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Week 163: Pine Cones, St. Patty's, and Bouncie Things March 12, 2007
Spring is finally here, slipping in like a latecomer to the party, already tipsy and all like "Hey, guys, what's up? You all look totally cold." This, coupled with daylight saving time, has meant that we can go outside, an activity that Sam is almost spastically excited about. I took her out to the back yard last night and discovered something new: Sam has an almost compulsive need to gather pine cones and place them in neat little piles that she called "pine cone families." While I stood and watched, she zipped around the back yard, gathering up the prickly treasures and finding homes for each batch.
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Then, all the pine cones relocated to their homes like little displaced refuges, she moved on to pine needles. She gathered dead, brown needles from the ground and she yanked a few bunches of green ones off the trees. These she also started to arrange into little families and even schools, but when I suggested that maybe some of the brown needles should intermingle with the green ones, Sam got very vexed and insisted that NO, there would be NO CROSS CLASS MIXING OF THE PINE NEEDLES. The green and brown needles would stay in their separate but equal homes and schools. I like to think that this kind of thing has more to do with a developmental drive to organize, sort and classify things and less to do with any kind of pine needle apartheid. I mean, she's never even seen a green man.
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And speaking of developmental drives, Geralyn took Sam to some kind of assessment center the other week and brought back an interesting report card. I was dubious about the whole concept at first, perhaps fearing that Sam would come back with disheartening results like "Criminal" or "Future Bathroom Attendant" or "I Can't Understand What the Hell This Kid is Saying." But that turns out not to be the case. As far as I can tell, the assessment consisted of an examiner with a clipboard sitting down with Sam and issuing a series of commands cleverly disguised as play activities. So we found out that Sam has trouble hopping on one foot and enunciating her "S" sounds, but she excels in tasks like recognizing letters or numbers and following three-step directions. For me, this is invaluable information, has it has already allowed me to significantly narrow down her graduate school applications. Basically, her chances at a hopscotch scholarship are shot.
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Mandy, on the other hand, seems primed to get by on her charming personality if nothing else. This is the most smile-prone baby I've ever seen, and I've seen several. Basically all you have to do is get close enough to her for her to see you, and her little mug will erupt in an ear to ear, chin to brow smile like she's just heard the funniest joke ever and you'd totally bust a gut too if she could only let you in on it. I'd try to capture these moments on film, but apparently things get a lot less funny when the human face in her field of vision is swapped out for the black, unblinking hole of a SLR camera lens. Drop the lens, smiles come back. Raise the lens, smiles go away. If I didn't know better, I'd think she's doing it on purpose.
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Finally, you may have noticed that there is much St. Patrick's Day merriment going on in the photos this week. With a name like "Madigan" I feel it's my right to dress my kids up, though I promise you that even on St. Pattie's Day I'd never give them anything heavier than a nice, light pilsner. Fortunately, Geralyn would never give them anything more than a mug of apple juice.
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We also went to a kind of madhouse disguised as a family friendly celebration at our church, where I ate something that looked like boiled shoe served with soggy yard clippings, and where Sam insisted on getting into a giant, inflatable obstacle course they had set up in the parking lot. She went in, and then I pretty much lost track of her for fifteen minutes. I could hear what sounded like a dozen or so kids bouncing around in there and I occasionally caught a glimpse of a cow-licked head of hair popping up over the inflated vinyl wall, but that was it. I was just about to move all my hopes and aspirations fully on to Mandy when Sam came bounding out of the exit, giggling and grinning. She wanted to go in again, but by that point they had started to break down the contraption and judging by the toddler-sized lumps moving around under the collapsing plastic I didn't think that was such a great idea.
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Parenting
Tags: Amanda, Samantha, St. Patrick's Day
Comments
Posted by shawn on March 13, 2007 7:25 AM:
I hope Sam is not drinking and driving that wagon! Great photos this week! It looks like Sam had a great time at the carnival. We're looking forward to our first St. Pat's day so close to the motherland.
Posted by Techsplorer on March 13, 2007 8:15 AM:
Jamie: this comment is about nothing so much as to say how much I enjoy reading your blog.
As a stay-at-home dad for the last six plus years, your observations on parenting and your children's development are a joy to take in. It always amazes me how well you write and how in touch you are with your thoughts.
Please keep up the good work.
Posted by Techsplorer on March 13, 2007 8:17 AM:
Follow-up: I meant to say "As I have been a stay-at-home dad . . . "
Posted by Jamie on March 13, 2007 9:55 AM:
Thanks! :) I have fun writing the entries and taking/processing the photos.
Posted by mandy on March 13, 2007 1:20 PM:
Great blog, love your photography, do you have a 350D, if so SNAP!!
Posted by Jamie on March 13, 2007 2:00 PM:
Yep, been shooting with the Rebel XT 350D for a little over a year. My first SLR.
Posted by bethany on March 13, 2007 6:39 PM:
Your kids are so stinkin' cute! And I must say, Jamie, you rock the unshaven look.
Posted by Jamie on March 14, 2007 10:46 AM:
We call that the scruffy look. Sometimes I just stick my chin out and chase Geralyn around the house with it. She hates that.
Posted by Todd on March 14, 2007 2:43 PM:
That first pic of Sam with the hat is great! I can feel the attitude through the monitor :)
I think you should definitely be going for the pencil-thin mustache in the near future. I'm sure Ger would love that!
Posted by Dariana on March 16, 2007 8:48 AM:
Wonderful captures. The kids are too cute!