Friday, December 6, 2013

Bedtime chats

Last night at bedtime, I asked Abraham if he was ready to say prayers. Stretching out on the bed, he said, "I'd rather just tan my pelt in the sun."

Tonight, after prayers, Abraham hugged me and said, "I love you so much I just want to hug you forever!" Which, naturally, led to talking about death and the immortality of the soul. Then Abraham asked most crucial question of all. "Mommy, will we be able to finish all the popcorn we made before I die?"

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

On the existence of God...and dragons

We were having a little discussion tonight about Anderson's lack of belief in God, something that Abraham knows about already, but tonight for some reason was asking more questions. Then I left the room, and he and Anderson talked a little more. When I came back in, Abraham told me his plan. He said:

“This weekend I’m going to take Daddy to a special Baha'i class that’s just for me and Daddy so he can learn about God by fighting dragons. I’m going to let out a lot of dragons and if Daddy defeats them, then he believes in God. It’s twenty-two dragons. And you’re gonna have to drive me there.”

Monday, September 9, 2013

Summer in Photos

Popsicle!

Hiking

Another hike
Self-portrait on the first day of school

First day of preschool

After school, tree climbing

After school at the East Nash Farmer's Market. He told the guy at the ice cream stand,
very nonchalantly, that he had a dead cicada in his car. True statement, but pretty random
conversation starter. ;)

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Things Abraham wants to be when he grows up

An ever-growing list that I have been compiling.

1. Artist

2. Doctor

3. Builder

4. Chimbly Sweep

5. Dog-Catcher (will kill them and eat them)

6. Collector of Sounds

Monday, June 3, 2013

Wisdom

Me: "Abraham, do I have a bruise on my forehead? Look, do you see anything here?"

A: "No."

Me: "Are you sure? I feel a lump right here, and it hurts when I touch it."

A: "Then don't touch it."

*   *   *

Me: "You have so much energy right now! Where did you get all that energy?"

A: "From God."

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Quotes

"The monster isn't full of meat. It has chicken, rice and macaroni."

*

"I want to play a teeny bit more. Teeny teeny. Teenier than a crumb."

*

"I love you bigger than an alligator's tail!"

*

"The two rules are: don't mess up and don't stop doing it."

Friday, May 17, 2013

vignettes

Anderson is grilling outside. Abraham is with him. Then I hear a small knock on the door. I open the door and say, "Oh, hello!" as though it's an unexpected visitor. Abraham hands me a bag and says quite seriously, by way of explanation, "Daddy wanted me to give this to you. I'm not a friend."

Monday, March 18, 2013

transcendental spring

He wants to eat everything outside. Every green leaf, every stick and flower. We have one lone spinach plant that has survived the winter, and every time he passes by, he pulls off a leaf to eat. So today, as he's making and tasting a potion in his water table, I remind him we only eat plants from our garden. So he walks all the way around to the front yard to grab two baby handfuls of baby spinach, adds them to the brew, and chows down. "My potion's so good I'm crying!"

Then I show him how to identify the patches of wild green onions growing all over the yard. These you can eat, too, my dear. Show him how to pull near the roots and find the tiny white bulbs. He hates onions on his plate, but outside, from the ground, he has no hesitation and declares, "These aren't spicy like regular onions."

On the first nice day in weeks, we've been outside for four hours. Ate lunch outside. Painted outside. Peed outside (well, he did). But mostly just explored. He's gloriously filthy. I'm sitting in the sun.

I flashback to my own childhood. Picking wild blackberries along the fence. Sucking honeysuckles. Eating tiny crab apples. Making clover necklaces and climbing trees. It sounds decadently Southern, and yet timeless, placeless at the same time.

That's what I want for him, my son. Not soccer and piano and gymnastics (unless he really wants them), but hours outside, being that translucent eyeball, that self-reliant man, feasting from the earth. Coming finally to bed, sun-kissed and soiled.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Conversation

On emotional self-awareness: "I don't want to go because I'm feeling grumpy. If I go I would just destroy everything."

On delicious food: "Does the salad have salad grease on it?"

On board games: "The game is called 'Mouse, run to get the cheese before a missile comes, or a zapper!'"

On love: "Mrs. Simin, I love you! I will love you even when you are old!"

On flattery: "Your name is lovely, too."

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Love

"I really love Naw-Ruz and nothing else, just Naw-Ruz. I really love it. And Ayyam-i-Ha and Halloween and Star Wars and Christmas and Ayyam-i-Ha and fasting days! (pause) And regular days!"

A: "We really need food to live."
Me: "And water. We need both."
A: "And we need love!"

"I always love you every day. Even when I'm captured."

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Happy Ayyam-i-Ha!

I wanted to share a little bit of our Ayyam-i-Ha preparation and celebration! Abraham is now old enough to really get into it, so it's been a lot of fun coming up with activities and starting family traditions.

First step in building holiday anticipation - decorations! Abraham decorated the house with cut-out hearts and stars, which was easy for me and gave him complete ownership over the process. I also liked that this also meant the decorations were down at his eye level, so he could enjoy them.





Posing so I could snap a photo.

I made the pinwheels actually for a baby shower, but with the idea in mind
of keeping them up for Ayyam-i-Ha decor!

The one on the bed was "for Daddy."



I love the placement of these two hearts together.

So patient for me to snap another photo! :)




Ayyám-i-Há is a Baha'i holiday celebrated from Feb. 26 – Mar. 1. It is a time devoted to spiritual preparation for the Baha'i Fast (which begins March 2nd), celebrating and praising God, hospitality, charity, and gift-giving.

"It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name…"

Friday, February 22, 2013

overscheduling

After hearing about some friends who are enrolling their three-year-old in several activities (ballet, etc), Anderson and I started talking about whether we should enroll Abraham in soccer this year, or what kinds of things we might want to enroll him in the future. Our take on it was more to see what he's interested in and follow that, rather than arbitrarily signing him up for something and hoping that he likes it. So when he came into the room while we were talking, I asked him, "Would you want to join a soccer team with other kids and play soccer?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to do ballet?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to learn to play an instrument, like piano?"

"Yes."

"Violin?"

"Yes."

"Guitar?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to take a dance class?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to ice skate?"

"Yes."

"Rock climb?"

"Yes."

He was rapid-fire agreeing to everything, so we started getting extreme. "Go mountain climbing?"

"Yes."

"Jump out of an airplane?"

"With a parachute?" he asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Yes." he replied.

"Without a parachute?" I asked, to clarify.

"Yes." he said.

Okay then! We've narrowed that down!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

meditations on immortality

We were eating lunch when out of nowhere, Abraham says with surprise, "Mommy, we're NOT dying!"

I simply agreed, deciding not to go in the more morbid direction of arguing that we are all slowly dying, with each passing day. You know, because he's 3. But this assertion of his runs along the same lines as other questions that come up some time like, "Why am I still small?" "Am I four yet?" "Why is Gabriel still a baby?" Time is moving too slowly for his liking. For me, I can't believe how fast he's grown.

THINGS ABOUT ABRAHAM

1. He likes to negotiate. He's got his own opinion and is not afraid to share it. For instance, he asked me around snack time, "If I eat two carrots, can I have some chips?" I said, "Sure. Do you want two carrots or one carrot and one celery?" "How about just one carrot?" "But you said two." "How about no carrots, just chips?" What! He's the one who brought up carrots to begin with! And he still had to negotiate it down.

2. We had a dance party the other day. Not to Raffi or Disney songs, but The Smiths, Juanes, Ok Go, Andy Grammer. Kid's pretty eclectic; pretty diverse selection. Just need some techno and rap to round it out. I'm accepting toddler-friendly recommendations.

3. He asks why. ALL the time. About everything. I am endeavoring to really appreciate this quality rather than allow it to exhaust me. I don't KNOW why that guy is wearing a red shirt. I really don't. But along the same lines,  when he asks me what a new word means, the English teacher in me is so so psyched about it. I will define words all day long for you, my dear! I hope he will always be so bold about asking questions, and not fall into the habit many of us have of not asking for fear of looking ignorant, and so ignorant we remain.

4. He says beautiful kind things that make my heart explode. Today we were reading a book that was about finding your talents. I asked Abraham what his talent is and he said, "Serving people." So lovely!

5. Some days, he gets completely eaten alive by his parents. He is the cutest ever! Sorry, all other boys! :)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

fun and games

"What if there were noses all over the toilet and all inside the toilet? And noses all over you! And noses all over me! And noses all over the town and all over the place! And noses all over superheroes!"

*   *   *

A: This bat wants some dinner too.

Me: Well, you can share some of yours with him.

A: No, he wants his own plate.

Me (drawing the line at serving a plate of food for a toy, but trying to be diplomatic): Well, I don't think bats like to eat the same kinds of food that people eat.

A: (pause) Mommy, it's just a toy.

*   *   *

And now, a couple photos.


Fishing with Grandy over Christmas break

Outside shirtless the day before Christmas!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

happy holidays

Abraham's grandma, Cookie, was telling him the story of the three little kittens who lost their mittens. Afterwards, Abraham asked me, "Are Cookie's cats sad?" I said, "Do you mean the cats in the story or real cats?" He clarified, "Not the cats that talk and...make pie!"

"Does the Bominal Snowman have meat inside him?"

"Reindeer the Rudolph"

Singing softly to himself in bed, "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny booger!"

Back home, after the holiday travels, "When is it going to be a holly jolly Christmas again?"