this way

Jonah likes to ride on Josh's shoulders because he can point and direct which way to go.

Josh likes the arrangement because he gets a head rub out of it.

i don't have a title for this post

I just finished Once was Lost and it made me cry a little bit, so I'm in that funk after a book where you mourn the fact that it's over and try to hold on to the world it put you in just a little bit longer. And this was a book I only liked. Heaven help me after I book I loved; then I'm pretty much inconsolable. The very worst is when the author is dead so you know there is no chance under the sun there will be another book. Anyway, my mom said something today about checking my blog for new posts and I thought, "I just posted that video of Jonah like, yesterday!" Well, I guess it was almost a week ago. Since I don't have anything formulated but feel like talking, here's what I have on the mind:

This bread. Mmm. Of course, I make it 1/2 wheat because I like wheat bread. It's a perfect blend of sandwich bread texture (i.e. sliceable without crumbling) and flavor. It's not the so-amazing-you-eat-yourself-sick-with-honey-butter kind, but it is good enough to eat plain. As opposed to store-bought sliced bread. Who eats that plain anyway? Yuck. Not unless it's the $6/loaf kind, of course, but we don't buy that kind around here.

This boy. We had such a good day today and had a really tough morning. I went from feeling like the best mom on the planet yesterday to the worst mom on the planet this morning. No really, you have no idea. It all culminated when I sent him to bed without lunch because he wouldn't eat what I made him for lunch. Before you come to my defense, you must know this: I know what works for him and I didn't do it today. I know if I'd given him a choice or mixed it in with more familiar foods he'd have eaten it, but I was in too much of a hurry. Then, once I realized he wasn't going to eat any, I had the devil and the angel on my shoulders saying, "if you'd done what you know works for this boy, you wouldn't be in this mess" and "if you give him something else, he will always ask for something else." I'm not even sure which was the devil or the angel. Either way, he's sleeping peacefully now and I just love him to bits. He's been saying "dokie doke" (okie doke), "I'll be right back", and "Jonah come with you?/Come with me?" recently. It's really too sad when he asks if he can come with me when the answer is no.

This team. It's probably a bit much to expect them to win three in a row, but I fully anticipate them winning at least one in L.A., and would it just be too much to ask for it to be tonight as opposed to making us wait until game 7?

in which jonah copies brenda

Brenda has been singing this song since February. When I first saw her video I thought, "oh dear, Jonah is way behind." His songs have gotten recognizable over the last few months, finally, and I caught one on tape. True Jonah fashion, though, he must take a drink and praise himself before he starts. This is what he does every night before we bless our food or pretty much any time we're waiting on him. Hmmm...

For anyone that doesn't know the song, it goes like this:

Three little monkeys, swinging from the tree
teasing Mr. Alligator, "can't catch me."
"No you can't catch me!"
Then along comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be
SNAP that monkey right out of that tree.

Two little monkets, swinging from the tree...

My favorite is when he sings "Old MacDonald had a Farm" because his verses are pretty funny, but I haven't caught that on tape yet.

jonah's birthday, in film

Helping me clean for the party
Sitting in his new camping chair. He always wants a juice when he sits there.
Reading one of his new books (he got the coolest books this year. I think I'm more excited than he is because I'm getting tired of the ones we have).
Cooking with his new dishes/food. The best part about this is that my parents still had my old toy kitchen and I didn't know it. So that's proudly on display in the living room and we love it. Thanks, Mom!

breakfast!

Today was Jonah's 2nd birthday (happy birthday! ...pictures and things later). When I pulled the ice cream out of the fridge to eat with the cake, he yelled, "mmm, breakfast!" He then proceeded to talk about his yummy breakfast and how much he loves it.

Is there any point in protesting that he's never had ice cream for breakfast?

a favorite sesame street video

Sometimes, I can't help but sit down and watch it, too. Then, Elmo's World comes on and I leave the room.

mommy the queen

Jonah has a set of wood blocks with letters and pictures. He has a few interesting ideas about what the pictures represent. For example, the Net is "fishing" to him. Of course, Josh and his dad scoop up bigger fish with a net, so I can see it. Yesterday, he was playing with his blocks and said "a mommy! a red mommy!" Apparently, he sees a Queen and thinks of me. Should I reward this behavior with chocolate? I think so.

bees: not so bad, I guess

I just read a neat story about a type of bee that makes nests for their eggs by pasting flower petals together. This, plus my love of wildflowers and pretty plants makes me a bee fan. My mom's allergic and Josh is terrified of them, but I stick by my vote. Besides, just ask Josh about the fight we had about a bee that landed on our windshield once (true, I was pregnant so my reaction may have been slightly more severe than the situation warranted).

P.S. The cacti are blooming. Yay!

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Title: Finnikin of the Rock
Author: Melina Marchetta
Rating: 5 stars

I was a little bit disappointed when I realized this was a fantasy novel. I have nothing against fantasy, obviously, but I had just read 3 fantasy books and picked up the newest Melina Marchetta novel because I was ready for something different. It only took me about 3 pages to get sucked in, though, and I only went to sleep last night because I knew I couldn't finish before the sun came up and I'd really regret getting no sleep.

The basic gist is that the kingdom of Lumatere was invaded 10 years ago after the royal family was assassinated. As part of the invasion, the forest people (not elves, just people that live in the forest) were slaughtered and their leader burned at the stake. During her execution, she cursed the kingdom. Since then, a dark mist has surrounded the kingdom and no one has been able to get in or out. The exiles (those that fled prior to the curse) have wandered from country to country scorned and without a place. No one knows what has been happening inside.

The story opens with Finnikin, the son of the former King's Guard captain and his guardian, the former king's adviser. They have gone from country to country and court to court for the last 10 years petitioning foreign courts for aid. Their goal is to find a place for their people to assemble together. They have also been visiting refugee camps recording stories and attempting to bolster their people. One day, a girl comes to them and says she has walked the dreams of Balthazar, the prince (no one found his body among the dead, but all accounts of him over the years have been false) and the dreams of the people inside the kingdom. Finnikin wants to find his people a new place to live and she wants him to take the refugees home.

The story is interesting and her writing, as usual, is superb. What really hit home for me in this book is the issues of identity, place, and language of the exiles. From the book flap (and the author herself):

"I wanted to look closely at the world we live in--where loss of faith, loss of homeland and identity, displacement of spirit, and breakdown of community are common--because these are the scenes in today's media that affect me the most. In this sense, the book is a search for identity in the same way that my other novels are."

If this was her goal, it worked. The end dragged on a bit for me, but all in all, it was pretty close to perfect. I can't wait to reread parts of it again tonight.