A Short Post for a Short Month

Artist Hard at Work

The Pattishalls have had quite a few adventures since the last posting. Since Steven has had what I consider to be a very light load in the pediatric ER, we've been enjoying every moment of family time we can get this month. Unfortunately that leaves you loyal readers wondering what we've been up to. Steven's schedule is about to get more hectic, which means I'll be writing more to pass the time away.

Following are some February highlights:

Edmund cooked, built, crafted, and directed traffic at the Chapel Hill
children's museum, Kidzu. All three Pattishalls followed this outing with a trip to Sugarland, a gelato shop/bakery on Franklin Street.

I overcame my fear of driving to Northgate alone so that Edmund and I could join Elmo for his yearly birthday celebration. You may recall we went to visit Elmo on his birthday last year. Can you believe it? Elmo turned 3 yet again. Someone is lying about his age.

Edmund, Steven, and I made several walking trips to Locopops after school to celebrate a few potty successes (Edmund's, not ours). These popsicle excursions were followed by visits to The Children's Store (a local toy store which has recently relocated to the Locopops shopping center).

Thanks for keeping up with our happenings. I look forward to filling you in on March's adventures soon.

Life is But a Dream

Tickling the Ivories in a Piano Duet

Not to toot any horns here (pun intended), but Edmund is quite the musician. Not only does Edmund know a myriad of songs, but he he plays seven different instruments. In no particular order they are... guitar, harmonica, recorder, trumpet, saxoflute, train whistle (OK I know I'm stretching it with those last two), and drums, his new found obsession. I can't sit here and tell you Edmund is the next Beethoven, but relative to his age he is actually quite talented.

After a recent date night Steven and I returned home to learn that while we were out, Edmund orchestrated his own orchestra. Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Alison were all assigned instruments. For most of this little scenario, Edmund chose to rock out on his drums (large foam blocks he arranges to look like a drumset). As I mentioned earlier, drums are Edmund's current instrument of choice, and to his pleasure, and his parents' occasional horror, many of the recent social events we've attended have also included a full-size drum kit. Fortunately, these places have been kid-friendly and our hosts have been gracious enough to let Edmund have full reign of the drums. Unfortunately, it takes a Herculean effort to pull Edmund away from the drums. For this reason, it will be a few years before Edmund gets his own set. We feel we must spare the neighbors. Joking aside, this kid has rhythm. He can keep a steady beat while coordinating cymbals, snare, and bass. He even holds the sticks correctly. He must be observing drummers at church and concerts, because it isn't from anyone showing him how to do this. Try to show our son the "correct" way to do anything and meltdown ensues. I've learned my lesson and for fear of extinguishing this interest, I'm going to tread carefully when it comes to intervening for now.

Edmund is also quite the vocalist and composer. Edmund knows more songs than I can count and has made-up just as many. Not only can he recite songs, but can sing on pitch and imitate instrument sounds fairly accurately. Recently, however, I realized Edmund may be missing the meaning of some of his favorite songs. Below you will find a transcription of Edmund's rendering of a classic.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Like a spider's dream.

Despite how I've come to treasure this version of the song, one day I decided to slow down the lyrics so Edmund could catch all the words. This is what he heard.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life's a butter dream.

I love Edmund's little misspeaks and I've found they most often occur in song. Thus, if I hear a humorous one I'll do a quick blog post. I know if I don't write these things down while they're fresh, they'll be gone, and life will be but a dream.

The Potter

This past Sunday was our church's nine year anniversary. The focus of the week was a passage in Isaiah talking about God as the potter and how we are the clay. As part of the anniversary celebration, a potter was brought in. He worked on his pottery in the rotunda between services and answered questions. Edmund and I spent several minutes watching the potter at work before going to HopeTown (similar to Sunday School). In HopeTown the children had the opportunity to work with clay and play-doh. Edmund loves all types of dough so this was a big hit.

After church each Sunday I ask Edmund what he did. He generally replies "I played with motorcycles." His classroom has toy motorcycles and playing with them is the highlight of his Sunday morning. After that I'll generally just say "did you learn about God and Jesus?" He'll then reply "yeah okay."

This Sunday for some reason we didn't go through our normal discourse directly after church. However, when Steven got home I started in.

"Edmund did you learn about God in church today?"

"Yeah, okay."

"What did God make, Edmund?"

"A pot."

Edmund may be slightly off in his theology, but hey, at least we've moved past motorcycles.

Stop the World, I Want To Get Off

Edmund Poses with His Gingerbread Masterpiece

After completing our gingerbread house this past Sunday (I know, we're a little behind the times), Edmund decided to start spinning. He spun around the kitchen until he could spin no more. When he stopped he looked up at Steven and said "Daddy the house is spinning." A few seconds later he said "Daddy you're spinning too." Oh, my silly child.

Edmund Searches for the Elusive Gingerbread Baby

Animal Grossology

A mystical thing occurred this past Monday. Both Steven and I had off from work. I had decided weeks ago that we were going to use this day to visit the Animal Grossology special exhibit at the NC Museum of Sciences. I had heard about this travelling exhibit a couple of years ago, but didn't know if it would ever make its way to us. Then there's the fact that at the time I didn't have children and would have had to do a little more convincing to get Steven to go with me. If nothing else, Edmund is a good excuse to be a kid again. OK he's a million times more than that, but you get my point.

The exhibit was nice, but a little pricey for what it had to offer. I have a feeling the admission price goes to maintenance, and as the rest of the museum is entirely free it was worth it. The exhibit was free for children under 5, however. Score! There aren't many things Edmund gets into free these days, so we felt like we hit the jackpot.

When you first enter the exhibit you are greeted by an animatronic parrot. In fact animatronic insects and creatures abound in this exhibit. Much to my pleasure Edmund wasn't freaked out by these moving creatures as he is all other robots. Edmund is beyond terrified of anything Buzz Lightyear now all because of an animatronic Buzz Lightyear that sprang to life one day during a Target excursion. I think we'll be holding off on seeing Toy Story for awhile.

Edmund decided to check out an interactive quiz show on slimy creatures first. He was shocked to learn that some types of sea cucumbers can shoot their intestines out their rear ends when scared. Edmund chuckled when I mentioned he should try that the next time he sees Buzz Lightyear. Mommy was champion at the slimy creatures quiz show. Perhaps I shouldn't mention I only won because I messed up and hit the wrong button to record my answer. But the computers don't know that, so I'm still champion.

After learning about all things slimy we went to learn about all things poo. And what things we learned! But I'll spare you readers. Edmund then immediately headed to a submarine display. He dutifully took his shoes off before entering as he had been instructed by the docent. Of the hour we spent in the exhibit, Edmund spent 45 minutes of his time here. Inside the submarine there were facts on a variety of sea creatures such as coral, eels, and jellyfish. Edmund, being the two year old he is, was most taken with the captain's wheel and portholes. The submarine had a giant eel attached to it. One could climb up the eel's intestines, then slide out the eel's mouth. I tried to encourage Edmund to slide by testing it out myself first. The eel slide was awesome. Too bad my child has no interest in tunnel slides. Did I mention I knew that before I tested out the eel?

The great part about Edmund's intense interest in the submarine was that Steven and I could take turns exploring the entire exhibit. We were able to see just about everything in an hour. Steven and I learned about everything from animal scents to hairballs to tapeworms. We did encourage Edmund to leave the submarine to come up for air briefly. During his short stint back on land he found a station describing the male Darwin's frog. This frog carries its freshly hatched tadpoles in its mouth until they are full-fledged froglets, then burps them out. In order to demonstrate this phenomenon, young patrons can play a Darwin's Frog pinball type game entitled Belch-A-Baby. The object is to get the froglet (green ball) into one of the holes in the pond. Landing in a bird's mouth is not the object of this game. Not only did most of Edmund's froglets meet their demise, but when they did he would shout Carolina wins. I suppose we have a little work to do when it comes to our son's science knowledge. However, I think he's got sports down.

After the Carolina basketball game, er frog simulation game, we let Edmund spend a few more minutes in the submarine. Edmund finished his time at Animal Grossology in the gift shop where he chose to purchase a fifty cent sticky frog. That frog has since been found on our couch, coffee table, and floor. It's anyone's guess as to where the frog finds itself next. I'm hoping I don't end up with a sticky frog in my mouth anytime soon. The Darwin's frog wouldn't find it gross, but as for Edmund's Mommy that's an entirely different matter.

*We are such lazy parents. We forgot the camera. It was very dark in the exhibit, so the pictures wouldn't have been good anyway. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it. However, you can google Animal Grossology images and see where Edmund had his latest adventure.

Breakfast with Santa

Not Too Close Santa

Several weeks ago I had Steven make reservations for A Breakfast with Santa at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. If I'm being totally honest, this was not because I wanted my child to have some extravagant outing with the big guy, but because I myself wanted to eat at the Carolina Inn for less than $100. Steven and I aren't big eaters, so fancy places are out. With as little as we eat we can't justify the cost. The entire event was only $15 per person with kids under 3 being free. This is probably the last event we'll attend before Edmund qualifies as a citizen worthy of full prices. Truthfully, if Edmund weren't free we probably wouldn't have gone, but I'm glad we did.

When we arrived at the Carolina Inn Edmund immediately spotted a gingerbread castle sculpted from sand. The previous two weeks at school were all about gingerbread, so Edmund couldn't contain his excitement. He would have stayed at the castle much longer were it not for the fact his mommy and daddy were freezing their pants off outside. When we entered the inn we were directed to a large ballroom full of close to 300 parents and children. I was expecting something a little more intimate, but I was immediately able to adjust my expectations. There were two breakfast buffet lines. As a nice touch, the waffle and pancake line was at perfect kid height. It was fun for the children to see the options without having to be lifted up. Ever since his first hotel experience, Edmund has held a place in his heart for hotel breakfasts. This was a treat for Edmund, Santa or not.

Edmund loved the breakfast and probably had about three servings when all was said and done. The people at our table wandered over to the place where Santa would be, but we thought it best Edmund eat and jump in at the end of the line. As Edmund continued eating Santa made his way through the ballroom to the sounds of jingle bells. He shook hands with children as he made his way to his place of honor in front of the Christmas tree. We expected a bit of a wait so we decided to get up and tour the inn while we waited for the line dwindle.

The Carolina Inn has a "12 Days of Christmas" display every year that I'd always wanted to see. This wasn't really Edmund's thing, but he did have fun seeing "Bill and Coo", the two live partridges at the front of the Inn. As we wandered the halls of the inn we stumbled upon a gingerbread house contest. Edmund wondered aloud if a gingerbread baby was in one of the houses, as his favorite book at school the past week was The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. I was most impressed by a gingerbread display made to look like an old covered bridge and cast my vote. Edmund couldn't choose just one house, so he passed on the voting.

After seeing as much of the inn as we could without surprising guests by entering their rooms, we returned to the ballroom. Unfortunately the line for Santa hadn't moved much. We decided we would stake out a place in line and take turns with Edmund. Edmund loves to wait for Santa. The problem is he will wait hours for Santa, but as soon as his turn arrives, gets cold feet. I know this because sometimes on cold afternoons we wander the mall. Edmund asks to wait in line to see Santa. He has a blast in line. Other parents comment on how patient he is, and when it's his turn to see Santa guess what? Edmund will turn to the child behind us and say "it's that kid's turn mommy." At this point I encourage Edmund to wave or give Santa high five and then we're on our way. Thus I knew Edmund would have no problem with the wait. It was mommy and daddy who would need to practice patience.

Fortunately there was a magician working the crowd in the ball room. He did some amazing magic, but Edmund was unamused. That is, until the magician made mommy's nose squeak. Edmund laughed so uncontrollably that the magician squeaked mommy's nose several times. I had a bit of a sore nose after that. Edmund also received a chocolate coin the magician found hiding behind his ear, but that couldn't compare to mommy's squeaky nose. Eventually even the magician had to depart, so Edmund decided to watch as the other children talked to Santa.

After a rather lengthy, but fun-filled wait it was Edmund's turn to sit with Santa. Edmund of course didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. He did however, agree to sit next to Santa. Santa asked Edmund what he wanted for Christmas. Edmund responded by pointing to a mini gingerbread Beannie Baby in a basket and said "I want a gingerbread baby for Christmas." Santa said "yes and what else would you like." Edmund gave Santa a puzzled look and said "a gingerbread baby." After hearing several long Christmas lists that included Wiis and Leapfrogs, Santa seemed shocked and perhaps a bit relieved that all Edmund wanted was the little gingerbread toy all the children at the breakfast would receive. When Santa handed Edmund his gingerbread baby, Edmund was thrilled. He held and cuddled his gingerbread baby the whole way home. The breakfast was indeed the perfect way begin our weeklong countdown to Christmas.

Melty the Snowman

Edmund and Melty

Greeting blog followers. This past month I have been taken hostage by a person of short stature who thinks communicating through raspberries is the way of the future. Fortunately, I have managed to escape for this one night to give you the report on our latest adventure.

Steven was on call today, which means I do my best to find activities to fill up our day. It's not that I mind staying at home and playing with Edmund. In fact this would be great, but the distractions of home life beckon to me from every room. It's great that Edmund can play by himself for longer stretches now, but I hate to spend the whole day saying "go play, I need to do laundry" or "go play, I need to vacuum up this minuscule crumb I just spotted." It is curious to me that these things that really can wait seem so pressing if I'm at home. I've discovered that if I take Edmund somewhere I'm able to just "be" with him. Thus I was excited to read about a children's concert at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro and was pleasantly surprised to find it took place on an "on call" day.

We arrived at The ArtsCenter a little early to participate in the Art's Sampler taking place this morning. The Sampler as its name states was a sampler of children's classes offered. Edmund was still a little young to quite enjoy the offerings. He was given the opportunity to make a pinch pot out of clay. He stuck his thumb in and was "all done". He also listened to a story by one of the art's teachers, but when she began doing interpretive dance he was "all done." As soon as the doors opened for the concert we headed in. Edmund could have his pick of any seat in the house, but he chose to sit several rows back. To my surprise he was very well behaved during the twenty minute wait for the show to start. He has been all about instruments these days, so it didn't hurt we were able to talk about the various types of guitars and trombone propped on the stage.

At 11 am sharp Lunch Money took the stage. The sound wasn't phenomenal in the auditorium, but then I really wasn't expecting it to be. Not the band's fault, simply the nature of the room. The great thing was it didn't matter. This indie rock children's band knows how to put on a show. Soon my little child who always refuses to dance and instead play air guitar, was begging to get on the dance floor. Edmund's dance move of choice was hopping up and down then falling down and squirming on his belly in the middle of the floor. This is why I never have a chance to sit back. Edmund is a very sweet child who has 100x more energy than most kids I know. Apparently he gets it from Steven, who is said to have had Edmund's energy times ten. Yikes! At least Edmund uses his powers for good and not evil. Nevertheless, I must be within arms reach of my child at all times, lest he get a little out of control.

Edmund danced through the entire hour long set. The majority of songs were interactive. I loved that they were short and about things kids can relate to. Edmund and I are both major Raffi fans and this is because his songs are short and sweet. Raffi's songs are catchy and hold a child's attention. A lot of the new children's bands have songs that are simply too long to be memorable. Lunch Money was refreshingly the opposite. The trombone is a recent addition, but I love that this band wasn't simply the typical vocals, drums, and guitar. Not that there is anything wrong with guitar, as it seems master Edmund is heading toward a career as a lead guitarist. However, I like that Edmund was exposed to an instrument we've often talked about but don't often see or hear. The concert was the perfect length for young attention spans at one hour. And Edmund loved it. His feet were still a dancin' when we walked to get lunch at the pizza place next door. I am a new Lunch Money found and will definitely be looking for a CD soon.

All that dancing wore Edmund out and he easily went down for a nap. As he napped a blanket of snow began covering our yard. I had heard tell of snow this weekend, but ignored it 1.because if I get excited about snow it never happens and 2. what fun is it if it happens on a weekend when there is no chance of school closings? When Edmund woke up I showed him the snow. He of course wanted to go out in it. I kept telling him "later" as I really didn't want to venture into the cold. However, I do love snow and couldn't deny Edmund the opportunity to play in it any longer. In North Carolina you have to take snow when you get it. For all we know this could be it for the winter.

When we walked outside Edmund immediately spotted the neighbor's snowman. He wanted to play with it and was disappointed when I told him he couldn't. So I suggested we build our own. It's been a long time since I've built a snowman, mainly because they are so time consuming. I forgot how quickly you can build one when the snow is perfect, and today we had perfect snowman snow. I rolled three balls for the snowman in less than ten minutes. Edmund helped me collect stick arms. We then went inside to find objects for eyes, nose, and mouth. Unfortunately we didn't have any carrots, but we did have some old green beans I felt bad about throwing away. So our snowman ended up with a green bean nose, raisin eyes, and an almond mouth. He also donned Edmund's hat from last winter. The perfect snowman with treats to share with the animals.

I got so caught up in the snowman building I forgot about the cold and our dinner engagement. I quickly threw Edmund in the car. As we drove away I noticed our snowman starting to lean. I thought I must not have balanced his segments well and hoped he would be in one piece when we returned. An hour later we pulled into the driveway. Our snowman had met its demise. Perhaps I'm slightly off my rocker, but seeing that the neighbor's snowman had met a similar fate made me feel much better about my snowman building capabilities. Edmund and I said good-bye to our frosty friend and headed inside to bid farewell to a day well spent.