toddler conversations

( I just had to “share” this conversation.  It was one of those moments where I felt the tickle of the laugh starting, and knew from a parenting perspective that all would be lost if I gave in, but couldn’t help laughing so hard it hurt anyways!)

scene:  at dinner eating Trader Joe’s Lasagna (because we just got back from NC at 3 this afternoon)

Mama: scoops up some veggies onto Charlie’s fork and tries to surreptitiously hide them with a noodle on top and says,  “Charlie, please eat this bite.  See?  Yummy noodles!”

Charlie: notices the shenanigans, points to another piece of noodle on his plate with his chubby finger, looks innocently into Mama’s eyes, and says—earnestly-- “How ‘bout dis one?”

What does the Turkey say?…Gobble Gobble!

Thanksgiving morning started early this year for me.  I was up at 6:30 getting side-dishes into the oven so that there would be room for the turkey to bake all day.  Charlie did me a favor and slept until 7:30 that morning.  When he woke up he was all snuggly and surprised to see the kitchen already a beehive of activity.  He found the perfect place to watch me work.  

And he soon got into the spirit of the morning! (this is before breakfast!)

While the sides were baking, we got serious about the turkey. 

It proved to be somewhat recalcitrant.

And then Mom tried to do some back-seat recliner cooking, which was received with cheeky resistance!

Sadly, Jon and Zanna had to leave before Thanksgiving dinner.  We kissed and hugged them goodbye at around 8am and though we did our best to carry on without them, but the party was never quite the same again. 

Still, the turkey was in the oven by ten, at which point Dad had left, taking Charlie with him, to pick up Jonathan from the airport.  I sat down to knit while silence descended on the house.   It was the most relaxing morning, and felt all wrong since we were supposed to be frantically preparing for a feast! 

Around three, Great Grandpa and Great Grandma came.  Then Uncle Morris and Aunt Jerrilyn came too.  We all sat down to chat while waiting for the food!  Charlie made his rounds.

And brought smiles to everyone's faces. 

We ate around four, and everything turned out pretty good we thought.  note: Charlie only approves of eating turkey on Thanksgiving, he slightly tolerates gravy, but don’t even think about mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or stuffing!  Little does he know!

Here’s everyone.  (Minus Jon and Zanna, oh, and the bottom half of Dad’s face and the front half of Grandma’s head!  I look surprised because I was trying to hide a bite of turkey in my cheek.  —what is it about group shots?)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Avuncular Reinforcement

Well, Charlie and I flew by ourselves to NC to visit his grandparents and great grandparents for Thanksgiving.  Jonathan dropped us off at the airport at 5:30 am for our flight.

I was all keyed up for flying alone with Charlie being terribly difficult, and it turned out to be as stress-less as a trip to the playground.  I had an inkling that God loved me when the kind ticket counter lady checked our huge car seat for free at the ticket counter instead of making me lug it through security like their policy dictated.  I felt that God loved me as I made it through security with stroller, laptop, all our shoes, bag of surprise-on-the-airplane toys, monkey backpack-leash, sippy-cups of milk and containers of applesauce intact.   We didn’t even hold up the line. (I’m still trying to figure out how that really happened, but it was so smooth and over before I knew it that I’m sure there must have been angels, whisking those things in and out of the little plastic bins for me!)  My suspicion that God loved me was emphatically confirmed when the airplane doors closed, leaving only four empty seats on the plane, one of which was right next to me.  Charlie (and his Mama’s shrinking lap)enjoyed the extra seat for the entire flight.  The steward gave us a free box of cookies.  I even got some knitting in—I really wasn’t expecting that to happen on a plane flight for another ten years or so.  By the time we made it to baggage claim in NC, my dad had already collected our car seat and bag.   Can any trip be more painless than that?  I think not!

We got here the day before my brothers came.  Since my Mom has been dealing with chronic fatigue, Dad was on “Charlie duty”  while I cooked dinner that night.  Let’s just say that is a really different proposition in a non-childproofed home.  In an hour, Charlie managed to put his foot into a basket of potpourri, pick up several small crystal bowls, find two golf balls and get a short introduction to the negative merits of throwing pool balls (It turns out the rule we had been working on, “you may only throw balls” does have some exceptions!)

After Charlie spilled an oil lamp all over the coffee table, my Dad commented that he needed avuncular reinforcement.  (In case you need to look that up like I did, avuncular means having to do with Uncles)

It came quickly with the arrival of Uncle Erik and Aunt Catherine Tuesday afternoon.  They went right on duty the minute Charlie discovered tennis balls and rackets in Aunt Catherine’s trunk. 

Finally!  A tennis racket to hold!

Poor Catherine was only allowed in the house after a 45 minute tennis lesson! 

Too much fun!  There is no way to get into trouble when you are 6 feet in the air! 

Uncle Jon and Aunt Zanna came in time for dinner!  Erik and Jon moved a recliner into the kitchen so that Mom could be part of the activity.  At first, Charlie wasn’t sure what to do with a kitchen full of that much family.  But Aunt Zanna warmed him up with high fives……and soon he had figured out his role as entertainer of the masses!What a joy to have our whole family (minus Jonathan) around the table.  It’s been two years since that happened last! 

After dinner was cleaned up, Charlie went to bed and Mom and Dad retired for the night, leaving us to some of my favorite parts of family get-togethers—sibling talk.  If I lived close enough, good food combined with these laughter-filled, teasing conversations would be part of my weekly routine.   It was so fun to have Zanna there, added to the mix!  I’m glad we get to keep her!  And maybe someday she will teach me how to crochet!(And here’s a gratuitous belly shot that Erik took of me knitting.)

Wednesday we all worked together to divide and conquer three pies and what turned out to be about five dozen butter rolls (oops on not reading the recipe correctly!).  It was so fun to be in the kitchen with sisters.  OK, and a brother too!  That afternoon we went to see Mom and Dad’s new house!  It is so crazy to think they are going to live in the US now!  We are all trying to get used to the idea with great excitement and are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with them next year in their new home!

…stay tuned for gobble gobble day up next!

Reasons, good reasons, and a very good reason for why I haven’t blogged….

Reason #1:  Work

Ok, this is a lame reason, because I really enjoy the work I do, but it does take time!  I have 13 music students (piano and voice) and I teach 1.5 days out of the week.  It is such a blessing to have this work that pays well and uses the talents God has given me.  I am finally teaching at my full capacity and that is very nice too.  We have a wonderful babysitter who fills in on Saturdays since that is my full day of teaching.  She takes care of Charlie with careful love and I would pay her double the going rate if I could afford it! 

Twice a week, Charlie and I spend a good portion of our day with Alaythia.  She is so cute.  She has taught Charlie to say “OK, sure!”  and the joy of putting “oh” before every utterance.   (I asked him if he wanted cheese for his snack the other day and he looked at me and said, “ohhh… yep!” ) They love each other dearly and can’t stop talking about each other.  I frequently catch Charlie muttering “Eya toon” (Alathia’s turn) as he plays by himself, even if its been days since they’ve seen each other. 

Spending time regularly with another toddler is really a blessing for Charlie right now.  He is getting good experience, which he dearly needs, at learning how to be kind, how to share—what it means to have a friend.  I’m so thankful that Alaythia is in our lives!

Reason #2: Charlie

Charlie keeps me going all day.  He has a great attention span and loves to read and draw.  But really, when it comes down to it, he needs to spend several hours outside each day MOVING--running, kicking and getting all kinds of grubby.  That means I’m out there too, playing “whack ball” (involves any permutation of a stick and a ball that you can think of and has no rules, or purpose really, come to think of it)  or whatever the activity du jour is.  Thank goodness he collapses for an hour nap or so in the afternoon, or I would be toast! 

Charlie talks all, and I mean all the time.  He calls himself “Cha” and he narrates his own activities as he goes.  “Cha wak” (Charlie walk), “Cha won” (Charlie run), “Cha hit”, Cha sit…etc.   It is really funny to see his sense of grammar develop (or not as the case may be).  If he is looking for something and finds it he says, “Der are!”   If he is calling my name he says Mama with two syllables, but if he is putting my name in a sentence he shortens it to “ma.” “Ma doo itch” (Mama do it).  This rule holds true for any two-syllable name.  It makes understanding the subject of his sentences somewhat challenging.  My favorite thing he says right now is, “Ma howd you,” which really means “Mama, hold me.”

Reason #3:  the belly

Um, yep!   It certainly popped out quickly this time!  The next baby Marzinke is slotted to arrive at the end of April.  And if morning sickness and fatigue in combination with chasing a toddler, house chores and work don’t give me a valid excuse for leaving you all hanging, I don’t know what would!

The good news is that I’m not feeling sick anymore and getting some energy back…so there is hope for our blogging relationship’s future!  Here’s to many more posts!

all in a dither about baseball

Well, we heard so much about baseball from Charlie after we checked out a few book on it from the library that we decided to get him a t-ball set.   Here’s the blow by blow of opening it up for the first time.   But first thing first, the pumpkin has to be hugged or sat on every time we walk out our door!What is is?Balls?  and a BAT?  So exciting! The ball goes here…!Strike one! A hit! Fielding the ball.Home Run!!! (look at that face of concentration!)  Tip on how to know if you’ve had a good time:  coming in makes you cry so hard you get snot all over your lip!Help!  We’ve started an obsession!  All throughout the next couple days, he kept seeing the box and crying to go play baseball.  I hid the box in the closet in the hopes that when it was out of sight and he wouldn’t remember and ask to go play so often.  Not a chance!  He comes and asks me to play baseball at least ten times a day.  Happy (and often frustrated)  is the Charlie who finally owns his own baseball bat!

Sometimes, life is just good.  Especially when you can sit on the couch backwards.  Especially that.

Nana’s Surprise Sweater

Charlie got a package in the mail last week.  It was from Nana.  He was very pleased with the card.  He was very pleased with the wrapping.  He was very pleased with the tissue paper!He was very pleased with the sweater.  And most of all, he was very, very pleased with it’s shiny buttons!  Thank you, Nana!