Begin again.

Technically, we started school last Monday. However, it was a rather ill-fated attempt because I was recovering from bronchitis, and under the influence of Many Pharmaceuticals. The bronchitis had been going on for weeks and I kept not going to the doctor because every morning I would wake up convinced that was the day I was better. Then night would come and the hacking hacking hacking wheezing hacking never sleeping. So I finally went to an urgent care clinic and they gave me an albuterol breathing treatment, a steroid shot, a round of antibiotics, some steroid nasal spray, and, for good measure, a week's worth of prednisone (another steroid). Down with thee, inflammation!! There were several days during which the 'roid jitters were way worse than the bronchitis ever was, but I think I am, at last, all better.

So, in hindsight, it was probably not the optimal environment in which to review grammar and also borrowing and carrying. There was a blank expression regarding "6+8" during which I lost all grace and decorum (did I also lose consciousness? perhaps.) and the poor pupil in question might never love math again.

We started back with Classical Conversations. I documented it.
 In which I attempted to follow the first rule of photography, even though our house faces due east and it was 8:15 am:

In which I decided to ignore the first rule of photography and got a much better shot.

Helena is in a class this year and the first day was a little wobbly. She does this thing where she pretends she is really shy and it involves trying to hide her entire body behind/underneath my body. It might appear to be cute. It is really not.It is especially disastrous if I am wearing a skirt or dress. I think she is just not quite ready for Charlemagne and the seven kinds of biomes and the eight parts of speech. Alas, she is along for the ride regardless. Maybe she will do better this week when I am not in there with her. Thankfully, her tutor is a very sweet mom of five who will, no doubt, know just how to handle her.

And  that is two days in a row!! What will the future bring?? Will I post selfies of my new (short!) hairdo? Will I finally post to the book blog? The suspense!!

Law enforcement

We were in the car and Hudson spotted a traffic infraction (one of his favorite pastimes), I believe it was a lane change without signaling, and this conversation happened:

Hudson: Oh HO. Look at that law breaker! People need to LEARN how to DRIVE properly.

Helena: YEAH. That BAD person should go to prison and JAIL!

Hudson: Well, you don't necessarily HAVE to go to jail for not using your signal. Jail is for really bad things.

Helena: what bad fings?

Hudson: (long pause) Things like...THEFT. Or destruction of PROPERTY.

I love that those are the two most heinous crimes he could think of. The bubble is intact!! Also, Peter Rabbit should totally be in prison.

We went to the zoo Friday.  It was HOT. Probably 99 degrees.  So hot that we were wilty before we even really started. So we ended up in the bird house fairly quickly because it is air-conditioned. My kids really love the bird house, not surprisingly. We were with the R's and I was enjoying some conversation with Mrs. R when I heard Asher say, rather off-handedy, "I don't like birds." It was like an atom bomb had gone off in the bird house, as far as my kids were concerned. They each handled his statement differently. For a moment, they all stared at him and made various exclamations of disbelief. Harper scowled, crossed her arms, and walked away from him. Turned her back on his heresy, if you will. I went over and whispered in her ear that it is not an actual CRIME to dislike birds. She went over and demanded to know WHAT animals he does like? "I like serpents!" he replied, cheerfully. Harper's face was a storm cloud. I went over for another whisper. "WELL," she barked, "I don't think you should like serpents better than birds because a serpent is what made people BAD." Rather than get into it with her, I said, "That wasn't really a serpent, but we can talk about that later." She then continued to make barbed comments about how "Some large water birds EAT serpents and so HAH." to which the ever patient Asher responded, appropriately, I might add, "So what?" Hudson, once he recovered from his initial shock at Asher's proclamation, followed him eagerly around the bird house trying to change his mind in a winsome manner: "what about the pretty birds Asher? Like scarlet tanagers! And manakins! You have to like those!" Helena kept saying, "What about parrots? They are pretty AND they TALK. You HAVE to like parrots!" Asher did finally concede (probably just to stop the berating) that he liked birds that were the colors of the Ninjago ninjas, but that was it. This answer was satisfactory to both Hudson and Helena, but I fear Harper is still holding a grudge.

I am going to try to write a little something every day this week, so stay tuned.

It's kind of a LOT of pressure

We decided to go to the pool at 4:45 today. We had been inside all day because we've had something every other day this week, and I needed to clean the bathroom and also plan out our schedule for the fall. "Mary Poppins" was watched. Pajamas were still on. At 4:45 in the afternoon. So, we walked to the pool. We got Hudson some flip-flops a month or so ago, and he still isn't used to walking in them. He kind of marches and picks up his entire foot and smacks it down flat. It amuses me.

We did not apply sunscreen. I sat on the side of the pool, in the shade, with a book. I read a few sentences, then put it down so I could watch the kids. Harper is really independent in the water now. I don't know that her form is especially conventional, but she is quick and sure. She loves her goggles that cover her nose. Hudson is independent too, but he still has moments that look a little too much like drowning. He also loves his goggles that cover his nose. Helena does not like to go underwater, so she wears a floatie unless I am in the pool with her. It is almost too small, so next summer she will have to learn to go underwater. She will be ready then.

Helena enjoys making friends at the pool. Today she was drawn to a large group of kids who were having a great time with a large ball. "They are very NOISY!" she complained. Then she sidled over (can you sidle in the water?) and started splashing them and shooting her water gun at them. They were old enough to be delighted instead of annoyed. I tried to figure out what language they were speaking. It was English, then it wasn't. One of the girls, who wasn't swimming, came and sat near me. I asked her if they were all brothers and sisters. She said four of them were her brothers and sisters, and the others were her cousins. "We just arrived from Nigeria," she told me. I asked about the language. "It's slang--Nigerian slang," she said. I asked if it has a name. "Pidgin, I guess," she responded. Then she asked why English here sounds so different than the English spoken in her country. I said I guessed it was because they learned to speak British English, and we speak American English. Then I corrected myself and confessed that we actually speak Texas English, which is an entirely different thing. She thought that was funny. She told me she was 14. She looked at me shyly and said she has never really talked to a white person before. She said, "I have never had a white friend." Well then, I replied, now you do. We will be friends. She smiled and clapped a little. I asked her name, and told her mine. "Party!" she exclaimed, and I did not correct her. Then she asked me what books I like to read ("I saw you reading your book and I knew then that you must love to read!") and if my kids like to watch Nickelodean. She told me there is a character on a show whose name is Harper. She said she liked my kids' hair, and that if they were in Nigeria everyone would want to touch it. She asked why my girls ears weren't pierced. She asked if we had air-conditioning in our house. She told me about the bribes they had to pay at the airport when they left Nigeria. She said everyone in Nigeria wishes they could come to America. She told me that at her school, the nuns whip the black kids but not the white kids because the white kids' parents complain when their kids get whipped. I asked where the white kids were from. She said, "I think Japan." She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She said her brain does not work as well when she wears her glasses. "Do people wear their lenses in the pool here in America? I saw a man with his lenses on in the pool!" I told her my husband does not wear his glasses in the pool. She wondered why I didn't name either of my daughters after me. She said it is done very often in her country. She said her mother is pregnant with her sixth baby. She hopes it is a boy because her sisters talk too much. She asked me if I like snow or heat better. I told her it rarely snows in Houston, but that we enjoy it when it does. She lamented that it has never, not even once, snowed in Nigeria. Then it was time for them to go. She stood up very formally and stuck out her hand to shake mine. I shook her hand, then I gave her a hug. Even though I am not technically a hugger.

It's funny because on Saturday, we had a birthday party at a large church where there happened to be a Nigerian wedding happening at the same time. The ladies were finely arrayed. Helena was very intrigued by their finery. She noted that all of the wedding guests seemed to be fancy and also "brown." I reminded her that we are all sort of brownish, just in various shades. She wished she had worn one of her costumes and could go to the wedding. I told her maybe someday she would.

That is all. Now I won't forget my new friend.

Summer loving, happens so fast

I just can't seem to get back on a good schedule for blogging. Even so. I won't let that stop me! I have been trying to do some other writing. Also lots of reading. Which I really need to document on the other blog. And I WILL. SOON. Until then, let's review a little of our summer thus far.

Hudson draws all the time. Approximately 95% of the time he draws Ninjas. The other 5% is dedicated to his beloved scarlet tanager.

Harper amazes me with her drawing and general artistry. She sat up in the fort yesterday evening and sketched this monarch. It's on watercolor paper which I suppose means she plans to paint it at some point. The artistic temperament is still in effect too, in case you wondered.

One afternoon we played in the rain. Harper dressed Sasha the stuffed puppy in his rain gear. Hudson wore his pj's and also, naturally, his socks and Keens.

We did a three day vacation Bible school (our first EVER) at our new church. Then we did a week long vacation Bible school at our old church. I dropped them off and had three hours all to myself every morning. Mrs. R and I enjoyed Costco and Ikea. I also got quite a bit of reading done. I ate breakfast at a different place each day. It is around 30 miles from our house, so I had an excuse not to drive all of the way home and clean and be otherwise productive. I was forced to go sit someplace and drink coffee and read and eat croissants. This is the best picture I got. Harper loves capturing significant events with a cheery disposition.

 

I practiced a fishbone braid on Harper's mane. I need to work on my speed if we are actually going to incorporate it into our morning routine in any useful way.

That will have to do.

Interview with Harper, age 8

1. Harper, at what age does a person become a grown-up?
"Nineteen. Because they can drink alcohol." (me: actually that's at 21) Drive a car. Have a thousand dollars sometimes."

2. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
"Touch all the birds I could find. Pet birds. And eat a lot of candy and stuff."

3. What is something that makes our family special?
"We all like birds."
(this juvenile yellow-crowned night heron and his sister visited our neighbors' porch yesterday! They let us get really close.)


4. Are you a good friend? Why?
"Yes. I don't know. Okay next question.(I tried very hard to get her to name some of her positive qualities. She became surly) "Because I know a lot of things!"

5. How would the world be different if animals could talk?
"You'd have to find special kinds of bird seed for sparrows if they wanted a different kind of bird seed.  Sasha could tell us when she needs to go outside! Or when she needs to throw up!"

6. What is the best thing about being a kid? The worst thing?
"You don't have to drive.Um, Grown ups telling you what to do when you don't want to do them."

7. Where is your favorite place in the world?
"DESTIN. There are a lot of animals there. Like brown pelicans and crabs and sand dollars. And the water is clear and the sand is white not like in Galveston. Also there are lots of treats there. A lot of ice cream places."

8. If you could give one gift to every child in the world, what would it be?
"A bird field guide with all of the birds that anybody has every saw. (SIC!!I bite my tongue..) that I painted. With a stuffed bird."

9. What are five words that describe you?
"Likes birds, loves stuffed animals,LOVES birds, likes dogs, hates ants and yellow jackets and wasps, and loves climbing trees. I like climbing trees."

10. If you could invent something, what would it be?
"Let me think. (very long pause) (followed by an extremely confusing and complicated description of some sort of spy glass that I can't begin to transcribe.) Where the guy has the spyglass thing that shows him where the stuff is. There is a green window and a yellow window...It would be easy to invent. Very easy. Easy."

11. If you could make a rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?
 "Only shoot targets and clay stuff. Don't shoot animals."

12. What is your favorite:

--Color? Green

--Smell? Candles

--Food? I like sushi and dumplings and egg rolls

--Book? Charlotte's Web and Pagoo

--Activity? Play legos and sew and draw and paint

 --Sound? Some kind of bird call. Baby birds.
--Animal? I like sparrows, stingrays, dogs, horses. egrets! HELLO!! (as one flies overhead!), roseate spoonbills, crabs

13. What does Daddy like to do?
"Shoot guns. (What does daddy do for a living?) He's a dean. And a lawyer."

14. What does Mommy like to do?
"Read and do stuff on her Ipad. (me: What does Mommy do for a living?) "Nothing really. She takes care of me and Sasha and Hudson and Helena. And buys food. (pause) Usually. (loud laughter from me.)  And goes to Target."
What does Mommy look like? "Light skin, brown hair, brown eyes."

15. What makes you special?
"I like things a lot of other kids like. I can build really good Lego stuff? I can rock climb really well. I can paint and it looks like a grown-up usually."

16. What do you MOST want to do?
 "Have a pet bird. A pet egret. Visit Colorado."

17. What would you like to write a book about? 
"Well next year I am going to write about an egret who travels around the world with his friend the roseate spoonbill." (I think we also need to write a book about Snail World. She created it last time we were visiting the grandparents.)

18. What is your favorite thing to wear? 
"My heron shirt with that skirt."

19. Describe what you look like. "I have light brown hair with light brown eyes. My eyes aren't really hazel anymore. Light skin.(me: What do people comment about when they see you?) Curly hair and sometimes eyelashes."


20. What are you looking forward to this year?  "Going to the swimming pool. And today looking at stuffed animals on your ipad. How to cross stitch. I don't need art classes. I can do art classes at home. I have an easel, acrylics, water colors, LOTS of brushes. I don't NEED art classes."

21. What is your favorite song?
"The one I know all the words to. We hear it at church and on the radio. "Ten Thousand Reasons." Okay ask me a math question. (what's 24+6?) Thirty!"

22. What are some things you accomplished as a 7 year old?
"Painting. And if you gave me a really big book I could probably finish it in a week."

23. What do you hope this year brings?
"Snow again."

Harper at eight.

That was a hiatus, that's what that was.

It has been over a month since Harper's birthday. I think the interview was conducted about three weeks ago. Specific dates and holidays are such a chore. Has anyone ever done a study to show that people were actually happier, if not more productive, before we had clocks and calendars? Although their life expectancy was something like 19 years. But I would wager they were happy years. Just running around spearing the wooly mammoths not thinking about whether or not they had remembered to order the finger puppet bald eagle from Amazon in time for it to arrive before the actual birthday. (The bald eagle finger puppet has still not been ordered. Also no wooly mammoths were speared. And my floors are sticky with watermelon juice. What day is it again?)

This girl is now eight years (and one month old):

She was showing me an acorn sprout, uprooted because it was growing where it did not belong.

Here is what I want to remember about my oldest kid on and around her eighth birthday. She defies easy categorization. She has a strong personality. She leads because she usually knows what she wants to do, and if friends or siblings want to join her, they are welcome, as long as they follow her rules, which are incredibly arbitrary and generally made up as she goes. While she is delightfully inquisitive and loves learning about things that she is interested in, she has not been an easy student this year. She would prefer to spend all day reading and drawing and painting and crafting.  She is messy, messy (like her mother).  She loves to swim, as long as she can wear her goggles that cover her nose. She builds excellent blanket forts. She is noisy. She really wishes I would teach her to sew properly (except I don't really know how) so, in the meantime, she takes matters into her own hands. She has a collection of hand-sewn stuffed birds that she would like to sell on etsy for around $1,000 each.

She is tall (not sure how many inches) and slight (48 pounds). Her hair is long and wavy and usually tangled and in her face, though she has, halleluia, recently learned how to actually brush it. She loves to wear her charm bracelet. She rarely loses any of her things. She thinks very highly of her abilities, and occasionally manages to keep her self congratulations to herself. She adores her grandparents (and the new easel she got with their generous birthday gift)

Here is the first painting she did on her easel. She wanted to use her new acrylics, though I think her real talent is in watercolors.

She loathes Explode the Code (but we do it anyway). She has a large gap between her front two teeth (like her mother did). She loves Sasha the dog, and greets her every morning with extravant kisses and "shzuh boo shzuh boo szhuh boo." She loves all of her stuffed animals, in particular her stuffed goldfinch from Mrs. G, her frog Frog E. Dew, her handmade roseate spoonbills, and her Mr. Cardinal. For her birthday, she requested cupcakes festooned with roseate spoonbills. She decorated them herself.

In this picture she was flapping her hands to dry her nail polish (a birthday request) while wearing a pink camo t-shirt (size 4T I believe) while perusing a Star Wars Lego catalog. That sums things up pretty well.

 Let's call it a day. This post took a ridiculous amount of time because I am trying to use the program that supposedly allows me to post pictures from the ipad. Somehow it won't work. Because the internet hates me, obviously.  The goal is to transcribe and post the birthday interview sometime this week.

We drove east and it was edenic.

If I could post pictures from the iPad, I really would blog more frequently. Alas, the addition of photos (which I now find quite necessary) is cumbersome, laborious, and other polysyllabic words not necessarily edifying.

Our First Ever Family Vacation did actually happen after a flurry of last minute planning. Before we could leave, Sasha had to meet a new vet, who was more than happy to examine her and allow her to stay for the week for a very tidy sum that I will not mention because it grieves me STILL. She survived the week without me, which surprised all of us.

We drove ELEVEN hours, in a single day, to Sandestin, Florida. We have a beach about an hour away, so you might (as we certainly did) be wondering if it was worth it. I'll let the view from our condo inform you.

 We were not at all sure how the kids would do, considering that their longest car trip hence had been the 4 1/2 hours it takes to visit friends and family in Dallas. They did fantastically well. They actually seemed to enjoy looking out the window, and celebrating each state we passed through (Louisiana! Mississippi! Alabama!) I had new sticker books for Hudson (Ninjago) and Helena (fairies), and Harper had a stack of books and her sketch pad. We left at 4 A.M. which everyone except me seemed to think was terribly exciting and wonderful. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (a first for the kids. They enjoyed the gift shop very much). When we got to the beach ELEVEN hours later, they did this:

We spent the week swimming and digging and boogie boarding and looking for sand dollars (many, many broken pieces, and on the last evening, FINALLY, one almost intact!) The weather was perfection--cool with low humidity (an elderly local I met on the beach told me it was the nicest May weather she could remember in the 40 years she'd been there!)

We ate doughnuts at Krispy Kreme (that spelling really irritates me. What is wrong with the letter c, I ask you??) (another first for the kids--it may actually have been their first doughnuts ever, now that I think about it).

We drove into Seaside and had shaved ice and then lunch at Bud and Alley's. There was also a terrific bookstore there. I bought some reading glasses. They are 1.75 magnification.

It really was a great week. I think waiting this long to finally take a real vacation had its benefits. The kids are much easier and independent now. They were really excited with the novelty of every new thing (except maybe eating calamari and shrimp. They didn't "care for it."), which perhaps they would not have been if we'd been doing this yearly since they were babies. Everyone slept well (except for when Helena fell out of bed onto the tile floor on the first day and got a huge bump right in the middle of her forehead.) and the husband and I were both able to relax. I didn't get much reading done (I brought 5 books and ended up only reading about 100 pages in one) but I did take lots of walks up and down the beach, which was better than reading. Especially now that I need 1.75 magnification.

Something else happened during my blog sabbatical: a certain girl turned EIGHT. Hopefully, I will get her interview posted tomorrow or soon thereafter. Here is a teaser: home-made roseate spoonbill cupcakes!!