back to school

This week is going to be insane. Let's just get that out there right away. Ok, now I can proceed.

We started school two weeks ago, and it's been (mostly) great. Both Jonah and I have needed to adjust to going to bed and waking up early, but we survived. We're studying all kinds of exciting things this year: chemistry, elements of stories, typing, and early modern history. We haven't made anything explode yet, but we certainly will.

One of the brightest spots so far has been watching him enjoy a graphic novel version of Don Quixote. I obsessed over the options online before ending up with this one. When I caught him laughing out loud and sneaking extra pages after lunch, I knew I'd made the right choice. Don Quixote is supposed to be funny! There is a story that King Phillip III of Spain looked out his window and saw a man laughing so hard he was rolling on the ground. King Phillip observed, "That man is either insane, or he is reading Don Quixote." He was patient enough to let me take some pictures, which is getting rarer and rarer in his old age. Caroline didn't want to be left out of the fun either!

And what about this week? More school, plus soccer and music classes for Caroline. Plus book group for me and college football this weekend! Plus a possible visit from Quintin & family. Hurray!

Caroline's new bed (written by Jonah)

Caroline got a new bed yesterday.We got it from our friends the Morrisons. It was giant, and almost as tall as me! We [me and Caroline] made a game where we would jump on it and we had special rules, too!


1.We could only jump on the blue [sheet].
2.We had to jump.we could not walk to get around.
3. If we touched the walls,blanket,or pillow we were dead.
4. If we touched each other both of us were dead.
5. After we died,we would respawn in the area with the least obstacles.

Soon we had a game going!! I wanted it to be called: Guardian of the sky, but caroline wanted:Caniibuiolclera [guys, I seriously have NO idea how to spell it.] So we called:
Blue Player.   

Minion (dictated by Jonah)

When we got back from New York, Daddy went back to work and we started doing school again. Once when Daddy came home, his friend Brian from work had given us some little minions from Despicable Me. (Mommy says they are either knit or crocheted.) He got them from Guatemala. I named mine Byron, and Daddy said that was weird this morning when I let him hold Byron (because that's Grandpa Mays's name). Mine is the short minion. In the movie, his name is Bob (I think). Caroline got the tall cyclops one, which is named Kevin in the movie. Miriam got the only girl minion, which had two eyes. And she named it "Minion." I was calling it that because I didn't know if Mim would name it, so she thought I had named it "Minion." She liked the name and kept it. I made Byron a little house out of cardboard, plastic wrap, and some tape.

The sign says, "Welcome to Eginecorfeert, home to Byron." When I was cutting the box, Mim saw me doing that and wanted to make a house too. She got one of the boxes from my birthday and stuffed her minion and blanket inside. I read Byron a book last night, and he slept in my bed because I didn't have a house for him yet. Tonight he will have his own house. I don't know where Caroline will put her minion. Probably he will just sleep on the counter or something. Byron's not really a stuffed animal because he's made out of wool or whatever. That makes him a wool animal.

I sent Brian a letter (that Daddy took to work) and told him about Byron and said thank you for our minions. Mommy drew "Thank you!" on a piece of paper for Miriam and Caroline and they colored on it for their notes.

NY Trip: Corning Museum of Glass

We stopped halfway between Gettysburg, PA and our final destination to visit the Corning Museum of Glass. Josh had been years ago and remembered liking it, so we hoped for the best and off we went. It was amazing! Jonah especially loved it. The girls were a little young to really get a ton out of the visit, but kids and teens are free anyway. Other than getting a bit squirrelly at the end, they both handled the visit really well. Jonah, meanwhile, went from room to room enthusiastically pointing out the cool things that can be done with glass.

The best part of the visit was the live glassblowing demonstration. We were all completely enthralled. I knew a fair amount about how glass is made beforehand, but I still learned a ton. For example, a small dimple at the bottom of a glass bowl or vase is one indication that it has been blown by hand. It's a byproduct of the way glass is made by hand (as opposed to by machine). Another sign that glass bowls are handmade is a small rim in a different color. Not only can that not be replicated by machine, but it requires at least two people.

I call this one, "Toddler gets silly during nap time." I'd crop her out, but then you'd miss the full effect of what this museum trip was like:

Another neat part of the museum is the Glass Through the Ages section: multiple rooms full of different types of glass based on style and technology. We all had our favorite parts. Mine, of course, was the Frank Lloyd Wright window.

The museum had all kinds of things for kids, including a scavenger hunt and display carts where employees would demonstrate various aspects of glassmaking. Caroline loved learning all about how glass beads are made.

We could have spent another entire day at the museum and been happy, but we're glad we got to spend the time that we did. Josh said it was only slightly less enjoyable than when we went as a carefree teenager, but we both agreed it was probably a combination of having seen some of it before and not having the luxury to read all the plaques. We'll just have to go back in our retirement.

two years old, in a nutshell

There is nothing more indicative of life around here than this:

This morning, Miriam was pointing to pictures on the wall and calling out the names of who she saw. When she got to our family picture, she laid on the ground and cried because in the picture, Caroline has a sucker but Miriam does not.

Quite possibly the best part of the story is that Miriam in the picture does have a sucker. Once I got the real-life-crying-on-the-floor Miriam to notice the small yellow sucker, all was better. Off she ran to play, happy as can be.

NY Trip: Gettysburg

Oh hey! We're back from our trip to New York. It was a great trip with so many wonderful moments. The first of those wonders was a day spent in Pennsylvania, primarily to tour Gettysburg.

After a long drive, we spent the night with some family friends in Pennsylvania. The kids got a kick out of feeding the fish in the koi pond, and I think the Howes enjoyed having them around. (I hope?) It was so nice to be able to get out of the car and stretch our legs.

The next morning, we trekked out to Gettysburg. We spent a couple hours in the visitor's center before heading to town for lunch and a library book sale. I learned a few things at the visitor's center that I hadn't known (or remembered), like how many of the states had soldiers fighting on both sides.

After lunch, we stopped in for some doughnuts and cupcakes. I was so full from lunch that I barely managed a half a cupcake, but Josh and Jonah talked about these doughnuts for days after. (Apparently, they were amazing.)

After lunch and the book sale, we headed back to the battleground for the driving tour. It alternated between pouring rain and a light drizzle, but we still braved the observation tower and a few sites. Josh and I both commented how beautiful and sad the whole experience was. Caroline asked the same 4 questions for days, most of them about whether or not the soldiers were still fighting the war.

It wasn't until after our visit that it occurred to us that Josh might have family that fought in the Civil War. We're still looking for specifics, but we are all interested to find out if and where. Our last stop at the battleground was the Pennsylvania monument, where I found this plaque:

I was worried that it would be hot and crowded, but it was neither. The rain must have scared some people away, because we didn't feel rushed or crowded at all. There were so many little details we would have liked to stop and appreciate, and all kinds of activities we missed, but I think the visit went about as well as I could have hoped for with the kids at the ages they are. 

Big Dreams

C: Do you know what I want to be when I get older?

Me: Hmm?

C: A queen. 

J: We have presidents, not queens. 

Me: Yes, you'd need to move to a county with a monarchy. Among other things. 

C: What states have queens?

Me: England has a queen. 

C: Then I want to be Queen of England. 

(After a minute of silence)

I actually want to be lots of things. I need to think.