The Farm Report

Category: Neko

  • The kids meet Joe

    The kids meet Joe

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    Ever since Bonnie had the baby, Neko has been begging to meet Joe. I managed to convince her to wait until she left the hospital, but once she heard Bonnie had come home, she was demanding a visit.

    It's fun to see Neko be this age with a baby. When Shep and Ellery came home, she was interested in them, but she wasn't old enough to really understand what's special about a baby. She inspected every part of him. She checked out his umbilical cord. We taught her about the soft spot. She insisted he borrow our hungry caterpillar.

    Shep was interested at first, but then quickly decided there were far more interesting things to do.

    Ellery was beside herself with excitement. Her greatest baby dreams had come true. For nearly an hour she sat and squealed "Baby!" and then "Cute!"

    Joe? I think he's going to fit right in.

  • The Pink Load

    The Pink Load

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    When Neko was born, we weren't sure if she was going to be a girl or a boy. All the clothes we owned up until the point that we left for the hospital were gender neutral.

    When we came home from the hospital, every person that walked through the door brought us an outfit that was pink. When I did laundry, I used to do what I called "The Pink Load." You know—lights, darks, pinks.

    As she grew, her wardrobe expanded to a rainbow of colors, and I never looked back.

    This year? She won't wear it if it's not pink.

    Once again, I can run The Pink Load.

  • Sled dog

    Sled dog

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    Neko's school went to go see a former Iditarod participant speak today. He brought his sled, trophies, and one of his sled dogs.

    After bath time, Neko asked if she could draw on a pair of socks with a permanent marker. The OCD in me heard a little voice in my head go, "DRAW ON SOCKS?! You can't draw on socks!" Isn't that against some kind of law?

    I'm glad I didn't say it outloud, because then I started thinking about it. Socks don't cost a lot. And besides, when they're being worn, they're in shoes. No one sees them, anyway. Parenting lesson #462 learned, I handed over the Sharpie. And in about five minutes flat, a sled dog appeared before my eyes.

    Mush! MUSH!

    (Which is actually totally incorrect, as I learned today. They don't actually say "mush" at all." But it's too late to get into all those details.)

  • Child labor

    Child labor

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    Because I had the kids all day yesterday, Tom gave me much of today off to get caught up on my astronomical pile of Things To Do. On the way home, he vacuumed the car, and then suggested the kids help clean the floor mats, which they did enthusiastically.

    So, at what age do they catch on to the Tom Sawyer technique?

  • Anna turns three and we celebrate art

    Anna turns three and we celebrate art

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    We spent the morning at Anna's birthday party, where we celebrated her turning three. She's going to be a big sister in just one week, so it was an extra special celebration. I took a lot of crappy photos there. None worth keeping…but happy birthday, Anna!

    Tom took Shep and Ellery home for quiet time and I joined Marlo and Nancy's families at the contemporary art museum to let the kids reunite and check out the museum. It had been ages since we'd been, and there was tons of new stuff for the kids to explore.

    Neko's favorite? This old camper that was set up so that when a ton of kids got in and jumped in harmony it rocked back and forth like an old amusement park ride. The kids loved it. Props to Greg, who hung out in the hot (and a little smelly) camper while the kids shrieked and jumped and created mayhem.

  • How many is 100?

    How many is 100?

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    As part of their math curriculum, Neko's class has been learning about numbers. Of course, they began at the beginning with the basic numbers, and then progressed to counting by fives and tens and starting basic math. (As I mentioned before, Zero the Hero has been big conversation around here.)

    A week from Thursday will be their 100th day of school. In celebration, they be having a big 100 party. They are each being asked to bring in 100 of something. Inspecting the different examples of 100 will give them a sense of what 100 "looks" like.

    I started to think about what we had 100 of. 100 pieces of macaroni. 100 coffee beans. Neko tried to find 100 little plastic animals. Even though it feels like we have 100 of those, we actually only have a little over 40.

    But Playmobil people? We have 100 of those. While she was at school I lined them up, 10 rows of 10 people. Adults and kids, royalty and fire fighters.

    It was pretty impressive to see. 100 feels like such a huge number, but when you lay it out visually, it feels remarkably tangible.

    When she got home, Neko admired my work. Then she started taking away people and asked me what 9 times 9 is, and when it took me a few moments to answer, I realized that I'd be perfectly happy if we did kindergarten math until graduation day.

  • Valentine’s Day: Part 3

    Valentine’s Day: Part 3

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    As I prepare for my (surprise) Valentine's dinner out, Neko filches my boots, and discovers the power of Very Tall Shoes.

    She insists I get the camera and take a few shots, and I hop to it as quickly as I can, because Neko requesting a photo be taken only happens once in a blue moon. (Secretly wishing I'd taken a moment to switch lenses so these would be more in focus…but not complaining.)

  • So why do we own a bed?

    So why do we own a bed?

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    Neko, sound asleep on the beanbag chair, feet propped up on her bed.

  • 3 children, 3 dogs, and 1 dragon

    3 children, 3 dogs, and 1 dragon

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    Neko's class has been learning about the Chinese New Year. Dragon parades now taking place in the living room.

  • Gone skiing

    Gone skiing

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    I've been meaning to take Neko skiing. For about two years.

    Tom, Renita, and Diane took her tubing last year, but she petered out after 30 minutes because she was cold. So when the weather soared toward 50 today, I realized this was perfect opportunity.

    When Tom arrived home, Neko and I took off for the slopes. She was excited but nervous. She has a hard time with new things. She wants to be good at everything right away.

    As expected, she fell a lot at the beginning. She was frustrated, and mentioned quitting once or twice, but quickly got the hang of it. By the end of the evening, she was leading Renita and I down the bunny hill, demanding to go first.

    As we rode up the hill on the moving sidewalk (the bunny hill alternative to ski lifts), she looked up at the Wishing Star (the North Star) and told me she was making a wish.

    Later, I asked her what she wished for. "My very own skis," she replied.

    (I completely forgot my fling camera, so you'll have to make due with these iPhone photos.)