Accomplishment

Kindred is learning so much. It amazes me all the time. We (the whole family) went to a festival on Saturday where there was a kids recycled art display and an area where children could grab some recyclable items and make some sort of fun thing with them. Kindred got some pink paper and some eyeballs. He asked me to glue the eyeballs on his paper, and I, armed with gluestick, made dots in the places he pointed and he stuck them. Later, while I was helping Elias (as much as he would let me), Kindred requested a marker. I handed him one, and the next time I looked down at his art...


...this is what I saw:


I'm sorry it is sideways. I don't know why my computer won't recognize that I have turned it. He wrote his whole name, and the number 4. I just stood there with my mouth gaping open. He grinned at me, and immediately said, "C'mon, I have to show my dad."

Ever since we have been back from our vacation, Elias has added something new to his dinnertime prayer. At the part where he gives thanks for everyone at the table, he now looks around and says, "Thankyou for MommyandDaddyyeshere." In case that isn't clear, he's saying "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy yes here" and he nods his head up and down as though he needs to reassure himself and God that his parents are in fact at the table with him.


Elias' vocabulary has grown immeasurably in the past months, but he still gets a few things all wrong. The most notable error, and the one we have been least inclined to correct is when he asks for something in this way: "Are you push my chair in pah-leese?" or "Are you help me get down?" "Are you show me a video on your com-puh-yooter?" "Are you read this book to me?" Today was the first time I encouraged him to say "Will you...?" or "Can you...?"

Here's him trying to balance on a baseball helmet.

Pieces of Life

Elias sometimes gets into what I call "Whisper mode." He doesn't speak aloud, only in whispers. And most times it is for no apparent reason, but just because he feels like it. Of course, when he whispers, everyone else around him whispers because it feels so awkward to use a full voice around such a quiet sound. Whisper mode can last for hours.

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Kindred and I were snuggling up in bed at sleeping time and I was rubbing his back. He sighed and remarked, sort of blissed-out, "I love when you do that, Mom." Then he told me all the places I could rub that he loves: his shoulders, his elbows, his head, not his bum or legs, but his feet? Oh yes, he loves that too. I told him I also love to have my feet rubbed, and after a minute he said, "Mom, I will rub your feet when I get five." I asked why he couldn't do it now, and he, somewhat exasperated, replied, "I caaaann't now because I'm too little. But when I get five I will be big and I will rub your feet. I will also push the grocery cart."

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Elias has turned into quite the little snuggler. I am so enjoying my relationship with him right now. He will sit with me and snuggle up or just plant a kiss on my face when I'm not expecting it at all. He asks for my help or my company while doing things he, merely a few weeks ago, would get enraged if you tried to offer assistance because he wanted so fiercely to do everything "MY SELLLLLLFFF!" He is a counter and can make it almost all the way up to 30 (he skips thirteen and fifteen but gets every other number in the right sequence). He loves to color and build things with blocks and work on puzzles. And last night, he read "Go, Dog, Go!" to Kindred and me.

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There's almost always music on when I'm downstairs hanging with the kids. Usually we listen to my "Kids' Playlist" on shuffle. On the playlist there are some classical songs and lullaby songs mixed in with all the other music with words. Although they aren't great dancing tunes, I like to allow some time for calm in the midst of some of the more upbeat offerings. When one such classical song came on recently during lunch, I asked the boys to listen to the music and tell me what they think the composer was thinking about when he wrote the song. Elias immediately said, "Sharks." (He's a little obsessed right now.) Kindred thought for a moment, and then he said, "I think it's about a man who likes a girl, but she doesn't like him so she went away, and he's sad." I gaped at him for a minute, and then I remembered that when the boys ride in the car with their father who likes to listen to the CD he calls "Mike's Mad Melodramatic Mix of 80's Metal Music", the question, "Daddy, what's this song about?" has been raised more than once. I guess Kindred was just answering in the only way he knew how.

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When I was saying goodnight to Elias, he made up 8 different kinds of kisses for us to give each other, and he gave them names: The Moon Kiss, the Circle Kiss, the Thomas Kiss.....

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Kindred saw the picture I'd posted of the two of them from Easter morning and pointed out, "Look! There's Kindred and Elias hugging each other with our church clothes on!"

Spring's strangeness

Spring is supposed to be about new life forming, bursting forth. New life from the cold lifeless winter. And it is, and it does. The radishes are pushing through the hard earth, and the snap peas are already sending out tendrils to greet the sunshine that peeks out around the rainy days here and there.


But then there's the death that sneaks in while the sun shines on. And it seems a strange juxtaposition. To feel a little bit of hollow and panic when the day is bright outside and all you should be feeling is joy and inspiration.

A co-worker, one of the 5 social workers in my office went in to the hospital Wednesday with pneumonia. On Friday morning, she died. She was 60.

On Thursday I called a client, one of my favorites, who reminded me often of the relationship, the good parts of the relationship, that I had with Sonny Jenkins. He didn't answer his phone. And when he had not called back on Friday, I knew something had happened to him. He always called back. So when I got a message from his sister on Monday, I already knew what she was going to tell me. He had also died on Friday. He was the same age as my father, 64.

And I've this week discovered the online journal of a woman Michael and I met on our road trip who, although she is only in her early 30s, has had a double mastectomy and is going through chemo for breast cancer.

And the rain pours hard again outside now, banging on the windows and skylights and making a mad rush for our basement, and I have to remember that somehow the spring storms also bring goodness, later.

He Poses

There are times when Elias refuses to acknowledge that it's time for photo-taking. He will either avoid looking at the camera entirely, or he will sit still and stoic, looking like he'd just lost something dear to his heart. But then there are other times when he wants, no demands, that I take his picture. And he tells me what to focus on. "Take pitcher of my eyes." "Now my chin." Etc.






(The one above is his head, below is his hair.) (Duh.)





Back, lips, fingers and cheek. Respectively.

Anniversary trip, Part 2

We ventured out on our own on Monday morning, and our first order of business was to get our tire fixed so that we weren't driving around on a donut for the rest of the trip. So we got it patched, and the rental company covered the cost. Great. From Concord, New Hamphire, we ran off to Maine (in the rain) and stopped for 2 days in Portland. (When we arrived there and stopped for gas, we heard the tire hissing again, so we ended up swapping out the whole car.) The weather was mostly lousy and Portland is a weird little city, but we stayed in a lovely Inn that we completely enjoyed, and we spent some time in the Art Museum, ate lots of diverse foods and walked around along the coast.

I snuggled up with a statue of a man who advocated using words instead of swords to fight.

Here's the hot guy I decided to spend my life with.

And again, here's the hot guy I decided to spend the rest of my life with.....

We saw many, many, many lighthouses in our travels. We walked out to this one, and it was farther away than it looked.

Our next stop was Belfast, Maine, a sleepy little "artsy" town with a hotel with a pool. We ate lobster, saw a movie in a neat old theater, and met a woman who co-owned an art gallery (and had just returned from her honeymoon in New Zealand). This was the view from our hotel room.


The next and final stop was, as Michael likes to call it, the "City of our Love," Auburn, ME. (Ask me to tell you all about it if you are curious. Bottom line is it's where we kissed for the first time, thus starting the saga that would become "us." Wait. I'm pretty sure that saga had already started. Anyway...) So he took us there to relive the old times. Auburn is an old mill town on a river where all of the mills have shut down. An odd place, frankly, but a neat spot. Michael managed to find a small pub where they serve vegan dishes and local beer and wine and who have live jazz during happy hour. We were really excited to get there. (It's called "She Doesn't Like Guthries.") So we went and settled into our seats with a good view of the stage area and waited. And waited. And kept waiting, listening to the jazz CD being piped through the speakers. Eventually we overheard that the band had thought the gig was for the next weekend. Oops. Nevertheless, Michael and I really enjoyed our time there. He tried some of the best beer I have ever tasted, and I thoroughly enjoyed the local wine selection. See?

This is the reason for all the mills:

And finally, our grand finale was going to see The Producers in Manchester, at the Palace Theater (New Hampshire's largest theater). Ironically, Michael had discovered by chance that a friend of a friend who lived around the corner from us once was playing the lead in the show! So although we had to run out before curtain because our plane was getting ready to leave (can anyone tell us how it ends?), it was fabulous to see our friend on stage, playing his heart out. It was a great ending to a great trip. But the greatest moment of the day was getting home to see:


Countless thanks to everyone who made our trip both possible and fun! Grandparents, I'd say we owe ya one, but honestly, I'm guessing you all don't feel like it was an unbearable burden... =)

Anniversary Trip Details, Pt 1

Our trip started out at the Philadelphia airport. I got to the ticket counter and still wasn't sure where we were going until the ticket agent said "New Hampshire!" That meant we were going to see these folks, our wonderful friends!:


We stayed with them in their home. Their daughter , Little C, took this picture.



We visited lighthouses in Portsmouth ...



and got a flat tire on the way home. We also got the chance to see some of this happening. In fact, Dave had taps in his own trees and we got to watch the process take place. We left with a lot of syrup, to say the least.

After some great time together, we then headed off to Maine....

to be continued

And We're Walking, We're Walking...

Perhaps you didn't know, but Michael and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary on April 10. I know, wow, right? So there are 2 important things to know about the celebration this year.

The first is that Michael has decided to plan a trip for us. Just us. As in, he and I. The kids will be staying here with the various grandparents and aunts and uncles, etc. But the real kicker about this trip is that I don't yet know where we are going. We are leaving Friday morning, on a plane. I know the average temperature for April and the basic forecast so that I can pack appropriately, but I won't know where we are headed until I check my bags in to the airport, and even then, I suppose the city we are flying to could be obscure and I still won't know where we are going. Isn't that crazy? So stay tuned to find out where in the world (literally) we are.

The second bit of info is ... never mind.

Thanks, all! Look to hear from me again, from.... ?