They Said It

Cora, hugging me goodnight:

"Daddy, I love you as much as a granule of sand."

(She was upset at the time).

School--Day One

Day One is in the books, and Cora came home from school on Cloud Nine. What a contrast to the stereotypical scene of children kicking and screaming as they are dumped at the school door against their will. Abintra is such a home away from home for Cora now after three full years. Her teachers have all been wonderful, and the staff really seem to have a special place in their hearts for Cora.

When she was two and in the Toddler room, one morning she breezed into the classroom and said to her teacher, "Casey, I'm going to make you angry now." Cora walked past Casey, climbed on top of one of the schoolroom tables (a verboten act), turned and smiled at her. Casey handled it beautifully I'm sure, and saw it as a clear indicator of Cora's intelligence and resourcefulness. Supposedly Cora was way ahead of the developmental curve in her premeditated efforts at pissing off authority figures.

The love and acceptance that Cora has received year in and year out was so evident this morning as she jumped out of the car with hardly a goodbye on her first day back after several months away. She has such trust in her teachers and the school itself, and for good reason. They have earned her trust over several years, and she is flourishing there.

Oliver, meanwhile, pined away for his sister all day. When he went to sleep at naptime the last thing he said was "Cowa." When he woke up, "Cowa." He starts school tomorrow with Kate--she'll be working with a few younger kids and he gets to come along. I think Oliver will love the Montessori environment as much as Cora has.

Transitions

Cora starts kindergarten tomorrow. Wow.

Oliver is now sleeping in a bed instead of a crib. He is using a fork at mealtimes. Wow!

Stuff

Oliver sat in the bath tub tonight until the water got cold, playing with cups, pouring the water back and forth from one cup to another. He loves bath time ("bat!") and water play in general. He has also enjoyed clacking around the house in Cora's high heels lately. His feet are so wide they fit into her dress-up shoes. He can barely walk in them but he loves the sound they make on the hardwood floors. Cora enjoys having a dress up partner. When I came home tonight Oliver was sporting a purple hairband. With his curls he is mistaken for a girl enough already. Every day-- "She is sooo beautiful!"--even when he is wearing blue from head to toe. Hair is a powerful marker. And at this age it is hard to tell boys from girls without clothing cues.

We're getting back to normal now and dinnertimes have been smooth thanks to the cooking brigade of Anne and Carol last weekend. Our freezer is stocked so dinner preparation and bedtime rituals don't get as pressurized, urgent and frazzling.

When Cora came out of her bedroom this morning Kate and I both had the same first impression--she grew overnight. Sure enough, we measured her against the wall and she had grown since yesterday. Amazing. She has really sprouted this summer.

Ahhh...7:30pm

It's a rare joy when both kids are in bed by 7:30pm. Such a humane bedtime for the parents, and good for the kids too, although they don't appreciate it now. Cora starts her last stint at camp tomorrow morning. In a way this starts her school schedule again because school begins next Monday. She is very excited. She has two teachers (they're called guides) in her class. One is the lead guide returning from last year. The second guide is new to the school. Cora can't wait to see what she's like.

All the family left today; it seemed they were gone as quickly as they arrived. It was a whirlwind visit but a good one.

Phyllis

Grandma Carol and Aunt Anne and Uncle Nate are in town this weekend, following hot on the heels of our friend Phyllis' departure after a four day visit. Phyllis is anywhere between ninety two and ninety five years old and full of vim and vigor, piss and vinegar, "the spirit", whatever you want to call it. She ran for mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts, last year just to stir things up. She's a dedicated lifelong political activist and a self-described agent for change. No moss gathers on her despite her age. Her visit coincided, overlapped actually, with Kate's return from the cabin in West Virginia. She arrived home with Oliver after eleven hours on the road to a full house. We've been trying to recover ever since. Phyllis flew out on Wednesday morning just as all the airlines shut down because of the British terrorism plot. We weren't sure she would make it out at all, but it seems that everything turned out fine.

Daily Updates

I was inspired by this local Nashvillian's blog today. He keeps his loyal readers updated on his life in daily detail, meaningful or otherwise. I think I'll try that for a few days to get the blog machine rolling again.

Catching up

Cora blackberries
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We've been negligent around here keeping you guys updated on our lives. Between the stifling heat and children running amok, I guess we've been running out of steam in the evenings. I've had a mental list of blog-worthy quotes and events over the last few weeks, but sadly most of them have escaped me now.

We're into August already, and it's going to be a wild month for us. We'll have guests in town every weekend until mid-September. We always have more fun when guests are over. In September I start a new teaching schedule that will crescendo in October and November and conclude on December 14th.

Kate and Oliver are taking a road trip this weekend to visit her high school buddies at a cabin in West Virginia. Cora and I will be hanging out here.

We went to the Chattanooga Aquarium last weekend and had a great time. Their aquarium is fabulous, and there are great things to do and see all around the Chattanooga area. It feels like we have found a good family tradition vacation spot that won't cost too much and will be easy to reach by car.

Cora starts school in a few weeks. She has one more week of camp lined up and then the school year cranks up again. She will be attending Abintra again this year--which we didn't expect--things have a way of working out.

Our garden is overflowing with tomatoes right now, and the cucumbers are staging another wave of ripeness. Mom's soaker hose has kept the veggies hydrated through the heat wave.

Mommy has a friend over to play

My high school friend Jen came to visit us this past weekend and we had a great time. She lives in New York City but is doing an internship in Kentucky this summer, which makes us neighbors as far as states are concerned. I so enjoyed staying up late into the night, talking and catching up with an old friend. I keep telling myself there will be more of this kind of fun, grown-up/teenage behavior as the kids get older, but sometimes that's so hard to believe. Having small children makes me see how much I've always taken for granted the ability to just hang out with my friends. Sigh...

Cora has been in zoo camp this week. They apparently studied forests yesterday and she came home full of news -- she described the four layers of the rainforest, told us what kinds of animals and plants live and grow there, and told us that bamboo is used for chopsticks, buildings, and boats, among other things. Oh, and she also got to pet a two-toed sloth. She explained that their fur grows from their belly downwards because of the way they hang on the trees, and that it actually turns green in places because algae grows on it. Today, they studied the wetlands. She told us wetlands are like a sponge and that they are helpful because they control flooding. It seems like a pretty great program, if you ask me. I'll have to keep you posted on the next few days' featured bioregions.

Oliver said "cow" today, which was a milestone. Up to this point, whenever we would point to a picture of a cow he would just say "moo." He and Brian also talked trucks and colors tonight as they read books together. It's fun to hear him acquiring new words, but still amazing how few he has in comparison to Cora at this age. Not that I'm concerned or anything, but it just goes to show you how different two kids with the same two parents can be.

Brian was a super-dad over the weekend and really freed me up as much as possible to spend time with Jen. Not that he's not always a super dad, but he was especially super last weekend...

More soon...keep checking back!

Beach memories...

Ah, Summer...

How the days fly by. Please forgive our lapse, faithful wingateupdate readers... The kids and I (Kate) thoroughly enjoyed phase two of the vacation -- after leaving Grandma Carol's house, we squeezed in a visit to Bethlehem, PA to visit Great Grammy Stella and Aunt Tootsie, then headed to Pop Pop and Grammy Rena's farm in WV for a few days. Oliver and I visited friends in Morgantown during the days, while Cora and Pop Pop (and Grammy on her day off) did it all on the farm. And I mean ALL. They fished, they rode bikes, they read books, they played with the dogs and cats, they rode horses, they cleaned the horses' stalls, they had a campfire, they saw deer and a whole flock of turkeys, they visited the beavers down at the pond, they fed the hummingbirds, they went to a parade, they fixed a broken bench, they had just candy for dinner one night... Needless to say everyone was pretty wiped out at the end of each day (except for that candy night). Cora soaked up every minute. That's how she prefers life, it seems -- constant stimulus, constant activity, constant interaction. I was just glad to have someone else providing it all for her.

Now we're back home, enjoying fat tomatoes and baby okras from our burgeoning garden. It's always a difficult re-entry process for all of us after a vacation ends, but so far so good. Oliver still says "Uh-oh" as frequently as ever, but he is adding in some new words every now and then. Brian's massage class is going well -- he just taught his second class today. I'm still busy unpacking and catching up on email. We'll be sure to post some new pictures soon, but I just didn't want another day to go by without posting something.

The days have begun to run together here, but one thing is clear: today is our last full day. We're determined to eke every ounce out of the sand and surf and family before 10am Saturday when we check out.

Happy Birthday Cora!

Fourth of July finally came and went, and Cora is now five years old. She has been waiting a whole year for this. Just after turning four she asked how soon she would be five. She hasn't asked about turning six yet, so I think she's going to savor this milestone for a while.

We were gearing up for a great fireworks display last night. A barge full of fireworks positioned itself in the ocean just as it began to get dark. Then the wind started whipping and a gigantic thunderstorm obliterated all chance of any fireworks. The storm was a great display itself, with high winds, driving rain and dramatic jags of lightning striking the water. We stood on the porch and watched; Cora even stayed out there for a while with cousin Rusty.

The Ocean

The ocean seduced both children yesterday. Cora loves to stand at the line of surf and let the water run over her feet. She goes into a meditative state, watching the waves come and go. She will stand there for ten minutes, not saying a word, with a smile on her face. Then she'll let out a wild squeal when a big wave crashes in. But overall the water seems to calm her.

Oliver was still spooked by the ocean yesterday. We edged him near the surf in our arms or sitting on the sand. When the waves approached he let out a concerned whimper and clenched us tightly. Then, yesterday afternoon, just as we were preparing to leave, he went nuts. He started charging into the waves, cackling and laughing. He pranced on the sand and gyrated with delight. I could barely keep him from diving headfirst into the surf. Several big waves doused him pretty throroughly, and he just cackled some more. I'm not sure what flipped the switch, but the the ocean is now his friend.

We made it!

We're halfway through our first day at Bethany Beach, just inside the Delaware state line. Cora is contentedly slurping on a Hawaiian shaved ice and Kate is putting Oliver down for a nap.

We're not roughing it by any stretch of the imagination--we're staying in a gorgeous ocean front condo with all the amenities, wireless internet included.

Both the kids ot their first glimpse of the ocean yesterday. Cora has been to the ocean before, but it's Oliver's first trip. Cora got to the top of the stairs, saw the ocean and said, "Um, let's go to the pool." She wasn't too sure. Oliver was very concerned as well; too much newness to process.

A good night's sleep helped. Cora and Kate took a walk on the sand this morning with a bucket and collected shells and other treasures. After a while we went down to the water. As we walked close to the water Cora said casually, "Daddy, I want to hold your hand." Then she crushed my knuckles in a vise grip. We just stood in one spot for about twenty minutes while the waves washed over our feet. Then Cora said, "Daddy, let's move a little closer." We moved up, and before long we were just a yard or two from the breaking waves, getting splashed. Cora was squealing with delight, saying over and over, "This is great! This is super-dee-duper!" and other variations on the theme.

Oliver, meanwhile, took an hour or so to warm up to the notion of the ocean water touching him. But slowly, surely, just like Cora, he realized it wasn't so bad.

Beach Bound

It's Saturday morning and I've been awake for about five minutes. The kids are occupied at the moment and the computer's available, so this is a fine way to get the morning cobwebs out.

We're beach bound today after our first day of travel. Everything went smoothly, all things considered. It only took two days or so to pack our bags and get the house relatively clean for some friends who will be staying at our place while we're gone.

We got to the airport early with both kids in good spirits. I remember when Cora was young I thought we would never be one of those families you see at the airport with a luggage cart full of a teetering pile of bags. We are one of those families now. It's unavoidable. One extra kid really tips the balance. The luggage increases, but there are still only two adults to carry it all. We checked both car seats, three bags, and had four carry-ons to boot.

As we stood in the ticket line we saw a prime example of how not to behave while traveling. A guy in military fatigues stormed to the ticket counter without waiting in line. He started yelling at the counter agent from about five feet away: "We gotta get going here!!" We couldn't hear the conversation from behind him, but his head bobbed and changed color in a way that we knew violent things were coming out the front. The Southwest people knew just how to treat him--they made him wait. After we checked our million bags he was still standing there about to implode. Our ticket agent admitted that, had he been nice, they would have sent him straight through to his gate.

We moved on to the security checkpoint next, and the metal detector beeped when I went through. I was moved into a holding pen until a security guard could come over with the metal detector wand. On the first pass the wand beeped right over my groin. Ahh, yes...my belt buckle. I took the belt off and set it aside. Second pass, it beeped again, right at my groin.
The guard: "Sir, I need you to lift your shirt. You may have a metal button on your pants."
Me: "I think I should tell you about my penile implant."
He appreciated that. Sure enough, I had a metal button in my pants. Before he patted down my legs, he advised me to hold up the waist of my pants so that we wouldn't "expose your penile implant."

The plane trip was smooth--Oliver was due for a nap and conked out right after takeoff. He slept until we landed. Cora had the window seat and stayed glued to it, watching the clouds go by and admiring the clouds.

G'ma Carol swooped us up at the airport and we headed to Mary Pat's for a wonderful evening of Afghani food, conversation around a backyard fire, s'mores and a pomegranate margarita nightcap.

Cora was delighted to see Cousin Elise, her hero. She slept in Elise's room last night on an air mattress slumber party style.

A few hours in the car today, and then....beach!!

Cora and Mommy's Story

Kate and Cora composed a story today, with each of them taking turns making up sentences. The complete story is reproduced below. One of the two contributors is italicized throughout and the other one isn't. See if you can figure out who's who.


Once upon a time there was a man.
This man was very very tall.
He drank a lot of alcohol.
This made him very sleepy.
And it kind of made him hyper. One night, when he had had too much alcohol, he got sick.
All of a sudden, a fairy appeared.
The fairy said, "If you drink too much alcohol, you will get sick."
The man said, "I drink too much because it dulls the pain from always hitting my head on the doorway, because I am so tall."
The fairy said, "Nonsense. You just let it alone and run your head under some water."
The man asked, "Will you use your magic to make me not so terribly tall?"
The fairy said "Yes." Then the man got shorter and shorter until he was as short as a telephone wire.
He was so short, he couldn't even reach the doorknob, or climb into his huge bed, or sit at the table to eat his huge food.
The fairy came back again. She said, "I think you have to get a little bit taller." Poof!
The man felt himself getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until he was a normal size, not too tall and not too short. However, his hands stayed tiny.
Then the fairy came back and said, "Your hands are little. Let's make them bigger." And so bigger, and bigger, and bigger his hands got.
They grew so big he couldn't lift them.
Why, now, the fairy was getting tired. She was called back by that man again. "My hands are too big. Give me smaller hands please."
And so, the fairy made the man's hands just the right size for his body.
The man just drank water like he not normally did. He never drank alcohol again, only when he felt like it, but not usually.
The fairy went back to her fairy kingdom and went to sleep because now she was so sleepy from doing all that magic for the silly man.

The next morning, the man woke up and went to the market.
He bought six gallons of water, and one teensy weensy little drop of alcohol.
He drank all the water, and he drank the drop of alcohol right before bedtime.
It's not good to drink alcohol right before your bed because it will make you hyper in the morning sometimes and might make you sick.
Well, that night, the man had very bad dreams.
But it wasn't so bad, but he got scared and started to run outside. He told all the people there was a dinosaur in his country.
They all said, "Oh, don't listen to him, he's just a silly drunk."
But he told them he wasn't drinking a lot of alcohol, just six gallons of water a day.
They didn't believe him and kept laughing at the man.
And he guided them to his house in the dark dark night and showed them the gallons of water.
Then they believed him.
And now, they believed him every morning. He said that they were great friends to him when he had sixteen gallons of water.
They asked him about the dinosaur in his country.
It was all just a dream.
The fairy looked down from above and smiled.
The man said, "There's a fairy up there for any of you that drink too much alcohol. She makes you as small as a telephone wire and then makes you big again."

another good one

Cora 2
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

complete with ice cream from Bobbie's Dairy Dip on the cheeks and shirt .....

Photo op

Cora 5
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora usually won't sit still for a picture, but I managed to get some good ones today. There's a fresh batch of pictures on the Flickr site to enjoy.

smile!!!

smile!!!
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We had a big weekend of entertaining, with friends over on Saturday night and friends and family over on Sunday night.

We put Cora's new bunkbed together Saturday morning, which proved to be a wise move. Several kids came over Sunday night , and the bunk proved to be very popular. I'm not sure if Cora would have been comfortable sleeping in the bunk bed Sunday night--it would all be so new--but after the kids crawled all over it for hours it was clear that 1. bunkbeds are cool, 2. top bunks are cooler. So she went to sleep with no problem after everyone left.

The bunkbed was another bequeathed item from our friends who are moving up north and also gave us the swingset. In one fell swoop they have certainly raised Cora's spot in the pecking order. The swings and the bunkbed are kid favorites, if not outright status symbols. I remember my own bunk bed fondly, as does Kate. Cora spent time in her room this morning, playing with dolls on the bottom bunk and then climbing up to the top to play some more. She has never really enjoyed pretending alone in her room very much, but the bunkbed seems to create a sort of sacred space. The bottom bunk is enclosed and safe, and the top is high above the parents. We haven't taken any pictures of the bunk yet, but we'll document it soon.