Christmas Letter 2013

Season's Greetings Friends and Families,

This past week I started thinking about how I have started to view Christmas letters in the way I view the entity known as Facebook.  This may require a bit of explanation.  I rarely get on Facebook.  I learned long ago, that not only can perusing the site quickly eat away at my precious time, but that if I spend too much time on it, I start to get down on myself.  I'm sure many of you have seen articles talking about this very thing.  Thus, I get on quickly, find out news about people, click like a few times, and leave the site.  When you see a bunch of people putting their best "foot" forward and then view these posts in quick succession it
can easily seem like you aren't doing enough in life. 


So how does this relate to the Christmas letter?  Each year many people put out a letter with highlights from the year.  I'm right there with those who do, and by the way, love getting those letters.  However, this boils one year down into an 81/2 x11 piece of paper (or computer screen) and can again make it look like the grass is greener over at the Joneses'.  Where am I going with this?  The life highlights I tick off can look like amazing accomplishments or events when written in little snippets.  Often, however, there is more behind those snippets than is seen on the surface.  For instance, we have an adorable little moppet named Evie in our family.  But, the child behind the angelic face, has given me a run for my money.  She sent her mother, who rarely relies on parenting books of any kind, on a quest to the library last week to find guidance on how to nurture such a strong-willed personality.  Steven started his "dream job" in June, but it was not without a few tears (and those tears may or may not have come from the children).  

This is all to say that as I recap the past year, I'm going to truly cherish each life event, messiness and all, because these are the things that make our family.  Likewise when I read your Christmas letters, I will sincerely celebrate and reflect with you because I know that your families' "snippets" also have more to them than meets the eye.  As has become tradition, I give you the Pattishall's 2013 run down, which this year I vow to view through a different lens.

February 2013: Edmund and Evie went to visit Mickey Mouse in Florida (read Disney).  While there we celebrated Kay-Kay's birthday and had the privilege of visiting with cousins we haven't seen in many years.

May 2013: Edmund graduated from preschool in cap and gown.  Evie turned 1, while the rest of the family celebrated the fact we all survived her first year.  Edmund and Evie had a joint knight and princess party to celebrate their respective birthdays.  

June 2013: Edmund turned 5 and we thought to ourselves, "honestly, where has the time gone?"  Steven finished his pediatric residency and began a job as a pediatric hospitalist at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh.  Since I don't tell him enough, I will say here how incredibly proud I am of him.

July 2013:  An article I wrote was selected for the blog Fearless Formula Feeder.  I also started writing occasional posts for my favorite local blog, The Stir Crazy Moms' Guide to Durham, run by a good friend.

August 2013: Edmund began kindergarten and save for one unfortunate day early on, has LOVED every minute.  

September 2013: Edmund began piano lessons with an amazing teacher who "gets" him.  Evie began attending a Parent's Morning Out program at a preschool that we are happy to call her "home away from home."  I also decided it was time to start singing again and joined my church choir.

December 2013: Edmund gave his first mini piano concert in preparation for a recital to be held in early 2014.  After submitting a writing sample, I was contacted with the possibility of joining a review panel for a baby gear review blog.  Even if it doesn't materialize, it has given me the confidence to pursue more writing opportunities.

There are more complex stories behind all of these tidbits, but even more than that there are friends and family who have walked with us through those stories.  I apologize if this part gets a bit mushy.  Steven and I are not demonstrative people and if you ever witness an "OMG, I love my bestie" moment from either of us you are witnessing a miracle.  So allow me to gush in writing over you all for a moment.  We are beyond blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.  This includes the incredible moms I have been given the opportunity to parent alongside, the friends and neighbors who have been present to support us as Steven transitioned to his new job, the relatives who have been there to give me a break or to allow Steven and me to go on date nights, not to mention love on our children, the old friends and new friends who are available at the drop of a hat to lend a hand or an ear, and, dare I say it, the Facebook friends we haven't seen in years, who will drop us a word of encouragement when it is most needed.  Since we don't tell you all often enough, we are so thankful to have you in our lives.

We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Pattishalls
(Steven, Tabitha, Edmund, and Evie)

It's Time to Play the Music

Curtain Call

I have been having so much busy fun with the kids lately, I haven't had much time to write.  The last few adventures Edmund and I had happened a little while ago, but they were such memorable experiences that I want to document them before they completely fade from memory.  These will focus on the little man, but I hope to get a Halloween post up soon because Evie just may have stolen the Halloween show last night.

I love musical theater and one of my favorite memories was seeing Beauty and the Beast as a teenager in London.  Theater may not end up being Edmund's "thing," but when I found out Beauty and the Beast was coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) I knew I had to get tickets.  Steven was working so we decided to make it a mother/son date.  Evie was in heaven getting to spend the afternoon with Grandma while Edmund and I hit the town.  

It was a dreary day, but neither of us let that get us down.  Edmund loved seeing the large theater and looking at the theater posters hanging in the "gimongous" glass windows.  After we ascended the stairs for balcony level we just had to scope out the treats available for purchase before we took our seats.  Edmund's stomach told him he wanted it all, but I told him he could narrow it down to one thing and let me know at intermission.

After waiting in the lobby for a few minutes, the doors opened, and we were finally able to take our seats.  Edmund and I had seats in the balcony, but that didn't bother him.  He thought it was "cool" that we were so high up.  Grandma and Grandpa had lent us their binoculars and when you're 5 getting to use binoculars is pretty awesome.  After getting settled and having our picture quickly snapped, the music began and the curtain went up.

I braced myself for Edmund's reaction to the dimming of the lights and foreboding intro, but he was entranced.  He had so many questions and wanted to know how the special effects he had just seen, worked.  I think it greatly helped that we talked about the fact we would be watching actors "pretending" beforehand.  I came armed with Edmund's headphones since loud noises are often triggers for Edmund to begin screaming, but he only asked for them after a thunderclap sound effect.  As I reached to get them from my purse he said, "Actually I don't think I really need them."  I put them back and he turned his attention back to the show.

Intermission came and we decided on a pretzel.  While eating our snack Edmund told me he was very excited to go back in and find out what would happen next.  We finished the pretzel and headed back to our seats for Act 2.  Edmund remained engaged and focused the entire time.  In fact, the only problem we had throughout the show was the volume of his voice when asking me questions.  He was so interested in what he was seeing that he couldn't contain his excitement while asking me questions or relaying what he'd seen.  While I was able to get him to turn down his volume as to respect the other theatergoers, we were fortunate to be attending a matinee where the majority of people were there with kids.

The show eventually came to a close and Edmund gave a standing ovation with some hearty claps.   I am so happy he enjoyed his first true theater experience, but I am even more thankful at the strides he is making with some of his sensory issues.  A year ago I wouldn't have dreamed that I would be able to take him to a place with dim lights and slightly loud music, but here we are.  In fact today he asked me when we could go see another show at the DPAC.  I am so proud of my little guy and who he is becoming..

When we arrived home Edmund was excited to tell Steven all about the show.  When asked who his favorite character was, he replied "Belle.  Because she's a girl, and girl's are pretty."  You can't argue with that logic.

Future Trumpeter

 The following week, and very last minute, Edmund and I got a chance for another mother/son date.  This time Evie got to stay with daddy and she loves her some "daddy time."  Edmund and I headed to UNC's campus for a free children's performance by the Chapel Hill Philharmonia.  The group is an all volunteer orchestra made up of local musicians and is in their 31st year.  Living in the area 20 years now, I am unsure how I had never heard of them.  The children's concert was perfect for Edmund's age group and while well attended was intimate enough that he really came away with lots of new found musical knowledge.

Two of the songs were paired with animation from Fantasia.  Before showing the clips the orchestra played without animation and the children had to decide what the music made them imagine.  Many children responded that Beethoven's 5th sounded like Star Wars and the conductor talked about how John Williams was probably influenced by Beethoven.  For the record, Edmund thought it sounded like "Dog Wars," his version of Star Wars starring Puppers.

Edmund loved the kazoo orchestra that he and his peers participated in during "Hornpipe" from Fantasia on British Sea Songs.  When you let 100 kids loose with kazoos you are asking for trouble, but the conductor did a fantastic job handling the kids and they all learned a lot about watching the conductor.  After a little practice the kazoo orchestra was fabulous.

I was beyond impressed with how well this concert was organized, especially since it was free.  As if what I have already written about wasn't enough for Edmund's musical education, the final part of the concert took the cake.  Every child who wanted was invited to conduct the orchestra.  It took probably 20 minutes to get through all the children, but no one was left out.  Edmund was very excited to hear the orchestra play "Ode to Joy" since he had recently learned that song in piano.  However, the orchestra decided to give the listeners a break from the constant refrain of that song before Edmund's turn and moved on to the "Radetzky March." Edmund had a great time conducting the march and I thought it fitting that the "Radetzky March" just so happens to be one of the first songs on learned on the piano.

Edmund took his bow as he finished and we watched as the final set of children conducted.  After the concert we were invited to partake in an "Instrument Zoo." where the children can touch and play the instruments.  Edmund tried the xylophone, timpani, trombone, and cello.  And as a child after my own heart, he tried the trumpet, and amazingly got a sound out of it on the first try.  We may just have a musician on our hands and a trumpeter to boot.  I am having a blast getting to experience some of my loves again through a child's eyes .  Things that I have become lackadaisical about take on new life and I am learning as much from Edmund as he is from me.  While I love babies and toddlers, I'm also learning that this new stage Edmund is entering into, one I wasn't sure how I would handle, is so much more fun than I ever dreamed it could be.

* Below is a video of Edmund conducting the Radetzky March. 

5 Year Olds Say the Darndest Things (with Evie's start of School)

Evie's 1st Day of "School"

 Before I jump into my latest Edmund story I wanted to give a little update on Evie happenings.  Because of that this post will be a hodgepodge of the last week.  I constantly feel like I don't give Evie her due on the blog.  It's not because she doesn't do adorable things.  She definitely does, albeit currently sandwiched between her newest trick, tantrumming.  However, Edmund often gives me quick quips that I can type out in minutes. If I get the urge to write, but don't have much time, writing out those quips is my fallback.  

Evie started a Parents Morning Out (PMO) this past Wednesday.  From what I was told, she did amazingly well.  Some friends who peeked in on her shortly after drop-off said she was squeezing her baby doll lovey awfully tight, but there were no tears.  We got several smiling pictures of her from the teachers throughout the day.  According to her teachers she did have times of missing mommy and daddy, but for the most part loved being with the other children.  I'm hoping she gives us a happy repeat this coming Wednesday.  I tried to get some pictures of her on the first day, but as a newly initiated walker, she was not willing to stand still for the second it took me to snap the shot.  The picture may be blurry, but I'm thankful I got the one.

...

The following Edmund story requires a little bit of background information..  In the last month 3 of our close friends have had babies.  We have been making the rounds visiting the families and dropping off dinners all with Edmund in tow.   In addition one of Steven's main duties at his new job is examining the newly delivered babies.  It will come as no surprise then that our dinner conversations as of late have focused on what Edmund calls "born," meaning newborn, babies.  One day Edmund was practically in tears wanting to know why boys couldn't have babies, but I think we got that straightened out when we established he could still be a daddy (much, much later of course)..  We have come to expect daily questions about babies and doctors, as Edmund is also very interested in Steven's work..  However, the following dinner conversation was so bizarre, leading me to wonder how a 5 year old's thought processes work, that I just had to share it  Without further ado, I present to you,

A Conversation with Edmund

Edmund: Daddy, I know you're a doctor and you take care of the born babies.

Daddy: Yes.

Edmund: Well, when I was a baby and I was born you were at the hospital.

Daddy: Yes, so you want to know if I took care of you?

Edmund: Well, I really just want to know.  It's important.  I need to know...Why do people have tongues?

I'll just stop there.  An explanation of the tongue's purpose did ensue, but really I just want to know what he was thinking. I generally don't put babies and tongues together, so if someone knows the connection, feel free to enlighten me.  This story reminds me why kids this age are so fun to talk to.  They really do say the "darndest" things.

 

Kindergarten, Here We Come

First Day of Kindergarten

School in our area officially began on Monday.  Edmund went in for a quick assessment on Monday.  Edmund enjoyed his 10 minute assessment and counted it as the first day of kindergarten.  I was a bit worried if he thought that was what kindergarten was like everyday, I might have a disappointed child on my hands after his "real" first day.  I needn't have worried.  Edmund had his first full day of kindergarten today, albeit with only half his class, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I warned Edmund last night that the start of the day would be paparazzi heavy.  I'm often lazy with the pictures, but this is one day I didn't want to escape photo documentation.  Edmund was so excited about school, he even obliged my request for a kindergarten interview about his likes and dislikes.  If I'm organized enough and Edmund cooperates, I hope to repeat the same interview until I send him off to college.  We'll see how that goes.

After the photo shoot was complete, and Steven and I made sure the house was in one piece (we somehow forgot Evie was in the house with free reign at the time), all four of us loaded into the car.  I'd been warned that if we didn't get to school early enough we might have trouble finding parking and then would be unable to walk Edmund in.  There was no way I wasn't going to walk Edmund in on the first day.  Fortunately, we arrived with plenty of time to spare.  

So Grown Up

I was a bit of a mess, as I was the previous night.  But not in the teary way most normal moms deal with kindergarten.  I chose ridiculous things to focus on, such as Edmund's lunch and snack.  Last night I spent time pouring over what I could pack for lunch each day that would be varied enough without having to do too much work.  Then this morning I debated where in Edmund's backpack to put his snack so he wouldn't eat it for lunch.  When we got to school I stressed over where to put Edmund's lunch box, in his hand or in the backpack.  Was it too heavy for Edmund's little body? I put it in and took it out.  I changed where the snack went again and again all while Edmund watched in confusion.  So much for trying to make his day uncomplicated!  Eventually Steven talked me out of my madness.  

8:35 arrived, and we could finally enter the building.  School starts at 9, but since we arrived extra early we all went in to get Edmund settled.  Edmund excitedly entered the classroom and found his name in his cubby and at his table.  He immediately began chatting the teacher's ears off, telling her about what the differences were between kindergarten and his preschool.  I won't be surprised if a note eventually comes home telling us that Edmund is talking too much.  While Edmund got situated, Evie ran around the classroom trying to pull stuffed animals off the shelves.  Since we didn't want her destroying the classroom, Steven took her out in the hall while I said good-bye to Edmund.  Then we did a switch so he could also say his good-byes.  During the good-byes all Edmund wanted to know was what was going to happen first.   He didn't mind that this was a new school or classroom, he was ready.  As much as I wanted to stay, I made my way out of the room quickly.  Edmund's teacher was probably all too glad, since after kindergarten orientation she has probably labelled me the crazy mom.  However, that's a story for another day.

The day went on with no phone calls, so I assumed, and rightly so that all was well.  Steven, Evie, and I loaded in the car around 3 to brave the pick-up line.  I'd heard horror stories about the wait for pick-up and they weren't too far off.  Poor Evie and I are probably going to sit in the car for 30 minutes every afternoon.  I need to come up with some games, so if you have some good toddler ones send them my way.  I'm so thankful I had friends who shared tips about how to maneuver pick-up or I would have been a bigger mess than I already was today.  At 3:40 Edmund was finally called out to our car.  He came running out with a huge smile on his face, so I knew he had had a great day.

On His Way

Unfortunately, it was hard to get much out of Edmund about his day on the drive home.  That's how he's been ever since he could talk.  I told Steven before pick-up to expect to hear everything from him except what we actually want to know.  That was pretty much what occurred.  Fortunately, we often get information throughout the afternoon, so by the end of the night we were able to piece together most of the day's events.  We learned that he learned less in kindergarten than he had in preschool.  Steven gathered that meant that going to kindergarten strips away some IQ points


.  I had prepped Edmund about all he will learn this year so much so that I think he got it in his head he would learn it all the first day.   When they didn't expect him to write his last name he was floored.  That's been a big push here at home the last couple of weeks.  We also learned that during what Edmund called "play time," he chose to draw a map of the school for his teacher since she was new.  He also brought a map home for us so we wouldn't get lost.  I thought it was an assignment, but it seems like he set out to create this map all by himself.  It is actually quite an accurate map.  Finally, we discovered that all the kids in his class are his new friends, but that his "old preschool friends will be his friends until he dies".

I was relieved when I learned his nightly homework wouldn't start until next week.  I have been dreading homework, but know I need to stay positive for Edmund.  I needn't worry though, because even though Edmund didn't have any work to do, he immediately set to work on his own.  I had a headache and told Edmund I needed to lie down for 10 minutes.  His reply, "that's fine, I'm making important school papers and grown-ups can't help,"  Obviously Edmund is on a first day high, but I sincerely hope that his joy for schooling continues this year and beyond.

A Little Afternoon Boating

Anchors Aweigh

 Except for the annual Pattishall family beach week, our summer has been one long "staycation."  Steven started a new job as a hospitalist at Wake Med hospital on July 1st. While he's been adjusting to work, Edmund, Evie, and I have been doing a lot of exploring kid-friendly places in the area with several friends.  So while we haven't traveled too far from home, I feel like my kids have had a fun-filled summer with plenty of memories.  One of the perks of Steven's new job is that he, for the most part, is off every other week.  When that happens we not only get quite a bit done around the house, but also have the pleasure of his company on our outings.  Yesterday when I got home he informed me he had an adventure for our afternoon all mapped out.

Edmund at the Helm

He decided to take our family to Lake Crabtree for an afternoon of boating.  We've lived in the area for 3 years and I have no idea why we've never made the trip before.  We've been to other boating locations before, but they've always been too far to make an impromptu trip of it.  Lake Crabtree, on the other hand, is only 10 minutes from our house.  Our one worry was that there would be no "peanut" size life-jackets available for Evie, but fortunately they had one that fit her perfectly.  As a family of 4 we could choose between a pedal or row boat.  We decided on the row boat.  Even though this meant Steven would do all the hard work, it was definitely for the best, as we learned Evie needed a full-time wrangler.

With life jackets tightened, we loaded into the boat.  As the boat attendant pushed our boat from the dock he exclaimed, "wow that's a big snake."  As we looked back we saw the body of a massive red and black snake coiled around the dock.  Thank goodness it didn't try to hitch a ride in our boat.  I'm not sure what would have ensued had we known it was there when we loaded.

Little Mischief Maker

The lake was fairly big, but we didn't explore very much of it.  Evie, who is fearless when it comes to water, wanted nothing more than to climb out of the boat and into the lake.  She and I struggled for most of the ride with our conflict of interest, as Steven and Edmund rowed the boat. After about 30 minutes on the water we decided to head back to shore.  Any more time and Evie probably would have triumphed in our struggle.  As Steven rowed back I reminded him to be on the lookout for the snake.  I certainly didn't want to anger it by docking in its resting place.  I'm glad I remembered to watch for the slithering creature because as we approached the dock we saw the snake now had it's head of of the water, its tongue sticking out, and hissing in our direction.  I told Steven there was no way we were going to dock in our boat's assigned spot.  Fortunately for us, the attendant agreed when I pointed out the snake.  We were able to dock further down and made it to shore unscathed.

Steven really wanted to go sailing, as he had done a bunch of sailing in college.  Unfortunately the Sunfish sailboats only seat two, so that mean two in our family would have to sit out.  As much as I really wanted to go sailing, I had to agree with Steven that it didn't make much sense to leave our troublemakers with no supervision back on shore.  In the end Edmund got to be the skipper.  I have to admit this was the first time I've been jealous of my son.  I still have yet to go on a sailboat, but Steven promises we'll go back to the lake without the kids one day.

Setting Sail

When Edmund and Steven came ashore, it was clear from Edmund's uncontainable excitement they had a grand time.  I am glad that was the case as I missed most due to chasing after a strong willed toddler.  I'm very glad we have found a great outdoorsy place nearby with boating and trails to explore.  I love being outside, but know I'll probably never get into hardcore backpacking or the like, so this was just my speed.  After this trip I tried to convince Steven that we should take the plunge and get certified in SCUBA.  He says we ought to try snorkeling first.  If Evie's love of water keeps us, she might just beat us to it.  For now I'm just glad we have a fun outdoor activity our whole family enjoys.

The Turtle and the Ice Cream Truck: An After Dinner Tale

The Turtle in the Garage

I was downloading and organizing pictures today when I came upon one picture that screamed "you have to write my story down."  OK, the picture didn't really scream, but if it could I'm sure it would have.  I have no doubt this story will end up as Pattishall family lore, much like the lobster in the pot is now Mercer family lore.  

One evening after dinner our family decided to take advantage of a cool(er) summer night.  As I walked outside my neighbor came over to tell me that she had seen a large turtle heading for our garage.  She had chased it away and it was now residing under our holly bushes.  She warned me to be careful just in case we had a snapping turtle on our hands, though her best guess was that it was a box turtle.  I brought the rest of my family outside to enjoy this sight of nature so rarely seen in suburbia.  Our neighbor's two boys also came over to visit the turtle.  

After some time the novelty of the "giant" turtle wore off.  This turtle gets bigger every time I tell the tale, but in my opinion it was monstrous.  The various children dispersed and then we all heard the sounds of an ice cream truck.  I don't know who shouted louder.  Edmund and I were both screaming for Steven to get us some money for some ice cream.  As a parent I now get the creepiness of the ice cream truck, but I suppressed that momentarily as fond memories of Ninja Turtle ice cream pops with bubble gum noses flooded back to me.  And can you believe they still sell them?  Of course that's what I got.  Is it sad I can't remember what my child chose as his first ice cream truck treat?  .

We stood in front of our neighbor's house eating the Popsicle with her children who had also been lured by the sound of the ice cream truck music.  While the children dripped sticky Popsicle juice all over themselves, I lamented the fact that I had ruined my amazing memories by partaking in the ice cream pop.  It probably still tasted the same, but was not what I remembered.  After we cleaned the kids' sticky hands we all dispersed and went our separate ways.  

Our family decided to take a quick walk around the culdesac before calling it a night.  I asked Steven if we should shut the garage as we had been warned that the turtle was hightailing it for our garage earlier.  His response, "It's a turtle (read slow), and we'll only be gone a few minutes."  After our very short back we returned home and the turtle was nowhere to be found.  I asked Edmund, who is lower to the ground than I, if he saw it anywhere.  He pointed under the car and said, "it's there!"  It took Steven and I awhile to see it, but eventually we did and now had to determine how to remove it from the garage.  

I took the kids inside and Steven moved the car.  The turtle was in its shell and Steven was able to back up without disturbing it.  Eventually, after some careful work with a snow shovel, Steven was able to remove the "gimongous" turtle from the garage and steer it back towards its peaceful home at the pond.  When I came downstairs to make sure all was well I spotted liquid of some sort in the garage.  I was informed that as man and beast cowered in fear of each other, the beast lost control of its bladder.  The next day our 5 year old boy could not contain his laughter as he heard there was turtle pee in the garage.  And thus concludes this telling of The Turtle and the Ice Cream Truck.

 

We Have a Crawler

 Click Above for Some Cuteness

Can I just say how over the moon I am about Evie's newest accomplishment?  I've watched hundreds of kids learn to crawl, and as exciting as it is, it's one of those (pseudo) milestones I took for granted.  That is until I had Edmund who decided to march to the beat of his own drummer.  The road he took to accomplish all those important gross motor skills was anxiety provoking for me and Steven, to say the least.  But eventually he got there in his own roundabout way and is such a happy, fun little boy who still likes to throw us for a loop. 

Evie seemed to be heading down a similar path, and since we'd had one child who'd done the same, Steven and I only had fleeting anxieties, but knew she'd be fine without the interventions we sought for Edmund.  We determined we had kids who skipped class the day typical development was taught, and that was OK.  But I was really hoping for a crawler and began to grieve that we might not have children who ever do the cute little creep.  Silly I know, but it is what it is. 

Last week Evie starting scooching forward on her bottom.  Then a few days ago she began commando crawling.  Every day before that I tried to practice the hands and knees crawling position with her, but she hated it.  Once Evie began scooching, I resigned myself to the fact that even if Evie wasn't a true crawler at least she was a mover. In fact if I had tried to put her on her hands and knees this morning I can say with 99% certainty she would have let me know emphatically that she would have none of it.

Tonight I reminded Edmund to clean his playroom before bed, but he was not thrilled with the idea.  I said I'd make it fun and began singing "A Spoonful of Sugar" while he cleaned and acted out the scene from Mary Poppins complete with doors and drawers popping open and shut.  The two of us had almost completed clean-up when he went to put his United States puzzle on the table, and then the inevitable happened.  All 50 states toppled to the ground.  I told him I'd work on it, but he said he wanted to keep cleaning if I'd sing the song.  And it was at that moment that Evie decided to crawl.  If I hadn't been bending over to look for Iowa I would have missed it.  She was full-on cute, butt in the air crawling.  I have no idea what prompted her, but she was crawling, albeit at a snail's pace, across the room.

Edmund and I cheered her on.  Hoping she would do it again, I ran to take a video for Steven, who had just left for a night at the hospital.  Evie performed until she could take no more, and so we were able to get the video.  This may not be the ultimate in baby achievements, but in our family it's a big deal.

Mun the Edmund

Cover Page (Sorry for the Poor Quality)

 Edmund has always loved books, but now he's really getting into reading.  He has a few books that he has memorized and "reads" those with ease.  I'm not knocking memorization, as it in fact was the way I began reading.  However, I wanted to gauge where he actually was in terms of phonemic awareness and recognizing sight words.  At several other mommy friends' suggestions I purchased Edmund Set 1 of the BOB Books (thanks to Kay Kay).  The books in the set build upon each other.  The first book in Set 1 uses only four letters so children can easily and successfully read the book. 

Title Page

Edmund was so proud of himself when he read Book 1, entitled MAT all by himself.  He has since read all the books in the set, but is most confident with the first 4.  At bedtime Edmund is allowed to choose two stories, but when he asks to read a short BOB book, I'll oblige.  I figure if he's asking to read, at this point I shouldn't deny him. 

All this is to say that Edmund is loving his BOB books, so much so that for the past week he has been talking about making his very own.  While Edmund was at Grandma's house on Monday he finally sat down to create one.  I got back from the dentist just in time to see him complete his latest authorial endeavor.

Several of the BOB book titles are structured like Dot the Dog, for example.  Edmund picked up on this and titled his book Mun the Edmund.  I'm not quite sure what it means, but it is creative nonetheless.  He informed me he was both the author and illustrator and asked me to write those words out for him to copy.  He then put those words along with his name on the cover page.

The End and  Barcode

Next Edmund added some simple pictures to each of the pages.  The BOB books are known for their simple drawings and Edmund clearly made note of that fact.  He then went back and added words to each page.  His words were things like frrrpppp, but hey, he's making his own book, so I can't be picky.  Edmund knows that you have to sound words out in the BOB books.  He doesn't try to make up a story when he reads his completed book to me.  He sounds out frrrpppp, and then laughs hysterically.  Think about what this sounds like to a little boy and you'll know why we get the laughter.  

On the final page Edmund wrote "The End" with a little help from Grandma on the spelling.  He informed us that all BOB books end this way and he is correct.  Lastly, and I think probably Edmund's favorite addition to his book, he added "a thing that is on the back of every book."  Edmund had added the barcode.  Really, this kid thought of everything when he made this book.  This book will definitely make it into the keepsake box..

Spring Has (Almost) Sprung

Funny Bunny and Silly Children

Today is the first (it was when I first started writing) third day of spring and it is cold.  Maybe not by northern standards, but since I am officially claiming North Carolina as my state, it's COLD.  This past Saturday, fortunately, we got a brief reprieve from the cooler weather.  What did our family do?  We packed the day as full of outings as possible because it is now clear the Groundhog lied.  Spring did not come early and we needed to come out of hibernation.  Our initial plans included a brief breakfast with the Easter Bunny and a hop on over to the Planetarium for Legopalooza, but we were having so much fun we added on to each event.

Easter Breakfast Art

In the morning we headed over to University Mall for Breakfast with the Easter Bunny.  Edmund and Evie both enjoyed having their pictures made with him.  Edmund also had fun coloring and doing a spring craft.  He was very proud of his finished works of art.  

While at breakfast, we were told there would be a magic show happening shortly on the opposite end of the mall.  After a short debate about whether or not to insert the show into the morning's plans, we decided to take the plunge.  It turned out to be quite the elaborate ordeal for a free show, and we were glad we stayed.  In case anyone is looking for a magician, his name was Jeff Jones, and he was fabulous with young kids.  At one point when the children were getting a little overeager to go toward the stage, he commanded them to "criss-cross applesauce."  Magically they all sat down.  This is a teacher's trick too, but I'd never seen it work so well before, so must be magic.  Edmund was very excited when mom was called up to the stage to help with a trick.  Evie was probably excited too, but the expression on her face was asking "what is going on here?"  At the end of the show the children were given adorable bunny bags with little magic tricks inside.  Edmund's bag included a whoopee cushion, and the "whoofee cushion" as he calls it, has been summoning much laughter around our house the past few days.

Lego Master at Work

Next it was off to Legopalooza.  At this event members of the North Carolina Lego Users Group create Lego structures over the course of the weekend.  Visitors can then "ooh and ahh" at the creations they come up with on the spot.  There were castle creations, a town, an amusement park type structure, and a scene from Ghost Busters.  The creations were really fun to see and it was amazing to see what could be done with Legos.  Edmund even tried his hand at making a few of his own Lego creations using the Legos provided for kids and kids at heart.  Steven and I realized that if we go to this event again next year we should go at the end of the weekend because the creations will be complete and even more awe inspireing.  Still it was amazing to see what the guys and gals of NC-LUG came up with.

What Pretty Flowers!

For a family with a 4 year old and an infant Legopalooza doesn't take long.  Edmund, and if you can believe it,  Evie don't have the patience required to build an elaborate structure yet, so we had time to kill before lunch.  As it was such a beautiful day we decided to wander around the Arboretum on UNC's campus.  I somehow always forget what a lovely spot it is to visit.  We got in a couple of springy pictures of the kids sitting among the flowers.  Others had the same idea, but they brought along a professional photographer, not an I-Phone.  Our stint here was short-lived because a hungry Edmund is a cranky Edmund.  Next time I'll have to remember to pack a picnic so we can enjoy this treasure of a place even longer.


 I'm glad we got to have such a fun family outing that included daddy.  Now that we know we'll be in North Carolina next year and that Steven will have a predictable schedule, we look forward to having more of these family outings.  For now we'll take what we can get, both in the weather and in the daddy departments.

The Start of Evie's Adventures

Evie Enjoying Music and Movement

I've decided it's time for some honesty about my life with two.  I sincerely want to keep up with this blog.  When Edmund was a baby I'd sometimes get in one post a day.  As he got older it got closer to once a week or two times a month.  Now with two kiddos I'm doing well to get in one post a month and I'm sure my small "readership" has dropped because of it.  But this blog is really more for me to document these fleeting years with my children than to become "blog of the year."  If I'm being honest, I could probably write a post every other day.  Evie takes a nap in the morning, but that's my time to get things done around the house.  Both kids generally take an afternoon nap and I could write then, but nap time has become sacred mommy rest time.  If I am going to make it until bedtime with my balls of energy I need nap time to zone out and recoup.

Chef Evie

It will come as no surprise to most of you that I love babies, so sometimes it makes me a little sad I won't have as much to show Evie about her early years as Edmund will.  Not to stereotype (well maybe a little), but Evie will probably be more interested in seeing her baby pictures than Edmund will.  Edmund's first few years were documented to death, between the blog, his baby book, and the massive portfolios I kept on him at the preschool.  Edmund has a plethora of movies featuring him and pictures galore.  This week I realized it had been almost a month since I took a picture of Evie.  I have a camera on my phone that is with me almost all the time, but I justify not taking it out because I'm afraid I'll miss a moment with her or because in reality by the time I actually get the camera out fussiness starts or the moment has passed.

Evie spends quite a bit of time in the car whilst we take Edmund to and from sports, lessons, and school.  However, now that she's older Evie and I are slowly finding activities to do together.  Recently Evie and I discovered the Southwest Branch of the Durham Public Library is a few minutes from Edmund's preschool, which makes it the perfect place for us to go right before morning nap.  This particular branch has something for children almost every day.  I can't say I'm deliberate in planning when we go.  Whatever happens to be occurring on the day we stumble in is what we attend (granted Evie fits the age range.)  Those who know me well will know stumbling into anything is not my style, but at least with library visits it's working for me.  So far Evie and I have attended several lapsit story times and music and movement classes.  Evie's still a little young to really "get" music and movement, but she loves the instruments, especially the egg shakers, and watching the older toddlers dance around.  To see the smile on her face you'd think the whole class was designed just for her. 

Delighting in Prepared Meal

With Evie's morning nap and Edmund's school schedule I think it will be a couple of months before Evie can do something more formal like Gymboree or Kindermusik.  I love my "big buddy E" to death, but I am also looking forward to the start of kindergarten so that Evie and I can have a little more mommy and Evie play time.  Many friends have told me it's hard to really get to know the second child, so I'm hoping that next year will be a time for me to get to know Evie's likes and dislikes and what makes her tick.  The start of our adventures is just around the corner.  And so my little Evie, you are just as loved as your big brother with or without the pictures to prove it. 

Space Travel

My laptop of 8 years died on me a couple of weeks ago.  It is beyond resuscitation I'm afraid.  I had plans to write about our Disney trip, but haven't gotten the pictures sorted since I am now sharing a laptop with Steven.  Posts will probably be intermittent until I figure out what to replace my laptop with.  However, Edmund said something so cute yesterday I just have to write it down.

Steven and I have one garment bag hanging in the closet.  Edmund noticed it yesterday and asked what was inside.  Steven replied "my suit."  Edmund thought about it for a minute and asked "your spacesuit, daddy?'

As much as we talk about space with Edmund you'd think daddy's former space travel would have come up by now.  This also informed me that we don't get out enough.  Perhaps we'll start working on it.

In Evie news, Evie is working on eating little pieces of food.  She still isn't crawling, but is a roller extraordinaire.  She can stand up very well if someone puts her in the position.  She also has chosen a few favorite stuffed animal friends to sleep with now.  I went in to get her up from nap yesterday and she looked so cute snuggling with her sock monkey.  I went to get my camera, but by the time I came back the moment had passed.  Evie is now waving and it is the most adorable thing I have seen.  We have strangers stop us everywhere to comment on her eyes and smile.  Then she waves at them and they about die.  Of course I think my baby's cute, but she really does seem to have an effect on people.

Franklin

A couple of you have already heard this story, but it's too cute not to record.

I attended an open-house for Edmund's preschool as a parent representative recently.  I don't often get the chance to talk to Edmund's teachers, so it was nice to be able to chat with them between fielding questions from perspective parents.  During one of the lulls Edmund's teacher, Ms. Robin, shared this very funny story with me.

Here's a bit of background.  Over the next two weeks the class will be learning about space.  A field trip to the planetarium will wrap up the unit.  When the field trip form went home I made the mistake of getting really excited and telling Edmund about the planetarium trip before I realized it would conflict with our trip to Disney World.  Upon realizing my mistake I informed Edmund he wouldn't be able to go with his class, but that he had already seen the show, "One World, One Sky."  This made him feel better about missing the trip.

This brings us to the exchange between Edmund and Ms. Robin. 

Edmund said to Ms. Robin during centers.  "I can't go to the planetarium because I'll be in Disney World.  But do you know the planetarium isn't in Durham?

Ms. Robin replied, "I do, it's in Chapel Hill."

Edmund said, "That's right, it's on the street named after the turtle."

Ms. Robin exclaimed, "I didn't know there was a street named after a turtle."

Edmund said, "You know, Franklin St."

And I bet you all thought it was named after a founding father.