Sept 2011 Harvest

We went to visit Grandma J and Grandpa H at their house.







They asked us to help them harvest fruit.








Grandma had baskets.








Grandpa had tea.








We picked a lot of apples. And grapes








The dog helped. She thought the apples made good balls.








M discovered the Single Miracle Kiwi.








Then we had to cut the apples.








And peel them.








And boild and smoosh them. And somewhere along the line a Little Too Much Cinnemon was added.








Grandma did a lot of cutting.







And peeling.








Luckily, there was one of those mechanical peelers.








There was some talk of adding grapes to the sauce, but I don't think we did.








Then A wanted to play Battleship.



 But all Grandpa could find was the old Sub Search game.






We had to download the rules, as J couldn't remember them all after thirty-something years.








Obligatory tired dog picture.

Do You Remember the Ring?

Some opera-lover friends visited.

Kissing

Scene: Preschool. A has just kissed G (another boy), prompting a classroom-wide discussion of how it's okay to kiss your family, but that friends at school should only be hugged so we don't spread germs.

A (to G's Mom, who coincidentally has been reading to the kids): "But what if we kiss people accidentally?"

Scene (later that day in the playground):

G's Mom (to me): (Laughs) "Boy, I can see him in a few years in the bar: 'Sorry darling, that was an accidental kiss.'"

Corn Maze 2009!

We went to the Corn Maze today with our friends. We wore our special Rats T-shirts (designed by M) for the occasion.
















We only got lost twice.
















And afterward A got to ride at the very end of the Cow Train (barrels on wheels pulled by an ATV).

Lava Lamp!

Scene: The kitchen. M and A are beginning to make pumpkin bars. M is standing next to A, who is standing on a chair, at the kitchen counter. J has brought in a green Lava Lamp ("mantle placement discussion" between M and A deleted), and placed it on the kitchen-nook table. Plugs the lamp in. Green light shines on sold waxy gunk inside.

A (eyes light up with shiny enchantment) : "Kuw-el!" (Eyes locked on sixties retro decor, begins to dismount chair).

J (laughing): "So, A, what do you think the rule about this lamp is."

A (approaching the Lava Lamp as if in a dream): "I can't touch it."

M: "A, did you say 'kuw-el'?"

Play Date

Friday was an inservice day. Everyone (and their parents) were at the park. The City had not yet turned off the water features, so like clockwork, the parents would walk in, see the water, their faces would fall, they'd turn to their kid(s) and say, "I don't want you in the water, OK?" and the kids would pretty much ignore them. A managed to borrow a scooter from one of his friend.

Bon-bons and Theology

A: "So J, do bad people get bon-bons?"

J: "No. Wicked people do not get bon-bons. Only the pure and good."

A: "What if bad people sneak to the supermarket and ..."

J: "Oh! There's an angel with a FLAMING sword guarding the entrance to the supermarket, and they wouldn't be able to get in."

A: "But the bad people would poke her with their pointy swords."

J: "But before they could, she'd use her FLAMING sword to cut their swords into five pieces."

A: "But they would use their Magical Powers to put their swords back together."

J: "She'd cut the swords apart again."

A: "Their magic is stronger and they'd use superglue to fix their swords."

J: "Well, while they were using their superglue, the Angel would take her FLAMING sword and cut a big hole into the sidewalk and they'd fall forever and ever and ever."

A: (smiling) "You're making that up."

[several moments later, including a short explanation of how medieval Christians believed good people were escorted to Heaven by angels while wicked people were dragged to Hell in chains....

A: "So what would they do to me in Hell, anyway; drop me into a fire?"

J: (making a 'bingo!' sign): "You got it."

A: "What else do they do to people? What does it look like?"

J: (deciding that M would be annoyed if a review of Hieronymus Bosch were to be given to a four-year-old) "Uh, I've never been, so I couldn't say."

---

Scene: After a scanty dinner, A is putting together a train track.

A: "Tyger, tyger, burning bright / Tyger, tyger, I don't care. (pause, to J) Why are you laughing?"

Seattle Fun

We went to Seattle. On the way we listened to Cats, which seems to have had a lasting effect.








There was a tea conference going on, and when A got bored of tea, we went outside.








Although J had told A earlier that he needed to stay out of the fountain in order to avoid dying from hyperhermia, M told A he could go in. M later went back to the car for a dry layer of clothing.







A got to use a pasta machine to make dinner.









There was a really cool park with some pretty aggressive play structures. All the grown-ups liked the zip-line, but A wasn't so sure.