Random Picture Monday, Part V

1. Hudson's basketball team, The Grapes of Wrath, finished up the season on Saturday with another big win. It was the first game all season that Hudson didn't score, and he was pretty sad about that. He had several important assists and also played awesome defense (the guy he guarded was also scoreless) but that doesn't provide much solace to a ten year old boy. It MAY just be a coincidence, but the Daddy had given him a haircut that morning, because his mane was reaching distracting heights. Was that the source of his skill?  We will never know. Also, last week he and a kid on the other team collided pretty violently-- Hudson got teeth to his skull. The other kid had to leave for medical attention. Hudson (and his hair)  winced mightily, fought off tears of pain, but kept right on playing. It was practically Sparta.



2. Last Thursday, Harper had a field trip at Brazos Bend. We went early to do some bird watching. Harper got several pictures of this beautiful vermillion flycatcher.

 Then she and her classmates put on an entertaining production of "Searching for Odysseus" in the outdoor amphitheater. Here is Athena, flipping a water bottle as pre-show preparation.

She had a commanding stage presence, though she really had not wanted to be one of the actors. I think having the stuffed owl on her shoulder gave her courage. In this next picture, she was showing the boys how to string her bow properly.

 3. I believe I have mentioned my aversion to Holidays and Celebrations, generally. I am trying to do better, so on Valentines Day, we celebrated the martyrdom of the saint by making our own heart shaped pizzas. Also, I let each of the kids chose a bag of candy. Harper chose Andes mints, Hudson chose mint M&Ms, and Helena chose Smarties. I am certain St. Valentine would be well pleased.

4. Helena got invited to a fairy birthday tea party on Saturday, and had a delightful time. There was actually food for the moms too, and I ate four (4!) deviled eggs and a great number of tiny quiches. The little fairies were not appreciating the deviled eggs or the quiches, so I basically just felt sorry for them, ignored there on the platter. (Am I even spelling 'deviled' right? Devilled? And why are they called that even? Weird.)

5. We have been tearing through the audio books in the car. Last semester we listen to the entire Chronicles of Narnia (except The Last Battle),  Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Genius of Birds. We just finished Little Men, and started Little Women. I just finally finished listening to Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman, which I only listened to when I was in the car by myself. It was a really well-written biography, and somehow managed not to be sad or melancholy, which is quite a feat considering how sad and melancholy the Brontes' lives were.

Ok, then. Enough.

Spel two right and reed

I loathe our spelling curriculum. Hudson is (like me) a naturally good speller. He sees a word once, and has it. Harper spent a few years generally not bothering with correct spelling, but she seems to have gotten it down now. Helena is the only one who started with this curriculum in kindergarten, which means she should be a Star Speller, right? Please let me show you how well it is working:

Exhibit A: Christmas List

Translation:
2. 'lova pudy'=lava putty
3. 'barby'= Barbie
4. She had written 'thingernale palesh'--correction done by concerned sibling)=fingernail polish
5. 'a hores stuffed animal'= a horse stuffed animal

Exhibit B: A list of precious jewels, drawn during church



Translation:
'Perll'=Pearl
'Dimend'=Diamond
'Roody'=Ruby
'Safier'=Sapphire
'amithist'=amethyst
'emald'=emerald

Exhibit C: Lots of vegetables, drawn during church yesterday:

Translation:
'asparigis'=asparagus
'peeees'=peas
'tamatow'=tomato
'pikle'=pickle
'selery'=celery
'kari/et'=carrot
'kukumbyr'=cucumber
'unyin'=onion

Exhibit D: Lots of fruit, also drawn during church yesterday


Translation: (she got a few right on this one!! She also asked how to spell kiwi and pomegranate)

'ovikadow'=avocado
'lemen'=lemon
'bluebarry'=blueberry
'strabarry'=strawberry
'grapfruit'=grapefruit
'plunb'=plumb

When I read ovikadow, I pointed it out to the husband and whispered, "PHONICS!"

She also wrote a comic strip in Latin on our way home from Hudson's basketball game. It was  spelled somewhat correctly. Which I guess means she was supposed to live in ancient Rome.

Translation:
Salve. Salve. (Hello. Hello.)
'Cwees est nomen tebby'=Quis est nomen tibi? (What is your name?)
'Nomen est Moll'=(my name is Molly)
!.Minsa=Mensa (Table!)
Ha Ha Ha Ha. Ha Ha Ha
The End.

Harper drew these charming ducks during church yesterday. You can tell they think spelling is silly.

 

I actually know WHY the caged bird sings

A few months ago, some friends had to move after their house flooded. They had to winnow down their sizeable menagerie, and we got their three parakeets. (Some other friends got their chickens, and I think they got the better deal). You can imagine, with our all-around Love of Things Avian, the birds were welcomed into the family with great delight. Harper named hers Hobbes, Hudson's is Peeper, and Helena's is Bitty. Hobbes is the biggest and most social. He is the only one who will come out and sit politely on a finger or shoulder or head, or, on occasion, attempt to build a nest in your hair:


 Bitty and Peeper have each gotten out accidentally a couple of times, and it has been Highly Dramatic to get them safely back into the cage. Bitty in particular, slams herself into walls and windows, gets herself stuck in tight places, and generally acts crazed, which causes both Harper and Helena to panic and also weep. Though the tiniest, she is extremely fierce upon capture, and bites VERY HARD on my fingers. One time I even bled. She is my least favorite.
Sasha is also not a fan. The friends who gave them to us have two Chihuahuas who would let the birds ride around on their backs. The first time we had him out, Hobbes made straight for her and Sasha said, "NO THANK YOU DO I LOOK LIKE A SHOW PONY?" and, ever since, has run, tail tucked under, from the room every time we've gotten them out of their cage. The birds actually really like her, and Hobbes will even bark excitedly any time she wanders near their cage.

We keep their cage in the schoolroom, but I have to put them outside during school time because their chatter gets very loud and excited and screechy when I start to read or explain something. Yesterday, I put them out on the porch. We were getting ready to leave for piano, and Harper came in and said, "There is another parakeet--a blue one!-sitting outside on the birds' cage!!! The birds must have called to him or something! Can we keep him??"  It took about 15 minutes, but we ended up getting him into the cage. I have posted a message on our neighborhood page, but so far, no one has claimed him. Alas, it seems that Hobbes has found his Calvin. He adds a little diversity to all the green and yellow:

 In other birding news, Harper and I met a pair of phoebes on a walk last week. They are not frequent visitors to our parts, so it was exciting to get a good look at them.



And then, after the excitement of Calvin showing up, we got to our piano teacher's house and Harper looked up and realized she has a nesting pair of red-winged hawks in a tree next door, AND a yard full of kinglets, and tufted titmice, AND a goldfinch!!

To close, apropos of nothing mentioned thus far, Harper asked for these wooden Keva tiles for Christmas, and they've built some beautiful structures with them. They might even be as awesome as Magnatiles.

 

 

Cocooned no more

Hudson turned 10 on Friday. I plan to interview him this week, which I sincerely hope will help me process that he's already been alive AN ENTIRE DECADE even though it feels like he should be approximately 7 months old. That's how old he was when I started blogging.

He had an actual party last year. I just realized I never posted a picture. He wanted to play laser tag, which he'd never done before, with a few buddies.

This year, he wanted another party. Instead, he got to get up as early as he wanted and play video games. Until it was time to leave to take Helena to ballet, and then pick Harper up at her Friday forum. If you are thinking that sounds a touch LAME, well, yes, it was a little. UNTIL Helena realized that something incredible had happened. THE POLYPHEMUS MOTH HAD FINALLY EMERGED FROM ITS COCOON!! It had been 3 months, and I almost threw them away last week, assuming they were mummified. In fact, I had put the habitat outside and forgotten about it. It happened to be a really windy, wet day, and the habitat got buffeted all over the yard before I noticed it was about to blow over the fence and went out and retrieved it. All, naturally, part of the plan for Hudson to be the only 10 year old ever to be personally celebrated, on his birthday, by a moth named after a cyclops!!

Harper and I both took lots of pictures with my real camera, then I realized my phone camera actually did a better job. His antennae are spectacular:

Then, on Saturday, Hudson showed that a new decade brings even more basketball prowess. He has lots and lots of hustle, on offense and defense.

 You are my very best son, dear one.

Let's just pick up where we left off

Last week we had a school holiday on Monday, then on Wednesday there was torrential flooding and school was delayed for two hours. Today, this little lad is home with me feeling very, very puny. It's a good thing he has a loyal dog, who is always willing to spend the day napping on the couch and/or randomly sniffing your hair:


Here are the projects Harper worked on in the fall. She molded and painted some Greek pottery:

 She also used her knitting skills to create this Cell City:

 I spent a solid week of Christmas vacation making cookies. I feel like each effort gets a little better-looking, though the process itself doesn't really get any less labor intensive.

 I left our Christmas tree up until last week. Yes, it was a real tree. Yes, it was a conflagration ready to happen. If it had been artificial, it would still be up.

The Christmas presents this year were mostly Lego. Here is Harper with her beetle bug:

 My parents were here this weekend to babysit and go to Hudson's basketball game. We watched the inauguration on Friday. The kids had never seen Mrs. Trump before and had some funny commentary. Hudson: "Wait. WHY is she so young?" Harper: "WHY would he want a wife who is that much younger than he is??" They also wondered if the Trumps have dogs. They also wanted to know exactly how much money Barron has access to. My dad pointed out the Clintons to Hudson and said, "That guy there that she's married to, he has a '65 Mustang. Or at least he used to." So, based on that, Bill Clinton was a great president, as far as Hudson is concerned. I really enjoyed watching W. wrestle with his poncho. Some things are harder than being president. And Cheney in his huge hat watching the whole thing with a smug little smile. It would have been perfection if Rumsfeld had been there to give him a hand.

Hudson's basketball team is OUTSTANDING this year. It is really fun to watch them win. I screamed myself hoarse on Saturday. Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader, apparently. I felt a very strong urge to do a herkie at one point, but refrained. Only because I hurt my knee playing tennis with Mrs. S just after Christmas. Which also means the Couch to 5K has been totally couched.

That's enough to prime the pump anyway. Here's to fewer impediments to writing!!

The Family Shield

Back when I was single and lived in Dallas, I volunteered for an organization that provided respite care for babies who were HIV positive. My usual job was to help the paid workers by rocking and feeding babies, but one day I got there and the wonderful lady who ran the organization (whose hands were gnarled with rheumatoid arthritis, and who, I discovered later, had lost a beloved son in a diving accident when he was 16) asked me if I would mind driving one of the kids to his orthopedic appointment at the nearby children's hospital. She handed me the gigantic, heavy, specially modified car seat, and the adorable 3 year old, who had lots of other issues in addition to his HIV status, and pushed us out the door. I managed to wrestle the car seat and the child into the back of my small car. My young charge had casts on both legs and it took me a good little while to get his wiggling, rather heavy body properly clicked in. We got to the hospital, and the parking was impossible--we circled round and round a parking garage looking for an open spot. I heard him suddenly start to giggle (he wasn't verbal but he made happy sounds aplenty) really loudly and I looked in my mirror and HE WAS GONE. GONE. Well, not actually gone. The car seat had come unhooked on one side and had TOPPLED OVER. WITH HIM STILL IN IT. (yes, now that I am married to an attorney, this entire story is even more terrifying. Thank goodness for the statute of limitations.) I somehow managed to exit the parking garage, park in a handicapped space, and get things back to right. I am certain we were late to his appointment. I am also certainly glad I did not break any other of his tiny bones with my negligent car seat installation, or as I carried him and his two leg casts through the miles of labyrinthine hallways to the ortho clinic.

Anyway, I had totally forgotten about this incident, and remembered it one night last week when I had trouble sleeping. I feel like I was better at hard stuff back then.

Which is my segue into Helena's latest project. In second grade at our school, the kids create a family shield to represent things about their family. I never posted Hudson's from last year, so let's do that first:



It was a handsome, heavy wooden buckler, that would actually provide some protection were he to bring it into battle. He painted some of our favorite things on the front, and was all set to present it to his class. That part did not go well. His buckler, nifty as it was, looked nothing like his classmates' shields. He decided this was somehow a bad thing, and went mute when it was his turn to talk about it. I spent several minutes at the back of the little auditorium trying to quietly convince him he really could do it. Alas, he thought otherwise. It was a hard and sad day. But never let it be said we don't learn from set-backs in this family! When the project arrived on Helena's assignment sheet in early November, I suggested a more traditional route. She enjoyed the process greatly, painted this beauty:

 and yet, AND YET, when her teacher called her name to present it, she was UNDONE. The interesting thing is that both kids have done a half dozen other presentations to their classes with no issues. I am not sure why this one is so tragic. Perhaps they are, like their mother, overly sensitive to The General Concept of Battle.

The good news is that everyone has moved on nicely, and we've had a pleasant Christmas break.

Also, I have been feeling more like writing lately, so let's hope that translates into more frequent posting here. Is there such a thing as a Proustian promise?

Random Picture Monday,Part VI: Thanksgiving

For the fourth day in a row, I have eaten dessert for breakfast. And now it is raining, so I am on the couch and not running. The antonym for Crossfit? ME. Speaking of me, I rarely talk to the dog on these days when the kids are at school, but when I do, I refer to myself as 'Mommy.' Which is ridiculous, primarily because I have realized that Sasha does not actually think she is a separate being from me. I'm not sure what goes on in her mind, but I suspect she thinks of us as 'me' and 'also me.' Or maybe it's like the Queen and we are the royal 'we.'  One of the nights she was so sick, I woke up and she had her eyes open and was watching me and breathing in a really labored way. She was probably wondering why Also Me was not dying with her, like Elliot when E.T. gets sick.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with my family. I love my mom's turkey and cornbread dressing and green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole. We brought dessert this year. Harper made an apple pie, and I made chocolate Italian cream cake. Harper tried to cut an elaborate design into the piecrust and it did not go very well. There were suggestions that we JUST THROW IT IN THE TRASH but I managed to convince her it would be just fine. It really was delicious. Especially for breakfast.



This is the kids, giddy with excitement to go over the river and through the oil refineries to Grandmother's house.


Me: Hudson, it is your turn to unload the dishwasher.
Hudson: As soon as I've finished touring on my luxury gondola!

 Mrs. Spivey's grandkids are a little older than my kids, and she always gives toys to my mom once her grandkids no longer play with them. These plastic cups are one of the favorites. HOURS of fun. We also discovered Skip Bo (which the cousins dubbed "Skip body odor!") and there were also multiple rounds of The Game of Life.

 A few months ago, my mom uncovered my childhood collection of Family Circus books in a bin in her attic. The kids can't get enough of Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and PJ. There were actually a few of my Dad's Dennis the Menace books too, and I chuckled when I found one published in 1956, when he was a sophomore at Baylor. I guess he enjoyed a little Dennis during study breaks.