welcome to the jungle

No school this fine sunny day. Two children with lots of time to occupy. What is one to do?

In the wilds of Chesterfield lay a treasure beyond compare, a "jungle about butterflies."

The take-charge girl took her field guide and led us through the tropical heat (85 degrees with matching humidity).

Species were examine closely.

While an amazing variety of butterflies were seen, the Blue Morpho was the star (y'see its March Morpho Mania at the Butterfly House, its a kind of butterfly twist on March madness only there are no brackets and no losers and no betting (well usually)).

(I am happy to report no butterflies were harmed during this expedition.)

Grace and James, Butterflytologists Extraordinaires

baa-ha-ha

This was brought to my attention from my favorite neighbor who now lives in Boston. I'm one that admires animals from afar and this certianly meets my qualifications.

looking sharp

A Chicago street photographer captured this back in 1941 just a year or so before these two were married. My grandma likes to point out that even back then her "mouth was going" (ie she always has something to say). I think my grandpa looks rather dashing.

Chief

92 is a big number, especially when it is one that is used when counting years. Grandpa Chuck would have turned 92 next month. A restaurant he and Grandma used to go to would give you a percentage off your bill if you ate there on your birthday (so if you were 50 that day they'd give you 50% off, if you were 6 that day they'd give you 6% off - I think you get the picture). Grandpa was looking forward to the day they'd have to pay him to eat there! He got close, that's for sure!

Grandpa was a Navy man through and through. He'd be more than happy to answer to 'Chief' any day. He and Grandma were married for more than 65 years. He was a hard worker and could fix just about anything. He loves to tell about the rescue missions he's been on. They are pretty incredible.

One of my favorite stories he would tell was of when he and Grandma were dating. They would go to an ice cream parlor and share a milkshake or an ice cream soda. They would sit real close together and he would pinch her straw to make sure he got as much milkshake as he wanted! I loved it.

Grandpa passed away this morning. I think I miss him already. Perhaps a milkshake is in order.

random-mess

Its been too many days since I've last written. Here are things in no particular order that have a). been going on, b). have made me happy, or c). I just think you should know:

• Its been more springy than wintery here and I love it. I know it isn't here to stay just yet, but I have shoots coming up in the front, there are buds on the trees, and I've been to the park a couple of times.
• Nate took his last major-all-day exam of residency. The next big test is Boards which will take place in about a year from now. He wore his testing pants and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to frame them and hang them in his office some day.
• Jimmy has been saying many very funny things, I think I'm going to have to start a column on the side of the blog for him similar to 'Grace-isms.' If anyone has a good name for that, let me know.
• DWTS started last night. I celebrated with a big bowl of popcorn. Do you pop your corn on the stovetop or the micro. If' you've never tried stovetop popping, click here for a good recipe (and eliminate the rosemary).
• I got to hold a brand-new 8 hour-old baby!! So cute, so sweet, so happy to hold him and then go home to my babies who are no longer babies. Another friend of mine will be having her brand-new baby in the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited for her (well and for her husband too).
• I found one of my favorite Agatha Christie books and its been so long since I've read it I can't remember what happens next. (I'm sure it'll be finished by the time I go to bed tonight, but it still makes me happy).
• I am not as freaked out about selling our house as I have been. There still is much to be done, but I feel good about the whole thing.
• Some friends told us about a website where you can order prescription glasses (including lenses) starting around $12 (with only a $4.95 shipping charge!) We're going to give it a whirl. Check back in a few weeks to see how its going.

little miss sunshine

Yesterday - Freezing with frigid, brisk wind

Today - Sunny, bright, breezy, birds were even singing

Yesterday - Grumpy, stressed, overwhelmed with all that must be done to sell the house and move

Today - Happy, actually enjoying myself, far-less tension in my shoulders

What a difference a day makes! And also an attitude. One main problem for me is seeing how all of this will possibly come together. I now accept that it is not all in my hands (nor in Nate's and certainly not G or J!). We feel strongly moving to SD is the thing we should do and that the time has come to say goodbye to STL.

It is said that faith precedes the miracle. So today I put my heavy winter blanket away. It is starting to be spring here, at least in my house.

zoology basics

J: "What those owls over there?"

Me: "Umm, what owls?"

J: "Those ones, those ones. Oh Mama, they's chickens!!!!!"

J: "Bak, Bak, Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak! Ha ha, I sound a chicken!"

Incidentally, you and I might refer to the "owls" or the "chickens" as pigeons. But really, what do we know?

the numbers of art

Today J and I joined our friend, Kara, at the St. Louis Art Museum (creative name, huh?). This was their first free day of the new exhibit, "Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty."

Before entering the museum, Jimmy was very impressed with a sculpture, "Oh, it muss be a sculture...statue!" I thought perhaps he may be showing signs of interest in art.

Once we were in the exhibit (which was full of not only art, but serious adults appreciating the art) Jimmy discovered Numbers. Some displays were numbered (and for some reason some were not), he could not get over the numbers. "Oh Mama, it muss be numbers. What number is it?" Some of my answers he accepted, "Oh, right. Muss be six." And sometimes he didn't. "Oh iss eeleaben and two I's!! Mama, iss two I's!!!" The more thrilled he was with his discovery the louder he became.

So perhaps he'll lean more towards math than art? Time will tell. Also I should mention he refused to wear his shoes. Was he thinking of the Chinese custom of removing one's shoes before entering someone's home? Or was he just being stubborn?

I am not a poet

Jimmy has a racing car bed.
You'd think this is where he'd like to lay down his head.
He'd rather, I gather, sleep on the floor,
Or with his keester up against the door.

Today he chose not to nap
This did not make me want to clap.
On route home from school, he seemed to change his mind
This makes me think bedtime may not be too far behind.

So until I can convince him to wake
Slumber and sleep is what he'll make.
I wish he would choose to lay down his head
During nap time on his racing car bed.

some people

Some people can sit straight up from laying flat on their back without any assistance from their other appendages or their mothers before they are six months old (like Jimmy).

Some people can study while listening to old AC/DC and actually retain all the information and grow up and be a surgeon (like Nate).

Some people wake up one day when they are three years old and stun their mother because she realizes they can actually read and have some how acquired this terrific skill on their own (like Grace).

Some people can get on skates and are just natural skaters (perhaps these people are usually Canadian?).
We've discovered Gracie is not Canadian.

fact finding mission

Nate and I recently returned from San Diego. This was seen as a fact finding mission. Yes we found facts, lots of them. However, we're still making sense of it all. So no details as of yet. The beach was cool (a little too cool - not quite making it out of the 50s while we were there) and the area as a whole was quite beautiful. Watch out SD, we'll be back and next time we're brining the kids!

fwee

Jimmy turns 3 tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Buv!

sweet

The Cake:

Requirements: purple outside, strawberry/pink inside

With the outside-of-school portion of Gracie's life being consumed by Rainbow Magic Fairies, we only thought it appropriate to have a Fairy Party. I will admit Grace threw me for a loop at the last minute when she insisted the actual cake be strawberry pink and not chocolate. Oh well, at least I wasn't tempted to eat the cake. Don't get me wrong, strawberry cake done well is very good, but strawberry cake that a newly 7-year old is dreaming of is not good - its just pink.

My friend Kara has had a long streak of cake decorating at our house. She and I debated throughout the month of January different styles, elaborate frills, various picks, etc. until we finally came up with The Plan. As Kara pointed out, we were seeking to please the 4-7 year old set and not the Mature Taste Bud set (ahem, me).

The cake was made in one 9-inch round and 6 cupcakes. Kara had the terrific idea to meet the purple requirement by doing the top, sides and back of the cake in the said color. Let me point out that making real buttercream purple (click here for amazing deliciousness) was a real trick! The front of the cake was piped on in a rainbow. Yes we realize the colors are not in the correct order. We also can't believe Grace didn't realize this herself, perhaps there was too much fairy excitement in the air. The cake was devoured and all the fairies left full and happy (and slightly sugar-buzzed, but not too bad).

Conclusion:

Pink insides + Purple outsides = Very Happy Fairies

side note: if you really want to excite the fairies in your life, sprinkle a little bit of Pop Rocks into their very pink punch. Trust me, they will LOVE it!

7

January 30, 2002 - Grace Elisabeth entered the world (pretty much in the normal manner).


Those 7 years have sure flown by!


We celebrated big-time this weekend: a family party on Friday night, complete with colorful cupcakes, presents, and the birthday girl's requested dinner: spaghetti and meatballs. Salsie and Pops joined in the fun too.





Saturday was our Very Fairy Birthday Party. Imagine 7 little girls running around in the Fairy Best. Well here's a picture if you aren't into imagining so much today.



Its amazing how quickly this:













Can turn into this:













Because I'm a sentimental mother, here's a look at Grace throughout the years.

2002


2003


2004


2005


2006


2007


2008


2009


More party details to follow this week, so stay tuned (the cake was pretty darn amazing).

more news from the cafeteria

Apparently there's a lot going on in the ECC (Early Childhood Center). This time the big news is from Shetera. She loooves Nico from the bus. This was evidenced by the fact that she kissed Nico on the bus. She told Grace that boys are hot, but if you kiss them they are cool.

Anyone else surprised by this coming from a first grader?! I was thinking 6th grade maybe, maybe when this kissing on the bus would start (I'm hoping not to have bussers in my house!). Chasing boys on the playground seems more 1st grade material.

Shetera also thinks Nico is so strong, so she wants him to marry her. She's going to tell him/ask him soon. I told Grace that boys are the ones that ask the girls. She said, "Where did you hear that?" I said it was just one of those rules.

And I'm sticking to that one...

what's behind a name?

In the town I grew up in there is an amazing amount of people there who happen to be Italian. Lots of great people and lots of great names: Vinny, Angela, Mario, Guido, Guliana, Angela, Rocky, Angela, Angelo, Tony, Cristina, Dino, Dena, Angela, Sal, Flora, Luigi, Francesca, Anna Maria, Giorgio, Angela, Ines, Lina, Mario, Matteo, Angela, the list goes on and on. It is also rumored a more notorious name lives there (or lived there depending on the story you hear), 'No Nose DiFronzo.' I am totally not kidding.

For some reason while telling a story to Jimmy last night I was reminded of this. It started out:

"Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jimmy."

"I not a little boy!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you a super hero?"

"No, I Jimmy the Toe!"

This isn't a new thing. He sometimes is Jimmy the Superhero, sometimes Jimmy the Shoe, sometimes Jimmy the Sock, and then of course Jimmy the Toe. I finally realized this has to do with what is going on with his feet at the time of the story. If his Spiderman shoes are on he is J. the Superhero, if his orthopedic shoes are on he's J. the Shoe, if he's wearing only socks its J. the Sock, and bare feet he's J. the Toe.

Incidentally, he didn't like my story at all. It started with Jimmy the Toe running so fast and then climbing the tallest mountain. He was fine with running fast, but insisted he only climbs walls. It was just after midnight, so I decided to take his word for it.

hearts

This post is sad, so don't read it if you don't want to. More cheeriness to come with a later post...

February 9, 2006 - two little boys entered this world. One came to me with broken feet and the other went to an amazing family in Iowa, only this little guy had a broken heart.

He and his family came to STL for his medical care, and we got to know them a little bit as they became a part of our church congregation. He had several open heart surgeries and then finally a heart transplant. Things have been up and down and up and down for months. He even was able to leave the hospital and spend Christmas Eve with his whole family! It didn't last long and back to the C-ICU he went. He fought hard. Sadly this tough, little guy left this world yesterday afternoon. It is thought his new heart had an attack that was just too much for his system to overcome.

We broke the news to Gracie. She was so upset. We've been praying for him and his family for months. They've become a constant in our thoughts. It is our firm belief that families are a forever entity, that when someone leaves this life we will get to see them and be with them again. Grace believes this too, but as usual she had her own perspective on the situation. I had been feeling so heartbroken for the family, that along with their belief and hope they must be full of grief and sadness. Grace felt so much for the little boy. After thinking about it for a minute she started sobbing. She said she felt so bad because he would be missing his mom and dad. I don't know the particulars of the eternities, but I do think he is in good company and that time there is not like time here. She felt better with my explanation. She decided she needed to draw a picture of what his heart must have looked liked. You may note she drew the heart inside his shirt. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Why do I feel it necessary to share this with you? I'm not sure. Its just been weighing on me. You know, when we found out about Jimmy's feet I was so upset. I remember Nate telling me at the ultrasound (when we waited for the final word from the radiologist), that it wasn't that big of a deal. I was so mad at him for saying that! I said it most certainly was a big deal. But now as I've grown up some in the last three years or so I realize Nate was right. Dealing with Jimmy's feet has not been a walk in the park, but it hasn't been so bad. And looking at him you'd never guess when he was born his feet weren't built for running and climbing and getting into all sorts of trouble.

Today I'm going to be thankful for what I've got, because what I've got is good (even if it means that the last few days have been full of snot, lacking in sleep, with an abundance of coughs - it also has had lots of marshmallows, goofiness only a 6 year old can provide, and lots of hugs).

real love? already?

I am suspecting Grace might be smitten with "Real Love." My suspicions stem from yesterday's School Spirit Rally (yes, the school only goes up to 2nd grade, but apparently they have lots of school spirit).


Gracie was nominated by her class to do the big Class Introduction. This involved memorizing some lines and speaking into the microphone (two of Grace's specialties - she took it a bit further when she did not put the mike down during the class performance. It ended up being Grace and Room 204 instead of just Room 204). I digress. Okay, back on track.

After school she says to me, "Guess who was watching me very closely during
the performance."
I say, "who?" (knowing full-well who)
She says (as girly as possible), "Ethan!!!!!!!!"
And then she continues, "And I know he really likes me. Know how I know?!
Well, the black part of his eyes was shaped like a heart when he saw me!"

Either that is a sign of Real Love, or just a sign we need to cut back on cartoons around here.

the key

I've discovered the key to my success is Partial Disorganization. There is a fine line between Partial Organization and Partial Disorganization and unfortunately I've crossed it. This means there are a few things that I just can't find! I knew exactly which (though be it 'interesting') locations they used to be and now I have no idea where they are! Can anyone else relate?

dream big

As with most children, Grace is a dreamer. But this time I'd say she's more than dreaming, she's planning. She IS going to be the President of the United States and that is for certain. So, what are you doing January 20, 2040? Care to join us at her Inauguration?