The BIG surprise...

(First, a disclaimer -- this info is still a surprise to Cora, so if you happen to talk to her on the phone in the next couple of days, mum's the word, alright?)

Some neighborhood friends of ours will be moving away soon, and we are inheriting their backyard playground! It's a kid's dream come true -- swings, slide, playfort, sandbox, you name it. We decided to keep it a secret from Cora, so that when she got home from camp one of these days soon, it would be waiting for her in the backyard. But I (Kate) have a hard time with secrets, so I told Cora she would be getting a very exciting "something" soon, but I couldn't tell her what it was. This ended up backfiring on me -- it really pissed her off that I wouldn't spill the beans.

A few days later, I decided to make use of Cora's away-at-camp-time to trim the overgrown bushes in the backyard to make sure the soon-to-be swings will have enough room to move. Later that evening, when Cora noticed the trimming I'd done, I couldn't resist telling her it was to make room for her surprise. Well, that really gave her something to chew on. Ever since then, at random times, she'll just come out with a guess as to what this big backyard surprise is. Thus far, she's guessed a big truck, an airplane, and a pool. Then this morning she and Brian were playing out back and out of the blue, Cora said, "Daddy, is it the biggest hermit crab ever?" Ah, the brain of a cunning four-year-old.

We'll post pics of the playset as soon as it's up and running. Til then, ZIP IT.

The Wedding Crasher

The Party Animal
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Aunt Janine was inspired by the following May blog entry and submitted this photo from Anne and Nathan's wedding:

Where am I....where is my Blackberry?....must have left it in the car with my sippy cup.....who are all these people....I'm feeling a little woozy...really must master this walking thing soon...

Great work Janine! It's amazing what children can conceal from their parents. If you hadn't caught it on film we'd still have no idea!

We've got a Reader

Cora is reading now. She's been working up to it for a while, sounding out letters and putting together three letter words. But in the last two weeks she made the leap to full blown reading. She caught me when I skipped a word during her bedtime story tonight. That's a scary thing because sometimes she picks out long stories on purpose just to stay up later. If I can't skip any words we're in trouble.

The Little Red Wagon

Kate here. Well, we've reached yet another American family milestone -- the aquisition of a Radio Flyer wagon. After a zoo trip yesterday, sans wagon, during which Cora spent almost as much time riding piggy-back (on an already weary Mommy) as walking, I decided -- wagon time. After a brief test-run at our local Toys-R-Us, we headed home with our new purchase, which, the salesman assured me, required minimal assembly. The assembly was quite straightforward, and for once the instruction booklet was actually clear and understandable, but holy moley, this d*** thing just about killed me trying to put it together. The nuts were lined with some kind of plastic coating which is, I understand, designed to prevent loosening. Well, it also prevents tightening. I had to work so hard trying to get just eight bolts tight that my right hand has three big blisters, one of which actually became an open wound in the process. Thank goodness for Cora's prompt medical care ("I'll go get the big honker band-aids, Mommy!") and her chanting, "Go, Mommy, go Mommy, go, Mommy" as I put my all into the last blessed bolt. She's also quite handy with a hammer -- I didn't have to help her at all as she banged the red hubcaps onto each wheel, while I took a much-needed time-out on the sofa. Finally, our wagon was in one piece and ready for its first spin. Grandma Sally came over and we took kids and wagon over to our neighborhood park for a pre-dinner outing. I wish I had some pictures to share, but I am still (much to my chagrin) untrained in the ways of Brian's fancy camera. I'll post some pictures as soon as he's taken them. Overall, a pain in the ass to assemble, but well worth it.

Bedtime protests

Cora, at bedtime a few minutes ago, indignantly: "Sleep isn't that important for our bodies."
Mommy: "Cora, without sleep we would die."

How's that for a goodnight? We haven't heard a peep from her yet...

Flashback

Cora started camp today and rushed off without even saying goodbye. She was ready.

Oliver is imitating our words more lately. His words still consist of mostly monosyllables, but they're starting to take more recognizable forms. A list off the cuff:
ball=ball
waa=water
coa=cora
teet=bird
moo=milk
daddy=daddy
mah=mommy
tees=teeth
nack=snack
ow=down
eye=eye
bye=bye
tee=tree
bebutt=belly button
ooh=shoe
bubbooh=bubble
ish=fish
tickaticka=tickle tickle!

We're brainstorming this list while Kate nurses Oliver in the living room. As we say his words he keeps popping off and confirming our pronunciation.

In documenting Ollie's words we were inspired to look up Cora's words when she was around his age. Here's the list from September 17th, 2002, when she was fourteen months old. The picture in this post is a picture of her from that month.

pooter=computer
tees=keys
buckle=buckle
dun=down
noonul=noodle
meyh=melon
cake=rice cake
bye=butterfly
boon=balloon
ood=food
bock-ee=broccoli
baw=ball
baby!=baby!
man=man
bebutt=belly button
beebah=bib
mackie=napkin
boat=boat
buddha=buddha
budt=bird
wok=walk
manna=banana
keek keek=kitty cat
waadooh=water
back ack=backpack
poon=spoon
wow!=wow!
bock=block
minkie=monkey
pooh=Pooh (Winnie the)
bottle=bottle
peacock=peacock
boomboo=bamboo
bat=bath
hat=hat
book=book
egg=egg
bean=bean
quool=squirrel
tee=tree
muck=milk
teet=teeth
tutu=tofu

It's amazing to see what a wide lens and nimble tongue Cora had at fourteen months (and that hasn't changed).

Message from Cora

Dear Elise and Alex, and all your Dads and Moms,

I hope that you have a happy trip to the beach. I am looking forward to making sand castles and playing in a kiddie pool and playing out on the beach and finding seashells too.

Love,
Cora

Cora packed her suitcase for the beach this morning. She obviously doesn't take after her daddy, who packed the night before for a four month trip in college. Cora's packing almost a month in advance. She's ready to go!

Summer

Summer vacation is intense. All of our routines have suddenly been released from their moorings with Cora out of school. Now she is here, all the time, every minute of every day, ready to do something or be engaged or have some attention or get some attention away from Oliver.......anything except rest or take a break or (gasp) take a nap once in a while, even when she's exhausted and there are bags under her eyes.

Oliver, meanwhile, has taken to yelling in the car, for long stretches, in a monotone. It sounds like he's saying "WaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooW!" over and over. It seems he is finally fed up with the Little House on the Prairie books that we've been listening to in the car. We're on book six, and Oliver must be irritated by the narrator's voice. When we put in the disc and the book starts, he cranks up a loud "WaaaaaaaaaaOoooooooooooW!" and continues, over and over, in a monotone, until we stop the book. Resourceful kid.

The Chitlins

pool bucket
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

The Pool Bucket

We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We didn't do anything fancy; just stuck around here and sweated in the heat. It was close to ninety degrees all weekend and we were inspired to create our own pool out of a large bucket. As you will see in the video, there's just enough room for two and not much room for swimmming. But it was a hit with the kids and kept them occupied for several hours.

Oh that hair...

Bath time
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

It will be time for Oliver's first haircut soon. Several people have inquired in the last few days whether he is a boy or a girl. But it's so hard to think of cutting it....

Parade press

Kate got local news coverage in the paper and on television. Here's a link to the newspaper article.

Teeth!

About four nights ago Oliver didn't sleep so well. He was cutting a front bottom tooth, so we figured it was bothering him. The next night he slept even worse, waking up every two hours or so, obviously agitated. The next morning Kate felt around in his mouth and discovered about four teeth coming in at once. Premolars are pushing through on top to help with all his chewing.

Some doctors say that teething pain is mostly a myth and that it doesn't bother kids at night. They are obviously childless doctors. Teeth are like the proverbial watched pot that never boils--their progress is agonizingly slow, especially when your sleep depends on them. We're hanging in there but looking forward to more than two hours' sleep at a time.

Cora is down to one and a half more days of school before summer vacation. She is very excited. We just can't believe it's summer vacation already.

Kate and Phyllis

Kate and Phyllis
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Mothers Day Parade 2006

fruity mama
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

What a day -- Nashville's First Annual Mothers Day Peace Parade was a huge success and went way beyond my (Kate) expectations. We had a great turnout, young and old, in strollers, on legs, in wheelchairs, riding trikes, joyfully celebrating our human family and the awesome contributions mothers make to world peace each and every day. As with Anne and Nate's wedding, the gods were smiling on us and decided to part the rain clouds just in time for our parade to begin. Not one harsh, derisive word was utterred, not one negative response from the passersby, -- it was truly a celebration of our common desire for PEACE, regardless of political leanings. Plus, I got interviewed by our local news channel and will hopefully make it onto the 10:00 news tonight! Click on the pic to see more photos from today, and I'll send links to media coverage in another post, to come soon. I hope you all had a fabulous Mothers Day -- I did!

Spotted at the Wedding...

Deranged Baby Businessman
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Where am I....where is my Blackberry?....must have left it in the car with my sippy cup.....who are all these people....I'm feeling a little woozy...really must master this walking thing soon...

Wedding Weekend Part 2....

So yes, the mountain air was chilly. And sweet and clear and moist. Wonderful to breathe. G'ma Carol snatched Oliver up and Cora started playing with Mary Grace. We stayed until dark and Cora played tag and hide and seek with flashlights in the dark. I reunited with some dear friends. None of us could sleep that night--we were too keyed up. Cora was awake until 11:30, much to our dismay.

After Friday's rain, Saturday morning came with a clear blue sky and a light breeze. Perfect weather. It reminded me of my second season at Omega when a group of Peruvian shamans came for their first workshop in the United States. The day before they arrived, a huge storm hit the campus. It raged into the night and we all had to sleep in one of the meeting halls for safety. Some large trees fell in the wind and it felt like we were in a hurricane or a tornado. The next morning, the sky was brilliant and the campus felt like it had been scrubbed clean by the storm. Then the shamans arrived. It's impossible to say for sure, but it felt like a supernatural storm, and these were supernatural voyagers. Perhaps they wanted to clear the energy before their arrival. It certainly felt that way. And perhaps someone was smiling on Anne and Nathan too, clearing the space for their ceremony.

Wedding Weekend Part 1...

Due to the epic nature of any road trip with children, this post will be written in several installments. Pictures will be coming soon. We neglected to take any of our own because we were having too much fun.

Rain greeted us Friday morning as we packed the car for the trip to Asheville. It intensified as the day progressed, buffeting the car on the highway and limiting visibility to ten feet at times. Tractor trailers in front of us kicked up plumes of spray that swallowed our car in a misty fog. Not a good omen for an outdoor wedding weekend.

The rain followed us sporadically all the way there. Whenever Cora needed to pee the rain would miraculously stop. Once we got back on the highway again the deluge resumed. This happened probably three times, and Cora found it quite amusing.

After almost seven hours in the car we pulled into Deerfields with the rain still coming down. But there is something so peaceful about the North Carolina mountains that rain seems more of an embellishment than a nuisance. As we left the paved road for the single lane dirt road into Deerfields I felt like I was in familiar territory. The little road led up to a lake flanked by two log cabins and ringed on one side with a white gravel drive. We unpacked the kids and joined the fray of wedding preparations. The rain continued to fall and water poured in rivulets from the unguttered cabin porch roof. The mountain air was chilly.

Road Trip coming up

on his own....just making sure
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We're preparing for a grand weekend road trip to Asheville, North Carolina, for Anne and Nathan's wedding. We went by the library today and stocked up on CD books for the drive.

Ollie's New Shoes

Today Oliver and I (Kate) took a trip to Stride Rite to get him some new sandals for summer. On our last trip there, we bought him his first pair of shoes, insanely overpriced (I mean, these things cost more than MY shoes, for pete's sake!) but assured to aid him in his newest hobby, walking. The saleslady measured his feet on that first trip, and proclaimed him to be a size 5XW (the XW standing for extra wide). Well, his extra wide feet have worn those sneaks down, and now that summer is here, his piggies need to breathe a bit. So today, on our return trip, he again stepped on that cold metal scale I remember so well from my trips to the shoe store as a kid. Now he's a 5 and a half 2W, which, the saleslady interpreted, is one size WIDER than the XW! So his feet are only getting WIDER! I must admit, their resemblance to fat, juicy sausages is quite remarkable. Then she said to me, "They usually outgrow this (the wide-footedness) by the time they're 3 or 4. And if not, then you're really screwed." How reassuring. I assume she means we will be forced to continue to pay through the nose for these "special" shoes until he slims down. Don't worry, though -- we won't be putting him on a diet anytime soon. His fat feet are worth the extra expense....