every time.

First Day

2011-08-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

We had to wait for what seemed like FOREVER - especially considering we got to the bus stop 15 minutes early - but eventually the bus did come.
And she got on it.
She didn't look back.
And I burst into tears.

Sam was confused - he thought we were all getting on it -we felt sad as we waved the bus goodbye.

I hate you, kindergarten.

Ice Ice, Baby

2011-08-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to a free ice skating lesson yesterday. Sam refused. Jo fell in love. She was amazing! She has awesome balance, kept herself from falling, went all around the rink, hopped, walked, stomped. Now she wants to be an ice skater. Too adorable.

We also went to her new school, met her teacher, saw her classroom. She's so excited!

Today is her last day of preschool.

She is excited and scared!

Baby Jozy, Baby No Longer

2011-08-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

I knew it would happen when I set up this blog - one day she wouldn't really qualify as a baby.

But maybe I couldn't quite believe it.

Sigh. In THREE WEEKS Jo starts kindergarten, and she
- has learned to roll her eyes
- asked for a dictionary for her 6th birthday
- stated that when she grows up, she wants to be a bookmaker like Dr. Seuss, making both the words and the pictures

She also sounded like my echo when, unable to sleep, she said that half her brain was tired but the other half was arguing for staying up. I just posted on my other blog about the same conversation in my head last night.

Sam's 3 1/2 on Friday.

They're lovely.

The King has lost his head... of curls

2011-07-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

I love how Josephine had to get in on the action at the end. Two hams, definitely.
Yes, Sam was asking to have a haircut, and he was definitely on the wild and shaggy side. He loves it. He loves playing King and wielding a comb for effect.

This morning he told me he wanted to be a dinosaur when he grew up.

Mind you, his favorite lovey at present is a fairy, and this morning he exuberantly kept giving me Big Cuddles, so he is still sweet Sam...

Meanwhile, Josephine and I are writing a book together - I'm taking stories I've told them and putting them down and Jo is illustrating. She told me yesterday, "I'm a better artist than you, Mama." "And look, I'm sketching!"

The battery of questions this morning and yesterday included:
"Why is it called a 'living' room?"
"What if no one ever got sick?"
"What if I had FIVE million things?"
"Why are they called 'loveys'?"

Sam is getting in on the action now, too. (ack!)
"Mama, why are we on this planet?" he asked the other day.
I said we didn't really know.
Jo piped up, "I know. It's because there's air and water here, this is the only planet we can live on. Except maybe one of the moons of Jupiter, where there's water."

Sam continues to tell us about his magical imagination Office. "I have a wand at my office," he'll say. At his office lives his five girls. I love listening to Jo ask questions about his office: Where is it? How do we get there? How many girls do you have? The answers vary.

Josephine starts kindergarten at the end of August.
Sam starts his new preschool at the very end of August.
They are both excited - and a little nervous.
So am I!

Smith Mountain Lake Family Reunion

2011-07-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

Singing, Sleeping, and Saying Things: June 11, 2011

2011-06-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sam and Jo Original Songs - watch this video for a fun glimpse into Sam and Jo performing songs they've "written" ... And, below, they're playing some game of fairy babies sleeping in the irises...
Josephine, sounding just like me, was asking me today, "Why is it, 'cute as a BUTTON'? Buttons aren't cute. It SHOULD be 'cute as a kitten'; unless it's a Hello Kitty button." This tickled me to no end, as I am always questioning these kinds of phrases.... also below, asleep in my bed. Adorable. And light in the trees - Jo and I experiencing the twilight beginning together. oh, and Sam?: "I'm 3. I'm a grownup." And: "I"m Justin Beaver."

Water park follies!

2011-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Forest Hills Park spray ground opened again for the season. We checked it out. Josephine jumped right in despite being fully clothed, but Sam stayed on the sidelines. Here's an edited video.

Sam the Beatnik Cat, Potty Time, & a nice photo

2011-06-01T18:40:00.001-07:00

Sam: "My girlfriend Penelope is going on a parachute tomorrow."
and: "I'm a teenager. I'm THREE."

Josy Dancing, a video

2011-05-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

Watch this video of Josy dancing...

Also about Josephine: Her preschool teacher told me last week: "Josephine is such a deep thinker. She asks questions I don't even think of... at a deeper level than the other kids..."

I love watching Jo's mind evolve - her abstract pictures (Miro crossed with Kahlo), her questions about reality, her ideas, her stories, and then the way she expresses herself kinetically - with dances and flips... yes, I adore my daughter.

My First Video of the Kids Singing

2011-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

Watch the Video Now

Some fun things Josephine has said lately:
"I don't believe in bones. I believe it's gravity or something else holding us up."

to the babysitter: "We don't have a bath tonight; we have it tomorrow night. We have our baths in an A-B pattern."

"Every time someone dies, a new person is born. So there's always the same amount of people alive all the time."

to teacher: "Sam is my BESTEST friend."

Josephine's pre-school graduation!

2011-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Josephine stands patiently for her name to be called.


Josephine gets her diploma


Now she has her diploma!

School's out for summer!

Lily and Sam are proud of Josephine!

And so are we!

Proud mommy!

Next stop - Sam!

Spring-time fun!

2011-05-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

First day at the spray ground, and Josephine has already made a friend.

Sam was into this until he discovered the water is cold.

Funniest face I've ever seen Sam have

Love this umbrella.

Love both umbrellas!

Sam loves to read.

A celebration of flight

2011-05-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Click on the pictures for full-size. I can't seem to get them to work properly and need to get on with work.

Josephine about to take flight

Josephine in flight

Experimenting with Bernoulli's priniciple

"That's not Sam!"

Chopper pilot to the rescue!

"I'm Sam Tubbs, and I'm here to help!"

Sam played with the trains for 30 minutes by himself.

She's not really this serious. She's just staring at the bees.

"I'll catch you!"

Flying the old fashioned way

Ice cream as a nice spring-time treat.

Easter 2011 at the grandparents

2011-04-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sam and Jo at the end of the road where I grew up, hoping the horses would make an appearance. They didn't, but we'll see them there soon.

Granddad reads to Jo and Sam, and they hang on every single word.

Josephine in the middle of the woods where I spent much of my childhood.

Josephine deeper in the woods where I grew up, asserting her independence yet again.

Sam on Granddad's shoulders, being Sam.

Recent pictures from daddy's house

2011-04-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

The yard was filled with daffodils, which Josephine picked to decorate the goal

Crazy horses hanging out together while Sam perches above the terraces

Hockey playing while space man hopes to not get hit

I so hope he wants to mow the lawn when he's older. I will show him this picture.

He shoots! He scores!

The stair princess will give you passage if you give her ten cookies, preferably ones made of onion.

Our friend Mandi helped us fly a Dora kite we found in a trunk of toys in the basement we didn't know about.

Mandi did a great job, don't you think?

Ukelele in the trunk of the Volvo. Why not?

Tulip Farm

2011-04-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

"Sam, don't open the door to the bathroom when your sister is in there. Leave it closed."

Sam, wailing: "But I LOVE HER!!!"

Sam, the other day: "I don't want pants. PANTS ARE NOT FOR ME!"

Jo, this morning: "Mom, fairies come from the North Pole. Really."

Kid Photos

2011-03-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

Playing dressup, visiting with auntie leah and mama c, playing Snow White...

Shoes

2011-03-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

Couldn't find Sam's shoes this morning; spent 20 minutes tearing the house apart; we keep our shoes by the door, I had made sure he put them there the night before... where were they?

Finally started looking in the kitchen cabinets...

...he came up behind me and opened up the bread machine. There they were!

Of course, right?

The Things They Say...Mama posts finally...

2011-03-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

[It's been a long time since I (mama) have posted here; I've been extremely busy, and my updates tend to go onto Facebook. However, it's time I remember this blog - as it is basically their online babybook! So - apologies...]

SAM!
Sam at three is a nonstop talker. He talks to himself in bed while going to sleep - telling stories, I think; he sits in the bath and makes up stories with his toys amid bubbles; he talks in the car, while we eat; when I shower, he sits on the toilet and talks to me through the curtain.

Now, if you know Sam, you'll probably say this is nothing new - he's been an expressive person since birth. Very true - it's that now I can actually understand what he's saying.

Some recent favorites, because of the way he says things...:

- This morning, to Josephine: "What in the WORLD are you doing, Jo-se-phine? Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness."
- "I love you berry berry much."
-"I'm vewy frust-er-ated, I'm getting vewy berry frust-er-ated, actually."

He loves to tell stories in the past as always "last night." As in, "we did that last night, actually, me and Potion (his imaginary friend) did that last night."

He likes to play that he's the Papa and Josephine and I are the babies. "Papa going to his office," he'll say, seriously. "I going to my fire truck. You can come! Do you want some cookies?" And then we get on my bed and he 'drives' us in his fire truck, gives us pretend cookies, and goes to his 'office.'

He has nightmares (he also talks in his sleep!). The other night he was screaming, "I don't want to be a princess! I want to be a princess!" And a couple weeks ago he was yelling, "I'm NOT Snow White!"

He has this funny thing he does in conversations where he will equivocate - say no and then yes in the same breath, for example:
"Sam, do you want your pjs?"
"No, I don't want my pjs, but I do."
or
"I like my coat, but I don't, but I do."
or
"I didn't play with anyone, but I did, except I didn't."

Josephine and I laugh and laugh, because he literally responds to every question about his preferences with this "I do but I don't" approach.

I'll never forget the Dr examining Sam at something like six months old and observing: "This fellow likes to play, doesn't he? He likes fun." And it is still SO true! He loves to be tickled. "Chase me like a lion!" he'll shout, and run through the house, howling with delicious glee that mama is going to chase him and kiss and tickle him. Any game he adores - we play a game my dad used to play with me, where you pile your hands one on top of the other, and he just laughs and laughs. It's truly delightful.

He also invents games with balls - the other morning, for instance, he had us use rolling pins like hockey sticks with a ball - it was really fun. He also can use a soup spoon and a tennis ball pretty well. He's got good coordination, so it's really challenging for me and therefore fun.

He also has his idiosyncrasies, the most notable of which is his penchant for wearing mittens. Instead of a lovey or blankie, he wears mittens when distressed as a source of comfort. We also have gloves, which used to be the cause of frustrated tears until we developed a ritual of going finger by finger to get each finger in the correct sleeve.

He loves to give me kisses goodnight or goodbye, especially kissing my nose or every one of my fingers.

Sam: "Is this me in the picture?" Jo: "Nope." Sam, shrill: "I WANT to be in the PICTURE!" Jo, gleeful: "You weren't born yet; you were just an egg." Sam, hysterically: "JUST AN EGG?!!! NOOOO!" - And thus, Big Sister delivers to Sam first exposure to existential angst.

Though, the two of them get along terrifically. They do ballet together, dig holes together, and inspire naughtiness in each other ... like Jo helping Sam mix milk with a bunch of salt he spilled one morning... or helping Sam and Amelia apply "makeup" in the form of markers to their faces... she finds it terribly amusing to facilitate his getting into trouble...

JOSEPHINE
She is just getting more and more clever. Sam is a ham, no doubt; Jo's sense of humor is more subtle and witty. Which makes them such a fun pair. I'm trying to recall an example of something she's said recently, but can't at the moment...

She's into wearing a crown and a headband everyday, and calling herself Princess Penelope. I'm Queen Bubbles, Sam is Prince Waffles (though he wants to be a king), and Daddy is King ZhuZhu Pet.

Her outfits are quite out there. Today she wore a long-sleeved red shirt under a purple with white flowers sundress. Somehow, it looked fashionable!

She continues to love numbers and doing math, often trying to figure out the difference in people's ages and how calculating how old she'll be when I'm 60 or whatever.

They both love to sing "I'm a little teapot"; they both love to watch musicals, old and new - loved "Till the Clouds Roll By," "Royal Wedding," and "High School Musical," for instance. I'm trying to collect the oldies - it's so fun to share with them movies I loved as a kid! I loved that they both laughed out loud to the "Make Them Laugh" song/dance from "Singing in the Rain." Good taste.

Josephine continues to love cats and want her nickname to be Kitten, though I call her Jellybean.
Our neighbor's cat followed us home and hung out with us for a few days while they were on vacation, and Jo and Sam were utterly thrilled.

We are so lucky, because our backyard connects to the large, expansive field-back-yards of two other families, one with twin boys Sam's age, the other with two girls, one of whom is in Jo's class at school. They can run and play in this huge backyard grassy oasis freely and the other parents and I can see them clearly the whole way... very fun.

Sam wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.
Jo wants to be a dolphin trainer and an acrobat.

That's all for now!
Oh, yes: Pics above include us at the firehouse for Sam's birthday and Sam in his new superhero/king cape and Spongebob jammies... Jo in a new dress...

Gardening begins!

2011-03-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gardening begins! Here, Sam dances with a dandelion.

First, we set out what we want to do.

Sam and Josephine try to figure out how big this thing should be.

Sam begins breaking the dirt apart.

He was so determined to do a good job,

Josephine helps to rake the garden to make sure the soil is ready when we're ready to transplant.

We found lots of worms, and Josephine's job was to make sure they weren't cut in half by the shoveling and the raking.

Afterwards, it was time to plant the seeds that will eventually wind up in the garden. Above, Jo is planting our cherry tomatoes, or as she calls them, "baby" tomatoes. Then Sam and Jo take turns growing some of our food for the year.

Kids together.

February at Father's

2011-02-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

The Piano Man! One of their Christmas presents was a keyboard.

Sam and Jo in the park, at the top of the slide

Sam's first!

Sam and Jo both at the bottom of the slide

Close-up of Ms. Marshall Tubbs

Close-up of Ms. Marshall Tubbs' heretofore unknown evil twin

Showing off her new ring, courtesy of Fullwood Jewelry Design

Sam busy at work

Sam leads the way on a recent expedition to new condos on Rock Creek Road.

More soon!

300th post from Court Square Tavern

2011-02-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

We've made it to 300 posts here! Tonight's are from a dinner date with Daddy at Court Square Tavern.

The drums post...

2010-12-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

With the holidays approaching, I'm going through my archives in the hopes of finding some great pictures of Sam and Josephine to share with relatives. As I go through them, I thought I would post some of the more precious videos, such as this one from August of Sam trying out the drums. I think the kid's gonna have talent!

And then, a little longer of a session:

Finally, Sam contributes while Josephine takes the sticks.

Train day!

2010-12-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine is letting me borrow his prized Lionel train set so Sam and Jo can have a go. They played with it so well yesterday. Videos to come later, but for now, here are some pictures.

In the middle of the tracks

Josephine lets Noah and his reindeer have a close-up view

Jo took a break and read a comic as the train went past

They were fascinated by the whole endeavor, paying attention

for an hour before we put it away until next week

Bridges and tunnels!

Christmas dancing!

2010-12-13T06:08:00.001-08:00

Sam and Josephine emulate Schroeder and Lucy

2010-11-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I took this movie this afternoon and thought it was worth sharing. I wanted a picture of Sam's most awesome suit, but it did not come out so I included it here as well.

Fall in Forest Hills Park

2010-11-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Snaps from a recent visit at the park. We had such a great time. Every moment I have with the children is precious.

Jo is Five!

2010-10-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

Recent pictures from time with daddy

2010-09-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

The last two times I've had Sam and Josephine, I've been blessed to have an excellent photographer present to take some fantastic shots I thought I'd share with readers of this blog.

UPDATE: The pictures did not format correctly, but I'm working on it!

These kids love to read and I can think of nothing I'd rather be doing than sharing information with them. Of course, the book we're reading here is Superman, but superheroes are information, right?

Mommy gave Sam and Jo these great blocks a couple of Christmases ago, and they are among their favorite toys.

Moments after this shot was taken, Sam fell to the ground gleefully excited he'd found a new way to knock something over.

The older he gets, the more Sam wants to build things. I can oblige!

After block time, we hit the road in the double stroller for the first time in a while. Sam and Jo were so excited.

We walked to McGuffey Park. Josephine was happy.

The weather was perfect for playing in the fountain.

Sam and Josephine play nicely together, and this is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them together.

The kids are going to outgrow these swings so fast, so every time I get to push them is special.

September 2010

2010-09-11T05:31:00.000-07:00

Jo was laughing in her sleep this morning. "Mama! I dreamt that Sam had music coming out of his butt!"

Simple math: We were talking about granola bars - two bars to a p

ack.
"What if I had five packs? How many bars would I have?"
"10."
"What if I ate one bar out of each pack?"
"5."
And so on. She's doing math in her head! She loves playing with numbers.

And words. And everything! It's hard to keep up with the things she says...

Meanwhile, Sam is all two: No no no and mine mine mine.
He does like to say now "That is my favorite" and "It's so beautiful" and "I love it so much" and other funny expressions. He also says "either" in his sentences all the time.

FYI, we have to move next week. Landlord foreclosing on our place. Sigh!

Jo loves her ballet/tap/gymnastics class!
And they both loved the pools this summer - see them playing lifeguard in the picture where Sam is pretending to blow the whistle and Jo is swimming in the grass - but Sam definitely LOVES water. Hope to get him in swim class soon.

The music at Daddy's house

2010-08-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

When Sam and Josephine come over, one of our favorite things to do is play some music. Here's the cover for our forthcoming album.

I bought this piano for Josephine in Christmas 2008, but Sam's taken a real shine to it. He can sit for several minutes tinkling away.

Sam likes to take my guitar picks from me to strum the strings, while I do the fretwork. One day I'll get him a little guitar and I'll try to teach him scales. I'd better learn them myself, first!

The drums are a big hit, of course. I picked up this kit from freecycle earlier this year. I need to get the kids ear plugs for when they play, of course.

Quick drop

2010-08-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270468&id=787552626&l=e91d0f1755

Posted these pics on my Facebook - click to see -

Jo's quote of the day:

‎"But why is it called a 'uniCORN, mama? It has a HORN, not a CORN." (Gollymolly, I don't know! Because the world doesn't make a lick of sense?!)

Cracking Me Up... or just Cracking Up?

2010-08-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

1. So, we were settled down, and I started reading aloud.

There was an echo. Josephine was repeating everything I said as soon as I said it.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.
"I'm reading with you," she explained. Though, since she can't read, she was just echoing me. Every time I said something, she said it, too, and if I stopped, she stopped - !

And she did it for the whole book. It was crazy-making. It started making me laugh. Reading became impossible. It was pretty darn cute.

2. Again, going to bed, Sam went under a blanket and Jo said he looked like a ghost. Sam started babbling about "da ghost in the window" and "is scary" and I don't know what else he was saying, but Jo and I tried to tell him there was no ghost, ghosts don't exist, and he insisted that it did, "ghos not gone, ghos at window".

Here's the creepy part: When I came downstairs this morning, the basket where I keep my keys and sunglasses and address book by the door had been overturned, my keys were across the room - and none of us had done it.... ack!

3. We were going to Whole Foods.
"WHOLE Foods? Why is it called WHOLE Foods? Let's go to HALF Foods!" said Jo. hee hee.

Artist in Residence

2010-08-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Smiling & crying - kinda freaky, kinda cool... Definitely detailed - the irises have lines and flecks in them... I think it's a self-portrait. (Josephine)

Why My Kid is Brilliant

2010-07-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

1. We were reading Fancy Nancy and the Book Report, which is about the character doing a report on a biography of Sacajawea.
Josephine: Is Fancy Nancy a real person?
Me: No.
Josephine: Then this book is not a biography, is it?

And she's decided to be Sacajawea for Halloween.

2. Jo brought home a coloring book picture of Minnie Mouse from preschool. All by herself, she cut it out, traced the cutout on another piece of paper, cut THAT out, and then proceeded to copy - draw Minnie Mouse on the blank cutout. And it looks amazing! I'm just so impressed she came up with this idea and executed it - and her drawing talent is awesome.

3. Her new preschool teacher, the very kind Mrs. Cook, told me that Jo's writing ability far and away surpasses other kids her age - "she's ready for kindergarten," she said.

4. As you can see in the picture, she loves studying Asterix books. Today she was reading the book to Sam. And asked me: What are Romans?
I explained about people in the area of modern-day Italy wanting to take over the world...

5. And this was just cute. We sat down for dinner the other, and Josephine, quite seriously, said, "And so, how was your day?" in this very adultish way. Too much. Too cute!

6. Oh, and Why does Sam have a shirt on his head? Because he's pretending to be a puppy, of course. And that last picture is Josephine's sad face...

Boy Locks Himself in Bedroom; Girl Hysterical

2010-07-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get ready for work. The kids are playing some game, as far as I can tell it's "go in and out of mama's bedroom and make a lot of noise doing it."

Then Sam slams the door shut - on Jo's head.

"WAHHHHH!!!!" she wailed.
"Oh, yes, yes," I say, inspecting the purpling bruise. "It's bad, but I don't think he meant it on purpose."
"YES HE DID, HE DID IT ON PURPOSE, WAH," she continued to yell.

I go to my bedroom to get Sam to come apologize and such - still need to put on deodorant - but no. The door is locked.

"Oh no," I say.
"What IS it?" Jo wails.
"He's locked in," I say.
Jo peels off into more wails. "LITTLE BROTHER, OH MY LITTLE BROTHER," she sobs. The night before, her babysitter had complimented Josephine's huge and impressive lung capacity while singing. "She can really belt it out! She sang for ten minutes!" the sitter said.
She had no idea.

"Sam," I say through the door. "Sam, can you hear me?"
"No," comes a soft squeak.
"Sam," I say, "unlock the door." I say it, even though I know I'm talking to a wall. Well, a door. He's learning a lot of words and concepts these days, but this might be above his head.
"Try to turn the -" Knob? Does he even know what a knob iS?
"Little brother!" wails Jo.
"Josephine, that's not helping," I say.

Now, I wasn't panicking, exactly; but I sincerely did not know what to do. I learned how to jiggle open certain interior door locks with the inside of a pen back when Jo was this age - she loved locking herself in her bedroom. But this particular knob looked very different... just not my area of expertise.

Flashes of a story about myself at this age locking myself in a church bathroom and the possible calls to the fire station came to mind.

"Sam, honey, turn the doorknob," I tried a few times.

And, eventually, he did it.
"I did it!" He exclaimed, rapturously.
"MY HEAD!" wailed Josephine, returning to her initial chant.
"Good lord," I sighed, giving them both a kiss and forcing them - nicely, of course - to hug and apologize.

And that was all before 8 am.

MidSummer update

2010-07-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

1) Up top photos - Jo's funny hamming it up faces
2) I told Jo and Sam to sit down and they both sat on a step of the stool - too cute
3) You can't tell, but I made their dinner into little happy faces. It did not help Sam eat his, as you can see from the sorrowful big blue eyes.

Not pictured: Josephine laying her brother on the ironing board, draping him with a black silk drape, and singing in her opera voice: "You will die before I do!"

Also, Sam's language is exploding! Full sentences, imaginative play - his little cars take on personalities and give kisses - and the other night, "I take ballet, Mama? I wanna ballet!" Too cute. He's also not crying anymore when he goes to preschool in the morning. And working on the potty thing. They both love swimming but Sam adores the water, totally unafraid.

May Day

2010-05-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sam - since I treat this blog as a babybook of sorts, I have to record these somewhat banal updates, and please forgive...
a) Sam has slept through the night for almost a week!!!!
b) this morning he ripped off his diaper and pooped in the potty - all on his own accord!
c) his vocabulary and sentences expand daily - but the funniest thing remains his 100 different ways to say "yes," which includes "Rar," "Rah," "Yez," "Yeah," "Jes," and more.

Josephine, meanwhile, has begun to... talk about herself in third person. I can hear her whispering to herself about herself as she does things: "And then Josephine opened the door. She looked inside..." She's NARRATING her life. Now, I remember doing this when I was about 8 years old - I'd read so many books, and I was often convinced I would be the subject of one. But I'm hilariously surprised at her doing this so young! It's soooo funny. And hopefully not a sign that she's narcisstic...

Lately, she's obsessed with death. "When will you die, Mama?" she asked me yesterday morning. I've also been asked to explain The Beginning of the World, Where is the Air, why the Sun gives Energy, and other items that I basically do not have any clue how to answer.

Gift update: I forgot to mention in my Wish List for the Kids a) art supplies (paper, glue, glitter, paint - they go through like crazy) and b) sheet sets, twin size. No Disney, please!

Presents

2010-05-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering what the kids want/need, here's a couple ideas (pitches, beggings):

- Kid science books: Josephine is constantly asking about the nature of air and everything else; we've been discussing solid/gas/liquid and watching ice; but it would sure be great to have more materials, esp. since I don't always remember...

- They Might Be Giants also has a couple albums, science-related, for kids, that would be really fun

- Swim passes for the summer (about 20 something)

- Ballet/dance classes for the fall (about 45 for six weeks)

Thanks!

Josephine IS a Flower Name

2010-05-02T08:57:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true! I overheard at the local Southern States a lady discussing the Josephine strain of clematis - and I went beserk!

Jo is thrilled that her name is a flower name - she loves flower fairies, flowers - and we just looked it up - and yes, yes, it IS PINK!!

Actually quite wild-looking - the middle park fluffs open in May.

Quite fun, and maybe I can find her one...

I Wuv Oo

2010-04-26T06:50:00.001-07:00

There's nothing as sweet as waking up to your little two-year-old quietly padding to your bedside, putting his head beside yours, and whispering, "Mommy, I Wuv Ooo." And then giving you a big kiss. And because he's two, doing it all over again a couple more times.

It's good to have these moments, because they fortify a person so that later when this same sweet boy is screaming about having to leave his new Spiderman swim shorts at home, well, you have a layer of sweetness to bolster your patience.

Josephine, meanwhile, is challenging my somewhat cursory knowledge of science: In the past weeks, I've been asked to explain - in factual detail - condensation ("Why do grapes turn into raisins? How? How does the sun dry things up? Why don't WE dry up in the sun?"), mold ("Why does it grow? What is it?"), the lifecycle of dandelions, how bladders work, germ theory, the difference between motor scooters, motorcycles, and motorized scooters, why wind happens, why rain happens, what causes thunder and lightning, when and why people will die, the ins and outs of poison ivy reactions, etc. Her mind is constantly curious about the workings and reasons behind EVERYTHING. Which is great, except I find myself struggling to recall middle school Earth science...

I've been delighted that in the past few weeks, babysitters and strangers alike have commented alike on how well-behaved Jo and Sam are, and how well they get along. I feel proud to have such sweethearts who play well together - even if it's only when they're being watched by others...

Spring and Easter 2010

2010-04-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

These kind of go in reverse order... as you can see, I got Jo in a pair of overalls by offering the treat of being Sam's twin... Sam's friends dressed in a dress-up dress... Jo in her adorable handmade bunny ears examining eggs...

Ballerina

2010-03-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Some ballerina pics - our friend visiting to babysit - and Jo right when she was starting to get ill... she's got a high fever... but she sure did love dancing!

He's MY Baby

2010-03-06T05:52:00.001-08:00

- The latest great thing is that Josephine says about Sam, "He's MY baby!" and she hugs and cuddles him and he LOVES it - they are so cute together - she still envisions him going to live in Australia, as she told me the other day - but she adores him. So sweet...

-Jo's "imagination friend"'s name is Rocky Rocky!

- Mommy, why do you have to keep eating?
- What do you mean?
- Are you going to get bigger?
(Pretty good question, since I'm always telling her to eat so she can grow!)

- Mommy, are coffee and tea the same thing?
- Well, no, good question, but coffee comes from coffee beans, and tea comes from tea leaves, but they do both get made with hot water.
- Oh. So the beans and leaves are their parents?

- Mommy, how do you die?

Happy Birthday Sam

2010-02-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

I made Sam a heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie cake. The only problem was, when he first tried to blow out his two candles, it didn't work. So he gave up in a total funk. He was so mad! We helped. His favorite gift had to be two helium balloons.

Later, our friends stayed over and we practiced cheerleading!

Jo's recent questions have included:
Who made the earth?
Why?
Why is there more than one sun?
Some stars are planets.
But what is the universe?

But where did Jesus live when he grewed up?

How did Fairy WinterSnow get Santa Claus in her tummy? how did he get there?

SIGH.

Playing in Birthday Snow

2010-02-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the snow, Sam got a bucket for his birthday from Grandma Helen! So he finally had something to do in the snow - he got very busy with it... He finally also slept through the night two nights in a row... yay! Jo is, of course, resplendent in pink.

The snow is crazy, and we're getting more...

Salt Dough Redux

2010-01-31T06:22:00.001-08:00

Jo made this salt dough tree - but now what the heck do I do with it??

Birds & Bees... kind of

2010-01-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Jo: Why don't Sam and I look the same?
Me: Well... because... (idea!)... because you and Sam were made out of different material.
Jo: Material? Why?
Me: Well, it's kind of like when you make a collage.
Jo: A collage?
Me: Yes, you make a collage out of scraps of red paper, and then you make a collage out of yellow paper. Both of the collages are yours, you made them, but they look different.
Jo: Oh.
Me: So Sam and you were both made by Daddy and Me in my tummy, but we used different material for each of you, so you look different.
Jo: In your tummy? We were made in your tummy?
Me: Yes. With Daddy's and Mommy's material.
Jo: How did it get in there?
Me: (Why did I say anything!) (dodged this one) We put the material in there, some of Daddy's, and some of mine, and it made you.
Jo: And what did it make?
Me: It made your brown curly hair, and your blue eyes, and your pale skin.
Jo: And what else?
Me: And your chin that is my chin, and your eyelashes that are Daddy's, and your feet just like mine.
Jo: And was I really tiny?
Me: Very very tiny! And you were in my belly, and I ate food to grow your body, so you would get bigger.
Jo: So I ate what you ate? I ate your dinner?
Me: Yes, you did!
Jo: So you ate your dinner and I ate it after? How?
Me: Well, it went down my mouth and into my tummy, and then from there it went into your tummy.
Jo: And did I poop?
Me: Yes, a little. But mostly the food made your body. Just like how we eat food now, so that we have energy and grow.
Jo: Did I wear diapers?
Me: No, you were naked.
Jo: I wasn't wearing anything?
Me: Nope. You were totally naked and curled up and when you came out, we put a blanket around you.
Jo: Why?
Me: To keep you warm when you came out! And then you nursed and drank my milk, and you had hiccups and Daddy talked to you.
Jo: And did I cry?
Me: A little.
Jo: And did I start with a J?
Me: Yes, because your Daddy and I decided to name you Josephine.
Jo: Will I have a baby when I grow up?
Me: If you decide to, you might.
Jo: I will decide to.
Me: Well, we'll see. You may not want to.
Jo: I want to; I want to have a baby.
Me: Well, you have plenty of time to think about it.

---
Jo: Mommy, when will I be five?
Me: Next year.
Jo: I want to be five now.
Me: Why?
Jo: Because I have too many time-outs, being four.
Me: You know what? Even grown-ups take time-outs.
Jo: They do?
Me: Sure! Time-outs don't mean you're bad. They mean you're taking some time to calm down and remember how to listen and be a kind person. I take time-outs when I get grouchy sometimes.
Jo: Oh.

--
Jo: Mama, is your Daddy died?
Me: Yes.
Jo: Why did he die?
Me: Well, his body was sick, too sick to stay alive anymore, so he died.
Jo: And where did he go?
Me: um...
Jo: Did we bury him in the ground?
Me: Yes, we did, didn't we? You remember? We put him in the ground so he could be part of the earth as it continues.
Jo: But why did he get sick?
Me: Because he was old.
Jo: You're not old.
Me: Not very old, no.
Jo: I'm not old. You're not old. We're young.
Me: That's true. We won't be old for a long time. But we do get older. Everyone does. I used to be as young as you, for instance, and now I'm older.
Jo: Where was I when you were young? Charlottesville?
Me: No, you weren't here yet.
Jo: Where was I? In your tummy?
Me: No, I was a little girl.
Jo: Where was Sam?
(Don't remember how I got out of this one...)

--
Jo: Mama, when is Tomorrow?
Me: Tomorrow is tomorrow.
Jo: Is Today Tomorrow?
Me: No, it's tomorrow. We don't ever get to it. It always stays - tomorrow, the next day.
(later) Jo: Mama, tomorrow isn't happening anymore.

Despite the Cold...

2010-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

...we're having fun...

Christmas Gifts & Hair

2009-12-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

P.S. About the scissor picture: It looks more wild and scary than what was actually happening... which is probably why I thought it endearing... I did teach Jo to use scissors only under supervision. She tried to get me to allow her to cut her own hair, but I said no...

a) A big hit: New umbrellas. They play with them at Mama's house constantly. This morning, Sam put Jo under his umbrella and Jo said, "Oh, he loves me!"
b) Sam's big pompodour - when you brush his hair out, it is WILD
c) Finally trimmed Jo's very long hair - it was getting knotted all the time - it looks so cute! She also got lots of stockings and fancy socks for Christmas, and boy is she ever putting together some stunning outfits!
d) When Jo started playing with the tinker toys she and Sam recieved from Santa at Daddy's house, she started to work right away, "Look, I'm a FAMOUS ARTIST!" she declared.
e) Fifth picture down: Jo on the phone to Grandma Helen
f) Sam's new dog toy - which actually Jo has claimed for her own
g) Third picture up - Jo in her dressing gown (I found it at the thrift store)

- This morning Jo woke up in excitement: "I had a good, a lovely dream! I found my slippers and I got to be on STAGE and I made NEW ballet friends and I wore stockings and she wore them, too!!"

- Last night at around 11pm (yes) Jo the chatterbug was telling me, "I stay up very late and watch the stars and count every one of them"

- She got a papercut on one of her new Ella the Elephant books, and cracked me up when she said, "I need to tell Sam how I got my cut" and proceeded to very seriously tell him - as if the kid is listening - funny how she takes him SO seriously -

Jo said her favorite gift this year was the dress-up she got that is now at Daddy's house ("finally!" she exclaimed).

They turned my fridge off the other day - went to get them milk in the morning and it was WARM. Noticed the dial had been turned to Off. These two, when they get together on something, are quite the impish force...

Thanks to everyone for such lovely gifts!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009 will soon fade into memory, and hopefully both Josephine and Sam will remember it fondly. They began with Mommy taking them to church, and then were dropped off at my house. We left cookies and Mommy's bourbon balls for Santa, and then were off to a very late bedtime. And then, magically there were presents under the tree when they woke up!

We waited for Mommy to come over before opening the major presents, but went ahead and opened the stockings first.

While we waited, Sam and Jo eyed the presents with glee.

Daddy's version of Santa got each child a box of Legos.

Sam's favorite present for the first part of Christmas was this dragon.

After opening presents at Forest Hills, we drove in the rain to Lynchburg to see Grandma Phyllis and Granddad. They were happy to see us.

Then we opened up more presents after Auntie Sandra, Uncle Scott, Ryan and Allison arrived.

They enjoyed this present that Allison got from Grandma and Granddad, with Jo pointing out the Mona Lisa.

Of course, it would not be a Christmas without something mermaid related. This year, something for daddy's bathroom.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.

And, of course, there's always Jo White.

Finally, the day ended the same way it began - with stockings being unwrapped. Sam was absolutely exhausted, as you could imagine and as you can clearly see here. This was his first real Christmas, and I'm so blessed to have been able to spend it with him.

Yet, seconds later, look how his face lights up at the prospect of yet another truck!

Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, and a happy and peaceful 2010 to all!

Big Snow

2009-12-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

The photo just above is what the FIRST snow looked like, a couple weeks ago... and the ones above show what happened this last weekend - a couple feet at least buried everything... as you can see in our picture of the snow girl, my car behind it... the snow just about reached the top of my thighs... Sam was more content to play the harmonica on the doorstep than go forth into the cold...
Also pictured: Jo making a garland at the McGuffey Museum open house craft day...

The Holiday Time and Wishes

2009-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

A few pics from our day at the Richmond Children's Museum over Thanksgiving weekend...

Apparently, from Santa Claus and Fairy WinterSnow, Josephine wants:
- a nutcracker
- a nutcracker doll
- a nutcracker dress
- a wig
- a pinata
- a ball for Sam
- a nutcracker for Sam
- a donkey for Sam
and, for me, Mama - a sleigh (does this translate to a new car?!)

We sat down and wrote a letter to Santa today and that was the gist... too funny...

We were also talking about what to do for Daddy for Christmas: Jo wanted me to KNIT him a bathing suit. Oh, if I only could!

We Have Poo!

2009-12-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Whomever thought a frog posing as a potty was a good idea was CORRECT. Sam loves sitting on his frog, and without any diapers eventually something got in the frog... pretty exciting.

Today, Jo said a prayer before breakfast:
God is Grayson
God is good
Let us think him for our food
OH MAN!

We've also been playing with the bean bag creche a great deal, and I was telling the story of Christ's birth. Jo wanted to know, "Is Jesus still a baby?"
"Uh... no..."
"Well, where IS he, then?"
"Um... some people say he lives in everyone's heart."
"Oh! He lives in MY heart!"

Thanksgiving with the Tubbs family

2009-11-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

I took Sam and Jo down to my parent's house at Smith Mountain Lake on Thanksgiving Day. We were there with Aunt Helen from Scotland and my sister and her family arrived just after dinner. They hadn't seen the kids since the summer of 2008. And, of course, there was singing.

Since my parents built this house in 2000, there has been a large cardboard box that has been used as a boat. Ryan and Allison, my sister's kids, have played in it, as have Tristan, Trevor, and Jordan. Josephine has also played in this boat with her older brother Henry. This was the first time Sam and Jo got to play in it together. Sam is sitting in the cabin while Jo is dancing (what else?)

Of course, you can't be on a boat without pretending for at least some of the time to be a pirate.

Sam had a good time.

And Jo got to dance.

Finally, here's one last picture of Jo with her granddad.

Conversation with a Four-Year-Old

2009-11-24T18:48:00.001-08:00

Pics above: She has - finally! - started dressing herself, complete with stockings and fancy dresses, and washing her face and hands, before I even wake up in the morning. I love FOUR!
And: We went to the downtown mall tree lighting - it was hard to get good pictures - they had some fake snow falling and free glow sticks that the kids found entrancing -

And tonight was just one of those priceless interactions that seem to happen all the time now. Josephine knows big words - today it was "cornucopia."

Jo opens up one of my blank books, sees that there's a page covered in heart stickers.
"What's all this about?" she asks.
"That's about a little girl named Josephine," I say.
"I'm the real Josephine," she notes.
"You sure are," I agree.
"But why did I do this?" she asks.
"I don't know; why don't you ask yourself?"
"Okay. Self?"
Jo- in stage whisper - "Yes?"
Jo - regular voice - "Why did I put these stickers on here?"
Jo stage whisper - "Because you wanted to."
"Oh, okay. " She turns to me. "I asked my Self and I said that I just did it!"
"I see," I say.
"Look," says Jo. "One of the hearts is broken." She shows me a thing she does with her fingers to form the shape of a heart. "When I make my finger heart and then take it apart and break it, my REAL heart breaks AT THE SAME TIME."
"Oh my," I say, "What can we do to make it not break? Can we put the finger heart back together?"
"No," she says, "My real heart stays broken."
"Oh dear, how can we put it back together again?"
"Oh," she shrugs nonchalantly, "We can just tape it."

In the kitchen the other day, Jo was helping me make french toast. She's a great stirrer. I was putting butter in the frying pan, and she asked me why.
"Well," I said, "a) to keep the bread from burning, and b) because it makes the food taste better. You always put butter or oil in a pan when you're cooking for those two things."
Jo thought a second and said, "AND c) you put it in there to keep the bread from STICKING to the pan."
"Um - yes, you're totally right," I said. Gulp.

Ballet Class

2009-11-20T10:51:00.001-08:00

Killing time while Daddy works

2009-11-16T16:45:00.001-08:00

The other day, we went to Piedmont Virginia Community College. There was an event I had to record and I couldn't find a volunteer to cover it, so I figured we could go exploring. Thankfully, there were pink flamingos in the parking lot.

The hallways surrounding the auditorium at PVCC house an art gallery. I love taking the kids to any place where there's public art on display. The hallway itself was beautiful, lit up by the November sun shining in at an autumn angle. The artwork was okay, but we were much more interested in the stink bugs that were attracted to the sunlight.

Being such a beautiful day, we went outside to explore around the building. Josephine and Sam both enjoyed these cool steps, though I was a bit scared they were going to emulate Jack and Jill.

Sam was patient with me long enough to take a lot of snaps of him. The light was perfect, and I wanted to capture him at 21 months. Here's a selection of what developed.

We went back inside after a while, and the event had these little booklets from the Rutherford Institute on the Bill of Rights. Both Josephine and Sam were occupied for at least 10 minutes reading through them. I'm hoping both will ace their government exams when they're older!

Illusions...

2009-11-08T05:27:00.001-08:00

Jo:
Mama, you're the best cook in the whole world!

and:
Mama, if we had a real pony, could I feed it?

Magic in a Young Girl's Heart

2009-11-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

With her two dollars from her grandma Helen, Jo purchased a pink unicorn on a stick and a kitten puzzle. Sam likewise got a purple unicorn and a football.

All was hunky-dorey until Jo and I started to carve into the puzzle box (why do they make those things so sealed tight?) and discovered that 503 pieces is A LOT OF LITTLE, TINY PIECES and I just looked at it and laughed... Jo put a sticker on her shirt and one on mine and said, "These are magic stickers. They will make the puzzle pieces get bigger and make not as many, so then we can do it."
"oh really?" I asked.
"Oh yes, they're magic. Ah," she said, rubbing the sticker. "It's working. It's really working."
She wanted to wait while the magic worked.
I didn't know what to do! I mean, there's something so sweet about a four-year-old's faith in a magic sticker - you hate to crush it - but good lord, we couldn't just sit there staring at a puzzle box that wasn't going to magically shrink.

Sigh.

I got Jo a big-girl twin bed yesterday; so exciting. We were talking about the Fairy WinterSnow party coming up, and she was chatting: "I fink," ("think" comes out "fink"), "I fink we will need tickets."

So cute.

Performers

2009-11-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

So, I got a call an hour before this press conference hastily called by a candidate. Election Day is two days away, and so I felt obligated to go cover it. I knew it would be a very quick thing, so I took along my two assistants.

Of course, give Josephine a microphone, and she's going to want to start singing.

Dressing Up for Halloween

2009-11-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

a) Not totally sure that dressing up for Halloween was that much different than how they dress to play normally - note first picture up top.
b) Jo found a smiley face stamp from grandma Helen and I stopped her before she got her whole face.
c) Sam was VERY serious about the whole trick or treat business. At first he was not about to leave the candy IN the basket, but tried to hold everything in his little fists. He got it down, though - as long as he always had a lollipop in each hand. He said "tick or tee" and "cuckoo" (his version of thank you) with much concentration.
d) Jo chatted the whole time. She was a ballerina (look at those long curls!) and Sam was - well, reluctant to wear anything but his sister's bathrobe. I dubbed him 'Sleepy.'
e) The night before, we went to the dog Halloween parade on the downtown mall - as you can see, Billy was a ballerina. It was ridiculous, fabulous, and, for Jo, thrilling.

It was the first time I've been trick or treating since I was a kid! It was so fun to go with our neighbors as a group.

Now, what to do with all this candy...

Jos-uh-Phine

2009-10-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Pictures from our walk on the trail the other day, amid the lovely autumn leaves. And Jo painting her pumpkin - pink, of course!

Last night I was in the middle of talking and Jo stopped me, narrowing her eyes.
"Did you just call me 'Josie'?"
"uh... yes...? Is that - should I call you - "
"JOS-UH-PHINE," she said, with emphasis.

Jo has actually abandoned her plans to be a mermaid and will instead be a ballerina princess. Sam is wearing a funny inflatable helmet. Tonight we're dressing up the dog.

Moving things

2009-10-25T19:34:00.001-07:00

Today, I briefly had Sam and Josephine help me with some chores. Before I picked them up today, I had loaded the station wagon with some firewood, and thought I'd see if they would help me out. There were lots of cool bugs to look at on the logs, including a daddy-long-leg and some lovely wood lice.

Both eagerly took to the simple task of moving wood from Volvo to porch. I had to tell Jo not to take any pieces out herself, lest they fall out onto her. We got maybe enough wood for a week, maybe. Looking forward to trying out the wood stove to see if it can save us on heating bills.

Back in the house, they wanted more things to move. Josephine asked if she could get the bricks out of the closet. I couldn't figure out any other way to store these things, so I said yes. She said they were going to build a house.

They seemed to like moving the blocks more than playing with the actual blocks themselves. After blocks, they immediately started stripping the beds of all their pillows. I was in the kitchen trying to get dinner ready, and I look over and the couch was covered in sheets, pillows and other fluffy things. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of that one, so more blocks.

Finally, here's a little Halloween picture for you!

Geography & Biology, the Early Years

2009-10-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

"Look, I made the globe FANCY!"

Took Jo and Sam to her fourth year dr visit - she was incredibly brave getting her shots.
She was playing with some toy animals. She was making the dinosaur eat dinner. It met a zebra. "Oh," I said, "Is the zebra coming to dinner?"
"No, the zebra IS dinner," Jo said.
Oh.
OH!
"What's with the baby giraffe?" I asked nervously, as the toy joined the dinner pile.
"It's mother abandoned it and now it will get eaten," said Jo, calmly.

ACCCKKKK! I mean, yeah, Circle of Life, but...

She's Four!

2009-10-14T11:15:00.001-07:00

Farming adventures (part 1)

2009-10-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

One of my parenting goals in the next year is to try to take Sam and Josephine to as many farms as I can. This is in part because I recently wrote an article about it for Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Daily Progress. I want my kids to have a better appreciation of where food comes from, and how people use the land in order to provide for all of us. First up, a trip to the Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier, where we watched the sheep dog trials.

Josephine had said she was really into sheep dogs before we came, and in the above picture, you can see she was checking out things out for a while. However, as with all little ones, fatigue set in and she got back in the double stroller and began to pout a bit that she wanted to go home.

So, then we got ice cream. Except, Josephine got bored with it after a few bites so I split her cone with Sam, who ended up with a cone and a half! Thankfully, I remembered to bring wipes to clean him up afterwards.

I tried to get a good shot of them with an alpaca, but neither wanted to get too close. There are quite a few alpaca farms, though a friend of mine told me after I saw these guys that so many have gone bust because there's not much of a market for their wool. In hindsight, I should have taken some pictures of the various products made out of alpaca wool.

By far the event of the day for the kids was hanging out in the tent with the angora rabbits. Sam in particular was entranced by the bunnies. I can't wait until they're a little older, when I plan to read them Watership Down. Sam kept saying "rabbits!" over and over again.

In all, we spent about two hours at the festival. They're a bit young to really appreciate much of anything for long, but we had a great time looking at all the different kinds of sheep. I tried to interest Josephine in the people spinning yarn from the wool, but she's a little young. Sam was a bit freaked out by the demonstration of the sheep shearing. So was I, for that matter!

ball

2009-10-06T05:17:00.001-07:00

There's a rap that goes "I wish I were a little bit taller, I wish I were a baller..." that's pretty much Sam's theme song right now... Saw some older adolescent boys playing b-ball at the park. Ball! Ball! I'm like, yeah, you'll be crushed! He sat and watched. THen an xtra ball rolled over and he went to the part of the court they weren't using "Hey Shorty!" they shouted and he tried throwing the ball - the large basketball - to the hoop. Very concentrated. Hilarious. I mean, he's ready to roll with the boyz.

Opera

2009-10-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

It is so weird how much Josephine loves to listen to and sing opera - which is kind of defined as anything with vibratto sung in gibberish...

Her quote of the morning: "I'm having a booger yardsale."

I wanted to get a video of Sam doing a hoedown - banging a tamborine with a stick while keeping time by stomping his heel, while hollering - it was quite impressive (and funny).

Seriously, can I get them in some commercials or something? Hee.

Studying

2009-09-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

In this first picture, Josephine is reading an English comic annual. I also learned to read by looking at these books, which I can remember devouring as a four-year-old. I was drawn to the colors, and as I developed the ability to read, I also learned the subtle differences between American English and English English. It's going to be fun as she learns to read.

I'm always cracked up by how both kids love to read while they're being taken somewhere in the double-stroller. Sometimes after walks, Josephine will sit in the chair for a few minutes.

And here's studious Sam:

Sam has the ability to concentrate for minutes at a time on things he's trying to solve. In this he shows glints of self-reliance, which counteract the times when he reminds us that he's still a needy toddler. I love in this picture how he's concentrating to hard on getting this plastic piece to go vertical, even though that's not how they're supposed to go.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing we have two budding non-comformists?

Anyway, I have a short video I'm going to post later of him with another "research" project he was conducting the other day. You'll suffer cute overload.

Artwork

2009-09-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

She's obsessed with drawing teeth!

Rock Press

2009-09-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

a) Today we made salt dough and colored it. Jo made a big mermaid and Sam made a big mess.
b) Later, we went to a park and Jo found a rock. "I'm starting a rock collection," she told me. "And we can put this in a rock press to dry it out, and put tape around it, or put it in a seat to dry it, so..." We've been collecting flowers for the flower press - I just cracked up at the 'rock press' idea...
c) Where is the sun? Is the sun up all the time? Where are the planets? Where is earth? She's got all the big questions down pat.

She also enjoys making grass soup in an old pot I don't use for cooking anymore.
It's gross.
But Sam gets jealous because he doesn't have an old pot.
Sigh.

Cute Tyrants

2009-09-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that Sam likes to take his diaper off and poo on the floor? That he bites? That he does naughty things so he can put himself in time out? That he keeps me up all night? And that he's got the cutest laugh ever? Here he is playing in Jo's butterfly wings.

Meanwhile, Jo is into learning about everything. Last night we discussed bats, and how they fly, sonar vision. Do they have nests? Are they born from eggs? Do they go out of their bodies when they die? Why are they small? Why do they fly at night? Why do they sleep upside down?

She also apparently wants to go to space and likes drawing pictures of the planets.

Oh yes, and also, an older friend of hers has started losing teeth, so lately all of Jo's drawings feature mouths with gigantic teeth or missing teeth, which leads to quite the ferocious effect.

Getting big

2009-09-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Flyswatter Guitars

2009-09-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

This morning Jo made me come watch the "show" of her and Sam playing "guitar" with flyswatters... he does everything she does... She was calling our porch the houseboat on the lake, "we're going to the mermaid castle, and I'm going to row every night and every morning." Rowing with the flyswatter, of course.

"Why is the sun round?" she asked.
I babbled something about the star and electrons and gravity pulling the planets around.
"But not Mars," Jo said.
"Sorry?" I asked.
"Mars isn't going around the sun anymore," she said. "I saw it floating around the sky the other night."

"Why do we have bones?" she asked.
"To hold us up."
"And when do our bones go out of us?" she asked.
"Uh... not sure they do..."
"When we die, to our bones go out of us? Did your dad's bones go out?"
"Uh..." (Gruesome!)

"Josephine, we're picking up toys, please put those away."
(Instead, Jo makes a stack."
"Jo, don't make a stack, put those away."
"But mom, it's ART."

Daddy's pictures from the last little while

2009-09-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Amy's posted some of her pictures, so I thought it was time to post some of mine. I've not had a digital camera for a while, but I borrowed one from work. This is a collection of random shots from the last two weeks or so.

Sam loves to push his face up against my screen door. He used to try to escape to freedom, but I think he likes the house now. After all, half of his toys and books are there!

Josephine loves to read. I'm convinced she's getting more of the words then she's letting on. These days, she'll spend a lot of time concentrating on the pictures.

Sam can be relied on to take a bath. Josephine fights it quite a lot, but I manage to get her to come in anyway (most of the time). Sam loves to fill up cups and pour them out. I have to tell him time and time again that water is supposed to stay in the bath, but he doesn't always listen. After all, he still only speaks baby English.

Sam loves to emulate Josephine, and thankfully he's picking up her love of books. Increasingly, both of them can entertain themselves by picking up a book.

Now, here is a conundrum. Josephine still won't exactly snap to attention when I ask her to help me with chores. But, her grandfather asks, she's right on it. Here she is helping him clear brush at Smith Mountain Lake.

Josephine understands why we sometimes have to do things we don't want to do. In the past, she has fiercely resisted wearing her life jacket. But now, she doesn't seem to really be too concerned about it, and doesn't complain. Sam is the same way. In Josephine's case, it might be because Barbie is prominently featured on the life jacket.

Similarly, Sam wasn't too enthusiastic about the boat the last time he was on board. However, since then, he's become a little more enthusiastic about anything that has a steering wheel. He's a boy. He is most definitely a boy.

I think they're doing really well and I am so proud to be their daddy.

End of summer

2009-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Kid update!
Sam is 19 months old and perhaps ready to start toilet-training - he often poops in his diaper and then rips it off when I'm making breakfast in the kitchen - yes, quite lovely start to the morning... He's learning how to say "Help!" when he gets frustrated, instead of scream-howling... he can say "I want that!" and "Thank you" and "hula hoop" and "moon" and a million other words, because he pretty much mimics everything any of us says... though he's still working on the not-grabbing-Jo's-toys piece...

Josephine just gets more articulate and animated and fun every day. I'm so excited about her being four. She is often singing operatically around the house, and says things like "Actually," and "I'm doing something, did you notice?" Always "did you notice?" She still feels frustrated with Sam a lot, but they also play well.

Ballet Class

2009-08-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today Josephine participated in a Sleeping Beauty Ballet Workshop with the City Parks and Rec. The teacher was amazing; it was two hours long, and she had them rapt (parents not allowed in - but we could peek, and watched them dance at the end). Jo took it very seriously; she was already practicing her plies and arabesques at breakfast.

She loves to dance. Ballet is pretty gruesome work; so are many sports, etc. It will be interesting to consider how to encourage her to be well-rounded as well as to focus on one thing, if that's what she wants to do...

On Josephine Growing Up...

2009-07-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

She's such a cool mix of sweetness and resiliency. She's still as even-keeled as she was as a baby, but can animate into a performance - comedic stylings, opera imitations - she just knocks my socks off. She saw a play performance of The Sound of Music on youtube - "I want to do a play" - and the next time I sang "Little Bunny Foo-foo" to the kids, she instructed that we all act it out (of course, this turned into a great justification for smacking her brother on the head, as he, of course, was assigned the role of field mouse).

But oh, we were at a park tonight that was getting overrun with teenagers, and I cringed. They were, well, typical adolescents - loud, gruff, boisterous - lounging on the slides in heaps of mismatched clothing - oh, I thought, I don't want Josephine to grow into that.

I guess I have a few more years...

Jo on bike

2009-07-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

She rode it - all by herself!!

Why, and Other Questions

2009-07-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Josephine asked me the other day: "Where does pee go?"
A really good question.
So, I launched into a description of pipes in the house meeting up with a big pipe in the street and converging waste products at the waste treatment plant...
"Where does PINK pee go?"
"Well, there's not really pink pee, per say..."
"Yes there is."
"Right."
Then she outlined the story I had just told her, word for word, all the way up to the waste treatment plant, "... and then the pink pee gets put high out of reach so the babies can't get it."
Ah, yes.

Then we were having dinner. I was desperately trying to encourage Josephine to eat her rice.
She was talking gobbledygook. "I can say fancy words," she explained. "I'm speaking French."
"You know, " I started, sensing an in, "People in France eat their rice. What do you think about that?"
"They do?" she asked, incredulously.
"Yep."
"What about China people? Do they eat rice?"
"Why, as a matter of fact, they do. A lot of it."
"Why?"
Oh good lord. "Because they like it. Because they grow a lot of rice."
"Why?"
"Because rice crops do well in China..."
"And they eat and eat and eat so they won't sleep?"
"No, people in China and France like to sleep. They love it."
"Why?"
"Because they get tired. Everyone likes to sleep. Everyone in the world." (Except you!)

The other question I hear all the time: "How time it is?"
And then trying to explain the AM and PM repeat of the same numbers... why is there an 8 in the morning and an 8 at night? It's confusing. And when she asked Why on that one, I really had no idea. Time to move to military time...

Amy

Boating at Smith Mountain Lake

2009-07-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

I took Sam and Jo to my parents' house at Smith Mountain Lake this past weekend. This was the first time Sam had been on the boat, and the first time that Josephine realized how cool it can be to sit on the bow of a ship as it speeds across the open sea.

Okay, lake in the case, but humor me.

Of course, Josephine insisted on wearing the special Barbie life jacket we had to get for her last year, when she refused to wear the ones that were not fashionable. The same thing happened again this year. I struggled to get her into the plain yellow life jacket, but she refused with a capital N. Thankfully, her grandmother remembered last year's purchase which cheered Josephine up instantly.

Sam is much more resigned when I want him to do things he does not want to do. He was not entirely happy on the boat, but he seemed to know it was what the rest of us wanted to do. Here you can see him in his life jacket, and it wasn't entirely a good fit. He wanted me or his grandmother to hold him the entire time we were on board. My mother helped things out immeasurably by giving him the toy truck that luckily was in the boat's glove compartment.

Josephine also loved sleeping in the top bunk of the bunk bed, and was so pleased. There is also the phenomenon of my kids getting to explore all of the toys that have accumulated as my parent's six other grandchildren have gone through the growing up process. So many books and old toys to sift through. We leave all of that behind when we leave the lake, confident that Sam's "new" monster truck and Josephine's favorite Barbie book will be there when we go back later this summer.

I wish I had a picture from the end of this trip, when Josephine and I were sitting on the bow singing songs to the mermaids. Her eyes were so bright and her smile could have powered a small village. Instead, I'll conclude this post from when we were just leaving the dock and the kids were a little more skeptical.

=

Mermaid

2009-07-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, I thought Sam was calling Josephine "Mommy."

"Meh-may, Meh-may," he kept saying, pointing to her.

"No, Sam, that's Jo, can you say Jo?" I kept saying, over and over.

"Meh-may, Meh-may," he insisted.

Then one day, I got it. "Are you saying Mer-maid?!!"

Sam lit up. She got it! "Meh-maid!!" He shouted.

And of course - Jo is always, always saying she is a mermaid, so why wouldn't he think that's what he should call her? And it seems easier for him to say than Jo.

And she, of course, just knows he understands reality...

Vacation!

2009-06-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

We just got back from vacation at the beach - every day we did the beach and a pool - it was so fun - and exhausting! Somehow I kept them from getting sunburned... you can see Jo enjoyed being a mermaid...

Sam is saying new words every day - cracker, water, stroller, run...

Josephine is talkative and imaginative as always. She is quite the performer. She entertains the babysitter with comic opera, and today at the post office she belted out some numbers to the long line of disgruntled people waiting for stamps. And "why" is the thing to ask, of course, because she is three and that's what you do when you're three. Today we were looking at My Little Ponies and she was asking which ones were "dappled" and "what's dappled?" And I had to wonder to myself, well, heck, how do I describe dappled??

Wandering Sam

2009-06-09T05:12:00.000-07:00

Sam's definitely a toddler now. The upsides are many, but I like that he can now walk to me when he wakes up in the night wanting to be held. But, he's changing, as this image snapped from my new phone depicts. I didn't even hear him wake up, but he walked down the hall to my office, looked and saw me working, and then plopped himself down on the floor in the hallway outside to go back to sleep, comfortable in the knowledge I was around. He was there for a couple of minutes before apparently realizing a rug on the floor is not as comfortable as it should be.

Next from me: A photo-spread called "Window Shopping in Charlottesville"

Fun

2009-06-08T07:53:00.000-07:00