Monday, January 31, 2011

She Made Me Proud

How is it that kids know when not to complain? How do they know when they need to be tough? Sarah had new tubes put in her ears today, as well as her adenoids taken out, and she handled herself exceptionally well. She wasn't anxious leading up to it, she was in a good mood (other than complaining of hunger) this morning, both at home and at the hospital, and she didn't complain about it afterwards.

This is the same kid who makes sure I know that a scratch on her finger hurts A LOT and that she NEEDS a bandaid, despite a very obvious lack of blood. What's that about, anyway? (I've polled lots of moms, and she's not alone.) My theory - she doesn't get a whole lot of sympathy when it comes to the scratch on her finger, but she gets a ton when it comes to the bigger stuff. It's all about the love and attention, isn't it?

My New Look

I asked Sarah if she'd be willing to draw a picture for my blog. As is usually the case when asked to draw, she was happy to oblige. For this one, she decided to draw both a house and a doghouse, along with the sun, a bird, some flowers, the sky, a tree, me and her, and our imaginary dog (who is bigger than us). Maybe Brian and Eric are doing something fun inside the house? I'll have to ask her about that one . . .

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Something I've Been Thinking About . . .

Recently, I came across some words, which are now hanging in our newly renovated office, next to my cozy new chair, where I can sit and think and wonder. They are here to remind me of what's important.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

It's from a poem called "Summer Day" by Mary Oliver, and it speaks to me. This could be the theme for my life, really. It is a constant question, one that soothes me and one that causes me to struggle. I am grateful to have it mostly answered, to feel grounded in what I am doing right now. So far, despite some bumps and bruises along the way, I wouldn't have chosen a different path. For me, the struggle comes when I think about what comes next, knowing that one day, far sooner than I would like, my life will change. Part of me knows that things will fall into place, life will sort itself out, and I will be ready. The other part of me worries, sometimes, that I won't be able to manage it all, that I won't be able to answer this oh-so-important question quite so easily.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Sarah Book


This is the start of one of Sarah's books. She goes through phases with these, creating several at once and then forgetting about the idea of making them. For this one she showed off her newly acquired phonemic skills, writing - "Wen I mac a book i fel gooe. love Sarah Ann." Need a translation? When I make a book, I feel good. Note - she asked me how to spell "good," but didn't hear the last letter correctly, hence the e at the end. (Thankfully, she doesn't confuse d and e. Rather, for her the confusion lies in b and d.) It may come as no surprise to any of you, but I love that she wrote this. And - no shocker either, I'm sure - I love witnessing the learning of letters and words. So amazing.

He Sleeps

This is not something we see too often anymore, which makes it that much sweeter.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

being outside

We went outside today, and yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that too. After being inside for too many days in a row, we felt like doing a happy dance. It's good to be outside again!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

happiness is . . .

They don't always get along. They don't always feel like being nice. But, at dinner the last few nights, they shared that their favorite part of the day was playing with each other. Take note - their mutual admiration has been expressed during five (!) early release/snow days/delayed openings. I would've guessed that perhaps they'd be singing a different tune by now, but I won't be the one to point that out. (To them, I mean.)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Flatbread Snake, An Update

After writing the "Eric World" post last night, I decided to ask him about how his flatbread snake was doing lately. At first, he looked uncertain, but when I reminded him that it lived in "Eric World", he remembered and explained that he wasn't doing so well.

Me: So, how's he doing?
Eric: Not that good. He's doing bad.
Me: Why? What happened?
Eric: He keeps eating strawberries and getting sick. He's allergic to strawberries.
Me: Oh, I see. Well, he shouldn't eat them then, should he?
Eric: No. He also eats blueberries and bananas and he can't eat those either. He's allergic to them too. He only eats one banana a day, but he eats lots of strawberries and blueberries. Like three hundred eighty five twenty.
Me: That's a lot of berries, especially if he's allergic to them. What should he eat instead?
Eric: He can eat only gingerbread men and gingerbread houses. That's the only thing he can eat. That he's not allergic to. His mommy and daddy can only eat that too.
Me: Is he still poisonous?
Eric: No, he's not poisonous anymore.

When I hear more about flatbread snake's health status, I'll let you know . . .

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Eric World

Often, I wonder what's going on inside his head. And other times I don't want to know. Occasionally, he decides to fill us in and shares a little idea or story. When he's finished, I shake my head and (depending on how truly outrageous this one happens to be) I find myself either grinning or laughing out loud. The kid is funny (in a weird 4-year-old kind of way). I've told Brian more than once that I'm concerned about how good natured and funny he is - he'd make a really good class clown, which is not quite what I'm hoping for him.

So, the most recent "Eric World" conversation goes something like this:
Eric: In Eric World, there is a snake. It is flat. And it is called flatbread snake. Because it's flat.
Brian: If it's called flatbread snake, is it tasty? Like flatbread? Could I cook it up and eat it?
Eric: No, it's called flatbread snake because it's flat. It's poisonous. If you eat it, you will die.
Brian: Well, I guess I won't eat it then.
Eric: Right. Don't eat it.

Alright, then. Like I said, weird and funny.