Children's Museum

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Maia's Kinder Concert

Part 1

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Children's Museum

A little summer fun at the Children's Museum. 

http://youtu.be/KiMHI3BTkBU

In Which A Guided Tour of My Filthy Car is given

Tour part 1: http://youtu.be/K7ZPRJ56uBg

Puddle Jumping

After oh, so much snow and cold... And with one of the slickest mornings yet earlier this week, we finally got some beautiful sunny days.

Just by comparison, it was about 42 degrees as we explored the puddles in the driveway, coatless and overjoyed. I even left the front door open to get some fresh air in the house (as I admonished myself,  as many a parent has done to their kid: "what, are you trying to heat the outside?")

How can you not on a day like today?  It's been a rough week for most of us, Maia has had tummy troubles for the better part of two weeks which ended up with a late night vomit, which is why the three of us played hooky to enjoy this day together. It felt like exactly what we needed. Even worth me going into work for 4.5 hours on a Saturday to make up for it).

Here's hoping Spring will be heading this way soon!

Winter Fun

A little thanks to Google+ Auto Awesome feature, here's a cool little mashup of P on the snow bank!

Winter Days

Winter being what it is... we have lots of energy to burn on days it's not great to play outside. So I bought a membership to the children's museum. We've gone enough now that things aren't new, but familiar and very much still fun. And different things become more interesting as kids grow up a little more.

The kids got a marble run for Christmas,  so this giant version made a lot more sense this visit.

Maia could rearrange things in the construction area to her heart's content.

And we always love to put on a show.

Maia loves the pet care area, and asked one of the staff If she could help organize the kennels.

Parker has tremendous patience on the spinning table.

and the dentist office was back!

But Parker was equally fascinated with the elevator.

Polar Vortices

It's been a wild winter here in Michigan. It started early, snowed a lot and got really, really cold.  So cold we had "cold days" instead of snow days. Cold days would be called if wind chills got down to -30º. They did. With 45 mph winds.

Did I mention the wind? And the snow?

Seven days of cold and snow days since the first one on December 21st. So despite all the lovely fluffy snow we've been having (and my relentless efforts to move it from my driveway, resulting in two stuck moments on the way to school, so far)... it's often too cold to play outside.

But we have had a few days to shovel together,

and explore.

As it turns out, the cedars (or overgrown Arbor Vitae as we believe them to actually be,) are a fantastic place to explore when snow covered.  I remember thinking, when we bought the house, that climbing through those trees as a kid would have been magical. My kids seemed to have thought so. 

I'm fortunate that they are learning to be helpers and they shovel with me (albeit briefly), and they are adjusting to the temps. So much so, perhaps, that one balmy day in the high 20s, Maia declared it was nearly spring, and she didn't need to wear her coat anymore, she wasn't cold at all! Really! And she ventured down the driveway to pull back in the trash cart before starting to change her mind.

Alas, I think we have a ways to go before we'll see something as welcome as this year's spring.  In the mean time, I will continue to be grateful for the snow blower my dad found for me. And how pretty it all is.

Festival 2013: Porta-Potties

Just ran across this little gem from June 2013. This was actually round 2 of this little ditty. The first version was sung to me in the car on our way to Festival, and was prompted by me reminding the kids to use the bathrooms at home before we left, because Festival only has porta-potties.

Well. Apparently someone had some important observations about porta-potties.

Merry Ice-mas!

Winter started early this year, and was not gentle with us.  By early December, snow plowing companies seemed not to be answering their phones or returning inquiry calls. So I often find myself snow blowing at 10 pm, after little ones are settled in bed and clothes are laid out for the morning. I silently apologize to my neighbors, and thank my dad for finding me a reliable and effective snow blower. 

Winter offered an additional challenge, however. An Ice Storm. And on December 22nd, I woke up to no power. It appears it had gone off in the wee hours. This was the day I had set aside to plow through all my laundry (having had sick kids in the preceding days) and to wrap all the Christmas gifts while the kids were with their dad.

Fortunately, the temperature in the house didn't drop too quickly. It was holding at about 65º in the morning so I started what cleaning I could do without electricity. I also learned that my gas stove will not work without electricity, but my stove top burners will.  I also learned that I did a poor job at plugging in my electronics the night before because just about everything was dead.

Then I got a call from Ray: Major issues with the back up power supplies at the hospital data center, he had to go in. Could he drop the kids off?  I'm happy to spend time with the kids, but, Hmm. We'll need to re-figure the wrapping gifts part.

We had a nice time playing outside in the snow and ice.  We made stove top hot chocolate and grilled cheese while I fretted about the fridge and freezer contents.  By the time the kids left in the evening, the house had dropped to about 63º and I frantically attempted to box and wrap as many presents as possible before my daylight was gone and I was left with flashlights. The children, of course, had creatively relocated my LED lantern, and most of my flashlights for play.  Power restoration estimates were set for December 26th at 11:00 p.m.  About 500k people were without power in the surrounding states and Canada.

That night, I had a lovely dinner and hot shower at my sister's, and she helped me clean out my fridge to move the contents to my back deck. That night, I slept in fleece pants a heavy sweatshirt and wool socks. When I woke in the morning, it was 56º and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep there again if power wasn't restored.  I got to work very early, just to be somewhere warm, and was grateful my kids were able to sleep in their own warm beds at their dad's.  

At lunch time, I rushed home from work to empty the freezer, putting those items on the back deck. After work, I rushed home to make use of the little available daylight to pack up ALL the gifts and wrapping paper and supplies, all the food I needed to cook, the clothes and toiletries for the next few days for myself and the kids; all with the intent to move into my sister's until maybe the 26th. It was now 52º in my house, which was better than I expected, but I cursed the previous owners who took out BOTH real fireplaces to replace them with two fakers that are completely useless in the event of a power outage. My sister helped me clean out the fridge and get that on the back deck too. I opened taps to help keep the pipes from freezing, and I worried.

I fretted about Christmas, and made plans to have my Christmas with the kids at my sister's while they were with my brother-in-law's family. I was stressed and exhausted and trying to look on the bright side and be flexible.

I baked my sweet potatoes and wrapped presents until Ray called to tell me he'd gotten an alert from the back-up hard drive that there was a power surge.  Dare I hope?  It was 10:30 pm and there were 2 presents left to go...

Around 11, bleary-eyed, I drove home to find my house, indeed, with power!  Hooray! I better start this laundry!

The morning of Christmas Eve was amazingly, indescribably beautiful. And I couldn't have been more grateful to all the hard workers who were involved in repairing downed lines and restoring power.

Merry Christmas!

Just a little singing...

She sings this one fairly often, and I've been asking her to take a video of herself singing it.  I love to hear her Spanish!  She's been reluctant, but I told her the truth: when she's 10, it'll be really wonderful to look back at this video of her 5 year old self, just 4 months into learning Spanish.

If you're wondering about a general (very general) English translation, the song is this one... although Maia is changing up the sweets in subsequent verses.

Listening

"At home, I have an invisible shelf where I keep my listening ears," says Maia.

"You do? How many pairs do you have?" I ask.

"Oh, at least ten-ish or more."

"Wow. I see." I pause thoughtfully. "Are some of those 'selective listening ears?'"

"Yeah. Two pair. And a couple others don't work very well at all. But I magically transported a pair of good listening ears for today," she says, matter-of-factly. "I think I need to get the other ones fixed."

Holiday Concert

I apologize for the shaky video...  but Enjoy!  My little guy in the blue and red plaid.

Ah, the fidgety joy of preschoolers. The wave to the parents at 0:32, The over-enunciation at 0:47, Parker's deep voiced "Like George Washington!" at the end. Love it, love it!

Oh, and Maia's got to get her cameo in. Check out the bottom of the screen around 0:10. See the hands holding up a piece of paper? She made a sign that said "I love you Parker" (she got most of the letters all by herself, but she isn't terribly concerned with spacing right now, so had you seen the front of it, you may not have realized it actually contained words. Just some very  l a r g e letters). Clearly, she's his biggest fan.

Fairies

Mommy and me as fairies. Sorry, I ran out of time to give you arms.

Leaves!

First aid

M: Parker, Parker! Come help me pack our first day kit!

P: Oh kaaay

M: We are going to explore the Indian Ocean and sometimes there are whales and stuff that might bite you so we need our first day kit so I can rescue you.

P: Okay Maia. Can I swing from dis vine?

On the Second Day of Kinder

Maia wore one of her favorite dresses to school on day two. At lunch time, a classmate turned to her and said: "Your dress is, like, beautiful."  So she gave him a hug, and laid down near him at siesta.

Or so she reported. By the weekend, some additional details came to light. His name is Leonardo.

Leonardo's mother is a 1st grade teacher at the school. She witnessed the original exchange, and reported to my sister that Maia also kissed Leonardo, she was so happy with his compliment.

Maia now reports that she chases Leonardo at recess, and sometimes she catches him.

Maia's teacher now reports that Leonardo, who is shy, seems to like the attention, and likes Maia too. He looks for her to lay next to him at siesta. She reports it seems to have helped his transition.

Last night (two weeks in) Maia told me about some other friends at school (Kendall, who has a locker next to her, and Olivia who shared her quarters on Cookie Wednesday because she didn't like the cookies), but still admits to chasing Leonardo. And sometimes catching him. She's pretty fast.

"Wow, Maia!" I say. "It sounds like you really like to be with Leonardo. Is he a good friend to you?"
Oh mommy, she says, I love him!
"Really?" I tease, "Do you want to marry him?"
Oh yes! she sighs.

Oy.

On the First Day of Kinder

The first day of kindergarten. Oh man, this is big stuff. New school. New language. New classmates. New teachers. No Parker with her.

We signed up for the lottery drawing to get into the local Spanish Immersion school in the spring, and enrolled her in the neighborhood school while we waited. There were 84 kids waiting for 23 slots. We crossed our fingers and waited.  The letter came: we were number 34 on the waiting list. 

We are fortunate that the neighborhood elementary is excellent, and we really couldn't lose with either of our choices; but Immersion education is such an amazing opportunity. I was disappointed, and so was Maia. 

InAugust, while visiting Nana and Grandpa, I got a call from the school secretary at the immersion school. Would we still be interested? I didn't hesitate a moment! Yes, yes, yes!!

The next few weeks were a rush of excitement and preparation, sharing with friends that she was going to Aunt Kathleen's school (she is the maestra de música, the music teacher). Backpacks and lunch bags were purchased. Crayons and markers and Friday Folders. We met her teacher at the ice cream social, and found that a friend from daycare would not only be at the school, but would be in her class. A familiar face on day one. She made other friends on the playground.

Then the day arrived. And as we drove in, her courage and excitement faltered. "Mommy, I'm scared!"  My heart sank for her, and my tears came as hers did (though I did not let her see them). Feeling the weight of the unknown for both of us. The knowing that life is changing forever, we can't go back to the security of the child care family who has supported us for the last five years. We are all growing up today.

We met Ray on the curb, and Maia tried to put on a brave face... But tears came again, with a little more urgency. We took deep breaths together, and I was determined to let her feel and process so she could move on with her day. This kid has an intensity that is not to be denied, so she may have been the only kid sobbing, but I thought she was entitled, given the fact that all the security she has known in her five years has been stripped away, layer by layer, in the last three months. Go ahead and cry for a minute, kid. You are entitled to those feelings. 

Eventually, she settled, and took a place by her teacher. She saw her friend Megan from daycare, and the new friend she'd met. And by the time she entered the doors of her school, she was settled. Calm. Brave. Curious. 

Parker, for his part, was only excited to move on to the preschool classroom with his friends, and Miss Nikki, who loves him (the feeling is mutual). I'm really excited to see how he comes into his own, and blossoms without his lovingly overbearing sister standing guard.  My moment of wistfulness was for the day that we leave this amazing daycare family. And that makes me teary, so I'm grateful I have two more years.

I can't believe it. First day of Kindergarten. First day of Preschool. Where did my babies go, and look at these amazing kids?

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A word about Immersion:

Kids brains are completely open to new language as that is a big part of its job in the developmental years. So the brain of a child can easily learn multiple languages side-by-side. Whereas adults learning a new language have to filter through their native language, translating into comprehension, the child's brain organizes the information differently. And being bilingual as a child will also allow the older learner to pick up additional languages more easily.

She should be fluent by the time she hits third grade. How cool is that?

Scavenger Hunt

Dear Maia,
Today in Pre-K, your participated in a nature scavenger hunt with your classmates.
Your teacher told me that you "rocked it.". Not only did you have fun, but you made sure you had Every. Item. On. That. List. Even the "hard" ones that no one was finding. You waived your teacher off "Yeah, I already got that one." And you helped your friends find theirs too.

I'm not proud of you because you found them all. I'm proud of you because you were driven, determined and confident. I want those feelings for you every day. Some days you don't have those feelings locked in, and it breaks my heart to watch you struggle through dark days. But oh how I rejoice when you find your way through to the other side. Happy and self assured.

My scavenger hunt for you? Find:
- courage
- grace
- determination
- patience
- empathy
- confidence
- joy

Let's all keep looking together, okay?

Love,
Mommy

Story telling

"It was April, and everything was starting to grow and come alive again. We were walking, and a mountain lion came. And... I don't want to tell you the rest. Its too scary."