Up in the club... with a Hello Kitty toothbrush

Mom's Day Times Two

We've been a little wiped out lately. After a period where things seemed to be getting easier and easier, with the children playing together independently more and more, we've now entered a period where it is... not so easy. Agatha is ever more lively and loud, and that's certainly part of it. "Aggie do!" "I tell Daddy!" "Cake RIGHT NOW!" You get the picture. So Mother's Day was low-key. I gloried in an excellent yoga class and then we all went out for a sushi lunch ("Sushi RIGHT NOW!"), at which Michael and I ate hardly anything because the children snarfed down the lion's share of the tofu in oyster sauce and spicy salmon rolls. Although we left hungry, it was a delight to see. Then we had my mom over for a tea party after naptime.

And today is Gran's birthday! Henry said we should make her a cake, yell "surprise!" when she came in, sing Happy Birthday, and then he would blow out all the candles, because even though it is not his birthday he LIKES blowing out the candles. And that is just what we did. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mischief

This is why I haven't been blogging so much lately...

Carnival

Last weekend when Michael was in New York state for our nephew's first communion, we went to a carnival in our neighborhood park. I had successfully avoided it for years, but this year our friend, Laura, called to say she had her granddaughter (and our dearest pal) Frances visiting, and would we like to come along? That was an offer we couldn't refuse, and of course it turned out to be superfun. Frances was very brave and eager for all the rides, and her attitude rubbed off on Henry. They even rode the dragon roller coaster! (In the Small City Department, in this photo above the two boys riding behind Frances now live in her old house in Lancaster; the older one is in Henry's class.)

They rode the mini Ferris Wheel together...

Roller coaster! (Mose, a friend from their toddler class, is in the back of the coaster.)

This was after many choruses of "Aggie ride train!" It was HOT. We were waiting for all the other children to be seated. Just after my mom took this photo, it was, "Aggie all done!" But once the train got moving, she loved it.

At the top of the BIG Ferris Wheel with Grandma Lala in the middle...

A for Aga

Good morning... the children have been taking turns waking up at 5:30 for the last 10 days or so. Today it was Agatha. She's been enjoying drinking out of the water bottle Michael got at the 5K race a couple of weeks ago. As I was making my coffee just now, I heard her say, "A Aga, cup! A Aga, cup!" Yes, she had identified the capital letter A's! This I attribute to her wonderful babysitter, who paints A's with her or cuts A's out of paper and hangs them on the window. Hooray for Agatha!

It's very busy around here

Hearing update

Sorry for the long lay-off on the blogging! Many fine adventures have been had in the interim, and I'll get caught up over the next few days. Michael and Henry are here pictured at the 5K race a couple of weekends ago-- Michael ran his best time and came in 99th overall, out of some 3000 participants! Henry registered for the kid's race, but chickened out at the last minute. "Too many kids, Mama!" But he did glory in his official t-shirt, number, and red sweatband. He promises he's going to run next time.

Here he is, looking a little overwhelmed just before the start.

Our dear friends Eric and Meg came for a visit last week, and we went to the Landis Valley Museum, a collection of old buildings and implements that is a museum to 18th and 19th century life in Lancaster County. The highlight for Agatha was riding in a wagon behind this horse, and getting to touch his nose. The girl is horse crazy! "Aga ride! Aga ride!"

We just got back from taking Henry to the ENT specialist, and the verdict is that one ear is clogged with fluid (uninfected) and other is starting to clear (bubbles in the fluid), which accounts for the fact that we've noticed his hearing has improved in the last couple of days. We came away with the prescription to squeeze saline up his nose and get him to blow up a balloon once a day, in an effort to clear those tubes out. We'll go back in six weeks to check on it.

More soon!