This is just about our lives - four cats, two kids, a musician and a preacher.
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This is where you stick random tidbits of information about yourself.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Last night we took advantage of Fazoli's Tuesday special - kids eat for $1. Fazoli's has always been Nathan's favorite, and Lila's loves it now, too. We ordered penne pasta with marinara sauce for Lila, and a side of sauce for dipping bread sticks. Lila doesn't believe in bibs, so we just mop the sauce off of her when she's done. After she had fed herself just about every last piece of pasta, she lifted her shirt and patted her full belly!
7:28 PM
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Saturday, September 17, 2005
Today Nathan came running into the house, hopping up and down he was so excited. He said "People are walking in front of our house! Can I go with them? They said I could!" I asked if we knew them, and he said "No, but that's OK."
We did go hustling out, and caught up with a grandmother from around the corner. She was out for a walk with her six year old grandson and three year old granddaughter. We walked back to their house and Nathan stayed and played for about an hour. Grant and Hannah stay with their grandmother every afternoon after school! We're very excited to meet new friends.
Nathan has always been so outgoing. I know that this is one of his strengths, but it does worry me. How do we warn him of the dangers around him without scaring him away from meeting new people? By the time I met our neighbor today, Nathan had already told her his name and all about our family.
A few months ago, we watched a news clip about Stranger Danger. They took three families and tested three different scenarios. While the parents watched from via hidden camera, reporters went in to lure kids away from their safe environment. In all three situations, the kids either went with the reporters or gave out personal information.
I think the most horrifying moment came when a five year old girl watched a strange man lead her two year old brother away. Then she went on playing by herself for five or six minutes before going to tell a parent that her brother had left.
7:19 PM
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Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Oh, I hope this screaming phase passes soon. Lila just wears me out. Where has my easy-going baby gone? Lila wants to be outside. If she's outside, life is good and she's my happy gal. But it's *hot* outside, and buggy. So we've had a lot of screaming lately. And head-banging. Her forehead bruise is turning green now. Today she threw her head down as hard as she could on my shin bone. We both cried.
Lila is my climber. The play set in the backyard has four levels, and she can climb up to the second level by herself. She climbs a ladder that's twice as tall as she is. The step to the top is higher than her leg can reach, so she hooks her fingers around a floorboard and pulls herself up. She is truly determined!
I asked Nathan to keep Lila company over at the plastic slide while I went to the garage for another toy. I walked down the walk, down three steps, into the garage and back again. 45 seconds, a minute and a half tops. . . and Lila had already climbed the small ladder and was wriggling into the tunnel. Nathan was in the tunnel cheering her on.
This past weekend, I told a church member how much Lila loves to be outside. She lives down the street, and knows our house and yard well. She says "I'll bet you love that fenced in area. You can just close the gate and not worry about her." ????? I fished around a bit more, and she *did* envision me leaving my 14 month old baby alone in a fenced in yard. I know it has been awhile since she raised her children, but *my goodness*! I really don't think so!
8:45 PM
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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Here is a conversation that I had with Nathan on the way home from his Montessori school last week.
N - "They told me I'm not in charge."
Me - "Who did?"
N - "My teachers. But they're wrong. I am in charge."
I did tell him that he was in charge of his own good behavior, but he wasn't buying that. I tell myself that someday, someone will pay him good money to be the expert!
When we enrolled Nathan, I did give them fair warning. The day before, Nathan let me know that he is a natural born leader. I think that one came from someone at church - Nathan agreed with them!
12:55 PM
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Poor Lila. She's going through this screaming phase. Different things seem to set her off, then she can scream for hours. Hours.
She has had a cold, and I think she's teething. And getting ready to walk. So many changes! I can only imagine that she's overwhelmed.
Sometimes Hyland's homeopathic tablets help - Teething tablets, C-plus cold tablets, and Calms Forte sleep-well tablets are all in our arsenal. And I've had to get out the Bumps and Bruises arnica tablets, too. When Lila gets really upset, she bangs her forehead on the hardwood floors.
If this wasn't so sad, it would almost be funny. Today Lila screamed for about two hours for Randy. She was just irrate! She insisted on getting down from Randy's lap and crawled out of her room, screaming the whole way. She went to the carpet runner in the hall so she could bang her head there. The bruise on her forehead is turning purple, and I fear CPS will be at our doorstep.
Randy was gracious enough not to call with the news of Lila's difficult day until I was done teaching. We talked over the shrieking several times on my drive home, and I finally came up with the diversion that worked. Randy took her out to the van and let her play with her toys in the back. We sometimes do that in the morning after we wave good-bye to Randy and Nathan.
I wish Lila could still go with me on my teaching day away, but she *really* gets frustrated in my teaching room. She wants to be out and about, not sharing my attention in a tiny, stuffy room. I know this, but I still miss her while I teach.
8:28 PM
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Sunday, September 04, 2005
I just read an article with an interview of two New Orleans violists. I know both of them indirectly. Scott Slapin and Tonya Soloman, a married couple, both play (played?) with the Louisiana Philharmonic. They left their home the Saturday night before Katrina hit, thinking that this would be a routine hurricane evacuation - a few days away, then home again.
Now they have no home. They are certain that their home is underwater.
Here is a link to that article:
http://www.violinist.com/gossip/
I can't imagine the horror of losing all of your possesions. All of the Louisiana Philharmonic members have been on my mind. I can't even fathom the magnitude of an entire city lost. But I can imagine the pain and despair of my fellow musicians. And my heart hurts for them.
Take a look at the outpouring of support from across the country:
http://www.artsjournal.com/adaptistration/archives/2005/09/louisiana_phil.html
9:44 PM
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About a month ago, Logan, Jackson, and baby Savannah moved in next door! Logan will be five in October, Jackson is 2 1/2, and Savannah is three months old. Their Mom, Rachel, is getting back on her feet financially, so they are living with MeeMee (Diane) and PopPop (Spencer) for the time being.
That means we have playmates! Right next door! I can't even begin to tell you how exciting that is for Nathan. He spent the entire day playing with his buddies. And cousin Alecia joined them midday. We had to take a few breaks while one kid or another recomposed himself. But they pretty much played all day.
After supper, Spencer built a fire in their back yard (you can do that in Bullitt County) and we roasted marshmallows. It was a first for all of the kids. Alecia was distressed by her burned marshmallows, and Jackson didn't like getting hot. But Nathan and Logan roasted several before they headed back to the dirtpile.
They have lots of dirt next door. There is a huge pile of sandy dirt in the front, ready for a landscaping project. And there is a baby pool full of soupy mulch in the back. Both provided hours of entertainment. Lila got in on some of the mulch action. After Jackson filled his car full of mulch, Lila got in and squished around.
Lila stood by baby Savannah's swing and rocked her. Savannah and Lila both got a kick out of that. Then Lila decided that she needed Savannah's socks. Lila likes to wear socks on her hands - big socks, kid socks, baby socks, really smelly socks. . . Lila loves them all.
I don't know how long Logan, Jackson and Savannah will be next door. But for the time being, we'll enjoy having a gaggle of kids running in and out.
8:15 PM
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