Sunday, September 23, 2018

Of Ancient History and Baseball Birthdays....


There's been a lot of poring over history books at our house lately. And Mommy scrambling to try to answer a lot of interesting questions, like....should they have stabbed Julius Ceaser? And do the Greeks still not wear any clothes at the Olympics?

Sarah (or Mariam?) had bumped her head. Jenny made a little bed with a pink blanket and a pillow, and made a sign, designating it as a place for recuperation: “Baeby Hospitl”
They constructed a longboat. I wasn't sure if it was Saxon or Viking, but they had lots of fun with it. I think it was Isaiah's idea, and he wanted them to hang their shields on the sides.
This picture was taken on a “low” day for me. As evidenced by me evidently giving in to the kid's requests for dry Ramen noodles and Mariam helping herself to a chunk of cheese. She is very pleased with herself for climbing into the babyseat/throne by herself, and possessing the independent riches of a hunk of cheese and dry ramen. She even has an adoring supplicant.
(Sarah got cheese immediately after this picture was taken.)

I love this next progression of pictures, I was just trying to get an idyllic shot, and only later did I realize the little drama that unfolded. Its so representative of the kids personalities.
Picture #1, idyllic scene of Isaiah reading to Mariam. Keziah looks bored.
Picture #2, Keziah livens things up a bit.

Picture #3, Jenny enters the scene, supporting Law and Order, and very aware of it. Keziah switches back to angelic smile.
A couple years ago, I had tried to make my recycled ice-cream buckets (now holding flour, etc) more classy by spray painting them cream color. But then I ran out of spray paint, so a few of them still sport the logo “Party Pail” with garish colors.
I came and found someone had scribbled a girl and a flower on one of the painted ones. Jenny explained “I was sad this bucket did not have something pretty on it like the others. So I decided to make it pretty for you”


Later, she colored some hearts and roses on my carefully poster-boarded over white book boxes, “to make it pretty for you, Mommy”
Jenny went through a brief nostalgic phase where she wanted to take pictures in black and white. This is a tree, she explained, as my initial reaction was I thought it was a nuclear mushroom cloud.
Keziah and Mariam decided to “make a Greek Soldier.”

They were very proud of their creation.

Aunt Sarah came to visit for Isaiah's birthday, which pleased him greatly.


Among his loot, he got a gladius, a Star Wars book, a Phillies shirt, a minecraft maze book....

...and a Baseball Cake. He was very excited about the cake.






Keziah was also very excited about the cake....

He was very happy.

Note in this  next sequence, Sarah is being read to by Grandma, when she recognizes an interloper...

And attempts to keep the book to just her and Grandma.
Thankfully, Grandma keeps reading, and Mariam moves to be able to still see the book.
Sarah still looks smug.
Bubbles fills Keziah's soul with joy. She wants me to photograph her bubbles, she is so proud of them.



Right after this idyllic picture, Isaiah opened his mouth to reveal chewed up carrot. I think that plan had hatched in his mind in this picture, given the gleam in his eyes.

Isaiah is extremely creative when putting together costumes. Often, the elements he sees as important in replicating something are not the ones I immediately see---he forgoes his Greekish-looking dress up helmet, and uses a yellow construction hardhat and red Megablocks to get the right silhouette.
He turned down the scale-mail (plastic) gold breastplate in search of something more authentic to the Spartan soldier on the CD cover for Sabaton's “The Last Stand.” He hunted around for a “Greek breastplate”---- the solid bronze breastplate with the muscle-shapes wrought into it. Coming up with nothing that satisfied him, he said, “I know, I will take off my shirt, and my chest can be the Greek Armor”
....he then cleverly decided to use his discarded red shirt as his cloak.
Keziah was inspired by our discussion of the Roman tortoise formation, and how the Roman soldiers would overlap their shields to make a kind of 2nd century tank. She decided she was going to wear ALL THE SHIELDS.

She was very very proud of herself.
Mariam, ofcourse had to photobomb.
(I don't know what is up with the pointer fingers in pictures. It was really a thing this week)
Isaiah loves his red clip on tie. At bedtime, I found he had added it to his pajama ensemble.
Isaiah pulled out his own tooth. Jenny was so proud of him, I think she was more excited than he was. She got a sharpie and a bag, and decorated it with her version of “The Tooth Bag. Isaiah. 7 yrs old”

Isaiah was reading, or at least recounting, to his sisters the fireman story from “What Do People Do All Day”.



While wearing his fireman hat. (They re-enacted the story later, with Mariam being Huckle needing to be rescued by Isaiah being Smokey the Fireman).
Josh found Keziah filling up little toy teacups with water at the sink to carry away.
You can't do that” he told her.
But we need to baptize the Duplos!” she explained.
Josh went into the living room and found Jenny waiting with the unregenerate toy characters. He learned from her that they meant to sprinkle them.
Our children are evidently Presbyterians” he told me.

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