this is how we roll

9/21

After some shopping and errands, Kiernen very much wanted me to make myself a birthday cake, since we’d had no time to do it the day before. He cracked the eggs into the bowl, measured and sifted the coconut flour, and poured in the vanilla and baking soda. He licked the spoon and the beaters when they were done. When he was finished, he asked me to “untie the shoestring” on his apron (it ties with a shoestring, and ever since I told him where it came from, he refers to it as such). He hung up his apron in the closet (again!) himself.

Much pretend play with two of his older friends, Josh and Cole (both 6). Kiernen excitedly showed them the cooled off “layer” of the cake we’d made (there were 3), then informed me it was time to make the frosting because it was cooled off. (My noticing there was his keen sense of observation and timing).

We’d gotten his mattress pads, so we finally were able to fully put his bed together, mattress pad, sheets and all, and ready it for him sleeping on it in his own room for the very first time – MUCH excitement about this dearly-anticipated event – Kiernen was beside himself!

After dinner we took my cake next door and shared it with our neighbours (friends) in their home. Kiernen insisted there be singing, and led the “Happy Birthday” song, helping me blow out the candles when it was (almost) finished.

At bedtime, we laid together in the bottom bunk and read, “Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever” (we love the Richard Scarry books). He asked me to show him/tell him what all of the words were, so I pointed to the object and he would say what it was as I then pointed to the word. He was delighted with this – such an interest in words and what they are lately.

 Kiernen decided to climb up and sleep in the top bunk all by himself (sniff!). Ten minutes later he decided he wanted to come and sleep on the bottom with me, because “I keep thinking about snuggling you.” (my heart grows three sizes and then melts). Of course he did.

9/22

Went to the garden to pick kale for kale chips. Picked strawberries and kale, and Kiernen noticed a bee on one of the sunflowers, so we watched her for awhile – lovely little girl. Her face was all covered in pollen and she was just having the greatest time collecting more – it made me wish hard that I could keep my bees here by my home, so I could watch them more often.

The finches were enjoying the sunflower seeds – it definitely was a day I wished I’d brought my camera – so much happening in the garden! Kiernen helped me pull some turnips, and we talked about how they turn purple on top and pop out of the soil when they’re ready to be pick, just like carrots and beets do. He was excited to go through and find the ones that were ready and to pull them, and he asked me to make them into a soup for him to eat later (which I did).

On to the trampoline – I live for these moments. Time disappears when we’re alone on the trampoline. We jump briefly, and he immediately begins asking me to tell him stories about when I was a little girl.*

• An aside to this one – when he was younger, we’d go out to the trampoline to jump, and then we’d lay down and nurse and look at the sky. I’d tell him stories or just talk, and we’d snuggle and lay on the trampoline, then eventually we’d get up and jump again. I think he has this association with us being alone on the trampoline, and now it gets recreated through my telling him stories as I snuggle with him on the trampoline. 

 

We jump for a spell, then we sit and cuddle and watch the chickadees hopping around on the tree nearby. We listen for their song, and the song of the finches, who are also flitting about. I tell him stories – of the boys putting my kitten, Whiskers, in the mailbox and having to call the postman to come get him out. Of when I said ‘feces’ at age three. Of when I caught a salamander. Of the girl who ate dirt (phonetically pronounced tu-RIE-ya) so I would push her on the swing, of the time when Cameron put a grasshopper in my shirt.

We play with the static electricity on the surface of the trampoline – making seed pods that have fallen from the trees jump when we put our fingers close to them. The story of ‘feces’ sparks a whole discussion about the different words people use for ‘poop’ and ‘pee’ and in what context (at home, around friends, in the medical field).

We hold hands as he jumps some more, and all through it, we laugh and laugh. We holds hands and he runs in circles on the trampoline – I let go and he falls, bouncing and laughing. We do it again and again until we both fall, laughing, and then it’s time to go in because we’re hungry. This is my bliss. THIS is being present.

We go in and we photograph some chairs for a neighbour to put an ad on Craigslist – Kiernen brings his Lego club “magazine” (read: marketing tool) to peruse while we do this.

At home, he wants to watch a video, and he spells out the letters on the cover: “O-P-E-N-S-E-A-S-O-N.” I tell him what it says. He asks what the other words are. He is always wanting to know this these days, “What does that say?”

We are going to make labels for all of the items in our home so he can see the words for them: ‘toilet’, ‘sink’, ‘jar’, etc. Our friends (teachers) did this for our son when he was young, and I found it a delightful idea. Kiernen’s recent interest in words reminded me of this, and so we’re going to do it, too.

There is more (this was obviously the previous week) but I’m leaving it for now – perhaps for next week’s O4L!