Over dinner, Lynne and Mark were discussing Peter Pan. Mark, of course, had lots of questions. He wanted to know what a nursery was, so he could better understand why Wendy didn't want to grow up and leave it. Lynne explained that wealthy people at the time when Peter Pan was written had their kids sleep and play in a room called a nursery, and they'd hire a nanny to watch the kids and sleep in the nursery with them. You moved out of the nursery when you were big enough not to need the nanny anymore.
Mark: Well, when was Peter Pan written?
Lynne: I don't know that off the top of my head, Mark. Probably about 100 years ago.
Mark: What about the bottom of your head? Does the bottom of your head know the answer?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Quotation Mark Mondays: Rules
Mark: "I'll follow your rules, Dad, because someday I'll want my kids to follow my rules. Except I won't do all the same rules as you because I'll want my kids to be happy. I wouldn't do the three book rule (we read three books before bed each night). But I would want my wife to be happy. So I would only do four books."
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
A Bedtime Story
Scene: Our house, bedtime. Lights were out. Books had been read. We'd settled in for the bedtime story.
Matt asked Mark what he'd like to hear a story about. Mark said: Animals. Rabbits, squirrels, and birds maybe. Ok, Matt said. Then he began. This is the story he came up with, off the top of his head, without any hesitations or delays before or during the story.
Once upon a time, there was a tree. Squirrels lived in the trunk of the tree, rabbits lived in a hole under the tree, and birds lived in the branches. They all lived happily, playing together.
Then one day, the squirrels decided they didn't want to share their tree anymore. They ran down to the hole under the tree and chased out the rabbits. Then they ran up to the branches of the tree and chased out the birds. Then they ran up and down the tree trunk all day, playing in the branches and even the hole underneath. It was really fun... at first. But after a while they started to get bored. When they wanted to play a new game, they only had squirrel games to play and only squirrel ideas of what might be fun. They started wishing the birds and rabbits would come back.
"But how will we get them to come back?" a squirrel asked. "I know," said another squirrel, "we can write a message on some acorns, and throw those acorns out into the woods. Then the rabbits will see the message and come back." "Great idea," said the first squirrel.
So they wrote a message on the acorns, threw them out into the woods, and waited. After a little while a rabbit picked up one of the acorns, saw the message, and said to one of his rabbit friends (in a low voice, with a New York cabbie-ish accent): "Hey did you see this note from the squirrels? They want us to come back to the tree!" So the rabbits talked about it and decided to move back to the tree.
The squirrels were happy to see them, and they started running around and playing in the tree together. But they all still missed the birds. So the squirrels left the tree and went far, far away from the tree and even the whole forest. They went to a place where they could rent a small airplane capable of skywriting. (An aside: Mark, do you know what skywriting is? And a brief explanation).
The squirrels went up in the airplane and wrote a message to the birds, in the sky. It said: DEAR BIRDS: PLEASE COME HOME TO THE TREE. WE MISS YOU. WE ARE SORRY WE MADE YOU LEAVE. LOVE, THE SQUIRRELS.
It didn't take long before one of the birds saw the message in the sky. He said to his bird friend: (whistling). And they his bird friend replied: (whistling). So they flew off toward the tree.
When they got there, the squirrels said: "We're so sorry for being mean to you and making you leave the tree." And the birds replied: (more whistling). And then the birds moved back in.
So then the birds, rabbits, and squirrels all played and played in the tree. Sometimes they played squirrel games, sometimes they played rabbit games, and sometimes they played bird games. And everyone was happy. The End.
Matt asked Mark what he'd like to hear a story about. Mark said: Animals. Rabbits, squirrels, and birds maybe. Ok, Matt said. Then he began. This is the story he came up with, off the top of his head, without any hesitations or delays before or during the story.
Once upon a time, there was a tree. Squirrels lived in the trunk of the tree, rabbits lived in a hole under the tree, and birds lived in the branches. They all lived happily, playing together.
Then one day, the squirrels decided they didn't want to share their tree anymore. They ran down to the hole under the tree and chased out the rabbits. Then they ran up to the branches of the tree and chased out the birds. Then they ran up and down the tree trunk all day, playing in the branches and even the hole underneath. It was really fun... at first. But after a while they started to get bored. When they wanted to play a new game, they only had squirrel games to play and only squirrel ideas of what might be fun. They started wishing the birds and rabbits would come back.
"But how will we get them to come back?" a squirrel asked. "I know," said another squirrel, "we can write a message on some acorns, and throw those acorns out into the woods. Then the rabbits will see the message and come back." "Great idea," said the first squirrel.
So they wrote a message on the acorns, threw them out into the woods, and waited. After a little while a rabbit picked up one of the acorns, saw the message, and said to one of his rabbit friends (in a low voice, with a New York cabbie-ish accent): "Hey did you see this note from the squirrels? They want us to come back to the tree!" So the rabbits talked about it and decided to move back to the tree.
The squirrels were happy to see them, and they started running around and playing in the tree together. But they all still missed the birds. So the squirrels left the tree and went far, far away from the tree and even the whole forest. They went to a place where they could rent a small airplane capable of skywriting. (An aside: Mark, do you know what skywriting is? And a brief explanation).
The squirrels went up in the airplane and wrote a message to the birds, in the sky. It said: DEAR BIRDS: PLEASE COME HOME TO THE TREE. WE MISS YOU. WE ARE SORRY WE MADE YOU LEAVE. LOVE, THE SQUIRRELS.
It didn't take long before one of the birds saw the message in the sky. He said to his bird friend: (whistling). And they his bird friend replied: (whistling). So they flew off toward the tree.
When they got there, the squirrels said: "We're so sorry for being mean to you and making you leave the tree." And the birds replied: (more whistling). And then the birds moved back in.
So then the birds, rabbits, and squirrels all played and played in the tree. Sometimes they played squirrel games, sometimes they played rabbit games, and sometimes they played bird games. And everyone was happy. The End.
Quotation Mark Mondays: Baby Kisses
Mark: "I don't like baby kisses."
Matt: "Why not?"
Mark: "Because babies kiss with their mouths open. It freaks me out."
Matt: "Why not?"
Mark: "Because babies kiss with their mouths open. It freaks me out."
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Santa visited Mark and Anne at our old house. It was a great day--Anne got a new rocking horse, Mark got games and new markers (a dream come true!). We also got to spend lots of time with family--Christmas Eve with the Hanleys, Christmas Day with the Seagos, Dec 28 with the extended Majewski clan. With two healthy kiddos and so many family members who love us, we felt truly blessed.
Then, on Dec 26th we packed up the Christmas tree and started filling our house with boxes. We spent most of the 29th moving boxes from the old house to the new. On the 30th, movers came and carried out all of our furniture.
We celebrated New Year's in the (mostly unpacked) kitchen of our new house, with hats, blowers, and a water toast... just before bedtime at 7:05 PM. (It was scheduled for 7:00 sharp, but then Anne pooped and delayed the festivities.) Despite the early hour, lack of real champagne, and lots of really sore moving muscles, it was our best New Year's Ever.2013 brought us so much: a beautiful and healthy baby girl, a new and stable job for Matt, a house for our kids to grow up in. We are very happy and ready for 2014!
Eleven Month Anne-iversary
The stats: I'm just short of 22 lbs, and wearing the 18 month clothes now. Sleeves and pants are a little long still, but my tummy stays inside my shirts and the leggings aren't major squeezers.Favorite place: Our new house! It's great! I have a new bedroom that actually has a closet in it. And mom gated off the living room and filled it with my toys. I can put anything in the room in my mouth, and I can't get hurt! There's so much to do that I haven't noticed I'm in a giant baby cage... or that I can't get to the stairs and climb them 50 million times each day. Mom and Dad might even have to stop calling me Sir Edmund Hillary.
Things I like: Fans and light switches. When I see a light switch, I scream and point until someone walks me over and lets me turn it off, on, off, on, off, on. I also like to point out fans and demand that they be turned off, on, off, on, too. Also, I like baths. Sometimes I crawl over to the tub, start clapping, then try to climb in. If my parents actually let me take a bath, I like splashing, dumping water on my head, and dunking myself. I think submerging my whole face and blowing bubbles underwater is hilarious, despite the fact that it gives my mom a panic attack. Things I don't like: Being held by anyone other than my mom, dad, or my grandmas. I know this is silly behavior and undermines my Generally Agreebale Baby reputation, but them's the breaks. I also don't like getting my nose/face wiped, which happens a lot, since I rub food all over it (and in my hair, usually) every time I eat. Plus I've had a cold for like two weeks. Whenever I see someone coming at me with a tissue or the intent to dam up my faucet of a nose, I crawl away at top speed, contort my body, yell, and usually throw in some other evasive maneuvers. I am aware that Generally Agreeable Babies don't generally do this, either.
I just found out about: Christmas. It's this really great holiday when there is a surplus of brightly colored paper. Sometimes the paper is wrapped around packages (great for climbing!), but other times it's left shredded and unattended on the floor (great for grabbing and eating!). Christmas also means seeing lots of family members who love you and want to play with you, which is great. The downside: sometimes they want to hold you, too.
Major accomplishments: I've gotten really good at standing without holding onto anything. I can also walk around things, as long as I'm holding on, and push my push toys across the room. I can say "mama" and "dada" pretty convincingly, although Dad still thinks I'm just babbling. I can sign "all done" when I'm done eating, wave hello and bye-bye. I have six teeth, and I can chew up crunchy foods pretty well. I'll try any food you give me and like to eat what my mom and dad are eating (for this, they are very grateful). I give great open-mouthed, super drooly kisses.
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