… and sometimes they surprise us by doing something like this:
Who, us? We always hold hands while we're walking to school. We're the best of friends, and we never fight, never yell. Heck, we hardly ever have a minor difference of opinion.
Archive for the ‘Sylvan’ Category
Sometimes they are normal siblings…
Posted by jonesey on Wednesday, 30 November 2011, 6:05Happy Birthday, Sylvan: 74 months
Posted by julie on Monday, 7 November 2011, 22:47
Dear Sylvan,
74 months old?! I remember figuring out how old I was in months when I was 80-something months old. Half a trip around the sun and you’ll be there. While I could count up all the months it’s been since I last wrote you a birthday letter, I’ll dismiss with the self-flagellation and just get to the point. You’re growing every day, and I want to write some of it down for you.
- You come home from school each Thursday with a new library book. While other kids might be taking out picture books or chapter books or other fiction, you’ve brought home only non-fiction, mostly science-y books with plentiful photos. Two weeks ago, you brought home a book of science experiments, and last week it was a book of photographs of organisms that create compost. This week, it’s an Eyewitness Shells book, heavy on both the photos and the information. While your Dad and I think these books are wonderful, you only respect them. I think you find them interesting, but you’d much rather read the latest Captain Underpants installment. I’d be interested to see how you make your choices in the library.
- You’ve made a friend in Tephra, a victory of which you can be proud. Through gentle movements, a quiet voice, and giving her water or an open door to the outside world whenever she asks, she’s grown to trust you. Tonight, she coaxed you into the living room, where she flopped down and asked you to rub her tummy. Daddy said, “It took me longer than six years for her to allow me to rub her tummy.”
- I don’t know if you’ve read a whole book yet, but you did read this poem by Shel Silverstein—”Lazy Jane”—last night. We both giggled.
- You LOVE playing video games. And talking about them, and drawing them, and watching Daddy play them, and probably dreaming about them.
- We have a tentative date planned for Sunday. I’m planning to go up with the Willamette Backcountry Ski Patrol to find out how to open the cabin, run the generator, etc. I invited you along, and you really want just the two of us to go. “You and Daddy get to go to the movies all the time” (or six or seven times a year; is that all the time?). But I do understand. Family dynamics change things, not always for the better. For instance, I wish I could encourage you to treat your sister as gently as you treat Tephra.
Good night for now, Sweets.
Love,
Mommy
University of Oregon president reading to Elena’s preschool class
Posted by jonesey on Friday, 4 November 2011, 17:46Here’s UO President Richard Lariviere reading to Elena’s preschool class. Elena is sitting farthest from the camera, under the wooden table with the arch in it. You can sometimes see her hair and her sparkly pink shoes.
You can see a picture of him reading to Sylvan’s class as well. Sylvan is in the third (bottom) picture, wearing a green and off-white shirt with horizontal stripes. You can only see his back, hair, and one ear.
Both kids were suitably impressed. Elena told us all about the story of the cat who had a bunch of different colored shoes, and Sylvan said that his story was a Berenstain Bears story about a bully.
Eugene street scene
Posted by jonesey on Thursday, 6 October 2011, 20:42Traveling from school to home. Two kids, two bikes, one bike trailer. A little rain, and lots of sun. Stopping to check out lacrosse practice across the street from Agate Hall, where the Vaux’s Swifts nest in the chimney during their spring and fall migrations.
Also, I took this picture WITH MY PHONE. My PHONE. If you're over 30, stop and think about what the word "phone" used to mean. Not to get off topic, but thank you, Steve Jobs.
Who They Are Today
Posted by julie on Thursday, 29 September 2011, 22:37Elena
- can reliably count four objects. More than four, and she starts double-counting and ends up with crazy-high numbers of Cheerios.
- loves loves loves to set the table and becomes quite sad if her parents carry too many items out to the porch picnic table (I think we last ate dinner inside last June. Really. I mean, you gotta squeeze all the sun out of an Oregon summer.)
- started in the “big kid room” last Monday. That’s preschool. I remember being stunned at the size of the 5-year-olds in my new 3-year-old’s classroom when Sylvan started preschool. With Elena, I figure she’ll just roll with it.
- has some molars coming in that hurt at least a little.
- has learned how to skip! She puts the non-hopping leg straight out in front of her. She told me she was “practicing” her skipping today, because she’s apparently on her way to Junior Nationals.
Oh, and she's a happy smiling girl. Almost always.
Sylvan
- started karate 2 1/2 weeks ago. He showed me some kata on the playground last week and in the living room tonight.
- was called a “role model” by his Kindergarten teacher this morning, as in, “Sylvan is such a role model in the classroom. When we’re waiting to settle down, I can say to the class, ‘I see that Sylvan is ready to listen.'” I, myself, saw similar behavior in his karate class. He saves his mischief for me! As a parent, I’m supposed to be pleased that he’s comfortable enough in my unconditional love that he can infuriate me without fear of becoming unloved.
- can read remarkably well, but he’s never attempted to read a book by himself.
- has graduated to a larger bike, on which he’s really fast! (Time to clean out the wheeled objects in the garage…)
- has math skills that sort of frighten me, as in, “Do you think they’ll let a sixth grader take linear algebra?”
- warmly and openly greets other kids, his age and older, usually calling them by name before they talk to him. His ability to remember names is good, and his complete belief in other kids returning his greeting is charmingly disarming.
Notice the turquoise karate belt (a.k.a. old climbing webbing)?
A birthday, a famous actress
Posted by julie on Monday, 19 September 2011, 23:12
Wand in hand, Mr. S. dispatches with the flames with one full breath. The owls tremble before him. And that nasty-looking scar next to his eye? Ask Voldemort.
Danger in a pink fuzzy hood. Giving Julie Christie a run for her money.
First Day of Kindergarten, Last Day of Ems Season
Posted by julie on Thursday, 8 September 2011, 0:06Sylvan awoke this morning to soothing ocean sounds on his new alarm clock from Gramma Mia. He was dressed in a dapper button-down when he joined us for breakfast; he brushed his teeth, which is on our new morning list, then requested blueberry pancakes. He asked me to brush his hair, because it’s on the new list. Although I wanted to leave by 8, we left at 8:10, and we still got to Edison before they opened the doors at 8:15.
Unsure of his new surroundings, and looking haggard from staying up too late enjoying his new alarm clock
After some “discussion,” as Sylvan reported, the bus driver reluctantly let Sylvan ride the bus to Moss Street for the afternoon. I think I learned my lesson: DON’T turn in the dozens of forms they give you.
To top off a long day, we decided to head out to what ended up being the last game of the Emeralds baseball season. Turns out that Sylvan is a born baseball fan. Numbers? Check. Rules? Check. Lots of people to watch? Yes, that too.
This intense expression lasted for much of the game
I'm supposed to say "Yankees boo," but that's too silly
Happy the kids lasted the whole game, sleepy, and still intense
Seventh inning stretch: "One, two, THREE strikes you're out!"
The Ems lost, 5-4, but it took until the bottom of the 9th to decide. Exciting game.
Last Day of Summer?
Posted by julie on Thursday, 1 September 2011, 23:56It must be nearly the last day of summer, because my children decided they needed to wear “wetsuits” to play in the water today:
It warmed up enough that swim lessons weren’t unbearable. It probably even rose out of the 60s!
This is the child who floats
And here's the sinker, in his swim class. He really liked his substitute teacher (and so did I!).
3-year-old tushies, waiting to jump
Jump!
First time down the slide by himself
After his lesson, soaking up the last bits of summer sun
A knock-knock joke from Sylvan
Posted by jonesey on Thursday, 1 September 2011, 17:13The kids have been having fun making up knock-knock jokes at the dinner table. Sylvan’s best one so far:
Sylvan: Knock knock.
Chris: Who’s there?
Sylvan: L.
Chris: L who?
Sylvan: LET ME IN!!!
Sylvan on a swing, Cape Cod, July 2011
Sylvan biking update
Posted by jonesey on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 6:45Sylvan learned to ride a pedal bike on Friday. Last night, he rode home from pizza night at Hideaway Bakery (about a mile).
Sylvan and Julie biking home from Hideaway Bakery
This morning, he rode with me to school, also about a mile.
Trailer for Elena, bike for Sylvan, parked at school
We had good conversations about the difference between riding the bike and riding in the bike trailer. Sylvan observed that:
- When he is riding in a place where cars can park, but there are no cars, he rides in a straight line, as if there were cars there. That’s my son, the Effective Cyclist.
- Riding up hills is tiring. Also, having to pedal all the time is tiring. Downhills are nice, because you can rest.
- Riding a bike makes your arms cold. Even in July. Yes, Virginia, it’s 57 degrees in Oregon. Eat your humid hearts out.
Big stuff.