Morning

This was from a couple week-ends ago. It was memorable because at 6:30 in the morning, Pippin woke up and said,

"Mommy, I'm hungry".

"Come snuggle mommy and we'll get up in a minute"I said, trying to buy a few more minutes.

"But Mommy, I'm STAHVEEN" hr insisted. So we got up and made him three pieces of toast and warm milk. Kateri came down soon after and ate two cartons of vanilla yogurt. I guess they were both growing. On a normal day they get up between 7:30 and 8:00. But I was able to manage because I had 1/2 and 1/2 for a latte and the Wall Street Journal has a Saturday edition.
This morning Kateri came into the library at 7:30 carrying her new notebook.

"Mom, can we do letters now?"

"Why don't we get some breakfast first and then we can do some letters" I suggested.

"How bout we do letters first and then breakfast" she answered.

I guess I can't complain when they want to work. I helped her with one page and then I got up to make breakfast. She came in a little later and had gone through all the letters from E-Y. We didn't get to go over the sounds as she wrote them but I was impressed with her work. I might have to get a few more of these as they only have one page per letter.



This is last night's dinner. You can't see the broiled chicken breast underneath but its there, topped with mango, bleu cheese, bacon and a basil vinagrette. Very tasty. And of course our old standby Root:1 Cabernet.
Speaking of wine, we are going to be staying at the Salish again and I'm looking forward to the Snoqualmie Reserve we had last time. We can only find the 2004 in the stores now- after Shane bought all the 2003s he could find- but I am hoping the Lodge will still have some. We decided to use our free night- and of course we booked massages and dinner so it was well worth their while to offer it-and have some time before Shane leaves for Tahiti. It worked with Grandma's schedule so when she offered we grabbed it. It helps get through some rough spots to remember it some days.
Some funny kid conversations
Kateri -Cyril, can you pass me the bottle?
Cyril slides it across the table.
Kateri- NO, not like that, like this.
Cyril- You can't tell me how to do it. You're not my mother.
Kateri- No, a mother means a sweet bird.
Cyril- NO it doesn't. It means your mother. Like you're my mother.
Kateri- I mam?
I was explaining to Kateri how nice it will be for her when she learns all her letters. She got all animated and had an amazed look on her face and said,
"Then I can write? and I will be big like you and I can have e-mail? and I can drive, and do the dishes, and drink why-un?"
Because I know my letters.

ABC'S

I'm not sure what I was thinking today, but I ended up taking the kids to toysrus and the mall. Actually, I was thinking Cyril really wanted a dinosaur he saw there before and had been saving up for it and I told him this morning I would take him. And then I was thinking, while we are out I should go by L'Occitane and get some bath soap and another shaker for shakes and then I might get some face powder because sometimes I like to dress up.

The dinosaur Cyril wanted was not there but he found a T-Rex skelton you can assemble so he got that and Audrey added to her herds of horses. And I actually found something useful- some work books for Kateri and Cyril for writing. I was getting tired of making dots and printing things out so these were perfect.

Kateri was thrilled. She loves pens and paper and doing writing exercises. She did amazing when I sat down with her and traced and then wrote on her own very well. If she started in the wrong spot she would drape over her page laughing "That's not how you do it Ooops"

Unlike Cyril, who if I reminded him to start at two o'clock would take the opportunity to defend his individualism and vehemently respond,

"You can't just make your kids do their letters just like yours. Not everyone's has to be the same."

I think he is the kind of student the schools would suggest medicating. Some days it does sound tempting. Some days it is difficult and other days its completely entertaining. Like when we were walking throught the grocery store and he was carrying a baguette and suddenly went all raptor like- laying the bread across his forearms and hunching over like a t-rex while baring his teeth to the other customers. I never know when or what mood will strike him until it does.

Cyril was upset I didn't take a picture of him while he was working and was sure it was because I didn't like him. I gently reminded him of the many occasions when I pull out the camera and he hides and protests- "No, you can't take my picture"
So here is Cyril helping with the hasbrowns. I think he is really growing. Yesterday he ate 5 slices of pizza for lunch. Today for dinner he had hashbrowns, then scrambled egg whites, and an orange, and then asked for toast.

Kids

Some random pictures of the kids recent activities:

Pippin's recipe for orange juice- first mangle the orange slice over an empty cup, then put the slice in your mouth
And shoot the little bit of liquid in your cup. Repeat with remaining slices being sure to spread the peel and juice across as much of the table and floor as you can. A bath is definitely in order.

The stock market has been unpredictable lately. Kateri and Pippin have been busy managing their portfolios. Kateri actually prefers investing in gold, because then she can wear it too. I think Pippin has his money on Scooby Snacks. That or the Hair Club for Men.
Pippin offered to take out the garbage the other day. He didn't get very far. It was cute when he was getting ready and put on my shoes to head out to the garbage cans.
We actually had a really beautiful day last week. I think it got up into the mid 70s. I had forgotten how nice the sun is. WE spent all day outside- Shane and Ron worked on the playset and the kids running around like they'd never seen the sun. Cyril and Audrey found some caterpillars and made a little box for them. Audrey declared it was the "best day of her life". Pippin found a little baby fern and insisted it was also caterpillar. I asked if he wanted to make a house for it and he cupped his hands around it and said " I could be a little house". It was pretty cute. He carried it around, tried to fix it when its tail fell off, and put it by his plate at dinner time.
At which time he fell asleep. So I put him on the couch while we finished eating and then to bed for the night. I love the summer days when they are so worn out from so much fun. Unfortuanteyl it has been raining since Sunday. Yesterday we even had some thunder and hail. Ahhhh... Springtime in Seattle. Its a grey thing.

THe kids had dentist appts and Kateri was thrilled because she got to go too. She just loves those kinds of things- especially since she'd been watching the big kids go. They gave her a pair of sunglasses and little toys when she was done. They get little tokens and can use them on little gumball machines filled with bouncy balls, rings, and sticky little monkeys that leave oily stains on flat paint and are very sticky. I had to get the ladder and a broom to take down the one I had confiscated- but was found and launched up onto the big wall in the living room. It left a mark "much like a seahorse" Audrey decided.

Kateri was so tickled with her visit she repaid the dentist by lifting a small doll from the waiting room. Unfortunately, I had a similar penchant for pinching when I was young and my mom learned to pat me down before we left friends houses after some experiences of finding various pretty objects upon returning home from a visit. Luckily, we go back to the dentist to have a chipped tooth filled on the 2nd so returning it will be easy. And I'll pat her down before we leave.

Just for laughs

some short, vey funny clips.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2tP8w2wXQfM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n-cxitNqSnU

More week-end pictures

Granner Selby

Great Aunt Adele

Cyril having fun with the camera and his shark.

Week-end Trip

As is our custom, we took a surprise visit to Eastern Washington to visit realatives this week-end. It wasn't too much of a surprise as Shane has been wanting to get out there, but in the past every time we even consider going, somebody gets sick, which would mean we couldn't visit the aged realatives which is the whole point of going. So this time we just snuck out and zipped over the mountains last minute and it worked.

We tried a new hotel this time and it was conveniently located next door to Anthony's. So in the evening we headed over there for dinner. Kateri ordered crab and then asked to see the wine list. All the kids were bummed they didn't get crab legs- they only had whole dungeness availble- so Pippin ordered lobster. He really did ask for it. We told the waitress they would be just fine with fetuccini and broccoli. Shane chose the wine- a Nelm's Road 2006 Cabernet. It was very tasty and one we'd get again. Its fun just trying something new. And then having it work out. Or not.
We ordered an appetizer and Pippin went for the coconut prawns. Then I remembered, we had discovered during lent, that he has an issue with shell fish. On two separate occasions he threw up after dinner. Both times I was all prepared to take on the flu for a week. but both times it was just one purge. And both times were after seafood- crab one week - tiger prawns the next. He was very sad when I took the skewer away from him. He is fine with fish but it is sad because he really likes crab and shrimp.
Kateri completely in her element and looking forward to swimming in the pool after dinner. Which we all did until it closed at 11:00. After a bath the kids passed out. As did we.
We visited Gran and had lunch with her. The kids enjoyed coloring some books she got out for them. Then we headed to Great Aunt Adele's where the kids had a great time playing with her wheel chair and asked if we could get one at home.
Our final stop was to the park to meet up with the cousins and get some energy out before heading home.

$1

I made the mistake of stopping at Target to grab wrapping paper the other day and happened into the Target Experience I hear about- you go in for just one thing and all of a sudden you've spent $85. Once I got in I remembered all kinds of things I needed - yoga block and mat, lunch containers for Shane, shampoo etc. And Kateri had carried her $2 all through toys'r'us looking for anything so we stopped in the $1 section for her to shop. And then we found dinosaurs. I only got one for Pippin but the big kids kept playing with it at home so today I decided to take them in and they could each spend $4 on whatever they wanted.

Not wanting them to just expect things for nothing, I gave them a list of jobs, what they were worth, and said they could choose up to $4 each. I've never seen such industrious happy workers. And for $16- plus tax- the floors got swept and washed, the living room vacuumed, and the dishes done. No they are not for hire. Besides, that would be child-labor. Or as I see it- a fair exchange for room and board. Currently, they are still paying down their labor and delivery bills. Mine, not the midwives. So, we packed up and headed to target and they picked and chose, re-thought, traded, and finally we headed to the register. Where they each wanted to pay separately with their own $1 bills. The cashier was very patient and understanding. And the kids were happy as they marched out the store with their goodie bags.
After much deliberation, Kateri finally settled on her four items. A little purse, some pink note cards, a dinosaur picture with markers, and a striped headband, which is not quite up to the job of containg her locks.
You can see Audrey in the background washing dishes.


Cyril set up all the dinosaurs on rug he just vacuumed.
Audrey and Cyril chose dinosaurs and a butter fly net each. And for my very bad part, I only chose dinosaurs for Pippin. You can imagine how it went when we got home. I locked myself up in the bathroom and beat myself up for being such an idiot. Here, I had envisioned an afternoon of dinosaur playing in our nice clean house and instead Pippin was just heartbroken he did not have a butter fly net too.
I figured there was only one peaceful way out. Bribery. Actually, it was a business proposition. I offered either of the big kids $2 for their net. And another trip to Target some time. Cyril was quicker on the buzzer and said he'd do it. Then started listing all the other things he might pick out after replacing his butter-flly net.

Looking back I'm not sure it was the best deal on my end. I suppose its a good lesson to be more cautious when you feel in a desparate situation. I wonder if going back to Target was worth it.

I think I'll go lock myself in the bathroom now.