The next Gilbert and Sullivan??

Duncan is always good for some entertainment.... He is also very serious about his role as 'big brother'. He loves 'Happy Time'. (That's when Whittaker isn't being held, but instead is laying in his bed being left alone.. sometimes with music playing, other times just looking into his crib mirror or at his mobile) Channa gave Duncan a baby gift for becoming a big brother. A book of activities to do with baby Whittaker, age by age. Duncan often studies the book looking for new activities to try out. But when the activities aren't to Whittaker's liking, Duncan resorts to singing him songs... sometimes in Duncanese.... but often just composed of his own imaginings like the following....

"One day you'll be big and your neck will hold your head
you'll sleep in your own bed,
Oh, baby Whittaker..."

Grandma tried her hand at a Whittaker song also...

Fish and Chips and Whittaker, Whittaker,
Fish and Chips and Whittaker
Time to put the baby down!

A night out...

They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies, seek him everywhere
Is he in Heaven or is he in hell,
That damned Elusive Pimpernel!

Back in November of last year whilst Valerie was making one of her visits I learned that my cultural training had been lacking. In a conversation with her and a neighbour they learned that I had never heard of 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'! "Oh horrors!!"

This play/movie had apparently been very memorable to both of them in the past and was so excellent that they simply couldn't let it go... I was required to see it post haste! So it was that we rented the movie and commenced watching it one late night.

They did not disappoint me... It was a great movie!

Fast forward a few weeks when a flyer arrived in the mail advertising Hale Center Theaters shows for the 2009 season... and lo and behold 'The Scarlett Pimpernel' was listed. Not only listed but opening on Aug. 11th.. my neighbour / friends birthday!... I knew just what to do!

Earlier in the fall the kids and I had gone on a field trip to tour the Hale Center Theater... at the conclusion of the tour we received a voucher for a free ticket to any show in the upcoming year.... Bells started ringing in my head and a plan was launched! I spoke with her husband regarding her birthday, 10 months in the future, and I ordered the tickets for opening night... her birthday!!

Fast Forward... February 2009... I'm pregnant and learn that my due date is in late Aug. 2009... it's ok.. I can go to a play when I'm big and clumsy... I don't have anything to do except get more excited for August!

Fast Forward... July 2009 .... Doctor schedules my c-section... I opt for Aug. 12th instead of the 11th so that I can still attend the play.... a few days later my friend casually mentions that her parents are coming to town and they are having a family reunion in August now instead of September..... of course the week of her birthday... After a few questions I have to tell her of my surprise birthday plans that I had for her. I go to the theater box office and reschedule the tickets for after Whittaker's birth. The date my friend and I decide to go that we both have available next... is Sept. 24th. Oh well... so it's not her actual birth date... and it's not opening night anymore... and I had to spoil the surprise instead of whisking in and kidnapping her as I had planned.... I probably wouldn't have been able to do much whisking the day before my c-section anyway!!!

Fast Forward .. Sept. 23rd, 2009... Miles, who has been waiting for 4 months now for the Scout pack meeting so that he can finally receive the awards he's been working on is scheduled after many postponings to Sept. 24th, 2009. AHHHHH.... Well... Grandma promises to take pictures and Sarah agrees to video the awards... So, without any further ado.....

Sept. 24th, 2009... we attend 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'.... OH VALERIE... it was incredible.... you totally should have flown in from Virginia for the evening!!!! They will likely do it again in 4 years .... so plan for it now!

For those who haven't ever seen it... ever heard of it.... it's worth the time and effort.. but be sure to watch the 1982 version with Jane Seymour... it's better than some of the other versions... (I watched another version last night that wasn't as good.. perhaps there are others.... I'll be sure to check them out soon!)

They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies, seek him everywhere
If he's not on Netflix, nor TV
Try your local library!

(I do so wish I could take credit for that little bit of wittiness but alas... I found it online during a search.... here..)

BirthDAY

What do you do when you're overwhelmed with school, baby, household tasks, garden harvest, and the other mundane things of life and your sweet boy is having a birthday and asks about the party you've planned for him. And you realize that you haven't made any plans and you're out of time....

You wing it!

You invite over the old neighbours that have children the same age as your children... except for the birthday boy... but he loves to play with all these older kids also.

You order Pizza the night before and sing happy soon birthday to you and let everyone eat outside on the deck, and even make Lemonade to go with it....You watch a movie with all the kidlets and then after he's fallen asleep you realize with all the older kids who are still awake that you're craving a cool, fizzy beverage and send Patrick and the teenagers to fetch something that will wet your whistle at 11:00 at night! Then in the morning when he asks what the empty bottles are from... you make wild claims at a birthday game later and sing Happy Birthday at him with a big grin on your face.

You ask if he'd like to request a birthday breakfast (and highly recommend the waffles)... and he agrees.. then you spend then next 2 hours making belgian waffles and chopping strawberries for the 10:30 Saturday morning Birthday Brunch! Then sing Happy Birthday to him and spread cool whip on his waffle and strawberries!

You offer to let him choose his birthday cake from the three cake mixes you have available... ignoring the cake he described to you two days earlier that took you and Caleb all day to make for Daddy's birthday.
You have Daddy work on a project in the backyard and call it a Birthday Project... and the birthday boy anticipates it's completion all morning!

You go shopping with Grandma, Caleb and Sarah to the DI looking for Halloween Costume ideas and come across a sweet little umbrella table for the playhouse but can't really justify it's need, even at only $3.00, until you call it a Birthday Surprise and you cart it home...

It made a great place for him to sit while he accepted his birthday phone call from Sparky and the girls!... they also sang Happy Birthday to him!

You decide to make the Lemon cake he requested a little fancier by making it in a bundt pan and feel very smug that it actually popped out of the pan in almost one piece... and just fill in the little spot that came off when you inverted the pan... of course the glaze turned into frosting and you go ahead and frost the whole cake.... and let him lick the beaters in the name of birthday fun...

You are pleased as punch when his little neighbour friend brings over a card for his birthday and he thinks she came for his party and shows off his new mountain steps excitedly... (he doesn't expect her to stay long.... 'she's been sick all week')

You leave for Women's conference knowing that the afternoon and evening with Daddy will be more fun than anything you could plan.... and return to empty popcorn bowls, amazing leftovers from the burrito dinner and cheers as another movie comes to an end... the friends are still at the house waiting for Mummy and Grandma to return so everyone can enjoy some cake together!

You enjoy birthday cake at 8:30 at night while everyone sings Happy Birthday for the umpteenth time, and you see that the friends mother brought a real birthday present over (a Cars movie checkers game) and he loves it!!You allow him to play a quick game of checkers with Grandma at 9:00 at night in his jammies since it's his birthday... and he smiles as Grandma and Mummy sing Happy Birthday... again...

You think you've pulled it off as you're tucking him in for the night, as he asks... "Why didn't my friends show up do you think?"...... and you realize you aren't fooling anyone!!.... but you're so grateful because he also says.. "It was a great birthday even if they didn't come... and I'll see them tomorrow at church!"

whew!....

It's a great thing his cousins remembered his birthday when they came the next day with the coolest card we've seen and a fun tool belt for him to work with his daddy!

An historic day...

September 26th in History

• 1580: Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe.
• 1687: The Parthenon in Athens is partially destroyed after an explosion caused by the bombing from Venetian forces led by Morosini who were besieging the Ottoman Turks stationed in Athens.
• 1746: Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to his mythical ancestor Venus Genetrix in fulfilment of a vow he made at the battle of Pharsalus.
• 1774 Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist (and possible distant relative... real name John Chapman), born
  
• 1888 T. S. Eliot, American writer and editor, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1897 Pope Paul VI born
  
• 1898 George Gershwin, American composer born
  
• 1948 Olivia Newton-John, Australian singer born
  
• 1962 Melissa Sue Anderson, American actress known as Mary on Little House on the Prarie, born
  
• 1969: The Beatles album Abbey Road is released in the UK.
• 2008 Maycie Jayne Collins, neighbour and friends daughter born

2003 Duncan Levi Noble, third son, cool dude, snappy dresser, clever comedian, sweet boy, good listener, well-mannered gentleman, great reader, superman action figure collector, friendly to all he meets, and now big brother is born...

and is now 6 years old!

The jury is out....

I have lived in the Salt Lake area for twelve years now... I have been summoned for jury duty FIVE times!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS? I should buy lotto tickets... apparently my number gets selected!!

But really what gives? ... how is it that my name is selected frequently and others I talk to have never been summoned?

I have only had to actually appear once of the five times... since I had recently given birth or had a child with major surgery that month and was successfully able to withdraw all but 4 times. Typically the summons comes within weeks of my giving birth... is it a list the maternity ward gives out to judicial court systems? (Here's a list of women who are juggling too many things... try them?!! Maybe they figure we'd like a break from the new baby?)

Last time I served and it was 2 years and 4 months ago. They even told me at the time that I wouldn't be able to be summoned for 2 years since I had served... I hadn't realized they meant... 'hey, we'll be sure to call you again when your 2 years are up!'

I'm also surprised each time that they want the overly frazzled housewife, with green living convictions, the school zone traffic nazi and dual citizenship! Chances are I'll listen to the case and lose my mind and start yelling things like... "Time out chair for you!", or "Go to your room... I don't want to hear about this again!".. or "What were you thinking? You know better! Don't make me come over there!", or "What punishment do you think will help you to remember not to do this again... writing lines? or putting your nose on the wall?"

Don't get me wrong, I think I might actually find serving on a jury to be a uniquely fun experience if I didn't have to figure out how to feed the newborn and what to do with the other 4 children in my absence. Not to mention laundry, cooking, cleaning, school teaching and general daily household tasks.. perhaps that's what I'll put on the form this time under the question,

~"Is there any reason that serving jury duty would cause undue hardship?"
~'I'll fall behind in the laundry!!'

WHY, WHY, WHY do they want me so desperately?

Big and Little

Isn't it absolutely amazing that some day these two could be the same size! I'm always amazed at the size of Patrick's hands and never more so than when he holds newborn babies.

Whittaker has big brothers to look up to, big genes to fill, big footsteps to follow and a big name to live up to! But we have big dreams, hopes and faith in him!

Connolly crazies!

Channa was recently at my house for a Sunday afternoon when the children returned from church still dressed in their Sunday clothes. (Normally when she arrives they've already changed into their jammies.) She requested that I snap a photo of them in their finery to show their dad..... I tried... they were shall we say... goofy at best (I didn't discourage it... and I might have encouraged... but I won't admit it!)... Derek opted out of the photo altogether!

I have however attempted a Connolly post church photo op before.... with similar results.... I think they looked grand both times, and the silliness is part of who they are!

Don't you think Cooper could pull off a Mr. Thurston Howell the third look though, (from Gilligan's island) ??

Rebel rouser!!!

There are some rules in our house that we don't typically break for anyone. One of these is that we don't eat anywhere but the kitchen and dining room. Exceptions are fairly clear... if you are sick and Mummy feeds you on the couch with a tray... and popcorn or ice cream during a movie and usually we lay out a big blanket to eat on.

Without any discussion we made an exception for Whittaker. I tend to feed him wherever I find a comfy spot. This should have been fine considering a nursing infant doesn't exactly fit the don't eat in the living room rule... until he spat up on the couch.....

Take me to your leader

Recently Miles has developed some sort of skin condition on his head... like a cradle cap dryness. The treatment for his scalp is oily and gets saturated in his hair and doesn't wash out too readily... so we decided he didn't really need to have hair in the way while we treated the scalp! So we shaved his head to 1/8th" He didn't complain. We've buzzed his hair before.. just never quite this short.

After church on Sunday I was curious if the extra short cut which made his scar even more pronounced than usual had garnered any comments or questions from his pals. He said that some people noticed he had a hair cut. I don't know if people are just generally polite and say nothing, aren't curious or if Miles is just oblivious to the stares and comments.

We were just sitting around before bedtime when we were having this discussion with him and we asked what he tells people when they ask about his scar. He shrugged his shoulders, "just that I had surgery when I was a baby". We learned shortly after we moved into this house that the boy next door who happens to be the same age as Miles was also the same boy who shared an area of the NICU at the hospital many years ago with Miles. Small world... that they would become neighbours again and playmates. The boy next door also has a scar, but it's on his stomach. He was actually hospitalized even longer than Miles was. But the boy next door is very self conscious about his scar.

In talking about how lucky these boys were and that their scars are really badges of courage and little miracles, we decided that he should really tell them a great tale when people ask. This is what we came up with.

One evening in our back yard an alien space ship came down and aliens abducted Miles in the hopes that they could learn more about the brain activity of humans. They probed his brain and left their special alien mark on his head so they could identify him upon their return.

Miles liked this story... and we, a little giddy, continued...

The aliens also included a small pulsating clock transmitter into his head.... (if you look closely at his head he has a spot the size of a dime that pulsates), this we told him, was what they used to contact him in his sleep... Miles is famous for falling asleep at night at roughly the same time each night no matter where he is... sometimes sitting up, sometimes outside... so we told him it was like an on off switch that the aliens control and they can only do their research on his brain while he is asleep. They also turn him back on when they are done.... typically around 6 am... which would explain why Miles is such an 'early riser'.

But this wasn't enough.... we continued..

On one of the aliens return visits they needed to do some research into the blood stream of the human child. Miles had been so cooperative a specimen on the brain research that they used him again for the blood research. The two small dot like scars on the side of his neck proved very useful for this new story...(and it seemed better than just saying it was his vampire bite marks).

We really hammed it up in our story telling and Daddy was showing the kids the scar and essentially proving our story by pointing out the pulsating spot and the blood draining scars. We'd been doing all the talking while Miles lapped it up. He was loving the idea of a great tall tale all his own to spin for future scar staring questionings.
We were done spinning our tale and were sending the kids off to bed when Duncan quietly asked, "Did the aliens only do it to Miles?"

Apparently we are believable story tellers... or we need to work on how gullible Duncan is!

Whittaker's toys

Duncan and Miles are eager for Whittaker to play with his toys. There are toys dangling over his car seat, attached to his crib, and swing... and frequently I find him this way with toys propped into his reach... Even when the toys are as large as he is!

September brings

September brings

Birthdays to:

Martha on the 1st
Jim on the 10th
Lloyd on the 17th
James and Tina on the 21st
Duncan on the 26th

Anniversaries to:

Channa and John on the 9th
James and Tina on the 21st

Activities like:

Iowa testing at school, Women's broadcast, 2 fast sundays, this year it brings a plethera of Dr. and dental appointments, garden harvesting and plenty of canning.

It also brings back the cooler weather, a three day weekend with Daddy (yeah for Labour day!), routine to our daily life, apples and more apples, school traffic to the neighbourhood, hearty soups, and evening walks.

Welcome September and Enjoy!