Trip with my girl

Weekend trip underway with Ella.  We are on our way to Philadelphia to visit dear friends and enjoy some mom-and-girl time together before the new baby arrives.  Unfortunately, due to thunderstorms, we have been waiting at our home airport for far too long in hopes that our plane will arrive and whisk us off to our destination.  This girl is a trooper, though.  She is all too happy to sprawl out and read, do phonics workbooks, and eat Cheez-its.  My toe-tapping anxious self is ready to get moving.  I can learn something from her enjoyment of the journey.

Oh, kids

Ah, vacation from the perspective of a kid.... Where turning your back to the beautiful ocean view in favor of a PBS kids show on the ipad makes perfect sense. 

Who does the chores around here?

Last night I was doing something Ella didn't like and our conversation went like this.


Ella:  Mommy!  You are going to have consequences if you don't stop that!  You will have to do all the chores.


Me:  But don't I already do all the chores?

Ella:  No!  Megan [our nanny] does A LOT!


Ouch.

Secretary Ella

I sent our nanny an email today with an update to our schedule since a day I had previously told her she would have Ella is now a school make-up day for all the snow days we've had of late.  She sent me back a message saying thanks but not to worry, that secretary Ella had already informed her of the scheduling change.  That girl misses not a single, little thing.   Ever.

'Struction work

"Mama, I need to do a 'struction project!"   Thanks for putting the orange caution cones up, buddy.

Snow day

SnOMG 2014, otherwise known as 2-4 inches of snow, occurred late last night here in Durham after many hours of breathless anticipation.  Ella's school was dismissed at 12:30 and her afternoon tumbling class was cancelled, both in anticipation of the storm that was originally expected to hit here around 3 pm but that ended up taking its sweet time arriving.  

But around 7 am this morning, Josh and I awoke to the sound of the kids running around upstairs which was unusual since they usually get up and come running straight into our room in the morning in hopes of getting a few extra snuggles.  Turns out they were running from room to room checking out the view of the snow from all vantage points.  They finally came downstairs and told us that there was "a LOT of snow" and we should get up immediately to see it. 

Being good southerners, we have no gear for snow days.  No snow pants, no boots, no sleds, and rarely can we find matching gloves for any of us.  We did manage to cobble together snow outfits for the kids and they played outside for all of 5 minutes before declaring it too cold and coming in to demand hot chocolate.

Since Josh wasn't going to work and I wasn't going on my business trip, we divvied up the day so that I worked in the morning and he worked in the afternoon.  I have no idea what they did all morning but I did enjoy the view from my second floor office of the many people sledding down our street.  No cars, but at least half a dozen sledders. 

After lunch I got to hang out with the kids and that is when I realized that I am the worst snow day mom ever.  I wasn't brave (or stupid, given that I am 27 weeks pregnant) enough to bundle us all up and walk down our icy road to go to the park for some makeshift sledding.  I had no craft projects up my sleeve.  I hadn't even stocked up on anything to cook for dinner.  So we had 5 hours of homebound time to kill and I'll be honest, at noon that seemed like forever.  So we....

... Built a zoo, a castle, a castle garden, a garage, a farmyard, and the sea out of every building material we own.  Magnatiles, wooden blocks, Legos, Playmobil sets, and Wedgits.  It was magnificent.  Dash only knocked over the precarious farmyard fence three times and Ella only cried about it three times.

... Baked chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

... Watched Dora the Explorer.

... Read all of the long library books.

... Did the Hoky Poky.  Favorite body part to put in and out?  Big ole tummies.  I was extra good at that.

... Shoveled the back deck.  OK, full disclosure, the kids shoveled the back deck while I sat inside and read the newspaper.  Ella set an egg timer for 30 minutes and refused to come in before it went off.  I think I also saw them shoveling snow off trees.

... Talked about why you never eat yellow snow.

... Made hot chocolate (pretty sure Josh did that at least once this morning, too).

...Watched Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. I still contend that cooking shows don't count as screen time.

... Finally around 4:30, I was out of ideas and energy.  But in a flash of brilliance I suggested that they help me clean the baseboards in the bathroom WITH TOOTHBRUSHES and they totally bought this as a great idea.  

If school is out again tomorrow I'm not sure what we will do but it will probably involve more cleaning with funny objects.  And more Dora.  And more hot cocoa.

I'm a Tarheel

Josh and I are both convinced that we have given our kids equal opportunity to be sports fans in general, and Tarheel fans in particular.  I would not say we are rabid, but we are Carolina fans and we have enjoyed serving the Carolina kool-aid to our kiddos.  We have watched basketball games on television with them both, we have taken them both to some of the more low-key sporting events (women's soccer, men's baseball), and we took them both to one Tarheel football game.  They both have been gifted with Carolina hoodies and t-shirts and hats.   Ella has shown some interest in the Tarheels but not any great enthusiasm.  Dash, on the other hand, is becoming obessed, no OBSESSED, with being a Tarheel.

Some Tarheel vignettes...

Dash loves to play in the backyard and pretend he is a Tarheel.  There is a lot of confusion between the various balls (soccer, football, baseball, and basketball) and the various goals.  But one thing remains constant:  he asks us to yell loudly "GO TARHEEL!" whenever he makes any kind of 'score.'  If I am inside cooking in the kitchen, I am required to yell this periodically out the window.

*****

At Family Shabbat at Dash's school last week, the Rabbi came to talk to the children and he invited a few of them to come up to the front to help him with a demonstration.  Dash went fearlessly to the front of the room, filled with probably 60 children, teachers, and parents, and when the Rabbi asked him his name, he said "Dash!"  The Rabbi then said "Well, are you named Dash because you run very fast?"  And Dash said with complete and total sincerity, "Yes!  I run fast because I am a Tarheel!"

*****

At dinner one evening, Dash announced that his Tarheel name is Richard.  So whenever he plays Tarheel sports, we have to call him Richard.  He also gave his grandpa a Tarheel name (LeMartin).  These names are no joking matter.  When a ball is in hand, the Tarheel names rule.

Richard and LeMartin playing Tarheel football (in Duke Gardens, no less)

*****

Dash's latest question (to anyone and everyone) is "When I go to college in a few weeks, will you come see me play in my Tarheel games?"  He seems convinced that soon he will go off to be a Tarheel where he will play in real Tarheel football games, and importantly, will be given a real Tarheel football helmet.  I keep suggesting other Tarheel sports (Swimming!  Soccer!  Debating!) that have less potential for head injuries but so far, he's pretty set on getting that football helmet.  In a few weeks.

Small and adorable Tarheel