For the past few months Max has been experimenting more and more with how things work. We are constantly peppered with questions about the sky, what is inside our bodies, why the dinosaurs died, why people die (and get older) and yes, the favorite, where do babies come from. Along with this Max has started trying to put together his own models of how and why the world works. These lead to some interesting conversations with somewhat distorted logic. Here are a few of my favorites:
Funny Story 1:
Max: (while staring at a pile of carrot sticks) Mom, I don't like crunchy things.
Greta: And why is that honey?
Max: Because Elliot is my friend and Elliot does not like crunchy things, so I don't like crunchy things either.
Greta: (I figure a good null case should cure this logic) I guess you won't be having any of these chips. They are quite crunchy.
Max: No I can have chips. Elliot likes chips.
Funny Story 2:
Max has some of those glow in the dark stars stuck to the underside of the big bed. He sleeps underneath them and we regularly talk about them before we fall asleep. On one particular occasion, as I was trying not to fall asleep in Max's bed, Max piped up with a new idea....
Max: Mom, I think we should replace those stars with real ones!
Greta: And how are we going to do that?
Max: (looking puzzled) I guess we will just have to grow REALLY tall and then pick one out of the sky.
Greta: Max, stars are big burning balls of fire. Don't you think they will be hot?
Max: We can wear oven mitts.
Funny Story 3: (As retold to me by Angel)
One afternoon Angel was waiting at the bus stop with Max and Darwyn on their way back from a visit to the local museum. Two women from the nearby university were waiting at the same stop. Max sat quietly with Angel occasionally glancing over at the women. Then all of the sudden Max turned toward them an let out and ear shattering dinosaur rawr, complete with little dinosaur arms.
Angel: Max, what are you doing?
Max: I'm making friends.
Angel: We don't usually make friends that way.
Max lapses into silence for a few minutes and then turns back to the women.
Max: Pajamas! (Max pauses for a reaction and the women started laughing). Pajamas!
Angel: Max, what are you doing?
Max: If I make them laugh they will be my friends!
I must admit that I am rather fond of this age. Max has started to branch out a lot in his interests. I am no longer confined to hours and hours of trucks. Max is showing an interest in cooking, crafts, gardening, the natural world and especially in other kids. He is really working hard on social skills and he is becoming quite interested in "making friends". He is delightfully inquisitive and is thrilled with new bits of knowledge. He has also developed a keen interest in learning to read now that he has figured out he will be able to read stories whenever he wants! He can identify all his letters and most of the associated sounds and he and daddy have even started sounding out some words. He was tickled pink the first time this actually worked and he identified a word (with quite a bit of daddy's help). He shows less enthusiasm for math, but I did get him interested in counting dried beans. Oh well.
Max and Darwyn colouring
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Visit to Tee's
We recently made the long hike to visit my sister Teela who now lives in Virginia. The kids had a fabulous time with their cousins. Staying at Teela's was like being at a posh cabin in the woods. She is surrounded with 2 acres of beautiful hardwood forest, complete with playground for the kids. It was a short walk down the hill to pools and tennis courts and only a few steps farther to the river. We had a fabulous time canoeing, swimming and hiking all right outside Teela's backdoor! Most of the trip doesn't make for good blogging, but I've included a story about our canoeing expedition. I don't have time to write more! Sorry it isn't more polished....
Canoeing: On the last day of our visit we managed to lug the canoe from Teela's backyard down to the river. When I say 'we', I mean Peff and Gus....although Teela and I offered some direction without which I'm sure they would have been lost.
The river near Teela's winds its way through lovely hardwood forest at a rather leisurely pace, so it is possible to canoe upstream most of the way. On the way up, Teela and I paddled and Gus rode with Darwyn (who could not be trusted to stay sitting on her own). There were a couple of spots with rapids, but the water was shallow, so Gus just climbed out and dragged the canoe through the rapids. We even managed to rescue a shoe floating down stream, which we miraculously returned to its owner when we ran across them farther up the river. They apparently tipped in the rapids. We found this quite amusing as they were small and not very deep and we happily discussed how silly they were as we paddled up stream.
On the way down we had a chance to prove our superiority. Gus once again sat in the middle with the kids while Teela and I manned the paddles. Peff was kayaking near by with Merlin riding on the back of the Kayak. The rapids were not large, but they were difficult to navigate because they were so shallow. It was hard to get the full blade of your paddle in the water, which made steering more of a challenge and if you didn't choose the right route, you would wind up beached (or spilled). As we approached the rapids, Teela yelled out a number of directions to Peff, while I tried to remember the route we took up.
Greta: You have to head in the center of that V Teela....I think that is the way we came...or was it on the other side of the rock.
Teela: Peff! Wait and go behind us. We know the route.
Greta: Was this the place with the overhanging tree?
Teela: Wasn't that down stream?....that is where the other canoe tipped
Greta: (noticing that are pace is picking up rapidly) Yes I think this is definitely the spot with the tree. We need to head for the V.
Teela: I think it is too shallow....we need to go around in on the left side. Peff!! Avoid the V!
Greta: (Yelling) Teela! GO LEFT!
At this point Viola started to cry because everyone was screaming at one another and we were catapulting towards the rapids (but not towards the V or the desired deeper route) in a completely uncontrolled manner. Teela attempted to do a powerful sweep stroke to realign the canoe, but she could only get 1/3 of her paddle in the water, so nothing of note happened. I then attempted to pull the nose over myself with a draw (definitely a bad move) and only succeeded in turning the canoe broadside to the quickly advancing water.
At this point, you are probably wondering what idiot taught Teela and I to canoe. It might be hard to believe that we were actually both raised in canoes. It turns out that did little for our navigation skills, but it did payoff in our ability to balance.
If you have canoed in rapids then you know that hitting them broadside is pretty much game over. If you add three kids to that equation you are guaranteed to tip. But as we hit the rapids Teela and I both threw our weight upstream. The boat lurched down stream and then back up again as Teela and I practically doggy paddled out the upstream side. We stayed up right and the boat became lodged in between a couple of rocks.
Teela: Don't worry Viola. We are having fun.
Actually, we were. In spite of how I have made it sound, the "rapids" were barely a ripple in the water. That is why we thought it was ridiculous that anyone could tip their boat. But we were saved only by a rock and years of riding in canoes. The rapids were so mild, that once we got stuck, everyone just climbed out and we lifted the canoe out from between the rocks. Even Darwyn stood in the rapids with little difficulty. Needless to say, the whole experience was a bit humbling.
And here are some of the best photos from the trip, but if you want to see more photos of lesser quality you can find them here.
Canoeing: On the last day of our visit we managed to lug the canoe from Teela's backyard down to the river. When I say 'we', I mean Peff and Gus....although Teela and I offered some direction without which I'm sure they would have been lost.
The river near Teela's winds its way through lovely hardwood forest at a rather leisurely pace, so it is possible to canoe upstream most of the way. On the way up, Teela and I paddled and Gus rode with Darwyn (who could not be trusted to stay sitting on her own). There were a couple of spots with rapids, but the water was shallow, so Gus just climbed out and dragged the canoe through the rapids. We even managed to rescue a shoe floating down stream, which we miraculously returned to its owner when we ran across them farther up the river. They apparently tipped in the rapids. We found this quite amusing as they were small and not very deep and we happily discussed how silly they were as we paddled up stream.
On the way down we had a chance to prove our superiority. Gus once again sat in the middle with the kids while Teela and I manned the paddles. Peff was kayaking near by with Merlin riding on the back of the Kayak. The rapids were not large, but they were difficult to navigate because they were so shallow. It was hard to get the full blade of your paddle in the water, which made steering more of a challenge and if you didn't choose the right route, you would wind up beached (or spilled). As we approached the rapids, Teela yelled out a number of directions to Peff, while I tried to remember the route we took up.
Greta: You have to head in the center of that V Teela....I think that is the way we came...or was it on the other side of the rock.
Teela: Peff! Wait and go behind us. We know the route.
Greta: Was this the place with the overhanging tree?
Teela: Wasn't that down stream?....that is where the other canoe tipped
Greta: (noticing that are pace is picking up rapidly) Yes I think this is definitely the spot with the tree. We need to head for the V.
Teela: I think it is too shallow....we need to go around in on the left side. Peff!! Avoid the V!
Greta: (Yelling) Teela! GO LEFT!
At this point Viola started to cry because everyone was screaming at one another and we were catapulting towards the rapids (but not towards the V or the desired deeper route) in a completely uncontrolled manner. Teela attempted to do a powerful sweep stroke to realign the canoe, but she could only get 1/3 of her paddle in the water, so nothing of note happened. I then attempted to pull the nose over myself with a draw (definitely a bad move) and only succeeded in turning the canoe broadside to the quickly advancing water.
At this point, you are probably wondering what idiot taught Teela and I to canoe. It might be hard to believe that we were actually both raised in canoes. It turns out that did little for our navigation skills, but it did payoff in our ability to balance.
If you have canoed in rapids then you know that hitting them broadside is pretty much game over. If you add three kids to that equation you are guaranteed to tip. But as we hit the rapids Teela and I both threw our weight upstream. The boat lurched down stream and then back up again as Teela and I practically doggy paddled out the upstream side. We stayed up right and the boat became lodged in between a couple of rocks.
Teela: Don't worry Viola. We are having fun.
Actually, we were. In spite of how I have made it sound, the "rapids" were barely a ripple in the water. That is why we thought it was ridiculous that anyone could tip their boat. But we were saved only by a rock and years of riding in canoes. The rapids were so mild, that once we got stuck, everyone just climbed out and we lifted the canoe out from between the rocks. Even Darwyn stood in the rapids with little difficulty. Needless to say, the whole experience was a bit humbling.
And here are some of the best photos from the trip, but if you want to see more photos of lesser quality you can find them here.
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| Merlin risking life and limb to clean the eaves trough. |
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| Check out the size of this corn! The people are only for scale. |
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| Max is really into gardens. He examined each food crop carefully. |
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| She might be reading to Darwyn...more likely she is trying to keep her from taking the book. |
Thursday, August 8, 2013
An Angel at the river
Our new au pair arrived at the beginning of July. His name is Ángel (pronounced AHNG-HEL, but you can call him Angel) and he is from Spain. He accompanied us up to the river on his second weekend with us. The easiest way for us to show him the photos we took of him is to place them in a blog post. Enjoy, everyone.
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| Before: chopping wood, Canadian style |
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| After: the product of Angel's labour, Canadian style |
Monday, July 15, 2013
That's MY Story
Grandpa Gutoski has taken to telling Max stories in front of the campfire. For the adults that get stuck listening to the story, the experience is painful, but Max LOVES it. He cuddles up on Grandpa's lap and begs him for a story, while I sit nearby grumbling that it is already 1 hour past bedtime. Grandpa has no regard for bedtime, and is at the mercy of his grandson's whims and so he launches into yet another story.
Most of grandpa's stories are knock offs from the well known "Magic Tree house" series, in which the main characters travel to new places inside a magic tree house filled with books. They simply open the book to the page they are interested in, wish to be there and viola! And so grandpa begins his tale with a magic tree house built on our very own river property. Max climbs the ladder of the magic tree house and...
Grandpa: Do you know what he saw when he climbed in?
Max: TRUCKS!
Grandpa: no, books.
Max: But I want it to be trucks.
Grandpa: no its books.
Max: But grandpa, I like trucks.
Grandpa: We can't have trucks in the tree house. It's books.
At this Max bursts into tears, sobbing over and over "but I wanted trucks!"
Grandpa: (exasperated) Fine! There are trucks AND books. But the trucks are small.
Max accepts this and Grandpa continues with his story. In the story, Max opens a book about a construction site and wishes that he were there, the treehouse starts to spin and
Max: Grandpa, I want to see dinosaurs.
Grandpa: I thought you liked trucks.
Max: I also like dinosaurs.
Grandpa: Well, we are going to a construction site.
Before Max can interrupt again he finds himself in a deserted construction site exploring heavy machinery. Before long, a construction worker appears and chases Max through the construction site yelling something like "stay away from my trucks". But Max jumps into a bulldozer and starts to drive away and then...
Max: A DINOSAUR comes!
Grandpa: No. There are no dinosaurs...we are at a CONSTRUCTION SITE.
Max: (ignoring grandpa) And its a T-rex and he grabs the construction worker and --
Grandpa: THIS IS MY STORY!!!!
And so it goes....as a pair, Grandpa and Max tell a very entertaining story. My only regret is that I did not get it on video.
Most of grandpa's stories are knock offs from the well known "Magic Tree house" series, in which the main characters travel to new places inside a magic tree house filled with books. They simply open the book to the page they are interested in, wish to be there and viola! And so grandpa begins his tale with a magic tree house built on our very own river property. Max climbs the ladder of the magic tree house and...
Grandpa: Do you know what he saw when he climbed in?
Max: TRUCKS!
Grandpa: no, books.
Max: But I want it to be trucks.
Grandpa: no its books.
Max: But grandpa, I like trucks.
Grandpa: We can't have trucks in the tree house. It's books.
At this Max bursts into tears, sobbing over and over "but I wanted trucks!"
Grandpa: (exasperated) Fine! There are trucks AND books. But the trucks are small.
Max accepts this and Grandpa continues with his story. In the story, Max opens a book about a construction site and wishes that he were there, the treehouse starts to spin and
Max: Grandpa, I want to see dinosaurs.
Grandpa: I thought you liked trucks.
Max: I also like dinosaurs.
Grandpa: Well, we are going to a construction site.
Before Max can interrupt again he finds himself in a deserted construction site exploring heavy machinery. Before long, a construction worker appears and chases Max through the construction site yelling something like "stay away from my trucks". But Max jumps into a bulldozer and starts to drive away and then...
Max: A DINOSAUR comes!
Grandpa: No. There are no dinosaurs...we are at a CONSTRUCTION SITE.
Max: (ignoring grandpa) And its a T-rex and he grabs the construction worker and --
Grandpa: THIS IS MY STORY!!!!
And so it goes....as a pair, Grandpa and Max tell a very entertaining story. My only regret is that I did not get it on video.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Leora and Anwyn visit Waterloo
Max's cousins Leora and Anwyn recently came to visit us in Waterloo. They didn't bring their dad, so I don't have many photos to show for it. We did take a couple of cute photos at the strawberry farm:
I also have a nice album of pictures from our trip to the river on the Canada Day long weekend. Unfortunately, there are not any pictures of Leora because she was the one behind the camera ALL WEEKEND LONG. She claims she was doing her dad proud!
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| Check out those eyes! |
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| I know this one is sideways....it is the right way up on my computer, but for some reason, blogger wants it sideways. |
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| I had to force Leo and Anwyn into this picture, but I still maintain that it is cute. |
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| I also forced everyone into this well. Leo and Anwyn complained loudly the whole time about how their dad didn't like staged photos. Ironically, the end result is remarkably "unstaged". |
I also have a nice album of pictures from our trip to the river on the Canada Day long weekend. Unfortunately, there are not any pictures of Leora because she was the one behind the camera ALL WEEKEND LONG. She claims she was doing her dad proud!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Cookie Monster
Max has always approached cookies with casual indifference. He prefers them to zucchini soup, but if there is a truck to be had, the cookie is definitely a second class citizen. This was concrete evidence that Max really couldn't have any of my genes....he must have got the recessive half.
Darwyn, on the other hand, is her mommy's girl. She tried a cookie for the first time a few months ago, and since then has developed a healthy obsession. Unlike most of her other words, she pronounces cookie quite clearly so as not to be misunderstood. She has generalized the word to mean "that good thing", but is instantly aware if there are cookies to be had. If I decide to bake cookies, I better not mention it or she will hang off my leg the entire time demanding "cookie...cookie...cookie". The conversation even degrades into iterations of cookie if she only sees the bag of chocolate chips. That's my girl.
Here are a couple of cute videos though they don't accurately convey her obsession!
Darwyn, on the other hand, is her mommy's girl. She tried a cookie for the first time a few months ago, and since then has developed a healthy obsession. Unlike most of her other words, she pronounces cookie quite clearly so as not to be misunderstood. She has generalized the word to mean "that good thing", but is instantly aware if there are cookies to be had. If I decide to bake cookies, I better not mention it or she will hang off my leg the entire time demanding "cookie...cookie...cookie". The conversation even degrades into iterations of cookie if she only sees the bag of chocolate chips. That's my girl.
Here are a couple of cute videos though they don't accurately convey her obsession!
The best pest in the garden
I couldn't decide whether to put this post on the family blog or my personal blog. Eventually my personal blog won, mostly because it is a little short on posts. For those of you that don't follow my personal blog, you might be interested in this cute story about the kids. Check it out here:
http://hopelesshomesteader.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-best-pest-in-garden.html
http://hopelesshomesteader.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-best-pest-in-garden.html
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