Flight to the Sun!!!

Yessir, the day approachth! Soon, oh so soon, we will be winging our way to the Islands. Tom, bless his soul, has even agreed to leave behind his work cell and computer and to actually make this a vacation -- the first one that he will have had since starting work at Boeing.

Meanwhile, until that time, life goes on. And there are developments:

Jason has fallen in love with an older girl in his class, Michaela. She is a lovely girl and has a brother Jason's age, Cobin, also in the class. She is amazing, actually -- seems to know all the right things to say. She laughs at Jason's jokes, tells him that he is funny, and asks to hear more. And yesterday... as we were leaving the Dojang, he leaned in against me and said in a bare whisper, cheeks pinkening, 'Michaela hugged me. We really ARE friends!' Oh child. Part of me aches for him. Part of me smiles. The other morning, he woke up all smiles and informed me that he'd had no bad dreams, only good ones because "I dreamed of Michaela." Sigh.

Now when I told my mother all this, she commented that 'Well, I guess we know who the lover is in your family.' Mr. Big Ears heard this, of course, and immediately announced 'HEY! I am a lover too! I love ALL pretty girls!' Grin. Yep, that'd be Xander. The man who does NOT discriminate about girls/women; he just loves 'em. So that led into a discussion of that Italian fellow, Casanova. I explained to Mom that Casanova had gotten a lot of bad press, mainly from husbands. His abiding fault, it turns out, was his inability to allow women to be abused, so he was constantly 'rescuing' them from abusive situations -- and, of course, that got around and women began seeking him out. Puts a whole different spin on the 'seducer', does it not? At any rate, I have no difficulty whatsoever, seeing my youngest following a similar path. He does, in fact, like women -- of all ages and sizes and colors and shapes. Even as a wee bit, he smiled preferentially at women whereas Jason just smiled at everyone.

Now, beyond their curious social developments, people may wonder how school is going -- indeed, I actually had a complete stranger ask if I didn't think that Xander was suffering by NOT being in preschool. Nope. As I answered the questioner, Xander learns what Jason learns. Last night, for example, he was cogitating on math: 1+1= 2, Mommy! he said and 1+2 =3! Yes, I agreed, and 1+2+3=6! He thought about that a moment and announced, in tones of deep satisfaction 'I am a MATHEMATICIAN!' Grin. Why all this excitement? Well, last night, as one of our bedtime books, we read 'Mathematicians are People Too', a collection of short biographies of famous mathematicians. We read about Thales -- and then I stopped. Jason wanted to continue, of course. He always does. So I promised to read more today. But apparently Thales was enough to spark Xander's ambition yet again. Now he is interested in being a Mathematician!

Similarly, I gave Jason a book to read called 'The Grapes of Math' -- it is a series of verbal Math riddles. Jason had a blast. The riddles require real thinking -- and the developing of methods for resolving the riddles, including multiplication. Jason now wants to 'do the math' in any book we read. Gotta love it. Most kids hate word problems. After I demonstrated to Jason how he could translate the words into equations, he became fascinated and spent a good morning working them out.

On other notes: Jason is creating a new Legos universe and he already has quite a backstory worked out:
Space Explorers is the name of his new Universe. The characters are Captain Pixel, First Mate Bits, Engineer Axle, Navigator Johnnie, Doctor Knowitall and Communications engineer Hullothere (an android). There is a crew of 1000 souls, including a monsterous creature created by Xander who is the designated scout (he is too big to fit on the main ship so he has his own)

The story: Captain Pixel and his crew are sent off in a hurry, on a refitted ship, to melt Mar's polar ice-caps. The water is needed to terraform the planet and there is some urgency in the operation. Unfortunately, the ship that they are given was originally created for a vastly different purpose and there is, on the command console, a special button -- a warp button -- that should never be used. Through some set of unspecified circumstances, the Captain accidentally HITS the warp button and the ship is thrown two MILLION lightyears away, directly into the path of a meteor shower. As might be expected, the ship is badly damaged and now is seeking food, fuel and repair materials in order to get home.

Jason has already created the mini figs for the the story and is working on the ship. Xander is creating the backdrop. I think I shall see if I can get Jason to illustrate his story as well as build it. It would make an interesting comix.

What is truly impressive to me is the fact that, as far as I know, this idea just came into his head. He announced to me yesterday morning that he wanted to create a 'new universe.' I said 'okay, tell me about it' and began asking him questions to help focus his thoughts. Within moments, he had laid out the bones of his ideas (as indicated above) and was happily building away. Wish I had the same ability!

Finally, after legos and math, we watched the Imax film "Space Station" and the boys decided that, in addition to being Paleontologists and archeologists, they are going to become astronauts. This led, of course, to a serious discussion as to what skills astronauts have/require and that in turn, led to a discussion about what the boys would need to do in order to be able to try to become astronauts. As I told Tom later that day, even if they don't become astronauts ('It is an extremely dangerous job' Tom muttered darkly), the skill sets that astronauts are required to have would stand the boys in good stead. So... we will see where this ends up. Their interests expand geometrically these days!

Last but not least, Xander has decided that he is in love with the Dentist's office. For one thing, they have a camera that takes pictures of your whole face -- and Xander got to see the X-rays of Jason's teeth (Teeth like rocks, according to the Dentist). Xander was in ecstacies. And then there were all the cool tools and a TV screen that can be moved all over... he can hardly wait for HIS appointment. Tom laughed when I told him and said 'I wonder how many times X-rays of teeth have enticed little boys into going willingly to the Dentist!' Don't know but it seems to have worked for Xander!

Paleontology Game

It is amazing what the boys can conceive. As you may be aware, they are both in love with Dinosaurs and fossils. Not a surprise. Most little boys love Dinos. But these two take it to the next step. Jason, having read a book about 'the serious game of Paleontology' decided that he wanted to create such a game. And yesterday we worked on it. He has decided to call it 'Paleontology: The Final Frontier.' It is a combination of monopoly and trivial pursuit meets paleontology. We are working to put it together and then he plans to test drive it on his scout troop. I have told him that if it does well, I will help him try to market it. Grin. Another lesson to learn for both of us if that happens! At any rate, it is a fun project and it should be interesting to see how it finally turns out.

Xander, meanwhile, continues with his 'Creature' Creations. We found a big bag of googley eyes at the Childrens' Learning Store the other day and bought it. He immediately wanted to come home and make boy and girl creatures. What is the difference between boys and girls? Girls have eye brows! Ummm... I have decided, as the creatures are multiplying at an enormous rate -- and they really are very cute -- that I shall have to start a 'creature' website for Xander, one where he can 'store' his creations in virtual space and see them whenever he wishes. Of course, I am well aware of where that might lead. Already his older brother wants to learn computer programming so that he can create computer games of his own. Xander will not be long behind. Sigh. So now I need to learn to teach computer programming! Luckily there is an MIT program taht offers a free basic computer programming language and training. The reviews are all good so again, what a chance to do something new!

Jason has also decided that he is going to study the human body and to learn how to 'fix it'. He is vitally aware of all those whom he loves who have serious illnesses and conditions and, being his father's son, is absolutely bound and determined to do something about it. Truth is, given his ability to focus, I suspect that if he does decide to pursue this, he will succeed. He and Xander share the ability to immerse themselves in their areas of interest. I am finding it easier and easier to understand how Alexander the Great conquered his world... LOL.

Belated Inaugural News

Hi,

Meant to write this down days ago but life caught me a bit off guard:>
Jason, Xander and I watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama, 44 th President of the United States and the hope of this nation. Xander, who once expressed the opinion that Presidents were nothing but a lot of noise and confusion, lost interest fairly quickly but Jason was riveted. Prior to the 'show' Jason recorded, on our voice recorder, his own 'Presidential campaign speech' and his own, graceful, acknowledgement of defeat. What was striking about that 'speech' was his campaign focus -- three main points: (1)Universal Health care, (2)lower taxes and (3)All rich people should be good people, not people who kill off Polar Bears in Alaska for their own selfish interests. Grin. That last one was quintessentially Jason, don't you think? I shall have to see if I can upload the speech, which he orated with great vigor, so that those who are interested can hear it.

On a different note, a Xander story which also reflects the spirit of the person. We were at the Dojang, waiting for Xander's TKD class to begin. Xander was already in the Dojang, playing when in charged Heath, another of the students. Heath is about 5, very active, and about a head taller -- and quite a bit wider -- than Xander. He charged over to Xander and they had an exchange which ended with Xander puffing out his chest like a Bantam rooster, standing tiptoe to toe with Heath and announcing 'I am bigger than you and don't you forget it!' What astounded me was... Heath BELIEVED him! As I watched in amazement, Heath wilted and backed off. There was no aggression between them following the encounter. Indeed, they seemed to be in perfect harmony but Heath was definately deferring to Xander. Gawk. The child is truly scary.

Amazing tales continue

The boys really do make me laugh -- and at the most unexpected moments. Take for example the other night: we were curled up in their bed, reading books. Jason, shifting to a more comfortable position, inadvertently pulled my hair. I yelped. He was very apologetic but I told him not to worry about it, it was just that my hair was getting too long. He looked at me thoughtfully and asked 'Why is it getting too long?'

I replied 'Well,right now, I have neither the time nor the money to get it cut.'

He mulled that over and then said, 'Well, I am too young right now but when I

am 8, I can stay home and watch Xander and you can take my piggy bank and

go get your hair cut!'

He really is amazing.

He was at Tae Kwon Do with his dad on Saturday and he and Malia, 8, the other green belt, were practicing their Poomse. Apparently they were able to get quite a bit of conversation in while they practiced ('We talked about geography and astronomy and other stuff' Jason reported) and discovered that they had a great deal in common. Jason was quite pleased. 'Malia and I are friends' he told me happily. And then 'I really like Michaela. She is such a nice girl.' Grin. He is right, of course. She is.

And then there is Xander...

Again, it was evening. Xander was hugging me and declaring his undying love:

"Mommy, I love you more than the Moon!"

I pretended shock, 'Wow, I didn't realize that the Moon loved me!'

He gifted me with that look that children have when parents are silly.

'Mommy, the Moon CAN'T love you! It is inanimate and besides, it

can't speak so it is dumb!!!'

Ahhh....

He is also learning at an incredible rate: Jason and I were doing mental math sums where I would call out a problem and Jason would try to solve it in his head. I mix the simple with the harder to keep the frustration level down. I called out 'So what is 3 plus 2?' and before Jason could get the answer out, Xander piped up 'Oh, that is 5, of course!' Hmmm...

Today the wind is blowing like nobody's business and Jason is still asleep. He woke in the middle of the night again and finally, after an hour and a half, went back to sleep. I am debating whether to wake him now that it is nearly 8 am. We have started going to the Eastshore Unitarian Universalist Church in Factoria and the boys have really been enjoying it. But the service we attend is at 9 am and it is a bit of a drive. Still, I hate to wake him.

Jason

Everytime I think I know my children, they surprise me. Yesterday, on our way home from Tae Kwon Do, Jason said, 'I think Micheala is lonely. I think she needs a friend.' I said 'I thought she had friends, Sklyer, for example?' 'Yes,' he agreed, 'Sklyer is her friend but Skyler and all her other friends are in a different class now.' I said 'I thought that you were her friend.' 'Yes,' he said thoughtfully (with Xander piping up 'I'll be her friend!!!') 'but I think maybe she wants a friend who is... well, her own age...' I asked, 'Why do you think what you think?' He explained that at water break, while everyone else is playing, Michaela stands on the side, looking sad. I thought about it and asked 'So, you have identified a problem now, what can you do?' We discussed it a bit more and he came up with a plan. At the next meeting, before the class, Jason will talk with his friend and fellow green belt, Malia. Then, at water break, he and Malia will ask Michaela -- who is a higher belt -- to help them with their poomse and balchugee.

Jason amazes me. He has a kindness and compassion that seem to extend well beyond the normal range. He has a gift for understanding people -- for example, he noticed, while at a playmate's house, that whenever the boy was angry with his parents, he took it out on the kids he had over. Jason had been hurt by this boy's behavior and I talked with him, trying to make sure that he understood that HE was not at fault (Jason tends to take responsibility for other peoples' emotions and behaviors, sigh.) and it was at that point that he explained about M's behavior and his theory of its cause. He was not approving of M's behavior but he felt compassion for him, for his frustration and his inability to handle it. We agreed that it can be hard when you are angry or frustrated with someone who is bigger or more powerful.

Xander, of course, was quite vocal about his opinion of the situations. He is MORE than willing to be Michaela's friend -- will she like me? Jason was reassuring. 'She already likes you.' And as for M -- Xander was all set to go punch him in the nose. Jason discouraged that saying, 'M. can be nice. He just gets angry sometimes. We all do.'

I worry sometimes. Jason is so sensitive and so willing to accept responsibility for other peoples' behavior and actions. It seems that a big part of his education will be how to differentiate between what is his responsibility and what he must let go.

On the other hand, he is better than most adults in the latter. He was very upset the other day -- don't remember why. I asked him 'Do you remember what the Buddha said that cause of suffering is?' He nodded 'Suffering comes from attachment.' He breathed in and out, a hiccoughing kind of breathing but calming nonetheless. He said to himself, 'I need to let go.' He breathed for a bit more and then took an extra deep breath. 'I'm okay now.' And, amazingly enough, he was.

The new year -- 2009

Wow! Hadn't realized that I hadn't posted in that long... ah well, life has a way of getting away from me!

What has happened since Thanksgiving? Let me think: Well, Tom and Jason took the belt promotion tests at Tae Kwon Do -- Tom is now High Green and Jason is Green. There was a lot of worry for awhile since Jason didn't have the stripes he needed to test but, bless Master Lewis, he went in the last Saturday before the test and Master Lewis, noticing the absence, asked about it. Jason explained that he hadn't had the oppurtunity to try for his stripes so right there, Master Lewis tested him on all of them. He approved the stripes, telling Jason only that he needed to 'get up higher with your back kick.' Jason was thrilled -- so was Xander. When he heard, he immediately sat down and made his big Bah Bah a congratulations card.

Hmmm... and what else? Well, Christmas, of course. And it snowed and it snowed and it snowed. Tom was sent off to Texas on the 19th (I think) and it had just started. Mom arrived on the 22nd -- and had trouble getting out of the airport (which had been closed due to weather and a severe lack of de-icer for the airplanes!) but thanks to Old John, was collected and taken home. Ice and snow everywhere for more than a week shut down a lot of things -- and then, after Mom left and Tom was home, the snow went away and it rained and rained and now there are flooding problems. On Thursday last, Tom found himself stuck in a two hour traffic jam as a result of flooding on Highway 169. The police shut it down and the traffic went via Petrovitsky. Problem is, Petrovitsky is a small road with lots of stop signs -- and the police never bothered to provide any traffic control! Sigh.

What else? Mind you, I am writing this is the dark of the morning. Everyone else is asleep though I shall have to wake Tom soon. (He is planning, poor man, to work this whole Sunday.) Haven't had coffee or a shower yet so my brain is not functioning at full capacity! (LOL)

Boy stories:

1) The other day, as we were rushing off to go on a field trip to the Enumclaw city hall, a small red and white dog appeared. No collar and looking rather nervous, it approached the car. It allowed me to pet it and pick it up but I could find no clue as to where its home might be. When I put it down again, it immediately headed for the car. Jason got out and talked with it and it answered him politely and shyly and... headed for the car again! I finally figured out that the person it was interested in was Xander! I didn't know what to do. We had to leave but I didn't want it to get hit by a car. I saw that our neighbor across the way had arrived home. They seem to know many of the folks in the area so I went over and asked him. He allowed as how, no, he hadn't seen the dog around but if we had to leave, he would be happy to see what he could do to help. Gratefully I left the dog with him. But still, I keep seeing that little red and white face looking hopefully at Xander... I think the Universe may be trying to tell us something here!

2)Jason has a crush. I noticed it Thursday at Tae Kwon Do. The kids came out for a water break, Jason right behind Micheala, the older sister of his friend, Cobin. With his chin tucked to his chest and a bit of a strut to his stride, he said (deepening his voice) 'HELLO Micheala' She looked at him and smiled 'Hello Jason' but as she started to say something else, he turned towards the wall and posed! (Grin). She gave him a puzzled, rather quizzical smile and got herself some water. When she returned to the Dojang, he followed on her heels, still in that posturing pose. Later, I asked him if he 'liked' her and he said 'yes.' Tom, who hadn't been there, said 'Well, of course he likes her. He likes lots of kids in his class.' Jason and I looked at each other and I said, 'Yeah, but I think maybe Micheala is special.' Jason agreed. A while later, Tom came to me, rather puzzled and said 'Isn't he a bit young?' I said 'No. This isn't what it will be when he is 15 but it is not that unusual to like someone older...' Grin.

3)Several evenings ago we were having a discussion with Jason about authority figures. Tom asked him, 'Who should you obey?' Jason said 'Well, Mommy. And Daddy...' And a small voice piped up 'And XANDER!' We all looked at him and he gave us the sweetest, most impish smile...

4)We are back to Dinosaurs again in our studies. We started with Darwin and Evolution -- mostly because the boys had been using the words re: Pokemon and I wanted to be sure that they understood what the word meant. (Please note, my youngest said to me, very firmly when I was fussing about this: 'Mommy! Pokemon is Make Believe! The same rules don't apply!') Jason was/is fascinated and we have been reading books and watching videos on the subject. We even had the oppurtunity to go see the Lucy exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. Well, I didn't see much of it, truthfully... the boys were eager to see 'the bones' and so skipped through much of the background. They did like 'the bones' though and Xander surprised one of the docents when, at the interactive skeleton, he proceeded to put all the bones in their right location! (grin, she should've seen what he did AFTER THAT!) Xander, though, while he likes the bones part, is not so interested. He likes FOSSILS! So we are doing Dinosaurs again.

People are starting to wake now so I will continue this later.

Thanksgiving Day

And so, it is here -- TDay. For many people it is a day of stress as they race about, trying to get the house clean, the food cooked, the place prepared for the descending hordes of hungry friends and family. Often, in such moments, the 'Thankfulness' for which this day is named is lost and forgotten. I should know -- grin -- been there, done that. But today, for me, the 'Thankfulness' is very much present... and one of the reasons is currently seated on the living room floor examining his haul of Pokemon cards:>

So, for what am I thankful this day? For all the people in my life, for the fact that we are -- relatively -- healthy, for the homes we have, the food, the things, but more for the connections and the love we feel. I am grateful -- OH! SO grateful that G.B. is out of the White House soon and a (hopefully) better man is in. I am thankful that my friends have not suffered too terribly as a result of having family in Iraq though I grieve for those who have suffered the cost of that stupid action. I am grateful that the sun was out yesterday, that I get to watch my sons laugh and play and that I, lucky me, get to watch them learn and grow. I am very grateful that I am in a position to home school my children -- hording all those wonderful learning moments instead of having them slip past a stranger as if they were of no account. I am grateful for having had the oppurtunity to take the boys to Arizona to visit their grandparents -- for my parents who took the time to spend with us. For my father whose passion for birds and rocks and history have helped to inspire not only me but also my sons. I am grateful that my mother was able to go to Florida and spend the holidays with her sister. I am grateful that she is coming to see us in December -- a challenge to her physically and financially but a gift to all of us. I am thankful for coffee and the hope that it will chase awful headache! I am thankful for Tom, with all his quirks and fierceness who can make me laugh even when I am in serious grouch mode -- for his smiles and his sexiness, his brains and his humor. I am thankful for my sons, both of whom can drive me round the bend and then send me laughing in tears: For Jason with his brilliant blue eyes, kind spirit and clever mind, for Xander whose brown eyes melt all hearts, whose fierce independence is both frustrating and impressive.

And speaking of boys -- Thought I would share a few stories with you, to help bring smiles to your faces.

The first, most recent funny moment was provided by Mr. X. He and I were in the car, returning from Tae Kwon Do. He had had a hard time there because he'd not had a nap and was VERY tired. I was concerned, in fact, that he would fall asleep in the car on the way home -- and since it was 5 pm and dinner time, that would not have worked well. So I decided to engage him in conversation. Not being brilliant after a day of three little boys and a back ache, I openned with: "So, what is your name?" Xander, whose quickness with repartee is truly remarkable, responded 'Alexander the Great' I blinked. 'Really? I thought that that name was already taken?' 'Yes' responded AG, not phased in the least, 'But he is dead.' 'Oh' I was stumped for a moment. 'So, I know what he did to earn the title. What are you going to do?' He laughed at me and said 'I am going to find interesting things and collect them.' Ah.... and this from the child who had earlier announced his intention to conquer the world...

And then there is Jason who has recently discovered the joys of Amelia Bedelia and joke books. He delights in reading them aloud to all who will listen -- especially his younger brother who is more than willing to laugh in all the appropriate AND inappropriate places. The other night when we went into their room to read books, Jason's eyes lighted on the two 'Wizard and Wart' books I had placed there. 'I am reading THOSE!' he announced firmly. He plunked himself into the bed and Xander immediately claimed shotgun position at his shoulder. Jason began to read and almost from the first, the two boys were in tears of laughter. Part of the hilarity was the result of Jason's reading style -- he is beginning to learn to pause for dramatic effect (grin) only to spoil it by laughing! He will read, pause, and then, as his eye scans the next lines, desolve into laughter, choking out the next lines and having to re-read them. He has the makings of a comedian, though less stand up than slapstick, I think.

Funny moments

I read back through my most recent posts and realized that there are quite a few things that I left out. So, in the intere?st of accuracy...

One moment that stands out is a moment in the car as we left the T-Rex museum. Xander and Jason had had a blast and come out of the place and come out with all sorts of treasures. Sitting in the back of the car, sorting through his stash, Xander asked his big brother and the font of all wisdom, 'Bah Bah, can I be a paleontologist when I grow up?' His brother, without missing a beat replied 'You don't have to grow up. You just have to dig.'

Then there was the moment, watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech -- Xander was disgusted because no one was paying him any attention. In frustration he yelled out 'I DON'T LIKE PRESIDENTS! THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A LOT OF CONFUSED NOISE!' I gave my tearful child a hug and laughed a bit only to hear him inform his brother a short time later that 'when I grow up, I am going to be President. No one else is doing the job!'

There was also the moment during the trip to Tucson: We were going through the security check point. The boys had gone through and were collecting the stuff on the other side. A young securtiy guard was helping them load up their packs. When I arrived she said 'Did you hear that? They said 'Thank You!' She seemed stunned. I replied 'Yes, well, courtesy is always appropriate.' She looked at me and gave a big smile and said 'Good on you, Mom.' and then to the boys, 'Thank you. It has been a pleasure.' The boys smiled and waved and off we went. My boys:> They seem to charm airport personnel whereever we go. In Tucson, getting on the plane, a young security guard was so charmed by Xander that she gave him a pair of purple latex gloves. When we got home and I told his father, Tom's response was a laconic 'Yes, he is getting quite a collection of those!'

There were other moments but none spring to mind. I will record them as they come. Meanwhile, today I have a doctor's appointment and Xander has Tae Kwon Do. We are also supposed to drive to Tacoma to meet a little boy who is Pokemon/Legos mad for a play date. Gawk! This will be a busy sort of day.

School in session

As you might imagine, the first day back from our trip was mostly recovery. It was quiet -- we played indoors for the most part and Xander took a two hour nap. Jason had Tae Kwon Do in the afternoon and appeared to thoroughly enjoy himself there.

Today, however, school was back in session. We began with practising cursive handwriting -- and Jason has decided that he really LIKES writing in cursive. It was the getting him to stop and do something else that proved the challenge. While Jason wrote and wrote, Xander and I made homemade play dough. He loved it, as one might imagine -- and even tasted what he had created (from 1 cp flour, 1/2 cp salt, 1/2 cp water and red food coloring) despite my warning that it would be very salty. He was delighted with the whole process, got playdough in his hair and under his finger nails and made himself first a 'gingerbread' house and then a 'gingerbread' man.

After a bit, Jason also decided to make playdough and I showed him how to 'knead' bread using the mixture as a test case. He loved that -- guess we have to make bread again soon:> He was actually the first of the two boys to make a 'gingerbread' boy, and quite a fellow he was too.
Our next 'subject' was Dice math -- using the cinqo dice, Jason rolled dice, wrote out the additon/subtraction problems and did them. He had a great deal of fun and ended up using all five dice to create large number problems... then, after doing that for about 1/2 an hour, he begged to be allowed to continue practicing cursive... By this time, I was developing a bit of a headache and when I glanced outside, I realized that the rain had stopped. "Time to go out" I announced. We got shoes and coats on and headed out the door.

We stopped at Goodwill -- to check for Pokemon card, then went to the DO-IT center and bought two small rakes. I figure that the boys can work off some of their neverending supply of energy by raking leaves (grin). Then it was off to Lake Wilderness so that the boys could run and shout. Both boys were delighted to see that the stream was once again full of water -- 'Hello Alfred!!' they called to the troll under the bridge and tossed their 'gifts' to him as they headed for the playground. They played there for a good half hour before Xander began to show signs of tiredness. We then regrouped and headed off for lunch.

Once home and fed, the boys played Pokemon for a bit then we all three went into the bedroom where I read them a series of Native American tales. Jason then took over, reading Pokemon Junior books to Xander, while I came back to the bedroom to write a few blogs... Now my time is up and I need to get back out with them before heading off for PT.

Updates on the Deans

Back again:>

The boys and I went to Tucson, though Tom -- happily enough -- did not go to Singapore. We spent nine days in the sun, exploring the town and its environs. The boys enjoyment of the trip was heightend, I suspect, by the fact that I had lost my voice almost entirely and was unable to do more than whisper fiercely the whole time we were in Tucson. We went to Mt Lemmon, Summerhaven, Sabino Canyon and the Desert Museum with Mom. We explored Agua Caliente, Colossal Caves and Biosphere with Dad. The boys ate good food at the Eclectic and on 4th Avenue (where Jason discovered that he LIKES salsa -- first on steak, then on eggs...) and not so good food at the Dinosaur MacDonalds. We visited Bookman's Used bookstore twice and Jason was thrilled to bits to discover piles of Pokemon books -- he 'inhaled' them at such a rate that towards the end of our stay, he had read them all. He was left, in the end, to raid his Grandmother's bookshelves. There he found a biography of Laurel and Hardy, one of his favorite comedy duos, and he sat down with that. I know that he finished at least two chapters of the book and that he enjoyed it -- I heard him laughing as he read.

We also discovered, quite by accident, a little shop called 'The T-Rex Museum' on Oracle. It is run by a Palentologist -- 'I created the place I wanted to go when I was a kid' he told me and the boys thoroughly enjoyed digging up fossils, panning for treasures, breaking rocks with rock hammers and watching a dinosaur movie while eating popcorn. There is a store attached to the museum -- a true shopper's nightmare as it is LOADED with dinosaur goodies. It was a definate hit.

We had a lovely time -- loads of sun and, on the last day, the boys even took a brief dip in Mom's pool. Despite warnings, or perhaps because of them, Xander went in over his head. He was briefly terrified but he reached out and grabbed my hands when I told him to do so and I pulled him out. After a few moments of recovery, he decided that he had done well, had been very brave and had survived... so back in he went though this time, he was a bit more cautious and only went in up to his chest:>

And then, it was the 12th and time to return home. We were ready -- we all missed Tom though the boys both told me that they thought Gramma Pat oughtn't to live alone, that she should come and live with us. 'I worry about her' Xander told me gravely.

The trip home was not the best but not the worst either. We were supposed to board the plane at 4:30 and depart at 5 pm. We boarded at 5:30 and departed at 6. Something wrong withe the toilets so the plane was left with only two working ones. The boys, however, were wonderfully well behaved -- so well behaved, in fact, that the two ladies sitting in front of us complimented them at the end of the trip.

Once off the plane we stopped and changed the boys into their nightclothes -- I suspected that they might fall asleep in the car on the way home. The trip from the plane to the baggage claim was long, made longer by the fact that my independent youngest decided that he was going to 'CARRY MY OWN BAG!' -- which he did... slowly. He wore it as a backpack and trudged fiercely down the aisles, pretending to be a slow moving Earth Pokemon. It wouldn't have been a big issue except that his older brother was in high speed mode, eager to see his father, eager to get home to his cat. I hung suspended half way between the two, reeling Jason back periodically, then dragging Xander forward. When we did arrive at the baggage claim, Tom had already arrived. He watched the busy boys while I waited for the luggage -- which never appeared. In exasperation, I finally checked the luggage holding section BEHIND the carousel -- and sure enough, there were the bags. They had been on the carousel too long and had been pulled. Sigh.

Home once again, we unloaded luggage, put a sleeping Xander in his bed, allowed Jason to hug his cat briefly before he and then we fell into bed. What a long trip -- but at least I have my voice back!