I finished the long haul of traveling hours away from home, spending hours working and then flying home in the shaky 10-year old sedan to a child tired, but adamant of staying awake until Dad reads one book and sings one song. I love it!!
Raina has just found like I did when my father was not around -- that I hate it when I can't see my father because of the busyness of life. And, sure enough, I agree even if it's me that's being busy. It is too much to sacrifice one more moment with your kid. Work schmerk, ok! Kids are kids and they matter the most. Raina does to me.
Tiffany had to watch her all day and that's a feat within itself. I can not say that my work was at all challenging compared to handling a child with a weird sleeping schedule and an insatiable thirst for "JOOCE," as Raina calls it. Old, familiar seem to ring fresh, true, honest and fun coming from the mouths of our children. You know. You probably know what I mean.
So I finished singing her a song...I started to type this blog and then she starts calling in a loud voice. Well, guess what she wants? That's right -- JOOCE! And, sure enough Dad brings in a little something to whet the pallet and calm the senses for a long ride to a quiet, calm, relaxed kiddom of sleeping. All in a day's work. And, I smirk and say to myself, "Good job, Dad!"
09 February 2008
17 January 2008
Working Together
Last year when I was making the one-hour trips up to the college, to coach the track and field squad, I had not thought to bring Raina with me to the college much and have someone watch her while I was working.
This past Wednesday we both took the road up to the college and she loved hanging out with Veronica, a new mom with a half-year old daughter. Raina likes younger kids, especially girls and had a great time going for a walk with them and playing on the swing set near their apartment on the college campus.
Raina did not accompany me at all to practice, but she's having such a wonderful time with Mom and Dad. She's learning lots at Montessori school and has a real love of geography. She has learned some of the states and is especially proud to point out that she lives in "Missouri" every time that they bring out the United States puzzle at school. The director of the school has a story for me usually when I drop or pick up Raina at school.
Tiffany and I are both impressed with the work of the school and I am pleased with the outcome of this natural decision to keep her in the bilingual school, even though Principia would have been free. Her rate of learning and growth, and natural desire to expand her horizons to more things attests to the spiritual growth undertaken in the years that we've been parents to her.
My dad and mom have been gracious in helping us with Raina's school tuition and we're so grateful. Thanks Pa and Ma! Stay posted for new pics on flickr.com.
This past Wednesday we both took the road up to the college and she loved hanging out with Veronica, a new mom with a half-year old daughter. Raina likes younger kids, especially girls and had a great time going for a walk with them and playing on the swing set near their apartment on the college campus.
Raina did not accompany me at all to practice, but she's having such a wonderful time with Mom and Dad. She's learning lots at Montessori school and has a real love of geography. She has learned some of the states and is especially proud to point out that she lives in "Missouri" every time that they bring out the United States puzzle at school. The director of the school has a story for me usually when I drop or pick up Raina at school.
Tiffany and I are both impressed with the work of the school and I am pleased with the outcome of this natural decision to keep her in the bilingual school, even though Principia would have been free. Her rate of learning and growth, and natural desire to expand her horizons to more things attests to the spiritual growth undertaken in the years that we've been parents to her.
My dad and mom have been gracious in helping us with Raina's school tuition and we're so grateful. Thanks Pa and Ma! Stay posted for new pics on flickr.com.
06 January 2008
First Day of Sunday School, and more
Today, it felt like springtime had arrived as the three of us stepped outside on the steps of Valley Park church. It was a sunny day, with scattered clouds and the warmest weather that I've ever felt in January at the start of the day.
In her first day of Sunday School, Raina learned the synonyms for God. Her teacher is a close family friend of mine. She adores Raina, and Raina loves other children. Her two older boys give Raina chase much of the time when she goes to visit or sleepover at their home. They have a chinchilla, a dog, a cat and I think a bird as well. To say the least, Raina has just about everything she could ever want at their house, I still don't know why she would ever want to come back to us...oh, yeah, MOM!
At night, we're focusing more and more on the spiritual sense of rest by praying with Raina before she closes her eyes. It's a wonderful feeling teaching someone to know spiritual creation and working with them as you are also discovering and understanding more of it yourself.
So many times, people will say in somewhat of a question form that I'm learning from Raina and I am; leaning into our Father-Mother God for those parenting lessons and guidance.
As we baked our Pumpkin Pie this evening, I was struck (though not surprised) and enthralled by her initiative and eagerness to help me with the dishes, to roll the dough, to mix the batter, and multitask the different activities while listening to The Music Man DVD in the background. We can see the television across the bar counter from the kitchen. (We have a great apartment!) I'm glad that I have the ability to stay up with such an advancing young girl. She's going to be an impressive woman.
A child that shows greatness is not as blessed as the parent who gets to witness the blessing.
31 December 2007
Annabella Sophia
My little brother John Edward and his fiancee Gina Coletti just had a beautiful daughter on a beautiful Sunday in Boston. She was almost delivered in my brother's truck, and she weighs a whopping 7 pounds and 7 ounces.
Congratulations! I'll be sending in a nice bouquet of flowers for the family. And, my nephew Sean (their son born in 2006) will have a little sister to play with soon enough.
Congratulations! I'll be sending in a nice bouquet of flowers for the family. And, my nephew Sean (their son born in 2006) will have a little sister to play with soon enough.
27 December 2007
Absolutely Laughable
Raina had an expected ring at the backdoor yesterday, post-Christmas. It was a bag with a box loosely wrapped in Christmas gift-wrapping as though some toddler had done it...or was it just someone who had undone the wrapping?
The blue bag with the blue wrapping paper seemed at once inviting. So, rather than unwrap it for Raina, I let her have a go and what was inside made her eyes sparkle like brown diamonds reflecting sunlight in water. It was a Laughtop. Even I was intrigued and so was Tiffany. So, I quickly took out my pliers and began ripping the plastic ties and cardboard covering off of the toddler-sized computer. It's a toy but small enough for Raina to tote in a backpack, or just carry with one little puggy hand.
It was about two minutes when Raina learned she had a video game console, or something like it, at her fingertips. I remember when my brother John and I had our first Nintendo game console. It was a 16-bit graphic supported game system, and not a BIT less exciting. We played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from sun-up to sundown. We were for a long time addicted until we had families, and our fake fantasy came crashing down around us. But, now I can pass along the fiendishly bad habit of starving the brain of really good education and leaving it the ravenous dogs of wasted time and idle hand and eye movement of videogaming combat.
JUST KIDDING!
Raina's Laughtop has four different sections of games all devoted to phonetic learning, but it would be a shame to allow her to fall prey to using it as soon as she wakes up, or right before she goes to sleep.
Technology isn't bad, it just should not drive the motive of living and be the focus of learning. She's still has much to learn, and from my lessons I can nip that wasted time to just 30 minutes per day. She loves the Laughtop because it's laughable!
The blue bag with the blue wrapping paper seemed at once inviting. So, rather than unwrap it for Raina, I let her have a go and what was inside made her eyes sparkle like brown diamonds reflecting sunlight in water. It was a Laughtop. Even I was intrigued and so was Tiffany. So, I quickly took out my pliers and began ripping the plastic ties and cardboard covering off of the toddler-sized computer. It's a toy but small enough for Raina to tote in a backpack, or just carry with one little puggy hand.
It was about two minutes when Raina learned she had a video game console, or something like it, at her fingertips. I remember when my brother John and I had our first Nintendo game console. It was a 16-bit graphic supported game system, and not a BIT less exciting. We played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from sun-up to sundown. We were for a long time addicted until we had families, and our fake fantasy came crashing down around us. But, now I can pass along the fiendishly bad habit of starving the brain of really good education and leaving it the ravenous dogs of wasted time and idle hand and eye movement of videogaming combat.
JUST KIDDING!
Raina's Laughtop has four different sections of games all devoted to phonetic learning, but it would be a shame to allow her to fall prey to using it as soon as she wakes up, or right before she goes to sleep.
Technology isn't bad, it just should not drive the motive of living and be the focus of learning. She's still has much to learn, and from my lessons I can nip that wasted time to just 30 minutes per day. She loves the Laughtop because it's laughable!
26 December 2007
The Two Parkers
Okay, so we're riding in the car. I'm sitting front passenger while Tiffany is driving, and for some reason we bring up the fact that Raina happens to be close two people with the same name: Parker.
I slowly (and carefully) explain to Raina that she knows to Parkers, to which she immediately says: "No, I don't!" When you hear Raina negate your arguments or any statements, valid or not, it is just the most hilarious time to have.
Let me get back to the story. We're riding along in the car coming from St. Louis city, and Tiffany and I are almost pleading to Raina that her grandfather Poppi's name is also Parker. In adddition to this, her closest friend is named Parker as well. The big difference is their age. So, we characterize them as "Little Parker" and "Big Parker."
Raina gathers the most stern, serious, stiff face that she has mustered in sheer dismay. She looks to the front of the car almost zoning out and she then says: "Is this a joke?"
To say the least, Tiffany and I were completely blown away by this statement. Tiffany said, and looked to me, "I didn't know she knew that phrase. Where did she learn that?" At a completel loss, I just stupidly shrug my shoulders, but we both decide the best expression of surprise is our laughter. We tell the story now as a nice dinner conversation or in passing with friends whom we visit, and Raina is there with us to back up the facts. She can recite her lines verbatim, she is good with words!
I slowly (and carefully) explain to Raina that she knows to Parkers, to which she immediately says: "No, I don't!" When you hear Raina negate your arguments or any statements, valid or not, it is just the most hilarious time to have.
Let me get back to the story. We're riding along in the car coming from St. Louis city, and Tiffany and I are almost pleading to Raina that her grandfather Poppi's name is also Parker. In adddition to this, her closest friend is named Parker as well. The big difference is their age. So, we characterize them as "Little Parker" and "Big Parker."
Raina gathers the most stern, serious, stiff face that she has mustered in sheer dismay. She looks to the front of the car almost zoning out and she then says: "Is this a joke?"
To say the least, Tiffany and I were completely blown away by this statement. Tiffany said, and looked to me, "I didn't know she knew that phrase. Where did she learn that?" At a completel loss, I just stupidly shrug my shoulders, but we both decide the best expression of surprise is our laughter. We tell the story now as a nice dinner conversation or in passing with friends whom we visit, and Raina is there with us to back up the facts. She can recite her lines verbatim, she is good with words!
23 December 2007
Is Raina an Astronaut?!
I remember the first three days of snowfall this month, about 8 days ago. She was dressed in her "Stay Puffed Marshallow"man suit. It's purple. A suit of chunked-up overall pants with a heart-shaped pocket front and center, and with a matching hooded winter coat. She's so adorable in that thing. All we'd need would be a circular, glass helmet and a silver backpack with purple boots. I guess we'll have to settle for the pink, Dora the Explorer boots (thanks Aria McMullin!).
She loved sledding down on the soft, powdery white snow on the borrowed sleds from the dorm closet. When Tiffany had been catching up on her sleep from the 60-70 hour workweeks of the 17-week fall semester, Raina and I would steal away to sled in the mornings on the small hill facing toward the soccer fields. At the point of the end of sliding down, Raina would purposely fall off the sled and roll around pretending to have lost control, only to quickly regain her true confidence and get up and grab the sled for another go-round. Or, is it "go-down?"
Speaking of great things and encouraging astronautical feats. Ever since, we learned of my parents plans to visit us at Christmas, Tiffany and Raina have been counting down the days until Barbara and Larry arrive. It's something that both constantly take much delight. They have been steadfast in remembering to count down each day, everyday until today, Sunday, December 23.
Only about three hours left until lift-off. Three, two, one.... FUN!!
She loved sledding down on the soft, powdery white snow on the borrowed sleds from the dorm closet. When Tiffany had been catching up on her sleep from the 60-70 hour workweeks of the 17-week fall semester, Raina and I would steal away to sled in the mornings on the small hill facing toward the soccer fields. At the point of the end of sliding down, Raina would purposely fall off the sled and roll around pretending to have lost control, only to quickly regain her true confidence and get up and grab the sled for another go-round. Or, is it "go-down?"
Speaking of great things and encouraging astronautical feats. Ever since, we learned of my parents plans to visit us at Christmas, Tiffany and Raina have been counting down the days until Barbara and Larry arrive. It's something that both constantly take much delight. They have been steadfast in remembering to count down each day, everyday until today, Sunday, December 23.
Only about three hours left until lift-off. Three, two, one.... FUN!!
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