Kantorlope Island

Old Blogger, New Tricks

2010-01-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

I apologize to my faithful few readers that I haven't been updating this blog much lately. Good news! I have a brand spanking new website with blog, movies, and photos....all in one organized space. Check it out at http://web.me.com/kantorlopeisland/kantorlopeisland.com/Welcome.html

pick, pick, pick

2009-12-09T19:22:00.001-08:00

Ruby loves to pick her nose, almost as much as she loves picking a fight. Today in the car I told my dear little children that I loved them and she replied, with every ounce of passion she could muster, "No, I love you!"
You bet I'll be bringing that one around whenever she's in one of her contrary moods.

Oh this Poor Neglected Blog.

2009-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since my last post, I don't know where to start. So for now, here are some random things that have happened around here:

Miles asked me if I believed in God (yes, I replied) and then told me that he believes in Transformers. Yes, he believes that they exist in another galaxy "far, far away."
We've been talking about Jesus and Santa a lot lately. Miles told me one day that Jesus' spirit guides Santa when he's landing his sleigh on the roof. (He may have had some influence from promos for the new Christmas special "Prep and Landing." We're looking forward to watching it.)
Ruby has incorporated "no way" into her vocabulary, again. She continues to boss us all around, which especially upsets Miles. Lots of lessons to be learned here.
I took the boy shopping for most of the day today. He needed several things and he also wanted to get a gift for Ruby because, as he told me in the bookstore, he "loves his sister."
He certainly does, but he also "was consequenced" twice in the past 4 days for pushing her off the ottoman. Oops. More lessons there.
We broke down and bought an artificial, pre-lit (with colored LEDs) Christmas tree. I'll miss the pine smell but not the winding of those light strands around and around and trying to get the darn thing straight in the tree stand.
Miles sat on Santa's lap (a first) at Phipps yesterday. They had a nice talk. Ruby refused to sit but did exchange some shy glances with the big guy.
Our 3rd floor front room is now remodeled enough for visitors. New paint, windows, blinds, ceiling fan, and window seat. George's dad had the honor of being our first guest. The bathroom is still cluttered with tools but he didn't seem to mind.
A good lunch at school for Miles is when he gets to sit beside either Kylie or Mya. He was excited one day last week because he got to sit between them!

Gift-Crazy

2009-11-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

Miles has gotten into the habit of getting gifts--they were pouring in before, during, and after his birthday, but now the harsh reality has hit that the gift days are over. Today he made me a little gift at school, because I told him the expression "good things come in small packages." So he drew a picture, folded it up, "wrapped" it in another sheet of paper, and taped in shut. He was quite excited to give it to me when I picked him up. At bedtime tonight I asked him what his favorite part of the day was. After thinking for a while, he said it was making the small package for me at school. Then he wondered if I would give him a "thank-you gift." He even got the brilliant idea that I could give him such a gift on Thanksgiving, because it's a Thank-you day. Hmmmm. Well, I offered him hugs, kisses, special Mommy-time as possible thank-you gifts, but he was thinking a toy would be more acceptable. Just any toy I think he might like! HA! We're going to have a hard time breaking this habit. He did get some birthday cash in the mail today and decided to put it in his college fund. He hasn't quite figured out that he could use his own money to buy toys, which I am thankful for, at least for now.

Polar Bear Swim

2009-11-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

It was such a nice day yesterday that Ruby and I played hooky and visited the zoo. The polar bears were the highlight. Here's some video of them playing in the water.

The Force is With Us

2009-11-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Here you go! (Thanks for the push, Barbara!)
I finally got the computer glitches worked out so I can post our Halloween photos! Here you can see Miles as Darth Vader and Ruby as Ladybug, our pumpkins and milk jug ghosts, the costume parade at Miles' school, and Ruby in her fleece jumpsuit as we headed out for our fitness walk last Friday morning. The kids and I have been battling a cold the last week or so. No fevers or aches, thank goodness!

Sticky Song

2009-11-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

Miles had a song stuck in his head last night. He was singing it over and over, and when we explained the expression, he tried to shake it loose. But it stuck. He said it was there even when he wasn't singing it out loud. He finally lost it by this morning.
Ruby is increasing her vocabulary. Last night she had picked a book to read but when we started it, she changed her mind. "Actually, mommy" she said, she wanted a different one.
Halloween has come and gone and I have some cute pictures to share. Somehow it seems, however, that my photo software was deleted from the computer. Thus the delay. We're working on it, and the computer is now secure from little hands!

Video fun

2009-10-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Talk about losing track of time! I went to the Apple store today for another lesson on imovie. It inspired me to sit down and put together a little compilation video. Check it out.

Two cuties, now and then

2009-10-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

These were taken at my parents' house. I think the curtains are the same!

Worm Farm

2009-10-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Seeing how October is here, I decided it would be a good time to pull the tomato plants out of their little front yard garden plot, thus providing a nice little patch of dirt, perfect for digging and playing. I uncovered several worms while weeding in the backyard, and we decided to relocate some to the front yard, which seemed to be worm-deficient. The kids were really helpful with all the digging and worm-moving, and we had a good time getting dirty. Miles built a "worm house" from dirt, sticks, and leaves, to welcome the worms to their new home. Ruby made "sand castles" in the dirt. She quickly got over some initial squeamishness about handling the worms and yesterday when we were digging and playing she pulled one apart, making a wiggly worm pair. These, she decided, would be happy living in the sandbox.
Of course we also had to bring some critters in the house (don't ask me why) so Miles filled a stryofoam cup with dirt, worms and a roly-poly. We covered it with plastic so they wouldn't escape and punched holes in the plastic top so they could breathe. Well, wouldn't you know it--I found a roly-poly near this cup a few days later. Turns out those "air holes" were also perfect escape routes! Time for our "pets" to return to the wild!
After playing and working hard all week, we had a family "movie" night last night. It was especially rewarding for me because both kids watched and liked the videos, and they were favorites of mine as well. This doesn't happen often with a four-year-old and two-year-old. We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "Close Shave" with Wallace and Gromit. Miles caught on to some of the Peanuts humor this time, and was talking about how poor Charlie Brown only got rocks in his treat bag. Ruby sat in rapt attention the whole time, and was mostly quiet!

Background Music

2009-10-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

This video is from Labor Day weekend, about 4 weeks ago. Ruby now provides background noise to our daily lives, with her constant chatter. It only stops when she's watching a video or sleeping. She manages to talk and eat at the same time, though we try to discourage this! When she's not narrating her activities, she's bossing someone around, or generally making her wishes known. Tonight she told her doll to stand up, even though the poor thing is really meant to be held and cuddled. She told it, "Stand up, boy! Stand up!"
George tried to explain to her that she could talk more softly, but she insists that "Ruby is loud." I wonder if this will be a life-long trait?

Sometimes it pays to own a mini-van...

2009-09-23T12:45:00.001-07:00

We kicked off Labor Day weekend with an outdoor movie in the front yard. George made up the invite, I printed them, and Ruby helped me deliver them up and down the street. We had a great turnout, with about 15 kids on the grass and a porch-full or parents. We showed the Iron Giant, using the side of the van, covered in a blanket, as a screen. It worked out so well that we did it again last weekend, with Cars as the feature film. Popcorn, pizza, neighbors, and a few drinks...we really do have an awesome street!

Pittsburgh Welcomes the World

2009-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh is gearing up for the G-20. In that welcoming spirit, I thought I'd share some Pittsburgh photos (from Mt. Washington and the Hot Metal Bridge) in an attempt to entice any readers out there who'd like to come visit. (After the G-20 chaos is over, of course!)
There have been some crazy rumors floating around, warning the locals to be aware of violent protesters swarming the city, smashing windows and flattening tires. Kind of reminds me of people being so concerned about the Swine Flu when it first hit that they ran to the ER with a headache. Let's hope these rumors are as overblown as I think they are! (And that Pittsburgh's police force doesn't bungle things too badly. See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113108920)

School Days

2009-09-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

Miles has been going to PreK now for about 2 weeks. He is not loving it but seems to be adjusting. He misses his friends from preschool and hasn't made a new best buddy yet. He did give his teacher a big hug and kissed her hand when it was time to leave yesterday. He always loves the teachers, if not the school experience. He doesn't tell us too much about his day, just that he is "nervous" to go to school. The teachers told them not to take their shoes off during naptime, because they sometimes have to leave the building quickly, in the event of a fire drill. This made Miles especially nervous, as he half-expected a fire to break out every day during naptime. Once they had the fire drill, he seemed less worried about fires. And he told me they only have one per season so it will be a long time before another one. Whew! He told me that the stools in the cafeteria are attached to the table...wondering why that was...and that an officer visited their room and had handcuffs. He's also mentioned the school janitor and what his job is...but not so much about the other kids in his class or what they do during circle time.
He is definitely learning about the big, wide, world of public school!

Living History

2009-08-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a video clip from our trip to northern Michigan. We visited Fort Michilimackinac, which is on the south shore of the Straits of Mackinac, near where we camped. The Fort was built by the French in the early 1700s and and served as a supply post for fur traders. They do a great job of re-creating the time period and have lots of opportunities for participation. We wandered by while they were doing rifle training. As much as Miles loves playing with pretend guns, he got shy when the rifles were being handed out. Ruby stepped right up though! Everything went well until she realized she had been separated from mama.

Ruby Two

2009-08-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ruby's second birthday on Friday with cake, friends, balloons, and a few special drinks for the grown-ups. Ruby was excited to get out the Elmo party hats and she seemed to enjoy the presents too. She wasn't that interested in the cake (even though it was chocolate) but she was happy to have a Popsicle earlier in the day. She's been on quite a popsicle kick lately, and will declare just about any time of day "Popsicle time!"
Among her other 2-year-old tricks--screaming, sinking to the floor when she doesn't get her way, and bossing. She tells me to "stop it" when I sing to her, complete with her little palm out to me. Yesterday at the playground she told me to "sit on the bench" while she played on the slide with George and Miles. She can often be heard (by the neighbors I'm sure) saying "put it back!" (in reference to her comb) or "pick me up!" And "Ruby out!" is her favorite way to ask to be excused from the table, approximately one second after Miles is excused. She is quite loud, this one!

Catch-up Blog

2009-08-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm in summer limbo--having some time at home between trips. Our last trip was to York to visit with Oma, Opa, Kris and Kalea for 4 days, and our next trip is multi-stage, starting with 4 nights of camping with friends in northern Michigan. Much more preparation for that one! I'm dreading the 10-hour drive on Friday, but hoping the kids will stay occupied with the new DVDs from the library and the many small diversions I have ready for them (gift-wrapped too!)
In York, Ruby and Kalea did lots of Ring-around-the-rosie at home (and chase around the house), and Oma and Opa took us to Lake Tobias one day for a bus ride through the animal park. Miles liked feeding the animals right from the bus and he got up close and personal with the goats at the petting zoo. Opa also took us to see the new robots at the candy factory. Fun!

Back in Pittsburgh, Miles has been spending lots of time at Wil's house, three doors down. Yesterday we went down to visit but they weren't home. Then we tried 3 other friends on the street and 2 a few streets away. Miles and I walked around the neighborhood, then had popscicles on the porch, while Ruby and George napped. It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with him, just hanging out outside. When he is home during naptime I'm constantly reminding him to be quiet and he's constantly wanting me to get involved in his pretend play, which often involves pirates, fighting, flying on rocket ships, crashing, and firefighting. I find all this a bit tedious and will usually try to sneak away...which is futile of course! I'd much rather get out and take a walk around the neighborhood.
Ruby is always ready to go too, of course. Maybe she is like me in some ways after all! She's added some new words to her vocabulary, which I have not been diligently keeping track of as I did with Miles. But I can recall that she's started saying "fluffy" although not always applying it correctly. Yes, the duck in the book is fluffy, but mama's chin? I hope not. She also added "butt" (as in "baby butt," one of Miles' favorite insults) and "I don't want to" (in reference to getting dressed or going to bed, never to going in the car). She has a great appreciation for mamas and dadas and is always pointing them out in her books, whether they are people or animals. She is somewhat obsessed with Mickey Mouse and his clubhouse and will watch the same episodes over and over. (Not that she spends all day watching TV, just when I need to shower, cook, or maybe think.) She interacts with Mickey and friends, and she knows all the answers to his questions pretty well by now. She had been saying something I couldn't quite interpret, along

with a gesture of putting her hands over her mouth. I finally figured out she was trying to call "Oh Toodles" with her hands around her mouth, as Mickey does. Too bad the handy magic tool guy never shows up!

Ruby is Ready to Go!

2009-07-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Ruby is perpetually ready to go in the car. She doesn't say where she wants to go...anywhere will usually do. Here she is trying to convince her Daddy to get up and go.

space pillow

2009-07-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is for Aimee--we made this video long ago (when Aimee moved to Chambersburg) and I recently started learning about editing and publishing these things. He was coached (can you tell?) and experimenting with various voices, so sounds kind of strange, and his on-camera persona needs some work! Maybe he can get some tips from Morgan. Miles is enjoying some quality time with Aimee again this summer and is in love with Baa-Baa all over again.
Thanks!

I Heart Pittsburgh

2009-07-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Although I rarely admit it, winters in Pittsburgh can be challenging--due more to the the gray skies than the cold or snow. The summers more than make up for those gray months though. The weather has been especially nice lately--cool at night, with low humidity, warm temps during the day, and lots of sunshine. With so many fun things to do, I fall in love with this town all over again every summer. This past weekend alone we took in the Regatta shows (man on wire!), science center (robo-world!), fireworks (multiple shows from one private vantage point!), classical music in the park, and the pool. Since Miles' school ended in May we have been to the zoo, aviary, Children's Museum, Kennywood, natural history museum, Phipps gardens, hiking in the parks, and to Heinz Hall for the symphony. (George and I were lucky enough to get tickets from friends.) The constant flow of free summer festivals, concerts, and movies--as well as the delicious summer produce, makes surviving the winter worthwhile. Of course, our annual trip to Florida in March helps too!
Miles is back to his "new school" for 3 days a week this month, so Ruby and I can get back into our routine of morning activities and afternoon rest. We took the stroller to school this morning and dropped him off at his new room, with a new teacher (another Emily!) and he was happy to be there, and to see his friend Mateo who he's been missing since the end of the school year. I'm enjoying the quiet of naptime!

Strong and Brave, and Jedi-like!

2009-07-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend at Oma and Opa's cabin in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The Smouse family drove up from Richmond to join us and we had a great time hanging out with them. Miles espeically enjoyed the company of Evan and Jacob and he learned all about Bakugan, a game/toy with a culture all its own, a la Pokeman, but smarter. The boys were obsessed with their new Bakugan pieces and tried to educate us all on the various attributes of each one. Miles took it all in, and is currently wishing (or "urging" as he puts it) for his own set. Something new to look forward to!
We also enjoyed the beautiful weather and got outside to play at the lake and beach. On Sunday we all hiked the Pole Steeple trail to a spectacular vista overlooking Laurel Lake. Ruby and Katie rode in style in our Ergo packs and the boys hiked with surprising patience and stamina. Being at the top, Miles reported, made him feel "strong and powerful." Back at the bottom, he announced that the hike was fun, but that he's "not much of a hiker....more of a Jedi."
Ruby was getting tired, and tired of being confined. When I sat down at the peak she tried to climb out of the carrier. She seemed to be eyeing up those cliffs!

Kennywood Story

2009-06-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

In a moment of weakness, I decided to take the kids to Kennywood. It was "Moms Rule" day, where moms get in free with a paid admission. Actually, I got in free without paying, because I took Ruby with me and she is free. Miles and his buddy William got in on a BOGO deal, two for $20.99, and my friend Tanya got in free with her 18-mo. old, Ruby's friend Gavrie. So at least admission wasn't expensive. Miles has refused most rides at the various places we've encountered them--including the train at the zoo. So I didn't expect him to be excited about the rides, but I thought maybe he'd be brave enough to try some, especially with William's encouragement. He did ride the train, so that was a breakthrough of sorts. He liked it so much (as did all the kids) that we rode it three times. During the ride, we heard the "story of Kennywood" about the park's long history and changes through the years. Lovely, relaxing, and educational! Miles also was hoping to get a toy at Kennywood. Specifically a set of toy light sabers (like his friend Wil, not William, has). So after we tried unsuccessfully to get Miles interested in riding motorcyles, cars, boats, etc...and watched William, Tanya, and Gavrie as they pursued thrill after thrill, we found the gift shop with the light up swords, and Miles' dream was realized! We also ate some ice cream along the way and tried to stay hydrated with water, water, water. It was a hot day! Miles cheered up when he finally got his toys, and was excited to give one to William as well. When we got home I asked him what his favorite thing about Kennywood was, expecting he'd say getting the light-up swords. He surprised me though when he very matter-of-factly reported that his favorite thing was the story of Kennywood. He also has said he'd like to go back "once each day" to ride the train!

"It's too hard being a son."

2009-06-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is what Miles is muttering to himself right now, along with "I just want to be a grown-up," and "I just want to be free from my parents, my mom and dad and sister." He's actually being kind of still...he must be tired. I sure am! George is working this weekend, and going away all week...Miles and I are spending too much time together, I think. He took all his dresser drawers out, emptied them, and lined them up on the floor. Now he doesn't like it that I'm making him put all the stuff back. We did have a nice break this morning when we walked down to Wil's house and played there for about an hour. Ruby was once again a target for the boys, but Wil's big sis helped defend her.
Not much of a Father's Day celebration, though I tried to have a somewhat civil breakfast. At least George got to sleep in and read the paper for a bit before going off to work. Maybe dinner will be better...
On a happier note, Miles is ready for a dressy occasion. He decided he wanted his own tie after seeing George wear one last week. We found him one yesterday while we were out shopping for Father's Day, and got him a nice belt too. He's been wearing them (in his own unique style), and taking them off for outside playtime and meals. He's hoping he'll be invited to a wedding (or that he can be the groom), or maybe a ball. I'll try to get some photos up soon.

Capon (K-pin) Springs

2009-06-20T17:49:00.001-07:00

We had a nice, relaxing stay at Capon Springs resort in West Virginia this week. Miles and Ruby loved playing and chilling with their cousins, Uncle Rob, Aunt Erika, and Oma and Opa. One of the highlights for me was the dining room--where all we had to do was show up, sit down, and eat as much as we cared to. Three square meals a day, same table, same time every day...all included in the cost of our stay! They even ring a bell at meal time to remind everyone to "come and get it." No meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, or cleaning. That's what I call a vacation!'
The other highlight was the soaking bath George and I took at the spa. Thirty minutes of pure relaxation in our private hot tub filled with steaming spring water and bath salts. Ahhh.
The kids spent lots of time in the playground/giant sand box and also tagged along while the older kids played shuffleboard, badmitton, and ping pong, and went fishing with Opa. Things got a little tense on our one rainy day, when the portable electronics came in handy! We chilled out, literally, at the pool on our last day. The kids were shivering but didn't seem to mind.

not that you asked....

2009-06-14T12:38:00.001-07:00

Miles is not usually shy, but last Saturday he was in an especially out-going mood. We went to storytime at the bookstore, and the poor girl reading the story didn't have a chance. The book was Madeline and as soon as he saw it Miles told her that he knew all the words so if she had any trouble reading, he would tell her the words. When she got to the part of the story where Madeline gets a scar, he first asked what that was, then went on to explain how he has a scar on the back of his head from when he hit the coffee table when he was a baby and the doctors "sewed his head back together with needle and thread." Finally, when the story was over, he noticed the reader was wearing a cross pendant on her necklace. He said "look, you have the symbol of Jesus on your necklace." She did not seem amused, though some of the other parents were. One dad called our son "Awesome." So there you go.
Here are some random photos from the last few weeks--Ruby and friend Gavrie at our friend's garden party, Miles and buddies on the porch, Miles with his face painted, Ruby being Ruby.

Pray for Peace

2009-06-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Peace between siblings, in this case. Since Miles has been out of school we've been spending more time at home, the three of us...so I've been spending a lot of time mediating the little battles between Miles and Ruby. They each know how to push the other's buttons, and often do.
This morning Miles had some questions about God and Jesus. Like, where are they? are they dead? did they live in olden times? etc. I explained that Jesus lived a long time ago, and that God is everywhere, like a spirit. He is in us, and in everything. "Even in our digestive juices," as Miles concluded. I told him that Jesus lived a long time ago to be an example to all of us about how we should live. That we should be kind to each other, even when others are mean to us. Miles accepted this, but said that sometimes "Jesus fades away" in him, and that is when he is not so nice to Ruby. Specifically, we can count on this to happen whenever one of his friends come over. For some reason, their favorite game is "attack Ruby." Luckily, she doesn't seem to care, and usually keeps her distance from them. For her, getting pushed or picked on by her brother has a silver lining. She loves the hugs she gets from him afterward (when I intervene and make him apologize) and goes back for more, which usually starts the cycle all over again! Ahh summer!

Jack and Annie

2009-06-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

The new background music around our house is all about Jack and Annie and their adventures with the Magic Treehouse. (For the uninitiated, this is the name of a series of chapter books for kids.) I borrowed some books on CD for Miles to listen to at bedtime, since he was having a hard time staying in bed and going to sleep. Well, he took to them right away and now puts the CDs on in the morning, at Ruby's naptime, and pretty much anytime he isn't getting enough attention from me. He also likes to have an adult sit down to listen with him. Mostly he shuts himself up in his room, goes up to his "Lego Loft" and plays and listens to the lovely voice of the author, Mary Pope Osborne, as she reads her books--telling reality-based adventure tales about interesting places and things, like Vikings in ancient Ireland, dolphins, polar bears, lions, volcanoes, the Roman Empire, ancient China, and ancient Greece.
Sometimes I feel like I have a teenager in the house. He wears his PJs all day, stays in his room for long periods of time, and tries to keep his sister out of his room as much as possible. She doesn't know what to think, although she has learned to say "jack and annie," much to his delight!

Summer Fun

2009-06-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

We're enjoying our school-free (Mommy's summer camp) time so far, and have been on three hikes in the past week, with another one scheduled for tomorrow. Miles should be in good hiking shape for nature camp next week! We've also visited the penguins in their new digs at the Aviary, watered the plants in the kid's garden at Phipps, and had friends over for a make-over/pool party!

Today Miles built a "hobbit home" out of chair cushions and Ruby acted as delivery person, taking things to him. This worked well for a while, until his little house collapsed. The next attempt at building involved putting a child's chair on the coffee table--to serve as chimney, which I quickly had to remove, before Ruby got a chance to discover this new and exciting climbing challenge. It was a rainy day in Pittsburgh today so not a lot of time outside. They were getting a little stir crazy, but we survived without any injuries.

Sink Update: The sink toy went back to Costco. They didn't have any more in stock though so we're sink-less at the moment. I may get another one somewhere else. The kids certainly loved playing with it when it worked! And George and I loved sitting down for a while to watch them play peacefully together!

May days

2009-05-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Where did May go? Has it really been a month since I posted? Well, we've been out enjoying the great weather, and generally keeping busy, busy, busy.
Here a few random things I've been writing, but not posting, until now:
Ruby has started adding "please," which sounds like "peas" to her requests. Much nicer than the "eyewan" (or I want). She is very talkative lately, and involves herself in most conversations. One evening I was asking Miles about the play he saw on his class field trip. It was a puppet show of Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. I asked him if there were socks, clocks, mittens, kittens. Every time Ruby would say "nooo." Very cute. Then she went upstairs to her room and brought the book down for us to look at.

They have both been playing with their babies again. Miles decided to call his Andy, and that Ruby should name hers Sweetheart. They practiced carrying them around one morning in a "sack of potatoes" fashion, with feet up, head down, over one or both shoulders.
Their other favorite shared activity is playing chase around the 1st floor loop. Miles will set off and say "chase me, Ruby, chase me." She'll go after him, shrieking with joy. This will keep them busy for quite a while--long enough for me to wash the dishes or maybe even read the paper.
Ninety percent of Miles' playtime at home is devoted to Lego building, especially building of Star Wars ships. His skills must be developing--I can't remember the last time he asked me to separate two tiny blocks for him.

We also spend lots of time looking at books. Ruby will spend time with a book by herself, as I've seen other kids do. Miles, not so much, but I'm hopeful that he'll be a reader once he learns how!

We traveled to Ohio and spent Mother's Day weekend with George's family in Cincinnati. We met baby Joselyn, who has quickly learned to appreciate having lots of noise around. She slept through most of our visit, including the Rockband Rockout. Miles and Ella wore themselves out and could barely hold it together by the end of the weekend, as usual. They played lots of hide and seek at Ella's house, often in full Princess wardrobe! We also visited some animals (including the loud donkey) at a petting zoo.

We spent a gorgeous Memorial Day weekend at home. George and I went out with friends on Saturday night for weather-appropriate margaritas and Mexican food. We had some neighbors over on Sunday night for desserts and drinks on the porch. Miles and Ruby loved playing hide and seek with the big kids and generally running wild.
I managed to do some planting over the weekend, with my little helpers. When they got tired of digging and hiding my tools from me I kept them busy on the porch with frozen Go-Gurt. They also played on-and-off with the new "fun flow" play sink we got last week. This was a real hit until the pump stopped working. Then it was a fun water table, until Daddy got the flow going again. He unfortunately had to take it apart to fix it multiple times, so we're going to return it or exchange it for one that operates better.

Taste of Summer

2009-04-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh (and the rest of the East coast) had our first heat wave of the year last weekend, and we enjoyed being outside, pretending it was July. We went to a playground we don't usually visit and a nature preserve on Saturday. The toads in the pond were mating and gave us quite a show. Miles was fascinated, watching them "play leapfrog."
I got to play ultimate on Sunday with a group of women and George and the kids filled up the baby pool in the backyard. Ruby threw some sidewalk chalk into the water, which led to a new artistic endeavor and Miles' creation of "Soakman" a superhero who wears a bathing suit and paints his arms and face with wet chalk. He probably has a super power, but I've forgotten what it is.
They also decorated the doodle bug (the ride-on toy) with chalk and then washed it off in the pool, over and over. The two kids actually had a joint operation going on for a while. It was nice to see them working together.

Easter Lessons

2009-04-13T16:30:00.001-07:00

Well, one lesson we learned this Easter is that Ruby likes chocolate! Also, she doesn't like to have chocolate taken away from her! I made the mistake of putting some foil-wrapped chocolates in some of our plastic eggs. Other ones had animal crackers, which Ruby loved finding too. But once she discovered the chocolate, it was a trick to sneak it away.
Miles learned that Easter brings some pretty great presents. It was almost as exciting as Christmas morning when he found his Lego Star Wars set (Thanks Oma!) and his toy Millenium Falcon with Han Solo, R2D2, and Chewbaca figures (Thanks Bridget!) He got some other cool stuff too (Thanks Erika!) but those were definitely the highlights. He played with his new Legos all day and was excited when he figured out he could combine them with his other Legos....so cool! He loves his new action figures too and told me last night that he likes his new Millenium Falcon because it doesn't break when it crashes, like his old one did. We repaired that one a few times with tape but it eventually just became too damaged. It was a plastic pie container (clamshell-style) from the grocery store (Thanks Stuart, for the pie and the container!)
Ruby is on day 7 of antibiotics for her first ear infection, and is finally getting better, sometimes, at taking her medicine. I wish it came in chocolate flavor!
We had a great visit with my parents and my niece Ronni. Miles loved playing with her and has asked when she can come back for another visit. Thanks to mom and dad for the many Easter treats and for all the dish-washing and drying! It was nice to sit and relax after dinner for a change.

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

2009-04-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

New Friends! Ruby and I have made some new friends through our various outings and activities, and we finally formed a playgroup with a few of them. We met for the first time last week and hosted our friends here yesterday. Watching them grab toys from one another, completely ignore each other, and then come together for snack time brought back fond memories of our first playgroup meetings with Miles and his friends. I'm hoping we can add a few more moms and kids (just not quite enough chaos, otherwise) but I'm glad we finally got this going. It's nice to have a set time to spend with friends every week, and to see the kids learn to get along--hopefully!
Old Friends! While Ruby was at "school" this morning I had 2 of my "old friends" here for tea and coffee cake (we missed you though, Barbara!), and the chance to see one friend's new baby boy. The coffee cake (rhubarb ripple) did double-duty, playgroup and "mom's morning in" and will serve as dessert tonight too.

We've had several friends move away from Pittsburgh for one reason or another, and it's never easy to see them go. My outgoing children seem to have no problem meeting people, so for now I can depend on them to complete my social network. Miles asks every day to have a friend over or to go to someone's house, so I've been working hard to schedule in lots of social time for him--he just can't seem to get enough!
Ruby has her own way of being social--wondering off! She recently left my side to join a school group touring the aquarium. I noticed she wasn't with our small group of friends and went to look for her. Sure enough, one of the chaperones had noticed her and was helping her find her way back to us.
My two social butterflies--wonder what they'll be like as teenagers!

short stories

2009-03-27T08:58:00.001-07:00

Just want to jot down some funny stuff before I forget it--

Miles heard we were listening to "All Things Considered" on the radio and objected to the scope of the show. He thought that was just too much to consider at once. He "prefers" (one of his new words) to think about one thing at a time.
Ruby now says "space" when she sees space-related toys or pictures, or Wall-E. She also says "hug" and gives the best running, smiling hug when she sees me after I've been away.
She gets going with the babbles sometimes, in the car especially. Miles will act as interpreter and ask me why Ruby said something, like "Why does Ruby want to buy rain?"

Sun, Sand, and Seniors

2009-03-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Although most of the seniors we met on our Spring Break vacation were senior citizens, I did talk to some college seniors on the beach one day. The girls were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Ruby, of course, as she wandered the beach looking for trouble. Luckily there was no trouble to be found. We had the beach mostly to ourselves, with a few groups of senior citizens and lots of them walking the beach. She was brave enough to get her toes in the ocean, and to wander to the water's edge unsupervised, but she wasn't interested in going in much further alone. She did sit down in an abandoned beach chair, which closed on her like a clam shell. Oops! Negligent mom alert! She was a bit scared, but didn't cry--shocked probably.
The kids loved playing in the sand and the pool near the condo. By the end of the week Ruby was very comfortable climbing into the pool by herself, which is not such a good thing. We're going to have to be very careful with her and water! Miles was happy to split his days between the beach and the pool, and even ventured into the ocean by the end of the week. He got a little frustrated with Ruby (as usual) when she followed him around the beach, smashed his sand castles, and climbed into the holes he dug in the sand.
Keeping Ruby occupied outside the condo was key since she took every chance she got to remove things from Grandpa's cabinets, drawers, and shelves. He says she helped him find some things he had lost track of, but that's definitely a positive spin.
It wasn't exactly a relaxing vacation for George and I, but the weather was gorgeous every single day and we relaxed every single evening with a drink or two, or more. Grandpa's hospitality was wonderful. He took me to a farmer's market and we enjoyed local oranges and strawberries, as well as lots of other goodies. George cooked local grouper one night, and we went out to dinner one night--our annual visit to JB's Fish Camp. Miles ate a full half pound of steamed shrimp, and likely would have eaten more. Ruby was a ball of energy, though and hardly ate anything, refused her high chair and wandered the deck where we sat, flirting with everyone she met. She is definitely not at a good age for lingering over a meal!
The travel was made bearable with DVDs, though Miles got bored with his choices--I should have brought about twice as many. I passed the time (when not serving as hostess) by reading the last book in the Twilight series, a great page-turner.
It was a great week, a nice break from work and routines, but I was certainly glad to enjoy some "me time" back at home. If only we could take the baby-sitter along....

Calgon, Take Me Away!

2009-03-21T17:04:00.001-07:00

Well, we've been back from vacation a week now (photos coming soon) and we're all healthy again, as of right now anyway. It was a pretty uneventful week but a few episodes yesterday made me feel like the mom in those old Calgon commercials. Miles peed on the floor (just in front of the toliet) in the morning, spilled his orange juice at breakfast, and broke a mirror after school. Ruby was surprisingly un-messy all day, but she played her trump card after bath when she threw up all over me and her pjs at bedtime. Uggh. I cleaned her up, calmed her down, and got her to bed. Minutes later she was crying and throwing up in bed and then all over George. Uggh again. We were wary and waiting for another eruption, but we've all been fine. Ruby didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't either, but she was up early and seemed to have her appetite and cheerful mood back today. I took a nap this afternoon, which helped, but I could really use a nice relaxing Calgon bath!

Playdates Then and Now

2009-02-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

We had Miles' friend James over for a playdate on Sunday. They always have a great time together. As I was taking their picture I remembered one from a playdate I was on with my sister at her friend Carolyn's house. This photo is one from a small collection that I have of myself from childhood. What a difference a generation makes--like most families these days, we could cover the walls with photos of our kids. (I am still mostly absent in the photo albums, though, as I'm usually behind the camera.)
I also really like the convenience of recording videos with the camera, and sharing them with all of you. Enjoy!

I'm Awesome

2009-02-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

No, really, it's true--Miles told me so! We were hanging out yesterday afternoon in his room, playing with Legos, and he asked me to help him by taking two pieces apart for him. When I handed them back he just said, very sincerely, "You're awesome. You are an awesome mom." Made my day. He so rarely voices any appreciation for us, it was nice to hear.
We had a low-key weekend at home. His friend Emily came over to play for a while on Saturday. They had fun cracking each other up--lots of laughter going on. He likes to play on his top bunk now and is very comfortable going up and down the ladder. Ruby is pretty good at going up too, and takes every opportunity to get up there, even by herself. Miles, of course, tries to escape from her. He now has a "no babies" sign on his door (a picture of a baby in a circle with a line through it) that he made, and a sign that he "wrote" that says, "Ruby, please don't come in here."
He does occasionally invite her to play with him. This morning he suggested a game of "goal-hatch" (his creation), which involves each of them dragging a blanket behind them, chasing each other around the first floor. We've had to modify the rules (for now) to make goal-hatch with Ruby a "non-tackle" game.
They also enjoyed running around in the cleared-out, echo-y guest room on the 3rd floor. We're having the walls repaired and new windows and a window seat installed. Step 1 of the 3rd floor remodel!

Miles manned the video camera, so be careful if you get motion sickness!

home bodies

2009-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's winter and I've been feeling like we live inside a snow globe lately. Partly because it's snowing so often when I look out the window, and partly because I've been inside so much of the time.

There are a few perks to being a homebody. I've actually had time to "straighten up," vacuum up the crumbs on the rugs, and prepare meals with some forethought, from real ingredients. In fact, I haven't had a single restaurant meal, snack, or drink since last Tuesday night. That's nine days straight of having completely home-prepared food, for both Ruby and I. (Miles eats lunch at school and George has the occasional breakfast or lunch out.) I'm feeling pretty good about "the streak" although I know this is kind of lame compared to the kinds of food preparation some families do on an on-going basis. So it's a good streak for me, but I'm really looking forward to going out to dinner tonight! George and I will visit one of our favorite local places while the kids are home with the sitter. I'm also going to the gym this afternoon, which I have been missing.

a story--While we were home yesterday, Miles was playing computer games while I made dinner. I asked him to be sure not to yell if he needed me because Ruby was sleeping. He was engrossed in his game already and didn't listen to me at all. Then I turned down the volume on the computer and he turned to me and said "That's great, mama. I'll do that." with complete conviction and a little wave of the hand. I have heard this tone before (and used it before) and it means "whatever you said, that's fine. I didn't hear a word of it but I really want to get back to what I was doing, so please leave me alone." My, how fast they learn!

music

2009-01-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

Use the Force-eps

2009-01-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the pun--I know no one wants to think about forceps! It's the most appropriate play on words I could think of for the dichotomy we've been experiencing lately between Star Wars and baby play. Miles is fully immersed in Star Wars, since he watched it with George on one of their recent movie nights. He's been building Lego ships for Luke and Obi Wan and flying them around with lots of "whooshing" and shooting. He gets into full Jedi mode while riding home from school in the stroller. With the rain cover down, the stroller becomes somewhat spaceship-like, and he has little levers on either side of his seat that he uses as guns. So the whole way home he makes various piloting and shooting sounds. He seems to entertain Ruby, who rides in back and is usually pretty restless in the stroller.

Ruby has been in mothering mode lately, and Miles does take occasional breaks from blowing things up to join her in taking care of the babies. He decided that their dolls should be named Calliou and Rosie. Ruby says and signs "baby" very clearly and can be quite demanding about wanting to have Baby with her. She also has started puckering and making kissing sounds and she thinks it's hilarious when we kiss her baby.

Miles occasionally likes to pretend that his baby is in his belly and then, whoosh, he's out! He is usually anxious for his baby to grow up. He's often trying to help him walk, run, or fly. It's only a matter of time before he'll be trying to blow up the Death Star.

One of Ruby's favorite activities is imitating her brother. Last week he made a land-speeder out of a shoe box and a piece of cardboard, put his sheep puppet Baa-Baa in the shoe box (a Luke stand-in), and proceeded to fly the ship while singing "Kiss the Girl" from Little Mermaid. Ruby quickly found her own piece of cardboard and a Rubbermaid container with lid, and put some puzzle pieces in there for her version. They both went zipping around the first floor.

Climb and Play

2009-01-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Ruby reached a new height today when she climbed onto the piano bench. We didn't see her climbing, just heard her start pounding on the keys. Sure enough, she was up there, playing and singing away!

Cute dress, huh? She's ready for the stage!

Bug-Free, Fun-Filled Christmas

2008-12-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that the stomach bug was gone by Christmas. George had a mild case on the 23rd and it passed Ruby by completely!

So, Christmas was wonderful! Oma and Opa spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. We had some added excitement when the power was out for about an hour on Christmas Eve, just after dark. We thought maybe we'd have to cook dinner by candlelight, but the power came back on in time.

Miles slept later than usual on Christmas morning. He came in to get us out of bed around 7:30. He didn't seem to remember that it was Christmas! We had to remind him that we had put cookies and milk out for Santa (and cheese for Santa Mouse) the night before and we suggested he go check to see if Santa had come. He was bit scared that Santa might still be downstairs, so he said he wanted some adult company. So we all went downstairs, and only Oma and Opa were there, waiting for us. Ruby was still sleeping so George got her out of bed at 8:00.

She was thrilled to find a toy tree frog in her stocking and became quite attached to it. Her Opa gave her a beautiful rocking horse, which Miles and his friends will take care of while she's grows into it. She didn't get around to opening all her presents until late afternoon. At one point she climbed over the wrapped boxes to reach some books on the bookcase. She never misses an opportunity to crawl into someone's lap with a good book. She got several new books, but seems especially interested in those featuring Big Bird or Elmo lately.

Miles was most excited about his space shuttle toy. He played with it all day and even posed for a picture with it, voluntarily! You'll also see Ruby sitting with Oma, admiring her sparkly new jewelry.

It was a fun morning and a great day.

Winter is Here

2008-12-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

Jack Frost is definitely back from vacation. It was 7 degrees outside on Monday morning.

Miles woke up crying Sunday night from a bad dream. While George went to calm him I worried that he was dreaming of autobots fighting decepticons. He watched way too many hours of Transformers on his video machine in the car on our trip the weekend! But the dream was about a birthday party, of all things. He said he dreamed that all his friends left his birthday party before they had a chance to eat cake or open presents and that they didn't say good-bye. Is this one of those classic dreams, like being naked in public or not knowing which class you have next in high school? It was completely out of the blue--strange!

I'm getting back to this entry that I started earlier. It's now Tuesday night, and we're in the midst (those hopefully on the tail end) of a stomach flu. George and I went out to dinner last night with friends and I started feeling sick around 9:00. I threw up around 11, and then a few more times overnight. We thought it was food-related, until Miles threw up this afternoon, twice, and took a nap! This is highly unusual and a sure sign that he wasn't feeling well. He has only ever once been sick this way before, when he was around Ruby's age. He seems to have his appetite and energy back already though, and I started feeling better this morning. So it's quick, but whew--not fun!

The kids have runny noses again, after a nice respite from all that blowing and wiping. I was just thinking how healthy we've all been for the past few weeks. Here we go again!

By the way, we had a great visit with George's family in Ohio over the weekend. Miles loved playing with his cousin Ella. Ruby loved all the toys, and attention! We brought home some fun new toys too.

Jack Frost's Vacation

2008-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed being outside today with no one nipping at our noses! There was snow covering the ground this morning, but it was sunny and warm enough that Ruby didn't mind when her mittens fell off and she was playing in the snow with bare hands. It was kind of a strange day. We played in the snow and walked to the playground this morning, collecting ice along the way in a sand bucket, and this afternoon Ruby and I raked the leaves in the backyard. I hadn't gotten around to this chore due to our busy fall, cold weather, and intermittent snow. The leaves were wet and heavy but I was so happy to be outside and not freezing that I didn't mind.

Most of the photos are of Ruby. Miles just doesn't stand still long enough for pictures!

We went to our friends' annual cookie party yesterday, where everyone brings, bakes, or decorates cookies to share. Miles loved the decorating, and eating his creations. He and George did some more cookie baking today, along with a few other household projects. The forecast says one more day of warmer weather before Jack Frost returns.

Christmas Tree! Santa! Snow! Oh My!

2008-12-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. We've had snow on the ground again and today is sunny and bright. Ruby met Santa at the mom's club party on Monday. I added the photo of her with Santa last year too. What a difference a year makes!

We got a tree on Tuesday night, put it on the red dresser in the living room window, and decorated it on Wednesday. She likes to reach up to try to tug on the ornaments on the lower branches. We did lose a few decorations--one Christmas tree ball that Ruby got a hold of while I wasn't paying attention, and the donkey to the nativity scene. I thought they wouldn't break but quickly learned otherwise!

Miles looked out yesterday and said it looked like a "frosty village." He's excited for Christmas and for the holiday party at school next week. They've been practicing their songs to surprise us with.

At home we've been playing Cinderella and Prince (George is the Royal Messenger). He came in this morning and woke me (Sleeping Beauty) with a kiss. He also loves the Wall-E book I got from the library. He takes it to bed with him and we find him later with the book open on his pillow and Miles curled up just below it.

Do we Dare to Decorate?

2008-12-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

I'm waiting until this weekend to get out the Christmas decorations, and wondering how we'll handle it with our little climber/grabber running around. Ruby is definitely learning how to extend her reach! Miles often drags a dining room chair into the kitchen to stand at the island and help cook or watch while we cook. The big chairs are too heavy for Ruby but she can move the little ones and has learned how to use them as step-stools. She can also climb up onto the big chairs to reach just about anything on the dining room table. So our "Ruby-free" zone has been diminished! The mantel will be safe for some decorations, and I may get out the durable nativity, even though she'll probably scatter the pieces, and draw on them if she gets a chance. I'm going to have to limit her coloring to the highchair since she's developed the habit of roaming with a (washable) marker in hand and scribbling on random objects. She hasn't touched the walls (yet) but she has decorated a refrigerator magnet, her highchair, the floor, and scraps of paper she finds lying around.

The tree is another concern. We're thinking a table top version may be best. Any suggestions?

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend is finally over. As you can see, we had a big bird (20lbs!) for our feast and only four mouths to feed. We enjoyed the turkey sandwiches though and I put 2 bags of turkey in the freezer, and at least a quart or 2 of broth. The weekend was relaxing but also a bit nerve-wracking at times. We spent a lot of time at home over the last four days, and Miles seemed to be talking nearly the whole time! We did get out for some fun distractions. On Friday morning, while George was at work, I took the kids to the mall. We didn't get there until about 11 and it wasn't much busier than usual, although we did have to wait in line at the bathroom. Miles and Ruby both enjoy the play area right now and some friends came to meet us there. George and Miles did some more shopping Friday afternoon. They also went swimming at CMU on Saturday and I took the kids to the Science Center this morning with friends Barbara and Andy. It was a nice break but I'm glad that school starts again tomorrow, and that the babysitter will be coming back at regular intervals. We all miss her!

In all of Miles' chatting, he has picked up some new expressions. One of his favorites is "Check this out." He's also using "you're kidding" and "I tell you, Daddy..." We've been talking a lot about Christmas and Santa lately too. He wrote a note to Santa to tell him his wish for Christmas morning. We took it to the special mailbox at Macy's today, since he's not sure he wants to greet Santa in person.

He has worked out some new techniques too, like his "Room-meter" which lets him look out the window to see if it's a good night for a star walk, or if movie night would be a better choice. He definitely keeps us guessing with his imaginative musings and attempts to figure out the world.

Ruby Time

2008-11-27T08:48:00.001-08:00

One of the great things about Miles' preschool schedule this year is that Ruby and I get a lot of girl time. Sure, she misses him while he's away, but it gives me a chance to focus on her instead of just making sure she survives her big brother's enthusiastic play. She loves the phone and has easy access to it on the 3rd floor. Miles was always freaked out by noisy things, but she's attracted to them, including the buttons on the phone and her baby's cry. She signs "phone" when she hears it ring and loves to pretend to talk on any phone she can get her hands on. She also signs "baby," "more" (which means "I want that!"), "cracker," "milk," and she made up a sign for "out." She gets excited when anyone gets ready to go out, and runs for her coat and shoes.

She's still holding out on saying "dada" but she is trying to speak more words. She says "Bye Bye" sometimes (waves more readily). We think she tried to say "pig" today, and she makes sounds that simulate "here you go." She hears that one a lot!

It's a sunny Thanksgiving Day in Pittsburgh and our turkey's in the oven. Ruby's napping (I think) and George and Miles are playing a game. I'm thankful for some quiet time!

Birthday, parts 1 through 4

2008-11-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Miles' 4th birthday so many times he should be at least 8 by now! Birthday no.1 was with my family at the cabin. Aunt Erika made him an awesome race track cake with a real Lightning McQueen on top! We took a day off after that weekend so George could attend a meeting in Arlington. Oma and Opa came along and we visited the Air and Space Museum near Dulles on Monday afternoon. Miles loved the space wing, which has a space shuttle and he readily recognized the Mars rover. The following Wednesday was his actual birthday, which he celebrated at school, then with friends at home, and finally with a special dessert after dinner and lots of great presents.

Four of our closest friends came for his cooking party. The decorated chef hats and aprons and made loaf-pan lasagnas to take home. Then we decorated cupcakes and opened presents. There was also a spontaneous drawing craft and lots of playing with his new stuff. We're still working on the thank-you notes. I can tell you that Miles is so thankful for all his great friends and family and really couldn't have wished for a better birthday, times four!

PJ Weekend

2008-11-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

We had an uneventful weekend, mostly at home. On non-school days when we don't have morning plans, Miles has gotten into the habit of keeping his PJs on as long as possible--until I can coax him into getting dressed to go somewhere. And since he's been getting up so early, we've gotten into the habit of letting him start his day with TV. He's been waking up between 5:30 and 6:00 (I think--I try not to notice the time--I just give him a snack and get him set with a video or PBS and get back to bed until Ruby wakes up.) Ruby looks for him as soon as she's up. And she's learned that lately she needs to climb up to the 3rd floor to find him. I got these pics this morning of her on the way, and sitting with him (for a few seconds) to watch the screen. She's not into TV yet....but will try to sit near him when he's still.

I don't know that he's learned much from his hours of "educational programming" but he has started using phrases like "educational programming" (or some approximation of it) and "WQED Pittsburgh" and he knows all about "PBSkids dot org."

It's not ideal, but it's working for us at the moment. Hopefully he'll get back to waking at a more reasonable time. I'm pretty sure he won't tire of his new TV routine though!

Spidey and Friends

2008-11-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Miles, as a somewhat timid Spiderman, took to the street last night in search of candy. We played with silly string "webbing" at home, but didn't shoot it at any neighbors. Ruby and I handed out candy from the front porch, greeting neighbors as they passed by, and then went to a few houses ourselves. Then we all met up, and met friends, including another Spiderman, for a short visit to a party in the next block. The weather was perfect and we all had a fun night.

Scary Morning

2008-10-31T07:05:00.001-07:00

I had quite the fright this morning--Miles was up at 6:30! Ruby quickly caught on and wanted to get up too, around 7. Miles was surprised when it started to get light outside. He was expecting it to

be Halloween (meaning nighttime) all day. He wore his costume to school this morning, but wasn't as excited as I thought he'd be. He seemed a little worried about people thinking he was really Spiderman.

Last Sunday we took a family outing to the trolley museum and Trax Farm. Miles loved sitting on the old tractor at the farm, riding a John Deere trike, and climbing over the pumpkin pile.

Changing Hues

2008-10-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

You may notice, if you look closely, that our house has some new color! The painters finished up while we were away so we came home to a new look. You'll have to come see it in person when you get the chance.

The kids and I took a walk around the block this afternoon and Ruby walked a pretty good part of it herself. It was a beautiful day.

We also went to the grocery store and they rode side-by-side in the car cart, at Miles' request. He assured me that he would beep the horn for her. She was thrilled to be so close to him for our tour through the aisles. It's been a busy, fun week. Ruby is making lots of different sounds now, including motor sounds for her cars, a word that sounds kind of like "ball" and occasionally "mama" and "dada."

I just noticed the sibling resemblance in these photos. Other people keep telling me that Ruby is starting to look more and more like her brother. Do you see it?

Home, Sweet Home

2008-10-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Camping on Saturday--Ruby was a scruffy ragamuffin in her multiple layers, with a layer of dust on top of everything else.

Miles shows off his hot chocolate mustache, and

the kids gather around the table for their morning meeting.

Here are some pictures from Wednesday, when we

visited Tybee Island lighthouse.

Our whirlwind tour came to a close yesterday, with a long last drive from Point Lookout State Park.

We had a great time in Savannah and camping over the weekend. George spent Thursday morning at Georgia Tech's Savannah campus. He delivered his talk at noon and had lunch with his colleague from Maryland. The kids and I visited the Jepson Center, an art museum with interactive exhibits. They had a short program Thursday morning for 3-5 year olds. They talked about the black-and-white photos on exhibit and made a craft with black-and-white paper, glue, and decorations. Miles really liked the hands-on area, including a clear plexiglass wall we could draw on with markers. Ruby got hold of the markers too and soon gave herself a cute black beard and black fingers. Luckily it all washed off pretty easily. They also dressed up in the artistic costumes. (That's Ruby, sporting the Native American cloak.) These were the only pictures I took in Savannah--which is a shame because the city is so lovely. Besides our walk to a pizza place for dinner and to a candy store on Wednesday night, I was on my own with the kids and too occupied with them to get out the camera.

After the art museum we took a trolley tour of the city and had some gelato. Since I didn't get to enjoy any chai lattes during the trip (we didn't visit a single coffee shop!), the chai latte gelato hit the spot. Miles really enjoyed riding the trolley and hardly asked any questions. The driver was doing the narration thing the whole time and he mostly just sat and listened. Ruby was wiggly though, and hard to contain. After the ride we headed back to the hotel for her nap. Miles and I ate the leftover pizza and I packed up our stuff for another road trip.

We drove to Wilson, NC and stayed there Thursday night (after a late dinner at Cracker Barrel). And guess where we had breakfast on Friday? Another Cracker Barrel, a few hours down the road.

We made it to Richmond by noon on Friday, to visit Darin and Jen and meet their new baby. We stocked up on wine at Costco and groceries for the weekend. It was rainy, and although we were all set to camp that night...all our friends called and said they wouldn't be at the campground until Saturday. Luckily we were still in Richmond and our friends immediately offered up their guest room. Miles had a great time playing with Evan and Jacob and we added one more destination to our road trip.

Saturday morning was cold but clear and we drove to Point Lookout for a fun day of hanging out with friends. Miles had quite a crew of kids around now and kept busy keeping up with them. Ruby had her first camping trip and handled it like a pro. She even napped in the tent in the afternoon, which was a rarity on Miles' early camping excursions.

We weren't quite prepared for how cold it got on Saturday night. That sure made us appreciate those soft warm hotel beds!

Savannah

2008-10-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from yesterday, on the beach at Tybee. Miles and Ruby had a great time playing in the sand and chasing the seagulls.

We're at our hotel in Savannah now. So far we haven't seen anything except the hotel. Miles and George are at the pool and Ruby's napping. Miles is excited to ride a trolley later. He's been trying new foods on this trip. Monday he tried steamed shrimp and last night he had shrimp, crab, and mussels. He was easily convinced to try these "small creatures" after we assured him that they would be dead. George did the dirty work of peeling the shrimp and cracking the crab claws for him. He's excited to have a shellfish dinner with Opa and Grandpa sometime.
On our way off the island today we stopped at the lighthouse and walked up all 273 steps, 154 feet, to the top. It was a nice hike and Miles did very well. The view was spectacular. We've had great weather so far on this trip. No rain and just one windy day. We're hoping it holds up for our camping trip this weekend!
I don't think we've lost any more possessions....and Miles doesn't seem to miss his blanket. He's been so tired at bedtime though (and dinnertime for that matter) that he hasn't had a chance to miss it.

Road Trip

2008-10-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

We made it! We arrived in Tybee Island, GA this afternoon and spent some time on the beach before dinner. It is very windy but otherwise lovely. We're staying in a hotel on the beach and we have a 2-room suite, so the kids are sleeping next door while George and I enjoy some quiet time.
We stayed in Charlotte last night, and seem to have lost 2 items already--a ball we were playing with at the pool that got sucked into the filter, and Miles' treasured blanket. He went to bed without it (accepting one of Ruby's blankets as a substitute), so hopefully that won't be too painful.
Miles and Ruby both enjoyed playing in the sand. Miles was very clear that he didn't want to get in the ocean, and Ruby approached it with her usual enthusiasm, but fell backwards into the ripples and got a little wary. The pool here is too cold, even for Miles, but I'm sure we'll find plenty of things to do.
The drive was better than I expected. Miles has had some long days (no sleeping in the car for him, even at 6am yesterday when we left home) but he's happy to watch his videos. Ruby slept, played, and snacked in the back seat with me. She's adored everywhere we go and is feasting on the attention as usual.

October, Already?

2008-10-03T04:53:00.000-07:00

Much to my dismay, the signs of Fall are here. At least one person in this house had been sneezy, stuffy, coughing, or sniffly for the past three weeks, but everyone seems to be healthy again. Ruby learned to "blow" at the sight of a tissue, whether it's coming at her face or not. I also noticed that my hands have taken on that cold-weather look with a fine cast of white, dry skin. Thanks to all the hand-washing or just the cold dry weather. Time to stock up on a good hand cream and chocolate, to boost serotonin and combat seasonal affective disorder!
Our upcoming road trip will at least offer some respite from the cooler temps. We're headed to Charlotte on Sunday, Tybee Island on Monday, and Savannah on Wedenesday. Then we'll be driving back north to meet friends for a camping trip in Maryland on Friday. I have a feeling that we'll be exhausted when we get home--at least George and I will be!
Miles is excited for vacation, and curious about our destination. He knows what a savannah is--the wide open grassland, and seems to think that "Georgia-Savannah," as he calls it, may be similar. He asked me yesterday if there would be restaurants there, since it's just a wide open space, with lots of sand. He'll be in for a nice surprise I think, but he may be disappointed not to see wild animals wandering around.

I've tried to post short videos here but there seems to be a glitch. Photos will have to do for now.
I caught a rare moment of Ruby and Miles "dancing" on the porch. I think he was really just trying to get her out of his way, but it became an improv dance step.
Ruby loves to be outside and we take frequent strolls on our block. She also loves to sit in the Jeep and "vroom." We store it under the back porch and one day she crawled into it while it was still under there. I heard her thump her head under the porch floor when I stepped out from the kitchen. She's determined to have her way--nothing stops her.

Rain, Finally!

2008-09-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

We woke up to the sound of rain this morning. Real, steady, serious rain. It has been a long time since we had a serious soaking. It didn't stop George from riding his bike, and towing Miles to school, and it didn't stop me from taking Ruby out for a stroll. I had planned to lead a fitness walk in the cemetery for the Mom's club. We do this about once a week but I've never had anyone show up before on a rainy day. So I was very excited to see Ann there with her 10-week-old girl. I hadn't met here before so we had plenty to talk about--especially because she's from Shepherdstown, West Virgina. Our wedding cakes came from the same little bakery! We had a nice walk and the rain let up pretty quickly.

It's been a busy week for me, work-wise, and we're getting ready for a little party tomorrow, and going to see Wicked tonight.

Ruby is walking, walking, walking. I'll put some video up soon.

Go Speed Racer?

2008-09-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

September is here but it still feels like summer. We're enjoying some hot weather--perfect pool days, except that the pool is closed. (Check out the video below from our last day at the pool.) Miles and I spent some time outside this afternoon baking in the sun while he practiced bike-riding and roller-blading. Thank goodness for training wheels, because he's about as coordinated as I am when it comes to these things. Any athletic ability he may have is obscured by his timidity. Like his hero Lightening McQueen he loves to talk about how fast he can go and how he "likes speed," but when it's time to put foot to pedal he's overcome with concerns. He doesn't like to ride on "soft surfaces" or go downhill. He has trouble with the cracks and bumps in the sidewalk and (surprise, surprise) going uphill. Maybe it's all a plea for extra attention, but even when he's riding with friends on a flat paved surface his actual time spent moving while seated on the bike is pretty unimpressive. The rollerblades are new (thanks Rob and Erika) and the novelty has not worn off yet. He especially enjoys putting on his elbow and knee pads and helmet. Getting suited up for the great adventure. So far he's kept a pretty slow pace, more like walking than actual blading, but he says he likes "being on wheels" and being "off the ground." He caught a little speed coming down the driveway today and seemed to like the feeling. Boys, wheels, and speed are a natural combination I suppose. So far though, I don't think we have much to worry about with our little racer.

He has no worries about the water!

Ruby's 1st

2008-08-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ruby turned one yesterday and we had a fun day celebrating. We made cupcakes in the morning, and pizza for lunch. Later we went out with the stroller to get balloons and visited the library. Miles and our babysitter Bridget decorated the cupcakes in the afternoon, and we had a small party after dinner with our friends Kim and Scott. Ruby enjoyed her mini-cupcake and smeared the frosting over her face and hair, just like one-year-olds are supposed to do. Miles enjoyed her gifts--we'll have to remind him to share the Disney princess mega blocks (thanks Aunt Lisa, Uncle Jay, and Ella) and Leap Frog guitar (thanks Kim and Scott) with his sister. I reminisced about her birth one year ago--all the time we waited for her, and then how she came so quickly that she was nearly born in the hospital corridor. I was glad to have a relaxing and fun day yesterday, compared to August 21, 2007!

Ruby two-step

2008-08-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this you've been very patient waiting for a new blog entry! I've been busy but I caught some good video today and I wanted to share it. Ruby is trying out new behaviors to celebrate her 1st birthday on Thursday.

As you can see, she is proud of herself. We're all looking forward to celebrating her big day.

Trail Miles, Ruby Too

2008-07-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I joined George and Miles for their semi-regular Sunday morning bike ride today. It was her first time in the trailer and she seemed to enjoy it. I towed Miles in the old trailer and George towed Ruby in the fancy new one, which supported her very well. We were also biking with our friend Chris and his 2 boys, in one trailer. They usually do a city loop but today we took the bikes, trailers, and kids' bikes to a rail-to-trail path. The kids rode around a bit while we got bikes and trailers set up, then we loaded them in and hit the trail. It was a nice wide flat crushed stone surface, along the river. Pretty easy riding, even with the trailer. We only did about 8 miles total, as the kids got a bit bored and antsy. Shifting the boys around for the return trip helped. I towed Miles and his friend Ethan and got to listen in as they discussed the weighty matters of reading, bike-racing, movies, hotels, and siblings. As they looked at the map Ethan asked Miles if he could read books. Miles, very matter-of-factly, said, "How I read is, I get my mom and dad to read to me, and that's how I gets lots of information." And of course he gets lots of information from his constant questions--it was fun for me to listen in as Miles queried his friend on various topics. Ethan tolerated it very well and gave some good answers too.

Turnpike Miles, Ruby Too

2008-07-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from yet another trip across the state. From June 1st through July 20th we've logged quite a lot of miles in PA.

Here's the recap: June 1, Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle/Nemacolin (for George's work retreat).

June 3, Nemacolin to York, and Cabin (visited family and George worked in Biglerville).

June 7, Cabin to Pittsburgh.

June 11, Pittsburgh to York (to visit Kris and family and celebrate Father's Day)

June 14, York to Pittsburgh (with Kris and family)

June 17, Pittsburgh to MD (George alone, for work)

June 18, MD to Pittsburgh

July 7, Pittsburgh to Cabin (George working, we visited with Kris and family and Oma and Opa)

July 9, Cabin to Pittsburgh

July 17, both cars from Pittsburgh to Cabin (George left early to work in Biglerville, then we spent the weekend with friends)

July 20, Cabin to Pittsburgh.

This last trip (if you're still reading) was by far the longest. Maybe we pushed our luck with all those miles. We got stuck in stopped traffic after a tractor-trailer crashed and closed both east and west-bound lanes of the turnpike. We were in a long line of cars for about 2 hours. Luckily we had food, drink, entertainment, and a spacious and comfortable vehicle. Miles watched videos, we listened to the ipod, and Ruby crawled around the van. It could have been much worse. The delay did set us back quite a bit, because once traffic got moving again we (and just about every other car) stopped for a bathroom break, and we let Miles have mac-n-cheese at the rest stop. They were quite busy with the rush and it took a while to get the food. So we didn't get home until almost 11:00 on Sunday night. The kids fell asleep for the last hour of the trip and we transferred them to their beds, unloaded the car, and were quickly snoozing ourselves. We're all still catching up on sleep from our fun weekend with good friends.

Overall, those miles were well spent. We enjoyed the company of friends and family, walks in the cool woods, and refreshing dips in the lake. I am glad that we're going to be staying put for a while though!

Happy Baby Climbs Stairs

2008-06-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

"What a happy girl!" I hear this over and over from Ruby's adoring public. Whether she's riding high in the grocery cart seat, snuggled up to mama in her carrier, or sitting low in the stroller, she's equally charmed by and charming to the friends and strangers who approach. She smiles, observes, and just seems to really enjoy life.

What she is really finding joy in lately is sneaking off to climb the stairs. Then she really gets going when someone catches on and follows her.

Miles is serious by comparison, though he does find joy in many things. George has been working on a project in the 3rd floor bathroom, and declared it a "Miles-free zone" until the floor is replaced. Last night he asked Miles if he wanted to help with the project, and got a very enthusiastic response. "That's a wonderful plan," Miles said, since he assumed that the zone was no longer Miles-free. Well, it wasn't exactly what he hoped for, but he did get to help Daddy and was very happy about that.

His language skills continue to impress us and others. We were playing with the futon pillows the other day and he kept calling them "pillas." When I asked him about it he said that he learned that word from his Oma. I guess he liked it!

He's also great at expressing his creativity. Yesterday he knocked the baby monitor off the counter but didn't realize it. When I asked him how it got on the floor he said that "Ruby must have woke up and was crying so hard that the monitor shook and fell." I don't think he was making up a story to remove himself from blame (he hasn't done this yet that I know of) but when he starts we'll be in for a treat!

Road Trip Highlights

2008-06-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I had a chance to blog--we've been out enjoying the summer! On June 1 we had a picnic lunch at Ohiopyle. Miles chased butterflies. Later we hiked by the Cucumber Falls. Very cool and lovely.

From there we went to Nemacolin and had a picnic supper. Two picnics in one day!

We really

enjoyed the pools at Nemacolin. The indoor kid's pool is 3 feet deep the entire length. Miles loved that! I spent most of Monday at the outdoor pool, with it's comfortable deck chairs and wait service. The kids spent the day at the daycare, which for Miles included ice cream at the ice cream parlor and shuttle riding to the gym. Ruby bonded with her daycare provider and even fell asleep while she was holding her. I had a nice day with some exercise, some reading, and breakfast and lunch with George (and colleagues).

The kids and I spent Tuesday morning at the pool and we all went miniature golfing (and shuttle-riding) after lunch. After bidding farewell to resort living, we had a family dinner in York and went to the cabin for the rest of the week. Ruby learned to climb into the suitcase! She also got a new tooth, which was preceded by a fever, restlessness, and crankiness. She's doing better now, enjoying her air-conditioned room back at home.

too-too-Tooth!

2008-05-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ruby has a tooth poking through her bottom gum! This is her first and we've been waiting for it. She doesn't seem too bothered by it. Is the pain supposed to be worst before they come through, or after?

We were on our own today--no school, no sitter, and George was away all day. He'll be back tonight. I'm pretty tired. Enjoying the after-bedtime quiet. Man, that child can talk! So many questions. I wish I had the answers.

Miles--the Cuddler!

2008-05-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a different side of my boy today. We had some one-on-one play time while Ruby was sleeping this afternoon. We started with play-doh, which he enjoyed for a long time, and without much interaction from me. The fact that the play-doh implements ended up being vacuum vehicles was pretty typical of his play, but the fact that he did so much by himself for so long was a change. Then we switched gears to animal rescuing, with his Diego gear (thanks Aunt Kris!). He wore his vest, carried his binoculars, and sought out animals in danger. We used his favorite blanket as a parachute so they could fall safely from whatever dangerous spot they were trapped in. Then, and this was my favorite, I became the hurt animal and he came to my rescue. This involved running into my lap (I had to catch him so he wouldn't launch himself into the coffee table) and hugging me and cuddling. He'd curl up in my lap, nurse my boo-boo with his "soft band-aid" (that trusty blanket again) and offer some reassurance that I would feel better soon. Then he'd race off to his starting line and we'd repeat with a new ailment. He is now 3 years, 6 mos, and 2 days old, so I'm guessing all this nurturing is a sign of his new level of maturity!

He also used his blanket yesterday to help Ruby learn to climb the stairs. He "escaped the baby monster" and took refuge on the stairs. She was stuck at the bottom, but with his help (he threw one end of his blanket down for her to hold on to, and pulled on the other end) and my spotting her to make sure she didn't fall, she eventually joined him on the first landing. He then returned to escape mode and scampered up the next flight. It will be interesting to see if Ruby ever decides to climb the stairs when her brother is not coaxing her along!

Girls Weekend

2008-05-18T04:14:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I are missing George and Miles this weekend but enjoying the quiet too. I'd forgotten how simple life can be just a baby around. Here are a few things I was able to do with my leisure time yesterday:

Sleep during the day
Talk on the phone
Hear myself think
Read labels at the grocery store (most of the juices don't say where the fruit comes from, but Costco's apple juice is "fresh-pressed" (not from concentrate) from U.S. apples. We really like their organic peanut butter too--from US peanuts and no sugar.
Listen to the radio
Shop online (first for Wicked tickets, then clothing for myself [How nice that the current fashions favor empire-waisted, billowy tops, even some with ties in the back. What's up with that? I'm done with maternity wear!])
Blog!

I did a few constructive things too, and we went to some yard sales, which Miles would have really enjoyed.

Notice Ruby's funny crawl...and her "mem-ing" which sometimes sounds like "mama."

Animals! Acrobats! Face Painting too!

2008-05-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

It must be the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival! We had a big fun day on Thursday, and Miles crept out of his comfort zone, into the petting zoo! We stopped by once when we first got to the festival, and he barely touched any of the adorable baby goats or sheep. But later, when his friend Emily was along, he wanted to join in the feeding frenzy! We bought an extremely overpriced cup of food and he walked around letting various animals have a taste. He even started putting the food on his hand for them eat from. Then he branched out to feeding hay to sleeping animals. I told him they probably weren't interested in eating, but he said he wanted them to have something to munch on when they woke up!

We also took in a show, in a theater! This is another anxiety-heightening experience for Miles and when we first were allowed to enter the theater, and everyone was filing in, he didn't want to go. I persuaded him, and we found our seats. He shared my lap with Ruby and we waited for the theater to fill up and the show to start. When the lights went down and he heard the announcement about where to find the restroom if anyone needed to leave during the performance, he suddenly had the urge to go potty. We stayed....and waited for the acrobats. They finally came out, emerging from a webbed structure on the stage. First we saw only fingers, then hands, feet, faces, and finally whole people. It was a bit too much waiting for him, and he was a bit scared still, but he finally relaxed and really did enjoy the show. They did lots of "funny tricks" like supporting each other (2 people balancing on top of one person in various arrangements), pretending to fall and then catching themselves, flips, handsprings, that kind of stuff. After the show he said he liked it and that he was "proud of the acrobats." I was proud of him too.

Remembering Carol

2008-05-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sadly, George's mom passed away on Wednesday. We will all miss her very much. She was a a fun, spirited person who enjoyed life. She even sat through baseball games in the rain to humor her family! She had a happy, cheerful attitude and ready laugh. I even heard her chuckle on our last visit to Ohio, when she was summoning her strength just to talk and visit with us.

She saw each of her children get married, welcomed her new son and daughters into the family, and waited for grandchildren...but never suggested that we should hurry up and have babies. But how she cherished those babies when they finally arrived! She was a "hands-on" grandma who was always willing to hold, comfort, play with, read to, and feed her grandkids. She will always be in our hearts and memories.

Happy Haircut Day!

2008-05-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

I just took Miles to get his first professional haircut. We went to see Jackie (what are we supposed to call this person? Stylist? Hair care professional? Hair cutter? Hair do-er?), who also cuts my hair. He did great! I was so relieved that he didn't cry, whine, or scream like he does when George gets out the clippers. She did most of it with scissors and just used the clippers (smaller and quieter than ours) at the end. No tears or even much in the way of anxiety. We took the stroller and I didn't tell him where we were going, but he caught on and didn't fuss when he figured it out. Whew! She gave him jelly beans when he was done so he probably won't mind going back again. Ruby was home with the babysitter. It was nice to have some alone time with my boy.

He looks great, doesn't he?

Motherin' This Time

2008-05-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my first Mother's Day with two today, and it may be that Ruby is just so cute right now and so "easy" that I wish I could have enjoyed mothering this much when Miles was a baby. This time I have less stress, more joy, and more fun. Not that we didn't have fun with Miles....but there was also stress, less sleep, and that overwhelming feeling of responsibility and loss of freedom.

Now we just have a loss of quiet. Miles' nonstop chatter is cute, but we just don't know where he gets it. Will he always be like this?

We had a fun, low-key day. It was rainy most of the day so we didn't get to work in the yard like I'd planned. George and Miles opened a "candy kitchen" and made mother's day treats--Ritz cracker/peanut butter sandwiches dipped in chocolate. Yummers! We melted pieces of our remaining Easter bunny. Miles objected at first, but he got to eat some of the "raw bunny" so he was happy. We also made a plan for our next house project. We're going to renovate the 3rd floor bath to make it more guest-friendly. We'll finally have a functioning shower up there (eventually) if all goes well. We took some photos and videos, for your viewing enjoyment....

Friday night audio

2008-05-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

The kids are in bed, resting at the end of another week. Miles is telling a story in his sing-song voice, his "I'm telling a cute story to a baby" voice. I can't quite get the gist of it but it's very cute, and includes snoring sounds. George is making music too--playing and singing in the living room. He's rehearsing for a performance next Thursday. Ruby is quiet at the moment, and may be listening to Daddy. I think she's probably zonked out though, tired from her on-the-go lifestyle. She made her 1st full lap of the 1st floor this morning! She gets around, and into things...especially things her brother likes. He finally found a place to escape to today--when he figured out that she can't climb the stairs. He went up a few, she crawled over, and then he decided to try to "pull her up." I intervened but I don't think he would have made much progress anyway.

She has learned the more sign and will use it when she hears us say the word. She doesn't really use it to communicate that she wants more but I think she's catching on. She also seems to be more consistent lately about waving when we say "good-bye." She and Kalea will be able to have entire baby sign conversations!

Social Arrging

2008-05-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Miles had a very physical day today. When I picked him up for school he and 2 friends started running around in a circle, then falling down together in the middle. You'd think they'd be tired after a busy day of school, but not so much. We broke that up, took a brief break at home before driving to our friend Tanya's house for a playdate. Lori and Emily rode along. We played in the backyard, in their awesome sandbox, and then ventured to the playground. This was around 3:15. There was some whining during the walk, but once they got there the kids found extra energy reserves for running and climbing and such. Miles sometimes likes to "arg" with his friends, which is his word for horseplay--running into each other, pushing, playful rough-housing. Maybe he knows that this kind of play is not always welcomed, so he asked his friends if they would like to "come arg with me in that field over there." They said no, until we explained what argging is all about. So after some argging in the field, and chasing robins, we climbed the hill back to Tanya's (5:00 now) and drove home, by way of Costco. Lori and I both needed to pick up a few things, and since we and the kids were pretty hungry by this point we decided to take advantage of the Costco snack bar. Miles and Emily took breaks from eating their hot dogs to dance around and generally prove that 3-year-olds really do have everlasting energy!

Ruby, if you're wondering, had a nice morning at home with me, took a brief nap in the front pack at the playground, chomped Cheerios at Costco, ate a good dinner when we finally got home, and went to bed happily.

Sleep!

2008-05-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Ruby slept through the night last night! She has done this before, and she has slept long stretches before, but this was the first time in a while. She woke and cried a few times but we let her work it out and she got herself back to sleep each time. She and I got up at 6:30, did some ab work before the boys got up, and had a little playtime. It's nice to feel rested in the morning!

Joyful Noise

2008-05-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

I know I'm supposed to appreciate the noises of my daily life, both the wonderful and the annoying, just like I should appreciate the fact that I have people in my life to cook and do laundry for. Right? But sometimes the annoying sounds seem so much louder and more frequent than the joyful ones. Like the sound of a Cheerio crunching underfoot. Have you ever noticed (and if you've fed a toddler at a high chair I'm sure you have) that it's so much easier to pick up a whole Cheerio than to clean up the ones that are crushed into Cheerio powder once you've stepped on them? One reason to have a dog, I suppose.

The noises that are getting on my nerves the most lately happen to come from my own mouth. I hate the fact that I can sound so on-edge and fed up so early in the morning--namely when Miles is supposed to be getting dressed. He is fully capable of dressing himself, yet we battle through it every morning. He acts crazy and ends up whining about needing help and I end up taking away privileges or toys, and eventually helping him complete the task. If Ruby's awake it's even more difficult because she goes right after him, his clothes, or his toys, which totally freaks him out.

I do enjoy the joyful noises though--Ruby's babbling and lip buzzing, and Miles' chatter....until of course the questions start! The Whys can be maddening, but I'm sure we'll look back on them fondly when the attitude and backtalk kick in.

If you're wondering what we've been up to--we had a nice low-key weekend in Dayton with George and Carol. We took Miles swimming at the hotel pool on Sat. and Sunday morning, and he enjoyed plenty of playtime at their house, inside and outside. We had a lovely day today in Pittsburgh. After school we went to the playground and about half of his class was there, along with my friend Barbara with Andy. The 2 of them came back here and Andy and Miles played in the sandbox for a while. I smoked a chicken on our electric smoker. It wasn't ready until after bedtime so George and I had a late, private dinner. He's back at work now and I need to get to bed soon. Ruby has been waking up at 1:30 and 5:30---her "sleep training" will be starting up again!

Target Practice

2008-04-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Kids are so honest and direct about what they are attracted to. Miles has started pretending ways of "projecting his control" as George says. This means that he pretends his toys are guns or other tools that project things--fire, water, energy. I don't think he even knows what a bullet is, but he likes to pretend to "shoot the bad guys" so the police can take them to jail. Or to "throw fire" to make a blockade between himself and someone else. I find all this violence disturbing, but I suppose it's something boys (in particular) just need to express. When he was doing this yesterday we told him it wasn't nice to shoot people, and not necessary, even if they are bad guys. Instead he pretended to shoot the bad guys and turn them back into good guys. Progress, I guess.

Ruby, on the other hand, is very attracted to her beloved big brother. She lights up when she hears his voice, and will do everything in her power to get to him, touch him, and generally bask in his limelight. He usually finds this annoying and acts like she is a horrible monster whose approach is inevitable. His anxious cries of "She's coming to get me" or "Stop her mama" only tend to spur Ruby on, with a delightful cackle. She's thrilled that he is paying attention to her!

We all went to the Pirate game yesterday, and sat with a group of families from Miles' preschool. There was a home run in the first inning, before we even got to our seats. We were watching from the bleacher section and were too close to the fireworks for Miles' comfort. The whole experience was rather noisy, but calmer when viewed from our seats in left field. There was another home run and more fireworks later. Miles enjoyed sitting with his friends and eating the snacks we packed, but he didn't really follow the game. He and George spent some time in the playground area and then, by the time Ruby was ready to nap, Miles was ready to go home. The Pirates won and it was a beautiful day to be at the ballpark.

First Blog

2008-04-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

I'm here! I really have the feeling I should be doing something else right now, in my "free" time. Miles is watching Hard Hat Harry's space adventures and Ruby is napping. I should be....making dinner, probably. But I'll worry about that later. So, inspired by some blogging friends, and the amazing speed at which my kids are changing, I'm going to try to get some stuff about our family down in writing so our friends and family can check in for updates.

Ruby is so busy! Too busy for her morning nap today, so she was very tired and fell asleep in the car on the way home from our playdate. Miles enjoyed playing in Emily's backyard, especially since she has a toy lawn mower. Ruby crawled around on the grass, trying to eat grass and leaves, and seeming to want to join the big kids at times. She also enjoyed crawling on her friend Gavrie, who is 2 months younger.

She is also learning to pull up so that she can stand on her own two feet! And reach up to pull things down. This sometimes scares her but not as much as you might expect. She just keeps on trucking.

Miles had school this morning. We're going to the Pirates game on Sunday with a group of school families. We picked up our tickets and baseball hats (gifts to groups) today. Miles doesn't really know what game the Pirates play (he guessed hockey today) so it should be interesting. He also asked if the hat meant that he was going to get to play.

That's all for now! I'll try to get some pictures on here soon.