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At bedtime we looked at Josh's prayer calendar, which reminded us that on Mondays he prays for Sam. I said, "What do you want to tell God about Sam?"

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So...I hope God knows what to do with that prayer. smile emoticon

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smile emoticon

Josh said, "Hmm." After a moment, he said, "Stars. Stars and Mars. Sam in stars and Mars. Sam all alone. He'll be LONELY."

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Per usual, the four-year-old nephew is in motion!

Thanksgiving at Aunt Amy's

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So often people claim something is ironic when it isn't, so I thought I'd share this lovely example of actual irony:

Older Child almost missed the school bus this morning because he couldn't find his boots, which it turned out were already on the bus because he left them there yesterday.

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Took Josh to our pediatrician today to check out why he hasn't been hearing well lately. The last thing the doctor did was take out a particular instrument and explain to Josh, "This is going to sound a little like a kitty purring in your ear."

Naturally, on the way home, Josh asks me, "Mom? Why is there a kitty in my ear?"

Fair enough.

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Many major artists go through a glitter glue period.

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Josh was working with glitter glue at the kitchen island while I was shaping oatmeal dough into loaves, and for just a second I thought, "Wouldn't it be pretty if..."

But no. I resisted.

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Josh came down to breakfast this morning and announced that he was making his own bed and I wasn't allowed to go see until he was done, and it was going to take a very long time. After a few minutes, he returned and said proudly that he was ready to show me his made bed.

Here it is.

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Me: Josh, you drew a beautiful S. Did you know Sssusan starts with S? And sssilly starts with S. And sssnake. Can you think of other animals that start with S?
Josh: Reindeer!

Oh well. Moving on to the letter G...

Me: What animals start with G? G can sound like J... I can think of an animal that starts with the "j" sound and it's very tall, and has a very long neck, and brown spots...
Josh: Oh! A dinosaur!

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Well...this was touching. It started when Josh explained that he got to ring the clean-up bell at Montessori this morning.

Me: My mom - that's your Grandma Ellen - she used to have a beautiful collection of bells. You never knew her because she died a long time ago.
Josh: She's GONE now?
Me: Yes, but she's with God.
[pause]
Josh: I want to see her skeleton bones.

This led to an explanation of how, once someone is dead and buried, society frowns on digging them up again...

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Sam's lucky day. I took him in to the doctor for a strep test, and some company is working on a new quick strep test. So Sam got $20 for getting his throat swabbed, which was going to happen anyway.

I told him, " This is the easiest money you'll ever make."

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So fun yesterday when Josh and a friend were poring over Big Brother Sam's monster books.

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Josh saw the construction site exhibit at the Science Museum today and now he says he wants a toy project manager.

???

Maybe we'll also get him a toy accountant while we're at it.

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Heads up, Ruth and Paul: Josh just dictated a letter for me to send you explaining our travel plans. He says something about loving you so much he wants to steal your heads and eat them.

Now, we could go back and forth on who said what grisly thing to whom, but the point is, he loves you and can't wait to see you. So please take the awful little lovable letter in the spirit in which it was written.

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Today's abomination against nature: Sweetarts tucked inside a pink 3 Musketeers.

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The thing about nine-year-old boys doing their homework on a computer: they love the fonts. They pay a crazy lot of attention to the fonts.

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Josh, pushing a boat of dinosaurs around in the bathtub: This is all the animals in Noah's Ark, but no Noah.
Me: No Noah? Why not?
Josh: They STOLE it.
Me: The animals did? How did they do that?
Josh: Noah was out walking. The animals were running and they got there first.

Crafty animals.

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Josh's latest Halloween candy crime against nature: a mini Three Musketeers bar wrapped in a fruit roll up. It's hard to describe how disturbing I find this.

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I have to say, tonight's discussion of cannibalism has made for the liveliest family dinner we've had in awhile.

But I'm realizing too late that Josh might say some dubious things at Montessori tomorrow, and they won't realize it all sprang from some homework Sam brought home on what things are taboo.

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I told Josh he did something very well today (I don't recall what), and he said, "Mom, you're very politeful." Nicest thing anyone's said to me in awhile.smile emoticon***

Facebook anecdates

Josh was playing at church with his good buddy Katie when Tim said it was time to go home. "Run!" Josh said, and the two took off to the far reaches of the building.

Tim finally caught up to them and convinced Josh he had to say goodbye to Katie. "Give Katie a goodbye hug," Tim said. Josh put his arms around Katie and gave her a long hug. While hugging her, he said, "After this, we run!"

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Older Child is home recovering from yesterday's tummy troubles, but it was a nice chance for us to make a few stars without distraction from Younger Child. Sam made this one completely by himself, start to finish, for his teacher. 

Sam, for the first time, made this entirely himself! It's a Christmas gift for his teacher, Mrs. Streiff.

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Younger Child is coughing nonstop; Older Child threw up this afternoon. You'd think it would be easy to convey the concept that maybe they shouldn't be swapping germs - that maybe it would be a good thing if they stopped wrestling and blowing raspberries at each other.

But no. This is going to end with the birth of some horrid new virus and they're probably going to name it after our family.

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My eerie moment for the day occurred when Josh was cooking in his little kitchen while I was doing dishes in mine:

Josh: Are you listening to me?
Me: Josh? I'm sorry, are you talking to me?
Josh: No I'm not.
Me: Um...who were you talking to when you asked 'Are you listening to me'?
Josh: [no response, busily "cooking"]
Me: Josh, who were you talking to when you asked 'Are you listening to me'?
Josh: No one who's still living.

What does he know that I don't know?

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For some reason it does my heart good the way Josh asks for his egg: "I want a flat egg with pink."

Flat, as opposed to scrambled or boiled...and when you fry an egg but finish it by steaming it, the yolk takes on this perfect pink cast.

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Apparently nothing brings out the control freak in me like playing "concentration" with Josh for the very first time. "You cannot pick up the cards. The cards must stay in place! Flip the cards over and LEAVE THEM THERE!!"

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Josh and his friend getting ready to sprinkle glitter on stars. Note the "concern" (re: avarice) on Josh's face in the second pic. Well, multi-colored glitter and the issue of who will use it first is a serious matter.

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SHHHH. The writer is working. Sam spent last evening pecking out a new story on my laptop.smile emoticon

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Meanwhile, Josh was busy tearing around the house on his plasma car. This photo shows exactly how he looks when he's doing that. It's a testimony to Sam's powers of concentration that he was able to keep writing.

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Nice photo of Aunt Amy with the boys at the Christmas tree at Eastons Mall in Columbus. So good to see everyone.

Big, big update

Christmas is almost here!

The last couple of years we cut our own trees out in the field. It's cheaper and if you are willing to drag boys around through the snow you can find some nice trees. 

Last year, or the year before, I made the boys miserable by keeping them out in freezing rain while I tried to find something acceptable. Josh runs, Sam chases him, daddy gets increasingly grouchy.

This year I was determined to spare them that, so we bought pre-cut. And didn't notice that some of the trees are "premium" trees. By the time Susan realized, it was already cut and ready to go and we were stuck. The only way to recoup our losses is either to have no tree next year or to dip this one in acrylic to preserve it for re-use.

It *is* a nice tree. And the boys had a ball decorating it.

Sam's Birthday

Sam got some fun gifts this year, such as a bathrobe (he doesn't wear it much yet, but I have high hopes), and an "Ollie" which is a little cylindrical robot controlled remotely with an ipod or ipad. 

Had Ethan and Connor, neighbor boys, over for Sam's party, then let them watch City of Ember. A good time was had by all.

Josh's smile tells you everything you need to know about him.

Thanksgiving in Columbus

Made the pilgrimage south this year. Too much time for me spent in child care and computer repair and washing post-feast dishes, but it was still a delight seeing everyone.

Sam playing for Nana

At Inniswood playing in a hollowed-out tree

This needs no caption

Amy looks charming and Susan's almost complete suppressed the annoyance of having me take her picture!

Went bowling Saturday morning. Had the lanes to ourselves. Josh liked to carry the ball two-armed up the line and toss it in the air.

During the big OSU-Michigan game we visited with Heather at her new farm. Truly a delight to see it and her. We all had fun meeting Dollar and Danny, her two horses, as well as watching a train go by, across her driveway. (Cool!)

Sam's Fall Chorus Concert

Sam's in chorus this year and is really enjoying it. The school had a musical concert at the high school. The 4th+5th-grade chorus performed two pieces, one of which was from the Grinch. They sounded great, and not just because they followed the screetchy Suzuki kids. :-)

A quick update.

On a typical evening we hang out, which tends to me Sam goes off to read and listen to music while Josh and I mess around and do whatever comes to mind. In this case Josh created a community of dinosaurs (and one frighteningly huge tarantula) while I folded laundry:

Last Sunday afternoon Josh and I went to the science museum while Susan and Sam stayed home. (Sam wanted to stay home, which turned out to be wise because he had a fair amount of homework left to do.) The museum has a space for traveling exhibits and this time it was devoted to frogs. I give you some frogs:

This guy just looks like he has attitude...

...but not nearly no much as these "monkey frogs".  Never has an amphibian looked so cool. If there were froggy school they'd be skipping it to hang out in back of the 7-11.

Josh loved all these little guys, and it was nice to be able to go at his pace.

This guy's clearly up to no good.

There was also a recent exhibit area where kids could wire up a doorbell, light, fan, and some other things. Josh had a lot of fun with that.

So that's Josh. What's Sam up to? Well, got this shot recently of Sam sleeping. He claims you can determine personalities based on how people sleep. He said this posture reflected well on him.

Sam had a recital recently. He played two pieces, one of them the one he recently wrote. It was a small recital, just half a dozen students. One of them is an older girl who also writes music, and who sounded for all the world like George Winston--very flowing with slow melodic changes. I think Sam found it inspiring to be in the elite club of composers in the studio. Ever since he's been playing around on the piano each morning before going off to catch the bus to school.

Pleasant weekend

Friday was small group; Saturday a trip to Wickham Farms where Sam did mini golf and we all went through the corn maze, and Sam and his friend Ian bounced on a large rubber pillow.

Fall stuff. Also got pumpkins.  (Or was that last weekend? It's all blurring together.)

Sunday Sam and I drove 80 minutes down to Houghton College for a concert by Christian musician Tobymac.  It was a very good time (esp. since we were smart enough to bring ear plugs). Sam had a blast at his first rock concert. 

Aforementioned bouncy pillow

On the observation deck buried deep in the corn maze

Oh, yes--there was a piano lesson on Saturday afternoon

Concert shots. We had pretty good seats, which is saying something given the 6,000+ attendees. The facility was sold out. It was super loud but didn't feel oppressively crowded or anything. And the age of the attendees ranged from Josh's age to older than I

On the last piece they shot off the confetti canons 

 

Didn't get a good pic of Sam, but here he is. He stood on a chair next to me the whole time. (Everyone stood for most of the concert.) 

Consolation trip to the Rochester science museum

A little over a week ago we'd planned to spend in Columbus, but I wasn't well enough for that.

I was, however, well enough to go with Susan and the boys to the science museum. It was easily the best trip to that museum we've ever had. I've had mixed feeling about it--the quality of the exhibits hasn't always been to my liking. This time, though, it seemed like they'd stepped things up a notch.  

For one thing, they now have a spherical projection theater, where movies are projected onto a sphere. It's super cool:

And to Josh's delight they added a crane which little people can operate:

Sam had a blast with a floor full of exhibits involving light:

It didn't hurt that we were almost the only people in the museum.

It wasn't Columbus, but a good time was had by all.