Samuel's Birthday

Samuel's actual birthday was on a Monday. We have not yet instituted the "Steve has to take a holiday on a family member's birthday" policy yet (I guess time will tell if this policy is ever instituted...), so most of the day was spent like a typical Monday, at the park with our Monday Park Group.

But Steve did make pancakes for breakfast, at Samuel's request.And Grandpa Lou and Grandma Joan joined us for dinner at The Counter.And the Sundae that we sang Happy Birthday over was yummy.

Samuel turns 3, Rebecca turns 4

A few weeks back we celebrated Samuel's 3rd birthday with a shared party, also celebrating Rebecca's 4th birthday.

When asked what type of cake Samuel wanted, he responded "Strawberry". I asked if he wanted strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, like the previous year, and his response was, "No, I want strawberries." Strawberry Cake? "No, just strawberries."
The result? I made a tart dough (yes, it's whole wheat, but it does have some, gasp!, sugar in it) and stuck a bunch of strawberries on top. The recipe was Deborah Madison's, and for future notice, it was much better a few hours later, when the jam had time to sink into the crust. It was excellent for breakfast the next day...

Rebecca's cake request? Ice Cream.

Which, it probably goes without saying, was a much bigger hit than my tart with the kids. But, hey, I was just doing what was asked. (That said, the two flats of strawberries were gone by the end of the party, so I guess when Samuel said "Just Strawberries", I shouldn't have tried to elaborate on it.)

Rebecca's theme was Robots:And Samuel requested a frog pinata, so I guess our theme was frogs...What part of handing a 3 year old a baseball bat (or wooden stick) with a crowd gathered very close by, and telling them to whack a swinging object sounds like a good idea? Sure caused me more stress than pleasure, but boy did the kids fight over who went next...The pinata broke open to reveal toy grabbing mayhem
Becky and Gil brought a T-ball set up, which provided a lot of entertainment for the sporty setBubbie and Popsie brought their brand new puppies
Shira clearly enjoyed the strawberries, or at least her shirt did

First Words

I have a lot to blog about, but haven't gotten around to downloading any of the pictures or video from the camera, recently. Last Saturday was Samuel's birthday party, and his actual birthday was Monday. There are a number of other posts kicking around in my head, too. So we'll start out with one that doesn't require me to get out the camera.

Shira will be 11 months old in two days and I swear that she is already talking. I've already mentioned her prodigious non verbal communication skills, but I'm pretty sure she has said all of the following words in the appropriate context more than once:

Dada - Steve gets to hear this one quite a bit
Mama - this one is much newer, but she is definitely working on it
Hi - with wave
Bye - also with wave
All done - mostly used to indicate she is done eating, sometimes to let us know she wants off the potty
Poop - I swear Shira looked at me a couple of days ago and said "poop", then clapped her hands (she does that as a sign for pooping sometimes, I gather because I frequently sing and clap with her to keep her occupied while she's on the potty). I put her on the potty, and she proceeded to poop. Steve is dubious she intentionally said "poop", but I stand by it.

She tries to say strawberry, but doesn't really get anywhere close. And she has something that she always says when she sees Samuel, I think she's trying to say his name, but it is completely unintelligible.

She is brilliant! Brilliant, I say!

Walking is clearly nowhere on the horizon, she can stand if placed next to something to hold on to. She isn't pulling herself up yet, or cruising, but boy is she a talker!

Samuel turns 3, Rebecca turns 4

A few weeks back we celebrated Samuel's 3rd birthday with a shared party, also celebrating Rebecca's 4th birthday. It was essential to get all the partying in on the same weekend, as The Maker Fair was the succeeding weekend, and it made sense to combine the celebrations, as Samuel's and Rebecca's birthdays are only a few days apart, and we share a very similar invite list.

When asked what type of cake Samuel wanted, he responded "Strawberry". I asked if he wanted strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, like the previous year, and his response was, "No, I want strawberries." Strawberry Cake? "No, just strawberries."
The result? I made a tart dough (yes, it's whole wheat, but it does have some, gasp!, sugar in it) and stuck a bunch of strawberries on top. The recipe was Deborah Madison's, and for future notice, it was much better a few hours later, when the jam had time to sink into the crust. It was excellent for breakfast the next day...

Rebecca's cake request? Ice Cream.

Which, it probably goes without saying, was a much bigger hit than my tart with the kids. But, hey, I was just doing what was asked. (That said, the two flats of strawberries were gone by the end of the party, so I guess when Samuel said "Just Strawberries", I shouldn't have tried to elaborate on it.)

Rebecca's theme was Robots:And Samuel requested a frog pinata, so I guess our them was frogs...What part of handing a 3 year old a baseball bat (or wooden stick) with a crowd gathered very close by, and telling them to whack a swinging object sounds like a good idea? Sure caused me more stress than pleasure, but boy did the kids fight over who went next...The pinata broke open to reveal toy grabbing mayhem
Becky and Gil brought a T-ball set up, which provided a lot of entertainment for the sporty setBubbie and Popsie brought their brand new puppies
Shira clearly enjoyed the strawberries, or at least her shirt did

The Decider

It will be interesting to look back on this post in a couple of years when we know Shira and her personality a little better to see how her baby personality translates into a walking, talking girl, but so far, Shira is a decision maker. She has strong desires and doesn't seem to have much trouble communicating those desires, despite her nonverbal language limitations (hint, scream and point until you get what you want).
One of the places that Shira's desires is most apparent is at mealtime. Shira is very clear about what food she wants to eat and what she is not interested in.

This girl is a big fan of food, but she also has very particular tastes, something we did not experience with Samuel. Samuel would eat pretty much anything you offered him (except tomatoes), though he wasn't interested in eating much.

Shira, on the other hand, loves to eat, but only what appeals to her. Everything else, doesn't even deserve a spot on her placemat. Unwanted food gets thrown over the back of her chair. And you never know what whim the day will bring. Even strawberries got thrown over the side this morning, despite their usually starring role.

Tonight, Shira was happily eating butternut squash hummus and some whole chickpeas before the rest of us sat down for dinner. As soon as I placed Steve's plate on the table, she began to yell. Steve offered her more chickpeas. She continued to scream. As soon as Steve brought his plate toward her, she instantly became quiet.

She wanted to make sure she got a taste of whatever we were eating. She then proceeded to ignore the collards, throw the potatoes on the floor, and scream until we offered her some of the eggs.

I guess watching Samuel eat three eggs a day for the past couple of days (the newest fad is hard boiled in our household), Shira was feeling left out. It's a month and a half early for the egg allergen, but we're living dangerously. Watch out peanut butter! Here we come.

Thanks Kafka Mcguires!

Samuel has been enjoying his birthday gift from Auntie Judy, Uncle Kelly, Talia and Daniel.

Sibling Play

Morning bead play

Samuel and Shira constantly amaze and delight me. What amazes and delights me the most, however, is when they amaze and delight each other*. I never would have guessed that they would begin playing with each other so early. Pretty much as soon as Shira could giggle and smile, Samuel would ham it up and try to find ways to amuse her.

While I chopped fajita veggies for dinner tonight, Samuel and Shira jumped on the trampoline.
I was just going to have Shira sit inside with me while I cooked, but she freaked out and started yelling at me and pointing at Samuel on the trampoline. So I took her outside and put her on the ground, at which point she screamed and pointed even more. She got a huge grin on her face when I finally brought her inside the trampoline enclosure. Samuel promptly kicked me out and insisted that he would take care of her. I was cramping his jumping style.And he did take care of her. When she started crawling for the springs, he hauled her back to the middle and explained to her that she would fall off if she went over there.
And Shira was upset when he left the trampoline without her, reaching for him and yelling for him to come back.

When dinnertime rolled around and Steve was stuck in a meeting, I sat Shira in her chair and gave her food to eat. I was concerned that she would be unhappy over there while I was cooking and I wouldn't be able to finish making dinner.Not to worry, as you can see, Samuel had no trouble cracking her up and keeping her occupied.Of course, some of this entertainment involved throwing food across the table and eating in silly ways (Samuel isn't the only jokester in the family)...

*This amazement and delight can only be equaled in intensity by the frustration (anger and annoyance) I am frequently in due to Samuel deliberately harassing Shira (standing with his butt in her face, putting his foot on her head, touching her head gently all the while knowing it will irritate her, etc. etc.), and Shira screaming in mock pain and terror in return.

Good Morning

Samuel decided he needed an early morning popsicle yesterday. But the rule of popsicles is that they are eaten outside. So what do you do when it is a chilly Bay Area morning and you want to eat a popsicle, but you are still in your pyjamas?Why, you put a robe on, of course. And then when your fingers and toes are cold? You request shoes for your feet and socks for your hands.

Thursday with Rebecca and Penelope

Since our babysitter got a last minute full time job, we needed to find an alternative situation for Samuel and Shira for a the couple of hours that I am at work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, until the end of the school year.

So, our new Thursday situation is a child swap with Kathrine. Samuel and Shira go to Kathrine's house for a couple of hours in the morning, and then I swing by and scoop Rebecca and Penelope and take all four of them home with me. So far so good...
We had a good time. Penelope was tired and had a tough time being away from mom, but took a nap and was ok. Rebecca was lovely and so polite and articulate. We are going to have to work a little on Samuel's hosting manners. He had a tough time sharing his trains and playing WITH Rebecca, rather than just using all the toys himself. Bear with us ladies, please!

A New Farm

Kristen suggested a new Wednesday afternoon activity this week. I didn't think that we would go, as our early bedtime usually means that I need to be home at 4:30 making dinner.

But Shira woke up early from her nap, and I didn't foresee spending the next 3 hours in the house ending well for us, so I threw Shira on my back, encouraged Samuel to jog, and we hopped on the bus to a farm that is unbelievably in the middle of suburbs.The kids played on and in a haystackAnd on a compost pileLillian and Samuel examine some ladybugsWhile Shira and Penelope chow on some dirtAnd since it is a working farm, we did do a little work

Riding Bikes...

...has become very popular in our household as of late. I'm excited that Shira's old enough for me to take her on the bike (though due to my freakishly small head genes her bike helmet still doesn't fit) and that Samuel is starting to really enjoy his strider bike.Samuel, Shira and I rode all the way to preschool this week.And Samuel rode all the way to the park (and most of the way to the farmer's market the week before).

Monday Morning Pancakes

There are some advantages to having a child that insists on waking up at 6:30am (if not earlier) every day. We have around 3 hours of family time most mornings, which means there's always time to make pancakes should the whim hit said early riser.Could these two guys be any cuter?

Shira scavenges for food on the floor while the men make breakfastCan you tell they were a hit?

What do you think, Steve?