A Fuller Understanding

Quotes of the Week

2008-07-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

Toby:
"Sometimes Batman makes bad choices."

Alicia:
(at dinner, after Toby announces he is full) "I'm Fuller! Alicia Grace Fuller."

So Much To Say

2008-07-18T20:24:00.002-05:00

If you actually read this blog because you're one of the lovely people who really care for us and want to know what we're up to, all the little mundane details that make life the rich pageant that it is, I should apologize for depriving you of late. I keep coming up with things to write for my imaginary other audience, the uncaring public at large who will take their short attention spans elsewhere if they are not constantly (okay, occasionally) amused, entertained and challenged. But the rational part of my brain, in its futile attempt to keep my ego in check, does remind me that those readers don't exist, having long ago abandoned the brief fad of reading blogs and are now Facebooking and iPhoning.

So us. There's lots to tell.

I just had a birthday. It was a great day. My work chums took me out for lunch, my family made me a delicious dinner, then we went to see the Twin Cities River Rats do their amazing feats, some of them on their feets, on the Mississippi River. Follow that up with dessert out (and more dessert waiting back home) and I couldn't ask for anything more.

I did, however, also acquire myself a Zune. A toy like this will keep me occupied for months, but before I get to enjoy it I have to break down and install Windows XP, which I've neglected doing for years, since Windows Server 2000 works so well. So that's my next project.

Alicia's project is peeing and pooping on the potty, which any parent knows is an exciting time, both the good kind and the bad kind. We tend to mix and match approaches, sometimes letting her go bare-bottomed to help her remember, sometimes putting underwear on her, and trying to provide frequent reminders. Yesterday was her first full diaperless day without a mishap. Today, one setback. But she's definitely got the idea, and she's on board with it. We'll get there.

Michelle got a job. The same job she had last year, she got it again. It's a grant position, and the grant had to be applied for again this summer. This week the word came in...she gets to keep her job. So that's good.

Toby is still Toby. He's 4, very bright and very funny, and quite moody. Not all of our parenting strategies work anymore, and sometimes he has bad days and we feel responsible. But he makes us smile and laugh a lot, and he loves to do that. Alicia is very different from him and he doesn't know how to handle her. We keep telling him he has to use words with her when it's not going well, instead of things like pushing her or simply falling down on the floor and doing nothing. Don't laugh; he gets passivity from his dad. He's really starting to get it, using words a lot more, so now it's quite obvious that words don't work with Alicia because she is two. Our goal for them is always that they be able to solve their problems on their own, and we're starting to get it through our heads that kids this young just don't. Parents just do have to be the police sometimes and maybe we should just stop pretending that we aren't going to stoop to that level.

So. Us. Getting older, learning new things...may it never stop.

Ask An ESL Teacher

2008-07-08T20:41:00.006-05:00

Do you have nagging questions about English as a Second Language Education that you've never had the chance to ask? Of course, we all do. Or perhaps you've had a grammar question on your mind that you meant to ask Mr. Language Person, but then Dave Barry retired, and now there's no hope for you. Maybe you're just wondering about that timeless grammar question, should it be "four and five is eight," or "four and five are eight?" Well, wonder no more, because it's a real waste of your time. And also because now you can Ask An ESL Teacher.

Q: What's a Second Language?
A: Thanks for starting with an easy one. Your Second Language is any language you have to learn as an older child or adult, one which you didn't grow up speaking.

Q: So technically it could actually be your third or fourth or fifth language?
A: Yes. You can have more than one Second Language. For that reason some people like to call ESL students ELLs, or English Language Learners. But technically we're all learning English all the time, aren't we?

Q: I don't know.
A: You can also have more than one First Language, if you grew up bilingual. By the way, hip and with-it ESL teachers like to say 'L1' and L2' instead of 'First Language' and 'Second Language'. Makes us sound like computer programmers.

Q: My head hurts.
A: Next question.

Q: Alright, tell me this. Did Yoda have a bad ESL teacher? I mean, English was clearly not his first language, since his grammar is so horrible. But nobody else in Star Wars talks like he does at all. How would he not have figured out the right way to speak English just by listening to everybody else? He seems pretty wise, otherwise.
A: Actually, his grammar is not horrible, it's just different. Many languages, even on earth, follow his structure of VOS, or Verb-Object-Subject. English is SVO, so we would say, "The cat ate the mouse." But Yoda, following VOS, would say, "Ate the mouse, the cat did." Other examples of VOS include Austronesian languages such as Malagasy, Old Javanese, Toba Batak and Fijian, as well as Mayan languages like Tzotzil, which are ergative languages. My best guess is that Yoda's L1 was similar to these. Many ELLs have trouble abandoning their L1 grammar when they study a second language, so Yoda is not that odd a case. And he could probably find the occasional example of a VOS sentence structure even in respected English literature, which would have made it seem perfectly fine to phrase his thoughts in the way that came most naturally to him.

Q: I think you just ruined Star Wars for me.
A: Or made it better, have I?

Q: How much do your students know when they start?
A: It varies widely. Some immigrants were well-educated in their first language, so they already know how to listen to a teacher, take notes, and cheat on placement exams. Others come from a purely oral culture and have a difficult time just learning to hold a pencil or focus on one person for a whole hour. But regardless of their L1 education, many of them come in with almost no understanding of English and have to start from scratch. Others have been here for years and have picked up a fair amount, but that can almost be worse because of all the bad habits they've developed.

Q: Then do you have to learn the languages your students speak so that you can make sure they understand what you're teaching them?
A: My Spanish is pretty good, and I've definitely picked up some Somali phrases, but really the answer is no. Most ESL educators believe it's not beneficial and can even be harmful to speak anything other than English in the classroom. Although I just wrote a paper on the theories of Vygotsky, who believed that students should dialog with each other in their L1 in order to better assimilate their L2.

Q: Can you really use 'L1' and 'L2' like that?
A: No.

Q: Vygotsky, huh? I bet it's hard to keep up to date with the latest developments in ESL Education.
A: Please phrase your question in the form of a question.

Q: Sorry. Is it hard to keep up to date with the latest developments in ESL Education?
A: It takes some work. For example, at this very minute I am in a class at Hamline University, working on credits for my Master's Degree.

Q: Wait...then how are you answering my questions?
A: I'm not. This was my husband's lame idea. I had no input into these answers whatsoever.

Q: Well, that's weird. Anyway, I just have one more question, and I think it's what most people wonder about ESL. How in the freaking heck do you teach English to people who don't understand a word you're saying?
A: Sorry, I have no idea. For that one you would have to actually ask a real ESL teacher.

Family Resemblance

2008-06-30T17:32:00.004-05:00

This was Toby two summers ago, at age 2:

Now here's Alicia today, at age 2:

The only difference is that we knew how Toby got his. Alicia, we simply put to bed last night with nary a scratch on her, and she woke up this morning like this. It's pretty common for her to wake up crying at 4am, so we just go in and tell her to go back to sleep, but apparently last night she was actually crying for a reason. Who knew? She must have got it by falling out of bed, trying to get back into bed, or just good old-fashioned sleepwalking into something. She's not telling.

Floored

2008-06-22T12:30:00.004-05:00

I don't know if new carpet is exciting enough to merit a blog post, but our kids think it's cool. I took these photos so they could see what the house looked like while they were staying at Granny's to avoid breathing toxic chemicals. Dad has been in bars prior to October 2007 and also doesn't have chronic lung disease, so it's not as much of a concern for him.

Most of the upstairs furniture was piled into the living room for the occasion.

Dad's computer got set up on the kitchen table...

Everything else went into the garage.

Once the new carpet was laid, we made sure to capture the rooms in their pristine condition before everything went back in place.

After a few windows-open days to let the smell disperse, everybody's back in house and enjoying the lack of ugliness beneath their feet.

For Everybody In Sota

2008-06-18T08:37:00.002-05:00

Anyone else feel like they've waited twelve years to watch this? And that it was worth the wait? I have chills.

Ask A Dad

2008-06-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

This Father's Day, your real life questions are answered by a real life Dad. Submit your questions to jsfuller77 at gmail dot com. You may also want to consider your questions for next week's columns, Ask An ESL Teacher and Ask A Computer Programmer.

Q: What's it like being a Dad?
A: It's not what you'd expect. At first you think it's going to be all pillow fights and hair-tousling, but it's a lot of work. The first couple years, you're exhausted just from all the asking your wife what you should do. There are diapers to change, and...mostly that's it. But after the diaper phase, it gets more rewarding. Now I get to play Lego with my kids, do art projects, and have them bring me whatever I want while I'm reading the paper.

Q: What's the best way to get a job as a Dad?
A: There are plenty of positions open, but not all potential employers are interested in landing the most qualified applicant. Your best bet is to play up your strengths. If you're funny, make them laugh. If you're good-looking, smile disarmingly. If you're smart, use your brain to figure out how to be either funny or good-looking. If you're all three, stay far away from my house.

Q: Is there a part of Dadding that is overwhelming to you?
A: Well, no one likes to talk about it, but one aspect that is really staggering to me is when I think about all the movies kids haven't seen yet when they're born. I mean, my generation had great movies coming out when we were kids, such as Back to the Future, The Princess Bride, and animated classics like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, and we also had to catch up on the greats from before our time like E.T., Bambi, Peter Pan, and as we got a little older, the Star Wars trilogy. Now it's my job to get my kids acquainted with all these amazing cinematic milestones and hundreds more from bygone days, while also making sure they get a balanced diet of the newer fare, from Babe and Toy Story to Harry Potter and Wall-E. And I don't even want to think about them reaching high school or even college age without me realizing that they've missed some crucial Hollywood accomplishment, the lack of which might eventually result in shocked disbelief or cruel mocking on the part of their peers. Can you imagine your child someday drinking beer with his buddies and having to admit that he's never seen Goodfellas? And that's without even going near the topic of rock music. One's responsibilities as a parent are truly daunting.

Q: What's your favorite part of the job?
A: Well of course you can't beat just plain old hugs and kisses from your kids, but other than that I really enjoy the chances to teach my kids something new. The first time Toby figured out how to throw a ball, Alicia's first ponytail, every day is a chance to unveil a new horizon. At what age does our universe become finite? If there's one image that I associate with fatherhood, it's holding on to the back of the bicycle seat, letting go and seeing them finally get it, pedaling on their own and shrieking with joyful terror. The only downside of all the first times is that, ipso facto, you only get each one once. So make them count.

Q: Have you seen my blue socks?
A: They're behind the couch. What does that have to do with being a Dad?

Q: I'm asking the questions.
A: Sorry.

Q: So what does a real life Dad want for Father's Day?
A: Great question. I have no idea. I have a hard enough time figuring out what I would like, let alone what to get my own Dad. We enjoy going out for unhealthy food like Famous Dave's, Papa John's, Don Pablo's...actually, just look for a restaurant named after some sort of male. But the best thing you can give a Dad is time. Even just an hour or two of your leaving him alone has the potential to become a treasured memory. No, I'm kidding. As Dads, we just want to be loved and appreciated by our families. Even a phone call will do. At least, that's what I'm hoping this year.

Q: What about power tools?
A: That's a myth. The implication that work is expected of us is too great.

Too Good Not To Post

2008-06-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

Clothing and Creations

2008-06-08T10:35:00.003-05:00

Alicia has lately made a habit of pulling out all the clothes from her dresser and forming them into large piles on the floor. She then takes off her own clothes and will sit happily for extended periods of time trying on different outfits.

This would be cute except that it's a lot of work to put all those clothes back in the drawers and on the shelves where they're supposed to reside. Telling Alicia that she's not allowed to do this has only served to advance her clothes-piling obsession to Dreyfussesque proportions (prize will be awarded for the reference). We've finally decided that she can't be allowed in her room alone, and acquired the child-proof doorknobs which were never a necessity during Toby's toddler days.

Speaking of Toby, one of his current occupations is that classic toy of classic toys, Lego. He (along with his dad) loves the set he got from his aunt as a present for being her ringbearer. The instructions have guided us through building an airplane, a helicopter and a hovercraft, all of which are great. Now we're just branching out into some non-canonical creations.

As you can see, Dad has loved introducing Toby to Lego. More sets are in our near future.

Dad has also dabbled in home improvement this week, which is never an unremarkable occurrence. This is me after attempting to spray a patch of the basement ceiling with that texture stuff to make it look nicely pebbled. I don't know about the ceiling, but I ended up nicely coated.

Celtics/Lakers

2008-05-31T05:28:00.002-05:00

Is this great or what?

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are going to play in the NBA Finals. I like numbers, so here are some numbers to help you appreciate what we get to see starting Thursday.

The NBA has had 62 seasons, making this the 62nd NBA Finals. Out of those 62 years:

This is the 11th time these two teams have played each other for the title.

This is the Lakers' 29th time in the Finals, which means they have participated in nearly half of all NBA Finals. They have won 14 titles and lost 14 times.

This is the Celtics' 20th time in the Finals, which means they have faced the Lakers more than half of the time after winning the Eastern Conference. They have won 16 championships and only lost in the Finals 3 times, for an incredible percentage of 84.2. 8 of the 16 titles came against the Lakers, and 2 of the 3 losses.

The 30 titles between these two franchises is far beyond any other combination of two teams in the NBA, and in three weeks it will be 31. It has been 21 years since they last played for the title. Now, a new generation gets to see the Green vs. Gold. It's gonna be good.

I'm Totally Lost!

2008-05-29T18:48:00.003-05:00

Item! The fourth season of LOST is ending tonight, in a little over three hours. Forgive me for being late to the party, but I'm hooked on this show!

Okay, all done with the Jackie Harvey impersonation. I kinda thought it would be funnier, but I quickly realized that an impersonation of an impersonation gets tired faster than Adam Sandler in a remake of a Jim Carrey movie.

Once again.

Yeah, I like Lost. I have this thing I tell everybody (so you've probably heard it already) that Lost is the new X-Files. Not that the shows have lots in common, but that they do all the same things well. Lots of characters with their own stories, plenty of unanswered questions, and whenever you do get an answer, you're left with more questions.

And like The X-Files, when Lost ends, it's going to suck. And by that I don't mean that you'll miss it. I mean, the last season will probably be lousy. I hope I'm wrong, but when X-Files wrapped things up, they made a bad movie with a plot basically copped from "fan theories" bulletin board postings and nine seasons of sexual tension culminating in a bee sting. If you're a fan of Lost, you may think you want the answers, but listen to me here. I'm serious. You really don't.

You like the mystery too much. You think you're watching to find out what happens, but you're really watching because you have no idea what's going on. You can watch any other show to find out what happens next. You watch Lost because you don't even know what the hell happened last season.

And the end is already beginning. You've seen what they're doing this year. They used to have flashbacks. For the first three seasons, each episode showed events from the life of one of the castaways from before they got on Oceanic 815. These flashback stories were brilliant insights into the characters, and intertwined beautifully with what was going on in the present to reveal more about why each survivor was making the choices he or she was making. Those are gone. Now you get flash-forwards. This season, we get to see a little bit of what the character will do after he or she gets rescued. Which means we already know how many of them will be rescued, which ones, and even quite a bit about why and who they have to leave behind or see die. All we get to find out tonight is how it happens.

It may be sacrilege, but I'll say it: That sucks.

I haven't heard anyone say that this is the final season, which is good, because there's still going to be a lot to follow up on, but it's almost like Lost kinda does end tonight. Six people will get kicked off the island. Others will die, get left behind, or actually choose to stay. If you've been watching you can already name who's in which category. So I'm not giving much away, am I? They did that for me.

All that said, it's still better than anything else I'm seeing on TV these days. Most other shows I can tell you what's going to happen even without flash-forwards.

Oh, and while I'm at it: Iron Man and Indiana Jones are both freakin' awesome.

Upon Further Reflection

2008-05-25T14:34:00.004-05:00

One of the frequent topics of conversation between Michelle and me recently has been what kind of school Toby might go to next year. Obviously we are huge proponents of the public school system, and though as a teacher Michelle isn't a fan of charter schools as a part of that system, there are certainly a few that are attractive to her as a parent, particularly language immersion schools. So she has bounced a few different ideas off of me in the past. Then out of the blue one day she asked me, what about a Catholic school? I paused briefly to sift through the mess of stereotypes and rumors I have been exposed to on the subject and decided I would probably rather not go that route, but if the school came highly recommended by people we trusted I wouldn't be completely opposed to the idea. Then, a few days later, we learned something about the school in question that caused Michelle to state flatly, "Well, he's not going to that school, that's for sure." What was it?

Turns out, the name of the sports teams of this particular Catholic school is, and I Am Not Making This Up, the Crusaders. Shudder.

North of the Border

2008-05-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

This trip to Vancouver was one of our favourites (if I may use the Canadian spelling). We spent great time with family, had beautiful weather, and got to go to a fantastic wedding. One of the first things we did was get out for a walk with four generations represented.

Practice Makes Perfect

2008-05-21T21:01:00.004-05:00

I didn't know this until I got married myself, but you have to rehearse for a wedding. Brianna's rehearsal was loose and fun...no fancy clothes, but the ladies do need to practice walking in those shoes!

Towards the end, some of the less involved rehearsers started finding ways to amuse themselves...and each other.

The Big Day

2008-05-21T21:00:00.009-05:00

My sister's wedding was beautiful. We didn't take any pictures of the ceremony or the reception, but there will be plenty of those floating around and I plan to post my personal favourites later. For now, let me just say that I never imagined what it would be like to see my baby sister actually get married. The thought is nearly as foreign to me as the thought of Alicia one day getting married. I suppose it will happen, but I can't actually picture it.

So Brianna is a wife now. Mrs. Brianna Wood. What a ridiculous thought. I was eight years old when she was born. I can remember her learning to walk.

I didn't actually get to see much of the ceremony, because I was keeping my own daughter, who hasn't been walking that long either, entertained. Wasn't I just doing this with Brianna a few years ago? The beautiful woman in there in the long white dress?

I did get to enjoy the reception, of course, after dropping the kids off with a babysitter (Auntie Stacy rocks for finding us one!). It was great fun, hanging out with cousins who seem to get cooler and funnier every time I see them, and hearing Caleb's friends and parents praise his character, loyalty and sense of humor. But unlike most weddings I've been to, I didn't have to rely on the speeches to get a feel for what the "other" person getting married was like. I've gotten to know Caleb on the last couple trips, and I'm thrilled to have him in the family. He's a lot like my other brothers, very funny, extremely handsome, into movies big-time, and a worthy opponent at Lord of the Rings Risk. But mainly, I'm just excited that Brianna will have such a great guy, because she deserves it for being the incredible person that she is.

Taking Pictures

2008-05-21T20:59:00.013-05:00

Between the ceremony and the reception, the families and wedding party adjourned to the beautiful Historic Stewart Farm (where I'm told they grew some great Stewarts back in the day) for an epic photo shoot. Toby and Alicia were looking good.

But then, so were the happy couple...

It was a long afternoon with a lot of standing around in warm outfits, but we found ways to pass the time.

Toby took this picture.

Impromptu Zoogoing

2008-05-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

After we missed our flight, we found ourselves in Seattle on a beautiful day with a rental car and nowhere to be until late. Zoo, anyone?

Alicia getting close to an exhibit.

Taking a rest.

"Toby, put your arm around Alicia!" Nope, not having it.

Staying hydrated.

Monkeying around.

Lemonade

2008-05-18T23:05:00.004-05:00

I'm writing this to keep myself awake.

In half an hour, Michelle and I will leave our friends' house and drive to the SeaTac airport, somehow get three suitcases, three backpacks, two car seats, two sleeping children, and ourselves aboard a plane. The plane will take off at midnight (west coast time) and land at 5:30 (Minnesota time). This was not the original plan.

The friends whose house was mentioned are Chad & Melinda Anderson. They are not home, but when they heard what happened, they were incredibly helpful and gracious and let us use their place for a couple hours. Toby and Alicia are fast asleep on their bed.

I'm writing this post backwards. It would take too much energy to tell the story in the right order. Just pretend you're watching the movie Memento.

We had a lovely day in Seattle. Perfect weather. We went to the zoo. Saw animals and got sunburned. The kids loved it. We ate dinner at Tutta Bella, the classiest and yet funnest kid-friendly pizza joint you can imagine. Dessert was just up the street at Molly Moon's. Spectacularly sinful ice cream. We were spoiling ourselves.

The morning was not as fun. We thought we had it all figured out. Flight leaves at noon; need to be at the airport at 10:30; need to leave White Rock, BC at 7:30. The drive is only two and a half hours, with an extra thirty minutes for delays. We failed to imagine that it could take t w o ... l o o o o n g ... h o u r s to cross the border from Canada into the US. That was not fun.

We were close. We really were. Pulled into the airport 29 minutes before our departure time. Found out you're not allowed to check luggage less than 30 minutes before departure. I've never heard of that rule. Michelle's never heard of that rule. Have you heard of that rule?

It's not like we don't know you're supposed to be there much earlier than 30 minutes. We've flown this flight a lot of times. Toby and Alicia both know the routine by heart already. We've never taken longer than 30 minutes to cross the border; usually it's much quicker even than that. Today it was two hours. Sucks to be us.

So we're going to try the red-eye. Something we've not done before. It should be interesting. I'm pretty sure Toby and Alicia will sleep through the flight. Mom and Dad probably will too. Getting on the plane will be the hard part. That and staying awake after I hit this Publish button...

The really nice thing to do would be to continue going back in time and tell you more about our wonderful ten days in Vancouver, but that will have to wait for the next post. Right now, for the second time today, I have a plane to catch.

Good Morning From Vancouver

2008-05-11T08:24:00.002-05:00

Well, we're all here in Canada, safe and sound and ready for a wedding. Just in case we didn't communicate it very well or forgot to tell you...we're on vacation. Envy us.

We've done this Vancouver thing many times now, so we're getting the routine down, but there are always tweaks, little changes that we try each new time we come. The kids always do great on the plane, making us look like super parents when really they do all the hard parts like sitting still for three hours, surviving on peanut butter & jelly and tubes of yogurt, and somehow managing to be entertained by the same small toys and books that they've been sick of at home for months. Then we get into Seattle and face a 2.5 hour car ride before we're actually There. This time we spent some time with our Seattle friends Chad & Melinda at a lovely park on an absolutely perfect day, which broke up all the travel time very nicely. The other change about this part was that we've rented a car this time, so no one had to trek all the way down from Canada to pick us up.

Once we actually make it up to Vancouver, we usually pull into my Mom's house and start unpacking, but this trip we're staying with my Dad. So another slight change of pace...the kids seem to be doing fine with being here and look really cute sleeping together in one bed. They might not want to go back to separate beds when we get home again.

By now we've settled into our routine. It's been three days since we arrved, and our body clocks have adjusted a bit. The kids go to bed around 8 Vancouver time, which would be 10 at home, and they sleep until 6 (Vancouver), which is exceptional. On previous trips I've gotten used to waking up at 4 with them because they never really made the switch. And of course I stay up talking and catching up with seldom-seen friends and family every night, so I pretty much just always go on less sleep than usual whenever I'm in Vancouver. Not the norm for being on vacation for some people, perhaps, but I don't mind it. Right now it's 6:39 AM here, and everyone is asleep but Alicia and me. We've already had some breakfast, I've made coffee, written about half of a fairly tedious blog post...Alicia has found some Play-Doh and is being remarkably quiet.

The kids are two and four years old now. A world of difference from one and three when it comes to playing together, entertaining each other, and letting Mom and Dad just relax and chat with the grown-ups. This trip has been very nice so far. On Friday night, my entire family was together and much laughing and joking transpired, but the evening ended with a fairly serious heart-to-heart discussion about life and things arising therefrom among all nine of us.

And my baby sister is getting married on Saturday. She's way more grown up than I tend to think of her, and she's getting hitched to a really great guy, which she absolutely deserves, being a wonderful person herself. All eyes are on her this week. I think Michelle, and perhaps I too, is/am/are (Michelle, what's the rule when you begin a sentence with that?) thinking back to our wedding, wondering how seven and a half years have gone by and whether we were as young and beautiful and ready and not ready as these two kids we get to stand with and celebrate with.

It's great to be here.

More of the Same

2008-05-03T18:54:00.004-05:00

Our butterflies have all come out now!

They don't move much yet, but occasionally they open and close their wings or flutter down to sample the orange slice lying on their floor.

More pictures to share...including a nice hug.

Alicia has gotten into dress-up lately, and she's always willing to pose for a picture.

Of course, it's never really a parent's dream to have a daughter become an underwear model...but you can't deny she seems to have a knack for it.

Bringing the Cute

2008-04-26T13:25:00.006-05:00

You know your preemie has grown up when she's the one giving the nebs.

In other cuteness news, Toby got the idea to go camping in his own room this weekend. The tent worked pretty well...

Our kids also enjoy being cute with the aid of common kitchen rags...

And as promised...our butterflies are in their net house now and should be coming out to play sometime next week.

YMCA

2008-04-25T12:42:00.002-05:00

We had a lovely morning trip to the YMCA today. We ran through the rain to get into the building. Everyone was a good listener and a good swimmer. Toby was actually dressed before Alicia and I got a single item of clothing on.

That's because I was cleaning up Alicia's poop. Yes, my daughter pooped in the pool today. Her tight little reusable swim diaper held on to the whole thing. Along with some water. Oh, we made a mess in the locker room. Fun stuff. Now if you call you can hear Alicia's first tongue twister. "Poop, pool!"

Then, as I'm dressing (in a busy locker room), Toby says, "Mama, I really want to touch your breasts." He asked very politely. He was not obliged.

The Real Transformers

2008-04-20T19:58:00.003-05:00

As a birthday gift, Toby received a kit for growing caterpillars into butterflies. The bugs themselves come in the mail, so when we got them I decided to document the moment for posterity.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story...

A Hair-owing Thought?

2008-04-06T15:37:00.003-05:00

Toby has a new aspiration, and I can't deny being a little bit proud.

Toby wants to be bald.

These are his own words, and were not prompted by any input from his father, nor any other bald or formerly bald friend or relative. No, Toby is his own man, and his wish to be hairless is inspired by one of the truly great bald men of our time. On the back cover of our copy of The Giving Tree is a photo of the impressively glabrous dome of its late author, the incomparable Shel Silverstein.

So not only as a former sporter of the shorn scalp, but also as a fan of truly great (and startlingly irreverent) children's literature, I am fully supporting his new wish.

Right after Aunt Brianna's wedding.

In other news, Alicia has been just a little bit sick for quite a long time. And now, just as she's getting over it, Mama's been hit quite hard. So it's extra sleep for her and a little extra TV for us three kids. It helps us put up with Dad's cooking.

Air Travel with the Wee

2008-03-30T21:02:00.003-05:00

We just had two highly successful flights. As a way to brag about what good plane travelers we are, I offer my advice. Do add your own tricks.

Bringing Alicia's car seat on the plane was the best decision ever. You see, she's used to sitting in it. She's used to the idea that when she sits in it, she doesn't get to get out. And, it was our best shot at getting her to fall asleep on the plane. She didn't sleep on the way there, but she slept on the way back for about an hour. Yes! To get the darn heavy thing on the plane, we brought our big double stroller to the airport. The thing doesn't even fit in our car so we had to borrow a van. Alicia went in the front, the car seat went in the second seat, and Toby had to walk (which he does very well).

On the way home I was flying alone with the kids. I stopped at the information booth and requested assistance getting through security. Fabulous move! We zipped through there faster than ever. My main concern with security was Alicia bolting. An anonymous man took care of all our stuff and I had my eyes to keep on Alicia. To get on the plane, I gave the car seat to the people at the plane desk and they put it on the plane before anyone started to board. We boarded the plane last. No reason to strap in before you need to.

Snacks are a must. We fly enough that the kids know to expect the same snacks each time. We always freeze yogurt tubes to bring. They are less than the 3oz security maximum and we never have them but on a plane, so they are a special treat. Broccoli travels well too, but I'm the only one who will eat it on a plane.

Two-year-olds are tough to entertain. I took three large zip lock bags and put 3-4 stupid toys in each. Plastic figures, small doodle-pro-type-thing, McDonald's toys, that type of thing. When Alicia (or Toby) got tired of one bag, I took out the next. And having these things in zip locks made it easier to find in the backpack. Another zip lock had large beads to string. It's tough for Alicia yet, but with help it keeps her busy. Then there were 600 stickers from the dollar aisle at Target to stick on paper. Fun pens for the paper. New books, favorite books, either paperback or super small.

For Toby, there were a couple cards to lace. There was a new maze book. I bought a very nice one, took a transparency from school, put it on the page, and had Toby use dry erase markers (not transparency markers!). Dry erase markers will wipe right off with a kleenex, for endlessly repeatable maze fun! Good times. Toby is an expert at mazes for his age, I would say. I also brought It's a Match from Discovery Toys. That's a good one. Then of course he enjoyed Alicia's toys too.

So it was good stuff. I don't really have a great trick for helping one child go to the bathroom when you have two on the plane, but I made use of the off-duty flight attendant flying along in the jump seat.

Then, as we were waiting to get off the plane, I was looking for someone who might be willing to carry the car seat for me while I herded my two little ones and carried off the carry-on. There was a man coming up the aisle who looked buff and wasn't carrying a thing. I was about to ask him when I noticed that his hands were handcuffed and chained to his waist. I figured that would make the task difficult for him.

And how could I forget? We finally made it to baggage claim to find one piece of our luggage excessively damaged. As in, one edge along the top and heading down the side was entirely cracked open. I stood in that back corner line and ended up receiving a brand new piece of luggage on the spot. I wanted to post a picture of the damaged one, but they kept it. Sorry.

So now the next time you travel with the young and the restless, you'll be better prepared. How will you ever thank me? I'm sure you'll think of something.