Happy Furlough!

I got to do a little tidying up with no one underfoot. It was quite nice, I threw lots of things away! But I did not update the blog like I thought I might. So here now are some pictures from around Oscar's birthday, including our big tree and Oscar's personal-size tree.

Oscar's birthday cupcake, lemon with blue frosting as requested.

John carrying a backpack full of rocks. Why not? 

 

Happy Oscar to Birthday - oops!

There you have it, Oscar really is 5. He's starting to grow in to his new age now, and has started saying things like "now that I am five, I can wipe my own butt!" You betcha!

poem of the week

Winter Trees

All the complicated details

of the attiring and

the disattiring are completed!

A liquid moon

moves gently among

the long branches.

Thus having prepared their buds

against a sure winter

the wise trees

stand sleeping in the cold.

-William Carlos Williams

Trampoline

Happy New Year!

 What have we been up to? What haven't we been up to? Let's go way back to December - we went to the nearby national forest and cut down a Christmas tree with Pat Reeves. Eric chopped it down after he twisted his ankle running to show us the perfect tree.

 

 

 

Then it was Oscar's birthday, that will be its own post. Then it was Christmas, I was going to put that here but I'm already getting sleepy, so that will be its own post. And then we went to Maryland! And all got sick! But we managed to have one day with all 9 (secretly 11) cousins together, and here is the picture of all 9 at once, along with the making-of.

So here they are, L to R: Wilmer, Henry, John, Penny, Marjorie, Harvey (on floor), Oscar, Edie, Casper. Hurray!

poem of the week

Eric comes back from PAG today, he took the camera with him. So tonight I should be able to post some photos of all the cousins and other fun things! But in the meantime, for your consideration:

The Abominable Snowman

I’ve never seen an abominable snowman,

I’m hoping not to see one,

I’m also hoping, if I do,

That it will be a wee one.

-Ogden Nash

poem of the week

The Snow Man

One must have a mind of winter 

To regard the frost and the boughs 

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow; 

And have been cold a long time 

To behold the junipers shagged with ice, 

The spruces rough in the distant glitter 

Of the January sun; and not to think 

Of any misery in the sound of the wind, 

In the sound of a few leaves, 

Which is the sound of the land 

Full of the same wind 

That is blowing in the same bare place 

For the listener, who listens in the snow, 

And, nothing himself, beholds 

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Wallace Stevens

Happy Birthday Oscar!

Can you believe he is a little boy of five?

We had a lovely celebration yesterday at the Museum of Discovery with 10 or so of his friends, including Pat Reeves, and Poppa and Grandma. Oscar was delighted to be in charge of everybody! He got lemon cupcakes with blue frosting, as he requested, and everyone's lips became pleasingly blue.

Then we had another celebration at his school this morning, and more present-opening this evening, with smoothies for dinner. He was a happy boy at bedtime!

los hermanos

a little more Edie

John was possessed and did a magic dance to Iron Man to keep his siblings safe. It's a universal impulse!

Edie always sucks her thumb like this, it's a two-handed activity.

Edie Jean is a string bean!

Literally off the charts.

Tracing on a sunlight lightboard

Happy Halloween!

The boys were very happy in their costumes. I considered painting their faces but realized they would only use it as a source of sadness. Oscar was a scary ghost elephant who said "Boo!" to everyone, and John was a bear, duh. Edie, nominally, was a cat.

We all went trick-or-treating, even Edie! It was a cold night, but there were a ton of people out, and nearly every house had lights on. Everyone was very friendly to the boys. John only fell a few times, usually when he was backing up so the front door could be opened.

They got SO MUCH candy! It will take some serious work for it to be eaten in any reasonable time, say, before Easter. But I have faith that it will happen. All eaters welcome.