Smart Kid

Graham just asked me a joke/riddle/serious question -- I'm not sure.

Graham: What do you call a triangle without a top? (Imagine this being asked in a little boy lisp while big brown eyes look at you steadily.)

Me: I don't know, Graham, what do you call a triangle without a top?

Graham: A bi-angle.

Form Fits Function

When we arrived in England, none of my bedroom furniture fit up the stairs. The bedroom is big enough, but the turn in the stairwell is not. Our everybody-can-snuggle-on-Saturday-morning, pillow-top, king-size bed was donated almost immediately to a charity. But the dresser & chest of drawers have lingered in our lounge (aka living room) for more than a year, waiting for when we relocate to a different house.

Today I phoned the same charity that claimed our bed might be too large for the pick-up van (they managed, but the manager pleaded, "Please tell me they don't make beds bigger than this one.") I've been telling myself to do it for months, but today I finally scheduled to have the bedroom suite taken away.

In the past year I've thought about what that furniture means to me. We bought it, ironically, from a family who were leaving the States to spend a year in Norway. Those pieces of furniture symbolized what good things could enter our lives. Beautiful & functional, with clean lines. Form fit function. But although we could still use the function, those pieces no longer fit the form of our lives.

So, on January 8th, those items which meant "good things will come" to my graduate-student-wife self will be taken away. Their sale will bless the lives of the Emmaus Community. And, I like the thought that perhaps they could become a symbol of "someday" prosperity for another young family.

It's in the Genes

I grew up watching classic movies, usually musicals. When I was fourteen, "Singin' in the Rain" became my favorite movie & still holds a position in my top five favorite films.

When Cami was a very young toddler, about one, movie musicals were my stand-by for getting housework done. Once the music began, she'd happily watch a film for two hours. (Anybody think I'm a bad mom?) She loved them so much that we once had a babysitter tell us Cami cried hysterically the entire time we were gone, except when Fred Astaire was dancing on screen.

Cami's gotten back into "Singin' in the Rain" lately. She requested it for Me-and-Mommy-Movie Night on Friday & then again yesterday afternoon. So, I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when Cami just told Jason, "There's nothing between us. . . just air."

A Message From Jason

Graham has just been tucked away in his bed, after having a late night out at a friend's birthday party. Jason was the accompanying parent & related the following conversation that took place in the cab on the way home.

Graham (looking at the GPS): There is a little map in this car.

Jason: Yes. It's a very smart map. It knows where we want to go and tells the driver how to get us there. Isn't that cool?

Graham: Yes, it is.

Jason: They didn't have maps like that when I was your age.

Graham: They did have maps like that when I was my age!

Will Jason Guess?

Graham & Jason are upstairs playing "I Spy." Graham won a blog point when he announced, "I spy with my little eye something that is Mommy-shaped."

I think I'll keep him.

Graham comes home for lunch now. It's a good thing the school is only a five minute walk from our house, because it could be really inconvenient otherwise.

Even though it isn't the way things would work in my ideal world, it's not unusual for him to play a computer game during his lunch break. But today the computer wasn't on & he entertained himself by looking out the window. As I was helping him put his coat on I asked, "Can I whisper something in your ear?" I bent low & whispered, "I think you are fun."

He pulled my head lower & whispered, "I think you are gorgeous & beautiful."

You've Had a Birthday, Shout HOORAY!

Cami turned seven yesterday. She's had her birthday party all planned out for at least a month, but what she didn't know was that I was going to surprise her with a trip to the German Market. Five little girls on an adventure are a happy handful.





I should spend a few minutes recording the details of the day, but we're about to do Cami's cake. There was so much excitement yesterday, the birthday bonfire had to wait until today!