Duck!

How often does a duckling come strolling into your yard? Especially when your yard is being guarded by a dumb dog and a very smart cat, either one of whom is likely to eat and/or maul a baby duck? This poor, unfortunate soul waddled right up to Star, who barked at it, alerting Sinatra that a meal was on the loose. All you can eat duck! Before the cat could get a second shot at the duck's head, I rescued it, thus saving Freestone and Ruby from years of therapy. No kid wants to see a soft, cuddly duckling ripped to shreds by their pet!

Speaking of pets, it looks like this one is here to stay, getting the Ritz treatment until it dies or gets big enough to live at Barnes Park. I almost suspect that the innocent-looking little guy was unleashed by one of my kids who imagined - correctly - that a duckling would bring all the Saturday yard work to a halt. Freestone has named him Tyler, and is asking me at this very moment, "What should we do for Tyler's birthday?" I'm asking myself at this very moment, "What should we do for Tyler's funeral?" His head trauma does not bode well for his longevity. There may be therapy down the road after all.

Oh Rats!

Xanthe this morning at the dinosaur park, BEFORE she knew she would end up left behind at the dentist's office.

 Xanthe after her rescue.  I told her to look sad.

I told you the end of the school year was going to get crazy. Today we had a field trip to the dinosaur park, a violin lesson, two major repair deadlines, a playdate, three ballet classes, two play practices, a baseball practice, a cello lesson and five dentist appointments, and Scott had a lawyer thing to be to tonight.

Is it any wonder that I accidentally left one of the kids at the dentist in a big, padded mouse costume?

Here's how that can happen:  playdate game needs a mouse, no time to change, everybody loves rodents right?, go get in the car. (I don't even think in coherent sentences anymore.)  Contributing to my general state of confusion with six kids plus a cousin at the dentist's office, the dentist informed me that Freestone has genetically damaged teeth and his permanent molars are growing in looking like Swiss cheese. All I heard after that was, "Two thousand dollars." I think my ears were ringing.  So apparently, when I commanded, "OK, everybody in the car, let's get Ari to cello!" Xanthe was still getting an x-ray. We were almost home before somebody said, "Hey, where's Xanthe?"  I should have known she wasn't there by the lack of heckling coming from the "way back."

I immediately called the dentist office and said, "Sorry, but I think I left one on my kids there.  It's the five-year-old dressed as a rat?"
"Yes, you did, and she is just fine.  She just chose a toy from the treasure box and she's watching Finding Nemo."

That sounded like so much more fun than what we were doing, I was tempted to ask if she could stay until closing time.  Instead, I told the receptionist I'd be right back, after I ran home to get Ari's cello and picked up Golda from ballet.  What?  She was happy!  Don't judge.  In fact, I am seriously considering dressing her up again tomorrow and sneaking her into the waiting room with some big family who won't notice, while I drive carpools.  'Cause we don't have a TV in our car, and Xanthe loves Finding Nemo.

Adrenaline

Summer. I have to admit, I'm terrified. But, just like waiting for a roller coaster, the closer you get to the front of the line, the more exhilaration you start to feel. So now, instead of being terrified in a bad way, I'm terrified in a good way. I'm about to go on a ride that is going to turn my stomach upside-down. It will be intense and I won't be able to catch my breath until the ride comes to a complete stop around the end of August. But the ride will be so awesome that I know I'll want to get right back in line when it's over. I know that. So it's time to embrace the inevitable.

Plus, I am SO OVER school! Freestone has to read 400 minutes a month for his reading calendar. I challenged him to get his minutes as quickly as possible this month, before all the other kids, so we could turn the dang thing in and be done with it! He was reading over an hour a night and painstakingly adding up the minutes. He proudly took his calendar to school Monday with 400 minutes completed, and it was only the middle of the month! He was amazing! Did his teacher praise his accomplishment? No. She said he has to read every day in May and told him to take the calendar home and keep working on it. ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? So I sent a note to school with his nightly "baggie book" saying, "Please don't send any more baggie books home. Freestone is going into Baggie Book Retirement. He wants to get out while he's at the top of his game. Thanks!" If I make it to the end of this school year without getting into a fistfight with somebody, I am going to call it a victory.

Teacher Gifts

These are a few of my favorite things,
To prepare teachers for what summer brings.
Color-themed gifts in a cellophane bag,
Tied up with string and a colorful tag.

They are gifts from the wee Dopps
As gestures of thanks.
We've had some great teachers
Who've joined our friend ranks.

They deserve something pricey;
Their skill makes me weep.
But with seventeen teachers,
I got something cheap.

Sunscreen and candy,
A Sharpie and gum.
I hope they don't think
This small gesture is dumb.

My gratitude's such
It could take up a tome,
But time's running short,
So I made up this poem:

Because of you,

I didn't get dumber.

Thank you for teaching me.

Have a great summer!

Art Giveaway at Paper's Edge!

Artist Emily King, whom I am proud to call my sister-in-law is having a very generous giveaway.  Check it out!  You'll have a hard time choosing...

Headlines

A Star is Born

Deer Caught in Headlights, Loves Every Minute

Finally, a Flute Video for Kate!

Cellist Plays Her Recital Piece Twice as Slow as Ever Before

Perfection?  I'll tell you where you never find it.  At a music recital.  What you can find is entertainment.  Freestone was the first Dopp on the program.  The minute he got up in front of a large group of people, all of them looking at him expectantly, I think he felt a surge of power.  He wanted to do something more awesome than play a dumb old violin song, but he couldn't think what that amazing feat might be.  So he just stood there absorbing the attention.  We'll have to come up with a comedy act for the next recital.  Or not.  He was pretty funny already.

I'm glad Golda played.  This was one of her federation pieces.  After so much hard work, it was nice to be able to perform it for someone other than the few people in the room at federation, including her mom holding a garbage can just in case the migraine got the better of her stomach at just the wrong moment.  This performance was much less nerve wracking! See, Kate?  Golda really does play the flute!  :)

Araceli has the best expressions when she plays.  I don't know why she chose such a slow tempo, but she played well enough to get a thumbs-up from Scott AND Ptolemy!  Copying Scott, he gave her a tiny thumbs-up and said his new word, "Go!"  How cute is that?  OK, cuter if you're his mom, but still...

In a recital version of Sophie's Choice, I had to choose whether to record Ruby or Xanthe, since the memory chip was full.  It was actually an easy choice, since Ruby just played this same piece in recital last week. Ruby did great, but this was Xanthe's first recital.

She took great care getting ready, even asking to wear her glasses, which she never wears because she can't see out of them.  I guess she was on an accessorizing kick and saw how cute Ari looked in her glasses.  The minute the person before Xanthe finished her piece, Xanthe jumped up, ran to the piano and said in the quietest voice, "I'm Xanthe and I will play Mary Had a Little Lamb."  And the rest is history.  The look of pride on her face afterward is priceless.  When I saw that beaming face, and held her when she ran to me, I had a flash of anger.  I was angry that her birth parents will never see their little girl in a tutu at the piano.  The anger was a surprising emotion, but suddenly I did feel angry that those people had to give up so much in this precious little girl.  They won't see any of it, and it is not fair.  Now it falls to us, Scott and me, to appreciate Xanthe for ourselves and also for the parents who sacrificed a lifetime of proud smiles and arms around their necks.  Their sacrifice is eternal.  It's too much heartbreak for a music recital, so you don't think about it, but it is there.  Instead of going away, these feelings will soon have to be experienced through Xanthe's eyes, once she is old enough to feel what I felt in that moment.  I am just thankful to have her here, safe, and forever.

When the music ended, I quickly swam out of my moment of cosmic despair and herded all the kids to Baskin Robbins for a post-recital treat, courtesy of Bill and Coco.  Ice cream can fix just about anything!

Dear Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I am sad because you keep sending rain and snow and cold.  Please send sunshine and warm temperatures so my big brother can teach me to swim!  I am ready.  My suit and floatie are in the car.

Love, Ptolemy

'Tis the Season

The seasons of the year in our family don't necessarily have to do with the weather.  For one thing, there are only three seasons:  Nutcracker, Recitals and Swimming.  We're in recital season now, which starts with flute federation in March or April and ends with the ballet recital in June.  Although this year, the season has a playoff aspect to it, with The King and I running into July.  What I'm trying to say is, if you're tired of watching You Tube videos of kids playing instruments, don't click here.  Or here.  Or here.  But this one is kinda cute.

Teach Me To Walk

Freestone is Pat Morita to Ptolemy's Ralph Macchio. Wax on, wax off...wax on, wax off. Freestone doesn't know karate, or how to trap a fly with chopsticks, but he is teaching Ptolemy some other valuable lessons, and he is not taking his role as sensei lightly. Freestone made his student a "thermometer" chart to mark off all the times he practices crawling. When crawling became easier for Tolly, Free started getting up every morning and laboriously dragging the little guy around by his armpits, teaching him how to walk.

He has explained how to swim, how to put on his goggles, how to play the violin, how to play the Wii, how to throw a baseball.  Everything Freestone does, he seems to do it for Ptolemy.  All of his violin songs have lyrics like "Tolly Boy!  Tolly Boy!  Freestone's little Ptolemy!"  Or "Go te-ell Tolly, go tell Ptolemy!"  His homework said, "I have a baby brother.  He is very cute.  I play with him every day.  His name is Ptolemy.  I want to teach him Wii.  I am teaching him to walk."

Free was very cognizant of Mothers' Day yesterday.  First thing in the morning, he brought me a carefully wrapped gift.  It was his soccer trophy.  Later, he gave me the cookbook (from my cupboard) that has his favorite gingerbread recipe in it.  But the best gift he gave me was a statement.  "Mom, I have to tell you something."  He waited for me to look him in the eye and said, "Thank you for Ptolemy."  For a little boy with so much fight and bravado, he sure has a tender heart. 

I Love You Because...

Ruby brought home a fill-in-the-blank card from school that said, "Mom, I love you because..." And she wrote, "Because I know that someday you'll remember to buy Nutella at the store."  I like her faith.  Keepin' it real, dog.  Keepin' it real.

I love you guys, and I promise I'll someday remember to buy Nutella!  Until then, thanks for sticking it out with me!  So glad I have you!