A Counting Society

The young and not-young gathered together to usher out the old year and welcome the new. Prior to the kid- and tired-adult-friendly countdown (we celebrated at 8 p.m. local time), the children were entertained by a balloon artist extraordinaire and storyteller better-than-ordinaire. (Many cheers – maybe 2,009 of them – to our friends, Beth and Jack, for organizing the event.)

"Our Year"

As this entry's title states literally, here's...

Our Year in Quotes

January 2008

“I can be kind to others by…giving flowers and being nice to all the people I know!”
Olivia, completing the phrase from a school lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., thus beginning a yearlong obsession with the civil rights leader.

February 2008

“Yeah, Obama winned again.”
Olivia, speaking casually on her toy phone to no one in particular, reporting that the presidential hopeful was victorious in yet another Democratic primary.

March 2008

Beni: “Do you know why people celebrate Easter?”
Olivia: “For Dr. King.”
Beni: “What about Dr. King?”
Olivia: “He wants us to have a wonderful time and have a happy Easter.”

April 2008

“The only way they’ll pass me is if they take pity on me.”
Your faithful writer of this blog, ever the optimist, sizing up his chances of receiving a passing score on the comprehensive exam for his master’s program. (Alas, he was pitied, and therefore passed.)

May 2008

“Jesus is a girl, Daddy.”
Olivia, demonstrating her religious literacy.

June 2008

“I think Mommy magicked into the picture.”
Olivia, believing that Beni had crossed over from three- to two- dimensional space when she unable to find her in a game of hide- and-seek, leading her to look for her mother in a painting.

July 2008

“We’ll have to send G a thank-you card for leaving us all of her stuff.”
Olivia, making lemonade out of lemons after her grandmother moved from in-town to the East Coast.

August 2008

“I am so proud of you. You get a golden medal for being such a good grandma.”
Olivia, swept up in the Olympic spirit, awarding Grandma Randi the top prize for accompanying us on separate summer trips to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

September 2008

“If it’s a girl, let’s name her Flowery Cicada; if it’s a boy, Mr. Fitzbots.”
Olivia, dropping two of her many suggestions for her sibling’s name.

October 2008

“Under no circumstances will I ever be pregnant again—period.”
Beni, suffering in the third of four miserable, bedridden months of severe nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy.

November 2008

“We’ll know it’s a boy if the baby has peanuts.”
Olivia, getting an A in anatomy.

December 2008

“I love being on stage. I wish I was always in a show.”
Olivia, who feels all the world’s her stage, discovering that the stage itself is out of this world during a dress rehearsal for her first dance recital.

Mane Event

Olivia, Beni, Aunt Liz, G, Grandma Randi, and I spent the last couple of days at a lodge, a place that was a strange mix of American tourist crap trap—indoor water park, amusement park, arcade, animatronics, mini golf—and African safari. I was awakened this morning by a report that led me to believe that I was still dreaming: that, off in the not-too-far distance, prowled what appeared to be a great cat. I managed to make my way off the sofa bed and onto the balcony, where I exhausted the zoom capability of my camera to get this picture:

My curiosity piqued, I did next what any good parent would do: approached the lion with child in tow, confident that a Honda Civic would provide us with ample protection should said animal attack. Here’s what we saw out of our thick windows:

Elizabethan Time

A day after celebrating Christmas and Beni’s birthday, we were out in celebration again, this time to commemorate Liz’s birthday. Special guest Hannah Montana Olivia put down her cell phone long enough to join her mom and aunt in a picture at dinner.

Season of Sharing

Notable persons whose birthday falls on the 25th of December:

- Isaac Newton
- Clara Barton
- Humphrey Bogart
- Jimmy Buffett
- Annie Lennox
- Jesus

Add to that list my darling and prego wife, who endured much to give birth to our dear daughter, and who continues to battle a whole lot on the road to baby brother’s birthday in early spring. Beni, you are absolutely amazing and appreciated—happy birthday!

So Far, Sew Good

(Excuse the two bad sew puns for titles—I saw few options.)

Olivia, in a repeat performance of last year, slept in on the day we’d forgive her for waking up at the crack of dawn. Olivia must have been good this year and/or done a good job convincing the jolly one the three times she sat on his lap because she got just what she wanted: her very own sewing machine.

She wasted no time stitching up some items, including a stocking for me for next year.

A Maze-ing Race to the Top

'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the museum
Two creatures were stirring—Oh, look! There they are! You can now see them.

The two made their way through the climber maze with great care
In hopes that St. Nicholas might also be there.

Season’s Greetings, Grumblings, and Grand Pronouncements

Consider these the gifts—your gold, frankincense, and myrrh, if you will—from not the wise men but rather a man who’s a wise ass. I hope these quotes from Olivia, all uttered just today, will warm your heart with laughter on this second day of winter.

While looking at a heart pendant that Beni had let her wear for the first time today: "Hearts are for loving on Christmas."

At naptime: "I can’t sleep because my eyes won’t sleep."

A non sequitur in the context of the discussion, but certainly not one in the context of Olivia’s life: "God wants us to live forever. Dr. King wants us to live in peace."

D'Art Around Town

Olivia, who confirmed last week that she still wants to be an artist when she grows up, must have thought she’d hit the jackpot this weekend: yesterday we visited the art center for an art lab lesson on landscapes, and today we stopped by the library for their holiday crafts program.

Putting a Hecks On

(Note: Hecky brainy is an Olivia-ism for “heck,” and so "What the heck?" becomes something like "What in the hecky brainy is going on here?" She uses the term in exaggerated frustration, and she often playfully slaps the side of her head as she uses it in phrase. Our child uses the term so often, in fact, that she refers to it in its abbreviated form—hecks. And in revealing herself to be the firstborn that she is, Olivia has implemented some specific guidelines for the term’s use.)

Me: "Olivia, what in the hecky brainy are you doing?"

Olivia: "Daddy, hecks can only be used during the morning and the afternoon. Not at nighttime."

Me: "Why not at night?"

Olivia: "Because I’m the chooser. I’m the decider."

Ruff-ing It

Television seems to be one of those necessary evils. Necessary, in the sense that it’s one of the only things that’ll keep Olivia’s prolonged attention, thus providing us with a break when needed; evil, in that it has sucked so much time from my life (and for me, it’s much easier to damn a box than myself). But I must say, if my daughter is going to sit in front of a television, I’d want her watching shows like “FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman,” her current fave.

“FETCH!” is a PBS show—it’s part game show, part reality TV, but 100% fun. The host is an animated dog named Ruff Ruffman, who sends each season’s six contestants on select tasks, each designed to educate while entertaining us viewers at home. (Our own Fetcher now complains of sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia when she gets an ice cream headache.) The creators of the show have expanded their enterprise to children’s museums around the country, and fortunately for us, a “FETCH!” lab has taken up residence in our local discovery museum, giving us a doggone good reason to renew our family membership.

On this day, Olivia and the lab assistants constructed flying apparatuses out of paper, paper clips, drinking straws, and tape.

Christmas Star

No doubt that every parent at tonight’s Christmas concert thought their child was a star—ourselves included. Our radiant child took her role as a senior leader quite seriously: she practiced her songs day and night, and according to one of her teachers, was one of a handful of students who she could count on to help guide some of the younger students through their joint performance.

The treats just kept on coming: after the delightful show, we feasted on holiday desserts, and the kids got to visit with the special visitor.

A sewing machine? Really??

Meowy Christmas

Our festive and felicitous feline prowled the grounds of a pavilion in search of Santa during “Christmas in the Park.” She eventually found the rotund one in—you guessed it—the rotunda, where she asked him for—you guessed it again—a sewing machine.

Shot Heard Round the World

Round number two of child’s flu shot + a highly anxious preschooler whose worry level was heightened by the knowledge that she would have to have to have another shot a month after her first = a loud and laborious undertaking at the pediatrician’s office.

Jingle Fever

Olivia and her dance crew ushered in the holidays with their performance of “Jingle Bell Rock” at the dance recital.

Mother's Day

Today my mom hits one of those milestone birthdays, the kind for which Hallmark maintains a special section. Cracking on her age seems trite, so allow me to go in the direction of heartfelt appreciation.

Dear Mom,

You are one of those people who other people are glad that they know. Do you remember Vinnie Johnson? He of the Detroit Pistons, when they were the Bad Boys? As you know, they called him “the Microwave” because he provided instant offense. Well, I’d go with “the Fireplace” for you, in that your presence both brightens and warms any room you’re in. Your enthusiasm is the stuff of legend. Paul Bunyan may have had the strength of a dozen men, but it’s you who has the energy level of a dozen Paul Bunyans.

A born teacher, you have dedicated much of your life to improving the life of others through education. I know your students are grateful to have had you; I’m lucky in that I never have to leave the classroom. You have taught me so much already, but most importantly, you have taught me to pursue an ethos of kindness and love, the guiding principles by which you lead your own life. I wish you happiness always but especially so on this special day.

Love,

me

Half a Wonderful Birthday

A half past four is the time my work day comes to a close; also, it signifies Olivia’s age in years, for today happens to be her half-birthday. I thought it might be fun to see how much she’s changed since her first half-birthday.

Olivia, circa December 2004

Wishing Wellness

My grandpa, here with me and my dad,
during a visit while I was in college

My grandfather in Japan, a proud man who once wowed the neighborhood kids with his strength—he kept a chin-up bar in his art studio—has recently been incapacitated by the cruel fate of cancer. My grandpa and I have always been separated by distance and language, but neither serve to buffer this pain I feel for him in my heart. As my dad leaves today to be by his side, please keep my grandfather in your thoughts and prayers. Domo arigato.