Back to school

Wait...didn't we read about this already? Well, no, not exactly. Though planning ahead is a preference, I'm not that prepared - OR clairvoyant. Nope. This 'Back to School' belongs to April.

After what seemed like the longest month on record, and occurring nowhere NEAR Easter, Spring Break finally arrived. So, you may be thinking 'Big deal, most of us don't get a week off for Easter....or two weeks at Christmas AND the whole summer' and therefore, you offer no sympathy. Here's the thing. Unless you are a teacher or have at least ten children of your own, you don't get it. And that's fine....we've heard most of the arguments. The very nature of the arguments delineates the personality types that are drawn to or led away from the education field. We won't get into pay equivalency, jury duty, vacation time of your choosing, verbal abuse and harassment, workload (obviously NOT why we became teachers). Alas, the soapbox can be put away for another time (Open House, IEPs, Back-to-School-Night, state testing, parent conferences, the THOUSANDS of notices we have to try to get back from parents) Yes, put away. Does the break seem to be necessary yet? No bones.... it was. Just remember how glad you are when it's time for your break - when your kids go back!

Our plan was simple - to do and clean all those things we hadn't been able to get to since Winter Break. That's all that needs to be said about that. Before we knew it , it was Sunday night again and we were grudgingly preparing to go back.

This past week we all went back to our respective places of learning. In addition, we decided that we didn't have enough things to keep us from the aforementioned chores. So, Mom and Hallie have solved the problem. We'll just simply add more school.

Hallie has chosen to enroll in two new courses this year. For the next eight weeks, she will be enriching her life experience and feeding her very creative soul - first with dancing (Creative Dance and Movement) then, with drawing and painting. She is beyond excited and has already embraced the curriculum. She offered to show the dance teacher her 'moves' on the first day of dance class and, on art day, drew a picture "to show her how happy I am that we have art in our world and that I'm glad to have her as a teacher". It's no surprise that she came out of both as happy as she went in. So with the upcoming infusion of swimming into her schedule, she will definitely be a busy (social butterfly of a) little girl. Excuse me...BIG girl.

Now, given all the facts (and the strange idea that she can add hours to her day as needed), Mom concluded that there was no better way to pass the time during these various lessons than to focus on homework - her own! Not one to think that you can ever learn enough, she decided another Master's degree sounded like a good thing. No, it won't mean more money and-soap box again- if it seems logical that a business requiring "Highly Qualified" people would pay for the advanced specialization, the business of school is not that logical. So, over the course of about 15 years, we'll recoup the cost. In the mean time, Mom can feel like she's hanging on to the brain cells she's got and may even be creating a few new pathways with the added knowledge. The irony lies in the fact that the degree is in technology. So.... she can get better at using stuff that lets her avoid using her brain.? Hmmmm. Maybe it's time to rethink. We'll run the data and get back to you.

I guess we just can't stay away from school!

It Happens Every Spring

With the arrival of April comes new life, new promises and, a new season - baseball season, that is. So, not only do we think of birds and bunnies, flowers and flying kites, we think of blue, Dodger Dogs and Vin Scully. Is there any other way to herald in the spring? We of course can only seem to go when it's going to be over 100 degrees (and in this case, it must be our fault. I mean, come on...in April?) The best part is, she says with sarcasm, is that we sit in the cheap seats because we only stay for about half the game and THEY"RE IN THE SUN.(Well, not the CHEAP seats-been there, done that.) So we tried to make it to the 7th inning stretch but Dad and Anna were long gone on a walk around in the shade and every time Hallie moved, the part of the seat she wasn't covering got too hot for her to move back. Maybe it's just going in months that start with 'A' that are bad luck for us. Anyway, we found a much more pleasant alternative on a cooler day. No Dogs but fun, nonetheless!









Check out the video if you've got the time!

The Sky's the Limit

This week we had a really fun and unique opportunity that, quite frankly, we would have missed had we not had a kindergartner. Hallie's elementary school (a.k.a. Mom's work) held one of several 'Family Reading Nights'. Typically, and ESPECIALLY on Fridays, Mom is done with work and opts not to participate in the evening activities. It is rare for her students to have any extra involvement beyond the school day so, unless help is needed, she calls it a day. (Note: This will no longer be the case as she has been elected by PTA to be Red Ribbon Week Organizer/Chairman - check back in October and watch her stress level rise) At this point Hallie doesn't always remember that there is a school function since she just plain enjoys being with her family so we come off easy, but we decided this sounded fun. As a bonus, Mom got some much needed classroom time since we hung out until Dad and Anna brought dinner and, Dad got to surprise his students who were there earning community service hours.

The evening began with a trip to the Star Lab planetarium (an inflatable dome in the cafeteria) for Dad and Hallie. Inside, they listened to the guide and watched the constellations above while learning of the different 'stellar' perspectives had by Asian, Native American and Greek traditions. An exciting announcement came shortly after the star gazing began, and we were notified that the International Space Station would, within minutes, be passing almost directly over the playground! We all hurried out to the grass and waited until gradually it came into view. SO COOL! It traveled quickly and blinked its way across the sky to the North of us to the gasps and cheers of the crowd. So the picture is a tiny speck and the video is the tiny speck moving (and blinking). We know what it is! Speaking of tiny specks, another point of interest is the photo that leads off this entry. It is a picture of Saturn. Yes, ACTUALLY Saturn. The nice man with the telescope held our camera to the eyepiece and got this great shot. Its pretty amazing, though the picture doesn't do it justice. We've all seen pictures and posters but this was actually it - rings and all! It looked like a perfect little sticker until the eye adjusted and flickering stars could be seen as well. Several other displays and additional telescopes were set up on the field so we had plenty to see on the way to an activity-filled library.
With 3-D glasses at the ready, we were amazed at the 'really real looking' planets posted around the room. We learned more about the planets' appearance and positions in the sky from a JPL volunteer who was wonderful with kids. Readers were on hand to share stories of galaxies beyond and craft stations were set up for us to make our own shooting stars.The girls had a great time and Mom and Dad enjoyed the night out as a family. We're so glad we spent that last little bit of end-of-the-week energy to share in this very successful school event and experience Hallie's continued wonder and love of science.




This was not our first adventure in space at our school either. In 1998 we had the pleasure to meet (and acquire the autograph of) space shuttle pilot Maj. Steve Lindsey. Not just any pilot, but fellow alum and brother to Auntie's piano teacher - oh yeah, and the guy piloting John Glenn back on his return to space!

Oh, I Could Write a Sonnet....

Well, not really, because Easter was not eventful enough to give you the required fourteen lines (and, which scheme to follow... Italian, Spencerian, English, Modern?) Besides, there were no bonnets to provide a rhyme for sonnet - just a couple of cute girls who had fun running around a yard full of eggs. First at church, looking for plastic eggs full of Oriental Trading's religious finest, then at Grandma's, searching for the eggs they had dyed the night before (and a few special extras from the Easter Bunny).

Again this year, Hallie assumed the important role of fashion consultant (a task that entailed agreeing to look at a catalog tossed to her by Mom and informing the buyer if anything caught her eye). She decided that pink was 'last year' so blue was the way to go. It was all of her choosing and it is quite obvious she knows what makes them look good. All the kudos from the church crowd had to be handed over to the big sister who wanted to be dressed like her little protegee. After the service, the 1-5 yr olds waited at the gate to be let in to the egg hunt. As you can imagine, the 5 yr. olds are only there because they would be mowed down if they were in the bigger hunt, so their bags seemed to hold a greater bounty than those of the toddlers. Though Hallie was with a Kindergarten friend, she was very good about allowing some of the little kids to find some eggs. She even directed a couple children other than Anna toward the 'hidden' treasure. She was very good about not taking the obvious finds and running interference when a bigger kid got too close to the little one trying to make it over there. It sure would be nice for Hallie if, next year, the older children show the newbies the same courtesy (but we won't put all our eggs in THAT basket).

After church we made our way to Grandma's party with Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Mike and 'Auntie' Madolyn. Since more guests were coming, the Easter Bunny (as directed by the team of Auntie and Uncle Chad) had a good amount of time in which to hide the eggs (which had magically traveled from one fridge to the other). The delay was no problem for the girls since they hadn't had a chance to tear around the house for a while. When Grampa arrived we began to hunt for the eggs - luckily, Mrs. Bunny had remembered to count the eggs beforehand. Shortly after the hunt began, Mom's cousins John and Michael arrived as did Uncle John bearing See's chocolate bunnies (only for the girls..mmmm). He didn't hand them out until after the eggs were safely abed. Smart guy! He got them each a different color bunny which made life SO much easier. Of course a taste test was necessary and it was tad more difficult to get the bunny away from Anna than Hallie. (Later she would ask for her "chu-loc-lit, Daddy?" Hallie got a kick out of the fact that she could have a bigger morsel than could her sister. Miraculously, the dresses remained chocolate free - though we made sure they were machine washable. Soon, a diversion was created so we were able to rescue the earless bunnies and bring the hunt to a close.




















The eggs had been sorted and counted and survived several trips into and out of the baskets. Hallie was so tolerant of her little sister and thought Anna very cute, trading between the two baskets to get the colors she liked. She is such an unselfish little girl and such an awesome big sister!










The celebrating came to an end after the perfect Easter ham with trimmings, a birthday dessert for Mom (thanks Auntie!) and presents. It was an absolutely perfect day; relaxing, beautiful and memorable. Thanks, Grandma for a wonderful party!

Who'd Have Thought?

Did you know our girls are amazing?  Did you know that they're brilliant?  How about vivacious, charming, affectionate and generous? Or, creative, witty, quick and strong?  Oh... and did we mention loquacious?  Who'd have thought it?  Us... have talkers with a fierce (our new word resulting from watching Project Runway) vocabulary? We'll give you a minute to recover from the shock - go ahead. (Unfortunately, a few years' time will bring sarcasm to the list - have you met us?)  Seriously folks, we've got some pretty special and hilarious kids here. Sure they can be trying, but their transgressions are SO minor in comparison to those of the charming children of others' that we see out and about. It is so rare, however, that an issue can almost surprise us into overreaction because we forget that they're as young as they are. That's that reality check for overconfident and prideful parents. You know the one... you are busy being complimented by someone or, are telling the poor soul who asked, of the amazing thing junior did and junior decides to eat something off the sidewalk? OK, they haven't done exactly that but if you're a parent, you've seen it in action.


Though we know you'd love to read each and every moment of genius and hilarity, here are our picks for this month...


Hallie - One day, I asked her what she did after school and she said they watched movies but she didn't watch both - she drew pictures during the first one. When I asked her why, this is what she said. "The first one was Sponge Bob and I know you and Daddy said it's not an appropriate show. I watched Diego when it was over because we've watched that at home." She is reading like a third grader, loves her teachers and greets everyone by name with a bright smile and a cheery voice. My coworkers all tell me how Hallie just brightens their day when they see her on her way to class. Recently, when Dad was telling her he loved to give his girls hugs and kisses, she said, "Daddy, I'm not a big fan of the kissing. But you can kiss Anna - she hasn't gotten as many kisses as I have because she's new." Also, when she and Anna were counting cars, (no, not cards - we're not in Vegas) Dad shared the fact that Aunt Suzie taught him how to count. Hallie asked him why and if they didn't have schools when he was little. She is currently learning to tell Knock-Knock jokes. What a kid!

Anna - Like her sister before her, Anna is now adept at ordering a restaurant dinner. Usually it's at Denny's - kids eat free on Tuesdays and Saturdays - and occasionally Red Robin if she's feeling adventurous. The waitress at Denny's is familiar enough to the girls that Anna is pretty comfortable. Given the picture menu, she will say "Ummm....I would like......" and always orders grapes for her side dish. She also says things like "May have some pickles Mommy?", "Daddy, I told you..." , and tells us just who it was that was the cause of her ouch report from school. A few nights ago, when heading to the shelf for a book, she turned with her hand in the air and said, "Wait, Mommy, I be right back." She is also learning to understand Farsi and Chinese at preschool but, except when she points to parts of her body, we have no idea what she is understanding when the teachers are giving her a few parting words.


Together - They sing, march and dance - in the car, or in the living room - read and draw like crazy and try to make you laugh. Those, we understand - sounds like Mom and Dad. They like to help, are good eaters and they both choose broccoli over any other vegetable for dinner, except....get ready... SPINACH! We're stumped. They're great, but we're stumped.