Queen City Greeting

Aunt Lucy sent us some hand me downs from her two kids and some of them are WAAAAAY hand me downs from her childhood. Included were a shirt that features a sketch Aunt Lucy drew when she was about 3 and which was used as a logo for a school our mother helped to found, and a shirt from Queen City Park Day, a festival in the community where our father raised us in Vermont. So, with Cassius modeling one of the shirts, I thought it was appropriate to have him thank Aunt Lucy for sending it to us. He was, however, entranced by the sight of himself on the screen of the phone. As well, when he fist bumped the phone the first time, he paused the recording, unbeknownst to me. So, I had him do it again, which he good-naturedly did.

Christmas Jingles

Maceo goes to a Mandarin school, so they don't seem to have been learning any Christmas carols. He already knows a bunch, but the holiday spirit hasn't grabbed him enough to start singing them around the house. Plus, he's enraptured by the soundtrack of the movie Frozen and that's all we've been listening to in the car lately. Cassius, on the other hand, goes to a Catholic school, so he's fully indoctrinated. And he's taken by the spirit of the Little Lord Jesus, too. He's always singing and quite enthusiastically, too. We know it's a big build-up to the Pageant on Friday where he'll be struck dumb by shyness, but it's been a lot of fun. Here you'll see a number of his greatest hits, at times joined by other members of the family. At the beginning of the video, he's reluctant to sing without finishing his vocal exercises ("Musky Misky, Mickey Mouse!" for example). Then he sings accompanying himself on guitar. Perhaps you'll recognize the song, but you'll certainly recognize his Flamenco influences! This traditional song is followed by the evermore temperamental artiste Cassius as he attempts his signature song "Away in a Manger." This is quickly followed by some Simon and Garfunkel-type feuding between the two singers, Maceo and Cassius. Both then offer their unique interpretations of "Jingle Bells" a more secular song that really doesn't fit either of their oeuvres. Finally, a song all will know---"A, B, Cs" with Cash again on his beloved guitar, with audience participation.

Dinner Discussions

Tonight, as I was standing in the dining room, Maceo walked over and tapped me in the crotch. "What's your penis's name, Daddy?" he asked. "What?" I asked. "Does your penis have a name?" "Uh-hunh," he responded. "Leo." "What should mine's be?" I asked. "Magnus," he said decisively. "What's your penis's name, Mama?" he asked, turning to Kate. "You choose," she said. "Annie," he said with the same air of certainty. "What's Cassius's penis's name?" we asked him. He thought it over and then announced, "Judith!"

The brute force of religion

Last weekend, I had an hour to spare with Maceo before Cassius came back from spending the morning with Grandpa.  So, I thought it would be good to explore the basilica in our neighborhood that we pass by many times each week but have never explored before.

Maceo and I entered through the ground level of the basilica and what this offered was a slow introduction to the numerous and smaller statues and mosaics of Jesus and Mary as we made our way up to the first and main floor of the cathedral.  Everything seemed to pique his interest.  We made wishes with pennies in a small fountain with a statue of Mary and when we came to the candles that one can light to offer a prayer, he seemed excited to go through the ritual.  (Author/parent's note:  I'm about 99% sure it was the prospect of lighting a match and not a deeper sense of piety that drove this request).  I explained to him, before we lit the candle, that he could say a prayer for someone or something that was on his mind.  We lit the candle, he very solemnly, and when I asked him what he prayed for he shared that he wanted to celebrate his great behavior he had all week according to his teacher.

After we lit the candle, we turned down the long hallway that leads to the pulpit.  Behind the pulpit is a 3-story tall mosaic Jesus that mesmerized Maceo.  And this is our conversation at that point:

Maceo:  Who is THAT?! Is that Jesus?
Kate:  Yes, it is.
Maceo:  Is he stronger than me?
Kate:  Yes, he is.  He is also older and has had more time to become strong.
(Pause from Maceo).
(Still pausing).
Maceo:  What would Jesus do if  I punched him in the face?

Fall foliage, Biking, and the Boys on the Northwest Branch Trail Trail

Winter's Coming

With the hurricaine coming through (mildly) this weekend, we abandoned outdoor plans and instead went to Climb Zone in Laurel. We met the Greenberg and the Monctons there. Both families have sons our sons' ages. Maceo and Ben and Wesley have know each other since they were 5 months old. Cash and Theo, Wesley's little brother, are a week apart. And Nate, Ben's little brother, is only a few month younger. All in all, it was pretty great. Climb Zone is an indoor climbing gym for kids.

There are about 50 different walls for kids to climb and each one has an automated belay system that enables kids to climb essentially independently and without fear. Not totally without fear, as Maceo would prove. We tried to convince him to try at least the practice wall at least once, just to find out he didn't like it. But he refused and we didn't think a screaming child being hoisted in a harness above our heads was a good option. It was an option, but we decided not to go with it in the end. He did have fun in the moon bounce and on the various inflated slides. His biggest activity was sitting in an arcade game and pretending to drive a boat. That blur there is Maceo flying down the slide.

Cash, on the other hand, was reluctant at first, but by the end, he was super enthusiastic. Not about climbing, but about flying! I'd recommend using the volume on that one just to hear all of our sounds of delight with him.

Oh, Deer

There's been quite a bit of talk lately at our house about deer. We see them across the road, we see them in the backyard, and the boys are quite interested in them.

Why, here's one in the back yard now!

Cassius regularly brings up with our neighbor, Houston, the time Cassius saw deer in the backyard with him a few weeks ago. And during the summer, when the boys and I went to St. Ann's for drop off, we often saw deer in the woods along the way. All this is to explain today's conversation in the car on the way to Home Depot. 

Cash stated, "I see deer out Cashy's window." "No," said Maceo. "There aren't deer around here." And he was right. Where we were, there weren't any deer. Cash is now a little bit of a liar. "Are deer at Home Depot?" asked Cash. "Yes," said Maceo, only hearig the word "home." "No", he immediately said, realizing that Cassius had included the word "depot." It was a bit of a hilarious doubletake from the back seat. Even better was later on when Cassius performed the famous Swooping Swallow tickle routine. On himself.