Signs of Easter: the presents arrives

Easter must be around the corner – a box of presents appeared in the mail late this past week. Duncan and Berry were as eager as ever to tear into them. Within the box of goodies, they each found a pink t-shirt with an iron-on transfer for a treble clef and a music note, a cuddly Easter bunny and some flowers from Grandma and Papa Rog.

You can witness the opening here:

It was a hit.

It took a few days (and finding a t-shirt to fit Berry so they kids can wear them this year – why don’t they make an XS in the t-shirts at Michaels?) but we got the iron-on transfers ironed on and the kids happily modeled them.

From 2010-03-March

Berry wanted to do some additional modeling – this was her “mean look”:

From 2010-03-March

And then Duncan wanted to take his pink shirt off to reveal his Dora shirt underneath and pose with his favorite girl. He’s told me that, essentially, he loves her more than me. He loves Dora beyond the stars, the moon and all the planets in space. He loves me as far as he can stretch his arms.

From 2010-03-March

Duncan would like to say thank you to Aunt Karen and Uncle Jonny for bringing this specific Dora into his life. The ribbon headband and flowers were added at his request. The flowers are from the leis that we got at the Hawaiin place during our trip to Disney World last year.

Joanna’s Eugene debut

It’s been so long since I’ve gigged. I think my last real gig was right before I got pregnant with Duncan in October 2004. 5 1/2 years? Really. I haven’t written a new song in at least that long.

I did perform a few songs at church one week, but that hardly counts as a gig. Neither does an open mic, but it’s what I’ve got going for me at the moment.

I have no proof – no photos of videos – but you’ll have to believe me that I was at the Monroe St. Cafe open mic night yesterday. Adam can testify that I was there.

It’s apparently quite popular. By the time I arrived at 7:30 (it started at 7 pm) there were 13 people ahead of me. Given that each person has 10 minutes, that’s more than a 2-hour wait. I think they were only on the second person, too.

We settled in, with spicy chai tea, and enjoyed the varied performances. Some were quite good, some funny, many quite “Eugene.” I enjoyed the duo playing songs about not letting Corporate America win. And the irony that she was wearing an Old Navy shirt.

There were a couple of spoken word acts – one recited poems about the state of our society and one about future cyborg humans. Maybe one day I’ll get to become a bionic cyborg mermaid. Apparently in 2012.

It got to be past 9 pm, and I hit a wall of tiredness. We got up to go home – there were still 4 people ahead of me – but the host convinced someone to switch places with me so I bumped up a few places. I must look like I can play music or something.

It was good to get out my purple guitar and play a few songs. People quieted down and listened to my quiet, original “Daydream Song” (there was no mic at this open mic), sang along with “Let It Be,” laughed in the appropriate spots of “Wilder Than Her” and applauded each song at the end. It felt good to be performing for an audience — honestly, that crowded cafe had more people than some of my gigs in the past.

My finger tips are still a bit sore today. I should toughen them up.

Kiddo weekend update

It was a busy weekend.

First there was a birthday party at the bounce gym. With shopping for the present before hand. Somehow, we picked the perfect present – Aqua sand (sand that never gets wet) – for which the birthday boy had been begging for the past 9 months.

Duncan and Berry enjoyed the bounce gym. There was bouncing, swinging, climbing, monkeying around and friends from school. What more could you want? Chocolate cake? There was that, too.

I especially enjoyed this piece of equipment. It made a perfect resting spot. Until small children decided to rock me to sleep with loud giggles.

I didn’t notice a lot of the other parents getting in the action with their kids, other than the birthday boy’s Dad who was running around after their youngest one. Most of them sat on the sidelines and watched. Duncan and Berry insisted I join in, which I was happy enough to do. I was also happy when it was time to go home.

On Sunday, we had our usual outing to church. The kids go through phases in which they are alternately easy and difficult to dress in the mornings. The same seems to be true for getting them to sleep at night.

Berry is in her difficult phase, insisting on wearing the same purple tie-dye dress that’s now 2 sizes too small every day. Please, someone buy her a new tie-dye dress in size 4! She’s gotten quite picky about which clothes she wears and really likes dresses and tights on a Sunday.

During our Target outing, everyone (but me) got new shoes, even Nanny. Duncan needed them. Berry could probably do with some non-sneaker summery shoes. And they were on sale.

Here they are in their Sunday glory, new shoes on, munching away during fellowship after church.

Finally, here’s sweet Berry this morning as I was leaving for work. It’s Spring Break week so they’re home. Berry decided to climb into my bed with Rupert, my childhood teddy bear.

And now, I’m back at work, into the swing of things. The kids are at home with Nanny, playing World of Good on the Wii, diligently working in math workbooks, reading books and probably causing happy mayhem.

St. Patty’s Day kid(s)

I convinced the kids to wear green this morning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. They are partly Irish, after all. What percentage, I’m not sure. Kevin’s grandparents on his Mom’s side were 100% Irish, I think, and I’m not sure about his Dad’s side of the family. Maybe a little? Isn’t everyone in upstate New York some combination of Irish and Italian?

I was hoping to get a group shot of all of us in green together. But Berry decided to be decidedly uncooperative. So all I got was Duncan. He’s covering his ears because Berry threw herself to the floor and crawled off screaming. Just another fun morning in the Bartlett-Gustina house.

Muddy kids are happy kids

I really love that Duncan and Berry enjoy “helping” me in the garden. At times, they’re not so helpful and need frequent reminders not to throw soil, mulch or whatever it is that they are playing with at the time. But, given the right direction and lots of patience, they can actually do useful things.

This past weekend, they helped me put mulch down in the front yard. I weeded, they mulched. It went quite well for a good 20 minutes before the mulch throwing began.

At another point in the weekend, we spent some time at Adam’s house and worked/played in his garden. Here, Berry attempts to mix soil and even it out in one raised bed.

And then we planted lettuce seedlings. Duncan was busy looking for garden fairies, but I’m sure he’ll help poke holes when it’s time to put some in our garden at home.

Expressing his Eugene style

After we moved here — and after he met his friend, Max, at school — Duncan declared that he wanted to grow his hair long, like Berry’s. I think this desire is partly because he has a couple of friends at school with long hair and also because Berry gets to put pretty things in her hair and have ponytails and be fussed over.

In any case, he’s stuck with it. I think I gave him his last shearing in Rochester. He has refused the scissors since then. I’ve managed to trim his bangs a few times and lighten up his locks a little, but any real trimming has been refused.

A few weeks ago, I asked Duncan if he’d like to go to the hairdresser and have his hair neatened up a bit. At first he thought I was talking about my hairdresser in Rochester who he’d been to a few times. He didn’t want to do that again (I don’t know why, he seemed to enjoy it at the time). I explained that he could go to Nanny’s hairdresser at the Cuttin’ Corral and that her hairdresser is a girl. I figured he’d like all the horseshoe drawer handles if nothing else.

He seemed interested. Then asked, “Is she pretty?” I assured her that he was, then kept forgetting to actually make the appointment.

Last week, while he was still recovering from pink eye – well enough to no longer be contagious, but still too pink to be at school, he stayed home for the morning with Nanny while Berry reluctantly went to school on her own. Nanny had a hair appointment already booked — but was able to fortuitously get him an appointment, too. So off they went for a little Nanny/Duncan pampering time.

He looks a little pensive here:

But seems to be happy with the results:

I’m thrilled he’s been neatened up, while still keeping the long look he desires. Will he get to grow it as long as Berry’s? Considering that she’s declared she wants to grow it down to her bottom so that it keeps her back warm…probably not.

Swimming like a little fish

We had a sleepover at Adam’s house on Friday night — first taking the kids swimming at Tamarack Pool, where the water is salty and warm.

Coordinating such field trips takes a little doing – packing our stuff that morning before work (ideally, the night before, but I still can’t seem to get lunch made the night before), making a picnic dinner (to be eaten in the car on the way there, and rushing home from work to get the kids, load them into the car and leave again.

Still, it worked out well and was a nice change.

I didn’t expect Duncan to be terribly enthusiastic about swimming, as he never has been. This was Berry’s first experience, so I didn’t know what to expect. I knew she’d be excited about wearing her Strawberry Shortcake swim suit, but beyond that…

It turns out that Berry is really part fish, much like me. She was eager to put on arm bands and paddle around with me and readily got the concept of kicking. But the time we left, about an hour later, she even did a little floating on her own. She also got Adam to zoom her around the pool at super fast speed, while I got arm bands on Duncan and took him out for a few laps.

It was a good time and I’d like to take them more often. For Duncan, it would be good for him to get acclimated and over his trepidation. And, for Berry, she clearly loves to be in the water and will probably learn to swim quickly.

I want…! I want…! The birthday wish lists

Duncan and Berry have learned all about presents and how to clamor for stuff they suddenly and deeply want and cannot live without one moment longer. Mostly this happens in Target.

My response has become to say that I’ll put it on their birthday wish list. Now everything is a request to put on the birthday list. *sigh*

Berry’s birthday is coming up. In case you’d like some ideas of what to get her (should you want to get her anything, you’re certainly under no obligation at all to do so), here goes:

• Games for the Wii
• Sparkly coloring pens
• Summer clothes in 4T – short-sleeved, skorts, t-shirts, shorts, etc.
• Hair bows
• Puzzles (more than 25 pieces, less than 100)
• Educational games that she can manipulate and get ready to play herself
• Movies – specifically involving Dora and/or princesses

Her current favorites are:

• Color: pink
• Animal: probably cats/kitties, also puppies and penguins
• Adornment: sparkles and bows
• Characters: Dora, Hello Kitty and Disney princesses

Clothing sizes:

• Shoe size: 9 1/2.
• Clothing: 4T

Duncan
Lest Duncan feel left out, here’s his info:

Clothing sizes:

• Clothing: Currently in a 5/6, going into a 6
• Shoes: size 1 boys
• Needs: Summer clothes – mostly shorts and PJs. He’d really like pink clothes, preferably with Dora on them

Favorites:

Things he’s into:
Duncan likes figuring out how things work, whether it’s the human body or the lock on the back door. He likes gears, marbles and cuddly toys. He spends hours drawing intricate musical gas pumps and weather machines – so more construction paper would be great. Especially if it has Dora on it.

More presents!

More presents from Grandma and Papa Rog arrived. Duncan and Berry have certainly learned what to do with presents, happily ripping them open with glee. I’d write more, but keep getting called away and it’s taken me days just to get to this point. So I’ll post this now.

Presents from the grandparents

Four packages arrived in the mail on Friday. Two each for Duncan and Berry.

First, there were presents from Grandma and Papa Rog.

Then there was a box from Gram and Grandad Pocobello.

Duncan was a little disappointed that none of the clothes had Dora on them. But he recovered.

Today, they both wanted to wear a selection of the clothes to church (of course!). I took a few photos and attempted to get the kids to stand up still next to each other, but they had other ideas.

We will try to get thank you letters out, but it’s possible that this electronic thank you will have to suffice.