Little Man

Little Man, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

When I wish upon a star....

"This is the first wish I wished when I was standing here in front of the mirror and my eyelid fell off, so I wish on my star, uh, my eyelid and what I want is a pony. "

Ella 3:04 pm

Barbie from Hell

Barbie is an insipid woman I would not be friends with if she walked out of the playhouse. I was so sad when Ella met her at the DISNEY princess birthday party she went to last week. Don't forget to say "disney", the little girls said. I was so happy when E wanted to wear her real dress up dress instead of the one DISNEY princess get up that she received for her birthday. I did tuck it in a little bag in case she wanted it later when she saw that all the other little girls had tattooed DISNEY across their foreheads.

So, she cried these big tears and wondered why she didn't have an Ariel Barbie. She hasn't mentioned it since, and I have found that their are many similar dolls for pretend play without the big boobies and the oddly shaped feet.

For the record, I like princesses. I like dolls. I just don't like Barbie. Did a Barbie ever climb Mt St Helens in a jogging stroller? Did a Barbie ever stand under the world's largest Sitka spruce tree? And did she ever see twin baby Grizzley Bears or drive across the whole United States at the age of two without a single potty accident? Well. Ella did, and hopefully her adventures will be even more exciting than any trip to the Dreamhouse could ever be.

Ok, it is Halloween, and I have but one true goal. No vomitting.

Back to the Burg

We are back after a long weekend in Richmond. (And J in Kansas City) I visited the Gallos, the girlie half of the Todds, and Cait and the handy and handsome Allen. I talked so much that day that my throat hurt. Ella climbed trees, hauled gravel, baked cookies and ate mussels at her Grandmarie's house. She played a lot of "store" and worked on her alphabet, and then she got her first earache.

I feel rested but have so much to do here that I just want to crawl back in bed with the still sleeping baby. J took E to school this morning, but he'll be back in an hour and need a ride to work.

Good friends

Good friends, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Bedtime

Bedtime, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Holding On

Kansas City

John is off and flying. I took him to Roanoke this morning to head out to a planning conference in Kansas City until sunday. Late last night our house started to systematically break down, starting with the phone. It was sort of spooky. We didn't have heat or hot water, and the lights were doing a sort of brown out. The dryer ran, but not the timer or the heating element. Now, imagine my last minute packer doing load after load of laundry. At eleven he snuck into an apartment laundry room near his office to finish drying the clothes he had to take to the conference. Did I mention that the stove wasn't working. We changed all the fuses to no avail and pressed the restart button on the furnace. Nothing. John took a bath this morning in a bowl of water he heated in the microwave. I slept with both kids, one on each side, to keep them warm. We had microwave oatmeal for breakfast, and hopefully Ella didn't tell her class that we didn't have basic utilities. Things were up and running by the time I got back from Roanoke. I must mention that John threw up in the car while driving. Hopefully all the bad juju has realligned itself elsewhere and we can have a good weekend. The only thing keeping me in Blacksburg is Sophie's forth birthday party at four this afternoon. It is a "drop off party"---I can leave her for two hours. Her folks seem like good people, and I'm sure they just don't want a bunch of parents around to feed and entertain, but I've never left her at a friend's house. We are packing up and heading to Richmond tomorrow, but for now the heat is pumping like it didn't cost 2 dollars and eighty cents a gallon and all is well.

Do sweatervests run in the family?

PA220049, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Girl in the Bubble

Girl in the Bubble, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Growing and Growing

PA220027, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

sister and brother

sister and brother, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Swinging and Sleeping

Swinging and Sleeping, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

I finally took a few pictures today with my new camera, so I feel like I have my arm back. We are headed to Fredricksburg until sunday for John's twentieth high school reunion.

Here's a thought!

http://realtor.com/Prop/1048981196

or...http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1052002806 .

This is about twenty minutes away in Radford.

Oh mercy, I'm covered in spiders

Oh mercy, I'm covered in spiders, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

These are from last year--what a wild ride from three to four. My new camera is ready to take pictures today. This year Ella is going to be a fairy for Halloween and John is going to be a bee.

Spider Hands

Spider Hands, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Sixteen Pounds, 5 oz

John had his second visit to Dr. Tsui today. I couldn't believe that he was sixteen pounds, 5 oz and 25 inches long. He got his four shots but calmed down quickly and didn't seem to hold a grudge. I can tell his legs are hurting this afternoon, and I'm about to go out for the baby Tylenol. He is crying almost all the time that he is awake.

Fall Weekend

Saturday was a downtown day--the Farmer's Market and then lunch at Gillies. I walked to the library while E ran up and down a hill and checked out the jazz show. The wind was really blowing so we dropped by the house to get our kite and went to the playground. We headed back home again, and the baby went with me to the Asian market and the grocery store.

On sunday we went to Sinkland Farm to the pumpkin festival. It was chilly and clear, and Ella didn't want to leave. She and J did the corn maze--and she understood the concept and her map. She rode a little four year old brown pony named little B and petted sheep, goats, baby pigs, a horse, and a bull with wide horns and a ring in his nose. It was absolute agony to be in a pumpkin patch with two kids and no camera. Back at home we planted chrysanthemums and built a scarecrow lady in a fifties housedress with a pumpkin head. Ella was asleep by seven thirty.

Show and Tell is on Friday

We forgot to take a show and tell to school today. When I picked up E her teacher told me about Ella's decision that she could "tell" instead of "show". She went to the front and said, "My mama wanted to buy a house in this neighborhood, but the man told her she didn't have enough money."

Day of the Week Underpants

In general I know what day it is because Ella goes to preschool on monday, wednesday, and friday. Somehow, I thought today was wednesday until Ella requested her day of the week underpants and I saw friday, saturday, and sunday in the underpants drawer. Oh....it is friday.

motherhood

I had one of those motherhood moments today. Ella was determined to eat a raw brussel sprout even though I had told her not too. She ran out of the room and then ran back with a panicked look on her face. She threw up into my hands.

cameras, heating oil, and glitter removal

These are my domestic tasks today. I bought a digital camera a few minutes ago, the Canon SD 300 Elph, after reading days worth of reviews. I had a lengthy flirtation with the Nikon Coolpix, but I read in one review that it was mediocre for baby pictures. I was always so happy with the SD 100 until it's untimely death, so hopefully they have really corrected the lense glitch. It has 4 megapixels, and although everyone seems to be up to about 6MP for the family snapshots, I was always happy with 3.2. I saw a scary picture of every pore on my face recently taken on a 6 mp camera.

In the afterglow of Ella's birthday party, much of the house is covered in glitter. She secretly opened a small bag of fairy dust and sprinkled her room "for good luck". There is even glitter stuck to the baby's head, and I found some glittery bread on top of the fridge. She has continued some of the art projects from the party here at home, and has added glitter and sequins to her fairy wings.


OK, the heating oil is ordered. Hopefully everyone in the family is ready for wearing socks 24/7 because I'm counting on six hundred dollars worth of oil to last until february. Ella is ready with the footie pajamas, and strangely enough she is seldom cold.

My throat is killing me and my fingers are aching. I'd do just about anything for Ella to take a nap.

fairy games

fairy games, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Baby John's favorite paci

Baby John's favorite paci, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

birthday fairy

birthday fairy, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

birthday wings

birthday wings, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

ella and daddy at the birthday party

ella and daddy at the birthday party, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Lady Elaine, Lady Elaine

Ella's birthday party was a big success. I took three rolls of film, but, alas, no digital. All the fairies seemed to have a wonderful time. J's puppet show was a the hit of the party, and all the kids got to line up and have their moment on stage. I'll write more about the party later when I can add some photos.

The Glade Road saga ended this morning. The guy was willing to go for our offer, but only if we wanted to close soon. We wanted something in the New Year, so we had to let it go.

Rejection

Our first offer on a house was rejected instantly. Tomorrow is another day, and we have a new offer!

Photo Courtesy of the Palm Pilot...weep for the Elph

Glade Road House..with Ella, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

This is the house that is withing walking distance of Ella's school, John's work, the grocery store, coffeshop, etc. Click this picture to see the interior. It has a big deck out back and a big fenced in yard.

Morning

Morning, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

This may be my last photo for a few days. Now the screen says E 25. I think that means "Gothcha".

Sleepy day

Sleepy day, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Just camera testing for the most part. Ella had her first phone call from a friend at school tonight. She was so excited. "Sha Sha called me. With the telephone." He was saying that he would come to her birthday party, and she was telling him to check his mailbox because she had mailed him an invitation.

Whacked It

Googling E18 led to hours of reading about the Canon problem. Finally I saw a link that said I FIXED IT and read that this guy was about to toss the camera when he read to turn it on and whack it two times with your palm next to the USB port. It worked for him. It worked for me. I won't trust this camera on a vacation or special event without a backup, but we are back in the baby picture business for now.

Digital Recommendations

Please recommend a new digital camera. I would like it to have SD memory since I have a nice big card. Comment here please. How often do these things die? The Elph was in its third year.

Canon Self Destruct Mode E18

Digital death has struck. I feel like I lost my arm. All the troubleshooting ideas are not working. The camera just goes beep, beep, beep, and the screen says E18. The lens is stuck in the open position. I read online that this is Canon's way of saying, "Do not pass go, pass us $150.00". How long can I live without a digital camera?

October Walk

We walked to town this morning to the Farmer's Market. It is a gorgeous day, only hot if you push a double stroller loaded with kids, vegetables, and library books. We bought apples, tomatoes, collards, and a tiny watermelon. Lunch as Gillie's was less Moosewood 1972 than usual, or perhaps we were just in the Moosewood 72 mood. I had the roasted tofu with vegetables. Ella had blueberry pancakes which rendered her speechless. While she was eating two huge pancakes she was talking about going to Bollo's to get a blueberry muffin. Didn't happen. J is off to school for a while and E is napping.

Things I love about preschool #2

I love it that there is a three year old boy who knows all the words to "Box of Rain".

I'm seven weeks old today

I'm seven weeks old today, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

does he know what he is in for?

does he know what he is in for?, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

smiley

smiley, originally uploaded by sbprovo. Click to flickr to see some more attempts at capturing the smile.

ready for school

ready for school, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Things I love about preschool

The kids walked in today to see a large lobster in the middle of the floor on a tray. He was alive, but still had the rubber bands on his large claws. He was just like the ones in the tank at Kroger that we visit religiously. They are studying the coral reef and it was great to have a real sea creature in the classroom to touch and talk about. When asked what she was going to do with him Sharry replied so matter-of-factly, "Jim is going to eat him for dinner". I love that sense of reality. He isn't going to be returned to his native habitat. He isn't going to live in a zoo. He isn't going to be bronzed and displayed in a museum. The kids seemed to take that answer with no fuss.

When we returned to the school to pick up ther kids Sharry was sitting in Circle Time with her legs out in front of her wearing her usual skirt and sweater ....with flippers, googles, and a snorkle.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Today is the last day of our weeklong "vacation" in VA. We were in Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Virginia Beach, and today we drove through Floyd to the parkway to visit Mabry's Mill. As it hasn't rained in months, we were completely unprepared for a whipping rainstorm. John was wearing a onesie and a flannel blanket. Ella was in a t-shirt with no raingear. Luckily, after ten minutes we got a break from the rain and walked around. Ella got a kick out of explaining the inner workings of the mill to me.

I started working on the invitations to Ella's Fairy birthday party, and we reserved the shelter at the park for that afternoon.

I think today is our one year anniversary in Blacksburg. Don't tell the state of Virginia, but we just got our Virginia driver's licenses this morning.

Lala

Lala, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

yorktown castle

yorktown castle, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

ella feet

ella feet, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

jungle golf

jungle golf, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

cabana boy

cabana boy, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

greenbean

greenbean, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

I just had my bath and I can barely stay awake.

greenbean

greenbean, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

I am six weeks old today!

And they are off!

We are headed to Williamsburg for a few days. E has never seen the ocean on this side of North America, so it is time for her to realize that all ocean water isn't freezing. Generally she wore jeans and a winter coat to the beach in Oregon. We are going kite flying in Yorktown and trying out our new double jogger on Duke of Gloucester street.

T-shirt

T-shirt, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Ella got a concert T-shirt at the Dan Zanes show this weekend!

13 and a half pounds today

Crib Mirror, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

John is growing fast. He has grown two inches since he was born and gained almost three pounds.

First show and tell

First show and tell, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

And she is off and running

Miss is E is going to see Dan Zane this weekend. www.festivalfive.com/ The show is at the National Geographic Auditorium in DC. Heike sent Ella an article from the post with a photograph of the band, and E was saying, "I'm going to see all those crazy guys and girls again." We'll be back on sunday night with pictures.

Why are we here?

This is not an existential question. We are here because the cat won't die. John won't find the humor in this, but he is the one on the 15th floor balcony overlooking the ocean right now. Popeye is not sitting on death's door, but her medication list makes her sound like a cat on Medicare. She has also started pooping on things, as if the box isn't bad enough. No, honey, I'm not mad at the cat, really. I'm just finding the humor in it.

We can leave the house for about two days. We just don't have a friend we could ask to come over twice a day and feed her wet food and four pills. There just aren't many of those kind of friends in the world, and in certainly takes years to nurture these kinds of friendships.

Out of the bath

Out of the bath, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Pagamatime

Pagamatime, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Early evening is his awake time, but he still falls asleep in the bath every night.

Five weeks old tonight!

Swinging, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Ella, Owen and Quinlan

Ella, Owen and Quinlan, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

The girls look like they are having a rough time, but Owen was hanging in there playing dolls. He loved holding little John and said, "I love this baby!"

Happy Hollow from Hell

We went to see the farmhouse in Craig Country, and it was like....Halloween. It really was twenty minutes from Blacksburg, which is wonderful. The views are beautiful, and sitting on the front porch would be a dream, but all the money in the world wouldn't be able to fix that house. Holes in the ceiling. Water on the floor. Hearing gunshots as we got out of the car didn't help. The owner had not been watching any HGTV shows on how to sell your house. The giant dog poops in the yard don't help or the dog smell in the house. The guns in the bedroom aren't a big seller either.The original log house exposed on the inside of the kitchen was very cool. The bathroom just made me laugh.
Thank goodness that we went to Floyd afterward for a nice afternoon of organic apples and homemade cheese. I tasted some homemade frozen peach yogurt made with sheeps milk--ethereally good. We then took Heike to the slightly decrepit dream house to walk around outside and mend our househunters depression from the other house.

Ella had school today, and now I think she is getting sick. I saw some runny noses last week and knew that she'd be fighting them. I just hope the baby doesn't get a cold too soon. She seemed to have a great day, and I went in and watched her from the library room for the last half hour. She was sitting right in the front and was raising her hand a lot. She is getting to know the other kids and learning lots of songs. Earlier she was talking to herself about simple addition. 2 plus 2, and she had me sing the goodbye garden children song with her three times.

Off to school

Off to school, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Newport, Virginia

Newport, Virginia, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

First day of school

First day of school, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Happy Hollow

http://www.navicamls.net/listings/360/RV823457822A.htm

What if the Provos became farmers? Small farmers.

It is my four week birthday!

It is my four week birthday!, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Charlottesville

Slide, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

We spent the day in Charlottesville yesterday, and E loved the Virginia Discovery Museum. She did a craft project, played dressup, and went camping and fishing.

It is always nice to be walking down the street in a new town on a beautiful day and run into a friend--Darryl. He works at a theatre there in the downtown. On the way to the car we stopped at Spendora's Gelato and Ella loved it so much she was licking the inside of her cup. I have never been to the downtown mall, and thought it was-----very unlike Blacksburg. We are moving the minute John finds a job here. Not likely but a good thought.

Hurricane

I just read a moving post about the hurricane at http://www.suburbanbliss.net/ titled "I wasn't sure how to do this." It says it all better than I could. Thank you Melissa.

Actually, I'll just put it here:

I wasn't sure how to do this.
When the hurricane hit I thought, "Things will be fine, they have been before."
When I began reading about the rising water in New Orleans I thought, the water is rising slowly. It's not the same as the tsunami. We're in the U.S, things will be fine. On day three I began to feel angry. Last night I went to bed after reading news websites and emitting horrible squeals and gasps. I read the news because with sensitive kids you can not watch television news because you will live with those horrifying images for the next 5 years. Those horrifying images (image from The Washington Post, from James Nielson of Getty Images, AFP) on the television will appear at the most unlikely times from my children's mouths. They will remember the images they see for at least five years.
Currently my head is exploding and I tend to avoid writing about things which make my head explode because I am not intelligent enought to speak about politics or the suffering of others in any profound way.
When the Tsunami struck in December, I felt guiltily removed from that suffering. Logan and I donated money to the relief effort but I was haunted by the fact that if it had happened in my own country, I would have been moved in an overwhelming way. I calmed myself thinking that in my own country there would be the help, money and resources to save people. I thought things would never be as dire as they were overseas because we are America! We don't let our people suffer as if it's the third world. But then I saw the images and read the tales of suffering of the people left behind, they have been treated as if they are a third world country. They have not been treated as Americans. Shouldn't it have been different?
I want to point all of my anger at Bush and his stupid fucking comments, I mean, Thank God Trent Lott's house will be rebuilt! I want George to have a place to drink his lemonade. It's not that he made that comment, it's that he's saying that as at least 5,000 people are still at the Superdome living with shit and piss and shootings and rapes and no water or food. You stupid Fuck. How dare you. You are the president. You're not some fucking blogger who can say whatever they feel appropriate. You are our leader, you are required to be....to at least pretend to be sensitive to the suffering of people who don't look like you but are Americans all the same.
But no, it's not just Bush who has failed. It's also the city of New Orleans who's failed to perform in a crisis. Just like Chicago failed in 1995. I've been reading about the politics of the city, and if Detroit were under sea level and in the path of a hurricane, it would also be lost. The politics are the same. The lack of effective leadership is the same.
My heart is bleeding and it's true, is now the time to point fingers and cast blame? Shouldn't we be helping?
I'm in Michigan, there is not much I can do. I've donated and the company I work for has promised to match all donations made to the Red Cross by it's bloggers. I started donating a relatively small amount. Today I emailed again asking that one third of my monthly paycheck be donated. Logan was aggravated because we are currently waiting to purchase a misfiring gas range and a dishwasher which hasn't been working for a month. When I thought further, realizing Weblogs Inc. would be matching my contribution, I wanted to donate more because I can wash dishes for a few more months, I can use the microwave for a few more months, but I can not pull that type of cash donation out of my checking account.
My guilt at being white and middle class has gotten the better of me. I'm so sorry for New Orleans. I'm so sorry for the gap between the middle class and the lower class. I'm sorry we didn't take care of you and help you out of a drowning city. I'm questioning my government because people have died needlessly and I hope the questioning will help prevent this type of crisis in America in the future.
I am sorry.

Faerie Beds

Little John's first hike wasn't much more than a mile, but the scenery was gorgeous. (See the whole hike on Flickr by clicking any picture here on Ellajohn.) We found milkweed pods--ripening faerie beds--with silk inside waiting to be knit into faerie covers. I was looking for caterpillars on the milkweed leaves, and we were lucky enough to find one so we could talk about metamorphosis. Ella recognizes the monarch butterfly, so maybe we can learn the names of some of the others. We talked about migration, which E thinks is when the butterflies go to the other side of the mountain. John slept through the whole thing, but was very cute in the safari sunhat. It was his first ride in the front pack, and although he is small I have to get used to that weight on my chest.

headed for a hike

headed for a hike, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

pond

pond, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Cutting the Grass

Cutting the Grass, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Fall is in the air, and it is only going to be 74 degrees today. We are going to go for a walk at Heritage Park, the place Ella and John call butterfly fields. I took a funny picture of John last night when he fell asleep in his bath. He is starting to hold his head up by himself, and he gave his sister what appeared to be a huge grin this morning.

The Painting Date

The Painting Date, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

We made this on our painting date 2 weeks ago.

Swinging with Jenny

Swinging with Jenny, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Snack Quilt

Snack Time, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Ella's first day of School

The Children's Garden, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

Today was Ella's first day at school. It was really just orientation for new students, and she will have a her first regular day of school next friday. I know she already feels comfortable enough for me to leave her there. Today she made a crown, played with trains, did some laundry, found her coathook and her cubby, and made some new friends. Spending time there is like stepping into Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood for a few hours. It was great to meet other parents and hear their stories. There were two other babies there with their older siblings, so there is a good chance of him finding a place in a new playgroup as he grows. For today, it looked more like a La Leche meeting.

Little John

JBP, originally uploaded by sbprovo.

I fell off the sofa!

Well, my part time maternity leave from being a stay at home mother is officially over. John went back to work full time today. The little man is three weeks old. E and J took the opportunity to not sleep well last night. E ended up sleeping on the sofa---and falling off somewhat cheerfully in the middle of the night. J was sneezy and stuffy but seems fine this morning. I have a backache from the IMAX show at the science museum yesterday--don't try to sit in the exact center.

On the other hand, preschool starts tomorrow. Well, orientation is tomorrow. E will officially start next friday, but she is excited about tomorrow. I think preschool will be a huge organizing factor for the whole family. We all have to be dressed and out of the house by eight fifteen. Ella will have ballet and story hour at the library on tuesdays, so thursday is the only weekday we don't have some organized activity.