Head Teacher Pasha

Kevin and I went to the Chelsea House Montessori new parent meeting tonight, and I thought I would share a few words from the head mistress:

1. Hand over your child with confidence. We will not grab your crying child from your arms.
2. Do not include anything that squirts in lunch boxes.
3. Accidents happen. If we get logs or marbles, we will take care of it. If we get pudding, we are calling you.
4. I don't want your money, I just want you to pick up your child on time. But if you don't, I will charge you.
5. Only one child in 20 years has not stopped crying after a month of school.
6. If there isn't anything in your child's folder to take home, don't be sad! They might have spent the day doing dishes... or going to the bathroom...
7. No... Teacher Heather will not be back this year. Teacher Heather decided that she hated preschoolers.
8. Listen, I'll believe 50% of what your child says about home, if you believe 50% of what she says about school.
9. If your child is crying, we give her the stony face and let her move through the sadness at her own pace. We are not here to hand out pity parties.
10. We do not wipe butts, so if your child comes home with railroad tracks, you know why. She did it herself, and that's a good thing!

Kevin and I are actually thrilled about sending Ellie to Chelsea house. I think it's going to be a great year. Ellie is thrilled to get to go to "Daddy Camp" for the next week before school begins. Let's hope Daddy lives up to the challenge! As for me, I go back to work tomorrow. So sad...but staying positive.

Getting ready for Montessori School

Elena starts Montessori School in just one week! We are already practicing our holding-trays-with-both-hands, pushing-in-chairs, fixing-snacks, and arranging-blocks-by size skills.

Before the cocoa

Both my children are totally addicted to a mug of Ovaltine every morning. They lure me out of bed with first gentle reminders, escalating quickly into desperate begging. If I happen to go to the bathroom, or feed the cat, or even turn on the coffee machine first... there is panic, and whining. This morning, Elena woke first, and got her life-force early. Jesse woke up at 10 am and ended up joining in with Elena in play without his cocoa. Within moments, he had melted into tears over nothing, and I ran to get him a cup. While he cradled his sippy cup, a tear ran slowly down his cheek, and I grabbed the camera...

What little boys are made of...

Caravan to Lake Chelan

Last weekend, Kevin was eager to try out his new bike on the open road, so we decided to caravan to Lake Chelan for a night. We started out in the cold rain on the west side of the mountains.

Soon after going over the pass, we entered into the sunny gorgeousness that is Eastern Washington. 

We got to Wenatchee, then headed north along the river to the lovely Lake Chelan. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the Lake, nor of our fun adventures at SLIDE WATERS, perhaps the most wonderful little water slide park of all times. (Those of you who know me well will be very very proud that I actually went on the ADVANCED water slides... and enjoyed them! It appears that antidepressants work well to counteract fear of heights-and-all-things-speedy as well as elevating general mood! My poor baby girl was not so resilient... there was a very sad moment when Elena actually ran from us screaming "no! No! I don't want to have fun!" after Kevin desperately tried to take her on one of the slides. )

We stayed at a cheap motel for the night before heading home. Here is my (my!) husband (husband!) and father of my children (!) in his "momo-yaya" suit.

Jesse-isms, part 2

Jesse can really talk now! He speaks in complete sentences and every morning, has new things to say. His pronunciation is still a bit rough, though, so you really need to know his accent to understand him. And although he can pronounce some words correctly when encouraged, he insists on his own Jesse-isms...Here are a few I don't want to forget:

Ah hee hee = hot
Man = pants
Mo-lee = More please
La-la = water
Are-you Mama go? = Where did you go, Mama?
Don lee-me! = Don't leave me!
Aweshun! = awesome
Noo bloo nanny = candy
Momo-yaya = motorcycle
Ola! = Ola!

The Adventures of Coco and Hayloft, by Elena

Coco is a Super Dog who can fly and has a cape. Her sidekick is Maggie, who can't fly, but who holds on to Coco's back. Hayloft is also a Super Dog who can fly. Her sidekick is Sweetie. Then there is Baby and Lady. They are just dogs. Baby dogs. They like to cuddle at night. Coco and Hayloft fight Mr. Go Away, who is a really bad guy. They fight him with glass; and circles on top of squares on their legs; and sparkles. They fly really fast, with Maggie and Sweetie on their backs and use their sparkles to fight Mr. Go Away. Right now they are in the back yard fighting lots of Mr. Go Aways. When we go on trips in the van, they fly right above the van to protect us. They even rescue Obie sometimes when he gets stuck in a tree!

Kevin fulfills a dream

Blue 1994 BMW R-1100 RS

Jesse and his "momo-yaya"

I know, I know.... what kind of wife am I to let my husband, in the peak of his health, career, and potential enter into the ill-fated community of "crazy death-wishing bikers"? Well, let's put it this way: this has been Kevin's dream for as long as he can remember, and he has had the fear of God, gravel, and bad drivers branded into his heart for as long as the dream has been alive. So although I am scared, Kevin is more scared! And it makes him SO HAPPY. Stay tuned for pictures of his super visible extra coverage ultra padded rip-proof motorcycle outfit and bright white five layer XXL motorcycle helmet with bright flashing lights and laser beams. 

Some pictures from the week on the east coast

Rachel and Alex compete for Cutest Couple on the Planet Award.

Elena enjoys her Beach Peach at a very wonderful beach whose name I cannot pronounce nor remember (think long complicated Native American name)

We make a stop at Harvard to soak up some brain power before school starts

Jesse finds a nice place to sit after a dip in the wading pool

Rachel and the cousins at a cemetery on the Freedom Trail in Boston. I think some famous people were buried there.

Mission impossible

As if planning a truly elegant, moving, and beautiful wedding (picture gently rolling hills of upstate New York, placid pond, grassy ampitheater, regal gown,  green hydrangeas, yellow roses, singing, singing and more singing...) from a different country (Germany to the states) wasn't bad enough, Amy had the rather unenviable task of planning a family reunion in the week after the big event. She had a list of requirements from all involved, including:
1. Located close to the wedding site, but not too close
2. Room for 17 (yes, count them!) family members to sleep comfortably
3. Access to a kitchen
4. Access to internet
5. Near FUN things to do (Fun for ageas 2 yrs to 70 years)
6. Dog friendly
7. Kid friendly
8. Reasonably priced
(Etc. etc.... remember she is doing this from Germany!)

Not to anyone's surprise, Amy succeeded (she tends to be rather competent). The whole gang took over Cap't Grant's Bed and Breakfast near Mystic, CT, and enjoyed a chaotic and fun-filled week. Amy and Boris rented two huge minivans, and we had Cousin Allen and Aunt Vicki in their own cars, and we managed to caravan to Boston for a day, to the beach, the submarine museum, a Quaker village, and visit quaint New England boroughs. At the end the the week, we celebrated with a cook-out, a visit to an ancient cemetery, and a Buster Keaton silent movie (appropriate for all ages and native languages!). Then, after major shifting of baggage (I inherited two suitcases of hand-me-downs, the cousins were bedecked with American paraphernalia, and the happy couple sent home clothes not needed for their honeymoon) we all flew off into different directions: Tuscon, Seattle, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Barbados, Indiana, D.C., and New York City.

On my end, I managed the almost impossible task of solo traveling with two small children (Kevin was still at his festival and had to miss the wedding) on a cross-country flight...just barely. At the end of the flight getting home, I found myself in the cramped airplane bathroom begging Elena to pee, her screaming, me crying... and Jesse? Not sure where he was at that point... I think passed out on our seats and in the reluctant care of a 20-year-old tatooed stranger. Funny how when you say, "Can you watch my sleeping kid for a minute?" and walk away carrying a screaming exhausted hungry (and apparently constipated) child, almost nobody can get up the nerve to refuse.

So now we are back, and already nights are getting cooler, and days are getting hotter in a classic end-of-summer in Seattle way. By the end of August, Seattle usually gets a clue and realizes that everyone where else in the world has been enjoying a balmy summer since June, and it's time to start acting like we, too, are in the Northern hemisphere. But wait-- it's almost September-- so we need to start thinking about school clothes and fall fleeces and pull out the down comforters already. What the hell? So nights start dipping to the 50s and days are in the 90s, the grass finally gets brown, and the leaves start changing all at the same time.

So winding myself back to the original topic of the post... It was truly wonderful to see my family (old and new) for such a good long visit. In all our complicated messiness, I couldn't be luckier to be a part of such an interesting, intelligent, loving, group of folks. Welcome to the family, Boris, Moritz, Bennett, Birgit, and Ralf! Here's to many more chaotic reunions in the future!

...to celebrate the happy couple

Friends and family came from near and far

Amy and Boris got married!