The survey says...

Naomi being a "bunny
caretaker" on a "Dress as
your favorite character day." I
think she is her own character.

I asked the girls "a few" questions, each without a sibling in the room. Here's what they said:

Naomi
Favorite color? Purple
Favorite treat? Everything
Favorite food? French fries
Favorite subject in school? Reading
Favorite book? The bunny who runs and says "I'll do everything"
Favorite thing to play? With Buttercup, Grace and Bella (her stuffed bunnies)
Favorite TV? Blues Clues
Favorite animal? Bunny
Would you rather have the ability to fly for an hour, or dive deep underwater for an hour? Dive deep underwater.
Favorite place to visit around town? The childrens' farm
Favorite place to visit out of town? Florida
Somewhere you want to visit? Grandma and Grandpa's house
Who is your best friend and why? Genevieve, because she's so cute
What's your favorite thing to do with each sister? Kalina: play "sh, sh, go to sleep" Elise: be silly
What's your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Be on his shoulders
What's your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Read stories
What's your favorite thing to do by yourself? Play with my bunnies
A few things your good at? Dancing, running, baking, participating, taking care of my stuffies who are not participating
The best things about you? I'm super calm, not roughhousing, I love ot play, I don't hit that much, I love nature and running, and I love my friends, like Cora.
Something you wish you were better at? Loving people
Something  you'd like to learn? About Africa
Which book character do you like most? I like the stories I write about Biscuit and Bella and Grace and Buttercup
Favorite Bible verse: The Lord is my shepherd
Favorite Bible story: Some people going to put flour on Jesus' body, and Jesus turns out to be walking with them.
What advice would you give your parents? To not forget to use the bathroom
On your ideal day, you would: Play with my stuffies, play with Legos, probably ask for treats, want a treat
What would you love to do when you grow up? Have children
What might you do to earn money when you grow up? Work hard. At work. At the work Dad goes to. An artist.
How might you serve/help people when you grow up? If they had an owie, I would ask if they needed a Band-Aid or if it was a little one. I would just carry them and it would be so cute because they would squirm.
If you were going to be famous someday, what would you be famous for? Kids
What will your family be like? It will be fun. If I have a family and I have kids, then I will name them Kalina, Elise and Naomi-Matt
What's most important to you in life? Buttercup
How do you show people you care? If they're poor, I would give them food. Hug them. But my family knows that I'm kind.
What do you think about as you go to sleep? Bunnies. About bunny dreams.
If you could change anything about the world, what would you change? There to be more children.
If you could ask a wild animal any question, what would it be? Can I take you home?
What's something that's unfair? If someone gets a treat and I don't
If you could time travel back 3 years and tell yourself something, what would you say? Mama!
what do you wonder about? I wonder if ducks fly.
Who is someone you miss? My old friends
What makes you nervous? Seeing a bear
What makes you happy? Buttercup doing silly jokes
What age do you look forward to, and why? 5, because I'm older than 4
Who is your hero? Dad. He always saves us. (Me: What does he save you from? Naomi: Bears. Me: Has he ever? Naomi: Bears don't live in Missouri and Kansas)

Elise dressed up as a lovely
Rainbow Magic fairy.

Elise
What's your favorite color? Pink
Favorite treat? Boston cream pie smoosh
Favorite food? Mac and cheese, grilled cheese, hot dogs
Favorite subject in school? Cursive (not handwriting)
Favorite book? Mermaid, fairy and adventure books. Secret Mermaid and Rainbow Magic are examples.
Favorite hobby? Adventuring
Favorite TV? -- (I would guess Wild Kratts)
Favorite animal? Hissing cockroach/squirrel
Fly or dive deep underwater? Fly
Favorite place to visit around town? The children's farm because it has ice cream and other stuff
Favorite place to visit out of town? Florida
Somewhere you want to visit? Alaska
Who is your best friend? Why? Kate in Missouri, and Lily and Sophia here. Because they like to do the things I do.
Favorite thing to do with each sister? Kalina: Read to each other, or in the same spot, but different books. Naomi: Play kitten and baby bunny
Favorite thing to do with Dad? Explore--fishing, going in the stream
Favorite thing to do with Mom? Read. I like it when you read to me.
Favorite thing to do by yourself? Play outside
A few things you're good at? Playing piano, climbing, adventuring
The best things about you? I'm good at making friends, I like to hold snails and raise tadpoles
Something you wish you were better at? Climbing, doing Kalina's challenges
Something you'd like to learn? Cursive
Which book character are you most like? Molly--Secret Mermaid. She likes to do on mermaid adventures, they sound fun.
Favorite Bible story? When it rained manna
Favorite Bible verse? For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
What advice would you give your parents? In school, make there be a lot of games, bvecause then we're like, "Yay, games!"
On your ideal day, you would: Pancakes for breakfast, morning--stream exploring, lunch--grilled cheese, downtime outside, afternoon--pool, dinner--Jason's Deli, dessert--Boston Cream Pie Smush, ice cream on top
What would you love to do when you grow up? Live in Alaska
What might you do to earn money when you grow up? Scuba diving
How might you serve when you grow up? Maybe I could be a missionary in Alaska
If you were going to be famous someday, what would you be famous for? Inventing
What will your family be like? 2 kids--because then I can spend more time with them, and if I had one it'd get lonely.
What's most important to you in life? Mommy and God
How do you show people you care? Hugging
What do you think about as you go to sleep? Different things, and stories
If you could change anything about the world, what would you change? People would live in treehouses. That would make a big change, so the change that went along with that would be good.
If you could ask a wild animal any question, what would it be? What's your name?
What's something that's unfair? That we can't talk to animals
If you could time travel back 3 years and tell yourself something, what would you say? That I was probably smarter when I was 7 than when I was 4
What do you wonder about? A lot of stuff: What Mommy and Daddy talk about. It's always very interesting. But Daddy and Grandpa talk about boring stuff.
Who is someone you miss? Kate
What makes you nervous? Foxes
What makes you happy? Being at the stream
What age do you look forward to and why? I kind of just like being 7
Who is your hero? God, because when we had to move, he found this perfect house for us.

And Kalina was Sacagawea.
She chose Sacagawea as her
topic for her big Faces of
History paper. Unfortunately,
on the night she was supposed
to present in character, she
was so sick I would have had
to carry her in. She gave her
presentation in class later,
and at least her costume went
to good use! Her presentation,
by the way, was amazing,
full of personality and spoken
as an expert. Something to the
tune of, "She traveled all the
way to the Pacific Ocean, finding
food and medicine and
carrying a baby. No man
could do that!"

Kalina
Favorite color? Blue
Favorite treat? Ice cream and Boston cream pie and chocolate chip cookies
Favorite food? Black olives, pretzel bread, hot dogs, French fries, pancakes, bacon, egg bagels
Favorite subject in school? Science
Favorite book? The Black Stallion
Favorite hobby? Reading, rock collecting
Favorite TV? Wild Kratts, Night at the Museum
Favorite animal? So tricky... mice, birds, bengal tigers
Fly or dive deep? Fly
Favorite place to visit around town? Baskin Robbins
Favorite place to visit out of town? Florida
Somewhere you want to visit? Russia
Who is your best friend and why? Sarah, we took ballet together
Favorite thing to do with each sister? Elise: Talk Naomi: Play silly games
Favorite thing to do with Dad? Talk about fishing and stuff
Favorite thing to do with Mom? Cuddle, especially in winter
Favorite thing to do by yourself? Look at rocks
A few things you're good at? Piano, identifying rocks
The best things about you? I like music
Something you wish you were better at? Swimming and being brave
Something you'd like to learn? How to find and cut gems
Which book character are you most like? Fern [from Charlotte's Web]
Favorite Bible story? Moses crossing the red sea
Favorite Bible verse? "Then Moses stretched out his hand..." and John 3:16
What advice would you give your parents? Definitely not jump out of a window, definitely not jump out of a stream, and never burn pine branches, and be careful with matches, and take a clock while we're going camping. Don't jump out of an airplane.
On your ideal day, you would: Wake up from camping, swim at the pool, have Daddy home, do no school, eat treats and cake, read new stories, go to a rock show, take a walk and don't do any driving, have a campfire with hot dogs for dinner. Watch Night at the Museum 3 and sleep in a tent with Sarah.
What would you love to do when you grow up? Work at a library
What might you do to earn money when you grow up? -- [Should I be worried she couldn't think of an answer?]
How might you serve when you grow up? I might donate
If you were going to be famous someday, what would you be famous for? Finding a dinosaur skull of a new species
What will your family be like? Live on a farm, maybe I'd have maybe 3 or 4 kids. Girls, 1 older brother
What's most important to you in life? I like having pets and being with my family.
How do you show people you care? Hugs, helping them with something
What do you think about as you go to sleep? Lots of things, like if I could receive a big box of rocks, what rocks would I want in it, like a giant T rex skull or watermelon tourmaline
If you could change anything about the world, what would you change?
I'd make more people believe in Jesus
If you could ask a wild animal any question, what would it be?
What's it like living the life that you're living?
What's something that's unfair? Slavery
If you could time travel back 3 years and tell yourself something, what would you say? I'd tell myself about the future.
What do you wonder about? Rocks
Who is someone you miss? Uncle Tom
What makes you nervous? The dark, and being alone.
What makes you happy? Reading a good book and playing with my family
What age do you look forward to, and why? 18 because I'll be officially an adult and I can get a cage of mice and keep fish at a cottage and drive a car
Who is your hero? I like Sacagawea.

Boxes

Everybody moved into a new house
within days of moving into a new
house.

It's amazing how much of our life fits into boxes--and how much doesn't. Nevertheless, over the past year we crammed it all into boxes and a truck, and moved it all a couple hundred miles away. Now that it's been a year-ish, here's how that's gone:

First, Matt acquired a super-awesome dream job (second only to professional fishing, which wasn't available).

Then, we devastated told the kids. Number 3 was probably only upset because the first two were, but the news wasn't easy on anyone as it sank in. "Will I have a new Grandpa when we move?" Naomi asked in a tremulous voice.

The final step, then, was to actually make the move, the only fun part of which was picking out a new house. So that's what we focused on. Here was the (partial) list of demands:

Naomi making beds for her stuffies in
in the new, open space.

"Doorframes for climbing"
"A stream in the backyard"
"Climbing trees"
"A pink room"
"A tree swing"

And so on. Obviously, many of these would be beyond our (reasonable) control, and therefore our kids insisted they liked the old house better and never wanted to move. Great.

For the first time, all three girls began
sharing one room! They all still love
it.

Nevertheless, we took a house-hunting trip the only weekend it snowed that winter. The kids started calling it a "vacation" since we were traveling by car, staying in a hotel, swimming in a pool and eating in restaurants, and Matt and I were delighted to find that we'd kept our kids' standards and expectations so low that they entertained such a high opinion of a trip that was certainly no vacation. Fortunately, our realtor's stand-in (he was working with other clients) was a grandma who seemed to genuinely enjoy our kids, and even babysat them in the van for us while we quickly scoped out a house or two.

We soon noticed several themes: houses that seriously needed updates (wood you like a wood-paneled living room?) and houses that seemed to use strict fencing to carve out any yard they could in a sea of suburban backyards. Or they were just too far away from the rest of the city for this city-girl's liking. One may have fit the bill, but already had several offers, not to mention a potentially weird neighbor.

When life gives you boxes, make a
reading nook.

Bummer! So the next week, the girls and I stayed home while Matt did some solo house-hunting. A few phone calls later, we were bidding on a house I'd never seen in person, but in a neighborhood I definitely liked. Correction: with trees and a stream I definitely liked!

Apparently, a lot of others also liked the house/trees/stream, because if you believe the realtor(s) involved, several offers came in after ours. Nevertheless, we were first, and had a good story (three charming children to raise), so we won!

Six weeks later, we were the proud owners of two houses, and Matt moved in to house #2. The girls and I, of course dying to see our new digs, made a weekend trip to the area. It began with a huge thunderstorm and lots of traffic. Fortunately, the traffic ended--but not the storm. Our stream turned into a raging river (okay, pretty cool) and we could barely see the trees through the rain, so the weekend was hardly representative of what we expected our Kansas experience to be like. We camped out on the floor, ate from folding chairs in dimly lit rooms, tried to imagine where our furniture would go, and ventured outside whenever there was a break in the rain. I freelance wrote because freelance work is never convenient. We also ventured to a local indoor ferris wheel for some fun, and ate delicious barbecue.

Lots of help! Elise likes quick
transitions between biking
and not biking sometimes.

The girls were thrilled with the stream, the climbing trees in the front yard, the balconies and other structures to climb in the living room, the soft carpet, the cul-de-sac to bike in and the two playgrounds we could walk to when the weather would be better. In fact, as the weekend ended, they lamented having to leave, and very honestly felt torn in two for the next couple months.

Selling our house in St. Louis, while painful for at least four of us, nevertheless went as easily as could be. We sold it on Facebook, after two showings. The only hiccup (or maybe we should compare it more to a ruptured appendix for impact?) was that the rain that annoyed us on our trip to Kansas actually destroyed us in St. Louis. As near as we can tell, shortly after we arrived at our new home for a visit, rain started building up in our basement and turning into a small stream under our carpet. With Matt 4 hours away, I borrowed my dad's wet vacuum and started vacuuming up gallons of water. For hours. And the next day I did it again. It took us until the end of that day to realize that water was continually leaking into the basement. Fortunately, the buyer didn't back out and we were able to alleviate this and several other concerns. Whew!

Naomi covered whole sheets of
packing paper with drawings.

Meanwhile, Matt was getting the new house fixed up, with a few updates that would be miserable to try to do after we arrived and sleeping in the dog-hair-covered basement in the meantime. My job as a single parent for four days a week seemed a lot easier than that.

And it actually was. While we wouldn't have wanted the single-parenting arrangement to go on for too much longer, we actually survived the phase rather well. We held a movie night every week, stayed busy with activities, talked to Matt individually every night on the phone and did way fewer dishes. And we tried three new types of pancakes (the strawberry pancakes were pink!)! On the other hand, I got a bit tired of pancakes, quesadillas and pasta, and Naomi developed nighttime fears. Plus the water in the basement would've been a great problem to hand off to "the one that doesn't mind dirt and smells," at least for a few hours.

The move, while no picnic, also progressed smoothly. We arrived while the painters were still finishing, having convinced them that no, really, our stuff would be arriving the next day, but managed to kill some time, partly by watching a baby owl be taught to fly in our yard. So really, it was no trouble. The next day, our things arrived bright and early and were unloaded by afternoon. And the neighbors were nice, and not weird.

Ever since the first big move to North Carolina, I've noticed that it takes a year to move. You move in, you start to get comfortable, you start to meet people, and you start to finally feel at home. But it doesn't really gel until you re-move in (rearranging all the stuff you unknowingly put into the wrong places) and welcome a season for the second time. Matt didn't believe me, but I think our goals diverge sometimes.

Elise is queen of Paper
Mountain. She was annoyed
when her kingdom
was eventually dismantled.

To the kids, a year sounded unfathomable. And I get it--when you've only lived a few of them, years are a long time. It's like saying, "Kids, this will feel normal after about 1/6 of your life has gone by." For me, that would've been 6 years, and  I would've been less than thrilled.

So we began the long, slow process of unpacking and moving in, knowing that getting the stuff in place is only half the battle, but was one we could reasonably conquer. At first, the new house + tons of boxes and paper wrapping were such a huge novelty we needed little else to keep our minds and bodies occupied. The girls quickly moved into box homes, complete with garages and paper food, and cheered every time something familiar and loved was unpacked. Everyone helped with unwrapping, and especially Kalina, who really made a dent. We slowly figured out what new furniture we needed and what we could do without, so that by early fall we were finally done with most of our boxes and piles. Still, a year later, pictures are sitting around waiting to be hung and an entire room seems kind of up in the air, but that's what this summer is for, right?

And then we began getting to know our surroundings. Walks in the neighborhood, and occasionally even just walking out the back door, introduced us to tadpoles, turtles, fox kits, owls, herons, rabbits, squirrels, cool bugs, fish, snails and plenty of other wildlife, if not to human neighbors. We're still waiting to see a deer in our yard, and still hoping to meet kids in the neighborhood Kalina's and Elise's age (we've met two 4-year-old girls, however).

We admittedly haven't seen as much of the actual city and its attractions as we should have by now, not really being the city types. But we'll get there. We're enjoying barbecue for sure, though. And we've had our share of setbacks: such as the water in the basement, twice, two weeks after we had our fluffy new carpet installed, and when water had apparently never made it into the basement before. Bummer. We added berry bushes and fruit trees, replaced a light fixture and our garage doors (plus added an opener!), painted, replaced the basement carpet, and made a few other improvements to the house. Like a sump pump.

Kalina's box home has two
levels.

To help ease the potential of too much boredom, loneliness and disconnectedness we were all likely to face, we signed up for a million activities. Homeschool co-ops, ballet, gymnastics, AHG--you name it. This possibly wasn't the best idea, and at the same time, the girls will actually have friends to invite to their birthday parties. We've also enjoyed lots of new experiences we wouldn't have even known about otherwise, from puppet making to alpaca farming to an actual PE class.

Even with all those activities, it's Naomi who's made most of our friends for us. Seeing as she's the only one of us with few enough inhibitions that she's willing to walk up to any random girl at the park and hand her a dandelion to blow, for instance, we can trace at least three family friendships, plus one more in the works, to the social skills of our four-year-old. Maybe the rest of us should learn the lesson that any random stranger can be our new best friend, as long as we give them a hug and a clover flower right off the bat.

We've enjoyed Kansas' relatively big skies, farm influence and the fact that even the teenagers are polite. And we like being in the west. The nature is everything we hoped it would be with a yard like this, and it's been a happy year despite all the change. Or because of it? Depends on who you ask... :)

Escaping the chaos of moving. Half a
couch is really all you need, right?

And here we are, a year later, still thinking a lot about people and experiences in St. Louis. But our backyard is broader, and so are our horizons. And thank goodness that first year is over.

Stories and poems

This picture was taken pre-Buttercup.
This is not what all of our homeschool
mornings look like, but a few of them!

We've been studying poetry and writing some of our own. So we thought we'd share! But first, one of Naomi's favorite stories from Grandpa Les and Grandma Jan's recent visit. Naomi adores this story and requests it often, and I tell it as often as I can manage, usually to the accompaniment of giggles and ear-to-ear smiles. For this reason, I try to make it as cute as possible, so some of the details may be a bit fluffy:

Once there was a soft little grey and white bunny. She lived in the bin of a gift shop on a children's farm. There were many other soft animals with her in the bin, including horses, cows, sheep, pigs and even roosters! One by one, the other animals were all chosen by children and bought, and taken out of the gift shop. But no one chose the little bunny.

The little bunny really wanted to be chosen, and she used to dream of who she'd like to be her owner. Most of all, she wanted to be owned by a nice little girl who would take good care of her, and play with her, and read books with her, and cuddle her, and take her out on adventures, and sleep with her. She also thought it might be fun if there were other stuffed animals to play with, too, and especially other bunnies. But day after day, she wasn't chosen.

Then one day, a family with three girls came in: a bigger girl, a middle-sized girl, and a littler girl, who was still pretty big. The bunny became excited: this looked like a lovely family to belong to! She thought the littlest girl looked like she would make an especially nice owner, and she hoped the girl would pick her up and choose her.

She watched as the girl walked right over to the bin and then she felt herself being lifted, and carried in the girl's arms! The bunny was delighted--would the little girl choose her? She heard the girl say something to her mommy, and then saw the mommy shake her head. The little girl put the bunny back down into the bin, nestling her in with the other stuffed animals, and slowly walk away.

The little bunny was disappointed, but knew there would be other children in the store. Someone was sure to by her sometime. She nestled in among the other stuffed animals and took a nap.

The bunny was just finishing her nap when she felt herself being lifted again. The little girl was back! But why was she back? She wasn't able to buy the bunny, so what was she doing? The little girl tucked the bunny under her arm, and went up to the counter. She set the bunny on the counter, and the bunny could see the girls' grandma paying money to the cashier. Then, the bunny was returned to the little girl, who tucked her under her arm again. Soon, the whole family was leaving the store.

And the bunny realized, I've just been bought! I belong to this little girl! The bunny was couldn't believe her happiness! And the adventures began right away, as the little girl showed the bunny around the farmyard--pointing out real bunnies--before bringing her home.

At home, the girl named the bunny Buttercup, which Buttercup thought was the most perfect name in the whole world. Just as she'd hoped, there were other stuffies to play with, including bunnies. And they all lived happily ever after.

__________

As you can see, Grandpa and Grandma's visit was magical, in so many ways--not the least of which was that they managed to see three end-of-year events and several activities the girls are involved in. How nice of everyone to plan everything the same week! The week was possibly even busier than the one before our wedding or any of the weeks after bringing a new baby home from the hospital, but the girls relished the chance to show off their stuff to their grandparents.

___________

To finish out the school year, the older girls and I have been doing a poetry unit. We've read famous poetry, turned at least a couple poets into household names and written some of our own. Here are some of our favorites:

The Cow, by Kalina
There was a cow who wouldn't moo.
The farmer said, "What should I do?"
So he gave it a scare,
And tickled its hair,
And then it gave him an "achoo!"

The Stream's Song, by Kalina
The stream has its own special song.
It sings and sings all day long.
When it rains, the stream's song increases,
When it's dry, the stream's song ceases.

Grandma's project: wool felt
snakes! How perfect!

The stream sings and sings like a bird,
It sings so it can be heard.
It flows and whooshes along,
While the rocks take part in its song.

Haiku by Kalina
Looking up so high
Leafy branches spreading out
Dancing in the wind

A clerihew poem by Kalina
Tommy, the fixer,
Got caught in a mixer!
He's still stuck in there,
And he's caught by his hair!

Ready to perform!

A diamante poem by Kalina
Music
Full, amazing
Drifting, floating, inspiring
Violin, conductor, artist, paintbrush
Beautifying, coloring, amazing
Bright, peaceful
Painting





An acrostic by Kalina
Kind to mice
Animals love her
Loves her family
Ice cream, her favorite!
Never forgetting friends
Always ready for fun.

The Squirrel in the Tree, by Elise
There once was a squirrel in a tree
He said, "Oh hehehe!"
Then he climbed down
And made a big frown
But then laughed a big "hehehe!"

Flowers, by Elise
Seeds are fun because they grow so big
When they're big they turn into a flower.
Maybe they grow an inch a minute,
Maybe they grow an inch an hour.

Watch them grow day by day,
It's so great.
They're so big and colorful--oh how fun.
Many shapes, riffles and smooth petals
And at the flower contest, I won!

Tadpole, by Elise
Tadpole
Black, little
Splishing, splashing, swimming
Resting on the bottom
Polywog.

Naomi, by Elise
Naomi
Silly, little
Running, shouting, singing
Makes us laugh
Little sister

Enjoying a good story together.

Acrostic poem, by Elise
Energetic Elise
Loves to climb trees
I love to explore the stream
Swimming is great
Everything's fun with Elise

Beautiful Giants, by Elise
Trees are like houses,
Dear and strong,
Except for our animal friends.
Their big, sturdy branches
And long limbs are great,
For the animals' beautiful nests.

And finally, a narrative poem (kind of?) by Naomi
The bunnies hop
Between the grass
They see some carrots and hop over them.
They have so much fun hopping over them.
And they eat some, too.

A little girl comes outside and the bunnies hop into her arms.
She doesn't notice that there are bunnies in her arms.
She goes inside.
Then, the bunnies start playing with her and jump on her head and say, "Ready, set, we'll go!"
And they were all babies.
And the bunnies all took good care of her.

In return for all this work, I wrote limericks for the girls!

Naomi "teaches" Grandpa
Les how to play Candyland.
Lots of giggles, mostly from
Naomi!

All day, Naomi happily
Each one of her sweet, furry friends.
She gives them her best,
Pretty blankets for rest,
And ice cream, for breakfast, intends.

Elise, who climbed everything high
Just felt more at home in the sky.
With the squirrels and breeze
She perched in the trees
Even when people called out, "Oh my!"

Our beautiful ballerina danced
as a flower in Alice in
Wonderland!

There once was a girl named Kalina,
Who danced as a sweet ballerina.
But she liked piano too,
And wore out her shoe,
As she danced, and played a sonatina.