Quote of the Day

Last night.

Me: Here's your toothbrush.
Eleanor brushes her teeth.
Me: Ok, time to put your toothbrush away and go to bed now.
Eleanor: No, Momma, my teeth are still rotting.

I must have really freaked her out by telling her that her teeth would rot if she didn't brush them!

Quote of the Day

Eleanor: Would you like some of Footsie Glipsie's mezelin [medicine]?
Me: Sure. What is the medicine for?
Eleanor: For the trees and the rainbow.

A word about Footsie Glipsie... I am trying to figure out exactly who/what Footsie Glipsie is. He/she/it keeps making appearances in Eleanor's world and I love it whenever Footsie Glipsie is mentioned. She told me once that Footsie Glipsie lived in a tree house. I think that her little imagination is incredible and I am trying to just listen to what she has to say and not add my own ideas, which is really hard for me!

Library Books - Week of June 23, 2008

I'm behind again on library book updates. Wanted to put a few from this past bunch that we enjoyed.

1. The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter.
Eleanor loved this book. I think in part because it is physically small and certainly in part because it is an interesting story with lovely pictures. Beatrix Potter, of course, is well known for Peter Rabbit, which we also have and enjoy. But, I must say, Eleanor would take this book in to her bed with her and I would hear her repeating all of the little phrases ("the water was all slippy-sloppy in the larder...") to herself in a whisper before she fell asleep.

2. Rain Makes Applesauce by Julian Scheer, illustrated by Marvin Bileck
This is a unique book of "silly talk" with marvelously detailed illustrations. Another one that I read through once and heard Eleanor repeating as she perused the pages. I also like the idea that rain (indirectly) really does make applesauce. There is a small tree on each page that grows and eventually produces apples in a sort of surreal dreamlike way.

3. Train (Take it Apart) by Chris Oxlade, illustrated by Mike Grey
This book really brought out the train geek in Eleanor. She got all excited to learn that a "bogie" holds the wheels on a train and that "maglev" trains use magnets to move along the tracks. A bit technical in parts for a 2.5 year old but it didn't stop us from reading it about a million times.

I have a few more books to add as well to the train book list. Maybe I will get to that if Henry decides to take a nap!

What? Another blog?

Ok, so I may be crazy, but I've started another blog. I really like doing this one but it is sort of personal (at least as personal as I feel comfortable with on the Internet), so I started a less personal one with some fun creative projects I have been working on. I also wanted to try out another blog platform (this one is on Blogger, the new one is on Wordpress), which I realize is kind of geeky but I enjoy learning the different ways things work.

So, without further adieu, here is the link to the other site in case you want to have a visit:
http://www.cygnetsmall.wordpress.com/

And, just to make this post a bit more interesting, here is a picture I love:

Quote of the Day

Eleanor: Mommy, I went baalum, baalum, baalum all by myself in the pool.

[Baalum, baalum, baalum is how she describes creeping around the edge of the pool with her hands. Rhymes with yum.]

Midnight Adventure

We had a nice weekend planned in Shenandoah at Big Meadows Lodge. We traveled out on Friday, stopping along the way to let the kids have some fresh air and a nap in the stroller. Skyline drive was lovely, as usual, even with a little bit of rain. I even saw a black bear in the woods as we drove along. We arrived at Big Meadows in the early afternoon and checked into our room. I would say this is really where the adventure began. We entered the room (#13), adjacent to the main lodge by way of a steep narrow staircase. It was basically the attic, though it did have a fireplace. And, instead of the two adjoined rooms the woman on the reservations line had mentioned it was one very small, extremely hot room with a double bed.

We managed to get everything sorted out. The heat was on, so that got turned off. The adjoining room was actually #14 -- equally small but with two twin beds -- across a landing of four stairs. While not ideal, we figured that we could put the kids in one room and I could sleep with them. At least that way Vince could actually get a bit of sleep after a long week of work.



We played around all afternoon at the playground and near the lodge. We saw some deer and the view from Blackrock. We had dinner at the Wayside, which included some amazing sweet potato fries with maple butter.

Then bedtime arrived. We had taken every possible measure to make the hotel room feel as much like home as possible, including bringing every blanket and pillow from Eleanor's bed. We got them down to sleep after some cajoling and everything seemed to be going fine. Until, someone from the lodge came in and wanted to check room #14 for a lost article from the previous inhabitants. Ugh. Henry was wide awake wanting to see what was happening and Eleanor was a bit unsettled by the whole thing as well. Needless to say, the gentleman didn't find anything other than two tired babies.



So, at this point, I was starting to get a bit frazzled. I really try hard to roll with the punches but I just wanted this to be a nice retreat from everyday life at home and it was starting to get all muddled. Henry did manage to go back to sleep, as did Eleanor. I climbed into bed shortly thereafter not knowing how long I might have until everyone was awake again. Turns out, not long. Eleanor woke up worried about her daddy and needing some water, which in turn woke Henry again. Then, Henry make the executive decision to stay awake for several more hours. By 12:30 am, I went across the landing to ask for Vince's help. We looked helplessly at each other and decided to drive home for fear that with Henry screaming we might never be allowed to come back.



We packed up the car in record time, tossed the keys on the reception desk and hopped in the car. Eleanor half asleep and shaking in the cool night air as I carried her to the car said, "Its so dark." Right she was. Henry was instantly asleep in his seat and Eleanor was able to get a bit of rest as well. However, Vince and I kept our eyes on the road. In his words we were in an "animal obstacle course". After passing a possum, myriad deer, two bobcats (or some such animal -- hard to tell in the dark but definitely cat-like), more deer and nearly hitting a sweet fox with black socks, we managed to make it back to 211, the main drag back towards the city. We decided to take a "direct route" to 66 instead of following 211, which ended up being a long-cut instead of a short-cut. I have never been so happy to see 66 in all my life. In fact, driving on a virtually traffic free 66 at 3 am was actually almost enjoyable.

We made it home into our comfortable beds and were happy to wake up in a familiar place. Yesterday involved lots of sleeping and thankfully, Henry obliged us last night with an all-the-way-through sleep. Hooray. We'll just have to try again another time for a weekend away.

New Teeth

In case you wanted to see some of the cutest new teeth around:

Thinking about things

I have been thinking about things lately. Nothing particularly important, just things -- memories from my childhood, happy thoughts about family, and other flashes of my past. Sometimes the thoughts are triggered by something, a movement by Eleanor, a sound, a smell, or nothing at all. Here are a few things that have been on my mind this week, in no particular order:

Catching crayfish in Jackson Creek with Mike and Lynda. The thrill when you have one cornered and manage to get it into the bucket.

The smell of fresh cut grass.

Playing croquet in Gran's yard.

Biscuits in Gran's small, warm kitchen. And the pencils, papers and rocks on the desk.

Playing with neighborhood kids in Peterborough. Will Eleanor and Henry have friends at their grandparents' houses?

Going for a drive and getting butter tarts at the little shop on the corner with Nana. If you have never had a butter tart, you really should. The name says it all. Yum yum yum.

Watching storms roll up on Gran's porch. We've had a few massive storms in the past couple of weeks. Every time the smell of rain is in the air I think of Gran's porch, the lightening bugs and the boiling clouds approaching with flashes and bangs.

We lived far away from both grandmothers (and grandfather when Grampy was alive) but somehow those memories from our visits to Peterborough and Rolla are vivid in my mind, especially the summer memories as we move into the warmest part of the year.

Silly Worries

When Henry was around ten months old, I started worrying that maybe there was something wrong because he wasn't crawling yet. I needn't have worried:

Picture Perfect Morning

We have had such a nice Father's Day. Grandaddy had the great idea to pick strawberries this morning and it could not have been more lovely. The weather was unusually beautiful, cool(ish), clear and breezy. We headed to Homestead Farm where we have picked apples and pumpkins, to load up on their strawberries.



After a short wagon ride, pulled by a really cool tractor, we hopped into the strawberry field with other eager folks to search for the perfect red ripe strawberries. We have been reading a great book lately, on loan from Riley, called The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (by Don and Audrey Wood), so of course we talked a lot about red ripe strawberries.





Another book that came to mind was Blueberries for Sal (by Robert McClosky). There were definitely more berries going in Eleanor's mouth than in the cooler. As a matter of fact, I took several photos of the cooler over the course of our time in the field and surprisingly (or not) the amount seemed to stay about the same, no matter how many red ripe berries I put in.





It gave me a little smile though, to see just how much Eleanor and Henry were enjoying the experience. I really like having the farm nearby and our garden out back so that we are able to show them where food really comes from; it seems to make eating that much more enjoyable.





After we finished picking, we headed back to the main store area and got a couple of hotdogs. Again, Henry and Eleanor were in seventh heaven. And, ketchup and mustard were everywhere, and I mean everywhere! When we went to weigh the strawberries we realized that we probably should have weighed Eleanor in as well.





After naps we made a trip to the pool, which was packed on such a beautiful day. Both kids are just as comfortable as fish in the water, though neither can swim yet. Won't be long though.

And the day was topped off with an amazing feast provided by Grandaddy. Sausage, steak, potato salad, coleslaw, and strawberry shortcake (of course) for dessert. Yum yum.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there, especially to Vince, Tada, Grandaddy, Bill, and all of our uncles and friends. We love you!



(This is a picture from when Henry was first born, obviously. It is one of my very favorites.)

Quote of the Day

Eleanor: Is Daddy still mowing the lawn?
Me: Yes, he's still mowing the lawn.
Eleanor: I'll give him five more minutes and then it will be my turn.

Broomball with Beth

Our friend Beth has an interesting hobby -- broomball. I remember skating with my precision team ages ago for the intermission of the MSU hockey team vs. coaches broomball game, but I had no idea that there was such an active broomball community before Beth clued us in. This weekend we got to see her in action at a tournament held nearby in the Washington Capitals new practice arena. It was fun to see the teams playing, and extra nice since Beth's team won. It also made me want to skate like crazy, even though broomball is played in shoes. I may have to get a new pair of skates though, since I am fairly sure my feet won't be able to squeeze into the old ones after the foot growth from two pregnancies. Anyway, here are a few pictures of number 9 in action:





And, Eleanor enjoying a chocolate milk at the rink in her fairy costume:

Quote of the Day

Number two for this morning -- she's really on a roll.

Eleanor [to Vince]: Honey, are you getting ready for work now?

She often uses "honey" with me too, it is probably much funnier to hear than to read. She really models the way Vince and I use the term of endearment with each other. So sweet.

Quote of the Day

Vince: She's a giant girl. [Referring to how big Eleanor is getting.]

Eleanor: Fee fi fo.

Vince: Fum.

Eleanor: I don't like fum.

Henry WANTS to Walk

Henry is trying with all his might to get vertical and go. His favorite things, which also happen to be his sister's favorite things, are the shopping cart and stroller. He is actually able to get a few steps in with the shopping cart:



He also really, really, really likes playing by the door, which makes me nervous sometimes. He likes to open and close the big heavy inner door, as well as stand by the outer glass door and look to the trees:



And, so Eleanor doesn't feel left out in this post, she is loving having the swimming pool open. In fact, Francine and Olivier sent her a new bathing suit (thanks guys!) and she wanted to use is so badly that she put it right on over her pajamas:

Quote of the Day

This morning (early) in our bedroom to Vince and me...

Eleanor: Be patient with me while I'm whining.