Splash

Pioneer Baby

mama songs

I'd always wanted to star in a comedy. But, when I was in middle school, I played clarinet in the band, (geek factor 10), and play practice was always at the same time as band practice. So , for two years I watched the school plays with envy — a murder mystery, an ensemble piece. When, in 8th grade, they announced that they'd changed play practice to accommodate more people, I was there at auditions with a fully prepared reading from T.S. Eliot's book of cats. At the end of my reading, the director asked me if I could sing, and my 13-year-old self mentally imagined singing along to some tunes in the car and, stupidly, said: 'I guess so.' When the roles were posted, imagine my surprise to discover that I'd landed the lead . . . in a MUSICAL. I had about three high-pitched solos. (Who casts somebody for a lead in a musical without actually hearing them sing?) All I can say is thank God VHS is obsolete now so we don't have to relive that experience anymore. I'm as tone deaf as they come. I was so traumatized by the whole experience that Sawyer was probably 2-years-old before I actually got the guts to sing to him. I'm still terrified that my kids are going to inherit my off-key versions of every song and that I'll ruin them for life. But, I have to say, they both love my singing and insist on at least one song every night before bed. My repertoire is limited. Here's our bedtime playlist:

• You are my sunshine
• It's a gift to be simple
• Fréré Jacque
• Tomorrow (Annie)
• Rockabye Baby

What songs do you sing your kids at bedtime?

morning moment

Sawyer and Arden are playing dolls. Sawyer hands me Raggedy Ann and tells the doll that he and Arden are going to work on the train and that she has to stay here with . . . Grandma. Not funny, kid. Then he has the audacity to come back about three times saying: 'I forgot something,' and 'I forgot something else,' and 'I forgot one more thing.' This roleplay stuff is sometimes an unwelcome mirror.

High Five Dad

While Scott continues to job hunt on a daily basis, he is enjoying (most days) the opportunity to stay at home with Arden and, on Fridays, with Sawyer as well. (Interesting note: For many years Granby has run on a four-day school week to allow kids the opportunity to ski, travel for sports, take extracurriculars on Fridays.)

After three months as a SAHD, Scott has his routine all worked out. There are five libraries here in Grand County (and only 12,000 people) and each library has two preschool story times each week, so he makes the daily circuit and has determined which story hours are the best. But, hitting four story hours a week can get a little redundant, so this month we've signed the kids up for a couple of classes.


Gymbor-wee



On Wednesdays, Scott is taking Arden to a romper room gym class at the new Fraser recreation center that just opened a month ago (wait 'til you see the kids pool!) The rec center has a full competition-level gym. Gymnastics is, oddly, one of the most popular sports in the area. The program was run out of a warehouse in Tabernash for years. The woman who coaches the competitive team also offers classes for toddlers and preschoolers during the day. Arden's getting her start with a little bouncing and tumbling. I love in this video that the moment Arden learns, 'It's a race,' she takes off and blows away the other kid. It's a bargain at $35 for 4 weeks.


"We were far far far away"



On Fridays, Scott is taking both kids to Nordic ski class, another bargain at $20 for 10 weeks, including rentals, passes, lessons and hot cocoa. The first week of ski class, temperatures were as cold as they've been here, registering negative 18 at 9 am. It was so cold, my car battery finally kicked the bucket after five years. Unfazed, we bundled everyone up and Scott headed off to the Nordic center with the kids, only to discover class had been canceled. Too cold. (I didn't think it was EVER too cold in Granby.)

After six days of temperatures below zero, we bundled everyone up as much as possible yesterday for week two of ski school. Even though temperatures weren't above 20 degrees, it was about 40 degrees warmer than it had been all week and the kids apparently thought we'd moved to Florida. So, first of all, in this video, you can see Arden stripping down to her skivvies. I also love that Arden is not the type to follow the beaten path. (You can see her off to the right in the video. Sawyer is the painfully overdressed kid in the green coat and black hat. ) And, I love that Scott is the only parent who hung around to help the instructors, and that he magically knows the kid's names. Must be all those story hours.

At the end of the video Scott interviews Sawyer who states that the best part of the whole thing, was making it back. And, now he wants some food.

Mommy, not me
Last week, a mom-friend we've gotten to know through Sawyer's school (who's also on the library/gym class circuit) invited Scott to join the Mommy and Me group in Granby on Mondays. Thinking this might be a nice addition to the routine, he went . . . and, promptly decided it wasn't for him.

"I should probably go do my email now." - Sawyer

Notes from the day

I finally got around to taking down the Christmas tree this morning and partway through Sawyer looked at me and said: "Mommy, what are you doing with Christmas?"
I explained that I was putting it away until next year. He looked around the house desperately, his eyes landing on the art supplies and easel he received from his aunt and uncle, and, said: "Well, can I keep this part of Christmas?"
____

Sawyer is very interested in helping us cook dinner, and the participation is helping expand his menu. Tonight, trying to scrape something out of nothing in the fridge, I suggested scrambled eggs. He helped me melt the butter in the pan, crack and beat the eggs, pour in some milk and stir them in the skillet. We topped them with some salt and cheese. When he tasted them he said: "These are delicious."
Typical Jack-Spratt-and-Wife moment, Arden wouldn't touch them. (Both my kids enjoying the same meal would be more than I could imagine.) Sawyer said: "Arden, it's eggs, butter, milk and cheese. How can it be bad?"

More fun

For those of you who don't follow Sarah Q's blog, she wrote about her family's visit to Colorado and posted a slideshow, which includes a lot of photos of our house and family, here.

Twice the fun

I can't really go the cliché route here and say that I'm in disbelief over Arden turning 2 in a few short days. Really, she seems like she's been 2 for a while. Maybe that's because between keeping up with her big brother and proving her worth, she's always been about 10 steps ahead of me. Walking at 9 months, speaking in sentences at 15 months, potty training at 22 months . . . I've never quite been ready for her.

The second birthday is the most low key affair of all the single digit birthdays in my opinion — not the same to-do as the first, too young to really care or understand like the third. So we took advantage of having the godparents in town and threw an unpretentious (read: grocery store cupcakes, no decorations, one present) early birthday party Friday night. The real birthday is Tuesday.

The Girls

We spent the New Year with two of my favorite people on the planet. Sarah and Dara have been my best buds since freshman year high school — more than 20 years! While our lives have taken different paths, getting together always feels like no time ever passed. Us girls got away today for a ski in Rocky Mountain National Park followed by lunch. The snow fell hard. A good omen and blessing for 2010.