“A” Is for Apple

Last week, Leah and David started preschool! It‘s actually just a small group: three Latter-day Saint moms in our neighborhood—hopefully, soon to be four—have decided to hold class each Wednesday morning. They take turns hosting, with the host mommy teaching. Mommy Drake went first, setting the theme with a lesson entitled “ ‘A’ Is for Apple.” They talked about the letter A, but also discussed apples in great detail: where they come from, what colors they are, etc.. They also played “Pin the Apple on the Tree” and dipped real apples in finger paint, to make cool apple-inspired designs. (They did not, however, discuss Mommy and Daddy’s computers.) ;-)

Since the Drakelings are visiting Grandma and Pop, this week, they obviously weren’t able to attend this week’s class, but we did decide to build upon last week’s lesson: we all headed up to Warwick, New York, and got to pick some real apples! We got McIntosh, Gravenstein, and Gala—ironically skipping the Cortlands, which Pop for some reason didn’t want to bother with. The coolest part, though, is that the particular orchard was very young, so the kids were actually able to pick some low-hanging apples, all by themselves—no adult assistance required! (We did pick them up for some of the higher apples—not to mention a few pears, in the adjoining orchard—but even that is pretty impressive, compared to the apple-picker rentals required, at most orchards.)


Finally, an interesting aside: last night, while Mommy and Daddy were relaxing in the bungalow, the kids started playing school. Leah was “Miss Drake” and David was her student, “Cortland.” They closed themselves in the back bedroom for class, and when class was over, the door opened as Leah called out, “Goodbye, class!” David emerged, and Leah called after him, “You can leave your jacket here!” and slammed the door behind him. :-)

Little Conversations

David has officially entered the “why” stage. You know; the one where many statements will elicit a response of “Why?” from the child? Well, here’s a conversation we had yesterday, as best as I can remember.

To set the stage: we’re currently on vacation at Grandma and Pop’s house, but specifically, to attend their retirement party. As things were winding down, last night (there were like 80 people here, at the height of things), the kids asked to get in the pool. Unfortunately, it was just a little too chilly for that, by that point, so we compromised and got in the hot tub.

While Leah, David, and I (Daddy) were “swimming” in the hot tub, my aunts, Barbara, Janice, and Mary Lou, sat down with Mommy and talked with me and the kids, from beside the tub. One by one, the aunts took off for their respective destinations, which eventually led David to ask what was going on.

David: “Where’s Janice?”

Daddy: “At the hotel.”

David: “Where?”

Daddy: “On Route 23.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “So she can sleep.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because she’s tired.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because it’s night time.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because the sun went down.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because the Earth rotates on its axis.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because if it didn’t, we’d fall off.”

David: “Why?”

Daddy: “Because there’d be no gravity.”

David: “Oh.”

…which apparently explained everything, since that’s where the conversation ended. ;-)

Rock on!

First of all, a subtle petition to Blogger.com:

BRING BACK LUCIDA GRANDE!

Thank you.

So anyway, it’s obviously been quite a while since I (Daddy) last posted, here. First I was in Kentucky, then I was in California, and then I was supposed to be in Georgia. And of course, because of the nature of the Internet, that’s absolutely no excuse. But I thought I’d at least upload this picture of the kids, rocking out. How cute is that?

Since my last post, we’ve had a visit from the kids’ uncle Eddie and his family, a visit from Leah’s birthdad, Danny, and his mother and sister, and are now preparing to head out to New Jersey to visit Daddy’s family, plus the kids’ uncle Ben and his family (who recently moved there, as well).

I’ll probably fill everybody in on the last month (or some of it, at least), a bit later, but for right now, just know that I haven’t abandoned the blog. I’m still here, rocking on, just like my kids. :-)

Oh and by the way: you can also check out my own, new blog, The Empty Soda Can. It’s frigoriffic!

Dear Birthparents

Dear friends,

Thank you for taking the time to look learn more about us. We know your minds and hearts must be full as you consider all of the decisions and possibilities you are facing. We wish you peace and comfort at this time. Maybe we’ll have the opportunity to get to know you better in the future, but for now here is a little about us.

We’ve been best friends for nearly 19 years, married for almost 12, and have a relationship based on love, respect, friendship, and an overdeveloped sense of humor. We enjoy having fun together: playing board games, reading, watching movies, mini-golfing, writing silly songs, and just basically making our own entertainment wherever we go.

Jeff

First of all, I own my own technology consulting firm, and to be perfectly honest, I love my job‚ not only because I enjoy what I do, but also because I can work almost exclusively from home. Kids going to a friend’s or the park, to play? l help load them into the car or stroller. Mommy has an appointment? I keep an eye on the kids. Someone’s sad and wants Daddy? I pop downstairs for a hug. It’s a wonderful way to live, and I hope I never have to give it up.

The family I grew up in doesn’t live nearby, but I keep in touch with them via phone and e-mail, so I rarely go more than a few days without talking to Mom, Dad, or my sister. The kids love to videochat with Grandma and Pop, and being the crazy grandparents that they are, they usually make the 1,600-mile round trip, about 5-6 times per year‚ perhaps more, now that they’re both retired.

When I’m not at work or church, most of my spare time is spent with my family‚ Anna, the kids, my in-laws, etc.‚ but when I get that rare chance to have some time to myself, I usually do a little web surfing, watch some TV, or lie down and enjoy a good book. (My favorite fictional author is Douglas Adams, but I’ll read just about anything that’s lying around.)

Anna

While it is the most challenging job I’ve ever had, I feel very blessed to be able to stay at home with our children. I treasure being there for all of their imaginative play (and it’s fun to join in with them, too!). I enjoy seeing them learn and grow. I am rich in hugs, kisses, and snuggles.

When I get a quiet moment, I like to spend a little time developing my hobbies and interests. I enjoy reading, so I usually have at least one book on my nightstand at a time, and I participate regularly in a book group. I also enjoy trying new recipes and spend a fair amount of my free time browsing recipe databases and websites. I am a member of a couple of "mommy" websites and enjoy posting and blogging there. One of my favorite activities is working out. I like to walk, run, bike, and hike. I recently completed my first 5K. Though I don’t consider myself a crafty person, I do try crafts from time to time. I have found a few I enjoy and am actually pretty good at including jewelry making and making felt hair clips for our daughter.

We spend a lot of time with my parents and siblings. Many of them live nearby, and we get together at least every other Sunday for dinner. My sister is really my best friend. We talk or instant message on an almost-daily basis. Our children play together a lot, especially when we trade baby-sitting for date nights and other appointments. Our families have been there for us through all of our triumphs and struggles, and we feel blessed and proud to belong to such wonderful people.

Leah

Leah has always been an interesting mix of independence and love. She likes to do her own thing‚ especially if she can get her brother to do it, with her‚ but she’s so sensitive to others’ feelings: “Why are you sad?” “Why are you happy?” “May I hug you?” etc.. She really is an incredibly sweet little girl, and we’re just as incredibly blessed to be her parents.
Leah loves to run, dance, sing, and watch Dora the Explorer; and she especially loves being a big sister to her favorite little guy in the world. Leah is currently interested in anything and everything to do with princesses. She regularly holds pretend princess parties and something she invented called “dance outs.”

Through adopting Leah, we developed a deep love and respect for her birthparents. We love to see how proud they are of her. We love sharing stories about how her talents are developing. We love how happy they are with how she is doing. We love that they love her. We love that they love us! We truly feel we gained more than a daughter when we adopted Leah; we gained an entirely new branch of our family, and our lives have been enriched by this blessing.

David

David is an incredibly sensitive little boy, always hugging and kissing and thanking everyone around. He seems to have inherited Leah’s love of singing, though we’re a pretty musical family to begin with. He also enjoys running, jumping, and climbing. While at play, he is quite active and is all boy. When it’s time to settle down for a quiet moment, though, David shows more of his sensitive side and is quite happy to snuggle with the closest family member.

David’s current passion is a Lego set that his aunt got him, for his birthday. Whenever he’s not running around and/or getting into things, we know to take a peek in the toy room, where he’ll be stacking them up, building a house or‚ more likely‚ a tower (or "towee," as he says it).

As Mommy and Daddy, our children are the center of our lives and we can’t imagine anything more wonderful than having them with us forever. We love watching them learn and grow: reading to them, playing with them, making their favorite meals, tucking them in at night; all this and more make for a life so beautiful that we sometimes can’t imagine what we’ve done to be so blessed. Yet at the same time, there’s a special place in our hearts just waiting to be filled by a another special little boy or girl.

We hope this letter has been helpful in getting to know us a little better. Again, we wish you peace and comfort as you plan for your future and the future of your child.

Sincerely,

Jeff and Anna

Bedtime Routine

David has fallen into a fairly predictable bedtime routine, as of late. After Mommy and Leah have departed for Leah’s room, he gets into bed, generally asks Daddy to read him a story, and then requests that Daddy sing Soon It’s Gonna Rain/Rain, Rain Go Away; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; and Rock-a-Bye David (the last being Daddy’s take on the old classic)—not necessarily in that order, nor necessarily once each.

Tonight, after all seemed to be quiet, David started calling for Mommy. Knowing full well that Mommy is a pushover and would probably wind up placing David in Mommy & Daddy’s bed (his favorite place to sleep), Daddy responded first and eventually allowed Mommy to join him. Together, we were able to convince him that he needed to stay in his own bed, then sang him the first verse of I Am a Child of God and prepared to leave. Daddy, knowing what was coming, brought up the rear.

As expected, David requested that Daddy sing another song—specifically, Rain, Rain Go Away—before I left, which led to the following conversation:

Daddy: “I will do that, but when I’m done, I’ve got to leave and you’ll have to go to sleep. Okay?”

David: [silence]

Daddy: “David, is that okay?”

David: [silence]

Daddy: “Well, okay then; I guess I’ll just have to leave, right now.”

David: “It’s okay, Daddy!”

So I sang, just as he requested. (I actually think I’m teaching myself some good techniques, getting my diaphragm going, etc., but I digress.) And just as I got to the final syllable—…way—David talked over it. His observation?

David: “Get out, Daddy.”

What a little dork. ;-)

Big Talkers

Man, it’s been ages since I posted anything to the blog! I was really backed up at work for a while—several clients (and even project managers!) vying for my time, thus giving me a lot of much-needed overtime—and then of course we had the holidays. It’s been crazy, but I’m trying to get back on the horse, so to speak.

The title of this entry actually applies to both of my beautiful children, who have each been improving their conversation skills in leaps and bounds! Leah, for example, has begun speaking in complete sentences—e.g. “Is Mommy coming?” instead of “Mommy come?”—and has mastered the concept of maybe, e.g. Daddy responds to her request for an apple with, “We don’t have any apples, Sweetie,” and Leah responds, “Maybe an orange?” She’s also begun saying stuff like “Great idea, Daddy!” She’s such a sweetie!

David, for his part, is mostly working with single words, but he’s quite the little repeater, too. He knows Mama, Dada, Amen, baba (bottle), wawa (water, which he first said immediately after taking the Sacrament, yesterday), mo! (more), and this morning I swear he said “Dowstay!” as we were about to go downstairs. (Granted, we’d been talking about going downstairs, so it could have just been repetition, but still…!)

Anyway, the kids are just getting cuter and cuter, these days, so I’ll hopefully be making the time to blog, more often. I really want to have a record of this for us, if nothing else. (Not that you, dear reader, are chopped liver.) ☺

Happy Hallowe’en!

Last night, of course, was David’s first Hallowe’en. Mawmaw found him this cute little Spider-Man costume at Goodwill and fell in love with it, while Leah’s Little Red Riding Hood is a hand-me down from her cousin Norah. Both of them looked great, though.

We started off by taking them up and down the block, visiting maybe six or seven houses in one direction and two or three in the other. Of course, since many of the other parents were doing the same thing, quite a few houses were empty. (One kid even told us to come back later, that his parents weren’t giving out candy yet!) The reason for this brevity was simple, though: our Church had a tri-ward “trunk-or-treat” for the kids and scheduled it right on Hallowe’en night (unlike most ward we’ve been in, which schedule it on, say, the Friday before Hallowe’en so that kids can still trick-or-treat on Hallowe’en itself—a practice we greatly prefer, since it gives us a chance to meet more of our neighbors).