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.

A Kansas weekend

Finally ,at the end of our trip,
Naomi realizes there's
nothing to be afraid of. Just
more ways to be silly.

One of our goals with moving to this new state was to actually explore it. Kansas is the beginning of the west, in our minds, so we were eager to rustle up some fun under a big sky. Among wheat. Or something.

So when the opportunity came up with Kalina's and Elise's scout troop to tour the Cosmosphere in mid-Kansas (so, west of us), we jumped on it. And when I learned there was a salt mine you could tour as well, we decided to pull Matt and Naomi into the plan as well. Fun!

We left on a Saturday morning, scrambling with last-minute packing since the packing list wasn't sufficiently large to worry much about before Friday at basically bedtime. We'd read stories, poetry, and non-fiction picture books all afternoon instead--probably not the best choice. We did, however, make it out the door within 6 minutes of when Matt wanted us to leave, so I count it a win.

Naomi and Elise gleefully pulled out their "car breakfast" of dry cereal as we pulled out of the driveway (Kalina prefers milk on her cereal, so had already eaten). Elise insisted she loved car rides because she can read as much as she wanted and look out the window and daydream. Kalina and Naomi didn't quite agree, but an audio book, plus the breakfast, got us well on our way.

Elise: Is it snacktime?
Me: No, you just finished breakfast.
Elise: How about now?

Pretty soon, we got a taste of the west as we gazed across brownish-greenish hills dotted with well-spaced cows, unlike the bunches of cows we'd seen further east. The west, in all its glory! We read ranch names and considered what we'd name our own (Kalina's would be Big Sky Ranch, and I think Naomi's would've had something to do with bunnies, despite her sisters' weak objections).

We eventually arrived at the Cosmosphere and tackled the mundane task of eating lunch in the car while the rest of the group showed up. And then it was time to start the party! We hauled all our gear through the cold rain, crossing a street, and  claimed a spot in the large room we were directed to. Pretty soon, we had our sleeping bags (and my precious cot!) spread out and were looking around for friends.

Sweet Kalina has been focusing a lot on ballet, and has missed quite a few troop meetings, so it was Elise who found a buddy or two for the trip. Fortunately, Kalina still had a great time!

When the field trip really started a few minutes later, it really got going. We were whisked off in two groups to tour the highlights of the museum. The tour was amazing and, at least for Elise's group, the tour guide managed to hold everyone's somewhat rapt attention for more than an hour. I could've kept going, but all too soon, it was time to make rockets.

Elise made a space shuttle
repilca with the careful
and very thorough help of the
most patient. tour. guide.
ever.

This activity kicked off a marathon of crafty, collaborative and information-downloading sessions that spanned the rest of the day, and a heftier portion of the night than any of us would have deemed possible.  Matt and Naomi took off, dining at Chick-Fil-A, looking up a favorite donut place and checking into their hotel. We would see them again the next day.

Back at the Cosmosphere, the adults, unsure of what our role was, chatted, stared at phones, wondered about the night ahead and helped when needed (not often). Eventually, we were ushered into the small dining area at 5:00  p.m., for a rationed meal of salad, pasta (1 scoop each) and breadsticks (1 each). Plus pop or water--Elise had grape pop, something you do have to have at least once as a child, and Kalina and I opted for water (plus a drink of Elise's grape pop, just for fun, since she didn't finish it anyway). Several smart adults--not sure white pasta, white breadsticks and iceberg lettuce would hold them over until the next morning, especially since bedtime wasn't until 10:45--ducked out to pick up some protein from nearby restaurants. It actually ended up being a good thing they didn't feed us overly much, as we had about 10 minutes to eat until we needed to clear the room for the next group.

Kalina's rocket!

After dinner, we enjoyed 30 minutes of gift shop time--probably the only leisurely moments of the trip. As Kalina and Elise picked out a small, kinda cool toy for Naomi, with no question of getting anything for themselves, I indulged. Naomi ended up with a water bubble fountain thing, I brought home a souvenir magnet (what fridge with kids in the house doesn't need more magnets--and what mom with kids in the house doesn't occasionally dream of the places she's traveled?) and I also snagged a pack of astronaut ice cream for the way home, because I figured we'd need it after the somewhat sleep-deprived night we were expecting.

And then we were back to it! More crafts, information and a planetarium show that the kids loved, but that made me dizzy unless I closed my eyes. I'm still not sure how anyone was still awake after, but we were--awake enough, in fact, to learn about what it was like to live on the space station!

At this point, the kids had been begging me for several hours to let them go to sleep, and finally, it was almost time!

First, though, we had to air-launch the rockets we'd made earlier! Elise's went the second-least-farthest, a fact she seemed proud of knowing, if not of achieving, and Kalina's made it all the way to a balcony.

And then we were allowed to sleep! Which we'd all felt like we needed to do since about 4:00 p.m.!

The other troop in attendance had brought not only snacks for the evening, but also air mattresses for the grownups. My troop, on the other hand, went down for bed somewhat hungry, and looking forward to an evening on a very hard floor (since we drove separately as a family, I was one of the lucky few with a cot!).

As all the kids finally brushed their teeth and donned their jammies (and the grownups, too), the faithful Cosmosphere guides wheeled in a cart of animal crackers, fruit juice and water! AS they were brushing their teeth. Not before. And no one was told in advance. So we grabbed a snack, rebrushed and finally aimed for dreamland, among whispering, coughing, sneezing and at least one sob, I think, in the middle of the night.

"I got a terrible night of sleep!" -Kalina
"I don't think I slept all night!" -Elise
"Actually, I think it went pretty well for how these things go! And Elise, I saw you sleeping." -Me (Elise often doesn't believe she's been asleep when she actually has. As a 5-year-old she would frequently tell us she didn't sleep at all last night, and mean it. She is, however, my most wakeful child, so when she tells me she's been awake since sometime in the 4:00s, I am tempted to believe it.)

Back at the hotel, sometime in the 5:00s, Naomi popped awake, having been promised donuts by Daddy last thing before falling asleep.
"Is it time to go get donuts?"
"Honey, it's not even 6:00 yet--go back to sleep!"
Waiting.
Waiting.
"It's 6:00!" (She actually does know how to tell time on a digital clock)

I've made the same mistake before and now my rule is that reminding them of the super-cool thing that's happening the next day now only happens on Christmas Eve and possibly Easter Eve. They did pick up donuts, but not until after hotel breakfast, and were met with a reduced selection: blueberry or glazed. So maybe Naomi knew what she was talking about after all.

After dressing and packing up, those of us at the Cosmosphere hurried to the breakfast room to make full use of our allotted 30 minutes. As we'd planned to head out for brunch with Matt and Naomi when the program ended at 11:00, the girls and I were able to get away with not stuffing ourselves.

Daylight again! Finally!

On the schedule was another learning session, and an Imax show, which this time I enjoyed but that made the girls dizzy. By this time, Matt and Naomi had returned and Naomi happily sat on my lap while Matt loaded the car. When the show ended, so did the trip!

We were a bit relieved to be outta there--the Cosmosphere was cool, but the dim/flourescent lighting was getting to be a bit much. We squinted a lot in the sunshine.

After catching up over second-breakfast at Village Inn, we headed to a park along the Arkansas River, where we spied nesting geese (with eggs, a brave Matt discovered!) and geese that barely held back from grabbing our donuts out of our hands. Naomi was pretty freaked about that, and my inner Mama Bear made an appearance as well.

And finally, we were off to the local salt mine for a tour! As three of us (not naming names...) "discussed" which image to get squished into a penny, our tour group was called (thus rushing the penny decision and creation) and we were led into a room where we watched a video telling us not to lick the walls in the mine, or any salt from it. They cited the fact that the salt has many impurities as the main reason, but we're all thinking of the real reason: "If everyone licked the walls..." they'd crumble? Wear away? We'd all get sick? That'd just be gross? Something. And while you'd think you wouldn't need a warning, but the temptation is actually greater than you'd think. Pretty sure Uncle Tom would sneak a taste, for instance. (Hi, Tom!)

Newly helmeted.

We were provided with helmets, including a pretty freaked-out Naomi, who strongly disliked her helmet, disliked the chin strap she was given because of her small size even more, and especially strongly disliked the dim, crowded, mine-like elevator ride down to the mine floor. She was not on board with even touring the mine at all (except, of course, she was...). Elevators aren't her favorite even in the best conditions, and neither are they Kalina's (who also didn't like them as a baby). Elise, thank goodness, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Kalina endured it because of her intense love for all things geology, and Naomi suffered through because we didn't give her a choice--we could only promise to carry her, and that satisfied her well enough to calm her cries somewhat. Quite a lot of emotions to stuff into 90 seconds.

Naomi still isn't sure about
the train. I held her tightly
throughout, and she
enjoyed herself!

At the bottom of the mind, about 750-ish feet below ground, we were surrounded by what looked like an ice cave in a dimly lit, cavernous space that seemed to go on for miles, probably because it did. Museum-like displays were widely spaced, encouraging visitors to trek down the long, wide hallways toward the center of the action. We learned all about the geology of the area, the history of the mine, and mining in general in a series of well-done displays.

No one else on the tram
quite shared our ability to
pore over chunks of salt.

And then, a train ride--not to be confused with the later tram ride. Naomi, who had regained her composure, found that the train wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. We passed all kinds of mining equipment from the 1940s and 50s, a trash heap (so cool!!), different geological features of the mine and, eventually, a salt pile where everyone could hop off and grab their own hand-sized hunk of salt (Elise later pointed out that Naomi's was much closer to the size of Daddy's hand). Kalina could have pawed through the stack indefinitely, but was forced to make a much quicker decision than she liked, as the tram was nearly in the process of actually pulling away when we finally convinced her to hop on board.

By the end, we were all thoroughly entranced by the salt, and making plans for displaying our salt rocks...somehow...despite the fact that they would eventually eat through pretty much all substances  except possibly glass. We emerged from the mine into the light and again blinked a lot. I, for one, was glad to be done with strangely lit spaces for a while, and am not a candidate for underground colonization.

Tram! Slightly larger than the train,
and didn't require rails. 

The way home passed peacefully, punctuated by astronaut ice cream and all the fun snacks we'd saved. We knew we'd have three tired girls--which worked well, as we arrived home right about at bedtime. No one protested turning off the light, and amazingly, no one melted down (any more than usual, anyway) the next day.

And no one licked the salt!!

Salt chunks, salt pebbles and
fine salt sand. All fun to paw
through, especially the fine
sand. They sold it in the gift
store but I just wasn't sure...

Kalina and salt. She was so
entranced. And see the grey
streaks? They're why you
shouldn't lick it. One reason,
anyway.

A day

Twizzler DNA

Today I woke up in a semi-panic. My to-do list:
1. Naomi to ballet. Do not forget; take the poor girl, who missed 3 out of 4 January classes, to ballet.
2. Kalina MUST work on her two papers. MUST.
3. The upstairs cleaning that was supposed to happen yesterday still needs to happen.
4. Make meringue cookies for the co-op's Valentine party on Wednesday, because time is even shorter tomorrow and Kalina's been begging me to let her make these.
5. Compile a total of 88 valentines spread across three girls
6. Have Kalina and Elise practice piano for the first Kansas City piano lesson tomorrow.
7. Meals + snacks
8. Clean downstairs, too, if at all possible. And vacuuming would be totally amazing.
9. At least 2 loads of laundry, maybe 3.
10. Snow play?
11. Routine cleanup, dishes, refereeing, playing baby bunny, etc.

Plus the usual amount of schoolwork.

I began by shaving my sweater. The girls were curious, as was Matt: does that thing really work? How? Can I try? Can we empty it out and can we see what the sweater fluff looks like? Do we have to throw the fluff away (okay, they didn't actually ask that, but I know they were thinking it and I was surprised it didn't come up)? Although this item wasn't on my to-do list, it proved to be as satisfying as pretty much the rest of it. Progress!! Immediate, visible progress that doesn't get immediately undone!! It's like a drug.

At the time of sweater shaving, the girls were all in various stages of the routine called "getting ready for the day." I reminded those who needed reminding (seriously, don't we do this every day?) and helped those who needed help, with reaching outfits, brushing hair, etc. When I woke the girls at 7:15 (before the sweater), I found Naomi carefully lining up small stuffies on her bed rail. Apparently, there was already drama: one animal refused to admit that it was the bunny's turn to be line leader. Fortunately, Naomi is as good at solving her animals' conflicts as she is creating them. She was dressed in good time, and soon busy lining up all her animals, this time through her doorway and into the hallway--this time there were no line leader negotiations, as they had been fully resolved earlier. The older girls had a chuckle when I mentioned the hallway needed to be cleaned as part of morning routine. "Um, Mom, I think that's going to be a challenge!" they smiled. Soon, however, the troop of stuffies had somehow made its way downstairs, possibly by being tossed individually, and the hallway was clean shortly after breakfast, thanks to good moods and the fact that I'd whisked away not-cleaned-up possessions in a laundry basket, not to be seen again for a week, in recent memory.

Over breakfast, we chatted about our upcoming presentations for Classical Conversations, and reviewed the schedule for the day. Everyone was quick and cheerful, and I was able to whip off a couple emails while they cleaned the hallway (albeit breakfast dishes still on the counter), trying to reserve a TV for the writing class I'm teaching Wednesday and signing up for a field trip to a bakery (which I knew would be full by lunchtime). I also communicated some details about a field trip to the art museum I'm planning for Classical Conversations. Then I finished most of the breakfast dishes, and brushed my teeth and braces, which just takes a while. I put all the couch pillows back on the couches, even though they never stay there long.

As the hallway was nearly clean, I headed upstairs to let the girls know I wanted to vacuum, and pushed them to also straighten their room. They amazingly put up no fuss. Soon enough, however, Elise was hiding in the playroom because, "It seems like Kalina always takes Naomi's side when we have arguments!" Not wanting to begin a she-said she-said while I was on such a roll with cleanup, I hugged her for a while and told her she could hide out for a bit. Kalina and Naomi were all smiles, but actually got the room clean, so I finished my vacuuming. Except the playroom, which might not actually get cleaned, ever, between Christmas and spring break.

I figured Elise could use some more time, so I told Kalina to grab 10 Skittles from one of two gigantic boxes of Skittles (seriously?) her Nutcracker buddy had given her during the Nutcracker and sent her down to practice "the tricky part in Fur Elise" 10 times. She joyfully trotted off, and I finished breakfast dishes, threw in some laundry and cleaned up in the schoolroom, not only to start the day but also because my hopes were up for getting to vacuum another level today.

Back in the fall, we made blood out of
kitchen ingredients! They will
remember this one forever.

Naomi made her way downstairs with some stuffies and started dragging out blankets and couch pillows to make beds for all of them. I reasoned that Elise could probably use a visit, and I found her standing in a wooden cradle and gazing out the window. We went downstairs together, no more mention of the argument. By this time Kalina was done, so we all began school with a little Bible verse study, Valentine's-Day themed. Kalina and I then dove into her writing work, outlining a report on Sacagawea, which went pretty well since the interruptions were minimal and I was actively participating. Elise worked independently through some three-digit, subtraction-with-renaming word problems, grumbling all the way but getting them all correct. I then gave Elise 10 minutes to "see how much of this math review you can do," and she breezed through most of it, needing my help with an old-concept, new-approach problem they threw in 3/4 of the way toward the end. She decided to have her "banana break," as did Naomi, and then we worked through spelling together, while Kalina kept plugging away at her outline, still making real progress.

Not sure anyone could be
terrified of this princess
monster! I think she forgot
she was wearing a crown.

Naomi, meanwhile, was knee-deep in the project of cleaning out and reorganizing her play tent, wearing her ballet slippers. Out came brownies, pancakes (with toppings!), Lego Snow White, an assortment of necklaces, blankets, and more. She kept the couch pillow she'd claimed, along with a blanket, and added a nice doll/stuffie bed with handles, a doll and a baby bottle. She then put together a similar setup for her purple stuffed bunny.

Rather unfortunately, Naomi was also listening to the piano's "demo" feature, which plays a loop of mostly horrid songs. We all get annoyed with it, but Naomi adores turning it on and letting it run. The first song is pretty and she doesn't notice the rest, so she could listen all day. The rest of us couldn't, however, and Kalina's very reasonable suggestion of turning it down completely disrupted Naomi's peace. No agreement could be reached, even after Mommy set the limit, so the piano went off and Naomi pitched a major fit more annoying, by far, than the piano. Fortunately, she ran out of steam after just a couple minutes and returned to a placid, cheerful state.

As Kalina's progress was coming to an end, and it had been nearly an hour, I moved her to cursive and spelling, while I worked on Elise's writing assignment with her (which is mostly a simple mix of listening, answering questions in complete sentences and copywork). Today we got to read a poem, which Elise liked, and Naomi readily sat through, still tired from her meltdown. After that, we  read Madeline, which Naomi had waited patiently for and which worked well alongside Elise's poetry work. Elise then headed off to copy a stanza of the poem (capital letters at the beginning of each line!), and I played Mommy and baby bunny with Naomi for a couple minutes before helping her get ready for ballet. Then she wanted a bun, so I did the best I could with a ponytail holder and 4 bobby pins--which was enough to not fall completely out during class, only partially.

On the way to ballet, we reviewed our Classical Conversations memory work, using the CD with the songs on it. Naomi happily danced into class, where she gleefully fulfilled the all-important role of Line Leader, and actually followed the teacher rather well, despite all her missed classes. Soooo cute. Kalina dug into Captain's Dog, a book about Lewis and Clark told from the dog's point of view (totally up her alley), taking a break only to work on a periodic table scavenger hunt I'd printed off for her. Elise read a chapter of her latest Sophie Mouse book, but soon preferred to discuss imaginary animals that could live in Eliseland instead. Besides, she likes to savor her books one chapter at a time, lest she finish them too soon (don't we all know that feeling?) Fortunately, she'd brought paper and pencils, so we could draw the animals we thought of, and then name them, and next discuss their characteristics, as well as the general governance of Eliseland. I'd been anticipating using the time to plan the Wednesday writing class, but, well, imaginary animals are more fun anyway.

Sometimes Naomi still naps at
downtime!

Back at home, I gave Kalina the task of de-bunning Naomi and helping her get changed while I made lunch and Elise helped/tasted. Or tasted/helped--her favorite task. During lunch we chatted a bit, and then reviewed more memory work. Afterward, Kalina was sent off to practice piano and Elise to do handwriting while I quickly cleared dishes, brushed my teeth and took Naomi up for downtime. On this particular day, the older girls were so engrossed in whatever they were doing that they didn't sit in on stories. Naomi had chosen a ballet book and was able to very sweetly try all the moves uninterrupted. She also chose Madeline again, and I was able to answer all her questions and we were able to count all the girls in the two straight lines, several different ways, again with no interruptions. Shortly after, however, Kalina breezed in with her book and planted herself on her top bunk, not wanting to come down even for her own story (Olga Meets Her Match, by the author of Paddington), I think still upset from a question she'd gotten wrong earlier. No problem--I enjoyed reading Elise's choice to her--a humorous book about becoming president (she does not want to).

After the story, I let Elise grab a box of Valentines and get started assembling them, and since Kalina was still upstairs and Elise is such a companionable little being, I let her sit beside me and work on them during downtime. She tried her best to keep conversation to a minimum (but not a complete lull--a nice amount), respecting the fact that I had more emails to answer, math workbooks to order and planning to do (for that writing class), and did a great job putting together a fraction of the 43 valentines she's responsible for.

About 20 minutes before the end of downtime, I began to hear a few too many noises from upstairs. Apparently Kalina was feeling better and she and Naomi were playing--which usually means Kalina has created some huge inventive scenario and there's going to have noise and hilarity and stuff all over. And it was true: as I found out later, Naomi's bed had become a boat, and they needed provisions, among other things, which was somehow related to the reason there were stuffies all over the floor. I let them go because this doesn't usually happen, but I literally heard them bouncing off the walls. Kalina: "Naomi, bounce off the walls!"

Seeing an opportunity, I asked the calm, obedient child if she wanted me to send her sisters outside to play with her in the snow, and she did. Kalina and Naomi, who usually only go outside if forced unless the weather is tropical-island perfect and/or there are popsicles, couldn't argue: they knew they'd been bouncing off the walls. I told them if they stayed out long enough, they could have hot chocolate, and then pushed them all out the door. We got out the sled, and they took a few passes down a very shallow hill in our yard. Soon enough, though, I heard crying and saw a snowy Naomi being walked by her solemn sisters up the super-shallow hill toward the house. She'd fallen off. I accepted the youngest inside ("Yes, Naomi, you'll still get hot chocolate!") and denied the other two--it had been all of 15 minutes and we don't usually have snow.

I'd been using the time to clean up (because there's always cleanup to do), and make progress toward my goal of vacuuming the main level. I put a now-just-fine Naomi to work with a few minor tasks (getting the markers and paper out from under the piano, for instance) and finished the job just as the oldest two were trying, again, to see if they could come in. As it had been 30 minutes, and I wanted to move on, I let them. We did have hot chocolate. I cleaned up the kitchen while they drank and dipped graham crackers, dripping all over themselves and the clean tablecloth. As Kalina was finishing, I broke the terrible news that although she'd finished her old math workbook last week, I had forgotten to order her new one until today! I didn't mind too much--she was delighted at my mistake, and the teachers' guide told me how to begin teaching decimals, which was something Kalina was motivated to learn anyway thanks to a math game she's been playing. In 25 minutes, I managed to get some lightbulbs turned on and introduce some new concepts that would probably need another lesson anyway before she dove independently into the workbook. I sent her and her sisters upstairs with valentines while I thoroughly vacuumed downstairs. Triumph!

Kalina emerged with completed valentines just as I was finishing, and I used the opportunity to rope her into a grammar lesson. We discussed object complement nouns and direct objects while Naomi made stuffie beds on the clean slate of a freshly vacuumed floor, with couch pillows. Our lesson was cut a bit short by the fact that I really, no really, needed to start dinner, but we got the main points. I tried to start Naomi coloring a seal picture she'd wanted (she was really into seals for a while), but she refused it, saying the seals both looked like boys. Although clearly it was a mommy and baby seal, right up her alley, I was in no mood to argue beyond offering to draw eyelashes (she was having none of it). I found her a puppy coloring book and she set to work on one that was "too cute," and that I had to make a copy of before she would color it, apparently the original being too sacred. She then cut it out and I eventually wrote down a story she made up about it after dinner. I began to brown meat and chop veggies for tacos, while Elise worked on her piano, trying one piece from memory.

Matt arrived home and one or more of the girls trailed after him to chat. I finished dinner and let Matt carry the conversation, which he thankfully did. After dinner, we still had meringue cookies to make! I quickly cleaned up a few things and got out the supplies. Matt read to Naomi, and Kalina and Elise switched off on separating egg whites, with only a few mishaps. Kalina then piped the cookies into the shape of hearts (roughly--it was challenging) , while Elise sprinkled them, until she got her hair into the batter one too many times and needed to be sent up with Naomi for a bath. Kalina, who had been stressed out by the pressure of piping hearts, was only too glad to step down to the role of sprinkler, while I finished piping. Into the oven!

While the younger two were bathing, Kalina and I stole 20 minutes to work on her other writing assignment: a hopes and dreams paper. (Kalina, in class: "All my dreams are disasters and all my hopes are unlikely." Pretty often true, actually....) She wanted to write about owning a farm someday and about becoming a gem cutter. We got her thoughts down--enough for a rough draft--and then looked up beautiful photographs of waterfalls and mountains for a few minutes.

Matt had the girls washed, so I simply had to unload Naomi from the tub and coax her into pajamas. I had Kalina help clean up the room, which was still a disaster from the downtime escapades, and then Elise joined us for stories because she didn't like the book Matt's reading to her and Kalina (again, about Lewis and Clark). Miraculously, Naomi didn't put up a fuss that Elise got to choose one of the stories, as it's very rare for Elise to join us. We read peacefully, braided hair, arranged stuffies and hugged goodnight. All very good-naturedly.

I said goodnight to Kalina, too, and then began the rest of my work for the day: finishing dinner dishes, and some more cleanup to the sounds of Matt's new guitar. I sat down to a pile of laundry and Matt and I chatted a bit before he headed upstairs and all was quiet for the first time today.

Quiet! Heavenly, blessed quiet! Most nights, I finish emailing, ordering, planning, etc. Tonight, as I didn't have more pressing issues, I wrote this blog.

Then I noticed that the meringue cookies were still a bit squishy in the middle, which resulted in a flurry of Google queries regarding soft meringue cookies, salmonella, and what to do. I decided it couldn't hurt to stick them back into the oven for another try in the morning, and then reevaluate.

And Matt wonders why I rarely turn out the light until 11:30.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It was joyful, yes, but peaceful? No. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Most of the time...

The season began quietly enough, with us recovering after another jam-packed Thanksgiving weekend and generally busy November. So before the Christmas season even officially began, we breathed. A little.

But soon, we had Christmas decorations to put up, dance rehearsals to attend and traditions to cram in--like making treats, sending cards, making more treats, singing Christmas carols and selecting gifts.

The scene while we decorated.

Elise was the first to put gifts under the tree, making them herself and wrapping them carefully. They were tiny, but enough to get us excited. So excited, we became eager for more presents to join them--which they eventually did.

New this year, the girls each signed every Christmas card. When we began this process, I believed we had a cactus' chance at the North Pole's possibility of actually finishing. But we did, even Naomi! We're getting bigger, all of us. Ironically, possibly because he's less used to taking academic orders from me than the rest of the tribe is, Matt was the toughest to nail down. Once I pointed out that even the four-year-old was doing it, however, he buckled down and spent the obligatory 15 minutes. 

Yup, all of them.

We sang at a nursing home, getting genuinely into the Christmas spirit with the people there. Elise was chosen to ring jingle bells, Kalina joyfully sang out with confidence, and Naomi survived, and even occasionally vocalized. 

Everyone wrote letters to Santa, and mostly kept them short and sweet. Naomi specifically requested a baby seal and a big sister sea turtle to go along with several of her other stuffies and, as an afterthought, a puppy. That bit of information will be important later. She also asked for a princess crown, just like Sofia's. Kalina asked for geodes and books, and Elise wanted a friend for her stuffed hamster and mermaid books. 

Thank goodness Santa uses an extra-wide throne!

After several days of the promise-remind cycle with Elise ("Mommy, now can we make fudge?" "Um, we're having breakfast, maybe later..." "It's later!"), we made fudge, and also Oreo truffles and in the hiatus in the minor stomach virus, Christmas cookies. The cookies were decorated just beautifully, or at least enthusiastically.

They have a system!

Not sure an actual North Pole elf could have
decorated a cookie more beautifully.

As usual, the girls had a delightful time shopping for each other. Naomi picked out presents at Wal-Mart with me in a sweet little shopping-trip-of-convenience, Elise carefully considered her sisters' current interests before deciding, and Kalina first led me on a treasure hunt for the perfect mermaid themed set of _____ (we ended up with Legos), and then created her own Christmas-morning treasure hunt for Naomi.

A princess begins a treasure hunt.

Of course, one of the biggest events of our Christmas was the Nutcracker, in which Kalina performed with her class as a Russian dancer. We battled the mildest stomach virus we'd ever faced during performance week, but it stopped us neither from performing nor enjoying the show. Elise and I saw it twice, even! Kalina glowed every day of that week, despite long hours, and still performs both the Russian dance and the soldier dance (for which she was an understudy) daily. 

Our Russian dancer!

Our Nutcracker date! Elise is actually smiling,
sometimes when something is really big we
get a more serious smile. She takes fun very
seriously.

What's a Nutcrakcer Mommy-Elise date
without a little treat?

And the next day, everyone came!

We saw Santa and the Charlie Brown Christmas play in one magical day, and handed out candles at the Christmas Eve service (minus Elise, for whom the stomach virus was not so mild). We watched as first St. Louis got snow (and some not-so-Christmasy thoughts passed through my mind) and then we got snow (my thoughts turned Christmasy again). 

Christmas Eve snow!

Always climbing. Probably shouldn't have
been, as it turns out she was still sick! But
still: Christmas Eve snow!

Naomi loves our outdoor decorations!

Elise managed to sit for a picture!

The kids always help decorate the tree and add
more as the season goes on. This was our view
Christmas Eve night.

All too soon, Christmas Day happened. Beautiful, white Christmas Day! Matt and I were caroled awake (actually, I'm pretty sure I had been hearing whispering and giggling for a good 20 or 30 minutes before that) and we first enjoyed the gift of a mostly healthy Elise. Then we headed downstairs, of course following our Christmas Morning rules:

1. We all have to go downstairs at the same time.

2. No changing into clothes first, it takes too long.

3. Stockings first.

4. Then tree, and everybody has to watch everybody else open every gift.

5. Hot chocolate.

Thanks for the earmuffs, Santa!

The girls were delighted by the earmuffs Santa left, in addition to a few of the things they'd asked for. Naomi got the baby seal and big sister sea turtle she was hoping for (how did Santa find the exact right sizes and everything?!?), Kalina found a whole bunch of geodes, and Elise received a friend for her stuffed hamster and a wooden sleigh puzzle.

I was still concerned about Elise's stomach, but we agreed on hot chocolate made with water instead of milk, and a Christmas cookie to nibble on throughout the day. This worked, as Elise was able to eat honestly as much as she wanted (which still wasn't too much) and also didn't feel left out when the rest of us ate treats to our hearts' content (mostly).

The precious Christmas cookie it took Elise
a day to eat!

Under the tree, Kalina found the ukulele she'd been hoping for (with a brand name of Kalena--what are the chances?), Elise found the Legos she hadn't allowed herself to anticipate, in addition to a second set from Kalina she hadn't even asked for, and Naomi found a princess doll. But the most important thing under the tree was something that originally was not:

Naomi, holding a square box: "And a cute, little puppy popped out!" Nope, instead, two mommy-made doll dresses.

Naomi, holding a flat, rectangular package: "And here's the puppy!"

Now Ariel the mermaid can live in water
or on dry land!

Not a puppy, a little play tent.

Kalina plays a Kalena!

It only took one glance for Matt and I to realize that for one of our daughters, anyway, it's not Christmas without a puppy. We both had the same thought: tucked away down in the basement was a cute stuffed puppy we had bought as a gift once and then not needed. Destined to be a regift, and then forgotten, the puppy resurfaced in the move. Quick as a flash, Matt wrapped it and tossed it surreptitiously under the tree, and then handed it to Naomi in the next motion. Naomi immediately named it Buttercup, put a princess dress on it, carried it around the rest of the day and told everyone it was her favorite gift. Whew, that was close. Sometimes, kids have to learn a lesson. Sometimes, though, they don't have to learn it at age 4 on Christmas morning.

Naomi lives in her own little world, where
puppies always arrive for Christmas, and
everyone's a princess.

Princess dress, princess crown, and puppy!

Later, Grandpa arrived and we chatted with Uncle Tom and Aunt Nancy via technology. Dinner was on the late side because we were having so much fun playing, and Elise managed a few bites of pie for dessert. 

Merry Christmas dinner!

Kalina drive her Lina ladybug!

Two days later, we headed north for a visit with Matt's family, including adorable cousin Dean. The girls spent the first evening in a whirlwind, revisiting the people, places, books and old favorite toys they'd enjoyed in years past. Animals were bedded down in the triple-decker bunk beds Grandma rigs up every year, Dean was gushed over and books were perused.

Grateful that everyone could be together again!

The next day, we opened more presents, enjoyed lots of books and a few games and played in the snow--after all, the rest of our visit it was supposed to be too cold (and it was!). Which is probably why we have no pictures of the girls outside this trip!

Books...

A new blue truck!

books...

And more books!!!

And a game!

The second full day of our visit, we visited the local children's museum that we, amazingly, had never been to (at least not in the last few decades). Elise climbed and slid down the giant structure, Kalina and Naomi "ice" skated on carpet, we all tried a laser maze over and over until it got too busy, we helped Dean wash a big car, we rocketed ping-pong balls, we made clay pots, and we generally explored to our hearts' content before collapsing at a nearby Subway. We also learned a very important lesson: arrive when the museum opens! Fortunately, we learned it the easy way: by walking past the very, very, very long line as we were headed out.

The cleanest car in the entire world, and
a really neat exhibit! 

Probably could've launched these ping-pong
balls all day.

We also enjoyed seeing Matt's extended family and catching up with them (and the desserts!!!), making crafts and getting excited about Christmas 2018, when we're expecting to be joined by another little, adorable, sweet cousin--and the kind that could even where our favorite hand-me-downs!

Cousin hug!

 It was hard to leave the cold north, especially for the almost-as-cold south, but we had one or two more stops to make. We saw a friend of mine and her family, and then celebrated New Year's Eve with some old family friends that just mesh so nicely with our kiddos (the youngest two name beloved dolls and stuffies after each other, the middle two could nearly be twins and the oldest two have a great rapport). We were both on the tail end of trips, as they had arrived home only an hour before we showed up, so we were at the same level of general patience and tiredness all around.

Wit the help of a clock that was reset easily, we rang in the New Year twice: the first time with sparkling cider, and the second with party poppers. The kids were in bed by 9:15 and the grownups well before 11:00.

Sparkling cider!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!