Timothy

This is Timothy. Can you see the determination in his eyes? He's humoring me because I'm holding the camera and he's a ham, but his real mission is to climb out of the pool. If you can enlarge the picture, you will see that isn't a bruise above his right eye. It's ketchup. And the lump in his hair is sweet potatoes. There is also something orange in the ear that you can't see. Funny, I know I wiped him up after dinner. Being #4, he's always a little on the crunchy side. This is Timothy.

Tim is a guy on the go. He never walks. He's always running as fast as he can. If his ability to break my sleeper hold while changing his diaper is an indicator, he will one day be a champion wrestler. He does great going up stairs and hasn't attempted the descent. Just yesterday I found him perched on the highest point of the couch. He LOVES the pool but only if you let him play on the steps (which he goes down just fine) without holding him. He hates the confines of his baby boat.

Talking with Tim is like visiting the Tower of Babble. He talks as quickly as he walks. He produces all these sounds in rapid succession and it makes no sense. And if you ask him to tell you again, out comes the exact same string of gibberish. If you really listen closely, you can pick out an isolated word. Hopefully it's a significant one. Thankfully he answers yes / no questions truthfully and articulately 99% of the time. I make this sound worse than it is. He clearly communicates his needs and wants the vast majority of the time.

Tim has found his singing voice. His specialty is Dvorak's New World Symphony. Don't get excited and think I'm pushing him. His two favorite shows are Little Einsteins and Backyardigans. This song is on at least one Little Einstein episode and Drew is also playing it on the piano. It's very cute to hear his infrequently soft voice from the back of the car: "La-la-la, la-la-la, rocket needs a home."

Megan

Here's Megan the soccer player. She pretends to like soccer but she only plays for the snack at the end. She's posing with her trophy that has her name engraved on it. Now I know why it cost $40 to play and had volunteer coaches and no referees. But she loves that trophy so much that she sleeps with it.

Megan always comes out with some comment that makes me laugh. A good one from this week was when she was asking for a drink because she was "as thirsty as a turkey." The turkey part is right! She's funnier when she is angry. She growls (real growls) then says emphatically, "THAT'S HOW I FEEL!" Picture her arms straight at her side, slightly hunched forward, and scowling from under her bangs. (I don't know where she gets those traits!) The other day she was folding a book in half and I told her that we don't do that to books. Well, apparently that's what she felt like doing to me and I should be happy that she chose the book instead.

When Megan isn't asserting her independence, she likes to help me. She always wants to help with housework, but only things that don't really need to be done. And I can't go into the kitchen that she isn't dragging a chair over to help. I know that it's only to lick whatever bowl we're using, but maybe she'll pick up some cooking skills along the way.

I frequently find her curled up in a nest that she has built. She layers all kinds of things in her bed every night. She likes to set up camp in a corner of the living room either behind the chair or the couch. And she likes to pack. I think that she's going to be a speech therapist when she grows up.

Megan is on a bit of a school strike. She doesn't want to read and only wants math sporadically. She's big on art and I found her working on Soduko puzzles yesterday. Since she is only 4, this is OK. But she likes when I read to her. In the past month we've read 3 Ramona books, 2 Magic Treehouse books, Matilda, Dr. Doolittle, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, The Hundred Dresses, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Reluctant Dragon, several books about birds, a few about knights and we're in the middle of Pippi Longstocking and The Door in the Wall. I'm not sure that Pippi is the role model that Megan needs!

My favorite thing about Megan is the way that she sings outside. She pumps her swing as high as she can make it go and belts out some TV theme song at the top of her lungs. I hope the neighbors appreciate her as much as I do. I'll have to remember to video tape that from a bedroom window some day and hold it for blackmail at some future date.

Our Weekend

Saturday, I went to the movies with Andy for the first time since we took Drew to see Star Wars Attack of the Clones. That came out in 2002 - 4 years ago. I really can't remember seeing anything since then except The Incredibles (great) and Veggie Tales(don't even waste your time with the video), and that was just the kids and me. Anyway, we saw the DaVinci Code and enjoyed it. We both thought it followed the book closely. However, I read the book shortly after I saw the Star Wars movie. We know we're officially old because we went to the matinee and didn't know it. Who knew they started at 5:15? At least we looked young. In our defense, the movie was more than 2.5 hours and we went to dinner AFTER the movie.

Sunday we packed the gang into the van and headed to town for an art show. It's the first that I've seen in almost a year since we got here. We liked a few pieces but not the same ones. At least not enough to make the investment. They had a tent for children where parents weren't allowed. (Part of a fundraiser) All pieces were $4, $5, or $6. So we forked over $15 and sent them in. (Tim was sleeping in the stroller.) We had fun guessing what they might emerge with. Andy pegged Megan correctly when he predicted that she would go for volume. And it was a given that Drew would come out last.

The pool guys started to open the pool last Tuesday and are still working on it. We should have known from when they put it in that they always make a minimum of 3 trips when anyone else could do it in one. Thankfully, we're paying for a job and not by the hour. It's no longer green but they need to finish vacuuming and shock it again. Good thing we allowed 2 weeks in order to have it swimmable by Memorial Day!

School ends Friday! The kids are very happy to be done. They really aren't signed up for anything this summer. We're just going to hang out by the pool and do little things locally and a few day trips. Plus a week in Wisconsin. Our first day trip is Monday and we're heading to Chicago. We've been reading about the Middle Ages and Feudalism. So, we're going to see the arms and armor collection at the Art Institute of Chicago and then we're going to Medieval Times (in the suburbs) for dinner. How bad could dinner get in a restaurant where you are supposed to cheer and eat with your hands?

Life in the 'Burbs

Can you see my van? No, me either. Who would have thought that you could loose a minivan in a parking lot? It's not like I'm driving a Chevette. This isn't even a good picture. My experience says that baseball families drive much bigger cars that soccer families. This is the soccer parking lot. What is with all the HUGE cars? I realize I frequent family events so should expect to see family cars. Now be honest, do you need a house if you own a Suburban? I'm surrounded by Excursions, Tahoes, Yukons and the like. I have never seen so many vehicles that cost $100 to fill with gas outside of the dealer lot. In case they don't want to be shocked, let me provide a little insight into the price of petrol today, and note that it's down about 10 cents from a few days ago.

Maybe they want to consider something that gets good gas mileage, say 12 MPG. I'm wondering if I can squeeze the family into an hybrid. Toyota makes a SUV hybrid, I think. It's flat here. It's not like I need great pickup. The next option is to get something small. I'm thinking Mustang. We'll either strap the kids to the roof or pull them in a trailer. They are pretty lax about those type of laws in Illinois. Here's the one that I have in mind. Notice, it's for sale.

A different choice seems to be to find a new mode of transportation. I saw a 6 person bike recently. You know the kind. You might see one on the boardwalk for 2 people. They are broad and high with a canopy. This one would be perfect. It has a 2X3 configuration, just like the van. And it's for sale. $999. Sort of like this one, but for 6. Sorry, my mouse is broken so I can't copy the picture.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009G0FGY/ref=nosim/102-8067433-6908934?n=3375251

Then, there is always alternative fuels. We do grow a lot of corn here. This is more an aside, but you might enjoy this NPR interview with Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5342514

Ellen

Ellen is our sensitive soul. She craves quiet, books, and writing. She detests crowds and will melt down after prolonged exposure. Andy recently suggested that she could be the President of the United States to which she replied, "No way! And have all those cameras in my face all the time!" She has an amazing ability, for someone so young, to express her stress and frustration with words.

Ellen is our go to person for helping Timothy. She likes to play with him and doesn't like to see him in distress. She is very patient with him. And he seeks her assistance.

She spends most of her free time playing school. Megan is her student. I should probably be a bit more involved in this and insert my agenda. Ellen is going to be a teacher when she grows up.

Ellen plays a skinner in World of Warcraft. I think she has a cow named Stinky, too. I'm not really sure if she plays the cow and if not, why a skinner would have one. Alive, I mean. She enjoys this time with Dad.

Her softball season just started last week. She can hit pretty well for a kid who never hit without a tee before this year. Her league is trying something new this year. The first half of the season is coach pitch and the second half is kid pitch. The kid pitch has all sorts of stipulations in place to ensure that the games don't last 6 hours. I don't know the age group, but she is 7. I question the wisdom of kid pitch.

Ellen is still campaigning to play the violin. She already plays the piano. I need her to read music a little better before she tries another instrument. She has a good ear and can cheat her way through the song once she knows what the first note is and what finger to use. Her piano teacher tells me that she has a good violin teacher when I'm ready. Her teacher also told me that if I wait until 4th grade that I won't need a junior size instrument.

Here's Ellen's Mother's Day essay. It came from school with a bag of candy.

Let me explain why my Mom is the sweetest. First of all my Mom is the sweetest because she drives me around. She takes me around town when she takes me to dance. My Mom takes me to piano. I'm thankful my Mom is hear.

Next my Mom is the sweetest because she makes me food. My Mom makes me food evry day. I love the food she makes me. I think she is the sweetest.

Lastly my Mom is the sweetest because she teaches me. She teaches me when I don't know it. I love it when she dose that. I love my Mom.

To conclude these are the reasons my Mom is the sweetest. I love it when she drives me, makes me food, and teaches me. I love my Mom.

MacGyver's Dream

Van Inventory
4 sweaters
2 necklaces
7 socks, 2 pair
4 balls
1 baseball mitt
1 jump rope
2 shoes, a pair!
8 cups
1 backpack
1 undershirt
2 hats
2 maracas
13 books
1 DVD
4 important papers
1 bookmark
1 playing card
1 lego
1 nesting cup
1 marble
1 binoculars
5 finger puppets
3 pens
2 pencils
1 marker
2 baby bottle lids
1 sippy cup stopper, no lid or cup
1 bag garbage

Drew

Before you get all crazy, they will all get equal time. But there are 4 of them. I only have so much time...

Drew is growing into a young man. One month shy of 10, it is interesting to talk with him.

Last week he asked for a comic book for his birthday. He didn't know the title but it wasn't a real comic book. It was like you find in the newspaper. I knew what he was talking about and thought he'd like Calvin and Hobbes. So, I told him that he wouldn't have to wait and pointed him toward our extensive collection. It was EXACTLY what he wanted. Score cool points for Mom for hanging onto 20 year old books.

He began sampling our albums. (Does anyone use that word anymore?) If it were vinyl, he would have worn out Queen by now. But his favorite is the mix that Emily compiled for him for Christmas. He hasn't satisfied his quest yet but I'll keep sticking a "new" CD in his room every week.

He spends much of his free time playing World of Warcraft. I was against this "T" for teen game but it doesn't seem graphically violent, from what I've seen. I don't play. He's learning about science - plants and their healing abilities and metals and their strength (think armor). He's learning different professions as well - tailor, blacksmith, herbalist. He's also proving to have a knack for economics. He glances at the auction house and readily identifies items that are severely overpriced and those that are a bargain. He then purchases the deals and immediately re-lists them and turns a profit. (At least that is my understanding from Drew and Dad.) I wonder if the other players know that he's 9?

His baseball abilities have really improved since last year. Unfortunately, the season is getting off to a slow starts. The first 2 games were rained out and the 4th lasted almost one inning before the skies opened yet again, but not before he was hit by a pitch. It appears that he is the starting second baseman. I hear that he turned a nice double play on Monday. I missed it because the game didn't start until 7:45, too late for the other 3 kids.

It's really cool when they choose your interests as their interests.

Drew is nothing if not informative. He recently explained knee replacement to his younger sister. When she questioned whether it hurt when Grandma got a new knee he explained what anesthesiologists do and that they have a new machine that monitors how awake or asleep a patient is. Whatever it measures (and he knew) should optimally be at 40. I've learned never to be surprised by his range of trivia but I still felt the need to ask how he knew this. Well, a friend has a father who is an anesthesiologist and he saw the machine on the Science Channel.

Drew wants to be homeschooled next year. He dislikes the lack of down time at school. 15 minutes for lunch. 15 minutes for recess. That's it and he's gone for 8 hours every day, 7 of them at school. He also hates the bus. I guess I'm glad that he has no real complaints about the academics. I'm all for homeschooling but I wonder if I can ever teach him any science or history that is new to him. Perhaps I'll just get good at pointing him in the right direction to ensure that the gaps get filled. He seems to self-educate pretty well to this point. I'm sure that he'll educate me more than I'll teach him.

A Walk in the Woods

Looks tranquil, doesn't it? Megan is learning about birds, so we went bird watching. The trouble with ornithology is that you need to be quiet to see birds. We don't do very well in that department. Here's the calm and still photo.

Since this is Illinois and every bit as flat as Kansas, we expect the littlest to walk. The only trouble with that is that he is going through what we hope is a phase of asserting his independence. When he doesn't get his way immediately, he stages a sit-down strike. He recovers quickly and I try not to laugh. This one craves attention.

As we're walking along, I hear Drew discussing the virtues of various herbs. It takes me a minute, but then I realize that someone plays an herbalist in their computer game. Nonetheless, I was impressed. The trouble is that I have no idea whether their information is factual. It's a geek game, so they are probably correct. Our next walk will be to find and identify plants. They seemed into this. Drew and Ellen later launched into a discussion about alchemy. They were thrilled beyond words - no small feat around here - when I told them that we could study this and analyze their information for accuracy. However,I think their interests lie in establishing an arsenal. And I fear that we may need a philosophy class before they are ready to handle their new knowledge.

Those long things only look like bats and hockey sticks. They are really weapons. Missiles and grenades. To be launched at a neighbor. He's 6 and unaware of the escapades in our yard. I wonder how much power the homeowner's association actually has.

The Finale

It's that crazy time of year again. We need a family calendar to know why we can't find someone. And we need to plan meals or we would never eat. No fancy cooking this time of year! It also helps when someone (read Andy) walks in to an empty house and wonders what the status of the family and dinner is.

We are currently in our finale. That's the term a friend uses to describe the chaos that is the last month of school. The big two both have something out of the ordinary every week. Today was Ellen's "birthday." Drew needed one new white crew sock for Pioneer Day. (He got one slightly used with no mate. I'm not buying NEW socks and giving away one!) But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. In 3 weeks we're done. Yup, out before Memorial Day, except for report card pickup. This is quite a change from upstate NY where they went until practically July 4. I now possess 4 kids who will never be in school for their real birthday.

Taking advantage of a rare night off, Megan and Ellen entertain neighbors. It looks more like Ellen does what she wants while the neighbor tags along.