Ten Little Fingers

Per Nana and Pop-Pop's request, here is another lively performance by Samuel. This is a fingerplay, for which I will include the text. Samuel is studying the analysis and performance of literature, an art that lends itself to individual interpretation.

I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me.
I can make them do things, would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight and open them wide.
I can put them together and make them all hide.
I can make them go high, I can make them go low.
I can fold them up quietly and hold them just so.

A Banner Weekend!

What a fantastic weekend we've had! We kicked things off with a visit from my college roommate, Joy. The boys enjoyed our day with her as much as I did. You can see the happy admiration in Samuel's face. Not only is she funny, smart, and deeply kind, but Joy can build a mean car ramp.


On Saturday we tried out a playground we've never visited before. Everybody loved it.

Meanwhile, Ben fasted for 30 hours with the youth at church. The fasting helped them think about what it is like to go without enough food, and they raised $1,500 for hunger relief efforts. Ben rewarded their efforts with a fauxhawk (a mohawk designed with more hair gel than razor blades).

Then, we had a visit from the much-appreciated "Tio and Ibadeth" (my brother Jamie and his fiancee Elisabeth). Cars were played with, quinoa and pound cake were eaten, and Lake Michigan was visited. Smiles were smiled and long naps slept.

I'm (Almost) a Walking Man

It looks like Jude is going to head off on his own any day now. Sometimes he stands without help for a few seconds when he needs both hands on a toy. And he LOVES to walk! He is very tough -- tumbles rarely bother him, and Samuel's wrestling hugs are more amusing than upsetting. It is such fun to watch him!

Sorry about the sideways orientation -- I don't know how to rotate a video. I'll try to shoot horizontally next time.

Why Not an Island?

You know how authors sometimes say that they don’t hold the definitive meaning of any particular work they have written, but that interpretations made by readers are as important as any meaning the author ‘intends’? I believe that. Graduate school in literary studies will do that to a person. But sometimes it seems like authors say that kind of thing just to avoid answering a hard question.

It turns out that they aren’t. It really is true. Meaning can grow on a word/sentence/work.

For example, the title of this blog. I chose “No Girl is An Island.” I was trying to think of an interesting way to describe my situation as the only girl in my house among 3, and soon 4, boys. Something like Mom of Boys seemed a little pedantic. NGIAI seemed kind of funny. It turned out that my title is taken. You can check out www.nogirlisanisland.blogspot.com to read the one post some non-islanded girl wrote in 2005. Ben discovered this identity problem and quickly resolved it with the title I now have.

And it’s perfect! I am, after all, only writing about this girl.

Now I find myself wondering in what ways I sometimes (like everyone else, I suppose) feel islanded. Some of them are superficial – the only girl in my house, the only biker at risk of passing out in my spinning class – while others are more substantial and, ironically, harder to grasp. Getting a handle on them requires time to think, and I think best while writing.

And THAT, I find, is one of the first things I cut back on to accommodate the task of parenting small children. I adore my children and love being at home with them, but it is easy to spend all my waking time doing things that preclude organized thoughtfulness. Thinking about whether to clean the bathroom or take a nap doesn’t count.[1] I hope thisgirlisnotanisland might be WD-40 on the door to that part of me.

[1] My mom told me that she once read a book entitled I Hate Housework, and it helped her figure out how to take care of the house in spite of her lack of interest in most of the tasks involved. I have looked for that book, but it seems to be out of print. It sounds timeless! How could it go out of print?

Stand Up If You Love Asparagus

I am getting a strong feeling that Jude may be an extrovert. The more people we are with the more likely he is to 1) stay awake for stunning lengths of time, 2) not eat, and 3) explore/giggle/smile a lot.

Today was a big adventure day. The boys and I, with our good buddies Alison (adult), Clay, and Andie (kids), went to the Children's Museum in Appleton. It was great. Everyone was happy as Jude in a fake asparagus garden all day.

One inspiration for this outing was our new van. In anticipation of baby #3, we have traded in the Mazda sedan for a Toyota minivan. Samuel loves it so well that every time we drive past the car dealership he still asks, "Buy a van, please." I am thankful for our new transportation, but I think one van is enough.

Jesus loves you, too!

Easter picture

Ben is showing me how to post a picture on my blog. This is a picture of Samuel from last Easter (2006), after his car-filled-egg hunt. Zoom!