Oohs and Aahs

A Tree Grows in Maryland

2009-11-19T23:27:00.002-05:00

Doodle brought home a pine tree sapling almost three years ago in third grade. She carefully planted it and has tended to it ever since. This summer Little Pine Cone--yes it has a name--grew a lot and now is almost as tall as Doodle. Soon I will have to move LP away from the fence. I didn't worry too much about placement three years ago; I figured it would die quickly like those that her friends planted.

Note the leg muscles that Doodle has developed from her running program and soccer.

Hike!

2009-11-17T11:10:00.016-05:00

Doodle's Girl Scout troop went on a long-anticipated dogsledding excursion in Western Maryland last weekend and the rest of us tagged along. Doodle earned the mushing badge, Tootle got the mushing Brownie try-it, and we all had a blast. We headed out on Saturday afternoon and met up with everyone else at a hotel with an indoor pool. The dozen or so girls swam for hours and then played board games before crashing around 11. We spent 4 hours at the dog sled operation Sunday morning. In addition to getting to ride on an ATV pulled by a team of 10 dogs (it was warm so the owners used an ATV so they could give the dogs a little gas-powered help going uphill) and getting to lavish attention on 20 beautiful dogs, we learned a few things:

The most amazing thing about dogsledding is how loud and wired the dogs are right before they start a run and how eerily silent they are once they are underway and working together as a team.

The musher doesn't say "mush" as shown in movies and TV to get the dogs moving. He or she says "hike." We learned other commands like "on the run" which means that the dog shouldn't stop to urinate or defecate but should do it while moving.

There are dogsledding clubs in Maryland and Pennsylvania and sprint races in both states. We may need to check them out.

Tale of Two Trixies

2009-11-02T08:39:00.006-05:00

Tootle had her Halloween costume planned for several months and she couldn't wait to unveil it at the school Halloween parade and party on Friday. She had a vision of being Trixie the Halloween Fairy, the title character from one of her beloved Daisy Meadows fairy books, and we worked hard to put the look together, finding a dress on e*bay, ordering wings online, finding a wig and tights at a Halloween store, etc. In her initial excitement, Tootle told C, one of her BFFs and a fellow Daisy Meadows devotee, about her plans. C decided that it was such a fantastic idea that she would be Trixie too, but she didn't tell Tootle or let her mom know where she got the idea.

One day before the Halloween parade, Tootle found out from her kindergarten teacher, whom both Tootle and C still visit every day, that C was going to be Trixie as well. Tootle was a bit upset and told C that she was mad at her. C went home that night and told her mom that Tootle thought she was copying her. Her wonderful mom A listened to the story, confirmed that she was copying Tootle and suggested that she let everyone know that she got the great idea from Tootle and that they could have fun comparing how their costumes are alike and different. That same night, Tootle told me about her discovery. I encouraged her to be flattered rather than upset and also suggested that they compare and contrast. The next morning A and I compared notes and patted each other on the back for handling the situation well. Both Trixies had fun at the parade and class party and they even asked to have a play date together after school. Crisis averted.

Halloween

2009-10-31T23:23:00.005-04:00

Head of the Class

2009-10-13T14:17:00.008-04:00

Tootle is "Head Apple" (AKA star of the week) in her class this week. We sent in five pictures that Tootle selected (see below) as well as answered a short questionnaire. Tootle's favorite food is ice cream and her favorite thing to do is play soccer. The picture that she drew of our family didn't include the cats. Tootle never pays much attention to the cats; Doodle would never even think about excluding the cats, especially her precious Opal, from a family picture.

347

2009-09-27T23:48:00.011-04:00

Saturday, 5:50 a.m.: wake up to get everyone ready to leave the house in one hour for Doodle's 8 a.m. soccer game, being played on a beautiful artificial turf field 35 minutes from home. 7:30 a.m.: arrive at field. Tootle spots a rainbow, perhaps a sign of good things to come.

Doodle eventually won this battle.

Our goalies rocked and were instrumental in our 1-0 win.

1 p.m.: Tootle's game. Doodle asked to be the photographer for this game. She took the job very seriously, taking 347 pictures. (I only took 100 of Doodle's game.) She did a good job of capturing the joys and the crowding of 2nd grade soccer.

Tootle scored one goal in her team's 5-1 win. She left after half the game for a birthday party that was conveniently located across the street from the field. We stayed to cheer on the team while Tootle partied. Doodle continued to snap away, but most of her 347 pictures were taken in the 30 minutes that her sister played.

Can you imagine the cost if I had a film camera?

Goodbye Summer

2009-09-19T23:18:00.006-04:00

Today we're in denial about the end of summer. We went to the pool (it closes for the season tomorrow)...

scored ice cream from the truck...
and did some landscaping that required finding a creative way to move dirt and two eager assistants.

Inclement Weather

2009-09-17T15:14:00.002-04:00

We're enduring a few days of cloudy, misty weather. Yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail from Doodle's soccer coach that read: "Practice is on." Today's message from Tootle's coach was a bit longer: "Practice will go forward because the rain is light and the forecast is positive. If it becomes too inclement, we will go inside the school." Doodle's coach is an engineer; Tootle's coach is a lawyer.

Thankful Thursday

2009-09-17T14:54:00.003-04:00

Doodle spent a night at a mountain cabin owned by her BFF C's family over Labor Day weekend. C's mom reported that Doodle had a huge grin on her face the entire time she was tubing. I'm so thankful for C and her family:

C is an incredibly nice kid with many of the same interests as Doodle. I hope that their friendship, which began in kindergarten but became much stronger in third grade and beyond, continues for many years to come.
C's dad is Doodle's soccer coach. He is patient and kind, sets a wonderful example for the girls, and has greatly elevated the girls' level of play.
C's mom is Doodle's running program coach. She and I share a lot of the same creative interests. The difference is that she is athletic and skinny, and I'm not.
C's sister N gave Tootle a bunch of Rainbow Fairy books to read this summer.

Thanks C family, especially M for enduring what was probably a sleepless night in a tent with the girls. You've enriched all of our lives.

Helicopter Parenting

2009-09-17T14:07:00.002-04:00

In 4th and 5th grade, Doodle brought home mid-term reports that showed her grades on all the assignments, tests, etc. in the quarter to date. These reports had to be signed by a parent and returned to school. Some teachers only sent them home if a student's grade was C or lower (as a warning sign; Doodle never got one of those), but other teachers sent them home for every child. This year I'm experiencing the turbo charged, souped up middle school reporting system--and I have some concerns about it.

I can go online 24-7 to check on Doodle's homework assignments as well as her grades on quizzes, tests, and other assignments. I also receive e-mail messages prompting me to check when a grade is posted. There aren't too many grades posted yet, but thus far Doodle has 100 percent in everything, mostly spelling, math, and science quizzes. I haven't logged on in a few days, so I just checked and found that there is no math homework tonight because they are doing an in-class project (maybe we'll have time to go shopping for cleats; the ones that I bought a month ago are already too small--this kid's feet never grow that fast).

Oops, that tangent was a bit too long. I don't want to be policing Doodle's schoolwork this closely, but it's hard to resist when the data is so easily available. I want Doodle to take responsibility for tracking her homework assignments and making sure they are complete. She does a good job of turning in all her assignments on time without a need for me to nag, but if she wasn't, I would rather that she suffer a few consequences at school than have me looking closely over her shoulder. I'm not going to be in the room when she's 19 and has a major term paper to complete. By middle school, I think kids should be responsible enough to do their work without hovering parents. When Doodle was younger, I would pack up her homework and special projects in her backpack, making sure everything was complete. In the past year or two, she has taken on this job. I think I'll be walking a fine line this year if I find information that concerns me in the data reporting system.

This year Doodle has begun setting her alarm clock and getting up on her own (last year I practically had to drag her out of bed). This morning the alarm didn't go off, so I was the back up (she woke up so easily that I didn't even have to sing her special wake up song). I think I'll view my schoolwork role as a back-up one. I'll be there to help get things back on track if Doodle's responsibility alarm doesn't go off. I hope I spend most of the year on the sidelines.

The Circle Game

2009-09-14T23:13:00.003-04:00

And the seasons they go round and round (as Joni Mitchell so eloquently sings).The soccer season has begun again. Doodle played in a tournament over Labor Day weekend, only to have her first regular season game postponed because of poor field conditions. I'm in awe of Doodle's leg span and her determination to get the ball in the top photo. Tootle did get to play on Saturday, and she played fiercely--scoring three of her team's eight goals.

First Day of School

2009-09-01T23:42:00.003-04:00

Tootle has new shoes to match her spunky attitude. Doodle is a bus patrol this year. Both girls have their BFFs in their homeroom class. Life is good.

Gem Mining

2009-09-01T23:04:00.006-04:00

Doodle is a rock hound, so we spent our August vacation fulfilling one of her dreams: gem mining in North Carolina. We began our geology-themed vacation with a stop at Luray Caverns in Virginia. Both girls were in awe of the caverns' beauty and enjoyed listening to the self-guided tour on tape. The next day we arrived at our destination and quickly went to the mine for an exploratory visit. The mine's web site boosts that you can find 70 different gems there, and we probably found half of the possible gems in our buckets of mine ore that we ran through the sluiceway over two days. We didn't have much luck finding gems in the mine's creek and opted not to go in to the mine to dig due to pesky sinus infections that three of us were recovering from and the fact that no one seemed to be having much luck digging. Among our finds were emeralds, amethyst, garnet, topaz, citrine, smoky quartz, rose quartz, clear quartz, tourmaline, and other pretty rocks too numerous to identify. We got very dirty and ruined a few old shirts, but we had a blast.

Tootle isn't as knowledgeable as Doodle about the various types of gems, but her interest in the subject has intensified and she is particularly proud of a large nicely shaped piece of quartz that she found. Doodle loved all of her finds, especially the emeralds and amethyst. I'm having emerald necklaces made for both girls with the best of our gems, and we can't wait to see them. Today is the second day of school and Doodle has already written an entry in her science journal about the trip. I predict that both girls will have other occasions to write and talk about this trip during the school year. We didn't strike it rich, but we did make rich memories.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2009-08-16T11:55:00.002-04:00

Camouflage

2009-08-15T22:12:00.004-04:00

This morning I glanced out the window and noticed that the black eyed susans were swaying even though there was no breeze. I grabbed my camera and with the aid of the zoom lens I was able to see the cause. A finch was enjoying the glorious flowers. He blends in rather well.

15 Seconds of Fame

2009-08-12T10:45:00.003-04:00

The girls and I went to Nationals Park last Saturday for a blood donation drive. I had scheduled an appointment and expected to go in and out quickly. It ended up taking more than 3 hours because of the size of the crowd ready and willing to donate. In that time, we scored four hats autographed by pitcher Jordan Zimmerman (right before he found out that he needs surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for more than a year), a t-shirt, and two tickets to a future game. The girls and I watched the groundskeepers prep the field for that evening's game and the girls saw batting practice. The picture above is on the National's blog. Doodle is thrilled to have 15 seconds of fame; Tootle glanced at the photo and walked away. I spent Sunday doing all the errands that I didn't have time for on Saturday, but it was worth it.

Reward

2009-08-04T22:40:00.002-04:00

Tootle's day ended well. She earned three scoops of ice cream (rainbow sherbet, pink bubblegum, and pop rock) for some extra work that she did around the house. I had no idea that three scoops was such a large amount of ice cream; she usually gets the kid's cone.

Unfair

2009-08-04T22:26:00.002-04:00

Doodle had an undeservedly lucky/charmed day on Saturday. First she won four tickets to a Baltimore Orioles game through our library's summer reading program. Doodle has read two books this summer while Tootle has read 16, but Doodle's entry won. Fortunately Tootle will get to enjoy the game too. Later Doodle got the Beanie Baby that she wanted at McDonalds even though she didn't even order a Happy Meal; I did. Tootle dutifully ordered a Happy Meal and got an inferior toy. Sometimes life just isn't fair, especially when you're the little sister.

Mistakes

2009-07-28T23:42:00.002-04:00

Tonight's bedtime conversation with Doodle made me chuckle.

Doodle: Wouldn't it be great if we could erase all the mistakes that we've made in life?

Me: What mistakes have you made?

Doodle: Buying too many stuffed animals, especially Web*kinz. I packed some of them up; maybe they'll be worth something some day. (I didn't burst her bubble.)

An amused me, probing a bit more: Have you made any other mistakes?

Doodle: Not finding out more about cooking camp before going. (Both girls are at cooking camp this week; Doodle has a few issues with how the camp is being run. Tootle seems to be happy to cook and eat her way through the day.)

After a moment of silence, Doodle asked me what mistakes I would erase. I replied that I would have to think about the question before answering it because a change could have unforeseen consequences and result in changes to things that I love about my life. We agreed that correcting her "mistakes" would not alter the state of the world:)

Bunnies at Dusk

2009-07-28T23:39:00.003-04:00

Discovered on our lawn; I wonder if they know about the pet bunny next door.

HP Again

2009-07-23T23:29:00.004-04:00

But this time, I'm referring to the computer. On our way home from Hershey, we stopped to see my mom's twin sister. All four of her grandsons were hanging out at her house for the day. What did Doodle and her teenage cousins do? Fired up the laptops, of course...Six kids, three laptops, and a dog who didn't know whose lap to jump on to. Later the kids decided to get some exercise and played dodge ball.

HP Happy

2009-07-21T23:15:00.013-04:00

Continuing a tradition from my childhood, the girls and I try to go to Hersheypark for a day right after school ends in June. This year Doodle's sinus problems and my business travel stalled the trip until last weekend. I fretted about going in July's heat, but we had perfect weather for 1.5 days of fun. We stayed at the Hershey Lodge, taking advantage of free amusement park tickets for the kids, a shuttle bus to the park, an extra hour in the park, and the resort's miniature golf course. Tootle went on her first wooden rollercoaster ride, the trusty old Comet, and then went two more times. We rode all of our favorite rides--those that spin, plunge, swing, or do any combination of the above--at least twice and in some cases six times.
The trip wasn't without incident. On a water ride where a torrent of water hits you after you plunge down a water flume, the water was so forecful that Doodle got a nose bleed. Within 15 minutes, she was ready for a more tame ride down a lazy river. We love HP, as Doodle decided to call it. Why do tweens have to shorten everything to text message length (she doesn't even have a cell phone yet)?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T22:14:00.003-04:00

Notes

2009-07-09T09:24:00.003-04:00

I only travel for business 1-2 times a year, with one of the trips always falling in the summer for 5-6 days. The girls began a tradition 2-3 years ago where they write me a note or card for each day that I'm gone; I pack them in my carry on bag and open one from each girl every morning right after my shower. This year's cards, enjoyed last week when I was in Boston, were particularly fun. Doodle's were motivational, urging me to be happy and wave my hands with the Red S0x fans. Her cards were created by Emma's Cards Inc. and had a smiley face logo. Tootle pulled at my heart strings, telling me each day that she missed me. On Monday she wrote: "I hope you are haveing a good time. I can't wait till you come home." On this trip I work 14 hour days and have to be on 24-7 so overall it's not a good time, but I appreciated Tootle's sentiments. Both girls also taped money into their cards one day; silly kids.

I also get e-mails from both girls when I'm traveling. Last week when I didn't respond to one of Tootle's quickly enough, I got another one demanding to know why I hadn't answered her.

I leave a grab bag of small presents for the girls to open when I'm gone. This year's gifts included books, Japanese erasers (all the rage in our area this summer), and hair do dads.

Third Tooth on July 3

2009-07-04T23:08:00.005-04:00

After watching a local country club's fireworks show from outside the gates (along with lots of other people who aren't wealthy enough to belong to the club), we came home and started the bedtime routine. Doodle, ever the helpful big sister, decided to stall a bit by wiggling Tootle's loose tooth. The tooth was so loose that it came out, and the resulting excitement pushed bedtime back by at least 30 minutes. Tootle hasn't lost a tooth in about nine months, so she was ecstatic, especially when she realized that she lost her third tooth on the 3rd.

This morning Tootle decorated her bike for the holiday and then asked me to take a picture of her new smile. She is very pleased with herself.

Long Unintentional Break

2009-06-25T22:11:00.008-04:00

It seems like I haven't posted in a very long time. Doodle fainted during a soccer tournament over the Memorial Day weekend, which resulted in a round of doctor's visits to ensure that she has no cardiac, neurological, or other problems. This is the second time that she has fainted in the last year. She was cleared by these doctors, but now she's seeing an ENT because she has had four sinus infections in the last two months. Last week she missed the last two days of school, and her fever rose to 105 (she had an ear infection and likely a virus in addition to the sinus infection). Tootle and I were also sick last week, although we didn't get sick until after school was out for the summer.

In between the doctor visits, we went to a Nationals vs. Mets game, enjoyed our annual family reunion, and completed the soccer season. Doodle's team finished 3-2-3. After starting out with a string of ties and a loss, the team came on strong at the end of the season. Two of Tootle's teammates are leaving her team to join a travel team. They tried to convince Tootle to join them, but we're not quite ready for that yet. I did have a twinge of regret after Tootle played with great skill in Doodle's parents vs. kids game; there's no denying that she's an athlete. But I still don't think that a 2nd grader needs to have two practices a week and travel to games.

Here Tootle the athlete beheads the Elmo pinata at the family reunion. I hope we can stay healthy for awhile, and start to enjoy summer.

Prayer Requests

2009-06-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

Two friends are in my thoughts and prayers this week:

J, a military doctor who left for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq yesterday. J is a neighbor and the dad of one of Doodle's best friends, S. Today is S's birthday and she was pretty disappointed that her dad had to leave before her big day. He was here for his son's graduation from high school last week. The son is spending a gap year teaching in China so they will be a global family over the next year.
B, the mom of Tootle's best friend, who has suffered from seizures due to temporal lobe epilepsy for several years (basically ever since we've known her; it appears to have started shortly after the birth of E, almost 7 years ago). After trying many medications and alternative therapies, and seeing her health continue to deteriorate, B is having the first of two brain surgeries next week, to be followed by a second one a week later. She'll be in a New York hospital for 2-3 weeks total, and there is a chance that she may experience personality or speech changes as a result of the surgery. B seems secure in the knowledge that she is making the right decision and has sent out a letter asking for prayers. I cried when I read the letter even though I already knew many of the details.

The more people who pray for these two wonderful people, the better.

The Bookworm

2009-06-08T23:19:00.004-04:00

Tootle is totally addicted to Daisy Meadows' Rainbow Fairies books. She would read them every waking moment if I let her. Her reading skills have exploded in the second half of the school year, and I credit an excellent teacher and the Rainbow Fairies for her success. Only six more days of school and then Tootle can veg out with a book all day if she desires.

Seven

2009-06-06T21:41:00.006-04:00

Tootle turned seven yesterday. When she woke up, I wished her a happy birthday and asked how it felt to be 7. She replied that she wasn't 7 yet; she thought she would turn 7 during recess (maybe it bugs her that we know Doodle's actual date and time of birth; she was found with a note). After breakfast, Tootle opened presents. As I snapped a few pictures, I asked her to hold up 7 fingers; she held up 6 instead because she wasn't 7 yet.

By the time of Tootle's party last night, she was officially 7!!! Tootle invited 8 of her very best friends to an American Girl based mystery party. Reading from a script and acting out their roles, the girls had to solve the mystery of what happened to their trick or treat candy. They really got into dressing in period Halloween costumes and being characters from the 1940s (no TV or computers or cell phones--no way) and stuck with it until the mystery was solved more than an hour after we began. Tootle played Molly and liked the glasses that she wore just a tad too much. She doesn't want to take them off. I got the mystery game, which included invitations, for $4 from American Girl, a terrific bargain. The game was supposed to be for 8 and up, but overall the 6-7 year olds did a wonderful job of reading their lines. We had a "healthy" snack that was part of the play--we chose to serve frozen fruit cups from Molly's cookbook (quite good)--and after the play was over we had pizza, carrots/celery, fruit kabobs that the girls made, and ice cream cake. We didn't even have time for a craft, just 15 minutes or so of free play before the parents arrived.

Note: I tried hard to make everything as authentically 1940s as possible--even researching when various Hershey chocolates were first sold to make their trick or treat bags historically accurate--but I caved on the cake and let her have a Spongebob ice cream cake. You're only 7 once.

The Curtain

2009-06-02T22:33:00.005-04:00

Curtain of hair that is. When we arrived at Doodle's recent band concert about 40 minutes before show time, I was happy to see that she would be seated where I could capture her with my trusty zoom lens. I wasn't counting on the curtain of hair that would totally obscure her face.

Or the music stand that blocks the view of someone who is only 55 inches tall.
I did manage to get 1 or 2 decent shots.
I always leave Doodle's concerts amazed by how well an elementary school band/orchestra can perform when they are led by an unbelievably talent/Pied Piper type of instrumental music teacher. The band is 122 members strong, and the orchestra probably has at least 60; almost 75 percent of the kids in the school participate in instrumental music. I didn't hear a single wrong note (not that I'm an expert, but there truly was nothing cringe-worthy), and the music lingered in my brain for hours after the concert. Bravo, Doodle and friends.

Four Years Ago

2009-05-30T23:52:00.003-04:00

Four years ago today, Tootle completed our family in a civil affairs office in Hangzhou. She loves hearing about how she peed on me during the cab ride back to the hotel. She was so scared; I can't imagine being an almost three year old and being handed over to strangers who look and talk funny. Within an hour, Tootle was laughing and smiling as she blew bubbles and played with her sister. Within 1.5 hours, we were taking a required photo and Tootle didn't want to cooperate at all. Within two hours, we were on a shopping expedition to find new shoes for Tootle (pink sneakers that Tootle didn't want to take off for days). Life hasn't slowed down since then. Tonight, after a busy day of soccer and end of school year activities (Tootle saw Up with her teacher, an honor she won by being one of the highest bidder in the school's silent auction), I picked up Chinese food to celebrate this wonderful occasion. In six days my baby turns 7. It seems like the next time I blink, she'll be 11.

Peonies After Rain

2009-05-25T19:37:00.003-04:00

Caught

2009-05-22T00:20:00.004-04:00

Tootle was surprised that I saw her friend E hand her gummy candy during a short break in their game last week. I love my zoom lens.

The 5K Race

2009-05-20T23:14:00.012-04:00

The day of the big race that Doodle and her friends have trained for finally arrived--an overcast, warm, muggy morning. Doing warmups with a little help from friends... The start line. Doodle was in back of about 500 other runners and I wondered if I would see her as she got started.

Aah, there she is...

And she spots her cheering sister...

Nearing the finish line with our neighbor C...

Posing with her medal...
A few hours later, Doodle played a tough soccer game. Her team, three of whom had run the 5K, won, 4-3. To say that I'm proud of my girl would be an understatement.

Brownie Smiles

2009-05-17T00:06:00.003-04:00

Tootle bridged from Daisies to Brownies this week. She is very excited about being a Brownie and has decided that she will have to eat a lot more brownie desserts this year. While the event was held at a park with a bridge, the ceremony was moved indoors because of rain.

Wiped Out by Williamsburg

2009-05-15T23:12:00.002-04:00

Last week I accompanied Doodle and her fellow 5th graders on an overnight field trip to Williamsburg and Jamestown. I feel like I'm still recovering from it; I've been wiped out all week. I shared a room with Doodle and three of her friends: they got the two double beds and I slept on the chair that folded out into a cot. Fifth graders have a lot of energy as well as a lot of curiosity about our nation's history. It makes for a good combination; I can't wait to go with Tootle in four years.

P.S. The girls are holding hands in the photo at top right because they are headed to hear nighttime ghost stories. They sat through three stories about vampires, cannibals, and pirates clutching each others' hands, but they stayed. A few kids were so terrified that they had to wait outside.

Family Fun Indeed

2009-05-04T23:29:00.003-04:00

When Tootle wakes up earlier than everyone else on weekends she often quietly reads books. On Saturday she decided to read Family Fun magazine and became fixated on a feature about snowman fruit kabobs. I told her we could make them once we had all the ingredients, and that night she helped me to make them as a festive accompaniment to The Pioneer Woman's yummy Parmesan crusted chicken. Tootle liked her kabob so much that she made another one for breakfast the next morning. This time she substituted bananas for pineapples, giving her creation a tropical more seasonally appropriate feel.

H1N1

2009-05-01T12:24:00.002-04:00

I knew it was only a matter of days before the swine flu virus hit close to home. There are too many people in our area who travel internationally for us to remain insulated. Yesterday afternoon Doodle got a call from one of her friends with the news that a parent in our middle school probably has swine flu. Doodle and her friend who was hanging out at our house freaked out a bit before I reminded them that the sick person was not a student and that they had no reason to be alarmed. I filed this report under rumor until this morning's news included a bulletin that a student at this school was asked to stay home today because his or her father, a World Bank employee, had become sick after returning from Mexico.

Poor Doodle missed school on Tuesday because of her allergy-induced cough. When she returned to school on Wednesday, her teacher actually asked her if she has swine flu. Doodle seemed somewhat better on Wednesday and Thursday, but this morning she woke up with pink eye. A trip to the doctor revealed that she has a contagious eye infection and a sinus infection. Doodle will be on antibiotics and can't be around other people for two days; it's a good thing that her birthday party isn't for a few weeks. I immediately e-mailed her teacher so she wouldn't spend the weekend worrying that one of her students has H1N1. Sigh.

Our soccer program just sent an e-mail indicating that all games are on as scheduled. Yeah, even if Doodle will miss hers. The organization did advise a few precautions, such as keeping kids home who are sick and replacing the post game handshake with a post game cheer or round of applause for the opposition. I hope the sensible approach prevails over mass hysteria.

Eleven

2009-04-30T23:16:00.003-04:00

Doodle is growing into a lovely young woman. Sometimes I want to stop the clock, but mostly I'm excited to see how she matures and evolves as a person. I'm proud of my determined, friendly, funny, curious girl. I'm in awe of her talents as a musician, a patient and kind teacher, an athlete who never quits, and even as a bubble gum-blowing whistler (two skills that I could never master).

This picture was taken at the American Girl Cafe a few weeks ago. The box that looks like a present contains questions to start the conversation at dinner (they're called Table Talkers). Doodle loves the Table Talkers game. If she were playing Table Talkers right now, I would ask her what she thinks this year will hold for her. As she gets ready to enter the middle school years, I think it will be a year of exciting changes and new opportunities.

5K

2009-04-29T23:19:00.003-04:00

Today Doodle ran her first 5K, a trial for the one that she will run in a few weeks surrounded by 1,000 or so other runners. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to finish because she has been hit hard with an allergy-induced cough this week but she ran strong, finishing in the first third of the 20 or so girls. Rain began to fall just as the girls started to run, but no one complained. Doodle's running buddy both for this trial and the upcoming race is our neighbor C who accompanied us on the trip to China to bring Tootle home almost 4 years ago. C ran cross country and the 2 mile race in high school so she's a great role model.

Doodle will continue to hijack this blog through tomorrow. She turns 11 in a few short hours!

Another Pony Tail...

2009-04-27T22:03:00.002-04:00

and a tie on a day when the thermometer broke 90. I missed Tootle's game due to nearly identical schedules, but she scored her team's only goal of the day; her coach claims there was an invisible fence around the goals. After the games, we went to a school fair where the line to be dunked in the dunk tank was longer than the line to try to dunk people. I hope the heat breaks soon; April is too early to switch to AC.

Photographic Proof...

2009-04-23T23:10:00.003-04:00

that Doodle wore her hair in a ponytail for last week's soccer game. Doodle much prefers to let her hair hang loose or in a headband, so this was a major accomplishment. Doodle's team lost a heartbreaker so she's likely to tell me that the ponytail brought bad luck and can't be tried again.

Falling Behind

2009-04-23T23:01:00.002-04:00

Lately it seems like I can't keep up on the treadmill of life in the springtime. In addition to the activities that kick into high gear at this time of year with near the end of year school events, Scouts, and soccer, work has been extra busy and stressful as we all try to do more with less. I probably won't be posting quite as often until I catch my breath a bit.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hopping Along

2009-04-14T23:14:00.005-04:00

The girls and I went back to school/work today. We spent the last four days of spring break with a house guest: my 85-year-old aunt whom we fetched from and took back to Pennsylvania. I'm not sure I want to make two runs to Pa. and back in a day so close together anytime soon, but Tootle sure hopes that I do. She wants her aunt to visit more often and reports that she knew it was going to be fun, but it was more fun than she expected. Doodle wasn't quite as happy: although she loved teaching her aunt to do Wii bowling, she didn't like the endless hours of golf on TV (Aunt G. really loves watching golf) and the higher than usual volume on the TV set. We played more games of Old Maid and Go Fish than we have in years, accompanied by lots of laughter. Aunt G. even insisted on helping me with some yardwork and enjoyed seeing how the plants that we've transplanted from her garden over the last few years are thriving in our yard.

Aunt G. has always been my favorite aunt; she was unable to have children (she had a heartbreaking number of miscarriages and stillbirths) so she poured love into her nieces and nephews and now my girls and their cousins. She was 12 or so when my mom was born so she was my mom's mini-mom within the family. Her husband died years ago and she became quite the businesswoman in her town, owning a successful shoe store that in some ways was the "sole" of the town's small business district. I hope I have Aunt G.'s positive attitude about life when I'm her age.

New York, New York

2009-04-10T22:55:00.005-04:00

We spent the first four days of spring break in New York City, finally taking the trip that had to be postponed last year due to a flu outbreak in our house. This was Doodle's third trip to NYC and Tootle's first. Tootle loved the Big Apple and would love to live there. We packed our days with activities: walking, playing on rocks, and taking a carriage ride in Central Park; seeing Shrek the Musical on Broadway; visiting the American Museum of Natural History where the butterfly exhibit and the planetarium show were huge hits; getting up early to check out the Today show in Rockefeller Plaza (we were treated to a demonstration of a Segway car); skating at Rockefeller Center; riding the giant ferris wheel in Toys R Us on Times Square; playing the giant piano in FAO Schwartz; and dining and shopping at a little girl's mecca, American Girl Place. I think we made some memories to last a lifetime.

Super Saturday

2009-04-05T00:07:00.003-04:00

The wind was fierce but that didn't stop both girls from playing their first soccer games of the season with great enthusiasm. Tootle scored a beautiful goal. After the games, we headed out to climb some cherry trees and enjoy the gorgeous blossoms; fortunately the wind didn't take too many of the delicate blossoms away.

Breaks in the Clouds

2009-03-31T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today brought sunshine and warmth back into our lives, and we celebrated with, or should I say the girls tolerated, a photo shoot under her neighbor's magnificant magnolia tree. After a few days of coddling, Tootle has recovered from her virus. Doodle came home triumphant today with scores of 100 on all her major projects that were turned in last week.

No Good, Horrible, Rotten Week

2009-03-29T23:22:00.002-04:00

I hope the new week is a big improvement over the one that just ended. Nothing terrible happened but a lot of little things added up. And it wasn't all bad:

Friday was the end of the marking period. Doodle's language arts/social studies teacher seems to have woken up about a week ago and realized that she needed a number of ongoing projects to end so she could have something to grade. The result was a phenomenal amount of homework all week, including the front page of a newspaper about themselves that Doodle slaved over last weekend (her lead story was about getting an autograph at the Mets vs. Nationals game; she even staged a photo of the autographed ball, carefully positioning a blue and orange background). Most of the week was taken over by the completion of a poetry anthology with 14 poems, reading homework (her reading group just finished Number the Stars, a great book), and a social studies assignment about the Declaration of Independence. I expect Doodle will ace the poetry assignment; her teacher thinks she should be a poet. Fortunately I won't be seeing this teacher anytime soon; if I did, I probably would feel compelled to suggest that she be more organized so everything isn't due at the same time. Plus, Doodle had two days of standardized testing last week. Only 1 more week until a well-earned spring break.

On Thursday I spent many hours trying to secure White House Easter Egg Roll tickets online. I failed even though I was able to select a time and number of tickets at least four times; each time I got booted from the system when I entered a verification code. Very frustrating. I took Doodle to the egg roll in 2001 (pre 9-11), and I really want Tootle to have this experience. I'm haunted by an image of an adult Tootle looking at our many photo albums and wondering why there are no photos of her at the White House event. Doodle and I had planned to camp out to make sure that we got tickets this year (last year our household was down with the flu and the year before I discovered that arriving by 1 a.m. wasn't early enough) but someone had the perhaps better on paper than in reality idea of making tickets available online.

I spent Thursday evening caulking the bathtub after having water land on my head in the kitchen on Wednesday evening as Doodle took a shower. I raced up the steps to get Doodle to turn off the shower and managed to scare her a bit. During the hours I spent caulking, I realized how old the tile is looking, so I may be redoing a bathroom fairly soon.

I celebrated my 47th birthday. Doodle made me a card to which she affixed a Dove chocolate. The text read: "We're solid like chocolate." That's my girl. Tootle made me a card with plain and 3-D shapes, something that she has been studying in math class. I guess she thinks I need a refresher course.

Doodle went camping with her Girl Scout troop this weekend. I couldn't believe the amount of gear for one night away. She had a great time. While Doodle was away, Tootle and I cleaned out our den/playroom. Tootle is a terrific helper and very willingly crawled under the daybed so we could discover what we had hidden there (she found our Whac a Mole and Pretty, Pretty Princess games). This morning she woke up with a sore throat, which I suspected was post-nasal drip from exposure to dust. However, when she began to feel feverish this afternoon, my theory was blown away. Sigh. We may be going to the doctor in the morning since strep throat seems to be making the rounds.

Field Trip

2009-03-23T22:35:00.004-04:00

Tootle and the Hope Diamond

An exhibit on dirt and digging

I recently had the pleasure of accompanying Tootle and her fellow first graders on a field trip to the Natural History Museum. The three kids that I escorted through the museum weren't very interested in the dinosaurs but they loved the gems as well as animal skeletons and fossils of any type (a dinosaur egg and fossilized alligator poop that they could touch were extremely popular).

Girl on the Run

2009-03-19T23:24:00.005-04:00

Doodle met up with friends in the park after dinner for a run. The girls are participating in the Girls on the Run program, which encourages tween girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The program will end with a 5K run later this spring so Doodle and friends are getting serious about training. One of Doodle's GOTR coaches is the wife of her soccer coach so now she's being coached by both adults in this active/fitness-minded family. Tootle and I hung out on the playground while Doodle ran laps. I probably should dust off my running shoes and join the runners.

UPDATE: Today's Washington Post has an article about the program; Doodle's school is not among those mentioned in the article. Also, the rain ended in time for Tootle to have soccer practice. Her cleats were incredibly mud caked, but she was happy.

Anticipation

2009-03-18T22:29:00.003-04:00

Spring is almost here, and we can't wait. Tonight Tootle and I hung out at the playground while Doodle had a 1.5 hour soccer practice. Tomorrow night Tootle has her first soccer practice of the season. She has been counting down the days for almost a week, but she may need to keep on counting. The forecast calls for afternoon rain.

Robo Math

2009-03-11T22:51:00.003-04:00

Meet Lego, the robot dog that Tootle created for a math project. Her class had to make a robot using various plane and three dimensional shapes. When Tootle indicated that she wanted to make a dog, on a lark I googled "robot dog craft" and found a tin can Martha Stewart project. We used the Martha project as a model but didn't drill nearly as many holes or use all the nuts and bolts that she called for (although the eyes are hex nuts filled with sparkly little pom poms). We also used the Martha-suggested extension spring for a tail but couldn't find caster wheels small enough to use for the legs/feet. Tootle decided to make the legs out of Legos, which eventually led to naming the robot in honor of the building blocks. The collar is a Tinker Toy and both the ears and tongue are made of pipe cleaners and felt.

One Season Ends, Another Begins

2009-03-11T00:07:00.002-04:00

Doodle's soccer team played in their final indoor game on Sunday and practice begins for the spring season this Sunday. I can't wait for the spring season to begin so I can find out if the girls' new found goal making ability will translate to the outdoor field and so I can try out my new zoom lens. In the fall season, the team scored 5 games in 8 games; they also only allowed 5 goals. In the indoor season, they scored 44 goals in 7 games, finishing second with a record of 5-2. (I'm too lazy to look up how many goals were scored against them, but it wasn't too many.) They lost to the same team twice: a team of girls who were a year older and much, much larger. My friend/the coach's wife has asked me to shoot the spring games so that we can present each girl with a photo of herself and of the team at the end of the season. Some of those photos may be showing up here if they turn out well.

Tootle's team probably won't start practicing for a few more weeks. Once the schedules are released, I'll get to create my Excel chart of their games so I can see how many conflict. I hope we have better luck this season; I missed more than half of Tootle's games in the fall. I love the determination of Doodle's team and the joy of Tootle and her teammates. Tootle's Marshmallows celebrate every goal with hugs and high fives. They often score 10-plus goals in a game, but each is cause for celebration.

A Poem

2009-03-08T22:45:00.003-04:00

Doodle wrote a poem in school on Friday that made both her teacher's and my days. Her teacher wasn't feeling well and couldn't get a doctor's appointment until Monday, but this poem put a smile on her face. It had a similar effect on me.

Car Wash

Scratch, scratch,
Swish, swoosh
I'm soon clean,

Scrub, scrub,
Wash, wash,
Soon I'll be seen,

Rub, rub,
Squeak, squeak,
As the tires roll,

The glory shows,
shiny as a button,
I don't look dull,

I'm on the road,
Moving smoothly,
Rolling along,

The radio is on,
Listening,
to a song

OMG IM

2009-03-06T23:40:00.003-05:00

Doodle came home from school today and spent two hours on the computer having what I would term an IM party with four or five of her friends. I'm just a bit too old to understand the attraction of IM. What could they possibly talk about for so long? OMG, I sound like my mom when I would spend hours on the phone in middle school.

Snow Day

2009-03-02T23:13:00.022-05:00

Six inches of the white stuff on a Sunday night/ Monday morning means no school or work...

Or at least not that kind of work. Doodle works to save her pine tree, planted 2 years ago, from the weight of the snow while Tootle shovels...and shovels

Sledding with big friends and small

And finally enjoying hot chocolate with a few marshmallows. I love rosy cheeks.

Shattered

2009-02-28T22:08:00.002-05:00

One afternoon this week, on what was as I recall a particularly busy day at work, Doodle called late in the afternoon to breathlessly report that the door on our oven had shattered, raining glass all over the kitchen. Fortunately no one was in the kitchen at the time, but according to eyewitness reports the noise was pretty loud. The oven wasn't even in use at the time. The interior metal and window glass of the door remain intact, but the exterior of the door, made of glass, is no more. I googled "GE Spectra XL 44 range glass" and discovered that this is not an uncommon occurrence, although it seemed to happen to most people more quickly than it did to us. I bought this range 7 years ago. I'm a bit surprised that GE never recalled the door. While the GE customer service rep was very nice and helpful, she didn't tell me what I wanted to hear about recall/replacement. The cost of a new door and labor is almost as much as a new range, so today I bought a new gas range. This one is stainless and has five burners. Doodle is particularly excited about the griddle for pancakes, etc. We can't wait for it to be delivered next week, and the best part is that the door isn't glass.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2009-02-24T13:52:00.002-05:00

Tootle has had ear tubes since she was three years old. Cleft kids tend to have short Eustachian tubes which means that fluid collects in the ears if there is no intervention. Until the tube surgery, performed when Tootle had been with us for about five months, it was like Tootle was hearing things underwater. She's now on the third tube in her left ear and the second one in her right ear. Last summer we found out that the one in the right ear had come out but that a natural hole remained, doing the same thing that the tube did so that her hearing was very minimally affected. Rather than replacing the tube immediately, we decided to retest her hearing in six months. Yesterday was the retest, and Tootle's hearing was normal or above normal. The natural hole is still there, although it is smaller. We'll be retesting again in six months. I'm thrilled that we've been able to put off yet another surgery at least for now. The ENT say that she is likely to need tubes until she is a teenager, or grows large enough that fluid from her Eustachian tubes doesn't back up into her ears. In the meantime, we'll keep Tootle's preferential seating at the front of the class in place.

Sally

2009-02-23T10:33:00.002-05:00

I finally took a few minutes to learn how to use the Tom Tom that my mom got me for Christmas. I used it for the first time when my mom and I drove to Pennsylvania for Aunt Mary's funeral last week. At the lunch that followed the service, I found out that the vast majority of my relatives have names for their GPS devices (Garmina, Sophie, etc.). When I told the girls, Doodle quickly suggested the name Sally. I agreed, stunned by her brilliance in choosing a name that means "to set out on a trip or excursion" in verb form. Thus far, I'm impressed with Sally's ability to reset the course when I don't quite follow her instructions. She's a kinder, gentler back seat driver than my family members.

Junior Blogger

2009-02-21T10:19:00.002-05:00

Doodle decided last night that she wanted her own blog to post some of the many photos that she takes each week. She's ready for the grand unveiling at Kamera Kid. She calls herself Shutterbug. Maybe I should change her name here.

Master Manipulator and Cookie Monster

2009-02-20T22:15:00.004-05:00

The last time we saw my mom's twin sister, Tootle buttered her up big time, telling her that she makes the best cookies, and then sprinkled a layer of guilt on top, saying that she was really hungry for sugar cookies. At the funeral yesterday, my aunt gave me a large container of sugar cookies to bring home for Tootle. Apparently my aunt likes to bake when she's upset. Tootle proudly wears the dual titles of Master Manipulator and Cookie Monster. She even had a cookie as part of her breakfast this morning.

Memories of Aunt Mary

2009-02-17T22:47:00.005-05:00

My Aunt Mary died on Monday, a little more than a week after falling down the stairs at her home. Mary, 85, was my mom's second oldest sister. My mom and her twin are the babies of the family of 10 children. In the past few days, I've looked back at photos that I took of Mary through the years. In nearly every picture, she is holding a baby, whether it was one of her four grandchildren, great nieces or nephews, or Doodle. She was one of the most nurturing people I've ever known, always caring and always available to listen and to cook you a fabulous meal. My most recent photo of Mary was taken at our family reunion in June as she celebrated her 60 year anniversary with the love of her life. She and her husband had a rock solid marriage and their love for each other was always written on their faces. My uncle isn't well and recently had to go into a nursing home; I expect that they will be reunited in heaven soon.

When I was growing up, Aunt Mary's and Aunt Ethel's families shared a large brownstone house. Every summer I would spend a week at their house, surrounded by six fun cousins and my wonderful aunts and their husbands. Once when I was nine or so I got homesick and decided that I was packing up and going home; I think Mary was the one who found me outside and led me back inside. Even though Mary's death was sudden and heartbreaking, and I don't like being in a world without her in it, I feel so fortunate to have had Mary's influence in my life.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T22:32:00.004-05:00

Doodle made these for her classmates. The "ipod" is a box of candy hearts; the ear buds are Hershey Kisses.

Many Faces of Tootle

2009-02-09T14:55:00.003-05:00

Tootle has a larger than life personality and an unlimited number of expressions. These were all captured in less than five minutes as she relaxed in the tree. She may have a future as an actress.

Just Hanging

2009-02-08T22:54:00.004-05:00

We had a very low key weekend as I try to fight off a cold. The weather was so gorgeous that Doodle could have played her soccer game outdoors today. After the indoor game we spent hours outside enjoying the sunshine while climbing trees, riding bikes, and taking a rare break from winter weather.

As Seen on TV

2009-02-04T23:38:00.005-05:00

Doodle and Tootle love infomercials. They started begging for the Snugg*ie a few months ago, and I finally succumbed and bought two of the one size fits all blankets with sleeves for our household. They arrived yesterday and tonight both girls curled up on the sofa to read, enveloped in blue synthetic fleece. This item appears to be all the rage: The Today Show did a piece on the Snugg*ie this morning and the hosts all wore them in the studio. Then a coworker brought one into what has been our rather chilly office. We made our 6 foot 5 inch colleague try it on, and it fit him perfectly (even if he looked like a monk), so you can imagine how huge these are on the girls. I won't allow them to walk in them; they would definitely get tangled in the extra fabric and fall. I haven't tried the Snugg*ie yet; Nana loves it. I must be strong and hold out against the Big City Slid*er that they all covet.

The Dorky Mimic

2009-02-02T23:24:00.003-05:00

Last year Tootle's best friend was a boy; their teacher thought of them as a pair and seriously wondered how they would make it through the summer without one another every day. This year Tootle and J are in the same class again, but their friendship has cooled off. I suspect that the other boys teased J about playing with a girl so much. Tootle has been hurt by this change in their relationship, but she has lots of friends so it hasn't been too devastating. Tonight at bedtime we had the following conversation about Tootle's day:

Tootle: During the first half of recess I played with J and N (both boys). That was unusual. They were chasing my friends (all girls) so I told J I wouldn't do that. He said he would play with me. That was really unusual. We played Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Me: What did you do? Sing Funkytown or Witch Doctor?

Tootle: No we were fighting chipmunks who were transfomers. I was Simon and J was Alvin.

Me: Did you at least use high squeaky voices like this (I did a pretty good imitation, or so I thought)?

Tootle: No. Mom, you are such a dork.

Two Lion Dances in One Day

2009-01-31T21:38:00.010-05:00

Tootle and her friend C wait to feed the hungry lion lettuce and hong bao at International Night at school.Tootle bravely puts her hands into the lion's mouth. Her reward is having lettuce thrown into her face. Tootle and her friend A after visiting booths for 20 or so different countries and having their faces painted with Chinese characters. The one on Tootle's forehead says "love."

Earlier in the day we enjoyed dim sum with 25 of our China Moms friends. This is the first year that Doodle hasn't worn traditional dress for this event. At least she's still willing to go. The 10 and up crowd had their own table this year. The youngest girl was 19 months (and made us all yearn for the days when we had a little one in the house), the oldest almost 12.

Tootle's new friend L takes Tootle's picture.

Doodle and her friend S; Tootle and L

Seen and Heard

2009-01-28T18:52:00.002-05:00

I first heard and then saw this woodpecker as I shoveled out our driveway this morning. The picture is a bit blurry, but just getting this shot was a challenge. Every time I would get him in focus, he would scamper to the other side of the tree. We played this game for several minutes before I finally caught him.

At Last

2009-01-27T14:03:00.008-05:00

It's our first snow, and our first snow day, of the season. As soon as the ground was white, the girls and their friends headed outside. Tootle and E were having so much fun rolling the not very cooperative snow that I had to coax them to go sledding. Doodle's friend J is the first person that I've ever seen talking on a cell phone while sledding. Her poor mom was on the receiving end of the scream that she let out as she and Doodle picked up speed.

Longevity Noodles

2009-01-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

Joan asked for the recipe for longevity noodles. I haven't tried the recipe that I plan to use yet, but it's from Food & Wine and has been favorably reviewed, so I figure that it is likely to be a success. Here's the link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/longevity-noodles. I had planned to make this last night but I didn't go to the store until after dinner. I'll report on the results tomorrow.

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-25T23:22:00.002-05:00

The house isn't as clean as I would like, but the girls did get new clothes today and I have red envelopes ready to place under their pillows. I plan to make longevity noodles tomorrow night. On Friday I'll talk about CNY in Tootle's classroom, and next weekend we'll gather with friends for our traditional dim sum/lion dance event. Rumor has it that the upcoming International Night at Tootle's school will feature the lion dance troupe that performed in the inaugural parade. We may also try to catch the parade in Chinatown next weekend. We've never gone, partly because I'm a cold weather wimp and partly because we often have other plans. Gung Hay Fat Choy from our house to yours.

Stowaway

2009-01-25T22:42:00.003-05:00

Doodle, now just a little over two years shy of being a teenager, is rapidly becoming more mature and sophisticated. I see it in her sense of humor, in her decision making skills, and in her increased sense of style. However, every now and then she'll seem like a little girl again. Saturday's indoor soccer game shows both sides of my girl.

Coach Mike told the girls last week that they each would take a turn as goalie over the course of the 7 game season. Most of the girls don't like to play goalie, and Doodle is no exception. Doodle is a data/sports statistics hound so she spent some time this week looking at the standings. She discovered that the team that they would face yesterday lost last week and that their next opponent won very easily, so she decided to volunteer to be goalie for the first half yesterday (proof of her decision making skills). She did so bravely, but with butterflies in her stomach as we drove to the field. Doodle played well, and her teammates dominated the first half offensively, so once again no goals were scored against her (no one has scored a goal against her in the handful of games in which she has played goalie). Ultimately Doodle's team won 5-2, and about half the team went out to dinner together afterwards. Later in the evening, as I unpacked her bag, I found the usual water bottle, different colored game jersey, and extra socks. But I didn't expect to find her beloved teddy bear Abage at the bottom of the bag. She took him along for extra support. I can't recall Abage ever going along to preschool or school but he was a stowaway on Saturday night.

Bullets

2009-01-23T23:57:00.004-05:00

The performance of Simple Gifts that Doodle enjoyed so much during the inauguration ceremony was recorded. Apparently the instruments couldn't be kept in tune in such cold weather.

Despite the cold weather, we haven't had any measurable snow this winter. Tootle really wants to build a snowman, and I crave a cozy, quiet snow day.

Doodle's indoor soccer season has begun. In their first game, the team scored more goals (8) than they did during the entire fall season (5). They won 8-1. I like the speed of the indoor game but hate the netting that prevented me from taking decent photos.
We'll spend time this weekend cleaning the house for Chinese New Year. I'm going into Tootle's class next Friday to talk about CNY, read a book, do a craft, and have a parade.

Simple Gifts

2009-01-21T13:29:00.004-05:00

This week had brought several simple blessings to our house:

Watching Doodle's face light up as she watched cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill, pianist Gabriela Montero and violinist Itzhak Perlman play Simple Gifts during the swearing in ceremony. Simple Gifts is one of the selections for Doodle's spring concert, and she was inspired by hearing such gifted musicians perform it.
Playing Pretend Ice Cream Shop with Tootle as she took a bath last night. When Tootle takes a bath she likes to serve me "ice cream" bath water. Last night her selections included Obama flavor. According to Tootle, the flavor was a combination of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, rainbow, and grape--rather appropriate for our new mixed race president.
Having a four-day weekend and the opportunity for one-on-one time with each of the girls.
Last but perhaps not least, having Internet service restored after three days of withdrawal for all.

Happy Days Are Here Again

2009-01-21T11:40:00.003-05:00

We watched the inauguration of Barack Obama in our living room rather than braving the crowds and the weather. Being less than 10 miles from the events of the past few days, however, led to some unusual sightings for us:

* Trips to our local grocery store resulted in unusual sightings: lots of fur coats and at least one Rolls Royce.

* We also bought some Jones Orange "You Glad for Change" soda. On our next trip to the store, the soda was sold out.

* On the way to pick up Doodle from a sleepover on Sunday morning, in the span of time that we waited for a light to change at a cross street to a major route into the city, we saw no fewer than 22 loaded tour buses.

* I saw Obama and his motorcade as he left The Washington Post last week, as the result of a well timed trip to the pharmacy near my office to pick up something for Doodle.

I've lived in this area for six other inaugurations and I've never seen anything quite like this (even though I attended Clinton's first swearing in and the Reunion on the Mall of concerts and fireworks that preceded it). I hope and pray that this momentum and sense of togetherness will go far in turning this country around. Yes we can.

"Cooking" with Tootle

2009-01-14T22:35:00.002-05:00

Tootle decided to top off her dinner tonight with a juicy red apple. Suddenly I noticed that she was knawling the apple at a furious pace and so I asked her what she was doing. "Making applesauce," she replied.

Juror No. 85A

2009-01-14T14:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I performed my civic duty by reporting for jury duty. The last time I was called, about 10 years ago, I ended up as foreperson in an attempted murder trial. At the end of the two day trial, I got to declare the defendant's guilt. You don't shoot a person at point blank range with witnesses present and get away with it. Yesterday, while I was one of about 40 potential jurors called in for possible service in a burglary case, I didn't end up in the jury box. Instead I spent most of the day doing work in a quiet environment, while enjoying the wireless access in the jury lounge. During the voir dire for the burglary case, I found out/noticed some interesting things about my fellow jurors and the process:

One older man was an intelligence officer in Cameroon for 20 years. He talked to me about how astounded he was by the cost that must be involved in having a jury trial for a burglary case.
The jury pool was much more diverse than 10 years ago. That's a good thing.
The woman seated next to me ended up being on the jury. I hope she showed up for the trial's continuation today (it was expected to last 2 days). She asked me who she should talk to if she couldn't come back today. I told her that she had to come back if she was selected for the jury, but that if she had a reason why she couldn't be there the next day she should talk to the judge. She didn't.
The defense attorney struck the guy who had been a cop for 30 years from the panel, and the prosecutor excused the young African American guy. I would have been surprised if either of those actions hadn't occurred.

Jury service is fascinating for a day, but I'm glad that my name won't be called again for the next several years.

Prelude to an Inauguration

2009-01-12T22:28:00.016-05:00

Living in the DC area and being Democrats means that we have inauguration fever--and a four-day weekend coming up. I think we'll be satisfied watching the historic inauguration ceremony and parade on TV (we'll be able to see more, and we'll be warm). I'd love to score tickets to the kids' concert at the Verizon Center on the 19th, but it's probably a long shot (and it will be shown on the Disney Channel). We did take a trip downtown yesterday to visit the official inauguration store. I got each of the girls a keepsake and some pins. Doodle liked this dazzling t-shirt but I vetoed her request. The girl has expensive taste. Tootle's favorite keepsake is the special inauguration Metro farecard; this was the first time that she was old enough to get her own subway ticket. We also stopped at Union Station for lunch; there was a nice display about all 44 presidents in the Main Hall. Tootle was particularly excited to hear about Abraham Lincoln, and Doodle spent some time learning more about No. 44, Barack Obama. We also saw no fewer than two lifesize, but not very lifelike, cardboard cutouts of Obama.

Portrait in Exhaustion

2009-01-09T22:47:00.004-05:00

Doodle at 5:15 p.m. I got a new lens today.

Doodle at 10 p.m. Just looking at this picture makes me tired; the earlier spark is gone. This was taken after indoor soccer practice and pizza and a movie with her teammates.

Gutterballs and Strikes

2009-01-08T23:27:00.004-05:00

We finished up our winter break by going duckpin bowling. The lane had bumpers so gutterballs were impossible, but I feel like I've had a few real-life gutterballs since going back to work this week:

I'm so swamped that I'm working from 9:30 or so until midnight every night.

Doodle's substitute math teacher gave so much math homework that she spent 90 minutes on it before I insisted that she call it quits. At least one kid in the class completed all the work, spending 3 hours on it. Ridiculous.

We haven't even had a trace of snow yet this season, just lots and lots of cold icky rain.

We've also had a few strikes this week:

I was able to refinance my mortgage, saving me money each month.

Tootle is making great progress in reading. She is starting to read chapter books and is so motivated to learn.

Doodle got a perfect score on her Thanksgiving letter writing assignment. I received the original of the letter as a gift at Thanksgiving, but the grade wasn't issued until this week. It was a beautiful letter, and it made me cry, so anything less than a perfect score would have been inexcusable.

New Year's Day

2009-01-02T23:44:00.005-05:00

Tootle tries out her new skates

Playing Mario Kart DS while watching Penn State get crushed

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-31T23:34:00.007-05:00

On Monday I decided to take down our Christmas decorations a bit earlier than usual. The next evening we needed a Christmas tree fix so we headed to downtown DC on a beautiful balmy night to see the National Christmas Tree. Tootle was most impressed by the trains that ran around the base of the tree. Doodle liked the individual trees for each state and snapping pictures. They both liked the yule log and the Starbucks hot chocolate that I bought to keep their hands and tummies warm. The highlight of the evening may have been the musical poles that we found as we strolled back to the car (a note sounds when you touch a pole). If it were up to the girls, they would have stayed there making music for hours.

Catching Up

2008-12-29T23:50:00.003-05:00

We've been visiting relatives in Pennsylvania (and everyone but me got to try out new suitcases). Now we're home getting the house back in order. I have to sneak into work for a few hours on Tuesday but otherwise I'll be home with the girls all week. Both girls got flip video cameras and digital cameras for Christmas, and they've been busy producing a planned web show (inspired by i Carley, I'm sure). The girls also got a few Wii and Nintendo DS games, so they're playing games when they're not in production. And for those few moments when they can relax, fuzzy butterfly chairs from Nana. It's a wonderful life.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2008-12-25T22:19:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T09:42:00.003-05:00

Signs of the Season

2008-12-21T08:22:00.010-05:00

Ten Years

2008-12-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

On December 13, 1998, I became a mom in the hallway of the Lakeside Hotel in Fuzhou, Fujian, when I held Long Fuzhong in my arms for the first time. Although she had been sobbing in her caretaker's arms only a minute earlier, she calmly looked me in the eye and appraised me. With that look, I knew that all would be well. As we became acquainted over the next few days, Doodle began to show me parts of her personality that are still much in evidence today: her joy, her musicality, her humor. I was told that the translation of Fuzhong is "blessing to all." Doodle lives up to that name everyday. I'm shocked that 10 years have passed so rapidly. I want to slow down time so that the next 10 don't go by as rapidly. Today as we marked this momentous day, we took time to enjoy the little things: decorating the Christmas tree, shopping for a few presents, riding bikes, baking brownies, and having dinner at a favorite restaurant. Happy Forever Family Day, Doodle. I'm so proud of the young woman you are becoming, but I still don't want you to grow up too fast.

Eight Favorite Things Tag

2008-12-12T23:47:00.002-05:00

Beverly at Motherhood and Other Ramblings tagged me for an 8 things meme:

8 Favorite TV Shows:

Grey's Anatomy
Top Chef
The Amazing Race
Project Runway
60 Minutes
Suite Life of Zack and Cody (my list ends at the first 5, but I end up watching the last 3 a lot)
Wizards of Waverly Place
Cory in the House

8 Things I Look Forward To:

Celebrating 10 years with Doodle tomorrow
All the leaves being off the oak tree next door so I can stop raking (they all come into our yard)
Taking a week off work over the holidays
Sleep
Playing Blockus with the girls
Cleaning out the garage so I can park my car in it again
Watching the wonder of the kids' faces when they come down the stairs on Christmas morning
First snow of the season

8 Things On My Wish List:

GPS
Camera lens
A less stress free life for Doodle
Magic weight loss
Fewer sinus infections for Tootle
More developed youth program at church
Lower bills
Winning lottery ticket (I'm part of a group of 8 coworkers who play Powerball; our highest winnings in over a year: $7)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

Worked through lunch and spent most of the day in meetings
Sent e-mail to Tootle's teacher about a gingerbread house situation
Moved things around in the living room to make way for the Christmas tree
Delivered dinner to a friend who just had surgery
Ordered a present for Nana online
Told Doodle how proud I am of how well she is handling stress this week
Made final arrangements for a friend of Doodle's to sleep over tonight (it's midnight and they're still awake)
Starting working on getting our Christmas card out

8 Favorite Restaurants:

Meiwah
Foong Lin
Oriental East (dim sum)
Macaroni Grill
Olive Garden
Cosi
Baja Fresh
California Pizza Kitchen

I need to make sure two 10 year olds are in bed so I'm going to skip tagging 8 others. If you're reading this and want to play along, please do.

Ted E. Bear

2008-12-10T23:31:00.005-05:00

This week Tootle came home from school with a tote bag stuffed full with a teddy bear, a book, and a journal. Ted E. Bear is visiting us for the week and Tootle is charged with writing about his adventures in the journal. Thus far, Ted has helped Tootle light our Christmas count down candle, read with Tootle, and enjoyed Doodle's winter concert (more on that later). We have big plans for Ted for the rest of the week, including securing his help in decorating the Christmas tree.

The book in the bag, I'll Read to You, You Read to Me, is based on a clever concept. The book is made up of a series of two page short stories with purple text on the left, red text on the right, and blue text in the middle. The child reads the text on one side and the parent reads the words on the other side, with both reading the text in the middle. Tootle and I are having a blast reading the stories; thus far our favorite is about a snowman.

Facebook, or Brave New World

2008-12-09T21:50:00.004-05:00

I joined Facebook early this year to help Love without Boundaries win $50,000 in the Facebook Challenge. LWB signed up more than 7,000 people and collected the grand prize. And now I had a Facebook page sitting there, empty and friendless. I started to get e-mails from real-life friends who wanted to "friend me" but I didn't really have the time to understand it all so I ignored the requests that trickled in. Last week I spent an afternoon with some nonprofit association colleagues discussing the future of publications (a bleak future for someone who loves the printed word where everything is free and online) and learned that several of their employers had set up Facebook accounts as placeholders for future use as their members become younger and more tech savvy. The very next day I got a friend request from one of my employer's members (a guy who is in his 50s), so I decided that it was time to take action. I accepted the friend requests that had piled up and started to send out requests to friends and colleagues. I uploaded a picture of the girls, spruced up my profile, and started exchanging messages with former coworkers whom I've lost touch with. And now I'm stuck. I haven't had the time to figure out how I post news items and I'm not sure if the Wall is the same thing. Plus, I'm unsure about how to deal with the mix of friends and work-related people/customers. I don't want to link to my blog there because I'm not sure if I want my current coworkers and customers to know about it in case I ever want to vent about them. Is there a Facebook for Dummies? Has anyone figured this all out?

Dear Santa

2008-12-02T22:52:00.004-05:00

Tootle's letter to the jolly guy in red, written on the postcard that we picked up at Macy's.

Christmas Card Outtakes

2008-11-30T22:13:00.014-05:00

When we visited relatives in Pennsylvania this weekend, we went to the Harrisburg Mall to see the impressive sandcastle that is constructed every year as Santa's home in the mall. Tootle visited with Santa, but Doodle decided that she is too old. Tootle assured me that most mall Santas are simply Santa's helpers, but the one that she saw was the real deal. I attempted to use the sandcastle as the backdrop for our holiday card with some success as well as some failures. Here are the failures.

Thankful

2008-11-27T21:41:00.004-05:00

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for many things:

The Thanksgiving letter that Doodle wrote as a school assignment. It was touching and very written. I hope she gets an A.

The fact that both girls helped prepare the turkey dinner and that both said they were most thankful for family. Tootle is also thankful for Santa Claus.

My mom. Life would be much more difficult without her help.

My job. I have a lot of flexibility in work hours and like my work most of the time. It could be a lot worse.

Living in this country. Things are going to be a bit bumpy for awhile as we recover from the economic mess, but I'm so hopeful for the future.

We made these pilgrims and Native Americans this morning. One of Tootle's friends spent the morning playing at our house because her mom is recovering from surgery. These so called "village people" make me smile, and the girls giggled a lot as they made them and played with them. After stuffing ourselves, we went to see the movie Bolt. This evening Tootle and I finished a difficult puzzle she was working on, and Doodle and I put some new music on her ipod.

Weekend Update

2008-11-24T23:11:00.004-05:00

Our schedule on Saturday wasn't quite packed enough, so we decided to make dumplings in the afternoon. Tootle enjoyed perfecting her dumpling making craft, and we recruited Doodle's friend S to help. We also helped pack and decorate Thanksgiving boxes for the food drive at Tootle's school, went ice skating, and took Doodle to an evening birthday party at a bowling alley. (Tootle got invited to bowl a game too.) Sunday was much more low key. We ran errands after church, raked leaves, and then froze at Doodle's soccer practice.

Tootle's bully appears to have been successfully neutralized so she is happier at school. Doodle's problem doesn't have a quick fix but she is doing OK most of the time. I'm looking forward to a relaxing Thanksgiving break.

Scattergories

2008-11-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

I saw this on Beverly's blog and decided to play along. Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things…nothing made up! You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Donna
BOY NAME: Donald
4 LETTER WORD: door
GIRL NAME: Delia
OCCUPATION: dermatologist
A COLOR: dark blue
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: dungarees
BEVERAGE: daiquiri
FOOD: dumplings
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: dental floss
A PLACE: Denver, CO
REASON FOR BEING LATE: dream
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Darn!

Seeking Counsel

2008-11-19T14:36:00.003-05:00

I've been on the phone with the guidance counselors at both girls' schools today. Tootle is being teased by a few kids in her class about the small size of her left nostril, the result of being born with a cleft lip/palate. This one has taken me by surprise because the Hangzhou surgeon did such a good job that many adults don't even notice Tootle's deformity. I'm a bit biased, but she really is a beautiful girl. Last week one night she told me that several kids were asking her about her nostril and faint surgery scar and that she didn't like school and didn't want to go the next day. I asked her how she responded and she told me that she ignored them. I suggested that she could just matter of factly tell the curious kids that that's simply how she was born. That technique worked for the curious kids but it didn't work on a mean girl in the class who has continued to tease Tootle about it every day. While Tootle is going to school willingly, this is bothering her. An e-mail to the teacher went unanswered, so today I called the guidance counselor, who was very responsive. He pulled Tootle out of class to talk to her and she was unable to answer him except by nodding her head yes or no, so she clearly is upset. She asked him not to talk to the girl about this specific situation; I think Tootle fears retribution. But he does meet with this girl on a regular basis so he is going to discuss it with her in a general sense. I'm choosing to view this as an opportunity to arm Tootle with tools to deal with mean people, but I'd rather that she didn't have to deal with this at the age of six.

Doodle is having a rough time coping with the stress/pressure of school this year. It's a bit of a mystery because her report card showed no struggles, and her teachers report that she is doing very well, but I have to recognize the validity of her feelings and equip her with tools to cope with stress. It's a bit unnerving to try to calm down your 10 year old who is hyperventilating over a science test that you know she is prepared for. Doodle started seeing a licensed clinical social worker this week who specializes in anxiety disorders and often works with adopted children. The first session went well, and I'm hopeful that Doodle will be able to handle stress much better soon. I chose a LCSW who works with adopted kids in case Doodle has any underlying adoption concerns that she has been unable to talk to me about. Doodle's school guidance counselor is keeping Doodle's various teachers informed and is having occasional lunch sessions with her and a group of friends. I hope that we can nip this in the bud before middle school.

Writer's Block?

2008-11-19T10:34:00.002-05:00

Has Tootle lost her muse already? This morning I came across three incomplete books, two of which only had a cover and a first page. The life of a busy author, who also has to fit in Chinese, Daisies, and skating, isn't an easy one.

Prolific

2008-11-18T10:14:00.002-05:00

Tootle is a budding author. She writes at least one book a day now, sometimes 3 pages in length and other times as many as 16. She reports that she plans to write 100 books before Christmas. Thus far, the books have centered on the fictional adventures of bunnies and cats. The exception is a nonfiction book about the care and feeding of cats. My favorite recent addition is that she includes a description on the back cover and indicates whether the book is "fiction" or "information." A few of the books have been wrapped up to be given as Christmas presents. I suggested that she do the illustrations for these special books in color rather than pencil. She rejected this idea, saying that chapter books don't have color pictures. I should have known better than to mess with her creative process.