7/15/09 Letterboxing initiation

Today our outing was to initiate our East Coast cousins to letterboxing. I couldn't believe my luck when I found a letterbox at one of my favorite haunts, a nearby open space preserve. A short but not too short walk/hike, to a pet cemetery of all things. I printed out 4 copies of the clues this time, preventing one potential cause of WWIII.


What a place to pose, around some beloved cat's headstone. My beloved Kat naturally refused to join. Still waiting for THE shot of all five together.


We took the "scenic" route back after stamping logbooks, which involved more pushing a heavy jogging stroller uphill. Fortunately, I had some surprisingly competent help.


Being so close to Moffett Field, we see lots of unusual aircraft, but not usually such slow-moving ones and not really here. Gabriel and I sprinted up a hill to get a better view of the blimp.


Later, a watermelon picnic was called for.

It's rough diggings in our yard -- only a small deck, no patio, no lawn, and a lot of dusty dirt to make kids absolutely, unrecognizably filthy. I'm OK with filthy kids, but less OK with black feet on furniture. We really need to get some landscaping in (fortunately, the city approved our use permit for a new fence today, so we can get to work on the first necessary step).

It was perfect today, the tail end of a heat wave, so, warmer than usual but not so hot we had to close the house down. It was actually overall such a nice day that I have to remember now that I had a few hours in which the boys were infuriating me: Gabriel with rude insults and persistent defiance starting from a small infraction, escalating into a 2-hour standoff, and Julian for throwing a bat over our front yard fence again. My niece and nephew are nothing like that, and my sister doesn't brace for battle when it's time for a kid to do something. I'm focusing on picking my sister's brain and enjoying the challenge of cooking new and flavorful dishes that she can safely eat. This is a good new normal!

7/15/09

7/14/09 Heat Wave

It's HOT here! This is unusual! We had the house closed down by 9:30am this morning. It stays comfortably cool inside on super-hot days with the windows and doors closed.

A perfect day to try out Blackberry Farm, a newly remodeled and re-opened city park, with two pools. This was fun, though it took us a few tries to find our spots. The shallower pool wasn't open at first, and we kept getting swamped by day-campers, but the kids had plenty of fun, safe playtime where they could all stand. And jump.



The older two boys, to our surprise, pooped out first, though later rejoined their younger cousin/siblings, who pretty much didn't stop jumping and playing in the water the whole time.


Katrina mostly sat on the side and splashed, hesitant and resistant to getting in the water with me.


I marvelled that at her age, the boys could jump off the side and swim to another corner. But she's a completely different story, a drowning waiting to happen. I instructed Gabriel to holler immediately if he saw her fall in the water. Those Water Babies lessons really did buy us a critical 10 seconds when the boys were 2 years old, not to mention a lot of added fun.

I also "tested" the boys, sort of. Gabriel was able to make it across the pool twice, if you count stopping and flailing around like he was about to drown every few strokes, but he made it without touching down. Julian couldn't swim even a few feet. Having seen what kids can learn with high-quality swim lessons, I'm spurred anew to find better lessons.

After swimming, we had a picnic lunch in the playground area. Lots of nice shade, though really far from the bathrooms -- an issue when kids have been playing in the water as long as they had been -- and hot for play structures. But they couldn't pass it up.



The rest of the afternoon was spent with grownups hunkered inside, hiding from the heat, and kids getting completely filthy playing in our dirt-only backyard. It's really fun to see them move in and out of phases, grouping themselves according to activities. Aidan spent a lot of time showing Gabriel and Julian a jousting game outside, but was also happy later to "play" cards with Katrina. Just like with her brothers, Katrina gives everyone some low-key competition-free play.


I was delighted with how dinner turned out, and that my super-strict-diet sister actually had two helpings of a wild mushroom mix I made. More incredibly, my niece Remi had several helpings of a beef kabob I'd marinated and grilled. Success!


Other than the desert dirt landscaping, our house is working exactly as I wanted it to: lots of spaces for people to be in, places for hyper activity and places for quiet time, comfortable for guests, no activity of one person shuts down the rest of the household. Fortunately, desert dirt is just fine with kids.

7/14/09

7/13/09 Pudding Kids

We -- that being two sisters and their five children -- had a nice lazy morning, but by 1pm, grownups thought it was time the kids get a change of scenery, toddler-nap notwithstanding.

It almost seemed that in the time we were figuring out what to do, a heat wave rolled in, which prompted a very last-minute decision to go to a nearby park with water poles. No snacks, no toys, just, pack'em-up'n'go. We only stayed for about half an hour; Katrina's deteriorating mood and a horde of same-shirted day-campers shoo'd us home. Besides, my camera battery died, and what fun is a park outing without a camera?

(I'm kidding about the camera of course.)

A nap for Katrina, and a pudding treat for the rest.




The boys spent the rest of the day in their swim trunks, and the better part of the afternoon and evening outside playing a game loosely based on "baseball."




No one's having more fun than Katrina, who inserts herself into many of the games and is kindly welcomed by her older cousins. The older four play together roughly on the same level, and all play "down" to Katrina's level as they move in and out of various states and games. She's loving it.


Let's hope for more hot tomorrow, we all want to swim!

7/13/09

7/12/09 The Gang's All Here

Almost no photos today?! This must stop. I picked up a minivan this morning ("Mommy, this blue car is FUN!") and then picked up my sister, nephew and niece from the airport. The children are having a blast together, and I'm having a great time catching up with my sister. No one is happier than Katrina, revelling in the new arena in which to show off. Lots of ideas for things to do tomorrow, but no plans yet. Just the way I like it.

7/12/09

7/11/09 Radio fix

After Katrina's gymnastics class (moderately successful), the three played on a playground in the same park for a while. I was cold and anxious to get home, but this was pretty fun to watch -- and do. I showed Gabriel how to do a chin-up, and impressed him (and surprised myself) when I climbed up a pole that he couldn't. But watching him and his energy and coordination around the playground underscored that any physical superiority I have over him is short-lived.

Julian and Katrina also had fun climbing around, though at a much more beginning level.




More of all three.




This time, Julian was the disagreeable one with a group shot. Gabriel is always happy to pose with his sister.


Later in the afternoon, I was going through boxes, and came across a retro-looking radio I'd bought years ago, I think to give away as a gift. I put batteries in, didn't work. Cheap piece-a-junk anyway and I knew Dave wouldn't like its cheesy retro-look...then I had a brainstorm. Gabriel. He was looking for something to do anyway while Katrina was napping and Julian fell asleep in his room during a long, long timeout. (Not long enough for the offense of yelling out the car window at a group of people, "Poop in your pants!")

So I showed Gabriel the radio and its simple, chintzy controls. He lit up like a night sky on July 4th. I asked him to test the batteries, all worked, so I gave him a screwdriver and told him to just take the thing apart. He needed a little help (righty tighty, lefty loosey!), but each step of the way he shouted in excitement. "MOM! LOOK! There's DIODES in here!" He exalted in the discovery of various components, and I gave him a flashlight so he could see inside better.


But he didn't get very far. Incredibly, he must have wiggled the right wires, and the damn thing started to work. I couldn't have set it up better if I'd tried. Gabriel was so excited that he got the radio to work. Actually, I was sort of hoping he'd completely disassemble it, just for "fun," but it kicked to life before he could. I told him to button it back up, and he played with it the rest of the day.

Gabriel snootily claims he knows a lot about electricity, and in fact, he doesn't yet. But his interest is keen, his enjoyment of learning it intense, and the opportunities deep. I don't see that going away anytime soon.

The only bummer is that Dad, who also did a lot of radio-fixing as a kid, wasn't there to share his son's elatement.

7/11/09

7/10/09 Capture the flag

Katrina and I arrived about 40 minutes early at Julian's daycamp today, to watch him play. He really wanted me to watch something, and even made sure to ask the coaches if it was OK (I knew it was). I got to see the whole group play Capture The Flag, which despite the herding-cats aspect to organizing this many young children in a game, was a ton of fun. I loved running and chasing games like this as a kid, and clearly Julian did too. He seemed to understand the rules overall, though it was hard to tell at first with all the kids getting lost in the fun of running around.

Julian steals a blue "penny" from the other team, after stealthily sneaking up and then attacking.


Running after an opponent. The teams were "shirts-tucked-in" vs. "shirts-not-tucked-in."


Out of bounds!


You can't get me!


After the game, the kids all got a "Merit Award" and an ice pop. During the ceremonial proceedings, Katrina surveyed the troops.


Later in the afternoon, I took Katrina with us to Julian's swim class. As usual, this requires planning many hours back: I took care of a big Trader Joe's shopping during Julian's daycamp, then zoomed them home after daycamp and wasted no time with lunch. The goal was to settle Katrina down for as early a nap as possible. I would have to wake her at 3pm, which often these days she's just barely falling asleep then. Fortunately she did go right down at 1pm, though I did have to wake her out of a sound snooze to go to Julian's swim lesson.

She was fascinated by the pool, and even said she wanted to go swimming too. I'm glad to hear that, though I'll still face her first swim lesson (as of yet unscheduled) with some trepidation. Adapting easily to new activities has not yet emerged as one of her strengths.


This morning, she provided some amusement, as Facebook followers already know. As we were getting ready to leave for daycamp dropoffs, I heard her call from upstairs, "Mommy, I'm putting away the stinkie!" I sprinted upstairs, and found her naked from the waist down, carefully carrying a pair of underpants into the bathroom -- but they were Julian's underpants. They were soiled, but empty. Great....I traced her steps and found a little brown lump on Julian's pajamas, not having been sufficiently contained by the underpants as she tried to carry it into the bathroom for proper disposal.

I cleaned her, the floor and the clothes up quickly, but couldn't understand ... what was she doing pooping in Julian's underpants? Dave dressed her this morning, but he'd have put her own underpants on, as I'd set out. After a few minutes of looking around and trying to piece this together by asking her, I found her underpants and shorts together on the floor in her room, clean. Got it: she didn't want to poop in her own underpants, so she took hers off and put on a pair of Julian's instead, and pooped in those!

The boys were beside themselves. They talk poop all the time; for them, it doesn't get any better than this. They crowded eagerly to see the evidence before I succeeded in chasing them away as I cleaned up. And Katrina was actually pretty proud of herself! "I pooped in Julian's underpants, Mommy!" I've had a lot of success this week getting her to pee away from home, by putting a piece of toilet paper in front of her and getting her to pee on it -- maybe I should try that for problem number two.

7/10/09

7/9/09 Water Day

Today during Julian's daycamp, I met up with some friends and took Katrina to a park that has some water play, which we haven't done since she was a baby. Her first time in a real swimsuit, I'm ashamed to say! She was interested, but hesitant; and there was a nip in the wind and I'm sure the water was cold. Still, the 15 minutes she spent in the water area was picture-worthy, even for my low standards.




Gabriel had a great time in Lego camp today, making a Lego "bomb," and Julian again declared how much he LOOOOVES daycamp. I feel bad, this is the only daycamp Julian is doing this summer, though the CDC is still a fun new experience for him and there's no dearth of stuff to do. But I certainly am enjoying this schedule, of having just Katrina to myself in the morning, when she's at her delightful best, then Julian at daycamp and a nice quiet afternoon at home together, and then the usual injection of energy and chaos when Gabriel rejoins the mix.

7/9/09

7/8/09 Airplane

Katrina in a silly mood picking up Julian from daycamp today, being an "airplane."




And, despite protests, happy to be with big brother again.


We've been going backward on the potty thing, with her refusing to use big potties and instead insisting on "going pee in the grass." That's OK, sort of, but it's a pain and we can't always find a suitable patch of grass. Today I made her sit on numerous toilets, and finally found a way to get her to cooperate (at the Y): to pee on a piece of toilet paper. I'm going to start carrying Cheerios around -- usually a boy trick, but I'm desperate!

7/8/09

7/7/09 Lunch Out

Today after dropping the boys off at daycamp, I took Katrina in the jogging stroller to Rancho San Antonio for a run. I'd forgotten how much I dislike pushing the stroller while running -- it's distracting, puts your body in a bad position, and it's hard work! And that's on about the flattest route there is at Rancho. I can't believe I used to do this on a regular basis -- with the double stroller.

Still, I was glad I went -- it was a fairly cool morning, and I was happy to be back in one of my favorite places. And I got in about a 6-mile run, a long distance for me these days. Incredibly, I ran into our next-door neighbor at the farm there.

Katrina had a great time, happily chatting the whole time, and very excited about seeing all the bunnies and other wildlife.


After running, I took her to a playgroup that conveniently was meeting at 11am, and right near Rancho -- perfect way to spend 40 minutes before picking up Julian, and all in the same area. I was very ready to go home and relax after picking him up...only to find that our marvelous hard-working cleaners were still at home. The cleaners coming at 10:30 isn't a problem when I'm working, but a serious pain when I need a shower and have children to feed. Dang. I really don't like to get in the cleaners' way, so, into the car again.

But to where? Both kids needed lunch, and I was still in my sweaty running clothes, and I really don't like going to restaurants "just" to eat anyway. A night of relaxation, fine dining, wine, grown-up conversation, sure, but sitting and ordering from a menu and waiting for service, just to cram down a few bits of food? No thanks.

Fortunately we live near the biggest Whole Foods west of Austin, with numerous hot-food bars and places to sit, so I figured I'd wing it there. It worked out surprisingly well: Julian chose some Spanish rice from the Global Cuisine bar, which Katrina ended up eating too, and they both had yogurt. I got to stock up on inexpensive milk and freshen up my produce stash. And, when we got home, my house was clean and I didn't have to launch into waitress duty. This was good!

Katrina, mercifully, took a long, long nap this afternoon -- in fact, I had to work to wake her up at 5:15 to get Gabriel. I had a lot of house stuff to do and chatted with Julian, enjoying his happy tales about sports daycamp (a friend he made, shooting a basketball), but I didn't really devote any time to playing with him.

No matter, he found something to do: his "knitting" basket. He spent hours, no kidding, hours, winding this yarn around this chair, making up some game, then cutting the yarn into little pieces. I really have to give him credit for finding a way to entertain himself happily, for a long long time, with very basic simple materials. He was very proud of his game, even though he couldn't describe it well. Nice to have so much quiet time at home alone without siblings bugging you.


Arghh, not looking like a good evening, the boys are completely ramped up and out of control, hollering "POOOOP!" and laughing hysterically. They've been very hard to rouse in the morning, but early bedtime isn't working either. I need a sedative.

7/7/09