The Saga of the Tooth Fairy

Well, the tooth fairy has been awfully busy at our house in recent months. Owen has now lost 5 of his baby teeth and is raking in $1 with every tooth fairy visit.

A few months ago at his third tooth fairy encounter, Owen prepared by creating a questionnaire for her. He spent quite a bit of time writing out questions such as: "What continent do you live on?" and Who is your best friend?" And "What's your favorite food?" and best of all -- "Draw a picture of your house" -- and he left a space where she could draw a picture. Owen carefully folded up the questionnaire and put it in the tooth box with his tooth. Naturally, I filled out the answers (writing with my left hand so he wouldn't recognize the handwriting) and the next morning Owen read the sheet and promptly hid the answers in some top secret place. When Paul and I asked him what the answers were, he wouldn't tell us. I think he felt he had learned some very secret information and was not privileged to tell.

Last time he lost a tooth (encounter #4), Owen asked me nonchalantly " Is there really a tooth fairy? Because I think it's just your parents who come in in the middle of the night to leave a present" He asked casually but I could tell he wasn't really sure whether he should ask it or not. I smiled and asked him what he wanted to believe. "Do you think there's really a tooth fairy?" I asked him. And he sort of nodded as if to reassure himself.

Then disaster struck. That very night Paul and I had been busy with other things and went to bed WITHOUT CHECKING ON THE TOOTH BOX. The next morning Owen came into our room in tears, devastated. The tooth fairy had forgotten about him!!!!! I felt horrible, and had to come up with an alibi for the missing tooth fairy. Luckily, the next night she was back from her vacation and she stopped by, dropped off her usual gift and took away the tooth and everything was right as rain.

Well, last night was tooth #5. I was in bed, the lights were almost all out and Paul was getting into bed when he suddenly remembered to check that tooth box!!!!! How terrible would that have been to have forgotten the tooth fairy box twice? But, thankfully, we didn't and now Owen is feeling pretty confident again about the existence of the tooth fairy.....
But at the rate he's dropping teeth, we're going to need to find him a bigger piggy bank!

Thankful (Warning:Photo Overload!)

Hello, dear readers, I hope you are still with me after the long absence. Even though I finished doing my show (i.e. "working") back at the beginning of the month on November 1st, since then I've been busier than ever. Teaching Elliot's co-op preschool, volunteering at Owen's school, parent-teacher conferences, T-ball games, gardening, yard work, not to mention the day to day of cooking meals, baking bread, packing lunches, helping with homework, tackling home repair projects... well, you get the picture.

In between the management of the household, most of my days are filled with Elliot's unique brand of "busy-ness". He spends a lot of time literally running around playing, indoors and out. Here I caught him for a brief moment in a standing still position the other day:

I'll let you imagine the story behind this picture because I think it would be truly impossible to recreate the events and imagination that led up to him wearing the box around the house (and, yes, he is naked underneath that box) warming his toes in a box of sunlight. Let's just say my days are not boring.

And, now we are in the midst of a beautiful week off from school. Owen has the whole week off for Thanksgiving, and we started the week with a family outing last Sunday....

Today I took the boys to Torrey Pines. We spent the morning hiking in the warm, dry sun and of course spent some gleeful time cooling off on the beach.

A beautiful day, and a beautiful way to remember how thankful I am for these two amazing little boys.

Pumpkin Express

Last weekend we went on our annual Halloween train ride out in Campo. This year it was gorgeous: a cool and sunny Autumn day, a sweet train ride and a trip to the pumpkin patch for some decorating... a good time was had by all...

Then we all attended Owen's school Halloween carnival and we introduced the world to Elliot the Fireman and Owen the Rocket Scientist.

If you were to meet this NASA scientist, you would see his NASA credentials clipped to his lab coat, his pointer and flashlight pen in his pocket, and the clipboard full of rocketship schematics and diagrams for Owen's own rocket design. I can't help but think that it is entirely possible this will actually be his uniform in, oh, about 30 years. Wouldn't that be something?

Tomorrow night is Halloween itself and I can't wait. Who doesn't love to dress up and play pretend? Yes, I do it for a living on stage, but couldn't we all use a little fun and dress up in our daily lives? I really think that the morning commute would be so much more fun if people wore clown noses and silly hats.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to everyone!

October

Here we are coming to the end of October..... breathe in and breathe out. The days are so very full and busy..... we are all having a great time here, I'm just not finding any time to update this here blog and for that I apologize.... I will try to give you some updates of our goings on now.

Owen has been loving school, and is busy with a morning jogging club twice a week, an after school Theatre Class and T-Ball Games on the weekend. This is actually one of my favorite times of the week, when we all sit together watching Owen play.

Here's Owen sliding into Home!!!!!

Now that Owen's in First Grade, he has daily math and spelling homework that he is so excited to do, he frequently pulls out his folder and starts his homework in the car as we are heading back home after picking him up. I have to tell him to wait, relax, wait until we get home and have a snack ! But no, he says, wait until you see my subtraction worksheet! The Zero Rule! And did you know about the Doubles Plus One strategy for addition????? He is doing great in First Grade and he was recognized at a student assembly for Excellence in Academics and Citizenship for the month of September. We couldn't be prouder.

And Elliot... well, what can I say, he is a bundle of unbridled enthusiasm. He is enjoying his co-op preschool, loves digging in our garden and playing with his legos and reading books and pretty much everything. That kid is never bored. He truly creates his own entertainment where ever he goes.... Here he is at a recent trip to the zoo:

Can you remember the last time you grinned that wide? Sometimes I have to remind myself what it must be like for him, that the world is a huge rollercoaster with new exciting experiences every single moment of the day. No wonder he sleeps so well at night, he really LIVES each day. And then there are little tidbits like this: the other day in the car Owen was taking things out of his back pack and took out a small travel pack of Kleenex.. Elliot asked me "What's Owen doing? Owen, what are you doing? Owen, can I have one of your Bless You's? Mommy, Can I have one of Owen's Bless You's?????" When I realized what he was talking about I couldn't stop laughing at the idea.... Of course Kleenex's should be called Bless You's! Why didn't anyone think of that before?

Anyway, this week promises to be even busier with Halloween preparations and train rides and school carnivals -- and did I mention I'm doing a show 5 days a week? Yeah, busy. But good.

Exclamation Points!!!!!

Here is a very small snippet of conversation I had with Elliot a few days ago, while playing with a Lego spaceship he built. I hastily tried write it down, in an attempt to capture his words -- but, honestly you are missing his priceless energy in the telling. He emphasizes and contorts his face to convey emotion, and uses a funny "I'm pretending" voice when he's playing a character. It's too much to capture via typed words, but here is the excerpt I managed to catch:



Elliot: The spaceship is going to outer space, to planet, um.... planet 51!!!!!!!!!



Me: Oh, ok. That sounds great!



Elliot: You need a tour of the rocket ship!



Me: Can you give me a tour?



Elliot: (turning away in a huff) No, I can't I'm busy. (with pride) I'm making a LIST!!!!



Me: A list of what?



Elliot: (as if speaking to a very old and slow dog) A list of THINGS!!!!!!!!!



Me: What's on your list?



Elliot: PEANUT BUTTER!!!!! and JAM!!!!!! and a FIRE ENGINE!!!!! toy for you. (getting a brilliant idea) You need something at the store!!!!! I'm going to bring them home and play with you and then I'm going back to the store. BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (running off to the other room).





Really, I don't think that is even enough exclamation points for the way he said it.

First Grade

Last night we had some tears and fear and nervousness, so I braced myself for a difficult morning. But when Owen woke up he was all excitement and expectation. We got to school, he walked in and found his new name tag tucked into his brand new math book and then I couldn't wipe the grin off his face. His friends from last year shouted "Hi, Owen!!!!" as they saw him, and Owen settled happily down at his desk.

I gave him a hug and found myself choking up a little as i wished him a great day. I had expected him to be a little sad (like he was last year) and I confess it was almost harder for me to accept that he was ok.... Better for him. Harder for me. He is growing up so very fast. And I'm so proud of him...

I picked hm up after school and he kept going on and on about how great his teacher (Mr. Doerner) is. When I asked him his favorite part of the day he answered "Everything!"

Wow. What a difference a year makes.

The second part of our vacation

I posted the link to the Wisconsin photos last time... Well, that's not all! The wonderful week on the farm was, indeed, merely the first week of our vacation. It was followed by a lovely week exploring Chicago and visiting more family.

Here's a link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/owentheking/sets/72157622173692733/


Chicago is in our blood in this family. I feel so at home there for so many reasons: My dad was born in Chicago, my grandparents still live on the South Side, I lived in Chicago after college before moving to San Diego (and meeting Paul, and getting married, and having kids, etc). And, of course, Paul was born in Elgin (a Northwest suburb of Chicago) and lived there for many years. Paul and I bought our engagement ring at the Tiffany's on Michigan Avenue in Chicago way back in the year 2000 when we passed through Chicago for a few days at Christmas time....

It was great to be back, and to share all these memories with Owen and Elliot. And to make newer, even better memories with them. Like when a guy walking past us outside Wrigley Field offered us his tickets (for free!) to go in and watch the rest of the game from the 4th row behind the dugout!!!!!!

Or, when we stopped by Paul's childhood home and the current owner came out and gave us the grand tour and treated us like visiting royalty. Amazing!


We are already dreaming of what new adventures might await us on our next Chicago trip...

A list, some pictures and a link.

Major events noted in the past three weeks since returning from vacation:

1. Elliot has stopped wearing his diaper completely. Done. No more diapers. Dry at night. Pooping in the potty like a champ. YAY!!!!!
2. Owen has gotten his teacher assignment for FIRST GRADE which starts in two days.
3. Elliot got a big boy bed, just like his big brother.



4. Elliot stopped taking his nap completely.


5. We've been to the beach... and to the beach....and to the beach.

Oh, and today, I finally uploaded some of our vacation photos. See them here.

Wow! I need another vacation!

The Return

We are home from quite possibly the best family vacation ever.

A quick recap: We spent a week in southern Wisconsin at a family farm turned wildlife and bird sanctuary -- with Paul's parents, brothers and their families. It was the first time all the cousins got to really spend time together, and let me tell you that Owen and Elliot are completely enamored with their cousins now. (As we all are!) Then we drove to Chicago and visited my grandparents in their home on the south side, and then we drove into the city for four nights and five days of museums, Cubs games, sightseeing, more family visits (with my step-sister and her family) and plenty of Chicago style deep-dish pizza. Finally, we returned home last weekend feeling as if we had lived a lifetime in two weeks!

It was a great mix of visiting family and doing our own stuff; staying at homes and staying in hotels; sightseeing and just lounging. The weather was great. The scenery was gorgeous. The company was outstanding. This will truly be a vacation that we will all remember for years to come. And, quite possibly the first vacation that Owen will really really remember.

I'm trying to figure out how to highlight and edit and post about our adventures, but it's a little overwhelming at the moment because the vacation was just so full!

At any rate, here are a few sneak peeks to entice you until I can go into more detail. Here's the whole Getz family the last night at the farm:

Here are Paul and the boys gazing at the magnificent Chicago skyline off of Navy Pier:

Yes, that is us watching the Cubs in Wrigley Field in the 4th row behind the dugout... an unbelievably lucky and wonderful day which you will hear all about soon!

Stay tuned!

Yummy.

Astronaut Jack and Robot Rob

One day last week Owen and I made this book. Owen did all the work and creation of it, I just assembled it and wrote down dictation. Enjoy!

************************************************************************************
Astronaut Jack's Moon Adventure

"Once upon a time there was a man in a rocket and he needed to go to the moon. But first he had to stop at a space station to work on it. He passed a lot of stars and planets on the way. His name was Astronaut Jack.


And then when he looked out his window he saw Jupiter and Saturn. Also he saw Earth. And then he saw the space station. Astronaut Jack was excited to get to work. He had his family on board and they were all excited too. When he got to the space station he started working on it. he had to do repairs on the wing. his family watched him work.

Then they all went to the moon. They were thinking about how they would walk on the moon. Also, where would they put the flag?

They land on the moon. They walk around the moon to see where the flag should go. Astronaut Jack had the flag. He found the perfect spot and he planted it. They lived happily ever after."

The End.




********************************************************************************


Later, Owen built Rob Robotical the Robot and decided Rob would be Astronaut Jack's friend on his next adventure. Then Owen started plotting about the time Astronaut Jack will try to land on Jupiter and will realize too late that it's a gas planet and there's actually nowhere to land. Uh, oh! Here's a picture of Robot Rob reading the book about his buddy Jack.







Seems to me we might have a series on our hands. Watch out, Franklin W. Dixon, here comes some competition!

Lazy Days of Summer?

I looked at the calendar today and realized that school starts in 6 weeks, and we will be off on vacation for the next two weeks and BLIP just like that the summer is almost gone. What on earth? What have we been doing all this time?

Well, we've had picnics in the park:

We've been to the zoo:

We've built some robots:

And written some books:

Don't forget the library, the train museum, the beach, swimming at Grandma Ruth and Uncle Elmer's, playdates with friends, hanging out in the hammock, puzzles, a daily dose of ice cream, going to the beach with Nana ...

No, not lazy at all. Just full and fantastic.

Good things growing.

Owen and Elliot, of course, are growing. Owen -- at 48" tall and 48 lbs --continues to astound me with his endless food consumption and Elliot is convinced that he is already a "big boy" no matter what you say to contradict him. "NO!! I'm not little, I'm a BIG BOY!!!!!!"

There's a restaurant here in town that serves an amazing dish that is chock full of delicious vegetarian gourmet delights -- to quote from the menu: "Good Things Growing: a terrine of eggplant & roasted bell peppers, garam masala butternut squash ravioli & tempura yams." I haven't been to this place in a long time, but it is the dish I think of when a fancy restaurant beckons....

At any rate, I was thinking of that dish today when I took this picture of our modest little victory garden from which we have already reaped cherry tomatoes, gigantic heirloom tomatoes, three crops of radishes and long, crunchy, incredible carrots. Not to mention the mint, parsley and basil that has been gracing our pasta for the past weeks. Our cucumbers are starting to blossom, and the giant sunflower finally made it's face known to us just a few days ago.

Thank you, garden for growing so beautifully. Owen and Elliot thank you too.

Rocket to the Moon

Owen had a blast at his astronaut party. He rocketed to outer space,

he knocked out some aliens,

he tasted some astronaut food (freeze-dried ice cream) and ate an unbelievably delicious cake (complete with dry ice rocket fuel -- thanks Grandma Ruth!).

And me? I am truly amazed that my son is 6. And into rockets. And into reading. And smart as a whip. And funny. And creative. And truly discovering his own uniqueness. And I will never forget when he looked like this:

But back to the party -- Paul painted the photo backdrop, Grandma Ruth created an amazing cake and Nana Liana brought the gourmet goodies for the adults to nibble on. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a speical occasion! And to all those who missed it, here is a link to some more photos.

Status Report

Two weeks into our summer vacation. I think I mentioned before that we are embracing the chaos here this summer. I wanted to explain that a little more... I realized that since Elliot was born, Owen has been pretty much in school the whole time and when he gets home, he craves my attention. Elliot, on the other hand, has my attention all day and when Owen is home, he just wants to get right next to Owen and climb on him and play with him in his own inimitable energetic way. Which frustrates Owen to no end. So, I decided not to sign Owen up for any summer camps or organized activities this summer, and instead see what happened when the boys did things together. I think we are slowly getting it.... the challenges we are facing sometimes seem insurmountable, though.

I feel like I spend a lot of my time policing behavior, and hearing shouts of "Elliot!!! NOOOO!" from Owen. There is shoving, there is pulling and pushing, there are tears. Sometimes we settle into something that they can both do and there is peace and combined excitement about the project.... usually it doesn't last long because Elliot has the attention span of, well, a two year old.

We keep trying, though. Yesterday we were out front in the garden and noticed some trucks working on the main street near our home. We wandered down and watched the team of workers removing the old telephone poles (having recently undergrounded all the cables and wires) and piling them into a truck with an impressive looking crane. The boys and I watched for nearly an hour, and it was thrilling. Then we went home and tried to recreate the scene that had kept us so mesmerized: building the crane and vehicle with Legos, using Lincoln Logs as the telephone poles. It was fun! But then it wasn't when Elliot got tired of it and started throwing pieces of Owen's set-up on the ground.

I sometimes feel like I'm being mean making Owen share his special things, but I honestly get tired of pulling Elliot away from whatever Owen is working on. Does anybody have any advice or tips or know if there are any games or activities that are great for two kids who are at such different levels intellectually? (Owen is almost 6, and Elliot is 2 1/2) or am I relegated to a summer of parallel play and hiding all of Owen's unfinished projects on the uppermost shelves of all our bookcases.

Right now, Elliot is napping and Owen has a friend over. Owen and Kay are playing guitar and doing "shows" in the backyard... they just spent 45 minutes building a bird perch out of Lincoln Logs for a little wooden parrot that we have. I know sometime soon Elliot will reach the age where he can really play with his brother like that, but for now we are just trying to figure things out.

Happy Father's Day

To Do today:

Breakfast: Scones and Coffee
Morning: Museum
Lunch: Out and about
Afternoon: Skip Bo, Hammock, Crossword Puzzles (after some light kitchen repair work)
All Day: Tell Daddy we love him and give him hugs and kisses.


I hope everyone had a great day!

Almost 6

Today while Elliot napped, Owen and I counted and sorted coins from our coin jar and rolled and wrapped $7.50 worth of dimes and pennies. Tomorrow, the bank!

Owen is so excited about counting, and reading, and writing, and drawing, and building, and pretty much everything.... it must be so amazing to be almost 6. All avenues are open and all roads lead to more roads. That kind of optimism and ambition and desire and drive is just what this world needs. I know it's been said many times (yes and "many ways" to quote Nat King Cole), but children really are the future. Let's just say the future looks so bright when I see how Owen embraces every second of his day and every drop of newfound knowledge.

This evening our local Science Museum had a Member's Only preview of their newest exhibit "Motion Mania".... Paul worked late so I took both boys and we ran (literally, in Elliot's case) from exhibit to exhibit learning about motion and how things work the way they do. I saw right away what Owen's favorite thing would be. Against one wall was this huge Rube Goldberg-like contraption that moved balls around, up and down with levers, drops, spirals, you name it. Owen was mesmerized and probably looked at every inch of that thing trying to memorize how it worked. We would go off to another thing, and pretty soon he'd say "I just want to go back to that gear thing again!" And off like a shot he'd go to see the magic in front of him.

Later as we drove home, he couldn't stop talking about it and when I mentioned that Daddy might take him back there on Sunday, Owen positively beamed and glowed with excitement! "YEAH!!!!! That would be PERFECT!!!!!!"

It looks like Father's Day is planned!

Hi, June!

Well, I made it back to San Diego after my recent trip to the wedding on the other coast. Here, in quick recap order are some events that have transpired since June began...

A beautiful Baltimore Wedding for Andrew and Mollie:

Elliot "graduated" from his first year of preschool:

Owen "graduated" from Kindergarten:

We are on Day 2 of summer vacation. I decided not to sign Owen up for any summer camps this year and instead we are embracing the chaos and spending the summer just "hanging out". So far we haven't done much -- we're just hanging in the hammock, eating watermelon, going out for frozen yogurt, and peeing in the bushes (well, that one is from Elliot who has become an ardent anti-diaper wearer and can be seen most mornings and afternoons practicing a naturist/ nudist lifestyle in our backyard).

Good times!