We're Alive

We are all alive and doing okay. I'm just worn out by the pace of a nearly-three-year-old kiddo.

1.20.09

January 20, 2009 isn't a date Linus will commit to memory, but I shall carry the memory for both of us. He and I went to watch Obama's inauguration at Rich's and Lisa's house with other friends from the neighborhood. We watched the parade at home in the afternoon while eating lunch and playing. Linus was very interested in talking about Sasha and Malia moving into a new house. When the moving trucks were shown on the tv he was concerned that their trains and stuffed animals would be moved in.

At night all three of us attended a party hosted by other neighbors, Lon and Wendy. It was wonderful to spend time with friends and new acquaintances, reveling in the magic of the day. Linus got to bed an hour and a half late and passed out almost immediately. I was emotionally drained but still hyped up at bedtime. I have yet to have a chance to absorb and process all of the symbolism of yesterday and what it all means to me.

I woke up this morning feeling buoyant and very conscious all day that Obama was already at work tackling the challenges our nation faces at this time. Linus wanted to be the first to open the newspaper and pointed out the First Family on the front page. He named off Barack Obama, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha.

Parades

Since attending the holiday parade in December, Linus has liked to play parade. He insists on leading the way and distributes instruments to me as he sees fit. A few days ago I took him downtown for the Western Stock Show parade and now he tells us about steers, horses, and cowboys marching in our parades at home.

I was afraid we wouldn't get a good viewing spot and I'm no longer able to boost Linus up onto my shoulders. I needn't have worried; there wasn't much of a crowd where we went along the parade route. We met a nice woman from Colorado Springs who was there to photograph her husband riding by on horseback representing a group that worked security during the Democratic National Convention in August. She took the picture of Linus and me together. We don't have many pictures together, so each one is worth a lot to me.

The grand marshall was Baxter Black, a cowboy, poet, and humorist, known on NPR as the Cowboy Poet. When he rode by on a wagon pulled by horses, I yelled out to him, "Hooray, Cowboy Poet." I don't read his poetry or follow him in any particular way, but one doesn't get many chances to cheer for a poet. If Linus were older he would have been mortified. Tee, hee. Baxter Black did give me a big smile in return.

Matthew and Linus have been tending to me as I recover from having my wisdom teeth removed on Friday. I'm healing fine. When we remind him that my mouth is sore he tells us, "My mouth is sore too because I'm growing a new tooth." He has had the first of his two-year molars coming in for weeks now.

Pig Tails

I'm so glad I captured this shot of Chase cleaning paint off the back of Linus' arm. I see a lot of sweetness in this. The two had been painting on sliding glass patio doors with window paint, which Linus thought was so cool. Then they had fun wiping the paint off with wet paper towels. When I started cleaning Linus up, Chase jumped in to clean off his arm. Her pig tails are adorable. All of his girl friends have long enough hair that they can wear pig tails.

Linus and his friends have been playing so well together. It is really fun to listen in on them using their verbal skills. An example:

Linus: Can I have them when you are done? Would that be alright?
Chase: Yes, when I'm done.
Linus: Okay. Thank you.

Linus and Chase ate lunch together and before leaving the table he sweetly asked, "May I please be excused?" Langley was so impressed. This example of fine manners was cancelled out by how he drank his milk. She served each child their milk in their own little pitcher. This way they could have the fun of pouring their own milk into their glasses. Linus' pitcher was a creamer in the shape of an elephant. He loved it and proceeded to drink his milk from the elephant's trunk. This gave Chase the giggles and the two had a giggle-fest all through lunch.

We are feeling lots of bread love in our house. Thanks to my new high-altitude cookbook from Matthew, I've been cranking out loaf after loaf of delicious bread. Today we polished off an entire loaf of cinnamon raisin bread between the three of us. I guess I can't make that one too often if we are going to be so piggy about it.

Dinosaur Ridge

We drove out to Morrison yesterday to visit Dinosaur Ridge. In the 1870's several dinosaur fossils were found for the first time here, including the Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus. What was most remarkable to see on the tour were the dinosaur tracks that we could clearly see because staff shaded them in with charcoal twice a year. I don't know that Linus learned much about dinosaurs, but he had fun getting on and off the bus and doing a bit of climbing. Our tour guide was wonderful about helping him climb. Later last night Linus did talk about wanting to see real dinosaurs and I explained that they are extinct.

The wind was very blustery up there in the foothills, but we were fitted out in new knit hats from BryAnn. It was fun to all wear new hats at the same time!

We have visited the two preschools that we are considering for Linus for the fall. Both are parent cooperatives and are play-based. They are what we want for Linus, but both schools have waiting lists and use lottery systems to fill the slots, so we'll just have to wait and see if they pull Linus' name. I prefer Montview because it is close to our house, we've heard great things about it from parents we know, and it really felt like kid heaven. The playground has won awards and features a sliding hill and a great circular paved path that goes around the playground equipment. Kids were riding trikes and scooters around and around. The classrooms had a great vibe. The kids were active and having a good time and I liked what I saw of the teachers. Of course if he doesn't get in, he'll stay home with me for another year. I'd be happy about that, too.

Musical Beginnings

One of the interesting things I've noticed is that Linus sways or bobs around when he plays instruments. You can see a bit of this in this video.

Our New Life

With trains in our house, very little is the same as before. Strangely, Linus' favorite activity is to pretend to shop for trains. He loads all of his trains, cars, trucks, etc. into his shopping cart and has me ring him up at the kitchen counter. Personally, I'm rather bored with this, but I am getting better at remembering each engine's name. It seems that no matter what we are doing, Linus mentions the Thomas trains. Any time we walk anywhere he insists on leading the way and being Thomas and he relegates us to being Annie and Clarabell. It is nearly impossible to dress him any time before 10 a.m. because he is too busy playing to stop for even a couple of minutes.

Posted is a picture of Linus actually playing something else. He thinks it is funny to knock down the bowling pins. I have to keep reminding him to back up so he doesn't knock the pins over directly with his hands.

Tidbits:
When he left for work Matthew told Linus, "Have a good Wednesday." Linus laughed and said, "That's funny." Matthew was already gone when Linus repeated it to himself and laughed again.

We were dancing around pretending to do ballet and he told me, "You're supposed to leap way up in the air!" Then he said, "That might not be a good idea for me."

When we were decorating the Christmas tree he enjoyed unpacking the homemade ornaments. He kept exclaiming how cute they were. When he saw the one I made for his first Christmas he said, "I like this one best. Mama made it for me."

We were out shopping and while standing in a check out line he started up a conversation with a girl who was around four years old.
L: I'm wearing a coat.
Girl: I'm wearing a new shirt.
L: I got Diggity Dog.
Girl: I have no idea what he is talking about.

When Matthew returned to work after being home five days for Christmas, Linus and I both missed him. He said, "I miss Matthew. You miss Matthew. Matthew misses his self."

Today it is 60 degrees so Linus and I packed up a little picnic to eat at the Garden. We were watching the construction just outside the entrance and then Linus grabbed my hand to pull me into the Garden because "Matthew is lonely." Matthew joined us for a picnic and Linus told Matthew, "I miss you. It is fun when you stay home all morning. I miss you, but mama keeps me company."