Inch by Inch

The girls had a little performance in their music class today. It's the class they take at school one day a week for 30 minutes. It was about an inch worm and all the birds that come along to eat it, but decide not to since they prefer to be measured.   The girls were birds (a pheasant and a nightingale) and it was all very short. They were surprisingly well-behaved.  I didn't get any shots of the actual performance because I was video-taping it.  

At school today

Rate of Play

Michael just said to Parker while playing cards,


"Just cut the deck. Cut it. Go.  Parker, when someone asks you to cut the deck, you do it. Quickly. Not slow like a total doofus."

Crazy Girl

Elizabeth cut her own hair again.  I found some hair in the garbage can in the bathroom, immediately asked the girls about it.  They both said they didn't do it.  Michael somehow got Elizabeth to confess.  We were both pissed.  I was pissed not that she cut her hair, but that she did something we told her never ever to do again (the last two times she did it) and actually took away her ability to use scissors until she was 6 because of it.  Obviously she doesn't miss using scissors since she did it again.  When we asked her why she did, she said she wanted it to look good.  When I asked why she didn't just tell me she wanted a hair cut, she said because "they would cut too much off".  We haven't figured out an appropriate punishment but I did try to fix her hair.  She had hacked up the front nicely with toe nail clippers so she had these half bangs.  I made full bangs out of it, but since they shortest hairs were super short, the bangs are super short and she looks ridiculous.

I won't post a picture yet, but Michael described it like this, "She looks like a crazy person. Like a victorian waif who was abused by her headmaster."  I think she looks like a maniac little girl who has been taken over by demons in a horror movie.

UC Botanical Garden

I accompanied Parker and his class on a fieldtrip to the UC Berkeley's Botanical Garden.  They looked at strange flowers, smelled lovely roses, saw a nest, and a big lizard.  They were happy.  The docents were old and old school suggesting that "the boys would especially enjoy climbing on the rocks."  All the moms of girls were horrified. One docent even suggested grouping the kids by boys and girls.  I suggested, quietly to another mom, that we split them between the kids who were smart and stupid.

Dinner with the aunt and uncles

Yesterday, we went to Danville to have dinner with Aunt Claire, Uncle Jim and Uncle Mike, who was visiting and who had just come from my parents house where he spent the week.  The girls were in their 'show off' jumping around, giggling and being generally silly and loud.  Parker was tired, but had enough strength to play chess with Mike.  We were out super late (for the kids) and everyone melted down in the car and at home.  Good food and Michael drank a lot. A lot.

Kindergarten Garden

The kindergarteners planted some lettuce and other veggies recently. They grew very fast and they picked lettuce today for a salad which they ate at snack time.  Miranda has eaten salad in the past, but not Elizabeth.  But today, she was all over it.

What if

Elizabeth: "Mommy, what if you went to jail and died there."

Me: "What?  What do you mean?  What if that happened? Do you think that might happen?"

Elizabeth: "I don't know. If you smashed into a person and they got dead, you could go to jail.  And then you could die there.  So if that happens, how would anyone know."

Me: "If I was in jail, I'm guessing some people would know about it."

Elizabeth: "Maybe we can put some fun numbers of people we know who could take care of us on the refrigerator in case that happens and then we can call them to let them know."

Me: "Good idea Elizabeth. That list already exists and is on the fridge so you are all set if I go to jail."

Elizabeth: "Oh good. Who's on the list?  Susan? Aunt Amy?"

Me: "Yup.  Those people."

Elizabeth: "Great."

So...Susan and Aunt Amy...if Elizabeth calls you one day, you'll know why.

Goose Route

One more goose update.  This is the route we walked yesterday.  Doesn't seem very far, but with two tiny goslings, it was slow going.

Kindergarten PE

I volunteered in the kindergarten class today and stayed to watch PE.  It was jump rope and dodge ball. My guess is that the jump rump is part of the "curriculum" since all the kids had to line up and do it. They were all pretty good at it actually.  I didn't stay to watch dodge ball because it just seems mean.

Chess Tournament

Parker's chess class is doing a in class tournament.  Parker is undefeated.  But so is one other kid.  Jack ZN. His "best friend" at school these days.  Jack has played more games so has more points.  Jack and Parker have not played each other.  I think that will happen on the last day.  I'm hoping it's like a scene out of "Searching for Bobby Fisher" when he stretches out his hand to offer a draw when he sees the check mate 12 moves ahead.  But in reality, Jack ZN will most likely kick his ass.

Here he is beating some 3rd or 4th grader.  The kid was sweet.  Even when Parker said, "You're better than I thought. I thought you were better than Stellan but worse than Cole."

Geese Update

I walked down by the lake today with our neighbors dog Osa.  I like to borrow her from time to time on walks and jogs. She usually pulls me the first couple miles and then I pull her the last couple.  Today I just walked. I saw tons of geese and tons of goslings. I wondered how the four from yesterday were doing and figured it would be one in a million (or at least four in a few hundred) chance that I would see them.

And then I did.  At the bird sanctuary area on a little island.  The goslings were trying to walk up the small hill from the water and the two geese were watching/helping.   Of course I can't be sure it was them, but the babies were the same size, same quantity and the parents looked the same too.  I had seen many gosling grouping on the walk, but none with just two at the same age of 'mine'.

I was pretty pleased with myself.

A long walk

As I was leaving school today I saw two geese with their babies walking across the street in a residential neighborhood no where near where geese hang out. I started following them in my car. Then another lady saw them and joined me on foot. We decided quickly that they needed to go to the lake which was about 1/2 mile away. Soon a nanny with two kids joined us. Then two walkers. And then a bossy lady who thought we should try to get them in the car.

We kept walking...steering them with our bodies and stopping traffic when we needed to cross streets. It was quite a scene but after about an hour we made it to the lake and felt very good about helping them.

Where I first saw them, from my car.

Walking down the street.

 We made it to the lake!

Punctuality

The other day after swim team practice, I had some bootcamp friends coming over to see the kittens.  I told the girls not to take off their shoes at the playground, where they hang out during practice, because it takes too long to put them back on when Parker is done.  I also told Parker to go quickly in the shower since we had to get going. I told them we needed to get going fast after practice.

Well..Parker was extra slow and the girls took their shoes off.   I was fuming.  When we got in the car, I told them I was very upset and disappointed. I explained how they hurt my feelings by doing the opposite of what I asked and how they made me late.  I went on to say that I never made them late and I was very sad that they made me late.

Then Parker says, "Hey mom, remember that time when you forgot about my piano lesson and made me late?"

Fuck.

"Yes, I remember that, Parker.  I forgot about your lesson that day and rushed back to get you there in time."

"But I was late and you forgot. Just like I did today when you asked me to go quickly. I forgot."

Fuck again.

"Yes, Parker. You are right."

Then I climbed off my high horse and the conversation was ended.

Kids and kittens

Parker's First Swim Meet

Parker had his first swim meet today.  It was a relay meet and he did four races.  100 M Butterfly, 200 Breast/Back, 100 Dolphin Kick (Butterfly without the arms), and an age progressive freestyle race with 4 older boys.  He had to do one quarter of each except the last one where he did 25 m the next one did 50, then 75, then 100, and 200.  

We arrived just after 8 and were there until 1pm.  It was a lot of sitting around and waiting but Parker did great. He played with his teammates, watched the races, and had snacks.  His teams didn't do very well, but he didn't care.  At one point he said, "We didn't come in last place that time!"  The other temas were from Oakland, Alameda, and surrounding cities.

I was very nervous and worried for him at first, but it was pretty informal for the little kids so I calmed down.  Most were spazzes like Parker, who forgot to put his goggles on twice and we all had to yell at him to do it.  He had a good time and said he wanted to do it again.  I most enjoyed watching him play with his 8 year old swim team friends.  I wish he had gotten more swim team prep from his coaches, but it all worked out.

Playing Uno with his friends.

Team meeting before the meet.

 More Uno.

 The meet was at UC Berkeley.  It was a big pool.

 Before the first heat.

Diving off the block. 

 Having a snack.

 Hanging with mom.

Arm wrestling his pals. 

Playing footsie. 

There were different whistles that meant different things.  A long whistle meant get up on the block. Several short ones meant climb in the water. Took me a while to figure it out.

On your mark... 

After the last race.  Cheering on the big boys. 

 His coaches.

Ice Cream afterwards.

Hula pool