Tricky Vowels

I thought my daughter was getting oddly theological in her drawings...and then it dawned upon me. It wasn't "son" and "hell" she was depicting, but rather "sun" and "hill."

Those vowels sure are tricky.

Chipmunk's Art

Here's our happy little artist. Sometimes I wonder what is going on in his little head. Okay, so I often wonder what is going on in his little head. After seeing some of his artwork and hearing his explanations, I'm scratching my head even more at what kinds of thoughts are firing across his little neurons.

"Is this a spider?" I asked.

"No! It's a octopus that walks on its legs!"

"Okay, then what's this?" I pointed to the next picture.



"I drawed a ghost and a sign that says 'No Ghosts Allowed' on it..."

"No ghosts?" I asked.

"Yeah...the ghosts can't go because I drawed a sign with a circle and a line in it."

"Ah, well too bad for that ghost," I responded.

Kindergarten Begins...

So it's begun...my little girl has now entered compulsory education. She's a kindergartener. Sigh.

It's been three days in, but each day I've been asking her the same questions:

How was your day?
What did you do today?
Did you make any new friends?

Today while walking home we chatted again.

"Mommy, I did make a new friend today! But he spends everyday sitting in the 'thinking chair' for a long time."

"The thinking chair?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's the chair you sit in when you do bad things and you have to think about what you did wrong."

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh...my friend sits there everyday."

"Oh really..." I say rather hesitantly. "Have you ever sat in the thinking chair?"

"No," she giggles. "I don't do anything bad...just my friend."

Heh heh...perhaps I need to meet this "friend."

Aquarium Summer

We've been visiting a lot of aquariums recently. We really have...

Our summer started with a trip to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.



The kids hatched grunion and are still talking about it to this day. Mommy, remember those eggs that we shook and little fish came out?





Can you see the baby grunion?

Then it was off to the Aquarium of the Pacific.



One time with grandma...



And another time with friends...

Then after a wedding in Carmel, we made our way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium



Chipmunk declared the penguins as his favorite.



I preferred the sea dragons myself...



Bear?



She liked the gift shop.

Four aquarium trips in one summer? Perhaps we should visit one more for an even five before school starts. More pics here.

Sorry!

While the kids are playing in their room, I hear a lot of interesting conversations between them..."

*Crash!*

Bear: HEY! You knocked it over on purpose! Say sorry a lot!

Chipmunk: (while laughing) Sorry!

Bear: More!

Chipmunk: Sorry!

Bear: More!

Chipmunk: Sorry!

Bear: More!

Chipmunk: Sorry! Sorry! Sooooorrry!

Bear: Okay. Now FIX IT!

Frowns

After a friend's birthday party...

"Bear! Chipmunk! It's time to go home!"





"You can give me all the dirty looks you like...it's still time to go home."

Thoughtful Gifts

At the end of VBS week at our church, the kids can redeem the tickets they've earned during the week for little knick knacks and toys. When my kids returned from redeeming their tickets, they had bright smiles on their faces and their arms full of toys.

Bear excitedly showed me her arm full of pink dolls, a pink cheerleading set and a foam sword. I asked, "a sword, huh?" "It's for my brother," she explained.

Chipmunk ran back with his arms full of cars and trucks. He then pulled out a little yellow ring with a princess on it and said, "it's for my sister!"

I was surprised. With younger kids, I expect them to adopt an "all-for-me" type of attitude, but no, they each on their own chose a toy for their sibling...and not just any toy, they actually put thought into it and found something they thought the other would like.

What can I say? I was impressed. Again, they continue to teach me more than I teach them.

Quiet Blog

It's been quiet here at this blog. If you ask Matt, he'll say it's because of this. Me? I'd say it's because I've been giving myself some extra needed downtime.

With naps phasing out of our home, my introverted need to retreat has been suffering without those precious two or three hours of quiet in the afternoon. Less time to myself...less time to reflect...therefore, less thoughts crossing my mind spurring me to write.

Instead there's just been more chaos. More metaphorical fires to put out, more times I collapse on the couch with a big sigh, more moments I wonder what goes on in those little heads that belong to my ever-busy children...

Noisy life = Quiet blog.

Looking for new members to join SGFMWLTWTKD

S = Support
G = Group
F = For
M = Men
W = Who
L = Lost
T = Their
W = Wives (sig. others)
T = To
K = Korean
D = Dramas

I know you are out there.

Bargaining for 3-year-olds

At lunchtime, Chipmunk bargaining with his dad for more pickles.

Chipmunk: I'm 3 years old, so I get three pickles!

Dad: Um, that's not the way it works. How about two pickles?

Chipmunk: How 'bout one?

Dad: Are you sure about that?

Chipmunk: I want one pickle!



Silly kid.

Apologies

I was surprised when Chipmunk didn't fight naptime today. He happily bundled up in his blankets and closed his eyes. Bear on the other hand had a case of the "grumpies" and showed her rebellion by tossing her beloved Sonja to the ground.

"I don't want her," she said with a pout and a hmmph.

"That's fine," I said and picked up the doll. "Would you like to take care of Sonja?" I asked Chipmunk after he sat up to see what was upsetting his sister.

He nodded and I handed him the doll. He pulled her into a hug with his teddy bear and then laid them both on his mattress beside him, tucking them under his blanket.

"Are you sure you don't want her?" I asked Bear again.

"I don't want her!" she repeated gruffly.

"Okay, but if you do, I'm sure your brother will be happy to give her back to you." I closed the door and left them to their naps.

About five minutes later I heard a few whimpers and sniffles and I knew Bear had started crying. I thought perhaps she wanted her doll back, but when I entered her room, I found she was already clutching her beloved friend.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

With tears rolling down her cheeks she said, "I was saying sorry to Sonja for throwing her and I just started crying as I was saying it."

Sigh. Gotta love that kid.

Waiting Room

Today we visited the doctor's office for our annual check-ups for the kids. Despite the impending shots and the feel of a cold stethoscope on their back, the kids were generally happy. We had to wait a while, but the kids kept themselves busy.

Me: (watching Chipmunk move his arms in a circle) What are you doing?

Chipmunk: I baking a cake. Come help me (shouts to his sister)!

Bear: Okay. I'll cut the cake. (picks up imaginary object and cuts the cake)

Chipmunk: NOOOOOOOO! Don't take the knife! (Grabs imaginary object back from sister and puts it on the floor)

Bear: ( Grabs imaginary object off floor) I'm just going to cut it into a rectangle.

Chipmunk: NOOOO! (Grabs imaginary object back and puts it in his pocket) Stop cutting my cake! That's my knife!

Bear: (Reaches for Chipmunk's pocket) Stop taking it away!

Chipmunk: (Pushes Bear's hand away)NOOOOO! YOU STOOOOOP!!!

Me: Uh, you know that you two are fighting over something that isn't really there, right?

I'll Never Forget that Tuesday

Yup, it was a Tuesday when you were born. I'll never forget it. Neither will your dad, since it was his birthday. Suddenly, sometime after noon it became your birthday as well. My little boy...who came out with a bottom lip in a pout and a whimpering cry (which you still do to this day)...



Oh, my silly little boy. I can't ever get you to sit still, and you always make me laugh, even when I'm trying hard not to. You're carefree and you're super stubborn, but you've got a light-hearted joy that makes other people want to be joyous with you.

Three years old. Sigh.

Happy Third Birthday, Chipmunk! And happy (fill-in-the-blank) birthday, Matt!

Snow Day - California Style

To all of my friends who suffered through Snowmageddon...this post will seem cruelly unfair. So please forgive me and our temperate California weather, and the fact we sought out snow...by choice.



Yup, that it a picture of Chipmunk having the time of his life.



Here he is, all bundled up, waiting to ride down the hill again and again...and again. He quit only when he realized he was hungry and needed sustenance.

Bear? She opted out. You see the pony ride scarred her for life, and now she fears trying anything that has the potential of going "too fast."



Instead she worked on her snowball rolling...



...and attempted a snow angel, only to figure out that crunchy man-made snow isn't really the best for it.

Meanwhile, Chipmunk was on his fifth run...

Germs

I'm quite sure we all got the same germs.

Bear had a runny nose and a cough for a couple of days.

Chipmunk had a runny nose from one nostril and was a bit irritable for a day.

Matt slept for a day and seemed to be over the worst of it by the second day.

I'm on my third day and I've got fever, chills and aches. My head is congested and I feel like I'm hacking out a lung.

How fair is that?

My family all seems to have super human healing powers... Chipmunk the most super of them all...perhaps it's the fact that he eats his boogers that he's so healthy.

Yup. He's that kid. The one who eats his boogers in class.

Lovely.

Conversations in the Car

Chipmunk: Mommy, my tummy hurts!

Me: Why does your tummy hurt?

Chipmunk: The monster got me!

Me: Uh...okay.

All About Hair

Chipmunk's stint as a hair stylist was a short one...here's his handy work.



We think he was going for the layered look.

Speaking of hair...I'm always amazed at how Chipmunk's hair can defy gravity when it wants to.



I even sent him to preschool with this hair. So far his cowlick is going on 8 hours.

An Unintended Haircut

Me: Why are there strands of hair all over the carpet?

Chipmunk: (proudly) I cut my sister's hair!

Me: Bear, why did you let your brother cut your hair?

Bear: I didn't. He just cut it.

Me: (shakes head and mentally tells self to hide all scissors)

I Can't Believe You're Five

Five. I can't believe you're five years old.



It behooves me that you've already reached half of a decade. When did that happen?

It feels like just yesterday you were four years old and so proud of your birthday cupcakes.



And a moment before that, you were three.



I still remember when you were two and you were so excited to blow out your birthday candles...



...and even when you turned one and didn't know what a birthday was.



Five.

Please don't grow up too fast. I don't know if my heart can take it.

Holidays 2010

January has just begin, and December already feels like a blur. Before they blur from my memory, I thought I'd recapitulate the holiday festivities.

Christmas Eve


My sister's lemon tart


The annual gift exchange

Christmas Day


Christmas dinner...

5th Birthday


Bear's 5th birthday

Other Adventures...


A trip to the local park


A visit to the Exploratorium


A tour of a printing-publishing house

To see more pictures of our adventures during the holiday, click here.

Hope you all had wonderful holidays as well.