Vinegar Pits

On Being the Youngest of Three

2010-10-04T22:10:00.002-04:00

I've often commented that Judah has no idea he's not the same age as his older brothers and their friends. He runs around the playground as firmly ensconced in the scrum as Caleb and Ezra, and he can even do some things his brothers can't. (Like, say, climbing up--and then back down--the bunk bed when the ladder isn't there. Ezra can only climb up; he needs our help to get back down, and while we're hefting him Earth-ward again, he complains, "But it's not fair. Judah is only two, and I'm almost five.")

So. We went to the First Grade Family Picnic at Caleb's school today, and after we ate--naturally--the children went to the playground. First, Caleb climbed on one of the play structures, and then Judah clambered right up after him. "Jude-Bug, remember that you're not six," I scolded. "But me is six," he retorted before correcting himself: "Actually, me seven."

And then (while his father infarcted [but not so much as to not take a video]) he proceeded to swing from the high bars. Again and again and again and again and again.

(A note on blog ethics: Our family friend Matt was right out of the range of the camera to spot Judah while I filmed.)

Sleepover

2010-09-19T14:10:00.006-04:00

Last night we were joined by the Durham HP's for a Yom Kippur break fast. We had a great time, and the best part was that Ella stayed over for the night, for a very fun sleepover.

First we had the traditional Ella-Ezra-pajama-swap.

In the morning, Joshua made delicious waffles and bacon, which the kids devoured, then we decorated our own cupcakes (with pink icing, in honor of having a second girl in the house).

We took our cupcakes and pink lemonade to the park. One of the first things the kids did, before even eating their cupcakes, was experiment with sprinkles dropped in pink lemonade. They were like little sugar-filled scientists.

Finally, they ate their cupcakes with gusto before heading to Durham to get Ella home.

We had a great time, and just wish it could have lasted longer! Come back any time, Ella!

Back To School (UPDATE)!

2010-08-25T15:33:00.002-04:00

Caleb is reporting a great first day of school! His teacher brought in her bearded dragon, Daphne, they got to have snack on the playground, and they already had time for math. The only complaints he had were that the math was kindergarten math, not first grade math, and they didn't have time for science. Those were most definitely not the problems I (or Joshua, I am guessing) ever had at school. And he didn't know how to write Callaway Gardens in Spanish, so he had a hard time writing what he did on summer vacation. All in all, in was a good day.

Here Caleb is, humoring me and my camera.

Back To School!

2010-08-25T14:20:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of school for all three of my boys. Caleb started first grade, Ezra started pre-K and Jude started preschool. All three started of great, and so far two of the three are home, with reports of great days!

The pictures of Caleb are somehow lost in the world between a memory card and the computer, so you will just have to take my word for it that he was absolutely adorable! He admitted to some feelings of nervousness, but they seemed like normal first day jitters. He did announce, "I wanted to be in first grade all year last year, and now I am!" I think he is going to be fine!

Ezra and Jude were both pretty excited to go back to the school they have known for their whole lives.

Jude walked in like he owned the place, and sent me away unceremoniously with a wave and a "See you later, mommy."

Ezra was a little nervous about going back, but the anticipation was worse than the reality. He immediately started playing with his friends and getting right into the toys and activities. Jude and Ezra were both pretty excited when they got to see each other on the way to the playground. Ezra told me that he gave Jude a big snuggle and it made them both feel better.

Now it is time to wait for Caleb to get home and see how his day went. And maybe to stage a new picture of Caleb...

Our Family of Five

2010-08-22T19:44:00.001-04:00

Caleb and Sharon Date Night

2010-08-20T14:33:00.003-04:00

This past spring has been a little crazy with selling our house and moving and all. One of the things that went by the wayside (besides blogging) was our parent-child date nights. We tried to make it up to the boys this summer by going to a few movies with them.

Caleb and I went to see Ramona and Beezus in July. We have been reading the series together, and this was a great movie for both of us. Good movie, popcorn, a slice afterward. Definitely a good date.

I Would Love To Know...

2010-08-20T14:29:00.002-04:00

What is going through Ezra's head when he sets up games like this?

Ezra Lost a Tooth!

2010-08-18T14:55:00.003-04:00

We were all very surprised a week ago when Ezra woke up and announced he had a loose tooth. He isn't yet five, and the tooth hadn't been the least bit wiggly. But this tooth was definitely loose. Very very loose. The first thing Ezra wanted to do was write a letter to the tooth fairy asking her to leave the tooth, as it was his favorite tooth. He took the note with him everywhere he went, afraid that the second the tooth fell out, the tooth fairy would swoop down and snatch it.

So we took the letter and a plastic bag when we took off for our family trip to Georgia (more on that later). It was a good thing we did as the tooth fell out the very first night we were gone. Ezra was just about to jump in the pool when it just slipped out of his mouth.

The tooth fairy was very kind and left the tooth, and took the note (she must have thought it was really cute and wanted to keep it forever). Ezra has big plans for his favorite tooth - he is going to cover it in glue and roll it in sprinkles. He can't wait for school to start so he can show all of his friends his gap. Here is a preview now:

And no, Ezra did not lose two teeth, he just has one very crooked bottom tooth.

A Short Story

2010-07-08T16:36:00.003-04:00

Beginning:

Middle:

End:

The End.

Jude or Not a Jude?

2010-03-22T21:57:00.003-04:00

One of these lookalike children belongs to us; the other does not. Any guesses?

Jude

2010-03-12T14:39:00.003-05:00

I just sent in the check and the registration signing Jude up for preschool next year. We love the preschool, and are excited for Jude to start there, but I am also a little sad. Jude is my baby (just ask him, he will tell you. "Juju mommy's baby."). We have a great time while the big brothers are at school--playing, walking, talking, and just relaxing. I think he likes getting the chance to be totally in charge, and I am pretty good at following directions.

Monday, we had a nice morning with gorgeous spring weather. I took a lot of pictures. I am in love with this little boy!

Jude was really into rocking.

I wasn't walking fast enough for his taste.

He acts like a big boy when he is alone with me.

More Pictures

2010-03-02T13:45:00.003-05:00

I am actually getting caught up on pictures! When I set out to do, I didn't actually think I would follow through, but here I am. I now have pictures on Flickr up through the end of Thanksgiving! Just three more months to add.

Jude looks much more like a baby in the November pictures, with a mullet and everything.

September Pictures

2010-02-28T22:09:00.001-05:00

I am a little slow on uploading to Flickr, but I am totally planning on catching up this week. Pictures from September can be seen here. Look for October pictures sometime in March.

Bowling

2010-02-13T14:17:00.004-05:00

Bowling might be my new favorite kid activity. Okay, so Ezra said it was boring, and Jude couldn't really take part, but I had a blast. And I didn't even lose (barely, and Caleb beat me, but he had bumpers).

I loved watching the kids bowl though. It was hilarious!

Caleb had his technique down from the beginning--ball between his feet, roll it straight down as fast as possible.

Then, once the ball got going, he would stand up, hands in the air until the ball hit the pins (which took a while).

Ezra changed his game up, doing it different every time. When he put the ball between his feet and rolled it, he looked like there would be a lot of force behind it, but it was more for show, and the ball took a long time getting down the lane (one time getting stuck).

Starting with the ball behind him worked a little better.

And the sideways fling was the fastest, though probably wouldn't have worked well without the bumpers.

He had an exuberant finish each and every time. Well, until he decided bowling was boring and let Moses and Jude take his turns for him.

Zachary coached Ella a bit before her first turn.

It clearly worked, and she got a spare her first time up.

And what were Moses and Jude up to while the big kids bowled?

The video arcade, natch.

Here I Am

2010-02-09T20:42:00.004-05:00

When this kid:

yells down the stairs, "Mommy, where are oo?" I pretty much have to come running. Forget that it is the only full sentence he has ever spoken. He just has the cutest voice. We are in serious danger of spoiling him rotten.

The Snow of 2010

2010-01-30T14:45:00.003-05:00

I only got a few pictures of our time in the snow this morning. Joshua is out of town and Jude decided very early on that he didn't like any part of him touching the snow, so there wasn't the opportunity to bring out the camera. The only picture that is worth posting is this one.

I really need to get Jude a snow suit. On the other hand, he probably still would have put his bathing suit on over it.

We didn't stay out of long. We had plenty of layers on, but none of them were water-proof, and the big boys only have rain boots, which very quickly filled up with snow. Every year I think we should invest in some kind of snow gear, but I know that I probably won't, since it only ever snows once or twice. It was fun while it lasted. Now on to baking brownies and watching movies.

The Many Faces of Ezra

2010-01-26T20:41:00.003-05:00

Fashion Week

2010-01-26T20:21:00.004-05:00

Judah has become a bit of a fashion bug lately. He picks his own clothes out in the morning, makes mid-day outfit changes for no obvious reason, and is big into accessorizing.

Here are a few of the outfits from this week alone. What is his secret? Layers.

I am kicking myself for failing to take a picture of him wearing his bathing suit over his sleeper, and topping it off with bear slippers.

Updated with abovmentioned picture:

Judah Is Two!

2010-01-07T12:58:00.004-05:00

Hello, anyone there? We have been gone for so long that I hope we haven't lost all of our readers. So much has been happening around here, and we have so many pictures to prove it, that we hope to have a lot more posts in the coming weeks.

The most important part of the recent past is Judah's second birthday! Judah is such a typical little two year old boy. He loves trucks, buses, trains, and airplanes. His most used (and most enunciated) words are "mine" and "no." He loves an audience and will put on a show for anyone at any time, except when we ask him to. He wants whatever his brothers have, and is pretty good at getting it. He is also incredibly cuddly, loves being sung to, and climbing into bed to snuggle and read. He is completely delightful to be around, and even when he is getting into trouble, he manages to be pretty cute.

Jude is finally growing a little bit. At the doctor today he weighed in at 27 pounds, putting him just under the 50th percentile. He has also shot up a bit, and is now just one inch shy of three feet. He is finally talking more too, with more words than we can really count. He went from only saying a handful of words, to saying pretty much everything back to you pretty clearly. My favorite word is definitely "bellybutton" but I couldn't even begin to write it out they way he says it. You are just coming to have to come visit and see his say it (while showing his off, of course).

His birthday itself was spent pretty quietly at home. We had a nice visit from Cousin Sharon the night before (thanks for all the glow sticks - you wouldn't believe all of the ideas we have had for ways to use them!), and went for a short walk in the bitter cold before she had to leave. Aunt Kelly and Uncle Zachary came over with Ella and Moses to share pizza and cake. Overall, Jude really seemed to enjoy himself. He was definitely most excited about his bus cake (buses being his all-time favorite thing). When anyone asks him how old he is, his response, invariably, is "Bus!!"

After eight days of Chanukah, plus the birthdays of Ella, Moses, Daddy and Uncle Zachary, Judah has been become a pro at gift-opening.

He loves playing trains, especially with his big brothers.

Getting his first look at his bus cake. He was one happy boy!

Blowing out the candles. He did it all by himself!

Happy Birthday, Juju! We love you so much!

A Boy of Few Words

2009-11-04T13:46:00.002-05:00

Judah doesn't have very many words, but he loves the ones he does use. His most understandable word is "bus" and he can spot any bus--school, city, or other--from 100 yards. The boy digs buses.

He was getting pretty exuberant the other night at dinner talking about his favorite subject--with his brothers egging him on. The other thing about Jude is that he loves an audience.

A Boy of Few Words from Joshua Kolling-Perin on Vimeo.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T16:18:00.004-05:00

The end of our October celebrations has come, and we have the pictures to show just how wonderful our final day was. We had a great weekend of parties, pumpkin carving, and family togetherness before we even got around to trick-or-treating, but the costumes and candy were definitely the main attraction for the kids.

Caleb, Ezra and Judah have been planning their costumes since the summer, and everyone seemed happy with how their costumes turned out.

Early in the day the Ezra-bot 4 decided he had no interest in wearing a box while walking through the neighborhood, but once everyone was dressed, and he found these 3D glasses, he changed his mind.

Caleb and his friend across the street decided they both wanted to be pirates, and excitedly talked about the details for months. It has never occurred to Caleb that his brothers might not want to be props in his costumes, so Judah was enlisted as his parrot.

You have to be careful in using an almost two-year-old in your plans though--they can be unreliable and feisty. Here he is, attacking his master.

The parrot did have his moments of calm though. He loved his costume so much, he didn't want to take it off at bedtime. If it hadn't been 100 degrees (more or less) we would have let him sleep in it.

These feathers were almost my undoing, so I had to show at least one picture with them.

A few weeks ago Caleb worriedly asked if pirates today still dress like his costume. I said they I imagined the Somali pirates probably wore jeans and t-shirts. He wanted to be authentic, but really liked his costume, so he asked if they at least still wear eye patches. I said I wasn't sure, but he slowly came around to the fact that most people wouldn't recognize him as a pirate if he just wore regular clothes (and I wasn't going to let him carry around a toy AK-47, or whatever pirates these days use). This pirate could never hurt anyone.

We attended a neighborhood pizza party, so the kids could get some grub before candy.

We were surprised to be serenaded by some Halloween carolers!

We walked up the hill in our neighborhood to begin our trick-or-treating, but about 5 houses up (after begging me after every house for just one piece of candy), Ezra decided he wanted to go home to Daddy to start in on his candy stash. I walked him and Judah home, leaving Caleb with a friend, and then caught back up with my pirate to finish the trick-or-treating. Once Caleb got home with his huge bag of candy, Ezra started to rethink his giving up so early. I took Ezra out for a few more houses, but even so, he has already gone through all of his loot.

Caleb is only eating about one piece a day, and should have candy until new years, even accounting for all the peanut products we had to take away. I am dreading how sad and angry Ezra is going to be tomorrow when he is the only one without any candy. He seemed a little bummed when I told him that Halloween only comes once a year. At least we have Thanksgiving to look forward to.

How Did He Get This Big?

2009-10-25T20:50:00.002-04:00

I am just trying to figure out how this baby

became this big boy.

Someone help me out here. I just can't believe my baby is six. Happy Birthday, sweet little man.

Caleb's Birthday Celebration

2009-10-25T20:22:00.005-04:00

Caleb's birthday celebration was a multi-day thing, with a birthday celebration at school for everyone with a birthday this month, muffins at school on his actual birthday, and today his birthday party at home. We had just a few friends over for playing and cake. Caleb had a great time planning it, Joshua and I had a great time executing it, and I think it is fair to say that everyone had a good time at the party.

We played "Pin the mouth on the Pumpkin."

Caleb requested red velvet cake for his birthday. The pumpkin on top is a bit menacing, but Caleb liked how it looked.

Those candles didn't stand a chance.

All the kids sitting around the table were silly and sweet and really funny.

Judah moved all of his cake into his cup and drank it. Needless to say, he made a mess.

And everyone went home with a candy apple. All around, it was the perfect fall birthday, if you ask me.

Caleb is busy planning his seventh birthday now that this one is out of the way. I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

Welcome to our Newest Family Members!

2009-10-25T20:12:00.003-04:00

Caleb is allergic to dogs, and I am allergic to cats. Hamsters make too much noise at night, and monkeys throw poop at you (or so Aunt Kelly tells us). But since every kid deserves something to love and take care of, we now have two pets.

Let me introduce you to Frank and Hoppy:

Thanks Aunt Kelly, Uncle Zachary, Ella and Moses for the best birthday presents ever!!

Kindergarten Update

2009-10-23T12:24:00.002-04:00

So, it is the end of Caleb's first quarter in Kindergarten, and we are happy to report that he still loves it. He loves it so much that today's teacher workday (meaning a three-day weekend for Caleb) meant he was completely bummed. He quickly came up with a solution that made him happy to have to stay home today: we simply recreated his specials (those extra classes that aren't in his homeroom: art, music, PE, etc). We came home from dropping Ezra off at preschool, and Caleb sat down for 20 minutes of computer "class" followed by snack, then playing with Legos. He still needs his gym class, so we will spend 20 minutes outside this afternoon running laps.

I asked if he would like to spend the morning speaking only in Spanish, but he declined. I guess there are only some parts of school that he misses if he can't have them.

Ezra's Birthday Celebration

2009-10-20T08:52:00.006-04:00

Ezra declared Sunday, "The best October 18th ever!" I would say that they day he came into our lives was the best October 18th, but this year was a close second.

We drove to the State Fair first thing in the morning, to try to beat the crowds. While we did get a close parking spot, and some uncrowded fairways to get our bearings, we learn that fair workers don't necessarily have everything ready to go when the fair actually opens, so we spent a long time waiting.

The agricultural center, which the state fair is supposed to be about, was all ready to go--I guess 9am is probably not all that early for our state's farmers. We saw giant pumpkins, baby chicks, miniature donkeys and tiny piglets. And a lot of really big cows. I figured maybe we should get out kids out to farms more often after Caleb asked if one of the cows was a camel, because it had a hump.

After that, the rides and midway opened up, and we had a day full of firsts.

First cotton candy and corn dogs.

Judah seemed mad after every bite of cotton candy because it just disappeared.

First roller coaster ride. It was pretty tame, but Ella and Ezra decided they were not huge fans of it. Caleb was thrilled though!

First ferris wheel. This seemed to be the highlight of everyone's day, and we had to ride it twice.

Ella was smiley the whole time, even though it was freezing!

First fun house maze (two different ones). I didn't think they were ever going to get out of the maze of mirrors, or the rolling sidewalk, but they finally did, and had a great time doing it.

While they were too short (and smart) to ride the huge drop ride, they loved watching the other fools, er, I mean fairgoers, doing it. They never noticed that people were shooting turkeys right behind them.

With so many new things to try, it was also fun to catch some old favorites like the carousel.

Judah was too short for even the carousel, and actually spent 99.9% of the fair doing this:

In honor of Ezra's birthday, we couldn't resist paying the guy to guess his birth month. He guessed within a month, so Ezra didn't win anything, but Daddy stepped up and won him a big blow-up Sponge Bob by having the guy guess his weight. The guy was off by more than 30 pounds, and Daddy saved the day. That is going to be our new fair trick for winning trinkets.

It is fair to say that we all had a good time.

And we were so happy that Ella and Uncle Zach were able to join us.

We went home to long warm naps, and then rallied for birthday presents, the dinner of Ezra's choosing (hamburgers, peas, and raw carrots), and then dessert.

Ezra helped me make the ice cream cake with chocolate crust, two kinds of ice cream, melted chocolate, and crushed oreos. It was definitely a winner.

I am happy that Ezra had such a wonderful birthday, and it was so nice that he choose something that made everyone so happy. Now we are enjoying the downtime until Caleb's birthday tomorrow!

A Preview and a Promise

2009-10-18T13:37:00.003-04:00

Today Ezra turns four, and he got to choose how he wanted to celebrate it. We will give the full report at the end of the day, but I will give you the teaser of what he chose.

The upshot is that everyone had a very good time!

Everyone is taking naps now, and later there will be presents and cake. I think overall Ezra will remember his fourth birthday as a pretty good one.

The promise? We will be much better about blogging from now on! (We can't get much worse, right?)

Hair Care Tips From Judah

2009-09-30T20:10:00.001-04:00

Out of mousse? Yogurt will work in a pinch.

Family Portrait

2009-09-23T15:43:00.003-04:00

Ezra was asked to draw a family picture in preschool today. The teachers were a little confused when he finished and there were only two people in the picture. They thought he misunderstood what they were asking him to do, so they asked him to explain the picture. Here is his explanation:

"This is my family portrait. This is me--I am big--and this is Judah--he is little. Caleb is at Kindergarten, Daddy is at work, and Mommy is upstairs folding laundry."

Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about this.

Judah in Bubby's Jewelry

2009-09-22T13:53:00.003-04:00

I think Marlyn would have liked to have seen Judah wearing her jewelry. Every time Bubby was visiting, Judah would crawl in her lap and delightfully twist and pull any necklace or bracelets she was wearing. She would also pack several different things so that he could examine different ones each day. She never got tired of him doing it, and would just watch and keep him from being too rough.

Now a lot of Marlyn's jewelry is at my house, waiting in a box until Kelly and I are ready to go through it. Judah found it the other day, and in no time, had put several necklaces on his neck, and dozens of bracelets on his arm. I think she would have enjoyed seeing how happy it made him.

Exquisite

2009-09-12T18:19:00.002-04:00

Ezra (near the end of a day in which he got a fat lip and, later, fell out of a tree): Daddy, I had a very, very, very; very, very, very; very, very, very; very, very, very; VERY, VERY, VERY bad day. But it was also partly exquisite.

Joshua: Wow, Ezra, what part of your day was exquisite?

Ezra: The TV part.

If a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood

2009-09-12T18:16:00.003-04:00

Caleb: I think it's interesting that you use axes to chop down trees to get wood, but axes are actually made of wood--their handles!

Joshua: That is interesting. So, how do you think they got the wood for the first axe?

Caleb: [Thinking.] They must have used woodchucks.

Kindergarten Update

2009-08-28T13:38:00.002-04:00

Caleb loves Kindergarten. Three days down, and he is absolutely thrilled. He loves seeing Molly every day. He loves the big computer screen called Smartie. He loves watching YouTube videos in Spanish. He likes the cafeteria, and story time, and the zip line on the playground. I haven't heard of anything he doesn't like.

After his first day of school we went to get ice cream, and he declared that he liked the ice cream, but he liked Kindergarten even more!

The second morning, he was up and dressed at 6:30, ready to go.

This morning he was up at 5:47.

I hope some of the excitement begins to wear off, or he is going to be getting up before I get to bed. Today he is riding the school bus home for the first time. This whole school thing is great!

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-26T11:36:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of Kindergarten for Caleb. He has been super excited all summer, but seemed a little nervous after a weekend of everyone asking him about it. By the time we were walking this school this morning, though, he seemed back to being excited. He picked out his drum shirt, and showed everyone his special trick for getting his backpack on.

The first person we saw when we got to school was his friend Molly, who was completely confident and self-assured. Her enthusiasm seemed to rub off on him, and while he was initially worried about joining the class while I filled out some paperwork, he was comfortable following Molly into the classroom and then into the line to go outside (Molly is the blond with pigtails in the picture below).

I caught a final glimpse of Caleb when they were lining up to come back inside, and he seemed to be doing okay. I am going to have to ask Uncle Zachary for the full update on how school goes, because Caleb told me he was going to tell Uncle Zach, but no one else. I hope you have your phone on, Z!

Ezra's Bedtime Story

2009-08-18T20:21:00.002-04:00

By Ezra

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Shasha, and she liked to eat dinner every night. Her mom didn't let her eat dinner every night, so one night she went to look for a banana, because she was hungry and she loved bananas. She found a banana, but it wasn't a normal banana! It could walk and talk!

The banana followed Shasha home, and kerpluflunkashamasham!!!!! The banana turned over all the furniture in Shasha's house.

Luckily, a nice dinosaur came and picked up all the furniture and made the house clean again.

The End.

Just because he is interested in the potty...

2009-08-14T16:34:00.002-04:00

...doesn't mean Judah is ready to use the potty.

What-a-Melon!

2009-08-08T15:33:00.000-04:00

2039

2009-08-06T13:54:00.002-04:00

If everything works out the way Caleb and Ezra were planning it yesterday, this is what my family will look like by the middle of the century.

Joshua and I will live in a little log cabin. Judah will live next door to us, all alone. Caleb will live across the street, with his wife Molly (the little girl across the street who will be in the same Kindergarten class this year), and their two children Sharon and Joshua (actually, Caleb knows you don't get to decide what gender your children are, so those are just the names he will use if he has a boy and a girl). Ezra will live next to Caleb with his husband Wesley (his best friend who lives across the street from us now). Ezra checked with Caleb first to make sure that boys can marry boys, to which Caleb replied, "Yes. The only rule is that you have to be in love and want to get married. You don't have to be married if you don't want to." Ezra and Wesley will have a boy and a girl (I guess maybe they would get to choose), and name them Joshua and Gretl.

Caleb and Ezra will both have pools in the houses, but Caleb's will be deep, with a diving board, and Ezra's will be a baby pool with a big frog slide. Caleb thinks it will be safer to have all of the parties at Ezra's house, so it will be safer for the little kids.

What will they do to pay for these houses and swimming pools? Caleb and Ezra will both stay home with their kids. Ezra said Wesley could choose what he wanted to do, but Caleb said Molly will be a doctor.

They paint a sweet little picture.

Pictures

2009-08-04T22:38:00.002-04:00

I have been really lazy about uploading pictures to Flickr--not that I don't have a thousand pictures. My pictures just sit on my desktop. So, here they are, a lot of pictures taken through the end of July.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queenofsheba/

Enjoy!

Making Sun Flower Seed Butter

2009-08-04T22:22:00.002-04:00

Caleb has spent the summer carefully tending his sunflowers that he planted in the spring. He waters them before camp and checks on how tall they grow from day to day.

He was very happy when they began to get taller than him, and they quickly got to be much taller than him.

When they started to bloom, Caleb was beside himself.

Now Caleb is busy doing research to see how to dry out sunflower seeds in order to grind it into butter.

In the meantime, we are just enjoying the blooms while they last.

His Logic Is Good, But Wrong

2009-07-24T15:05:00.002-04:00

Ezra: I have a great idea! Let's get on a spaceship and go to Earth!

Sharon: We are on Earth.

Ezra: No, I want to go to the Earth that is in space.

Sharon: Well, space is all around us, and we are on Earth.

Ezra: Space isn't around us. How can we get to Earth?

Sharon: Do you want to go somewhere else in space?

Ezra: Yeah. Let's go to the Earth that is in space.

Family

2009-07-21T13:47:00.004-04:00

I have these photos that I have been holding onto since we went to the beach. I love them, but wasn't sure what to do with them. But now, I realized I needed to post them for everyone.

We are just so lucky that Kelly and Zachary, and Ella and Moses live so close; but the downside is that when they spend all summer traveling for work and fun (as they do every year), we miss them. A lot. So, in honor of our Durham family, here are the pictures I took at the beach of all of the various family configurations. Enjoy!

Kelly and Ella:

Ella and Moses:

The HPs of Durham:

The big cousins:

All the cousins:

All of us:

We can't wait to see you! Come home safe!

Bathtub Diving

2009-07-20T20:37:00.003-04:00

Caleb and Ezra really wanted to master their goggles before taking them out in the big pool. Now they want to wear their goggles in the bath every night. It makes it hard to wash hair, but, man, is it cute!

Back to Tennessee

2009-07-20T20:25:00.005-04:00

The boys and I took a quick trip to Oak Ridge over the weekend. The time sped by with a lot of visiting and good food, a short trip to the pool in unseasonably cool weather, and lots of playing with cousins.

Caleb and Ezra haven't seen their cousins Rebecca and Jacqueline in three whole years, and loved all the attention they got from them. Rebecca helped keep Judah out of trouble, and Jacqueline possibly acquired favorite cousin status by putting Wall-E on for them. (Mark was also a cousin extraordinaire, but refused to have his picture taken.)

Ezra asked today why they don't get to see "the big cousins" more often (the cousins older than 8 are lucky when they get assigned a name, and it is rarely the correct one. Jacqueline was called Rebecca all weekend, and Mark was called Craig, even though Craig was out of town). We wish we could see them all more often. We miss them already!

Rainy Day Fun

2009-07-20T20:04:00.003-04:00

All Caleb asked for was 2 pieces of paper, tape, three straws, some string, and a balloon. He is a little MacGyver.

Naturally, Ezra wanted to be just like his big brother.

The Ezralexicon

2009-07-12T21:50:00.003-04:00

When I think about Ezra's relationship with the English language, I'm reminded of the old saying about crazy drivers, that they take speed limit signs "as a suggestion." That's Ezra--he takes the august body of English grammar and diction as a suggestion. The amazing thing is, most of the time he ends up making more sense than the rest of us.

Some examples:

Apricotty plum, noun: Pluot. Used primarily when he can't remember the word pluot. "This apricotty plum is delicious!"

Banana bump, noun: The two ends of a banana; the most desirable part of the fruit. "You can share my banana with Judah, but don't let him have the banana bumps."

Bottomings, noun: That which is below toppings, as with ice cream sundaes. "The toppings on this banana split are yummy, but so are the bottomings."

Moony, adj.: A description of the situation when the moon is out, particularly when it is full or close to full; the opposite of sunny. "It's very moony out tonight."

Pajamaed, adj.: The state of wearing pajamas. "Look how quickly I got pajamaed tonight!"

Reservwater, noun: A conflation of the words reservoir and water. "The reservwater is looking very full."

Sleevy, adj.: A reference to the length of the sleeves on a shirt. "That sweatshirt is more sleevy than this t-shirt."

The Thumbs of My Feet, noun: Big toes. "I have blisters on the thumbs of my feet."

The Lengths Ezra Has to Take to Throw Off the Paparazzi

2009-07-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

One and a Half

2009-07-11T20:13:00.003-04:00

This started out as a "Judah is 16 months old!" post, but then here it is two months later, and he is a year and a half. It has been an important two months in the growth of Judah. He is talking more, playing more, and getting into a lot more trouble.

Judah, despite his early (how shall I put it)...plumpness, is kind of a little peanut now. At 31.5 inches, he is a tiny bit below average for his age, but his 23 pounds puts him at only the 10th percentile for weight (his big head gives him room for a larger than average brain). Don't let his size fool you though, he can make his brothers, and the neighborhood cat, cry "uncle" with his strength.

He is a climbing fool. When he isn't climbing onto the kitchen or dining room tables, he can generally be found on top of the bunk beds in the big boys' room. He can scale any of the ladders and rock walls the local playgrounds put in his way, we frequently re-enter the kitchen or dining room just after leaving to find him on top of the table, and I doubt his crib will contain him for long.

This is the view we most often see of Judah:

He is always running: to his brothers, away from me, or to get into whatever interests him. We have only lost him once, when he took off out of the public library while Caleb, Ezra and I were in a big crowd. You can't leave a door open for long without him scrambling to escape out of it.

That isn't to say that he doesn't love to be near us though. He loves to pile onto anyone crazy enough to lay down on the floor. He grabs a quick snuggle (and then climbs and stands, as if he is Sir Edmund Hillary, conquering the mountain). He want to be near his brothers whenever they let him, and if they can do something, he is going to try to do it too.

Judah is finally starting to talk a bit. We were never very worried, as he definitely can make his wishes known, but we were getting a bit curious about when he was going to start sharing his words with us. His most recognizable words seem to be mama, dada, Cal (for Caleb), ca (for cat), yes, and no; but he also has a whole other set of words which we understand, but that don't resemble anything in the English language: ah-mon for please (your guess is as good as mine), and ta da for thank you being the most common.

At 18 months Judah still seems like our baby, but he is growing up faster than we can believe. He is keeping us on our toes (and I mean all of us--Caleb and Ezra have learned that there isn't a hiding spot or high counter that Judah can't reach to get to their stuff). He makes life really happy and lively. Happy half birthday, Judah-Bug!

Weirdest Lovie

2009-07-09T14:09:00.002-04:00

Up until Judah, our kids have had pretty traditional lovies--blankies, bears, the usual. Judah doesn't snuggle at night with twin pillar candles or giant fire trucks, as other kids we know have done, but he does have a fairly strange lovey.

His crib sheet is his lovey. It isn't just any crib sheet, it is The Ultimate Crib Sheet (that is not Judah, but some stranger baby on the Amazon website).

This crib sheet is the best thing that ever happened to changing wet cribs in the middle of the night because it is a crib sheet/waterproof mattress pad all in one, and it just snap on top of your regular sheet. Since he was a few months old, Judah has scooted, crawled, or jumped to the corner of his crib, lifted a little of the sheet up, and snuggled it while sucking his thumb.

As he has gotten stronger, Judah has learned how to unsnap the corners, giving himself more sheet to snuggle with. He really loves when we travel and he can carry it around, or when I wash it and he can abscond with it before I get it put away.

The one problem with this lovey is that, being waterproof, it is plastic on the bottom. That has always made me a bit nervous, but not terribly so. It seems like if it were a big problem, the Back-to-sleep campaigners would have spoken out against it.

So, the other night on my way to bed, I peeked into Judah's room to get one last look at my sleeping angel, but there was no Judah to see! One corner of the sheet was unsnapped and folded back, and he crib sheet looked as though it were floating about two inches off the mattress. And Judah was sleeping underneath it! I about fell out laughing, and ran to get Joshua (but not the camera, darnnit) before unsnapping the sheet and taking it off my baby's head. I wish I had a picture to share with you, but I know that I will always have that image in my head.

I am not sure what Judah will do when he sleeps in a big boy bed, since his crib sheet is a bit unweildy. And I am afraid we will need to figure that out sooner rather than later. Just watch the video below. I am waiting for a thump on the floor any night now.

Crib Climbing from Joshua Kolling-Perin on Vimeo.

Fourth of July: the Happy Pictures

2009-07-06T13:47:00.007-04:00

In addition to the forced march of misery, Saturday was full of all the things that make summer holidays wonderful.

A bounce house obstacle course:

Three-day weekend with Daddy:

Sprinklers:

Fresh summer corn:

Rainbow wigs:

Fireworks in the street:

And sparklers:

We decided to wait another year to brave the craziness of the fireworks. The boys were happy to spend Sunday morning in their PJs watching the DC fireworks that I Tivo'd Saturday night.

Happy Fourth!

I Swear the Fourth of July Parade Is Fun!

2009-07-05T20:25:00.004-04:00

I was just going through all 248 pictures I took yesterday while celebrating our nation's freedom. What struck me is that once again, my children look absolutely miserable at the morning's parade. They have looked miserable every year at the parade.

2009

2008

2007

2006
That last one isn't our child--even the neighbor's kids look miserable on this forced march down Main Street to Town Hall.

I don't know what to say about it, other than that we have never forced them to go to the parade and ride bikes and eat funnel cake. They have always had a choice, and they always look forward to it. I will just take it as proof that photographic evidence can be misleading.

Thanks for the Visit, Bubby!

2009-07-05T20:13:00.002-04:00

We are so happy that you came down to visit and spend July 4th with us, Bubby! We can't wait to see you again!

Boston 2009

2009-06-29T21:35:00.008-04:00

A week in Boston!

Although, technically speaking, the actual destination may have just been gilding the lily. As Sharon--that notorious wag--put it, maybe next year we should just drive up and down the New Jersey Turnpike. Along the way: Tunnels! Ships! Cranes! Overpasses! Trucks! Factories! Airplanes! Diggers! Trains! It was like having James Brown in the car; every few minutes, somebody would yell out, "Bridge!"

And once we got there: Subways! Buses! Caleb can tell you all about the different T lines--where they go, what they look like. (The Red Line is the line that goes over the Longfellow Bridge--a bridge with a train line on it!--and its cars look like the cars in Washington and New York. The Green Line is what we pick up at Lechmere, and its cars look more like trolleys; they operate at street level when they're above-ground. You get the picture.)

Here's Caleb overjoyed to be in the underground bus station--"It's like a subway station, but for buses!"--at Harvard Square:

And here's our youngest straphanger, Judah:

Don't let the infrastructure-love give you the wrong impression: We spent some great time with Aunt Laura and Uncle Jeff, who are loved.

Thanks for your generosity and hospitality!

And we got to see good old friends.

Hannah:

And Eloise, with new friend Sam:

Did I mention it was mostly gloomy?

Who cares?--more time for naps:

And snuggles:

In between cloudbursts, we got out to the Public Garden. First, the pigeons made way for us...

...then we made way way for ducklings:

Not to be left unmentioned, our stop in New Haven on the way up. Early dinner at that ziggurat of pizza, Frank Pepe's! Here are Caleb and Ezra looking longingly in at the oven during our (long) wait, along with Ethan, whose brother Liam and dad John--my grad school roommate--joined us for the meal. (So nice to see you guys!)

If you're interested (and comfortably seated), Caleb and Ezra can tell you all about Pepe's coal-fired oven, how it's superior to a wood-fired oven because it can reach higher temperatures, why high heat makes better pizza... (don't worry; I'm raising these kids right).

We also stopped at Yale for a little roaming. Here's Ezra making waves at the Women's Table, an icon on the center of campus:

Caleb was way into the icons flanking the main entrance to Sterling Library (as was his dad fifteen years ago, so he comes by this rightly):

And all the boys were able to indulge their passion for what we call "secret-passageways"--around Carrboro, generally just openings in hedgerows or, when we're lucky, short alleys between buildings--with Yale's arches, gates, and tunnels. Here are all four Kolling-Perin males peeking in through the gate to the Branford College Master's House:

Caleb, summing up the trip, told us that Boston is his favorite city, so maybe we'll be back up this way again!

Night at the Museum

2009-06-27T13:32:00.008-04:00

Caleb and Ezra had a hard time understanding why we were going to their favorite children's museum without them--dressed up, no less, and on a Saturday night while they stayed home with a babysitter. "Why is Melissa getting married at Marbles?," Ezra kept asking, nose scrunched and eyes narrowed. We might as well have been going to a funeral at an amusement park.

Sorry to say it, guys: We had a great time! Along with a handful of work friends who ventured into the exhibits during the reception, we had the run of the place.

It's amazing how much fun a kid's museum can be without the, um, kids.

Maybe He Was Right

2009-06-24T22:21:00.002-04:00

A follow-up to the post last month in which Ezra told me that he can read but has kept it a secret because he doesn't like to do it out loud:

He called out with gusto "That sign says ice cream!" as we passed a Dunkin Donuts billboard the other day. A lot you know, Mr. Three-Year-Old Know-It-All; the sign says, um, iced coffee.

Okay then.

Good-Bye Preschool

2009-06-14T22:26:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, Caleb finished his preschool career, and has the certificate to prove it! The school had a sweet little graduation ceremony where the teacher called each child up for a hug, a certificate, and a cupcake. Caleb dressed himself that morning in order to be fancy for the big day.

I guess this makes him technically a Kindergartner now. He already talks about his preschool as either "his old school" or "Ezra's school." I am just trying to enjoy how much he is enjoying every new step.

Congratulations, Caleb!

Underpants Party

2009-06-14T22:01:00.005-04:00

The other day while the younger boys were sleeping, Caleb asked me for some string and how to spell "dear." I had no idea what he was doing, and left him alone while I folded laundry and paid some bills.

When Ezra came down from nap, he was greeted by the above invitation. He was thrilled to be invited to a party, especially since the invitation was from his older brother who he adores and looks up to. He didn't really know what to expect, and neither did I, but we were more and more curious as we watched the party prep commence.

First we found Caleb in the kitchen doing this:

If you need a close-up to see what exactly he is doing:

Once he had all the underpants on the string as he wanted, he held it up like a big fish he has just caught:

Next we all went up to the big boys' room, where the party was being held:

It was an underpants party! Complete with underpants streamers hanging between the bed and the dresser:

Caleb was so proud of his party idea and execution. I threw in some mint chocolate chip milkshakes (because what is a party without food?) and we then sat in the underpants-decorated room, simply enjoying the silliness.

Judah wasn't formally invited, but since he enjoyed it so much, Caleb didn't have the heart to turn him away:

Give Caleb some string, and you never know what you are going to get!

The Band

2009-06-09T13:56:00.003-04:00

Nine years ago (almost to the day), Joshua and I had just gotten engaged when we traveled to East Tennessee to attend the wedding of our friends Alie and Rob. They are incredible musicians, both of them, and they come from large families of equally amazing musicians. There was a full orchestra at the ceremony, plus a serenade by the groomsmen, all around the pond at the family farm. Then at the reception, you couldn't turn around without running into a group of people singing or playing a guitar. The night fell with a huge group of musicians jamming around the campfire.

Joshua and I left that wedding determined to have a musical family. We knew this was going to take a bit of work, since neither of us have a single ounce of musical ability. But we really like music and we listen to it a lot, so we figured we had a bit of a start.

Lucky for us, Alie and Rob moved down to our neck of the woods a few years ago, and we are hoping the boys are picking up some musical knowledge from them. Caleb, Ezra and Judah all have the desire and love of music that I would guess anyone needs to start out. And when they are joined by their cousins, they are an amazing act.

Judah "Woody" Seth:

Duo Caleb and Maddie (with a tinkertoy mic):

Rockin' Out:

Sharon pretending to play - it soothes Judah, despite the sound:

Our Family Motto!

2009-06-05T20:33:00.004-04:00

Last night at dinner, a burping, farting, bare-feet-on-the-table, belly-laughing boy-fest, I looked over at Sharon shaking her head in regret, and I realized...

The Kolling-Perins: 80% Man, 20% Manners

Sweaty, Yet Adorable, Ezra

2009-06-01T10:41:00.000-04:00

Ezra Can Read!; or, Can Ezra Read?

2009-05-21T20:45:00.001-04:00

"I've been teaching myself how to read, but you haven't heard it yet because I don't like to do it out loud."

Feather World

2009-05-19T20:21:00.003-04:00

Aunt Julie, Amelia, and Leah came to visit, and what better way to welcome them than to dump feathers all over the bedroom?

That's right. Ezra thought it would be (and was) great fun to shake all of the feathers from a pillow my Grandmother made for me way back in the Seventies all over his room. It was shocking to see how much you can cover with a really small pillow-full of feathers. Even after I yelled at him to stop, Ezra continued to shake them all over the room because, as he told Aunt Julie, "It is just so much fun and makes Amelia laugh." Amelia was smart and got out of the room fast while Aunt Julie helped Ezra clean up.

You didn't think I let my frustration stop me from taking a few pictures did you? Here's the proof.

He Finally Likes Books!

2009-05-18T20:06:00.002-04:00

We are a family of readers, and so we were starting to get a bit worried that Judah at 16 months still had absolutely no interest in books. Then one day, he wanted to read Where's That Duck? Now we look for that duck on average 78 times a day, eagerly giving in every time Judah says, "Gen!" (again). He is also making forays into Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (apparently he likes questions), and The Snowy Day. Making it even more fun is that Caleb reads to Judah about half the time. Hopefully we will get that on video soon.

The Marker Eater

2009-05-18T15:06:00.002-04:00

Big Giant Ball of Fun

2009-05-18T14:42:00.003-04:00

Aunt Julie gave the boys a big giant blow-up ball sprinkler early last summer. Unfortunately, before they got a chance to use it, most of North Carolina fell into a pretty severe drought. By the time the drought was gone, it was too cold to play with the sprinkler.

Now the weather is warming up, the drought is over, and the boys have been dreaming of this sprinkler for over a year now. It is everything they thought it would be. They had a few friends over, and had a blast.

The Chicken Whisperer

2009-05-18T13:55:00.002-04:00

Some people have a way with dogs, others with horses, and still others with babies. But until you have seen Judah at a farm, you have never seen anyone so good with chickens.

We went to Spence's Farm during the annual Piedmont Farm Tour. I assumed the boys would all really enjoy seeing the big horses, and donkeys, but we actually spent most of the time in the chicken yard. Caleb and Ezra thought they were interesting, but didn't want to go anywhere near the chickens. Judah followed the chickens around trying to get a feel for them.

One of the farm workers picked one up for Judah to feel, since they were all a little too fast for him.

Judah loved her beak, her feathers, and her eyes. Ezra wasn't so sure we should be letting Judah get so close to her.

We took a look inside the hen house, but Judah wanted to stay a little longer. He tried really hard to follow one of the hens back into the house.

Don't worry, Judah, we will go back again next year, and you can spend more time with the chickens.

A Time to Sow

2009-05-17T20:26:00.003-04:00

This post is a bit belated, and the zinnias and sunflowers are now several inches high, but I didn't want to ignore this wonderful spring ritual. Caleb and Ezra each picked out their own seeds, planted them, fertilized them with Daddy's rich compost, and watered them. We check them regularly, and will be showing more pictures as they grow.

Welcome, Spring!

Silly Human Tricks

2009-05-12T14:49:00.003-04:00

The last night at the beach, the kids were all pretty wound up. We had spent a good long while taking hundreds of family photos, with the adults being as silly as possible to keep the kids laughing. It is no wonder that no one wanted to put their pj's on and get going to bed. Since I am not above bribery, it was easy to decide that we would give the kids something they wanted in exchange for getting to bed. They had already had dessert and we were already on vacation, so what do you use as bribery? It was time to be creative.

Lucky for us, it came out that Eric has lots of amazing tricks up his sleeve, and voila, we had our bribe. I have never seen the kids scurry so fast to put on pj's and brush teeth. They were back upstairs in the blink of an eye waiting for Eric to show off his amazing tricks. The camera didn't catch the beginning of his high jumping and kicking performance, but I didn't grab his last amazing jump.

Not to be outdone, Caleb, Ezra and Ella got into the action.

What a group we have going! I think Eric and the kids should take this show on the road!

Beach Trip 2009

2009-05-10T21:37:00.009-04:00

Beach trip 2009: The first of many!

We traveled to Topsail Island, NC, with Kelly, Zachary, Ella, Moses, Anna, and Eric for four days of fun.

Here's our house, a big, rambling place in a quiet neighorhood, right on the beach:

That walkway you see Ezra on? It leads directly down to where the action is:

Lots of time playing by the ocean:

Brave Caleb even let Zachary show him how to boogie-board. Too bad that wave came along when it did!--but our hero got right back up.

(An aside: It was this experience that prompted Caleb to coin the phrase "nose water," a brilliantly precise definition of what he had just experienced. This happens with kids, who have the tools of language but not the baggage of what we do and don't say: Caleb utters "nose water," and we wonder why we've never said it that way before.)

We had a great time--and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Madeline's First Communion

2009-05-05T14:45:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was very busy, filled with all sorts of fun things. That best part was that we got to spend time with lots of different people we care about. Sunday was cousin Madeline's First Communion, which Caleb and I attended. We got to see Aunt Kathy and cousins Julia and Lilly. Caleb was one of only two "men" there since Uncle Mike is in Singapore, and Caleb bonded with Madeline, Amelia and Leah's Grandpa Tom, but also enjoyed being with all the girls. I loved spending time with my sisters and being able to celebrate Madeline's special day with her.

More pictures over at Flickr.

Beet It

2009-04-28T21:32:00.002-04:00

Tonight's dinner of beet, lentil, and goat cheese salad with fennel vinaigrette earned a "No thank you, it's not to my taste" from Ezra, but young Judah went to town.

Vinegar Pits Word Cloud

2009-04-27T15:59:00.003-04:00

Make of this what you will.

created at TagCrowd.com

Caleb Teaching Judah the Finer Points of Teeth-Brushing

2009-04-24T20:09:00.004-04:00

We're In Good Hands

2009-04-19T20:46:00.002-04:00

Dear Dad,

I know how much watching your oldest grandchild sing the Four Questions for the first time this Passover would have made you kvell. (Not bad, right?)

Trust me: We're all going to keep doing you proud.

All my love,

Joshua

Messy Face

2009-04-17T22:43:00.003-04:00

Whether gardening or eating dinner, Judah always manages to get his face as dirty as possible. And it makes him so so very happy.

It is a little hard to see unless you enlarge the photo, but Judah smeared dirt all over his face while we dug up the herb garden to prepare it for planting. He tried eating dirt, a snail, and even a really long worm.

Alicia, thanks for the delicious meal. Judah clearly enjoyed it, and some of it even ended up in his mouth.

Spring Break

2009-04-08T09:57:00.003-04:00

Caleb and Ezra's preschool is on Spring Break this week, so we took the opportunity to take a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's. Joshua had a business trip to NYC, so I packed up the car with tons of snacks and toys, uploaded many many books on tape to my iPod, and the boys and I hit the road. The driving was easy, the audio books kept everyone entertained, and the boys were the best travelers ever!

The boys were so excited to see their cousins, aunts and, of course, Grandma and Grandpa. Ezra was so sad when it was time to leave that he asked Grandma to come back with us - she could even choose if she wanted to sit in the front seat or the middle seat.

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Oak Ridge Children's Museum. The weird thing is that though this museum was open my entire childhood, I don't remember it a bit. We almost had to scrap the whole adventure when none of the boys were willing to walk past the giant taxidermy polar bear at the entrance, but once past that obstacle, they liked every room better than the last. Judah immediately started dressing up in the Appalachian room.

Caleb and Ezra took control of the castle and rocket ship, blasting off to space, climbing through the dungeon, and scaling the walls of the castle.

They all enjoyed the child-sized house too, though I had a hard time getting Judah out of it.

The drive home was a little less perfect than the rest of the trip, though the boys were just as amazing. My attempt to get out before the roads froze meant that I drove through a bit of a snowstorm in the mountains (I tried to get a picture without driving off the road, but quickly decided to abort the effort). We made it back safely, and the boys were more than happy to watch the snow swirly around the car, so all's well that ends well.

Now we are off to have new adventures for the rest of our spring break...

Flashback

2009-04-01T20:30:00.004-04:00

Judah, 15 months:

Ezra, 12 months:

More pictures of Ezra and the balloon here.

Never a Still Moment

2009-03-31T23:05:00.004-04:00

Here's some hilarious documentation of--don't blink, or you'll miss it!--a short still moment from our ever-busy little Judah-Bug. The boy likes to move; the majority of his play consists of picking something up and carrying it around the house, smiling.

Which makes it funny that we were able to catch him briefly sitting down contentedly with Sharon the other day.

In no time, of course, he began to explore.

And explore some more.

Pretty soon, he was all the way off the couch, scalp-deep in the salad spinner, taking another tour of the downstairs.

Hanging Out on a Lazy Sunday

2009-03-29T22:00:00.001-04:00

Next Question, Please

2009-03-27T08:34:00.002-04:00

Ezra: How do our eyes see?

Caleb: How do we dream?

Boys Being Boys

2009-03-24T19:58:00.005-04:00

Baking bread with Daddy

Hanging with their best buds

Playing "in the bagel" (that's what they call it, don't ask me)

Watching basketball with Uncle Z

Getting into everything with their friends

Quote of the Day

2009-03-24T19:43:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Ezra: "Mommy, does 'Whatever' mean I can have some?"

Last Day of Winter

2009-03-21T13:07:00.003-04:00

I love living in North Carolina for several reasons, but two that are at the top of my list right now are 1) we live super close to my sister and Joshua's brother meaning our kids are growing up with their cousins, and 2) the weather is always pretty bearable, and even winter is often pretty nice.

Thursday, the last day of winter, we had a perfect North Carolina day (see previous post), complete with a tasty picnic (thank you Aunt Kelly) at Duke Gardens and lots of exploring with cousins Ella and Moses.

The big kids explored the water.

The little kids explored the land.

The big kids hiked together.

While Judah took off on his own.

Moses sat still for the camera a lot, but wouldn't let me catch him smiling. I will need to use my telephoto next time.

There are a few more pictures at flickr.

A Good Day

2009-03-19T23:20:00.003-04:00

Today was a really good day. The boys and I had a special breakfast together at our local co-op where we were lucky to run into several very good friends. Everyone (including me) had a long long nap. We watched a little basketball (go Heels!). We ran around outside with two of our favorite cousins and had a picnic for dinner (pictures from that tomorrow).

Those things alone made the boys very very happy. They didn't need anything else to happen for today to be a GREAT day. But just when you think things can't get any better...

On our way home from breakfast, while we were waiting to cross the street, a big truck with a crane and a bucket with the city logo on it pulled up, a man climbed into the bucket part of the truck (I don't know the technical terms), raised the bucket into the air, and spent over 30 minutes fixing a traffic light. And we sat on the corner the whole time in total, absolute heaven. I just wish I knew more about how traffic lights work so that I could have answered some of the many questions they asked about what the man was doing. I practically had to drag them away when it was time to go home.

Some days really do seem perfect.

Through my Child's Eyes

2009-03-12T10:58:00.003-04:00

If you have an account on Facebook, then you know that there are always new quizzes, lists, or other tests for you to fill out and tell the world about you. Or if you have kids, you can fill out lists about them. I find some of the interesting, many of them boring, and some of them downright hilarious.

After seeing a friend post her list of questions she asked her child to answer, I decided to ask Caleb a few things about me. While several of the answers were "I don't know" (how would he know my favorite tv show? It isn't like I discuss 'The Wire' with my five year old), other answers were pretty funny. Here they are, with some editorial comments.

2. What makes mommy happy? saying 'I love you'

3. What makes mommy sad? When I waste time (I guess I need to teach him more about the difference between sad and frustrated)

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Telling me silly jokes

5. What was your mom like as a child? She liked to do legos

8. What is her favorite thing to do? I think build legos (legos again)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? clean

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? writing a book (I'll get started on that right away)

11. What is your mom really good at? balancing on one foot

12. What is your mom not very good at? playing the violin (I have never actually tried)

13. What does your mom do for her job? take care of us (this is when Ezra, who didn't appear to be listening piped in with "wash the dishes")

14. What is your mom's favorite food? butternut squash soup (probably right)

15. What makes you proud of your mom? balancing on her hands (all those years of gymnastic have really paid off)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? the man with the yellow hat (???)

17. What do you and your mom do together? build legos (again with the legos - is this about him or me?)

18.How are you and your mom the same? we both suck our thumbs (I don't suck my thumb. Not anymore. Not in his lifetime, in fact.)

19. How are you and your mom different? I eat with my hands and she doesn't (it is true - I use a fork much more often)

22. How do you know that Daddy loves Mommy? because he is married to her

23. What is your mom's favorite color? pink (always pink, just because I am a girl)

24. What is mom scared of? rotten milk (I think scared is a bit strong. I just don't like it)

What A Difference A Week Makes

2009-03-09T22:20:00.003-04:00

Having spent most of my life not far from here, I know that this time of year in North Carolina the weather swings all over the place. But even I was amazed by the crazy shift in weather that has occurred over the past week. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Monday, March 2, 2009:

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Pigs

2009-03-09T21:58:00.004-04:00

A week ago, when Ezra said to me, "Mommy, you have a big bum!" I tried hard not to be offended. I mean, he is only three, after all. It has taken some time, but now I am not taking his big bum comment personally. You see, he thinks all grown-up have big bums. As our friend Solomon pointed at, they are what he looks at when surrounded by adults, and they probably do seem pretty big. What really got me over the hump was this drawing:

This is a drawing of a pig (in case you couldn't tell). It has four legs, two ears, two eyes, a tail and a snout. Naturally, I asked him what the pig was standing on, to which Ezra said, "What?" I repeated my question, and when he still didn't understand my questions, I rephrased it and said, "Tell me about his big oval here at the bottom." As a look of comprehension spread over Ezra's face, he smiled and said, "That is the pig's bottom. It is big because it is a grown-up pig."

Welcoming Spring With Ella and Moses

2009-03-08T21:36:00.004-04:00

It may have snowed last Monday, but by this weekend the temperatures were in the high 70s--close to a normal seasonal transition for North Carolina, even though it takes all of April and May to do the same thing in Boston (whence Sharon fled many moons ago).

We welcomed the year's first springy weekend with cousins Ella and Moses this morning at a playground (sort of) (okay, not at all) (thanks for the extra driving, Zachary) between our houses. We had a great time.

We swung...

We spun...

And we climbed (adding a cousin at a time, until we got as close as we've been in a long time to getting all five Perin cousins in the same frame)...

Observations

2009-03-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

1. Judah can't say yes when laying down. You see, Judah's "yes" is a non-verbal, full body nod. His head and his neck just aren't all that involved - it is more about his belly, his shoulders, and the rest of his torso. So when I change his diapers and say things like, "Should we put your pants back on?" he just sort of lays there, but he gets a grimace on his face. He wants to say yes, but he can't do it when flat on his back.

2. Judah only has two words, really. Bye-bye, and Ezra. I love how he says Ezra (every bit as much as I loved hearing Ezra say "Baydat"). The stress is on the ZRA, and it is more like one and a half syllables rather than two. It isn't really surprising that Ezra is one of his first words, considering how much he hears it - "Ezra, leave Judah alone," "Ezra, give Judah back his toy," "Ezra, don't knock over the baby," "Ezra! Stop!" Actually, come to think of it, he might just think you start everything you say with "Ezra."

3. Caleb has an uncanny sense of direction. He has Joshua's ability to know where he is, and how to get home once he has been somewhere once. I am still amazed at this skill in Joshua, but utterly flabbergasted when I see it in my five-year-old. I mean, he can't even drive yet. Yesterday, we were playing at Caleb's friend Anna's house. Instead of going back the way I came, I went up the block, took a left, and then another left, in order to come back on the next street over. Caleb immediately piped up from the back seat that we were going to pass the Nelsons' house. We have only been to the Nelsons' house once, and have otherwise spent no time in that neighborhood. He even knew which house was theirs (I didn't). I guess I won't need to get that GPS system after all, as long as I keep Caleb in the car with me.

4. Ezra has lots of ideas about what he wants to be when he grows up (completely different from what he wants to pretend to be when he grows up - a nice pirate who doesn't steal things from people). On any given day, Ezra wants to be a pilot, astronaut, airplane builder, fire fighter, or mailman. He is excited that he is related to so many smart people who can teach him what he needs to know - he is planning on Uncle Mike teaching him how to build airplanes, Uncle Paul teaching him how to fly them, Uncle David teaching him how airports work, and Uncle Jeff teaching him how to play guitar (not for a job, but just for fun, when he is home from work). Ezra told us that despite all the things these men can teach him, he might still need to go to grad school. Slow down, and finish preschool first.

5. Judah, on the other hand, is looking like he will be a house cleaner when he grows up. He is continuing his love affair with cleaning implements of all kinds - brooms, dust pans, rags, you name it. At the end of his bath he always wipes down the tub with his wash cloth, and he cleans his tray at the end of every meal with the closest napkin. The only thing that might stand in his way is his abject terror at a running vacuum. Maybe he will have to go to grad school with Ezra and learn another trade.

6. Caleb is really into "being sneaky" these days (his words). His favorite way is to do a chore or favor for us without telling us, so we find out ourselves. Like when we were getting ready for movie night last week, he surreptiously got out the remotes and put them on the table. Or sometimes he changes the toilet paper roll when it runs out! Half the time we don't notice that he has done it, but rather than get upset that we aren't recognizing his good deeds, he giggles and laughs, delighted that he pulled one over on us. Now if he could just sneakily clean the bathroom.

Cup'a Jude

2009-03-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

Judah is a big fan of coffee.

When I make my cup in the morning, he begs to be picked up so that he can push the button on the grinder. He smiles when he smells the beans. And when I'm done drinking, he's made a ritual of taking my mug, slurping any last drips clinging to the bottom and inhaling the residual vapor. (I take my coffee black, by the way, so this isn't about tasting something sweet or milky.)

I'm looking forward to sharing "real" coffee with him when he's older (like, two).

Is There Anything Cuter...

2009-02-26T22:30:00.001-05:00

than a baby who always walks around with "jazz hands"?

Ezra Unplugged

2009-02-26T22:26:00.003-05:00

Man does this kid make me laugh.

What We Are Enjoying Right Now

2009-02-23T13:46:00.002-05:00

1. Caleb is loving sleeping on the top bunk. He told me earlier he could spend all day just sitting in his high bed.

2. Ezra is loving his "Ezra cave" on the bottom bunk. He feels all snuggly, even without blankets.

3. Girl scout cookies. Especially Judah. He has learned to come running at the sound of the freezer opening and the crinkling of the foil package of the Thin Mints.

4. Old toys being new again. We got a new book shelf, moved all the games and puzzles from under the bed to the bookcase, and it is like we have all new toys.

5. Planning our summer vacation. We are thinking Boston--trains, buses, duck statues, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Laura, a duck tour, and a stop in New Haven for pizza, natch.

6. Daffodils. It might be cold, but the crocuses have come and gone, the daffodils are here, and that means Spring is on the way.

7. Pictures of new friends. We haven't gotten to meet baby Anna or baby Kallan, but we are excited they are here, and we look forward to meeting them.

8. This video. Thank you, Jen and Tommy. I no longer have to wonder what to do on a rainy day, because will will just keep watching this.

To Make You Smile On a Monday Morning

2009-02-23T09:55:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when Caleb and Ezra are at school, and it is too cold to go for a walk (I have gotten wimpy living in the South again, and 36 degrees is too cold), and we have no errands to run, I just follow Judah around with the camera. He doesn't sit still much, so it is becoming more of a challenge, but I love when I then upload the 200 pictures I have taken to find four that I love. I see all sides of Judah here, and it makes me smile.

I hope it makes you smile too.

Science Versus Religion

2009-02-18T13:42:00.005-05:00

This morning. Breakfast.

Ezra: G-d created the whole wide world.

Caleb: No he didn't.

E: Yes, he did. He created everything

C: He created most things, but not everything.

E: He did create everything. He made all the food we are eating.

C: He made that pear. But he didn't make everything. He didn't make cheese. Farmers make cheese.

E: Oh. [Pause]

E: He still made the whole world.

C: No he didn't. The big bang made the whole world.

Later today, driving home from preschool.

C: Mommy, did G-d make the big bang?

No Product Here

2009-02-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

Judah woke up this morning with his hair looking like this. Joshua has been working on these pythons for years.

Judah's First Reading From the Little Brother's Playbook

2009-02-15T10:13:00.002-05:00

First, some background: Ezra owns Judah. He's twice as big, and he's physical. Whether out of affection or out of frustration, many times a day Ezra topples Judah over, knocks him down from a stand, trips him, hugs him too hard... you get the point. Judah even has a specific cry we reliably recognize even from the other room as the "Get Ezra away from me!" plaint.

So, this morning. Ezra and Judah are both in the bathroom with me, and they both want to be playing with the same two toys, a rubber bouncy ball and a tower of stacking blocks. Adding to the problem is that while Ezra plays with the blocks by building them up, Judah's game is knocking them down. Ezra, playing vigorous defense, starts out by playing with whatever Judah doesn't have. Back and forth they go, a ritualized square dance next to the bath tub.

Then a spark of recognition in Judah's eyes; he snatches up the ball, toddles over to the blocks, and just stands there with both of his hands in a menacing air hug around the tower--and stares Ezra down. What are you going to do now, big guy? In my memory of the moment, I've somehow added in a single raised eyebrow--the look was that daring.

Well, the fact that Ezra responded by snapping off a chunk of tower and popping Judah over the head with it doesn't take anything away from the power of that empowering moment of little-brother liberation. He may still have some kinks to work out, but the message has been sent: Game on, Big Brother.

My Darling

2009-02-12T21:15:00.003-05:00

Ezra is going through what might be described as a challenging time right now. I have heard many people proclaim "forget the terrible twos, the threes are the tough age", and I have to agree. Times seem to get particularly hard the closer you get to three and a half. Ezra is willful and exuberant, opinionated and full of spitfire. He is also fiercely loving and hilarious. He is basically 40 pounds of contradictions. He drives me crazy, and he makes me laugh, even when I want to tear my hair out.

And then sometimes, he just stares in silent sdwonder and amazement at something he sees, and I just melt. I can see more the big boy he is becoming, and I realize how much I love every part of him.

Judah Walks

2009-02-06T22:27:00.001-05:00

So, Judah was been kind of walking for months now. Two steps here, three steps there. But really, it always seemed like he couldn't really be bothered. He might stand in one place with perfect balance for 20 minutes before squatting down and crawling fast to whatever he wants. And he's fast. Walking is going to slow this boy way down.

Nevertheless, it seems like Judah has finally decided that height has its advantages, and we caught him in the act.

And just in case you are concerned, his feet aren't broken, his pajamas are just too long for his legs.

Overlooked

2009-02-06T20:02:00.002-05:00

Caleb is our oldest, and therefore has so far done everything first. It was all so new and exciting--his first word, first step, using the potty, reading, writing. And he keeps doing new stuff. The problem is that Ezra keeps doing all these first too, and while we notice the big ones, some of the smaller ones get overlooked. Which is why I was taken completely by surprise tonight when Ezra said he wanted to count all the ducks in his story tonight and proceeded to count to 47.

When did he learn to do that? And what were we doing?