Camp

We decided to sign Linus up for a summer camp program so he could have some fun and get more socialization. This was when we didn't think he'd be going to preschool in the fall. He attended on Monday for the first time. The camp is just two hours, two days a week in July. He had no qualms about it and was looking forward to it. I got him a lunch box and we talked about to whom he'd go for help if he needed it. He answered with confidence, "The teacher!"

It was no big deal to him, but to me it was a significant milestone. The first thing the kids do is eat lunch, so I got him started on his lunch, gave him a hug and a kiss, and left. One would think he'd been doing this separation thing for months. It was so strange that he wasn't with me or Matthew, but was with complete strangers. When I picked him up the kids were running around the gym chasing after rubber balls and he was giggling. His cheeks were rosy and he was sweaty when I finally got to give him a hug. He didn't want to leave.

He was, indeed, ready for this. Mama? Not so much.

When we were almost home he realized he'd forgotten his fruit on a skewer. They'd made them during camp. When we got back there to pick it up, one of the teachers said they'd tossed it out because flies were on it. He was a bit bothered by this, until she offered him a skewer to take home to make another one. I was meeting a handy man back at our house, so I wasn't paying Linus enough attention. When I was distracted with him downstairs, Linus got a banana and a sharp knife and started making his "fruit on a skewer." When I saw him working on this at the table I said I was happy to see that he was using the knife carefully, but that he needed to remember he wasn't to use a sharp knife without a grown up. He said, "Yes, but see? This is how you make it. You cut the banana. You leave the grapes round. You put them on the skewer. Then you dip them in vanilla yogurt and eat them. See?" He was so proud of himself to be able to teach me something new.

Father's Day

Linus narrated what was writing in Matthew's Father's Day card: "I don't love you because you don't pick things up around the house." I was cracking up on the inside because Linus knows Matthew's messiness bothers me. I told him, "You're supposed to write something nice in his card to let him know you love him."

We took a picnic to the jazz concert in the park and Linus gave him the gift he'd selected. Linus chose dinosaur cookie cutters for him and told me he'd teach Matthew how to make dinosaur cookies.

(They are toasting with Oreos.)

Block Captain

Our next door neighbor travels a lot for his job and asked if I'd be interested in taking over as block captain for our neighborhood association. I agreed, although I did tell him I wasn't willing to attend the monthly meetings because I've heard that people attend to complain about parking and I have no interest in that. He and the association president said that the primary job of a block captain is to distribute newsletters and other print communications from the association, which is the perfect volunteer activity to do with Linus.

The first communique was to alert everyone about a meeting the city was holding in regards to changing the zoning for our neighborhood to allow larger buildings. (The president of the association is against this. While I wouldn't be thrilled for an apartment building to go in next to our house, I have read that increased density in cities is better for the environment.)

I had a hard time getting Linus to sit still for me to apply sunscreen. He was ready to run out the door with the flyers. I put them in one of my bags and slung it across his chest. He thought it was great fun putting the flyers at each house. He said he was being the letter carrier. At one house our neighbors came out to say hi and when Ed asked what was on the flyer, Linus said, "It has lots of words on it." Ed played along and said, "That's great, because we don't have enough papers with words on them in our house." It really didn't take long to finish our block and Linus wanted to keep going. Instead, we went home and I gave him a popsicle. I told him that Obama would be proud of him because he was asking all Americans to donate time to their communities this summer.

We had a fun week that zoomed right by us. We had Erin and baby Grace over for lunch and Linus was great about sharing some of his toys and books with her. He also scolded her for putting her feet on the table while Erin was holding her. We explained that he was right about feet not going on the table, but that she is a baby and doesn't understand that yet. I have to admit that I love how many things are still black and white for kids at this age.

First Soccer Game

We signed Linus up for a soccer league through the Y. We missed the first day while we were in Wisconsin, so yesterday was our first time. The coach didn't show up, but parents stepped up and got the kids kicking the ball into the goal. The kids get a half-hour practice and half-hour game. I spent much of the time laughing at the chaos. One girl on the team didn't want to play and kept crying. Her mom finally got her out onto the field and she ran around with her stuffed Tigger. One boy's parents kept cajoling him to put on his jersey, but he ended up playing without it. Barrett is on Linus' team. We requested that so that Paige and I would know there was at least one other parent who wasn't going to be insanely competitive about their kid's playing.

Linus did a good job of doing what he was told and he obviously had a blast running around the field because he had a big smile on his face much of the time. Later in the day he told me, "When soccer ended, I wasn't sad. I was annoyed." He wanted to keep playing.

Each week a parent brings snacks for the kids and Linus was excited about the Gatorade. Gatorade for preschoolers?! It is made of water, high fructose corn syrup, and salt. Ack!

We went to the Greek Festival and ate delicious food prepared by volunteers through the Greek Orthodox Church. We enjoyed watching the traditional folk dancing and Linus and I danced together on the stage. Linus insisted he wanted to go down the 27-foot slide. I was against it, but Matthew went up with him and the attendant caught Linus at the bottom. Then he wanted to do it again and he made it without Matthew. Although he liked it, I regretted it afterward. The look of terror on his face as he first came down set off all of biological responses as a mom and it was too stressful for me.

Right at bedtime Linus was disturbed about some things that happened at soccer and we talked about it. One boy got in Linus' face and growled at him. We saw him do the same thing to a little girl at the playground after the game. He insulted Linus by telling him in a mean voice that he was two. Linus told him he was three, but the boy insisted he was two. Linus was very upset about this and couldn't understand why the boy did this. Before I could ask him how it made him feel, he said, "When the boy did that I felt mad." So now we are in a new phase of socialization and need to teach him how to deal with difficult people. At least he is able to use his words to express how he feels.

(Notice in the first picture how his tongue is out. He is with Barrett in the middle picture.)

Wisconsin Trip

We took Linus to Wisconsin for his longest trip to date. We flew out of Denver at a reasonable hour, which meant we all started the trip well rested. He dealt quite well with the all of the forms of transportation, sleeping in different places every day or so, and seeing a whole lot of people (many of whom he didn't remember). We stayed at Sara's and Billy's our first night so we could meet Evan as soon as possible. Evan is a cutie and developing well under his parents' care. Although I reveled in those warm, fuzzy maternal feelings when he was in my arms, I did share him with Matthew and Linus. Linus was just right with him: gentle and loving. He sang the ABC' song for him and gave him kisses. When we departed their house the next morning, Linus cried because he wanted to stay with Evan.

Our first stop in Green Bay was to see our friends Linda, Alex, and the girls. Johanna and Linus have the same personalities they did when they were one; they're just bigger and verbal now. It felt good to hang out with all of them, nibble on good food, watch the kids play, and get to know little Frida a bit. It was also a joy to dine with our former neighbors and catch up with them. Sue showed Linus the various pets she is looking after.

While in Madison we stayed with Stephanie, Brian, and Brandon. Linus soaked up everything Brandon said or did. The cutest thing was how the two were sleeping when Matthew and I returned from American Players Theatre one night. Next to Brandon's head on the pillow was Linus' penguin, and next to that was Linus' head. His body lay at an angle.

We got to visit the Circle M Farm, the CSA that both Stephanie and Lyz joined this year. We got to see the lambs, calves, piglets, horses, ducks, and chickens. Linus has wanted to ride a horse for a long time now and he finally got his chance.

Since we've been back I've been homesick for Wisconsin, Linus has been tired every day, and Matthew has suffered from a sore back from hauling luggage and the car seat.

Regular Life Stuff

Planting loriope

Taking a snack break

In his new sandbox

(I'm having a hard time coming up with interesting titles for these posts.)

Linus has become an amazing helper in the yard this year. He helps me with both the fun stuff, like planting, and the less fun stuff, like weeding and raking. He astonished me one recent afternoon. He was playing in the sandbox he and Matthew built together and I was pruning yet another overgrown climbing plant on the fence nearby. I had the back gate open because I was also pruning on the alley side of our fence. He suddenly comes over and tells me he's going to pull the weeds in the alley and that he'll be careful of cars. I walk out there with him and he has tackled the weeding of a mound of dirt along our back fence. I had mentioned it as something we'd tackle some day and he had the initiative to start it on his own. Astonishing! We think we want to level out the ground and plant something there. I think that is a sign that we both are addicted to planting and are running out of places to grow things.

Yesterday Linus and I had this conversation:
L: I don't want Matthew to go to work.
Me: I know, honey, but it is a work day.
L: What day is it?
Me: Tuesday.
L: I don't want it to be Tuesday.
Me: What day do you want it to be?
L: Valentine's Day. Or Christmas or Mother's Day. Then I can give you presents.

At lunch time yesterday I suggested we make scrambled eggs for lunch. When I told him I'd teach him how to make them he said with such joy, "Thank you! I never knew that before!" We ended up making an omelette with peas and cheese, which were his choices. It tasted great.

We were playing with his tree house/doll house today and he told me, "I love Matthew. When he does things I don't like, I don't love him. When he does things I like, I love him." He said the same thing about me too. I told him, "I love you even when you do things I don't like."

Tenderness

Linus continues to enjoy worms, beetles, bees, spiders, and pill bugs. Yesterday we were at Four Mile Historic Park and he kept spying bugs that hid before we could run over to look at them with him. There was a barn kitty ambling around the place in that way that cats do. Linus kept trying to pet it, but it walked away from him every time. Even so, the cat stayed in our vicinity much of the time and before we left he let Linus hug him. He is very gentle and loving toward living things (except for flies). He found a very small worm and when he held it out for me to see it, he whispered. Apparently loud noises would upset the baby worm. He helped me do some more planting this week and kept finding worms. After he put one back into the ground he said, "I will dig carefully so I don't frighten it."

I think Linus might have allergies. He has had a runny nose for a few days now. I had hoped he would miss out on that part of his heredity.

He is showing more signs of maturity. We went out for dinner last night and he ordered his own meal. When the server asked if he would like a booster seat he said politely, "No. No, thank you." We were so proud of him. Then he went back to being the goofy three-year-old that he is and drank his water and lemonade from two glasses at the same time. He sat on my lap to share apple pie with me and it was so nice to cuddle with him.

Matthew's Birthday

The three of us had fun celebrating Matthew's birthday on Monday. I baked a cake and Linus helped me frost it. I handed him the jar of sprinkles and told him to decorate it. I left the room so that I wouldn't hover over him and tell him how to do it. It turned out great! My favorite thing about it was the corner where there was a solid layer of sprinkles.

We treated Matthew to eating out at a sushi restaurant, which made him very happy. Linus tried his very first sushi, which had a vinegary plum center and no fish. The vinegar taste was too much for him, resulting in a funny, I-don't-like-this expression on his face. He was a good sport about it. When the server offered Matthew free dessert for his birthday, Linus told her quite excitedly, "We have cake and ice cream at home!"

I took Linus to a nursery to pick out a cactus for Matthew. When I asked him if he wanted to make Matthew a card he told me he'd already made one for him. Wow! I was surprised by that.

Bouquet

I got out Linus' little vase that he used in his room last summer. He picked Johnny Jump Ups for it and put it on the bookshelf next to his bed. I also got out my flower press and we put some in there to dry and be used in some unforeseen project.

This morning he told me, "I love you in plain sight." My mind immediately went at the words like I were analyzing a poem.

We joined friends at the zoo this afternoon. I took Linus and Chase to the bathroom and while they took turns Linus told Chase, "I love you." She put her hands on his face and said, "I love you." Then they started giggling and chanting, "I love you!"

We went to play with friends we haven't seen in a couple of weeks because we've all been sick. Linus said to them, "We had a virus. It is mostly gone, but not all gone." The kids, ages five and three, just looked at him blankly. So begins the era of him receiving blank stares when using vocabulary his peers don't have. I swear I'm not purposely turning him into a geek.

The staff at the dentist office once again praised Linus for sitting so still and accommodating their various requests to put tools in his mouth. His teeth are all healthy and he got to put a big red star on the outside of his chart to show that he had no cavities. A clean bill of health also meant that he got to choose two prizes from the basket. He picked out plastic bugs. One is a grasshopper. I think the other is an ear wig, but Linus doubts me and wants to ask Matthew his opinion.

Fast Approaching Summer

We've had very pleasant weather that is changing over to hot weather in the next day or so. Linus and I have been spending much of every day outside. He continues to have a cold, so we cancelled our play dates with friends and did things in the yard instead. Linus is a good helper with yard work. I let him use the hand trimmers to cut the edges of the lawn and that made him feel like a big kid. He's been telling people, "I was two and now I'm three. I'm growing up." He also helped me refinish the porch swing. I had someone out to work on the sprinkler system. Linus ran through the sprinklers in his swim trunks and looked like the epitome of summer.

Linus has a new cousin. Baby Evan was born to Sara and Billy on Wednesday, which means he shares a birthday with cousin Brandon. I drove Linus batty with my running to check my email for updates on the birth. Linus really likes babies and it will be fun to see him with Evan when we visit Wisconsin in a few weeks.

Sara and Billy got Linus an ant farm for his birthday. We've been having such a fun time with the ants since they arrived on Friday. After we had them settled into their new home, Linus told me, "Now I need a queen." When I asked why, he said, "Because she'll lay eggs, and then we'll have babies, and then they'll grow up." That is just like him to be thinking ahead to the next step.

Matthew and I got to sleep in on Saturday. Linus was hungry when he woke up and got himself yogurt to eat. He did come to ask Matthew to get him a napkin. After he ate, he went back to bed. Later I saw the rubber jar opener thing and Matthew said Linus got it out to open his yogurt.

He has been very loving lately. At random times during the day he tells me, "I love you, mama."

What's Going On?

We planted some more seeds in our little garden. We got the lettuce and broccoli in and have to be vigilant at keeping the soil moist. We visited the Garden with friends and got another look at the dinosaur sculptures there for a temporary exhibit. I had fun instructing the kids in holding their hands very still in the pond to see if the koi would come over to taste them. I was most excited to check on the peonies there.

We were looking forward to the start of a music class for Linus, but the day before it began I got a call that it was cancelled because enrollment wasn't high enough. Linus cried and was very disappointed. I'm in search of another one for him. I didn't realize how interested he was in it.

Lyz painted and framed some watercolors for Linus and he was excited about receiving them. While he unwrapped them he went on with some sort of rhyming riff. Later he told me, "Such magical pictures she made for me. I love to get art in the mail!"

More pill bug conversations have occurred: He said, "Maybe they eat other creatures in the ground." Then he asked the ones in his bug jug, "What do you like? Ants? Other sow bugs? What do you like, sow bugs?" Then he told me, "The sow bugs are my new friends." The ones we have in the yard are actually pill bugs, because they do roll up. I made a mistake in telling him sow bugs and pill bugs are the same.

Thursday afternoon we were playing at the playground. While I was pushing him on the swing he asked, "Why is the sky blue?" I've thought about this moment since I was pregnant with him. I told him, "The way the light bounces off the particles in the sky makes the sky look blue." He accepted that answer. Then I wondered how right I was.

Here are some other things he has said or asked recently:

"Why does the world go from day to night?"

"We can't see our food go into our stomachs." I said, "No; would you like to?" He answered, "Yes. Why do our bodies need food?"

I can't remember what precipitated this, but I told him he was foiling my plans. His response was, "Well, kitties foil plans."

"Mama, read that book to me. I can't read it correctly."

If you ask him what his favorite color is, you'll get an answer like this: "I love yellow. I love blue. I love purple. I love black. I love pink. Green. I love orange. I love white."

He says his favorite song is "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep." He has had a thing for that since last summer when he yelled it out like a rock star.

"Dead head me. I'm a flower."

"I want my big intestine out of me. It is too big."

Vegetable Garden '09

After months of intermittent work by all of us on removing the vine from our fence, I was able to incorporate some compost into the clay and make a garden bed. My intention was to only plant peas and tomatoes, things we don't get enough of from our CSA farm. Instead, I'll be cramming in as many things as I can to accommodate Linus' demand that we plant broccoli, carrots, and green beans.

As I emptied the bags of compost onto the bed, Linus ran back and forth bringing his construction equipment to help with the work. At times we sparred over who got to work in particular areas. He wanted to be able to use the digger anywhere in the bed, including where I'd already smoothed out the soil in preparation for the peas. He let up when I went in to get the seeds. He was so excited to create the holes and drop in the seeds. Of course this activity led to new questions: Why do peas grow in pods? Why can't we plant the broccoli, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes now? Do green beans grow in pods? As expected, he soaked up all of the information and shared it with Matthew when he got home from work. It was adorable listening to Linus explain that first the root will grow down and then a leaf will grow up out of the ground. I suspect it was a proud moment for Matthew, our botanist.

Since it is too early to plant much of anything yet, Linus can still play construction site on much of the garden. This should tide him over to when he and Matthew complete building his sand box.

Sow Bug Fun

We gave Linus a Bug Jug, which is a little container to hold bugs while one examines them. In Linus' case, it meant quizzing me endlessly about sow bugs. I was clearing out a large climbing plant along our fence line so Linus and I can put in a little garden. Linus was delighted when I revealed sow bugs and ran into the house to get the Bug Jug. He had at least six in there and then started asking me questions:

"What eats sow bugs? Why don't they like the sun? How do you say sow bug in Spanish? What do they eat? What do they sound like?" The only one I could answer was that they eat things they find in the soil. This wasn't a good enough answer for him and he wanted to know exactly what they eat. So I ran into the house in search of a field guide to help. I took the book out and told Linus that sow bugs aren't insects because insects have wings and six legs. Linus promptly took the book from me and proceeded to "read" it out loud to the sow bugs. He started by telling them that they weren't insects because they couldn't fly. ( A bit later he told me that sow bugs in Wisconsin can fly.) He also "read" that we should be gentle and nice with them.

He put so much "homing" in with them (soil, mulch, leaves) that they probably felt like they were outside and free. I thought it was cute that he invented the meaning of "homing" to describe giving them things from their natural surroundings. In the middle picture he is looking at them with two magnifying glasses, one in the lid of the jug and a separate one we got him.

Later he very deliberately walked around some ants and said, "I don't want to hurt their feelings. Or them."

Easter Day

Shortly before Linus woke up on Easter morning, I got out of bed and quickly hid our dozen Easter eggs for him to find. He got up shortly after that and approached his basket with a sleepy face. He woke up quickly as he excitedly looked at the jelly beans, chocolate rabbit, and other goodies. Then he started spying eggs in various places in the living and dining rooms. He found them all quickly and joyfully. One thing that did disappoint Linus was that he thought the Easter Bunny was going to come and knock on our door for a visit.

Later we went to a friend's house for brunch with them and their family. We celebrated with a bit of Ukrainian influence in the menu of borscht, boiled eggs, sausage, special bread, and homemade donuts with a rose jelly filling. Then we relaxed and played games with the kids. We really did have a wonderful celebration of Easter this year.

Easter Eggs

We hosted an Easter Egg hunt at our house yesterday. We invited eight kids over to hunt for eggs in the back yard. At the suggestion of one of the five-year-olds, the big kids (ages four and five) hid the eggs for the little kids (ages two and three). That was a great idea because it gave the big kids a fun job to do. The six little kids did a good job of finding the eggs and when they reached their quota they stopped or helped the others find eggs. With some prompting from Matthew, Linus shared a few of his eggs with Chase. Then we all marched back inside and watched the little kids open their eggs while a couple of the dads hid eggs for the big kids. I got a kick out of watching the younger ones shoving candy into their mouths and moving on to more of their eggs. In addition to candy we put bunny barrettes, rubber lizards, paratrooper bunnies, and stickers in the eggs.

After the big kids found all of their eggs all of the kids ran around the yard digging into their baskets, playing with the paratrooper bunnies, and generally having fun. We wrangled them all together to get a group picture and then everyone packed up to go. It all went smoothly and not a single kid ended up in tears.

Later I went for a haircut and when I returned Linus gave me a gigantic hug and said, "Thank you for coming home." Then, to keep the non-stop celebrating going, we colored eggs. Linus preferred to dip each egg into at least three colors. Those eggs turned a pretty brown color. I did one egg, Matthew did two, and Linus did the rest of the dozen. He really got into the process of putting an egg into a mug, waiting and monitoring the other eggs in their dye baths, and then moving the eggs into other colors.

(The one picture shows Linus and Chase interacting very sweetly together. The parents were taking pictures of the group and I zoomed in on the two of them.)

Visit to Lexington

We woke up at 3 a.m. the following day to head to the airport for our trip to Massachusetts to see Matthew's family. Linus was a good travel companion throughout the long day and was quite the trouper through the various car and plane rides, security procedures, etc. Before our plane could take off they had to de-ice the plane. Linus soaked up every bit of information Matthew gave him about the process and the plane. Our first night there Linus got to run around outside with his cousins, Wesley and Lorrie, and open birthday presents from them.

We experienced nearly a full day of rain there and that was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I continue to miss not having rainy days now and then. We had a really fun time seeing the birds and farm animals at Drumlin Farm. I liked the lambs the best. Linus still talks about the red fox.

While at grandma's and grandpa's house Linus enjoyed playing with the pine wood derby cars from Matthew's Cub Scout days, bristle blocks, puzzles (including one from Jean's childhood), and he got a lesson in how to build a cabin with Lincoln Logs. He liked having us read Richard Scarry books to him.

Our last night there, Linus had a tantrum that lasted at least 45 minutes. Nothing would comfort him. He finally calmed down and told me he wanted to go home. That was a break through, because then I could talk to him about homesickness.

Third Birthday Part 2, The Party

The next day we held Linus' party with his friends. We invited Chase, Barrett, and Lena, whose brother, Gabriel, came too. The kids were playing nicely in Linus' room with Matthew overseeing it all while the moms hung out in the dining room drinking coffee and chatting. When I felt the kids get restless I got them started on an egg and spoon game. I didn't want it to be a competitive race, so the kids were told to show us how well they could balance the eggs on spoons. I had them take the eggs from one basket to another. It turned out quite well. It was just the right amount of challenge for them. Then Gabriel suggested that he hide the plastic eggs for the other ones to find. Great idea! After a couple of rounds of that, I gathered everyone around to watch as we marked Linus' height on his growth chart. From there we transitioned over to the cake.

Linus requested a raspberry cake. I put together a lemon cake with a raspberry filling. I iced it with a lemon cream cheese frosting. I colored some of the frosting blue and made my first attempt at using decorator tips to make a pretty border around the cake. I knew I had to get some sprinkles on there because Linus LOVES sprinkles. I put a red sprinkle dot on every other blue blob shape in the border. After doing all of this I then had to figure out how to cover it up so it wouldn't dry out before the party the next day. Matthew helped me create a plastic tent over it using cans of tomatoes, a cutting board, and plastic wrap. Before we closed it up he put in two small dishes of water to provide some moisture. What crazy things we do to deal with the dryness here!

The second we all sang the last word of Happy Birthday, he blew out his candles. We couldn't have timed it better if we'd rehearsed it! Until he understands how to make a wish, I've been making his birthday wishes for him each year. I hope it still works if I didn't form the wish in my mind until after the candles were out, since he moved so fast!

While they were eating their cake and raspberry sherbet, Linus and Chase kept saying, "Mmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmm." Everyone was silly and happy. To myself I proclaimed the party a success.

Third Birthday

This year Linus' birthday celebration lasted over a week. The fun hasn't quite stopped yet. I heard evidence of this when Linus asked me today where his growth chart was. I told him I had put it away until next year. He said, "But it is still part of my celebration birthday this year."

On his actual birthday Matthew took the day off from work so we could celebrate together. Linus has been on a raspberry kick so I baked a special breakfast of Lemon Raspberry French Toast Strata. It was so easy to make, but looked gorgeous and tasted lovely.

As he opened gifts I tried to keep up taking notes of what he said about things, but it was hard to do. He first opened up a Magic Garden kit from Star, John, and Junie and exclaimed, "They're beautiful! Yay! Oooooooooh!" His comment when he opened a present from Stephanie, Brian, and Brandon was, "A book! A book! Look Matthew, a book!" He was hilarious as he tried to figure out what the present was as he opened the one from us that was Curious George pajamas: "It's this! It's that!" As he opened up each gift he'd run to his room to put them away. (I'm all for that kind of behavior.) He received an ant farm and ant book from Sara and Billy and he wanted to get the ants immediately. He asked to go outside and catch some. While he started playing with his gifts I started cleaning up and he told me, "You're the best birthday mama." What a sweet compliment that was to receive.

He loves all of his gifts and they are all perfect for him. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful gifts.

(He has been cracking us up as he gallops around the house on the stick horse we got him. He chose to wear his plaid shirt that day, which he calls his "handsome shirt.")