My Favorite Part of Christmas

I failed to take any Christmas photos.  But I did get pictures of the girls out at Linda's, and that's my favorite part these days anyway.  Frances chose not to ride this year, I believe because of a mixture of cold and fear.  It didn't help that Chandler rode first, which gave the What-If monster more time to work on Frances.  We will try again next year.  Chandler - and Linda, I dare say - had a blast.

That night happened to be my birthday.  We had Linda, Bill, Mim and Mona, Linda's mother, over for lamb pizza and a Chuck's cake which the girls liberally decorated with holly.

As far as birthdays go, it doesn't get much better.

The Bottle

I believe this is the last photo of Chandler with her bottle.

She was so fond of that thing.  So very fond.  I persuaded her to give it up once before, then realized she had become terribly dehydrated and relented.  Big mistake. 

About a month ago, I again asked her to give it up.  About 48 hours later she was done with it.  Luckily, she was excited about giving all her bottles to a pregnant friend of mine.  Unfortunately, she has started chewing on her clothes and continues to twirl her hair.  Sigh.  Parenting is not for wimps.

Ninety-Seven Months of Second Grader Frances

Ninety-Seven Months Fun Fact

• Reading Progress:  Bunches.  Her teacher has her reading at a level R, about fourth grade level.  She ignores that, and presses on reading Harry Potter, which are more like level V or W.  She's not comprehending everything about the stories, but she is following the plot, which is pretty good for someone reading Harry Potter, way above her reading level.  I mean, I don't always follow the plot.  The Prisoner of Azkaban took at least one reread to start making sense, and I believe I was in my twenties when I read it.  Frances is a tad precocious.   

Forty-Six Months of K1er Chandler

Forty-Six Months Fun Fact

• Sartorial Style:  Dresses.  The girls got to wear whatever they wanted to school on picture day, a departure from the dress-code norm.  Chandler choose to wear a red velvet dress.  I'm actually not positive of the dress's origins, but I believe Mimi was its creator.  Underneath that yellow jacket, she was stunning.  You'll have to take my word for it.  

Frances and the Violin

Mark was so convinced Frances needed to play the violin, he went out and found her a teacher at a music school in Brookline.  This places is not for slouches, but Frances seems to be thriving there (minus an occasional "I can't do this;"  I'm trying to discourage this waste of energy as gently as I can manage).  In December, the teacher, Ms. Celia, put on a little recital.  After some initial "I won't do that!" Frances gave it a try.

It was a smashing success!  Frances enjoyed herself and played well.  Major coup.

She was asked to join an Orchestra Skills class for ten year old.  After some "I won't!" she agreed to give it a try and is loving it.

Oh, how I wish she would recognize this pattern and skip the "I won't!" part.

Such talent!

Chandler did this one.  It's Mrs. Wobble, the waitress.

And this is Frances's handy work.  The piece of paper says "ou," so the whole thing is "I Love you."

Clearly, they are brilliant.

Homework for the Four Year Old

Yes, four year olds get homework in BPS.  The saddest truth is that it is simple tasks to force parents to interact with their children, and those who wouldn't be interacting with them anyway are unlikely to start once it is assigned.

Never mind.

Chandler and I were supposed to study a grocery flyer, noticiting foods and numbers.  Chandler took it upon herself to copy some of the letters.

Jeez, I love this kid.

Halibut Point State Park

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was another freakishly warm day.  We decided to try out a quarry walk that ends next to the ocean.  I'd been hearing about it for years, but we'd never tried it.  It did not disappoint.  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but it was a beautiful natural playground for the girls.

And then we went home and decorated the tree.

 Not bad at all.

On Walden Pond

Because the girls had built Thoreau's cabin during the library activity, we had to take them to the actual site, of course.

They been before actually, but it had been years.  It was a freakishly warm day.  The girls got a much bigger kick out of the beach than the reconstructed cabin.  I think they're making "W's" with their hands, for Walden?

After about an hour of reminding the girls we were far from home and I didn't have a change of clothes for them, we called it a day and headed for home.

Not at all a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Tears and Accusations

Jane Smiley once wrote that sewing with your kids was sure to bring tears and accusations, or something like that.  My copy of A Thousand Acres is not close at hand.

You know what's even better than tears and accusations?  Paying someone else to sew with your kid, especially when you don't really know what you're doing with a sewing machine.

All of this is to say, "Hooray, Frances is taking sewing classes!"

Her first project was a cloud-shaped pillow.  She seems to really enjoy the kids in her class, her teacher and the sewing itself.  I think she may have found her thing.  Right now, she's learning to sew herself a skirt.  How cool to be an eight year old who can sew her own clothes?  I certainly wasn't that cool.  Very impressed with this kid.

School is Brilliant!

I tried for a really long time to teach Chandler the letter names and sounds.  A really long time.  I felt terrible that Frances had this wonderful Montessori experience and Chandler got nothing, since the school shut down.  

I needn't have bothered.  After two months in school, Chandler was not only writing her name, she was writing her best friend's name as well.  Ignore the "Leerc."  Focus on the "Leela" down below.

Isn't she just the greatest genius ever?   At least a little bit?  I chalk up her quick mastery to maturing, expert instruction and peer pressure.  Whatever it takes.

I love libraries and glue guns!

I saw a flyer about a library program for kids discussing Henry David Thoreau for his bicentennial year.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Regardless, I wanted to attend since we live so close to Concord.  It was so much fun!  Why?  Glue guns!!  Glue guns are wonderful, even in the hands of four year olds.  They actually work, unlike so many other forms of adhesive.  The girls got to build their own cabins using all sorts of recycled goodies and glue guns!

Look at these little architects!

I was so pleased with the whole experience, we've returned for the weekly program almost every week since.  They've made stuffed dinosaurs, animal puppets and snow globes.  All hail the glue gun!  Unfortunately, everyone else in JP likes the program too and it's become a bit of a mad house.  But never mind; we press on.

At School

Frances asked that I make Butterbeer Rice Krispy Treats for her class birthday celebration - that's rice krispy treats dipped in a butterscotch-sugar concoction.  I obliged.  Her classmates gamely tried them (that's Frances dead center in the white shirt), but I think they were too sweet.  Hardly anyone ate them, but Frances didn't seem to mind.  

Frances really wanted a photo with her buddy, Brisnelys.  Friendship knows no height discrimination.

Frances isn't even the tallest girl in her class.  And we don't even feed her Miracle-Gro, so don't even ask.

Forty-Five Months of K1er Chandler

Forty-Six Month Fun Fact

• Dress Code:  Skirts are all the rage lately.  If she can get her hands on a dress, all the better.  This is fine with me, except when it's freezing and looking at her bare, blue legs makes me cold.

Ninety-Six Months of Second Grader Frances

Ninety-Six Months Fun Facts:

• What is your name?  "Frances Elliott Upton!" (Then she did a cheerleader move.)
• How old are you?  "Now? I'm eight years old.  Next year I'm going to be nine.  I can't believe it."
• Who do you live with?  "Mommy, Daddy, my sister Chandler and then me."
• What is your favorite color?  "I have a couple .  My first is gold.  My next is red.  And my last actually is sea foam green."
• Who do you like to spend time with?  "My friends at school.  One is named Brisy, or Brisnelys." 
• What do you like to do with your family?  "I like going out to parties and, um, I also like to go to playgrounds with my family and ride my bike."
• Where do you like to go? "I like to go to jewelry shops and Build-A-Bear.  Also, I like going to Jump On In.  I like going to see Linda and Mimi and Sir and Grandma and Grandpa.  Oh, and I like going to the movie theater and the Nutcracker.  I like this place where my friend Darby brought me, this Chinese place?" [She's thinking of P. F. Chang's.]
• What makes you sad?  "When my sister pinches me and hurts me.  Also, sometimes when I see something I want at the store and Mommy and Daddy won't let me get it."
• What is your favorite toy?  "My stuffed gorilla.  I always sleep with him at night.  I love him equally as well as everyone else but, um, he's the first one I can remember seeing when I was born.  Not born, but right after I was born, a couple days or a couple weeks or a couple of months."
• What is your favorite fruit?  "What's fruit? Strawberries.  I love raspberries.  They're so good.  I like apples too, if they're not old apples.  I especially like Honey Crisp.  They're really, really good."
• What is your favorite TV show?  "Harry Potter!  The new series of Spirit and, oh, How to Train Your Dragon II."
• What is your favorite vegetable?  "Watermelon?  Is that a vegetable?"  
• What is your favorite lunch?  "Pastelitos.  It's a Spanish word.  I'm not exactly sure what it means, but it's a Spanish food with toasted bread and inside there can be just cheese or just ham or just meat or just chicken.   I like the chicken ones.  All the meat ones are really good."
• What are your favorite clothes?  "I have a couple kinds.  Um, my first is my striped p.j.s.  I got them for Christmas.  They're very comfortable.  I'm wearing the bottoms right now.  My other favorite of my clothes is a hand-me-down from my cousins and, um, so that's another thing I really like.  And for another thing that I really, really like my Belle costume I wore for last year."
• What is your favorite game?  "Harry Potter Clue!  It's about Harry Potter and there's all these different cards.   It's very hard to explain.  You kinda need the board in front of you to explain."
• What is your favorite snack?  "My favorite snack, let's see.  Oooh, I know!  My favorite snack is mint chocolate chip ice cream.  [Maniacal giggle.]  And I like chocolate sprinkles on top and if I can get my hands on some gummy bears.  And snickerdoodle cookies."
• What is your favorite animal?  "Horsie.  Tigers are pretty too.  I like tigers.  Cats are pretty, or cute, or kittens.  I really like horsies and tigers.  You find really disgusting things about them that you really don't like.  I was reading a book with my class.  It said if a tiger has had too much to eat, or if they're full, they'll dig up a  hole and bury their food and then they'll go mark their territory.  They'll scratch or pee right there.  Scratch the trees." [There was some acting that went with this description.]
• What is your favorite song?  "Best Day of My Life."
• What is your favorite book?  "Harry Potter!  Um, so far I'm on the fourth.  The fourth is pretty good so far.  I like the first the best."
• Who is your best friend?  "Brisnelys or I have a couple actually.  Darby from preschool and Keala from preschool.  Darby and Keala I've known since I was two years old."
• What is your favorite sport?  "Soccer.  I like soccer." [She has nothing whatsoever to do with soccer.]
• What is your favorite thing to do outside?  "Play tag or also I like pretending I'm a horse or I like pretending if I have more people, I like pretending I'm a tiger pack.  That's really fun."
• What is your favorite drink?  "I'd say hot chocolate.  Um, also, I really like apple juice.  I think I like hot chocolate better though."
• What is your favorite holiday?  "Christmas.  I love opening presents.  The presents!"
• What do you like to take to bed with you at night? "Stuffties!  And a really thick blanket if it's really, really cold.  Or stuffed animals."
• What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? "Plain pancakes.  So no oatmeal inside of them." 
• What is your favorite dinner?  "Chicken, beef, um, bacon.  Do you call bacon in the beef stage? [Clarification.] Ok, bacon."
• What do you want to be when you grow up?  "Teacher, but my second grade teacher advises me not to.  He advises me not too because it's so much work." 
• What is your daddy's name?  "Mark"
• What is your mommy's name? "Morgan"
• What is your sister's name?  "Chandler"
• Where do you live? "186 Amory Street in the green house with the purple trimming."

Party (Upton-Style)!

This year, for Frances's birthday celebration, we had the Linfoots and Ishikawas over for pizza and a viewing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  It was so mellow and wonderful.  I got all the kids Harry Potter glasses and lightning bolt tattoos and then they made potions out of vinegar, baking soda, glitter, and dish soap.  I did print out instructions, but the kids gleefully ignored those and had a great time.  Below, we've got Frances, Peanut, Keala, Chandler and Darby.  Akea couldn't make it, but Adler was around somewhere.

After the movie, Darby stayed the night!  They've actually spent the night together before, but never for a Birthday Sleepover and Frances seemed very pleased with that part.

The next morning, the girls sewed and played Harry Potter Clue.  These are The Absolute Best Activities for sleep-deprived children, second only to flame throwing and knife sharpening.

After a bit, I made Cindy come pick up Darby so we could go back to bed.  When we'd rested up a bit, I was willing to declare the whole thing a huge success.

Halloween Itself

The Worst Witch, Belle and...

...Rapunzel.

God bless teachers, especially on November 1.  An entire school of  sleep-deprived, sugar-fuelled kids.  Imagine.

The Lantern Parade

Frances talked and talked about being Hermione or Matilda for Halloween.  Talked and talked.  But in the end, she decided to go with Chandler to pick out Chandler's princess costume (Chandler never wavered), and Frances couldn't resist getting one of her own.  So, I give you Belle, Rapunzel and their lanterns.

They added their own metallic tattoo necklaces. 

I love the lantern parade.  I'm so glad we made it this year.  Everyone with littles gets dressed up and walks around the pond.  There are bands, cider donuts and lanterns, so it's pretty much wonderful.  A little of that, and I could be done with Halloween.  I did notice this year that our kids were on the older side of the age range!  This was shocking and a little devastating to me.  I no longer have little children, it seems.

Waiting On Their Hogwarts Letters

Some days - like, everyday at 7:30 p.m. -  I've got their trunks packed and ready to go.  Just point me towards Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.  They are so ready.

They Dress Themselves

Aren't they just fashion plates?!

And so sweet, too!

Frances was annoyed I asked her to move her arm so I could see her face.  I'm so glad I bothered.

Her Very Own Field Trip!!

After being dragged along on her sister's field trips all last year, Chandler finally got one of her own!  I was so pleased for her, I volunteered to tag along.  It being October in Massachusetts, we went to an apple orchard, the very same orchard with the falling concrete blocks and war re-enactment, but this was during the week so all was calm.  The kiddos were more or less given free rein of an area.  Chandler ran around with her new buddy Leelawadee.  (If Frances gets a "Kealakai," I guess Chandler gets a "Leelawadee." I had another "Morgan" in kindergarten, a boy, so I suppose I can't complain, though it's not half as interesting as my kids' friends' names.)

Cuteness!

Chandler and Leela are best buds now, sort of like sisters in that they alternate playing and arguing with lightning speed.  Luckily, Leela's mother is very good humored and we mostly ignore their drama.  Thank goodness.

Forty-Four Months of K1er Chandler

I couldn't choose one picture.

Forty-Four Months Fun Fact:

• Path of least resistance:  This kid was less hurt by the falling concrete block than was her sister (see previous post).  Minor foot damage that didn't require carrying, which was lucky since Frances was hobbling.  And she's decided she likes her apples whole, not cut up.  This is one of those minor miracles of parenting, like when the kids start fastening their own seat belts, that nonparents can't even imagine getting excited about.  "Oh, my God!  She's eating an apple that I didn't cut up!"  "Oh, my Lord!  I only have to fasten one seatbelt when I get in the car!"  It's the little things.