More Fall Fun

We took a much-needed vacation last weekend, consisting mostly of hiking, eating, dancing, and lazing about in front of a roaring fire -- not bad, eh? Pop Pop and Grammy Rena, Grandma Sally and Granddad, Aunt Anne, Uncle Nate, Cousin Mary Grace, and our Wingate crew converged at a cabin at Pickett State Park in North-Central Tennessee for our annual November getaway. Aside from said cabin having no heat (what are blazing fires for, after all?), everyone had loads of fun and agreed that the time passed much too quickly for our liking. Visuals soon...

Trick or Treat

Still Life with Dinosaur and Fire Hydrant

























Cora as Pippi Longstocking



















More candy, please























Post Trick-or-Treating Silliness



Well, Halloween 2006 was officially a success. Aside from a cranky dinosaur who refused to take a nap earlier in the day and a few minor wardrobe malfunctions for Pippi (her wig kept falling off!), much candy was accumulated by all. We journeyed over to Cora's schoolmate Ben's neighborhood for the evening, and boy, do they know how to do Halloween in those parts! One house even had the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas being projected onto a screen on the front of their house. And there were just droves of trick-or-treaters -- way more people on the streets than I've ever seen in all my Halloweens. My favorite costume (aside from Cora's, of course) was a sumo wrestler -- it was made out of the same material as those large blow-up yard snowmen and pumpkins and had a fan built in which kept it inflated. There was also a dad dressed up like Kid Rock. He had a portable amp slung on his shoulder and whenever his kid approached a front door, he'd play a rif on his electric guitar. It brought back memories of being completely embarrassed by my dad, who always accompanied me trick-or-treating with a paper bag over his head, with holes for the eyes and a face drawn on the front. Hmmm... maybe I'll do that to Cora and Oliver next year...

Happy Birthday Brian!

It's Brian's birthday (yay!), but we won't get to celebrate it as a family today because he's working til 10 tonight (wah!). While she was visiting us last weekend, Grandma Carol had the wonderful idea of bringing him cupcakes at the office on his birthday. It just so happened that he was teaching this morning, so his co-workers and I surprised him at the end of his class by coming in and singing to him, and then handed out cupcakes and juice boxes to his students. Susan even spanked him 33 times -- one for each year and one to grow on. He was sufficiently surprised and embarrassed, I do believe...

Long Time No Blog

Bear with us, dear friends and family -- it's a crazy time here at the Wingate household. With Brian's teaching schedule in full swing, most nights he doesn't get home til 10. This leaves Mommy with the lion's share of kid/house duties, so come evening time, neither of us tends to be up for computer time. Repeat with us, "This semester WILL end. This semester WILL end."
In the midst of it all, however, we somehow managed to organize a fabulous (albeit VERY late) 5th birthday party for our dear girl Cora. She made her "friend party" request way back in July, right after her real birthday, which we celebrated with our extended family at the beach. And what exactly was this request? Nothing other than a (and I qoute) "John Denver campfire singalong." How could one refuse her this? It took me a while, but finally, last weekend, she had her very own John Denver party at a charming picnic shelter in the woods, replete with a stone hearth and lots of friends. Some pics...

Cora

Cora
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

I finally got some pictures of Cora this morning. She can be hard to catch on the run. She's usually engrossed in something else or doesn't want to be bothered by the presence of a camera.

more notes

pondering
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora has enjoyed an unprecendented burst of creativity since turning five. Learning to read boosted her creative confidence in all areas. She now wanders off and draws pictures or colors on her own.

When we're in the car she'll read signs as we pass by and ask questions. The world has opened up to her, and it feels like she has been waiting for this age since she was eighteen months old.

Our sleep has evened out a bit as Oliver grows accustomed to life without Mommy milk. He has a transitional addiction to Elmo crackers. As soon as he wakes up he says "Emmo............cacka?" He has been devouring food all day long for a week or two now. He must be growing.

Notes

Oliver started putting words together this week. He says the first word, pauses, then says the second in a singsongy question. He already has some words like school bus that are more than one word, but now he is starting to express concepts.

Long week

Last week was a long one at the Wingate household. I started teaching my Monday/Wednesday night classes, we weaned Oliver; he did not appreciate it one bit and started waking up for the day at 4:30am every morning on the dot, getting out of bed and wandering around in the dark, knocking on the door pitifully. He's also breaking in four new teeth all at once.

Today he woke up at 4:50, so that's some improvement. We don't know exactly how he does it, but Oliver has a circus-like ability to crawl out of enclosures. We've never seen him actually do it, so there's still an element of mystery to how he pulls it off. It involves kicking one leg up over the rail and then heaving his body up after it. But that takes a lot of strength. He's manly.

We retired Oliver's crib because he fell out once and was halfway out a second time when Kate came into the room. With his recent nightly wanderings we decided he needed to be contained for us to have any sanity. Rather than reassemble the crib and risk another high fall, we set up the portable play pen in his room. It's roughly the size of a crib but lower to the ground; the rails are at his eye level or a bit higher, so it should still be tough or impossible for a baby to climb out. Sure enough, at 4:50am this morning he woke up and started crying. A minute later we heard him plodding around in the dark, looking for a door to knock on. He didn't crash to the ground or make a thud; one moment he was in the playpen and the next moment he was out. He's a little Houdini. The playpen did help, though. We put him back down and he slept until 6:00. It was probably too much trouble to escape over and over again.

Cora, on the other hand, has been a dream. She enjoys school soooo much. She has had two sleepovers at friends' houses the last two weekends, so she really knows she's growing up.

Oliver--One Year Ago

Boy, kids grow up quickly...

Oliver has been a trip lately. His personality is blooming. He is absolutely obsessed with school buses and trucks, squealing with delight whenever we pass them on the street. "Boo Buck!" (School bus) "KUK! (Truck)

We were riding in the car a few days ago and listening to some old-time music on the radio. Uncle Dave Macon came on the radio. We didn't know that Oliver was really listening, but as soon as the music started he called out "Dad Dad!" for Granddad, who plays guitar. Then a day or so later, he pointed to a small picture of a fiddle on the wall and said "Dad Dad!" again. He obviously has Granddad's musical style and instruments pegged. Then when Grandma Sally was over for dinner he tried to strum the image of a fiddle on her shirt. He has been mesmerized by music since he was very young, when he crawled up to anyone playing an instrument and tried to strum the strings.

All By Self

hammock boy
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

When Cora was Oliver's age she would often refuse our help with any task and say "All by self. All by self." Oliver has reached that stage. He wants to do everything all by self. Going down stairs, putting on shoes, eating with utensils...all by self. He was in the hammock all by self and flipped out onto the ground moments after this picture was taken.

We enjoyed a visit from my lifelong friend Alex this weekend. Oliver called him Ack. Uncle Ack it is. Both kids loved Alex, and we managed to fit in some grown-up catch-up time as well as kid playtime. We took Cora to her first baseball game at the minor league stadium. We caught a foul ball, so Cora even got a nice souvenir.

Oliver's Mane

Sickies

Cora and Oliver stayed home with colds today. One week at school and the kids are swapping germs like crazy. Cora got to watch movies all day and Oliver was tickled to have her around to play with. It's a fine line when a five year old gets sick--they're crafty enough to realize the perks of getting "sick" more often--so you've got to make them suffer a little while at home. I know it's a beautiful day and you want to play outside, but you're sick, remember?

Oliver goot new shoes for the fall, and his feet have slimmed down to wide from 2X wide. Cora is still growing like a weed.

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.