A Giant Short Story

By Rowan Lucas Miller

Once upon a time there were three bears: a Rowan bear, a G-Daddy bear, a mommy bear, a baby bear, a G-Ma bear, a Daddy bear... [Me: Hey, that's more like 6 bears. R: Mommy, listen.] They were playing outside on a playground. Little did they know that a large, tall, huge, big Giant was looking at them.  He does not like it when people talk about him so he was going to SMASH the whole town. Then, he smashed the whole town and no one talked about him anymore. The end.

Me: Wow! That was a really good story. I think I should write it down.
R: No, don't write it down. Write it up! And I can draw some pictures to go with it.


I'll speak with the author/illustrator about when we can expect the pictures.

Good Gracious!

That was one of Raleigh's exclamations, accompanied by hands on cheeks, Christmas morning and we laughed every time. I think it nicely sums up our 2011 experience. This year's celebration was overflowing with hugs and kisses, laughs, good food, and lots of presents. I hope your Christmas was just as good, if not better. 


Enjoy these last few days of the year and remember the good times and teachable moments it has brought. I am grateful for another year of learning and loving and am hungry for more. What will 2012 bring? There's no telling for sure but I am curious to discover the treasures and delights it has to offer. 


Cheers to a Happy New Year!

Countdown to Year 4

Oh, the interesting places a preschooler can take you!


Interests
Caillou and Curious George, while still household favorites, have been replaced by Batman and Transformers. Superheroes are all the rage. He likes to play with his matchbox cars and trains at home. At school, his favorite place to play is in the housekeeping area or swinging in the tire swing with his good friends Mitchell and Alex.


Skills
Rowan can manage a lot of personal chores on his own, like hand washing, tooth brushing, and getting dressed. Sometimes he prefers help with these things, but most of the time he likes to do them himself. He can write his first name consistently well, though “N” is still tricky if he’s in a hurry. He can count to 100. He can buckle himself into his car seat and secure the straps all by himself. Something he likes to do lately is make up new words. When we ask what it is he will provide a definition. I think he would be great at the board game Balderdash.


So Big!
Rowan is wearing 4T clothes and size 11-toddler shoes.


Adventures
Stone Mountain turns the laser show lawn into Snow Mountain, a winter wonderland, from late November to February. You can slide down a snow-covered “mountain” in tubes and play in the snow. We went for the first time earlier this month. It was a lot of fun! Rowan had a good time and the Floridians did, too. My parents, Rowan, and I went down 4 times. Jeremy offered to watch Raleigh in the snow area since she is too little to sled and he grew up doing it.


Rowan participated in a child development study at Emory. They are studying how children categorize unfamiliar objects. It was neat to watch him, not only to see his brain at work but to marvel at his confidence and ease with the researcher. I remember being shy around adults when I was kid. Heck, I get nervous ordering at a restaurant even now! It’s nice to see him so comfortable and sure of himself. He told me that he liked college and would like to go back. I told him that was good since he would definitely be spending a good chunk of time there in the future.


Last week, Rowan’s class had a holiday celebration. The class sang a trio of holiday favorites, including Jingle Bells, The Dreidel Song, and Rudolph. That sure was good stuff. The group had lots of energy for the first song, not as much for the second, and the even less for the third. It was very cute nonetheless.


In just two months we will parents of a 4-year-old boy. It’s almost too much for me! Where, oh where, did my little boy go? Just so you know, I am certain this will be a common refrain on this blog for the next 40 years. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Happy mirthday to my sweet, sweet boy!

From the Backseat

Recently heard from the backseat


Rowan: Mommy, do you know why Raleigh's seat faces backward?
Me: Yes, I do. It's to keep her safe in case we crash.
R: No, it's so she can look out for cars that might hit us.


R: Marion (his classmate) makes bad decisions.
Me: She does? Like what?
R: She cries when her mom leaves her in the classroom and then hits her! That's a bad decision.


We saw a man dressed as a slice of pizza standing by the road. He was advertising for a pizza buffet place.
R: Hey! Do you see that? It's a runaway pizza just like the Runaway Pancake!

New item at Publix

Rowan and I were shopping at the Publix when he saw some interesting in the dairy case. I was a little distracted hoarding all the coconut Liberte yogurts that I thought I misheard what Rowan said. I asked him to repeat it.

"Yuck! Bellybutton yogurt. That's gross."

When I saw the offending item I started laughing. Then I had to snap a quick photo.

Raleigh is 20 months old!

The weeks and months pass so quickly. In four months my baby will be 2 years old. How can that be possible? 

• Likes:  bubble baths, reading books (It’s one of the first things she asks for in the morning.), Ring Around the Rosie (Ashes)
• Dislikes: Lately she does not want to eat dinner in her own chair. She wimpers, cries, moans, and throws food and utensils on the floor in protest. Dinners have not been peaceful in our house.
• Communication: Her favorite phrases are: “I did it!” “All done. Get down.” “No splashing, Bub.” “Help!” “Breakfast?” “Sorry, mommy (or Bub).” She has started hitting and pinching more often when she doesn’t get her way. Sometimes she is more willing to apologize than others.
• Skills: She is singing a lot more these days, especially “Jingle Bells” (Bingle Bells). She likes to put things in the trash can. She also likes to get lots of tissues to wipe her nose. I have to put the Kleenex box where she can’t reach it. I keep offering the potty and she’s gone pee-pee twice. Mostly she likes to sit down (with or without clothes on) and then jump up real quick to look in the bowl.
• So big!: Shirts and pants: 18 mos. Shoes: size 6 Diaper: size 3

Happy mirthday, sweet baby girl.

Turkey Day 2011

There were turkeys galore at my parents’ house this Thanksgiving. There were others present but they were not caught on camera this time.

 I am so thankful for silliness.

Did you know that a group of turkeys is called a rafter or a gang? I find this most hilarious since I often refer to the kids as “gang”, as in “It’s time for a bath, gang.” Love it.