Star Bright

You cannot see it, Brigade, but Our Birdie was wearing a shirt with stars all over it.

There is a children's bookstore in St. Paul where Julie took Clara two consecutive weekends in early December--we have been meaning to report--for author reading and book signing events.  The first Saturday, Clara was the only child present, so she got an intimate reading from Alison McGhee of McGhee's latest for children, Star Bright: A Christmas Story, which retells the story of Christ's birth in modern, accessible language.  Then, McGhee signed Clara's copy.

Julie had forgotten that the main character in one of McGhee's books for older readers, Shadow Baby, is named Clara. So, McGhee too still more special notice of Our Clara, and then was charmed by Birdie, who held her own with this adult (and relative stranger) with aplomb. Julie was charmed because McGhee, of whose work she has long been a fan,* was charmed. Julie even tweeted her first (instead of just following) and Alison--surely Julie can call her Alison?!?!--tweeted back! Alison wrote, "It was my pleasure to meet you and the lovely Clara yesterday! What a treat to have a one-on-one reading. :)"  A treat indeed.

Afterward, the Birds walked down the block and had more treats: brownies and water (Clara) and ice tea (Julie, and Clara--a few sips). Stars, bright, in eyes, all the way round.

The following weekend we saw Kate DiCamillo, author of the Mercy Watson series, the first chapter books Our Hero read on his own. Dicamillo is perhaps better known for other works or even her current role as the national children's literature ambassador or some such. She is, also, incidentally, friends with Alison McGhee! DiCamillo and Alison (!) both live in the Twin Cities. Julie believes that Alison is the friend who likes toast "with a great deal of butter," as Mercy Watson does (and really, probably, everyone?).  Joe was too sick to go (this would be the weekend of the onslaught of the cold the became the ear infection the following weekend), but the Birds went. If you want to know the truth, Fans, it was a wee bit miserable. Not because of DiCamillo! She seems like good fun. But she is well known and it was the day of an annual holiday street fair so it was quite crowded  in the independent children's bookseller. But the Birds heard DiCamillo read and had a book signed for Clara, and for Joe. Then, they walked down the block and had sweet treats, water, and iced tea again.

In spite of the crowds, it was lovely.

*McGhee is a local author who gained national attention when Shadow Baby was selected by the Today show for its book club, back when every show on TV was making like Oprah and launching a book club. It also won the Pulitzer Prize. Julie loved that book and everything else McGhee has written that she's read, which is almost everything, especially her novels for older readers. Here ends the unabashed plug for (the talented--and lovely!) Alison McGhee.

Watch Words

This notice of an overdue book from the library at Joe's school arrived the week before the winter break. We thought you might also be amused by the book's title, Fans.

The Letter Game

Also from the entertainment files, while at the Grandparents Trump's, we played several rounds of The Letter Game around the dinner table. Longtime Fans may recognize this game as the one in which players in turn name words beginning with the letter selected by one of the players.  (When you hang with dorks you must roll like a dork!)  It is fun to hear the bambini's respectively emerging vocabularies. Someone--Joe or Clara--picked V, a groan-inducing letter that proved a surprisingly rich vein. (Oh no they didn't! Oh yes, we did, Fans. We did.)

That's Entertainment! | Here We Come A Wassailing and Laughing All the Way

The return trip.  "Red" packed to the brim!

We drove to Chicago which means we needed to entertain ourselves for at least two seven-hour stretches without driving off the road. On the way down to the Grandparents Trump's this meant Joe trying to sight read both music and lyrics from a book of Christmas carols sent by the bambini's Great Aunt Susie and Great Uncle Les. Maestro Joseph was quite taken with Deck the Halls, and really, what's not to love with its repetitive but rousing fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (that's eight la-s! la!!!) refrain? At one point, Julie explained that "don we now our gay apparel" meant "put on our party clothes" and Joe substituted that phrase right in instead of "don we now our gay apparel."

The bambini are also trying to figure out how to tell jokes and the way back home provided this exchange which typifies Joe's still-oft propensity for mistakenly giving away the punch line and Clara's for making unintended jokes by missing entirely the subtlty on which they so often depend:

Joe: Mommy! A cowboy named Friday rides out Friday and back on Friday. How is this possible??? And the horse is named Friday.

Julie: [beat] I think you just told me how it's possible: the horse is named Friday!

Clara: Hey! What if the cowboy is named Friday and the horse is named Tuesday?!

Ted: I love your jokes Clara.

Joe: What about my jokes?

Ted: Yours, too.

A Merry Little Christmas

Fans! We are back--with a three video post!--from Chicago and environs where we celebrated Christmas with the Grandparents Trump, and our tenth wedding anniversary with the help of the Grandparents Trump. They watched the bambini while we spent three days and nights in Chicago where Ted shot this short clip from the window of our hotel room.

And here is a video shot by stringer cameraman Grandpa Charles after we'd gotten off the train upon our return from the city. Turn it up or listen close to hear how Birdie Girl sometimes makes like To Kill A Mockingbird's Scout and calls close adult relatives only by their first names. And what a sweet, make-your-heart-burst welcome from our two dear little heroes.

Santa found them at their Grandparents Trump's house, though the doll house he gave to Clara he left in Minnesota. Clever Santa! He correctly hedged that this miniature mansion would not fit in our car what with all the other gifts the bambini received from their legion adoring Fans. (See first moments with it here.)  Christmas morning outtakes can be seen below, together with pictures of the cookies the bambini decorated for Santa. (You might be amused to note the gender of certain of these gingerbread people by the unwitting, but careful, placement of gumdrops and other decorative flair by Our Hero. You need not be keen-eyed to do so.) 'Tis the season for merry making!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Bambini, post-show

Joe was on the upswing last Sunday afternoon when we went to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Minneapolis Children's Theater. It's on the short side, so it was just the thing, and our seats were in a row just four seats long, stage left, lower balcony. The bambini were on the edges of their seats.  Joe was gripping the rail, and had his face pressed to it, his eyes peering up over it.  Would the Grinch bring back Christmas?!?! The relief was visible when he did.  After it was over, Julie waited with the bambini for the house to clear while Ted got the car, so that the bambini could check out the orchestra pit.  Biride was full of questions for the usher tasked with making sure no one took pictures inside the theater or went up on the stage: how did the people get out of there [the orchestra pit]? Where were they now? What about the other people [the actors]? Where were they? Why did we need tickets? Brigade, we can only say this usher was A+ at her job.  After the show, we drove home by way of the chain of lakes, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show house!  And Fans, we discovered it's for sale!  Julie posed in front of it and made a slightly embarrassed Ted take her picture like she was a tourist in want of a hat to toss in the air.  You only go around once.  The Grinch knew it, too.

We're gonna make it after all!

Baby, It's Colds Inside

Saturday morning, Getting-Sick Julie and Already-Sick Joe, in Joe's first almost-a-selfie. (He was fascinated.)

Since last we left you, we have been enjoying unseasonable warmth here in the North Star State.  But we have had colds aplenty at the White House. Joe spent most of last weekend racked out on the couch in his pajamas, but he would have periods of spark so we suspected a virus rather than an infection.  The Bird are now both sniffling.  Julie, in particular, is wrecked.  Ted alone has escaped.

Joe stayed home from school last Monday and by that afternoon, his fever had well and truly broken.  But this Saturday morning found him curled up next to Julie, hot and sweaty, with no discernible spark, and not at all interested in watching one of his recorded shows. The bambini are only allowed to watch TV on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and so weekend days typically begin with an hour-long Wild Kratts, Cat in the Hat, Curious George, or Super Why! watching binge. It was not to hear Curious George chirping away, but we knew something was up. A Saturday sick-visit to the pediatrician's office (where we saw one of Our Beloved Dr. Harrington's colleagues) confirmed that Our Hero's left ear was infected and the ear drum had perforated.  He is on oral antibiotics and topical antibiotic drops and by now, you'd never guess he was too wiped to watch Wild Kratts just 48 hours ago.

All the White House Girls on the couch Saturday evening.

The Bambini Shake It Off

As Super Fan Great Aunt Janie noted in one of her last comments, St. Louis Park's got talent. That talent has been on vivid display especially since Taylor Swift released her new CD. There was a streak when, following bath or shower time, the bambini would want to shake it off, to Taylor's Shake It Off.  You can see the act here.  It is another lengthy clip, but there are delights throughout. Joe has but one move, but knows most of the words though he   not belting them at this particular taping. Birdie has more moves and, shall we say, a knack for the sensational. Super Fans Aunt Kate and Uncle Scott and Grandma Connie might be the tiniest bit freaked out at the end and think, "Why are we still filming??? Why haven't we set the phone down?!?!" Super Fans, we can only say the train has left the station: what Clara does is one of Joe's favorite things to do and there is no stopping the J-Train.

Rockin' In Front of the TV

Here is a much, much shorter video, shot last night while the soup we were having for dinner cooked. The bambini had changed into their pajamas and we're dancing and singing, using the TV as a mirror.  Or rather Clara was singing. That is, in fact, one thing to note: she sings a stream-of-consciousness narration while her band mate-sidekick rocks out mute.  Loop it and pretend like you're here Fans!  (Berenice Fans should watch for cameo appearances.)

Our Hero as Guest Reader

When Julie saw this picture, she thought that Joe looked like the Big Man on Campus.  "Hey, Kids.  I'm a first grader.  This could be you one day.  Stay in school."

Our Hero did not have school yesterday. Ted stayed home with him and, among other things, took Joe to Clara's pre-K class in the afternoon where Joe was the guest reader. Guest readers can select their own material. Joe selected The Polar Express. Our copy was a gift from Fan Great Aunt Janie and her family when Joe was Itty bitty and Birdie wasn't yet even here. The Polar Express is in heavy rotation right now because it is Joe's go-to pick if we are reading anytime before bedtime, of then but altogether instead of separate.

It was a somewhat bold choice, however seasonally appropriate, because it is lengthy, and awkward to hold while reading aloud such that the pictures might be seen by a group in front of the reader. This poster was not there to see it but our stringer in the field reports that Our Hero was amazing! Clara's teachers were very impressed. Clara and her friends were dazzled--after they shifted to the right to see the pictures. You can see the whole event here. (Advanced notice: the video is 11 minutes long.)

The Right-Now

Fans. Are you still there? We are here, despite all evidence to the contrary. And we will catch you up on all manner of news soon. For now, we plunge into the right-now to share back-to-back funny moments from tonight's tuck-in time.

Of late, when possible, have been reading to the bambini separately. Joe is in the midst of Danny, the Champion of the World. Tonight, he pulled the covers up over his head at a suspenseful moment and demanded that Julie (who read Danny as a child) tell him what happened. Julie refused of course.

About this time, Clara padded in with Ted wanting to know if Julie had pitched her bouquet after her wedding--to the other female, unmarried guests she meant. Julie did not. Clara demanded to know what traditions had been followed. She demanded Ted kiss Julie. Ted did. Clara noted he had kissed Julie on the lips.  She further noted, "Kids don't kiss on the lips. That's gross. That's germs." And that seems a fine thing for her to continue to think.

After she went back to her room, Julie asked Joe what he was doing. Because he had his head tipped back and his back arched. And Joe said, totally straight, like he was commenting on the weather, "I'm making a C."

Roller Garden!

This evening Joe was invited to his classmate Brandon's birthday party at the Roller Garden!  Readers may be interested to know that the Roller Garden was built in 1930 for horse shows and over the decades has been used for tennis and of course rollerskating. This was Joe's second visit to the Roller Garden so when Julie brought him inside he was quick to tell her he was a size 1 skate, laced them up and was off to the rink barely looking back.  At pick up he was enjoying a piece of pumpkin pie (apparently Brandon's favorite because this was discussed all week) but then went back out to roll. He also discovered the benefit of using a "triangle" which is a type of walker on wheels to help kids learning to skate. You can see from the picture that the Roller Garden has the requisite neon lights, disco balls, and the like. It also plays your standard popular music by which to roll. It is amazing the place exists, but on a cold Wednesday evening there was a respectable crowd including a first grade birthday party!

HIYvekmdownkeny

Joe and Clara love to spend their free time creating various paper projects. Joe has recently written little books and a Happy Thanksgiving banner to hang on the window.  Clara wants to be just like her big brother so will also write out a string of letters and proclaim it to be "a funny joke" at which point the reader will sound out what she wrote so it sounds something like "vas-ooo-dee-ack-lay-eee-eye-oh-eye" because she tends to be heavy on the vowels. Then said scrap of paper with letters will be taped to the wall for prosperity. Everyone finds this hilarious. Repeat. 

Zoo of course

When faced with a stretch of time to kill, Ted is quick to suggest a trip to the zoo. Mostly this is because it is free with our membership, but also because you always see something new at the zoo and the kids love it.  Clara reminded Ted of the last time the two of them visited and happened upon a zookeeper in the hallway with a porcupine on a leash.  They learned the little guy snuck out the door when it was opened and was being escorted back. Considering Julie would be working all day on a Saturday, Ted planned a trip to the zoo of course!  What was so new about this trip you ask?  Well, the kids were all about finding the docents to ask questions and learn about the animal they had. They got the aquarium guy to identify about ten different fish for them, Clara asked the bird lady why the "bird talked gross", and both twirled demonstration horse hair in the air while asking about the Asian Wild Horses. With fun like that we are already for another trip soon, or until the next time Ted needs to fill a morning away from the house. 

What's Up?

The Monday after fall break was a late start day at Joe's school.  Julie stayed home with Joe and dropped him off at school around 11am for the 11:20am start.  He walked in to the building and Julie saw him make for Mrs. Dvorak's room on the third floor rather than his current room on the second floor.  She hesitated, but then followed him in and met him coming back down the hall with a friend, headed toward the staircase.  They each looked at each other like, "Umm, what are you doing?"  But since he seemed to be headed in the right direction, Julie headed off as well.  Come to find out, Fans, that Joe stops by Mrs. Dvorak's room every morning to wave or say hello to her.  What a kid.  What a kid!

Halloween 2014

Of course, now it's November and it would be unreasonable to expect sixty-anything degree days.  By Halloween, it was chilly so the bambini kicked it like any kid raised in the North would: with costumes over long pants and long-sleeved shirts and fleeces, and in hats and mittens.  They were an undaunted super hero duo: Batman and Supergirl.  Batman managed to lose his cape at school at Thursday's "fall festival" party, but also to recover it the following day at fall conferences.  The Supergirl costume--which we bought a month ago, Brigade--came with stick-on fingernails.  When Julie was taking the costume out of its packaging Thursday night, she thought, "We'll just set these sure-to-be-super-annoying-to-affix-on-tiny-fingernails-especially-in-the-morning-melee stick-on nails aside.  She probably won't remember them."  Julie had clearly--clearly--forgotten how much she loved Lee press-on nails back in the day, because the first thing--the first thing--Clara said the next morning when she saw her costume laid out was, "Oh!  And we can put on the nail polish!"  Brigade, the stick-on nails were, indeed, super annoying to affix on Birdie's wisps of fingernails.  They were hard to separate from their backing.  They had to be cut down.  Birdie felt super in them.  They did not make it through the day, but Birdie seemed nonplussed by this circumstance.

The bambini's friends Eli and Emma, and Austin and Avrey, and their respective handlers came over for macaroni and cheese and chili, again respectively, before heading in a pack to trick-or-treat.  The bambini were ever more confident this year.  They marched right up to front doors without prompting and said all the magic words: trick or treat and thank you.  They'd been told to take only one piece of candy unless they were told they might take more.  Clara would always announce if she'd been told to take more.  At one house, she turned back from the bowl of treats with her arms upraised and her fists full of Smarties and hollered, "They said take a bunch so I took a bunch!"  Last year, Clara hung back and hit in front of houses with inflatables and other more spooky decorations.  This year, she walked up to them and said things like, "You don't scare me you silly, stupid thing!"  (Later Julie told Clara how proud she was of her bravery and Clara said that she doesn't say stupid because it's not a nice word but she had to say it then.)

We stayed out about and hour and hit four blocks by the end of which we had two completely full pumpkins.  When we got home, the bambini again this year handed out the candy to anyone who came to the door which they think is as much fun as trick-or-treating.

We're already planning for Halloween 2015.  The next morning, Clara announced that she was going to dress up as a pumpkin for it.

Indian Summer

Fans, this was a us just a week ago yesterday!  In Minnesota!  At the farm stand where we usually get our pumpkins.  Look at us!  Those are short sleeves you see.  And arms!  Hands!  What you go not see are fleeces and hats and such.  It was so warm last weekend that the bambini painted on the driveway on a length of butcher block paper.

Ready, Set. . .Kindergarten

 

A week ago Friday, Julie took Clara off for her state-mandated kindergarten readiness testing.  We are pleased to tell you that the state of Minnesota thinks Birdie is ready for kindergarten.  But Birdie herself is not so sure.  The night before the readiness testing, after reading to the bambini, Julie told Clara that they would be visiting with some people the next day who would be playing some games with her to make sure she was ready for kindergarten not this fall, but next fall.  And Birdie burst into tears and said she didn't want to go to kindergarten.  Ruh roh Raggy.

Julie asked why, and Clara tearily informed her and Joe that she wouldn't know anyone, and wouldn't have a best friend.  Well.  Put like that, who would want to go to kindergarten?  Julie told Clara that actually, we didn't yet know if Clara wouldn't know anyone, but that if she didn't, there was no doubt about it, that was tough stuff.  Julie has done the new kid in school bit plenty of times and so she knows first hand that while good things like a capacity for resiliency are born of it, it's not very much fun at the time.  So we acknowledged that if Clara did not know anyone come kindergarten, it was going to be a little rough.  But, the next thing we acknowledged was that there are people we love know that we once didn't know at all.  Julie told Clara about when she met Graham and Connor's Mommy Ms. Sara, who she didn't know, but has now known for almost fifteen years!  Joe reminded Clara that he didn't know Karlis until he went to kindergarten.  That was when Julie told Clara that if a year or so from now we needed to practice what to say to new friends, well, we'd do it.  That's when Joe piped in and reminded Clara about how he practiced what to say when Aaron said that he didn't want to play at recess on the first day of kindergarten.  True.  And the second day of kindergarten was the scene of on of Our Hero's greatest acts of bravery to date.  And what a little man and big brother sharing that experience with Birdie!

Well, Fans, it was like something out of a Bearenstain Bears book.  Birdie had been laying with her head on Julie's chest while she and Joe talked through all of the reasons why it might be true that starting kindergarten might be tough, but also all of the reasons why we knew it was going to be o-kay. And Birdie popped up, sat back, and said, "Thank you, Mommy.  You make me feel better."

When This You C Remember Me

Julie dropped Birdie off at school this morning.  While she was hugging Birdie, Birdie said, "I wish you didn't have to go."  Julie said, "I wish I didn't have to go either."  Julie was wearing a necklace of charms given to her by Grandma Connie.  One of the charms is a crescent moon, but Clara thinks of it as a C.  After Julie said added, "I miss you during the day when we aren't together," Clara caught up the C between her fingers and said, "If you miss me, look for the C." Then, she took Julie's hand, walked her to the door, let go, and dashed off to color while Julie trudged down the hall with tears in her eyes, the C charm hooked around one of her fingers, thinking about what a tender heart beat inside our Birdie.

Fall Fun

 

Ted raked up some of the fallen leaves in the front yard yesterday evening so the bambini could play in them.  Here you can see Joe pretending to be a dog digging in them and then a walrus diving in them (both per his commentary upon seeing the video tonight).  Before long, Clara was in on the fun as well, and they were both busy covering themselves and each other with leaves, tossing them up in the air, and chasing each other around and around the pile.

Get Your Brave on For Bedtime

In other Birdie news, we can report that of late, not long after being tucked in, she  will get up and pad downstairs to see what delights are unfolding and being kept secret from her. She's got a cover story: she's scared. Of course! An oldie but a goodie. It's often delivered through an impish grin so we're not buying it.  Still, as we walk back upstairs, we remind Clara of all the things to consider doing to keep the frightening things of the world when you are four and it's bed time at bay: turn on the light in your room, turn on the light in the bathroom, turn on the light in the hallway, listen for the noises Mommy and Daddy are making. Turning on music can also be an option. (Christmas music is the standby, but in the wake of learning about red tailed hawks this summer, Alabama's Greatest Hits including Dixieland Delight had a good run.)

The other night, Birdie padded downstairs and stated that she had turned on the light in her room, and the bathroom, and the hallway, and she had listened for the noises, and still, she was scared.  Julie told her that there was just one thing left to do: "Be brave."

We're thinking of adding some Sarah Barellis to the bedtime music rotation.

Of Colds and Mists

Birdie has been under the weather as the weather has turned from summer to fall here in Minnesota. It's not yet quite winter, but the misery still prompted Birdie to lament: "Why do I have to have stuff in my nose for the winter?" Poor Birdie. She kicked one cold only to come right down with another, and in the brief window between them, she got her flu vaccine.

The bambini got the mist instead of the shot this year. They did last year as well, but neither remembered the experience so the car ride between Joe's school and Dr. Harrington's office earlier this fall was marked by MUCH discussion about mist. What is mist? What is smaller than mist? Can we see such things? Could we buy a microscope? To see atoms? That are smaller than mist?  Why not? Why not?  There was also a lot of self-affirming self-talk: "It won't hurt. Yeah.  It won't hurt. It'll just feel like a little tickle.  Yeah.  Like a little tickle." (After being misted, there was a lot of self-congratulating self-talk: "It didn't hurt. Yeah. It didn't hurt. It was just like a little tickle! Yeah. Like a little tickle!"

Fall Break 2014

Fans, we are back from the fall break taken in October by schools across Minnesota.  We all used the potty before we left!  The evidence remained when we returned.  At least the lid was down which kept the same on the smell.

We spent the break in Illinois with our old friends Jean and Brian and their four-year-old daughter, Evelyn. As we pulled into their neighborhood, Clara excitedly announced that she was going to get up early. Joe said, "Well that's not helpful!"  Indeed.  And yet, they both woke up early every day of the fall break.

Evelyn's house is near a pumpkin patch, though "patch" doesn't really describe a place that houses two giraffes and a camel (among other things) accurately.  In any case, we visited it and all fed the giraffes, save Clara.  While we were there, we also played in a "corn box"--a large sandbox filled with corn instead of sand--and saw a pumpkin-eating dinosaur live up to his name (three times).

Our trip coincided with Northwestern's homecoming weekend so we also took Joe and Clara to their first tailgate and game at Ryan Field where the bambini had fun roaring like wild cats.

And we saw Grandma Connie and Grandpa Charles for brunch on our way out of town--just back from a trip to Italy! They didn't get to feed giraffes while they were there, but it sounds like they still had a good time all the same.

We played a good amount of I Spy in the car.  At some point, in a round on the trip down, one of the bambini--Birdie?--had guessed whether the thing spied was a skunk.  It made no sense, and that fact is probably what made the guess so funny to her and Joe.  By return trip's end, we were all fairly loopy. Joe had spied something yellow.  He offered two hints: it was in front of the car, and began with the letter H.  It was not a higgitywopple or any of the other nonsense words we all guessed.  When Clara asked, with a good amount of seriousness, "Is it a skunk?". . .well, Julie thought she might loose it.

(It was a headlight.  Ted guessed it.)

And a Day For Indulgance

Clara and Julie spent Monday afternoon indulging in a series of small treats. They began with a ladies lunch at Chipotle.  Birdie had a whole burrito! Carnitas, peppers and onions, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce for the curious.  Then, they went to the book store where they each got a book as well as one for Joe. That was followed by a smoothie from Starfoxes.

The entire afternoon was marked by intermittent conversation about laws and whether various things were against the law. The conversation began when Clara rolled down her window and pitched out a rock. Oh, you don't gather rocks wherever you go, Fans? The bambini do. It is not uncommon to lift up one of their jackets and discover it weighted down by a pocketful of rocks.  Neither have yet to meet a rock they didn't want to pick up and squirrel away somewhere, except perhaps the one Clara up and decided to pitch out the window, just before a car passed in the opposite direction.  We can only assume that rock was a troublemaker.

Little Leave Takings

Julie has been thinking lately about the little leave takings that mark the days when one has kids and works outside the home. There are other leave takings to come, everything from sleep-away camp to college, that for now remain bridges to cross on other days.  But as she was working outside the home before Joe and Clara were born and didn't stop once they were, a bridge she's crossed many times is the one that ends with her leaving Joe and Clara in someone else's care while she's at that other work.  She's never felt conflicted about her choice to work outside the home after she became a mother the way she knows some parents--mothers, really--are.  She has learned though that her comfort with the choice doesn't mean that some days it isn't still hard to let go of Joe and Clara's little bodies and walk out of their respective schools, to leave them. 

Clara, especially, still has a hard time parting on weekdays, at least when Julie drops her off.  But, quite by accident, Julie has discovered something that makes the leaving a little less hard for  her, and perhaps for Clara.  Many days, Clara will cry, "I want to stay home with you."  On one such day, Julie replied, "Me, too," and there she was in a moment in which she still felt sad, but a little less so, because she was in it with Clara. There was something about acknowledging that she wanted to stay home with Clara and would miss her, something about acknowledging the leaving and allowing the moment to be, that made it less hard to part.

For Care, new to leaving for other work.

A Day for Exploration

Clara Jane was the only one in the family with Columbus Day off, and her handlers thought she could use some supervision. In honor of Columbus, Clara and Ted headed to the zoo for the morning to discover new lands (artificially recreated for us in Apple Valley, MN). We saw otters munching on ice cubes, a tiger asleep next to a gnawed-at pumpkin, a bear asleep on a rock as well as one awake and snorting, wrestling monkey babies, a herd of camels piled up like a litter of puppies, a pair of moose kissing, and a very stoic leopard.

It's always something new at the zoo!

Pumpin' and Cookin'

Julie spent the summer after her first year of law school working at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services where her colleague in the cube next door once said to her, "Now you're cookin' with gas."  She'd never heard that before, thought it was hilarious, immediately adopted it, and has been saying it ever since.  The other week, she was reading in the front room while Joe was working on something at the dining room table, when he said--apropos of nothing it would seem--"Now you're pumping with gas!"  The gas at the gas station being the only gas he knows, his verb choice made perfect sense.  A very loud laugh burst out of Julie who said, "Cookin' with gas!"  Without missing a beat, Our Hero, delighted to have made his mother laugh, immediately followed up with, "Now you're cookin' stew!"

Yar-ing Up the Joint

Keen-eyed observers of certain pictures in the last post--especially those who have been at White House recently--will have noticed that we have finally hung something permanent-looking over the mantel.  For well over a year, what had been hanging there was an enormous sign reading, "We love you Mommy!" that the bambini had made on butcher block paper with Ted's help when Julie was away on a day trip last spring.  We'd hung a good number of pictures not long after we moved in and painted all the walls, but had been struggling with the big space over the mantle, the first wall you see upon entering through the front door.  But recently, some art that had been hanging in Southold arrived, and a cocktail party was in the offing, so we decided to revisit the artwork--old and new--that remained unhung.  A eureka moment resulted in the four black frames going over the mantel with boating pictures in them after we'd hung a metal sailboat sculpture across the way.  (Longtime readers will no doubt recall Julie's affection for all language nautical and the idea, at least, of sailing.  And of course, Ted can sail and she adores him.) Our Fans who knew Southold might also be interested to see the harbor scene painted by one of Grandpa Tom's patients, now reframed and cleaned, and hanging in the pass between the kitchen and dining room here at White House.