Mysteried it

One of the most interesting things of being a parent is watching your child learn to speak. Lately Elliott has come up with hilarious uses of words.

Today he picked up a little thing that falls from our tree. He peeled back the layers to show me that there is a seed inside. I asked him if someone showed him the seed or if he discovered it on his own. He said he "mysteried it." I love this because it is obviously his attempt to say that it was a mystery to know what was inside, and he found out.

Then, later in the evening, he changed into his UK jersey to play basketball outside. William didn't put on his. When they started to play, Elliott proclaimed that William was a "misser" because he didn't have on a jersey, and Elliott was a "goaler" because he was wearing his jersey. William promptly made a shot, disproving the magic jersey theory. Elliott pushed him away and reminded him that he was a "misser." Poor little brother.

Music

Some thoughts on music:

* Elliott and William constantly beat box. I couldn't get Elliott to calm down for bed last night because he couldn't stop beat boxing. I love it. This is much better than their knock knock joke obsession. They are fairly limited in their beat box stylings at this point, but I predict big things. I'll post a video as soon as I figure why the one I have won't post.

* I've tried to be careful about what kind of music the boys hear. There's no reason for them to be hearing adult-themed music as toddlers and preschoolers. However, Elliott really loves our new Over the Rhine album. He especially loves "The Laugh of Recognition" and "Oh Yeah, By the Way," which aren't racy, but deal with life issues well beyond his years. He doesn't pick up on it, and it's nothing that would get him in trouble if he repeated it in public. It's just funny to hear him singing along to it in the backseat. His favorite line is "Goodbye yesterday, goodbye yesterday," which is part of "Oh Yeah, By The Way, " a very melancholy song about a lost love.

Speaking of the Over the Rhine album "The Long Surrender" ... they are brilliant lyricists. I have some all-time favorite lines on this album:

From "All My Favorite People are Broken":

"All my favorite people are broken/believe me/my heart should know/

Skeptical dreamers/orphaned believers/ step forward

You can stay right here/You don't have to go"

From "Undamned" (notice the themes of grace here)

"I’ve got a thousand lost songs
(Far too many they just got away)
I’ve done a thousand things wrong
(Far too many for me to name)
But I’m not too far gone
To fall
Headlong
Into the arms that love me"

And from Days Like This:

All I wanna do is live my life honestly
I just wanna wake up and see your face next to me
Every regret I have I will go set it free
It will be good for me

* But, the hands-down favorite in this house among the under 4 set is "Hello Everybody." This is the theme song for Music Together, a music class for children. We have done it twice before William was old enough to have to tuition, which made it too expensive :(. William is a "Hello Everybody" fanatic. He will seriously sing it in every tone and voice at just about any time of day.

* Made up songs. Elliott has a classic song called "I love fireworks!" (He doesn't). William likes to repeat anything Elliott sings and then add his own special "Oh yeah!" to the end. It's his unique twist.

I'll have to record some of this soon, lest I forget it.

Family photos ... thanks Kelly!

We snagged a great deal with Kelly Crabtree Photography to support some friends who are going on a missions trip to Trinidad this summer. Here are a few of the results:

Summer to do list

First a song to set the mood:

June Hymn by The Decemberists

1. Go swimming. This seems pretty obvious to most people, but our family NEVER makes it to the pool. Seriously last summer we went for the first time all summer on the last day of Kettering Rec Center's pool.

2. Hike more. We have beautiful parks in Dayton. It's much cooler under the canopy of trees than in the direct sun, too, so we ought to spend more time hiking and exploring the woods.

3. Natural play areas. Five River Metro Parks turned me on to this idea. They've cleared invasive plants at several locations to create special children's natural play areas. Natural play areas can be found at Englewood Metro Park's Patty Shelter; Sugarcreek Metropark near the main entrance trailhead; and at Hills and Dales near the White Oak Camp. I plan to check out Hills & Dales very soon (maybe today) so give me a buzz if you want to go with us there sometime.

4. Get to know our neighbors. Block parties are very common in our community. I've pulled the paperwork to have one on our block. It requires getting the approval and signature of every home owner on the block. I have to get moving on that one.

5. Do more things as a family during the week. Summer is full of fun opportunities, but they are often get relegated to the weekend - which means crowds and in general, a lack of time to get to all of the fun stuff. Tim has scheduled a few days off throughout the summer so we can get out and play during the week. I am so thankful he is willing to make his family a priority and take the time to spend with us.

6. PATIOS! I love eating outside in the summer. Dayton has some really great patio restaurants: Thai 9, Dublin Pub, El Meson. I want to make it to El Meson at least once this summer.

7. Pick strawberries. We have never been berry picking, but I really hope to do it this summer. Our boys love strawberries, so I think we'll start with that.

That's all for now ... what do you want to make time for this summer?

Typing his name, the modern child

Elliott can write his name with a little help, and often the letters are a bit wonky. But he has recently discovered that he likes to type his name. I pull up a Word document and let him type it. He then likes to "sweep" it away with the delete/backspace key. Then he always wants to type his friend Sarah Beth's name, but he gets a little distracted after the S-A-R and trails off into a bunch of keyboard nonsense.

Still, it strikes me as sign of the times when your preschool-aged child can peck out his name on the keyboard but can't really write it with a pencil. Maybe he'll text me before he can write me a note ...

Things I learned this week

Random things I learned/discussed/wondered about this week:

* Have you heard of a yurt? This tent structure was originally used by Turkish and Mongolian nomads, but has caught on as a luxury getaway in the United States and Europe. Here in Ohio, a place called The Wilds has them. For between $300 to $500 a night, you can have your own yurt experience. Pictures here: http://thewilds.org/visit/nomad_ridge_photos.asp

* KyForward.com, a new online news outlet based in Lexington, went live this week. A few of my former Kentucky Kernel friends are on staff. Will it fly or flop? For their sake, I hope it finds its niche.

* Speaking of the Kentucky Kernel, the staff has been busy covering the arrival of new president Eli Capilouto, who comes to Lexington from University of Alabama-Birmingham. A link to some of their stories: http://kykernel.com/category/news/campusnews/

* Some friends of ours are adopting from Africa. The husband is traveling today to meet their son for the first time! I can't imagine what that experience will be like. After this short trip, he will return soon to bring him home to his family of a sister, brother and another sibling on the way. What a hallmark time in this family's history. I am inspired by their heart for adoption.

Missing cat, Booger

There is a cat missing in our neighborhood. His name is Booger. If you see him, pick him please. And note to the wise, if you name your animal Booger, someday it will go missing and you will have to put "Answers to Booger" on signs across the neighborhood with your phone number on it.

Happy Friday Booger!