The other day Jack and I were getting ready to read a history book. I wanted to get him excited about history and help him understand how we learn history and make sure he even knew what 'history' was. The following happened during this teaching attempt on my part:
ERIN: Jack so how do you think we find out about things a long time ago? Like if you wanted to know something about yourself as a baby you would ask me, right? Because you couldn't remember. And if you wanted to know something about Mommy or Daddy as a baby you would ask ...?
JACK: Grandmother or Grandma?
ERIN: That's right. But if we want to know something about life a really long time ago and no one is still alive to tell us about it, then what would we do?
Long Pause....
ERIN [deciding she should help]: Well we could maybe find a letter that someone had written from a long time ago or find a piece of jewellery from a long time ago. Those would all give us clues into what life was like a long time ago, right?
JACK [very thoughtfully and matter-of-fact-ly]: Yeah maybe so. Or we could just wait and ask Jesus when he returns cause he knows everything.
ERIN (thinking to herself) - Okay then, wish I hadn't wasted the money on this book! :)
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Lions, and tigers, and wasps oh my!
We were fortunate enough to get to go to the ZSL Whipsnade zoo today as a family (Thank you Tesco!). It was the first time our boys (and of course, Addie) have been to a zoo. They loved it and we have many stories to tell of our outing. Tell me about them I hear you ask???
Okay then here I go...
On the way to the zoo, Theo piped up from the back seat and said 'Lion eat Addie?' We reassured Theo that the lion would not eat Addie and that we would not take any of them to a zoo where we thought that they would be in danger. Who does this kid think we are????? The mind of a two year old is priceless! [Editor note: see the part on trust below when training an elephant we might want to implement the same in rearing a child apparently.]
We visited the penguins, bears, apes, and a few others before making our way over to the giraffes where we decided we would eat our packed lunch.
A bear that we got to feed:
We found a nice picnic bench under a few shady trees. The picnic was going very smoothly (which happens when you pack exactly what the kids like to eat and leave the broccoli and other greens at home!) until a family of bees/wasps (bees for the Americans and wasps for the British) decided to join us.
I kind of freaked out because I really don't want Addie to get stung so young.
[Editor note: I read some where that you should really try not to get stung before one year of age. I remember thinking well that is a dumb thing to write. Shouldn't you try to never get stung. It is not like you turn a year and then think okay I am old enough to get stung. I am sure there was some medical reason, but I don't remember it, but I do remember that I should try to protect my kids under one year.]
So while Charles was exhorting me to 'stay calm, stay calm' I pushed Addie in the pushchair a short distance away. The boys and Charles stayed at the picnic bench and we carried on our conversation across this short distance. A few minutes later I hear Charles shouting. I thought about yelling 'stay calm, stay calm', but I held my tongue and went and checked on him. Sure enough he was stung...in his armpit of all places! After ensuring that he was alright, I then mimicked him with a cheeky little 'stay calm stay calm'. Because he is a Godly man, he smiled and shook his head at me.
The boys were really excited to see the lions so we made our way to the lion area. There was a little glass room where you could walk up and peer into the lion area so we walked right up. Unfortunately, the bees struck again and Jack got stung by a bee/wasp. Of course he started to cry, some awkward pre-adolescent boy stared at him and we took him outside to calm down. We were able to get him calm fairly quickly and had some anti-itch medicine with us so we rubbed that on and ventured back in.
We agreed that Jack could ride in the stroller since he was still recovering. It was really exciting because two of the lions were walking right by the glass window so Charles pushed Jack right up to the window. Well, something scared the lion right when he walked past Jack and he lashed out with one paw and roared really loudly. Of course, even with the thick glass wall, this would make any kid jump, but it really frightened a four year old boy who was recovering from a recent bee sting. Jack jumped back in the stroller and screamed. Jack's actions made Theo think that the lion had gotten Jack so that sent Theo into a small tizzy. Needless to say we had had our share of the lion house by this time and headed out.
The lion that was going to 'eat Addie' and 'got Jack' according to Theo:
Our favourite (or at least my favourite part) was the elephant show. The show was amazing. The trainers got the elephants to do absolutely amazing things (push down a make-shift house, pull a tree trunk out of the ground, even lie down on one of the trainers but not crush him to show that trust goes both ways when training an animal). Jack really liked it too because they asked one boy from the audience to come down and feed the elephant a banana. He is really hoping that someday we can go back and that he can be the boy chosen. We shall see. We shall see.
To top the day off as we were leaving the elephant show, Charles got stung by another bee. Yes, I am TOTALLY telling the truth. No kidding here. This time on the hand. Again, he yelled really loudly, and a lady nearby came up and offered him a spray that is meant for bee stings. At this point, our family declared war on the bees. Charles was so angry he started swinging his hand at any bee nearby. We decided to empty our stroller of anything remotely edible which might be attracting them. I am happy to report that we made it the rest of our time without another bee sting.
Another highlight of the day was the little steam train that went through the park. It had a sign that said largely 'KIDS RIDE FREE'. A bit lower and in smaller print it said 'adults £6'. We didn't ride the train, but I was very tempted to put Jack and Theo on and just wait for them at the end. Somehow I am pretty sure that wouldn't have gone over very well with the conductor. We were able though to stand over a bridge and have the steam train go under us which was really fun for the boys especially when the conductor blew the steam up at us.
Here is a long video (sorry!) of Theo and Jack telling you pretty much all of the above. Theo's language is pretty good, but I am sure that some of it needs a bit of translating so hopefully the above narratives makes it intelligible for those who are not around him often. Notice how Jack waits patiently for a while and then asks for his camera time, but little brother Theo isn't so little anymore and keeps piping in from the background - even if it isn't true!
Addie was a complete rock star the entire day. She is the coolest little sister Jack and Theo have ever had:
Okay then here I go...
On the way to the zoo, Theo piped up from the back seat and said 'Lion eat Addie?' We reassured Theo that the lion would not eat Addie and that we would not take any of them to a zoo where we thought that they would be in danger. Who does this kid think we are????? The mind of a two year old is priceless! [Editor note: see the part on trust below when training an elephant we might want to implement the same in rearing a child apparently.]
We visited the penguins, bears, apes, and a few others before making our way over to the giraffes where we decided we would eat our packed lunch.
A bear that we got to feed:
We found a nice picnic bench under a few shady trees. The picnic was going very smoothly (which happens when you pack exactly what the kids like to eat and leave the broccoli and other greens at home!) until a family of bees/wasps (bees for the Americans and wasps for the British) decided to join us.
I kind of freaked out because I really don't want Addie to get stung so young.
[Editor note: I read some where that you should really try not to get stung before one year of age. I remember thinking well that is a dumb thing to write. Shouldn't you try to never get stung. It is not like you turn a year and then think okay I am old enough to get stung. I am sure there was some medical reason, but I don't remember it, but I do remember that I should try to protect my kids under one year.]
So while Charles was exhorting me to 'stay calm, stay calm' I pushed Addie in the pushchair a short distance away. The boys and Charles stayed at the picnic bench and we carried on our conversation across this short distance. A few minutes later I hear Charles shouting. I thought about yelling 'stay calm, stay calm', but I held my tongue and went and checked on him. Sure enough he was stung...in his armpit of all places! After ensuring that he was alright, I then mimicked him with a cheeky little 'stay calm stay calm'. Because he is a Godly man, he smiled and shook his head at me.
The boys were really excited to see the lions so we made our way to the lion area. There was a little glass room where you could walk up and peer into the lion area so we walked right up. Unfortunately, the bees struck again and Jack got stung by a bee/wasp. Of course he started to cry, some awkward pre-adolescent boy stared at him and we took him outside to calm down. We were able to get him calm fairly quickly and had some anti-itch medicine with us so we rubbed that on and ventured back in.
We agreed that Jack could ride in the stroller since he was still recovering. It was really exciting because two of the lions were walking right by the glass window so Charles pushed Jack right up to the window. Well, something scared the lion right when he walked past Jack and he lashed out with one paw and roared really loudly. Of course, even with the thick glass wall, this would make any kid jump, but it really frightened a four year old boy who was recovering from a recent bee sting. Jack jumped back in the stroller and screamed. Jack's actions made Theo think that the lion had gotten Jack so that sent Theo into a small tizzy. Needless to say we had had our share of the lion house by this time and headed out.
The lion that was going to 'eat Addie' and 'got Jack' according to Theo:
Our favourite (or at least my favourite part) was the elephant show. The show was amazing. The trainers got the elephants to do absolutely amazing things (push down a make-shift house, pull a tree trunk out of the ground, even lie down on one of the trainers but not crush him to show that trust goes both ways when training an animal). Jack really liked it too because they asked one boy from the audience to come down and feed the elephant a banana. He is really hoping that someday we can go back and that he can be the boy chosen. We shall see. We shall see.
To top the day off as we were leaving the elephant show, Charles got stung by another bee. Yes, I am TOTALLY telling the truth. No kidding here. This time on the hand. Again, he yelled really loudly, and a lady nearby came up and offered him a spray that is meant for bee stings. At this point, our family declared war on the bees. Charles was so angry he started swinging his hand at any bee nearby. We decided to empty our stroller of anything remotely edible which might be attracting them. I am happy to report that we made it the rest of our time without another bee sting.
Another highlight of the day was the little steam train that went through the park. It had a sign that said largely 'KIDS RIDE FREE'. A bit lower and in smaller print it said 'adults £6'. We didn't ride the train, but I was very tempted to put Jack and Theo on and just wait for them at the end. Somehow I am pretty sure that wouldn't have gone over very well with the conductor. We were able though to stand over a bridge and have the steam train go under us which was really fun for the boys especially when the conductor blew the steam up at us.
Here is a long video (sorry!) of Theo and Jack telling you pretty much all of the above. Theo's language is pretty good, but I am sure that some of it needs a bit of translating so hopefully the above narratives makes it intelligible for those who are not around him often. Notice how Jack waits patiently for a while and then asks for his camera time, but little brother Theo isn't so little anymore and keeps piping in from the background - even if it isn't true!
Addie was a complete rock star the entire day. She is the coolest little sister Jack and Theo have ever had:
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Our little lion
In preparation for our family zoo trip tomorrow, I thought it was fitting to post some picture of our little lion, Theo. These were taken a couple months back by some friends. The costume, which is the coolest, is courtesy of my sister's family.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Thoughts to ponder...
After watching communion during church today, Jack told Charles that he thought the reason that kids were not allowed to take communion was because 'moms wouldn't want their kid to have a piece of bread and a biscuit (translation: cookies which are served after church!) because it might ruin their lunch.'
Friday, 27 August 2010
Nap Time
I am not feeling hugely creative today, but still thought the following entry would be amusing for the boys to read some day - although admittedly not that amusing for the Mom today.
Theo and Jack have both been in their respective rooms for one hour. Jack, age four years and 3/4, is fast asleep. Theo, just barely two, is jumping around in his baby bed and has now started yelling 'Jack Come Out'.
So much for nap time today.
Theo and Jack have both been in their respective rooms for one hour. Jack, age four years and 3/4, is fast asleep. Theo, just barely two, is jumping around in his baby bed and has now started yelling 'Jack Come Out'.
So much for nap time today.
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