Birthday Girl

Helen has been pretty excited about turning 3. She doesn't seem to mind missing out on parties because she is away from family this year. Instead, she keeps getting cards and packages in the mail that stretch the fun out over weeks! Today, we walked to the post office box together and found a package for her. She could hardly wait to get home and open it - she practically jumped all the way home.

When she discovered it was a new dress, she immediately stripped down and put it on. Well, sort of. She couldn't wait long enough to strip all the way, so she left her pants on underneath. But, they kind of coordinated, anyway. Can you see on her face how excited she is? Thanks, Aunt Sue and Grandma!

And since I am behind a bit, I will catch up with some more photos of the party we did have for Helen - we had our neighbor/landlord over for chocolate cake (made by Meg). Helen wore two dresses in the span of one evening. All was happiness.

Things I miss in Michigan

A high school friend who lives out here was over for dinner with his family last weekend. He asked, "What do you miss most about Michigan this year?" That was good food for thought, especially since I had already started compiling the lists of what I will (and what I won't) miss about New England.

So, what I am missing about Michigan? This order is not necessarily in order - just as it comes to me. Some of it was prompted by Jeremy's answers the other night, so he gets shared authorship credit.

1. Family
2. Meijer
3. Driving anywhere easily
4. Parking anywhere easily
5. Knowing where to go to buy any good or service (Usually, refer back to item #2) or do anything (like, Where is a sledding hill? Where is a pool where we can we swim in winter?)
6. Normal prices for anything (Although it is scary how used to these prices I have become - the other day, I did another perfect "grocery cart" estimate. I used to be able to do it at Meijer, but this is the first time I really tried out here. John asked me, "Mom, how much will all this cost?" as we headed to the checkout. I glanced over the cart and said, "Um, about $200, John." It was $204.)
7. The snow. Really. We have gotten quite a bit this winter, but it has come and gone on the ground. We are a bit jealous of the piles of snow in MI this year, that would be fun to play in (if not to shovel all the time). 
8. Plowed roads. It seems like road care is just not as good around here.

Three-Year-Old Manners

I was reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider board book to Helen just before her nap. Well, okay, I was singing it. But she prefers that I sing - really.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout

Down came the rain and washed the spider out

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

I was singing quietly, and Helen was leaning right up against me, more than half-asleep. I thought she might actually be a goner before we finished the book. But then, we reached a fateful verse and she startled me.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the yellow pail

In came a mouse and flicked her with his tail

Out ran the mouse...

"The mouse needs to say 'Excuse me!' Helen sat straight up and shouted. She was wide awake now, and really warming to her topic. "He should say: 'I'm sorry and I'll try not to do it again.'" She gave me an offended look, and I had to agree with her that the mouse had behaved very badly before she would finally relax back against me and let me finish the book.

You know, even with four kids, they still find ways to surprise me.

Meg the Achiever

Those of you who know Meg won't be much surprised that she has a bit of an Achievement Complex. She loves to have a list - she will unfailingly get it all done, with a grin. (But she HAS to have the list, written down. She needs to see the items get checked off or she won't do them.)

She is remarkably mature for 9, in my opinion. Now and then, when James is gone, I will start to run over to the store or post office and then suddenly realize that I can't leave her alone to babysit the two younger ones. Actually, I think I probably could, which is why I so often forget.... (But, NO, Dad, if you are reading this, I haven't left her alone and I won't. This year. Whatever she thinks.)

Monday night, she was excited that I had bought the groceries for one of her favorite meals, Chicken Caesar Salad. She announced after school that she wanted to make dinner. By that, she mean it. She is an Achiever, remember. She will accomplish anything she sets her mind to, but she wants it done in a manner that leaves no doubt as to where the accolades should go.

But, I wasn't complaining. I had some paperwork to finish up after a difficult day with Helen, so I went up to my office and left her to it. When I checked back in an hour, she reported with a smile, "Mom, I washed the dishes, wiped the counters, and swept the floor. I have washed and dried all of the lettuce and am just about to chop it for the salad. Will you supervise me at the stove soon so I can cook the chicken?" Boy, a few more days like that and I will feel guilty not putting her on the family payroll.

Dinner was very good, by the way.

James is still here with us

I am feeling guilty that I publish all the time about Helen, and often about John, and now I have Meg's poem up, and I never say "Boo!" about James. Perhaps that is the way of a 12-year-old boy - no news is good news. He is not overly talkative about school or life, but seems to be really enjoying his school year and friends here. He has a friend whom he regularly walks or bikes home with; friends with whom he goes out to lunch every Wednesday on the early release day, and he went to the Middle School dance last Friday night. We were not too surprised that he didn't really want us to chaperon the dance.

He is growing into a very independent, and largely responsible, young man. He takes care of himself and his school work and schedule. He does not yet remember to clean his bathroom on his own, but does passably well at the job, without too much grumbling, when reminded. He is also a big help with many other chores - my best sweeper and tidier in the kitchen, and he always joins in to help fold a basket of laundry if he sees me at work on it.

He will watch the younger kids for me as needed, though he definitely doesn't want to be involved with potty or diaper issues. If asked, he will take John outside for roughhousing without complaint, or get Helen into pajamas.

And finally, he is just a very nice young man. Good thing I am not biased.

Meg, the Poetess

Meg has really been enjoying writing this year, too. We feel fortunate that she was assigned a teacher who loves literature as much as she does and who keeps up with her voracious reading. In December the class did a poetry unit and it tickled Meg's fancy to write similes and metaphors. She picked her favorite poem to "publish" with her artwork for the school walls.

I think that the italic font may be hard to read in the scan, so just in case, here it is again. I have elected to keep authenticity, and thus have not copy edited her poem for grammar, punctuation, etc.

A Poem For A Winter's Night

Where are the birds that come and go so freely in the summer months?
For bird song is the carol of the woods.
Where are the bright cheery flowers from spring?
The season where Christ saved us all.
Where are the brilliant crunches and colors of fall.
and that nice cheery wind that whisks the leaves away?
Instead of this biting cold one.
What is this gray sky, bare branches, and boring white blanketed ground?
Where are they? What is this?" I say
But I know it's Winter.
I hope for the ruby's of Fall.
I long for the petals of Spring.
I need the late black nights of summer.
But where are they?
What is this empty land only the songs of a few birds
And the crunch of snow and ice?
But it is kind of pretty how the ground sparkles
And wind and snow slowly yet swiftly drift through the trees to the ground.
So I guess I'll just appreciate it while I can
And look forward to the seasons, even winter.

- Meg VanAntwerp

John's writing again...

John really seems to enjoy writing stories. It is fun to see, given that he has been a somewhat reluctant reader. Well, that is probably not really the right way to describe it. John loves to be read to, any story from a board book of Helen's to the Harry Potter stories that Jeremy is reading to him now at bedtime. And, if I can get his attention from any other activity, he actually seems to like reading himself, pretty well. He is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last fall, and can cruise through simple books pretty easily.

But still, he has a strange love-hate relationship with reading. I think it may actually be that he is an extreme perfectionist, and has an achievement/competition complex. Thus, he hates to try reading, because it makes him feel inadequate ("losing" some competition) because he senses that he doesn't read as well as others (like his older siblings). For over a year now, he has pretended to read thick chapter books whenever anyone tries to get him to read. Last summer, he would sit on the couch, flipping the pages, then excitedly reporting in every few minutes what page number he was now on. (It made him grin and gloat to "read" faster than his siblings, cruising along at an average pace of a chapter every 3 minutes. It might have been funny except that he seemed to actually believe, himself, that he was reading.

In any case, reading is coming quickly to him, at last. But the writing curriculum in his classroom seems top-notch, and that same optimistic confidence that he used to "read" chapter books last year is now being delightedly fed by the books that he his writing in school.

He gets to choose his own topics and plan out his books, and the students work on them over a stretch of time. Thus, when I do (occasionally) get a report about school other than recess, it is always John giving me a sly, cheeky grin and saying, "I am working on a new book." He never tells what it is about, but he always promises that I will love it. And you know what? I do!

Here is the latest book he brought home. I have, again, included some interpretation and translation of the photo images. And for the record, yes, John really, really wishes that we had a dog.

"How to Chrane a Dog"

(Throughout this book, he seems to be getting his consonant blends mixed up. So CHR = TR and this title is actually "How to Train a Dog")

Frst get a Dog.
get a Dog at the pet stor or the anumul seltr.

(First get a dog. Get a dog at the pet store or the animal shelter.)

2. Thro a Ball

(2. Throw a ball.)

3. He Well get it

(3. He will get it.)

Promis Him a cret

(Promise him a treat.)

He will Bing it Back

(He will bring it back.)

Say Lay Down
iF He Dus Not
Lay Down Prois
Him a cret
and the He will Lay Down

(Say, "Lay down." If he does not lay down, promise him a treat and then he will lay down.)