masala mama

Jacky Boy hits 10 humanoid years, or 70 dowg years.

2012-01-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to you...

Hmmm.mash good

Jimbini Rigatoni Linguini Mascarpone Marcaroni…that’s his current Italian nick name. Our dogatoid Pepper, has been with us since he was 6 weeks old. Our dear friends Jeff and Chanda picked him from a litter of 8 during X-mas of 2001, and they could not have done better. He’s taken life in stride-dog stride that is-and sleeps most of the time, but still manages to act like a puppy when he wants to play, jump on strangers, bark at the mail man, and chase squirrels. The kids always include him in their play. He’s usually a monster or bad guy, ie a dragon, Skeletor-from He-Man cartoon circa 1985, Captain Kook or a Flubalub from Stingray circa 1958. He tirelessly follows them into their ‘traps’-always a willing villain. Aside from his gray beard which continues to creep down his jowls every year, he’s still the same old lovable dog who loves to eat napkins, hot peppers, and USDA prime steak, yes he managed to steal a couple of those off the grill. We love you Stinkboy…here’s to 10 more humanoid years to our dear companion.

Did they just say that?

2012-01-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

"Mama, why doesn't the water fall out of the ocean if we're spinning?"

"June is a better listener because she's older. I'm not."

"I wish we had a pet sun so it could keep us warm whenever we want."

"Yeah, but..." This is how Kean typically replies when asked not to do something, for instance: "Kean, stop standing on the chair." "Yeah, but I have to get something on the counter." or "Kean, close your eyes and go to sleep." "Yeah, but I have to tell June something." Yeah but, Yeah but, all day long. One time, I replied, 'Yeah but nothing." He thought that was very funny.

Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

The guys from Rush called. They want Kean.

Kean's Favorite Things, October 2011

2011-10-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

1. Zip ties. He turns them into balloons or makes daisy chains with them.
2. Submarines and rockets.
3. Making Mama and Daddy draw pictures of submarines and rockets.
4. Cutting out submarines and rockets with scissors.
5. Using tape to attach cut-out submarines and rockets to kitchen wall. See picture.
6. Using muffin tins to create his own submarines and rockets.
7. Thunderbirds.
8. Playing Bad Birds on Daddy's phone. The rest of us know it's called Angry Birds. He will never, ever discover that Bad Birds can also be played on Mama's iPad.
9. Worshipping his sister. Especially when she draws him a submarine.

Three posts in one week. This must be a record.

2011-09-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

Off to school!

Better than a Dyson

2011-09-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Me: Kean, what do you think Pepper should be for Halloween?

(long, long pause.)

Kean: A vacuum cleaner.

Me: Why?

Kean: Because he likes to eat all our food!

Winter Cometh!

2011-09-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

June, looking at the thermometer alongside our house today: "Mama, what do the F and C stand for on the thermometer?"
Me: "That's a really good question...."
June: "Freezing and Chilly?"
Me: "Good guess!"

(In a few short months, F and C will stand for that!)

Goodbye, Summer

2011-09-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

just when you think you've got them figured out...

2011-07-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Some kids are outgoing from the start. They wave hi to strangers,play with kids they meet in the park, and generally talk to pretty much anyone who talks to them. That's never been June. It takes her a very long time to get comfortable around new people and, even when she knows someone well, she hasn't gone out of her way to be friendly. If a friend from preschool yelled hi, June would usually give a hesitant little wave, her chin tucked into her neck--and that was a good day. On other days, she would just flat-out ignore them.

So imagine my shock at the transformation over the past month. Like the other day, when she was swimming in our neighbor's pool. She spotted our other neighbor over the fence and yelled hello. My jaw dropped. First of all, June never initiates a hello with anyone. And this is a neighbor we rarely see. Then while walking into day camp (which, by the way, she loves. Best overpriced activity I ever signed her up for), she spotted an older girl that she's met there and yelled hi. This might seem like ordinary behavior for alot of kids, but for June, it's really extraordinary. At Kean's check-up yesterday, she talked to the doctor for the first time ever without having me play a game of telephone to do it. She even gave my credit card to the gas station attendant and said thank you loud enough for him to hear! Granted, all of these interactions are very small, but added up, they really are a shift in her behavior. I'm so proud of her and that she's found the confidence that I always knew was inside her.

June 20th

2011-06-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is Kean's birthday.
Yes, it's true.
Another year has truly flew.

We love you, little boy, especially when you...
...say "mmmmm" when you're thinking of the right word to say
...hold your friend's hand
...giggle at your own jokes
...pretend you're Virgil (yeah, that's everyday)
...pad across the hall, delicately open our bedroom door and whisper in our ear, "It's wake-y time!"

You're three, oh boy, here we go.
More fun's in store, I just know!

May 2009

May 2011

Berry Good

2011-06-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

A field of ripe strawberries, a beautiful blue-sky morning, four happy berry-stained faces--and

ten pounds of strawberries in our freezer!

I've been duh'ed by my daughter.

2011-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I thought this day wouldn't come until she was at least eight. Maybe seven? No matter. June is barely five (and already asking when she'll be 5.5) and she's duh-ing me. To which I thank her little friend, Jessica B. (not to be confused with Jessica V. who's been mentioned in an earlier post) who apparently says duh at the end of every sentence, duh. It's made for some pretty funny conversations this weekend because June's attaching it whether it makes sense or not. Where are you going to park the car, duh. Kean, give me back the submarine, duh.

Exclamations are also big, as in "We're going to a dinosaur show? Yesssssss! (fist pump) Awesome! (arms extended, hands stretched wide)" And one that nearly made me keel over: "We're having zucchini tonight? Yesssss! Awesome!" She's got Kean saying it too, although it comes out sounding like "Yesssss! Awthum."

Speaking of Kean, I asked him about his favorite things lately....
Favorite place: Tracy Island (the fictitious home of the Thunderbirds - or Funderbirds, if Kean's telling you - June's and his favorite show, which Daddy watched when he was a boy)
Favorite fruit: strawberry
Favorite food: boo-berry
Favorite color: red and brue
Favorite thing to say: "My nickname is Virgil." I should have written that in ALL CAPS because he says it so indignantly. Virgil is his favorite Thunderbird (see Favorite Place). Daddy will have to do a guest column on Thunderbirds because there's no way I can do it justice.

Our little engineer (or how June turned Pepper into a circus dog)

2011-04-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows Pepper knows that he doesn't do tricks. He doesn't fetch, doesn't roll over, doesn't howl to get a treat. He just looks at you with those beautiful puppy dog eyes and yeah, he gets what he wants. June isn't buying it. Recently, while the rest of us weren't looking, she rearranged ALL of our living room furniture and set up the most amazing trick for Pepper: the hula-hoop jump. I took one look at it, smiled encouragingly, and said, "Great work, honey, it's worth a try." Secretly I thought it would never work. Pepper has never done anything except sit for a treat. Now he's gonna jump through a hoop that's more than a foot off the ground? Notice that she put a stack of books under the hoop - no sliding underneath for Pepper!

June ran to get Pepper's treats, with Pepper at her heels, thinking that all he had to do was sit and she'd deliver. Wrong-o. He followed her back into the living room, where she somehow got him on one side of the hoop and her on the other. Then Pepper pulled a fast one. He outmaneuvered the hoop, slipped through a hole in the barricade June had built and grabbed the treat from her hand. Score one for Pepper. June wasn't giving up. She reinforced the barricade and tried again, coaxing Pepper to jump. AND HE DID! I nearly fell over. Then she made the hoop higher. AND HE DID IT AGAIN! While June ran to get more treats, I grabbed the camera hoping to capture this amazing feat by Pepper, the circus dog. But all I got were shots of his tail after he had jumped through. So, you'll just have to believe me.

The stunt

The engineer and her helper

Decisions, Decisions.

2011-04-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

(Conversation, two days ago)
June: Mama, I just don't know what I want to be when I grow up. There are so many choices!!!
Mama: Well, what are your options?
June: Ballerina. Tennis Star. Mom. Cheerleader.
Mama: Those are all good choices.
June: Yeah, but I think I'm going to be a cheerleader.

(Tonight, after reading a book about dinosaurs at bedtime)
June: I think I want to be a paleontologist.
Mama: Not a cheerleader?
June: Well, I don't know. I don't think there's anything left for a paleontologist to discover.
Mama: You mean, "sk-duver"? (June's new word. She invented it a few nights ago when she made up her own card game and called it "sk-duver" by accident instead of discover. Love it!)
June: Yeah, I think I'm going to be a cheerleader.

Rah! Rah!

High Five

2011-03-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday....

And today.

June turns five today. She's just getting over a really nasty stomach virus, but that wasn't about to stop her from enjoying breakfast in bed this morning. Followed by cupcakes with her classmates at school. And goodness knows what other sugary delights the rest of the day. Her giddiness about turning 5 is infectious, but I have to say, I always get a bit sad on this day, thinking of June's birth mother and wondering what she feels on this day. I guess it's possible that she feels nothing, that March 3 passes like any other day, but I don't believe it. Does she wonder where June is? Does she see a five-year-old girl at the market and have a pang in her heart? Does she wonder if she wears her hair in braids, if she likes to sleep with her socks on, if she gets scared at thunder? (Yes, yes and yes.) If I could meet her birth mama, I'd tell her...

- how June calls Kean "babe" when they're deep into pretend play. "Come on, babe, get into the tent before the monster gets us!" Pepper gets an Oscar for best monster.

- how she always shares. Always. Even her birthday donut this morning.

- how she decided that the little girl at the end of the 'Puff, the Magic Dragon' book is Jackie Paper's daughter who he adopted.

- how she jumped off a really high stack of mats at gymnastics, reached to grab the high bar, missed and fell into "the pit." Without missing a beat, she jumped again and this time caught the bar. Watching from the lobby, I let out a squeal that I didn't even know was inside me.

- how she hums and sings when she's engrossed in something.

- how she still nibbles her Croco before falling asleep at night.

- how she brings such joy, laughter and absolute wonderful-ness to my life. I am so honored to be her Mama. Happy Birthday, sweetie. I love you lots.

A Special Message for Abbie

2011-02-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Abbie,

Happy Birthday! Hurray, you're FIVE!

Love,

June & Kean

Kean's Faves, Winter 2011

2011-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite song: Thomas and His Friends
Favorite show: Thomas (big surprise)
Favorite food: Cereal
Favorite fish: Nemo
Favorite pastime: Dressing up like a princess or playing with marbles. It's a toss-up.

I went to my first tea party yesterday.

2011-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

There were ladies and gents dressed in fancy clothes,

more jewels than the Queen of England wears,

violin music by the famous composer, Beetoken, according to June,

entertainment by Sir Gerbil,

And one beastly diva.

It was precious. I can't wait for the next one.

Dear Santa, in case you read blogs...

2010-12-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Here are the wish lists of two very cute children who really, really hope you'll come down their chimney in a few weeks. For help decoding, we've provided a special app called the Mama Translator.

June would like a Zhu Zhu pet, a baby high chair, a key necklace, a jewelry set, purple jellybeans, a jellyfish lamp and a candy cane.

Kean would like a Thomas umbrella, a Thomas belt and a jellyfish lamp.

Please, if anyone besides Santa happens to read this, can you pretend you haven't when you talk to Kean and June? They don't know that Mama shared their lists.

Count your blessings

2010-11-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

We did, on our little tree. We're thankful for croco and ice cream, Thomas and Halloween, and playing in the leaves. We're thankful for our health and our little stuffed penguin. But most of all, we're thankful for each other. Happy Thanksgiving -

Who needs toys...

2010-11-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

when there are piles of leaving lying around?

Ready, set...

(I love June's look of determination)

THROW!

Happy birthday, old man.

2010-11-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Pardon the interruption of your 12-hour nap, but you are now eligible to collect Social Security.

Generous June

2010-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

June is such a giving person. I've never met anyone, no matter how old, who shares so willingly. She doesn't even have to be asked. I still remember when she was around 16 months old and fed a Cheerio to a little boy her age. His mom and I were stunned. She even shares good stuff. Once I gave her a small bag of M&Ms after school. As soon as she pulled out the first one - a blue one - she held it up in the back seat and asked if Kean was old enough to have one. When I said yes, she told me that she would give it to him when we got to the babysitter's house. I was amazed that, 15 minutes later at the babysitter's house, she still had it in her hot little hand.

Sharing milk with Kean, September 2010

Yes, she went to school like this.

2010-09-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Sparkly shoes, striped knee socks, striped leg warmers, shorts and a T-shirt. With a sparkly headband, natch. She made everyone smile.

My heart leaps up…title of a poem by William Wordsworth…now I know the ‘meaning’ of the poem…

2010-09-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Daddy gets to sleep in once in a while and, during one of those ‘whiles’ June had been up an hour or so popping up to our room trying delicately to wake my tired ass up. First she tried her funny face succinctly followed by jumping on me which was not kindly received. I’m squinting so I can see the action without letting on. She disappears, and then comes up sometime later, now armed with a thumb piano to gently wake me up….this ‘fails’ but is fondly remembered by me. She disappears, and then comes back. This time my eyes are closed but prepared for cymbals, pile driver, harmonica, something big when she gently kisses me on the forehead. My heart leaps up…

We are at the local pool we belong to and me and Chooky -Kean are hanging out at the baby pool, while mama and june go to the big pool. At some point while playing with Chooky, I pretend to cry-I do this with the kids periodically, especially when they are crying, as it makes them wonder “what the hell is he crying about?” and they inevitably stop. This time my crying immediately invokes Chooky to come right over to me and kiss me on the cheek! My heart leaps up…I tell mama and June when they get back and they immediately start to fake cry and they receive an instant, selfless kiss/hug combo!