Thursday, March 29, 2007

"He who sings thinks no evil" (Bulgarian saying)

This video may be much more entertaining to just a handful of Bulgarian relatives and friends, but it still may have some entertainment value to those who enjoy chaotic choreography and moderately-to-severely off-key singing of children's songs in strange tongues.
The kids do a much better rendition of the song when strapped into their carseats on the way home, and trying to get them organized in the kitchen with too many food and beverage distractions (plus the odd band-aid that has become a nightly object of fascination) was a task doomed to fail. In any case, enjoy!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Rain, Golden Pyramids and Puppets

"It's raining, it's pouring, everything is boring!" I'm sure that this is what goes through the kids' heads on a day like that. Everything that on a sunny day is acceptable, on a rainy day becomes completely unplayable with, so that by 9:43am we cannot hope for any more play out of the 127 toys lining the living room floor.

However, I had a plan. We were going to do crafts. Super crafts, really: we were going to make the Golden Pyramid, as seen in the Little Einstein's episode "The Legend of the Golden Pyramid". Materials: cardboard, ruler, pencil, gold laminating paper, scotch tape. Skills: a bit of architectural knowledge, ability to use scissors. Assumed play time: 25 minutes. Kids' attention span for project: 9.5 minutes.

10:17am: exciting project done. Still raining! Now what???? Justine showed extreme interest in repeatedly sitting on the potty and demanding "privacy!" During said privacy time I was able to regroup and pull out two mismatched socks: sock puppets!! Hurray!



Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Choo choo..or is it Vroom vroom?








I think it's supposed to be a train, but it could be a truck....


Where does one store such art projects? Clearly, in the kids' cubbies in daycare until the cubbies are overflowing with other art projects, and then we MUST take them home. A failure as an art curator, with nowhere imaginative to display these objects, I took a picture. So, choo choo or vroom vroom?

Monday, March 19, 2007

Justine's Developmental Appointment


Today was Justine's turn to go to the Developmental Clinic. The time change has thrown our schedule in disarray, with the kids nowhere ready to go to bed at 8:30, nor at 9 pm for that matter, and, thus, nowhere near ready to get up on time in the morning. Long story short: we were a bit late, which embarrasses me deeply, but such is life, at least during Daylight Savings Time. So we were fashionably late, and oh-so fashionable, as Justine (and Vasco) are into wearing hats these past two days (see picture). Justine was in full super-cute mode, and was eager to shout out the names of all the pictures, colors, shapes and animals before the lady who was testing her could even ask her the questions! I was so proud of her! A few choice answers:

Examiner: "Justine, are you a girl or a boy?"

Justine (grinning under her hat): "Girl!"

Examiner: "When you grow up are you going to be a mommy or a daddy"

Justine (laughing like this one was way too easy): "DADDY!"

Examiner: "When you grow up are you going to be a woman or a man?"

Justine: "No man!!! Wooooman!!!"


This one probably went way over the head of the examiner, but Justine was also given a little bunny figurine to use to put on top of a cup, in a cup, under a cup, behind a cup, etc, to show, I suppose that she could understand a number of prepositions. After enthusiastically doing as asked, she said "Mommy, zayatz!! (Заяц, or bunny in Russian) in reference to an old Russian cartoon that my aunt taped for the kids when we went to Bulgaria in September. The examiner must have thought I was a slight bit cooky for laughing so hard.


I fully expect the report to arrive in the mail with some choice adjective describing her cuteness. All her medical reports do. The recent one from the pulmonary clinic diagnoses Justine as "adorable": I think that is the precise medical term.



Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Here it goes...




Okay, we are trying to enter the modern world of blogging, and will try to use this instead of the other website. If I can figure out how to move the content of that webpage here, that would be nice.. but let's not be toooo ambitious today: I'm just starting!

It's been a long while, and there is probably much to update, but here are some recent updates. Vasco was discharged from the Developmental Clinic this Monday, as he did fantastically during his latest appointment: he even did things I had no idea he knew, like pick out the one shape in a pattern that didn't match the rest (upside down triangle, sideways square), and judge who had more blocks. "Chatterbug", as he is nicknamed in daycare, is super smart. We've taught him to say "I want to go to Harvard" (heeee heeee, I can't wait to get my "Harvard Mom" sweatshirt).

Their current most favorite books are by Dr. Seuss, which they practically know by heart, ("Big F, little F, what begins with F: four fluffy feathers on a Fiffer-feffer feff"!!! can't believe they can actually pronounce that!) and a random book that we got from the doctor's office when we went for Vasco's developmental appointment, called "Oops sorry", and is a book about manners. Their favorite page is the one where the baby ... well, it's described as making "rude noises" :)


Oh, yes, and there is Winnie the Pooh, and Piglet (which both kids pronounce "Piglick" which makes us laugh every time!), and Tigger, and Kanga, and Roo! The newest favoritist friends. This morning we marched to the daycare from the car, through the hallways, singing "Hey ho! For the life of the Bear, Hey Ho! for the expedition" (which of course, is the expedition song from the movie). And if this wasn't entertaining enough to picture, picture this as part of our "parade": Justine is carrying a teddy bear in a bridal outfit (not too bad), and Vasco is carrying a purple bouncy ball, a Spiderman doll, and... Spiderman underwear (yes, not on his bum, but in his hands).


Good night to all!