MY First Explosion

Yesterday I brought in a bottle of soda that had frozen from outside. I put it on the kitchen counter, turned my back to it, and started working on something on another counter. About thirty seconds later there was a tremendous BANG! and I turned around to find the entire kitchen and ceiling covered with soda. The bottle was nowhere to be found. Nate came rushing in, white faced, and asked if I was okay. It took us ten minutes to find the bottle, which had exploded with such force and speed that we only heard the one bang, i.e. the bang of the initial explosion, and NOT the impact of the bottle against the far wall. Yikes! Luckily I was alone in the kitchen, and no one was hit by soda shrapnel.

Do I Need to Worry About Uly?

The other day I came home and found that Uly had made himself a scrapbook page--as a momento marking a major milestone in his young life:



I guess while I was gone, Uly got an entire box of snaps--you know the kind you throw on the ground on the Fourth of July--and combined all the snaps into one package, and then somehow detonated it. Nate was in the basement and came rushing upstairs when he heard noise like a gunshot. Nate said that at least Uly was smart about it and made sure the package was a safe distance away in the backyard. Anyway Uly was so pleased with the results, he saved the packaging, and commemorated the event with his scrapbook page (for the non-existent scrapbooks I keep).

Then today I got an email from Uly's teacher:

Uly, during the spelling test asked, “Why doesn’t everyone be naughty so we would all get coal and solve our fuel crisis?” Too smart for his own britches?

Well, I guess I won't really worry until he asks for the Anarchist's Cookbook for Christmas.

Threepio! Threepio! Where could he be?

Lucy puts so many toys in the tub with her it looks like the trash compactor scene from Star Wars. We've learned which of her stuffed animals can go through the dryer. (Note to prospective parents: stick to washable stuffed animals.)

Lucy Skis

I feel very lucky to be able to take my kids skiing. I don't take them as often as I'd like, but that I can take them at all is a real blessing. Thanks to Layna for taking these pictures and for always getting us access to tiny, tiny skis.

Half Moon Pose (I Think)

I just missed getting a picture of her doing Tree Pose.

P.S. You'll see that I finally got my own account and am posting under my name. Nate has not, in fact, been managing this blog. It's been me this whole time--Mwa-ha-ha!

Clever Uly

The other day I was watching a show where one character was tutoring another in math. Uly passed through the room and overheard the show:

Show: It's simple, really. See, 'The bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle at that vertex into two equal parts.'

Uly: What are they talking about, Mom?

Me (a little dismissively, trying to pay attention to what I’m watching): Oh, nothing. Just some math prob…

Uly: Is it lines of symmetry?

Me (taken aback): Yes, Uly. Yes it is.

I was surprised, though I guess I shouldn’t have been, that Uly understood and was able to visualize what a couple of (fictional) high-school kids were talking about. That dialog went by fast! It’s the kind of line that I tune out—it’s white noise. It’s a reminder that kids hear and understand more than we realize sometimes.

What a Difference a Year Makes

We've had Pepper a year now. Here are some before and after shots. The vet tells me she will continue growing for another several months.