Going to Bed?

Kari got me a Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera for Christmas. I use it all the time, as evidenced by the video below. There will probably be more of these coming soon.

My Affectionate Little Girl

Kari and I are very proud that Aidan and Regan have such a great relationship. Even though they are still young and things can (and likely will) change, they are unquestionably each others' best friend. They play well together most of the time. They turn to each other first when looking for a playmate, even around other kids. They are fearful when they think the other is in danger. They even defend each other when one gets in trouble with Kari or me. They have the closest relationship I could hope for.

Sometimes, however, it seems a little too close, like when they would rather cuddle up with each other than Kari and I. Or when I can't find Aidan when I wake up, and I find that he's snuck into Regan's room to sleep with her. I know they aren't doing anything inappropriate. It just seems a little too intimate for my tastes. Lately, Kari and I have been intentionally trying to teach them more appropriate ways to show their affection for each other, and it had been working. At least I thought it had.

Regan's 3rd birthday party was yesterday. She had a Barbie Princess-themed party and she invited a couple of her friends. Although we didn't really know her friends from school before the party, we had heard a few names numerous times. Elliott is one such name. So when it came time to invite kids to her party, he was a no-brainer. Little did we know, however, the depth of their relationship, at least on Regan's part.

From the moment he walked in the door, Regan was leading him by his hand, putting her hand on his back, talking enthusiastically to him, and even kissing him on the cheek. This wasn't just momentary behavior. It continued through most of the party. Although I never saw him return the affection, Elliott seemed to take it all in stride, politely enduring her advances. I eventually had to pull her aside and tell her to knock it off (in so many words).

She was exactly like a giddy 15-year-old whose new boyfriend had just showed up, and Elliott was the aloof boyfriend who didn't even know what she was up to. I couldn't help but think about the times she hugs her brother so tight that he gets annoyed or when she comes up to me and kisses me, saying "I wuv my diddy!" I always thought it was behavior she reserved for just us, but that was nothing compared to the affection she showed Elliott. At first it was cute, but then I began to get flashes of what I can likely expect in her teen year.

This girl is going to give me a heart attack, and heaven help the boy who's lucky enough to get her.

Vacation at the Lake Cabin

Kari, the kids and I returned yesterday from our much-needed vacation. We went to my granparents' lake cabin on Lake Sam Rayburn, near Broaddus, TX. This was the perfect vacation for us for a number of reasons: 1. It was very cheap. We only had to pay for the gas to get us there and back and the groceries we used while there; 2. It forced us to isolate ourselves with no television, phone, cell phone, computer, or any other connection to our lives back in Houston; 3. The kids got to experience the great outdoors, something that Kari and I have neglected to provide for them. We spent 4 days and three nights, sitting on the deck, playing in the lake, trying to fish, reading books, and playing games. The kids, of course, were thrilled to sleep in the bunk beds (just as my brothers and I were 22 years ago when we first went). They also enjoyed finding spiders, lizards, snakes, deer, and other woodland creatures.

At first, they were a bit intimidated, asking about the propect of bears, alligators, and other ferocious animals. I made the mistake of saying that there "might be" some skunks out there as we were driving along the dirt road towards the cabin on Sunday. I don't know for sure if there are, but I thought it could be possible. This was the wrong thing to say. For the next half a day or so, they both would enter new environments with much trepidation, saying "There might be a skunk in/out there." I finally had to reassure them that while I'm not sure about skunks, I hadn't seen one there in all of the years I came out to that cabin, so seeing one would be unlikely at best. Once they got over that fear, they had a much better time. The only other exception was that Regan didn't really care for the boat ride. We rowed the boat out to a buoy in the middle of the cove 3 or 4 times during our stay for us to swim and try to fish (we never even had a nibble). Regan would cry all the way out there and much of the way back, saying "I want to go back home," meaning our home in Clear Lake, not the cabin. Once we were out at the buoy, though, she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I've posted a short video of her tragic tale over on the podcast so you can get a good idea of what I mean.

So now we are back to work. The kids began Montesorri School today, and "real life" returns. I had 17 new voice mail and 36 new email messgaes waiting for me. Needless to say, I could have stayed another couple of days, but life goes on. I feel much better and well-rested, so I guess that means our vacation was a success.

Kids and Cleansing

Here are some pictures Tiffany took of the kids at a park in League City. I really like these pictures, and I'm especially impressed that she was able to get them to pose so easily.

I know I'm biased, but I absolutely love looking at my kids. Is that narcissistic? I know they kind of look like me, so does that make me vain? Perhaps, but I like it that way. I really missed the kids when they were away for a week. They had fun, but I know they were ready to come home too.

I'm really looking forward to next week. We're going to the lake house for a few days. Very rustic living with few amenities; just the right environment to cleanse our spirits and purge all of the stress and worries of life. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to coming back feeling renewed.

A Child's Mind is Like a Salvador Dali Painting

Although they certain have their special attributes, I don't think my children are unique in one particular regard. I'm sure that many other parents think their children do the oddest, cutest, most random things. But good grief, if other kids do this much of it, how would parents get anything done. All they would want to do is watch and pay with their kids. Again, I don't think my kids are terribly unique in this regard, but living with them gives me an inside look at kids that I never would have gotten anywhere else.

For example, I am constantly amazed at Aidan's drive and determined attitude when he is creating one of legendary "projects". We were at my grandparent's house today. Aidan took the garden hose and tied it to a tree. He then took the other end and tied it to another tree. My grandmother helped him bring out a couple of bar stools, which he claims provided the "glue" of the project. Throw in a patio table and a blanket, and he had some contraption that he claimed allowed trees to be shared between people. I have no idea what he was talking about, but I was struck by the determination with which he created his project. It was hard work wrapping that garden hose around the trees, and he put everything into it. I love watching his indoor creations even more. He will use couch cushions, dining room chairs, and any other structure he can. One significant feature of the indoor "projects", however, is that they are almost always symmetrical. I don't know why, but Aidan insists on them being perfectly symmetrical, meaning that if there is a chair on one side, there MUST be a chair on the other side. I don't think he knows why. He just knows that's the way it should be.

I am quickly learning that Regan is not all that different in her quirkiness, although she doesn't have the same engineering flare. I hate to say it, but Regan carries a more stereotypically feminine aspect into her oddities. For instance, she has these mock high heal shoes that her Auntie Ro gave her for Christmas. Although they are way too big for her (perhaps made for a 5 or 6 year-old), she has learned how to walk in them very well and insists on doing so as often as possible. She loves to dance. She's got moves that most 2-year-olds simply dream of. She even matches her dance to the style of music. More than that, she loves dressing up, talking on her "cell phone", wearing sunglasses, pushing her dolls around in strollers, and shopping. I mean, come on-- SHOPPING! How did that happen? Where did that come from? And what confuses me even more is that I find it cute. It is freaking adorable. But that's not all that fascinates me about Regan. She is fascinated with books. She will sit in her room and "read" for a long time. She loves all kinds of books. She will read to us, but of course she loves it much more when we read to her. But her love of books actually borders on an obsession. They are sacred. They contain special meaning for her. Again I ask, where did this come from? Sure, we've read to her most of her life, but that's not nearly enough to explain her obsession. Shoes and books: Regan's two loves. Neither Kari nor I actively encouraged this, but here we are.

I need to post a better picture of one of Aidan's projects; they truly are artworks in their own right. I also need to post some video of Regan's dancing; it is very entertaining and impressive. So I continue to be fascinated with the growing minds of my children. They are really challenging my presumptions about child development, the nature/nurture debate, and my own ideas about identity and the emergent mind. Although I began my life as a parent expecting to teach my children, but of course I have found that they teach me more than I ever dreamed. Their minds and lives are free and unencumbered by the necessities of life, so they are free to simply be. What a bizarre notion.

Note: Click here for a new photo album of the kids that I uploaded today.