Evening at the Pond

Now that the time has changed, those magical 30-60 minutes between supper and bedtime snack are full of outdoor adventures. Today, the kids played at the pond and Simon made what he called a cupcake out of leaves he happily dredged from the pond with a stick.

Kitchen Sink Window View

At our old house, there was no window at the kitchen sink. At our new house, I really love being able to see turtles, geese, ducks, and herons while rinsing dishes, in addition to basic things like trees and the sky.

"Look! There's a snail on the door-window!"

Alice's First Loose Tooth!

She is soooooo excited to have her first loose tooth finally.

The easiest way to have three kids

I always felt kind of bad, being a third kid myself, for not having the fortitude to have three kids. But at our new house, we've found the perfect solution: adopt the neighbor kid! Parker is a year older, a grade higher, and head shorter than Alice. She also only has one brother, but he's a teenager, so she spends a lot of evenings and weekends playing with Alice and Simon. As far as luck-of-the-draw neighbor kids go, we couldn't have gotten much luckier. She is the opposite of Alice: easygoing, imaginative, well-mannered, obedient...and she'll even find bugs for Simon or help him find bugs. So she is a welcome addition to our family, with all the benefits of a third kid and none of the hassle.

Alice in the magnolia tree

This tree in our front yard is great for climbing.

"It's getting nighter!"

Every evening since the time changed, the kids sit down to their bedtime snack when it is still a little bit light out. Every day, Simon asks me, "Why are we eating bednight snack at morning?" Then I explain that the time changed and it will be dark by the time they finish their snack and head to the bath.  This satisfies him. Then fifteen minutes later, he will notice the light has faded, and he will announce, "It's getting nighter!"

Simon sets the table

Simon really wanted to help me set the table. It was funny how clueless he was about everything, given that we eat here every single night. He had no idea where to put the napkins and when I gave him the forks, he just arranged them in a swastika configuration at one end of the table. It took a lot of coaching to eventually get the table set.

Slides, swings, and dung beetles

On this chilly Sunday morning, I took the kids to the nearby park. I was happy to see Simon doing something other than playing with bugs for a change.

Wait, when did Simon graduate from the baby swings?

Alongside the greenway, the kids found this pile of dirt (remnants from a fallen tree's roots) and started pretending they were dung beetles on a pile of dung. They played here for over half an hour, and probably would have stayed another hour, except it was time to go home for lunch.

Bugs at the science museum, bugs at home

Zac took the kids to the science museum on this rainy Saturday morning.

While Zac was at the museum with the kids, I was able to finish organizing the hand-me down clothes in the attic. I love that the walk-up attic has enough room for bins, so now I can put all the clothes for the kids in labelled containers and not have to rummage through garbage bags of clothes when we get hit with unseasonably warm or cold weather (like 80 degree days in February). I am so grateful that my sister loves to shop and has a boy and a girl a couple years older than my kids. I hate shopping, so it is quite nice to basically have a store in the attic.

We've also been battling a couple of ant invasions. One group comes into the upstairs bathroom and another inhabits the kitchen.  Who knew ants like toothpaste?

Some things Alice writes

"Alice's styrofoam and markers."

"My cat's name is Alice. My cat's mom is small."

"When I grow up I be a teacher. I will read books to children."

"Two people went walking on a sunny day. It was hot."

Then, on the back, because her teacher must have reminded her she was supposed to use one of the words from the worksheet in a sentence:

"Two blocks were at the school. One block got took in a we (sic). How many are left?"

Alice and Ms. Georgiana

I had to pick up both kids today and take them to Zac's work party. It worked out to get Alice first and bring her with me to get Simon. Everyone at school loves it when Alice makes an appearance. Here she is with Ms. Georgiana, the daycare's director, who had a special fondness for Alice.

Simon reads me a story

Simon told me to sit on the couch with him, and he would read me a story.

"I've had it with Simon!"

I can't remember what Alice was upset about that inspired this drawing, but I like that she's using art therapy to cope with her feelings.

Moses

Simon's first intentional artwork

Up until now, Simon has shown very little interest in art. He'll paint every now and then for a few mintues if Alice is, but he'll usually just smear the paint everywhere. But today he had an artistic vision.

It's a centipede. Do you see the legs coming off of the body?

Alice and Grayson

We had a play date with Grayson's family on Saturday, and they broke the news to us that they'd be moving to Richmond, Virginia where Brent got a new job. We're devastated, but hoping they come back to visit a lot, since it's only about 2 1/2 hours away. Lindsey will be staying here with the kids until summer so Grayson can finish out the school year. We'll plan as many playdates as possible between now and then.  What will Alice do without her (much politer) soul mate?

Flying around

Alice's creativity

Luckily, the iPad is not stifling Alice's creativity, as she still produces lots of interesting multi-media works of art. Here are the highlights from the stuff she's created over the past two months. (These are all things that she created completely from her own ideas. I don't even bother with the "arts and crafts" she brings home from school every week.)

"Simon wearing a bug costume."

"A dog."

"I see! I see! [Hollybush] I see!" 

"10+10=20"

"8+8=16" (She writes 6 backwards so it looks like 2). 

"4+2+2=8"

"It's a robot and it gets its energy from the honey tube on his head."

"Sword finger"

"The slide is fun"

The iPad Rules

Because Alice loves the iPad so much and was instantly addicted, we had to set clear rules for when she can be on it.

Weekends
1. In the mornings before we get up.
2. After her nap, unless the neighbors are outside playing, then she should go outside instead.

Weekdays
3. In the mornings after she is completely ready for school.
4. In the evening while I am cooking supper if her homework is already done.

These boundaries work pretty well and are generally designed to make our life easier by motivating her to get through breakfast quicker on weekdays and by keeping her busy in the evenings when we're trying to get supper ready.

Restroom repertoire

In addition to using the potty at the most inconvenient times (middle of meals), insisting that we stay right outside the door (but don't look at him!), taking forever to wash his hands (with a teeny trickle of water), Simon has now added something new to his restroom repertoire: a potty dance to signal the transition from the potty to the sink. He does this every time.

Notes from Alice

When cleaning up the living room one day, I found these notes Alice had written a while back (probably around Valentines day, based on the heart-shaped paper). Below each note, I've provided a translation for those of you who can't read kindergartenese.

"I love my cat so much. She likes to cuddle."

"I love my family so much. They love me so much."

"Thanks, Zac, for all your hard work! Love Alice."

Batman bath

Alice has the batman washcloth spread out over her chest.

Future Serial Killer

After catching a jumping spider, Simon comes over to show it to me.

Simon: Guess what I have in my hand!
Sera: A spider?
Simon: Yes! I'll show it to you.
Sera: Be careful--I don't want it to jump on me.
Simon: Here it is! (He opens his hand. The spider doesn't move.)
Sera: Why isn't it moving?
Simon: Because I killed it.
Sera: Why did you kill it?
Simon: Because I wanted it dead.

Under the pots

Every day for daycare drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon, Simon insists on looking under the pots outside the doors for bugs. What's amazing is that he checks every single day and always finds a few bugs. In fact, he refuses to go on unless he has acquired at least three bugs.

He better end up being a scientist and Alice better be a lawyer, given all the trouble they cause us.