Part of our late afternoon routine has become playtime in the backyard, usually me (Rob) and the kids. This serves several functions- if Trey has not napped that day, it keeps him awake until bedtime. If Trey HAS napped that day, it wears him out so there's a chance he'll go to bed before 10pm. It gives the kids a lot of exercise, especially since their favorite activity is for the three of us to hold hands and run around the yard until we fall. Or we pretend to be airplanes until trey decides where we land in one big heap. And they usually spend a while doing one of their favorite things- digging in dirt. Sometimes they write on the fence in chalk, which gives me time to study while sitting out there with them. And usually it gives April time to make dinner, check facebook, or whatever.
Today was different, though. We did a little of the usual stuff, but most of the time (at least 45 minutes) we crammed inside the playhouse and talked about whatever was on Cosi's mind. Cosi sat on my lap holding a ladybug she had found, which entertained her for 30 minutes straight, and Trey just kept peeking out the window at the clouds and diving into my arms for spontaneous hugs. For 45 minutes.
Today was a good day...
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
This Side Up
A brief thought occurred to me (Rob) while studying for my Hebrew class:
In some languages, you can tell how much progress you've made by how long it takes you to realize that you are holding the flashcards upside down...
In some languages, you can tell how much progress you've made by how long it takes you to realize that you are holding the flashcards upside down...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Cosi and the Details
Cosi got a Christmas gift in the mail this week (thank you, Jeff and Melinda!), and was very happy to see a soft, rainbow-striped jacket. Because it's a little chilly this week- down in the 60's- she put it on right away. After wearing it for a little while, she suddenly looked down at it and in a concerned voice asked Rob, "Is this Joseph's?"
Now she had called Trey "Joseph" and herself "Mary" all through the Christmas season, so at first I thought she meant Trey. But no, she was wondering if she had somehow obtained Joseph's coat of many colors! We know she had heard the story of Joseph in preschool, because she told us she had learned that she shouldn't sell her brother (we're glad she understands that it's wrong to sell family members, and people in general). But it's also nice to see she is picking up on details.
On a related note, this morning she heard the opening bars to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" and was very excited to tell me that the someone was about to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
Now she had called Trey "Joseph" and herself "Mary" all through the Christmas season, so at first I thought she meant Trey. But no, she was wondering if she had somehow obtained Joseph's coat of many colors! We know she had heard the story of Joseph in preschool, because she told us she had learned that she shouldn't sell her brother (we're glad she understands that it's wrong to sell family members, and people in general). But it's also nice to see she is picking up on details.
On a related note, this morning she heard the opening bars to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" and was very excited to tell me that the someone was about to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I Could Just Watch this All Day
Trey is all boy. Observe the dirt on his shirt and face (he may have tried to eat some of it)...
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
'Welcome to Miami' - Children's Museum, that is!
One of the fun things that we got to do in December (pre-illness, except shingles) was drive to Miami for a weekend! Rob was asked to speak (in Chinese) at a Christian conference. The kids & I tagged along. I liked Miami, even though our 3 minute walk on South Beach led me to believe that our fully clad conservative family with children didn't fit in with the beer-drinking thongy tanned-bum scene (think Will Smith video, then tone it back a tad).
One of the high points of our trip was the Miami Children's Museum, so I've included a few pictures from our time there. We'll start with some Trey pictures, because after viewing my last post, my dad asked, "who's that boy in the picture?" My mom said, "I think that's your grandson." :) Trey is looking a bit older these days. I think it's his hair - the party isn't just in the back anymore!
Don't worry turtle - this won't hurt a bit!
Trey's favorite room = fishing!
Cosi is looking a bit South Beach with her short shorts...
Get ready dog - this will probably hurt a lot b/c this girl means business!
Right after this picture, Trey threw sand in my face. Awesome.
Thank you Publix for providing a fun grocery store section - the kids both loved it!
One of the high points of our trip was the Miami Children's Museum, so I've included a few pictures from our time there. We'll start with some Trey pictures, because after viewing my last post, my dad asked, "who's that boy in the picture?" My mom said, "I think that's your grandson." :) Trey is looking a bit older these days. I think it's his hair - the party isn't just in the back anymore!
Don't worry turtle - this won't hurt a bit!
Trey's favorite room = fishing!
Cosi is looking a bit South Beach with her short shorts...
Get ready dog - this will probably hurt a lot b/c this girl means business!
Right after this picture, Trey threw sand in my face. Awesome.
Thank you Publix for providing a fun grocery store section - the kids both loved it!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
An Edenfield Christmas
The bad news - both kids had the flu over Christmas.
The good news - both adults stayed relatively healthy!
The bad news - trey's tamiflu prescription cost $130 (Cosi was not given it b/c she was almost through her bout with the flu).
The good news - just the day before, we had received an anonymously sent $100 bill in the mail.
The bad news - at the end of the flu, Cosi got a sinus infection.
The good news - we were easily able to get a doctor appointment for her.
The bad news - Trey developed an ear infection at the end of his battle with the flu.
The good news - after hysterically crying (it's not hard to do when you're sleep deprived) to the busy nurse over the phone, April was able to get him a doctor appointment.
The bad news - Trey was so sick on Christmas morning that he dazedly walked out of his room, looked at his presents and cried.
The good news - Trey warmed up and after 5 hours of coaxing finally sat inside his new Cozy Coupe truck.
The bad news - Cosi's nose was running nonstop for 5 days of excess mucous.
The good news - we had a Chinese professor staying with us and she took it upon herself to constantly wipe Cosi's nose.
The bad news - we had to cancel our Christmas dinner plans, due to the kids being ill.
The good news - we let our Chinese professor house guest cook us dinner!
Seriously though, we had a great Christmas in Florida and we're thankful for our many blessings. Here are some pictures :)
Our very serious Cosi working on her 2nd gingerbread house. The first collapsed due to excess pressure by the decorator. This was not a problem, as the supplier expected such difficulties might arise and had already prepared a back-up house.
Below, you'll see our house guests over the holiday - Ping, a visiting professor from China who is at USC for the year, and her daughter, Jessie. We're so thankful to report that they did NOT get the Flu.
I was a bit desperate to provide activities for the children. I grabbed the kitchen salt and poured it on paper plates, so the kids could play with it. My kids both immediately dumped their plates, even after I modeled drawing with your finger in the salt. Jessie took much better care of her salt. I don't think Jessie's mom was very impressed with my salt games. She thought it was wasteful. I guess it is a pretty wasteful activity that ruins food. I'm such an American sometimes.
On Christmas Day, we took a girls trip to a local playground. Rob stayed home with sick Trey. Jessie started out a bit serious, but I coaxed some smiles out of her. The weather was gorgeous. I was so proud of Cosi for going down the big blue slide.
We also decorated two giant sugar cookies. I didn't feel up to the ordeal of rolling the dough and cutting out separate cookies, so I just shoved the dough into two pans that my aunt had given me. The girls were happy. Jessie is really smiling - quite an accomplishment for us! Cosi makes the funniest faces.
The good news - both adults stayed relatively healthy!
The bad news - trey's tamiflu prescription cost $130 (Cosi was not given it b/c she was almost through her bout with the flu).
The good news - just the day before, we had received an anonymously sent $100 bill in the mail.
The bad news - at the end of the flu, Cosi got a sinus infection.
The good news - we were easily able to get a doctor appointment for her.
The bad news - Trey developed an ear infection at the end of his battle with the flu.
The good news - after hysterically crying (it's not hard to do when you're sleep deprived) to the busy nurse over the phone, April was able to get him a doctor appointment.
The bad news - Trey was so sick on Christmas morning that he dazedly walked out of his room, looked at his presents and cried.
The good news - Trey warmed up and after 5 hours of coaxing finally sat inside his new Cozy Coupe truck.
The bad news - Cosi's nose was running nonstop for 5 days of excess mucous.
The good news - we had a Chinese professor staying with us and she took it upon herself to constantly wipe Cosi's nose.
The bad news - we had to cancel our Christmas dinner plans, due to the kids being ill.
The good news - we let our Chinese professor house guest cook us dinner!
Seriously though, we had a great Christmas in Florida and we're thankful for our many blessings. Here are some pictures :)
Below, you'll see our house guests over the holiday - Ping, a visiting professor from China who is at USC for the year, and her daughter, Jessie. We're so thankful to report that they did NOT get the Flu.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Kids Videos- Fall 2012, part 3
Merry Christmas! The kids both have the flu, and it turns out Cosi has a sinus infection to boot. But they are now well-medicated, and this morning Cosi even woke up and said with a surprised and happy voice, "I'm not sick anymore!" She is still sick, just not as bad as before.
Anyway, I (Rob) have one more video to post before the flu claims me as its next victim. When your sick kids crawl into your bed at night and wake you up by coughing on your face, you kind of know how the next week is going to play out. For more thoughts on dealing with sick kids, see my earlier post on that topic.
As for the video, a few weeks ago Cosi found a few caterpillars in our yard and adopted one or two. Sadly, the story doesn't end well for the caterpillars, but in this video we can really see Cosi's tender heart for living things.
Anyway, I (Rob) have one more video to post before the flu claims me as its next victim. When your sick kids crawl into your bed at night and wake you up by coughing on your face, you kind of know how the next week is going to play out. For more thoughts on dealing with sick kids, see my earlier post on that topic.
As for the video, a few weeks ago Cosi found a few caterpillars in our yard and adopted one or two. Sadly, the story doesn't end well for the caterpillars, but in this video we can really see Cosi's tender heart for living things.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Kids Videos- Fall 2012, part 2
Trey is sick, having picked up whatever it is that Cosi has been dealing with for the past week. At least she shared something with her brother, even if it was germs...
Anyway, sick kids means fewer videos. But here's one I finished yesterday. April mentioned in an earlier post how Trey loves his play grill. Well, here's what that looks like. It's three different scenes- one in which he shows off his spatula skills, one in which he got the idea to sprinkle (toy) mustard on his grilled food, and one in which he put actual food on his grill. We haven't been able to get this on video yet, but Trey now likes to close the lid of his grill and say "Hot! Hot! Bloooow..." For a little guy who hates warm weather, he sure does like to cook out!
Anyway, sick kids means fewer videos. But here's one I finished yesterday. April mentioned in an earlier post how Trey loves his play grill. Well, here's what that looks like. It's three different scenes- one in which he shows off his spatula skills, one in which he got the idea to sprinkle (toy) mustard on his grilled food, and one in which he put actual food on his grill. We haven't been able to get this on video yet, but Trey now likes to close the lid of his grill and say "Hot! Hot! Bloooow..." For a little guy who hates warm weather, he sure does like to cook out!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Videos- Fall 2012, part 1
Monday, December 17, 2012
Cosi's Christmas Dance
This year at Christmas, it was finally time for us to experience that parental rite of passage- the Christmas Pageant. In our case, the girls of the church rehearsed weekly to prepare a dance for this past Sunday night's Church Variety Show. We really weren't sure what Cosi was going to do once she got on stage, we just knew we wanted it on video.
To motivate her to go to the rehearsals, at some point April suggested that, after she danced, her Daddy might give her flowers. Wow, did that ever work well. Cosi talked about it almost every day: "My Daddy's going to give me flowers!" Here she is in her angel outfit, holding her flowers:
The really sweet thing is that during the rest of the evening, Cosi slowly gave away most of her flowers to the other kids. She even tried running on stage to give them to a monkey puppet that was telling the story of Christmas (he politely refused). The remaining flowers are in a vase on a shelf, and Cosi is allowed to smell them any time she wants to.
And here is the video of the dance. Our favorite part is when she notices a microphone and tries to talk into it. And no, she's not supposed to be in the front row- she's supposed to be in the middle row. But no choreography can contain Cosi...
To motivate her to go to the rehearsals, at some point April suggested that, after she danced, her Daddy might give her flowers. Wow, did that ever work well. Cosi talked about it almost every day: "My Daddy's going to give me flowers!" Here she is in her angel outfit, holding her flowers:
The really sweet thing is that during the rest of the evening, Cosi slowly gave away most of her flowers to the other kids. She even tried running on stage to give them to a monkey puppet that was telling the story of Christmas (he politely refused). The remaining flowers are in a vase on a shelf, and Cosi is allowed to smell them any time she wants to.
And here is the video of the dance. Our favorite part is when she notices a microphone and tries to talk into it. And no, she's not supposed to be in the front row- she's supposed to be in the middle row. But no choreography can contain Cosi...
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