War (huh) what is it good for?

Bryn was asking about why we celebrate Patriot's Day (a Massachusetts state holiday coming up this Monday)-- more specifically why would would celebrate something as terrible as a war (she knows it's the anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary war).

We told her about how we are actually celebrating our country's freedom which was won by the colonists, not the fighting itself. She seemed to understand this, and said, "right, because now we get to make our own rules, like..." and then she laid forth her version of our country's constitution and the "rules."

Fortunately, I had a pencil and paper in my purse so I could jot them down (we were in the car and Peter was driving) as she spit them out one after the other:

1. No dogs are allowed at the playground
2. No hunting skunks
3. Don't try to ride on a deer
4. Dogs should not mess with bear cubs
5. Never go into the road without a grownup until you're 14 or 15
6. Never go for a walk alone when you're young
7. Never ride a bike near potholes
8. Never drive backwards in a car for too long
9. Never try to bam into a car on purpose
10.Don't fly an airplane with your eyes closed

I think the founding fathers would be proud.

Hitting the slides

We went to a park with huge slides, and Calvin was excited and a little nervous to give them a try. This is his second attempt:

One year older and wiser, too

Some Favorites:
*Dinosaur- Parasauralophus
*Show- Reading Rainbow; "the sports one"
*Dinner (besides candy)- Ravioli
*Rainy Day Activity- Pulling out the hide-a-bed to watch a movie (a recent discovery- you can't imagine his joy upon learning there was an actual bed hidden in our couch)
*Simple Machine- the pulley
*Name to call an enemy- Codfish

And more annual wishes

To my dad, who's done a lot of thrilling and exciting things in his life (yes, he built the hang-glider himself), yet knows that true joy can be found in simple things like taking grandchildren to feed the local ducks and enjoying a cool summer evening with a picnic up a canyon.

Tastes like Easter

And Home Before Dark

We planned an evening constitutional after dinner, and on the way to our destination, saw another family out perambulating, except here family = a harem of lovely ladies + 2 macho looking males. Bryn counted 14 in all, and I was happy to have my camera with me to document it:
After our photo pullover, we finally arrived and were quite pleased with the destination (Willard Woods).
And I'm going to stun/make you jealous with more amazing shots of my children, but they're just so darling I can't help it:
Can you tell how thrilled Bryn is to be sitting on a log covered with potentially poisonous fungi?

A thing to let go

"He knew it wasn't anybody's snow glory.
Just a thing to let grow.
And if someone ate it,
it was just a thing to let go."

-Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble


Our crocuses (croci?) emerged last week to the delight of the kids, particularly Calvin. Well, an unknown perpetrator stepped on one of them and Calvin sobbed over it's fallen blossom.

Then Bryn reminded him of the above passage and repeating it seemed to placate Calvin. Ah the wisdom found in Henry and Mudge.

Who talks like that?

The kids went bezerk today and messed up everything they could get their hands on. Peter had them clean their room, but when he went back an hour or so later, they were going bezerk again and the room was completely messy.

Bryn looked at him surveying the scene and said, "heh heh heh heh." Peter asked her what that meant and she said, "it's a nervous chuckle."

Batman Schmatman

Introducing your newest superhero...BOOTMAN. Watch out, criminals.

Just in case you weren't impressed yet, here's a shot of him on the job:
But here's the deal: he needs a slogan (like "stomping out crime across America," but tougher sounding). So if you feel creative, leave a comment with your suggestion.

April Updates

Our family had a council this morning, and here are the major updates:

Peter has decided all his work toward a doctorate is silly and is instead going to try his hand at an online venture he spotted on some ads at a site he was visiting. Apparently you can make pretty good money just by surfing the internet.

I've decided that to earn a little extra cash (not like we'll need it with Peter's new job), I'm going to sell both my road bike and my mountain bike on Craig's List. I've never really used them anyway, so it's no big deal. In fact, maybe I'll just put them out on the curb with a sign that says "free." Biking just makes you dirty. Ewww.

Bryn announced that she has no major plans for the future, near or far, and would prefer to spend her days taking naps and eating onions. She would also like us to stop pestering her about going to school in the fall; she's just not ready for that yet and realistically will drop out by the second grade.

Calvin sat quietly during the whole council, and only spoke when called upon. He suggested that our family try to be a little less violent, and stop trying to engage him in sword fights with random household objects. Other than that, we barely noticed he was there.

So happy April, everyone; here's to a fresh new month.