New York City Adventure, Day 1

We left our house at 5 a.m. this morning to head for the Big Apple! 

Jerod is doing some work at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and Parker and I decided to tag along and be tourists. My wonderful sister Patti came to Nashville to stay with little Sawyer, who is just too little to be dragged around NYC for two days. (I had a very hard time leaving Sawyer behind - I've only been away from him overnight once before, for one night. But I know he is in excellent hands. Thanks, Patti!)

We had planned to take it easy today, but we landed around 10:30 a.m. - and it was a gorgeous day here - so we ended up taking a whirlwind tour. We took a harrowing taxi ride, ate giant hamburgers, went to the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Times Square and the Empire State Building. We also learned to navigate the subway (at least a little). And we walked, walked, walked, walked, walked.

Here are some highlights:

Jerod on the taxi ride to our hotel. He hails a taxi like a native.

Me and Parker on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. 

Park Avenue .... the trees and flowers are gorgeous.

Parker on the subway

The American Museum of Natural History is amazing. 

This is me and Parker in the lobby of the American Museum of Natural History. We spent a couple hours in this place, and we watched an awesome IMAX movie called Wild Ocean. 

Central Park in the springtime is gorgeous. I wasn't prepared to be awed by the beauty of New York, but I was today.

Me and Parker in Central Park. (He's eating a Spiderman popsicle.)  

Another view of Central Park. There were so many people there doing all kinds of things - sunbathing, playing with kids, playing basketball and baseball, inline skating, running, playing music, reading ...

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Happy Earth Day!

This morning, Parker got up and announced that today was Earth Day. Then he drew the most amazing picture:

Notice in the upper left corner the cans with an X over them. That means "Don't litter the earth." At right is a rake, which means we should "take care of the earth." I especially love all the happy people riding bicycles and playing on the planet. Note the trees, grass and fluffy clouds! I just love, love this picture, and I am getting it framed. Even more special is the fact that Parker did this completely on his own. It was on his mind because his preschool class is learning about Earth Day, and they went to an Earth Day celebration today on campus, complete with a marching band. Very cool!

Full disclosure: Ummm, I didn't even know today was Earth Day.... but we do try to take care of the earth, and we are taking steps to be greener, including joining a CSA, buying organic as much as possible, recycling, using biodegradable cleaners, etc.

A couple days ago on the way home from school, we had this out-of-the-blue conversation...

Parker: Reduce, reuse, recycle. That's what we do to protect the earth.
Me, impressed and proud: Why yes, it is!
Parker: And we turn the lights off.
Me: Yes!
Parker: And we turn the water off...
Me: Yes!

We say these things to our kids and try to be good examples, and it's so great to realize that it really does sink in. :)

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Look Who's Walking!

Sawyer started walking two days ago!! Just in time for his 15-month checkup (and in the nick of time for my arms, which now have major biceps but are so tired at the end of the day from carrying this 25-plus-pound kid around all the time).

Here's how it happened: We were hanging out in the backyard after work/school, and Sawyer just spontaneously started walking around. He had been standing by himself - briefly - for weeks, but on that day he just took off. He walked to Parker, who caught him in a big hug. Parker is Sawyer's preferred person to walk to, which makes Parker feel very special. :) It was just the cutest thing, and we were all so excited.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW TO SEE SAWYER IN ACTION.

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Spring, Butterflies and Easter

Easter came with blue skies and puffy white clouds. A perfect day for hanging out in the backyard. It started at 6:20 a.m., when Parker came downstairs and found his Easter basket full of goodies. After a family Easter egg hunt, we let our five butterflies fly free - a fitting symbol of rebirth, new life and change on this holiday that began as a celebration of spring, with the bunny and the egg representing fertility and new life. (Yeah, I did a little research. I was curious myself and needed to explain the holiday - what it means to different people - to Parker.) Interesting how the Christian celebration of the Resurrection became all entwined with the egg and the bunny and candy ... and then there's Passover, which Parker remembers from his years in a Jewish preschool. ...
For us, it's a celebration of the beauty of spring, the joy of life, and being together as a family.
We hope your holiday was full of happy family memories.

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How Time Flies

We went to C.'s birthday party today. Five years old!! I remember C. when she was nine months old, toddling around in the infant room at daycare. So hard to believe that she's reached the big 5 - and that Parker will be 5 next month. Parker and C. have been the best of friends since those baby days. They formed a bond, and their friendship has been going strong ever since. C. says she's going to marry Parker, and Parker seems to be going along with it. :)

Here are two party pics - and I dug up some from years past. What a pair! Happy 5th birthday! We're glad to be your friends.

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Butterflies, Butterflies!

Wow - it happened so fast! I noticed yesterday that a butterfly was fluttering around in its house. The first painted lady butterfly had emerged from its chrysalid while I was working on the computer just a few feet away... I wish I could have seen it in action. The other four were still working on their transformations. Then today - three more butterflies!! We dipped flowers in sugar water, and we were able to watch them drink with their long proboscis (a mouth part that works like a straw ... yes, I am so the butterfly expert these days).

One lone chrysalid remains, and I'll bet the last butterfly comes out tonight or tomorrow. I know it's been going on for millions of years, but the process is amazing - and fun to watch with a 4-year-old. Spring, birth, change, life. I feel a kinship with these little things.

If the weather is warm, we're going to let them fly free this weekend.

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Arkansas Visit ... Abbreviated

Last Wednesday, I decided on a whim that we needed to visit my parents in Arkansas. So I loaded up the kids the next day and made the 4-1/2-hour trip to Jonesboro, Ark. (J stayed behind to work and bask in bachelordom.) We had such a nice time just doing nothing in particular.  I had planned to come back Saturday afternoon, but Sawyer ran a fever Friday night and threw up three times early Saturday morning. So I really needed to get on the road as soon as I could get everything together - and before Parker or I became sick. 

At least we had one full day to visit, and it was worth the drive. 

All in one day we blew lots of bubbles, played guitar and mandolin, learned about Grandpa's tools, played Go Fish and Memory with Grandma, drew pictures with Grandpa, built Lincoln Log houses with Grandma.

It's just so great to go to Mom and Dad's house, where there's always that sense of coming home. Always a good home-cooked meal, a bottomless jug of iced tea, down time, and lots of love.

P.S. The ride home was l-o-n-g, but we made it. And one else has come down with anything ... yet. 

P.S.S. Aunt DeLoris - I'm so sorry we missed seeing you! I may be coming to Hardy this summer for a class reunion (20 years - yikes!). If so, I will see you then for sure.

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The Next Phase

Yesterday we moved the caterpillars to their new home - the butterfly house. They've all formed chrysalids and attached upside down to the paper in the jar. Now they're busy transforming into butterflies! Jerod carefully pinned the caterpillar-covered paper to the mesh side of the butterfly house, and in about five days they should start emerging as painted lady butterflies. We'll feed them sugar water on flowers and - when they all come out - we'll let them fly free. 

Until then, we have this weird-looking thing hanging in our living room ... which is actually a great place, because it's easy to keep an eye on them.

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Parker Zen

It was so beautiful today, and I took the boys for a walk after school. Sawyer rode in the jogger while Parker rode his bike. I was not in a great mood, and I was nagging Parker to pedal faster. At one point he just hopped off his bike and sat in the middle of the sidewalk. When I looked back, I saw this. I just cracked up.
He said he was "rotating" (meditating).
What a comedian. :)
(FYI: He learned it from Kung Fu Panda.)

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Metamorphosis Begins

It's been about a week since our tiny caterpillars came in the mail. They've grown a bunch and have migrated to the top of their little jar. Now they're hanging upside down, and they're starting to form chrysalids! When their chrysalids are complete, we'll take them out of the jar and put them into a mesh "butterfly house" ... and wait for the butterflies to emerge. Pretty amazing stuff.

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