Ok .. everyone tells you how wonderful parenthood is and "they" always talk about the joys of watching your children learn and grow. I never paid much attention to prior to having children but "they" were right.
Carter has been curious about reading for a long while now (about a year) but tonight was the first breakthrough moment (like on Star Trek when they made First Contact with the Vulcans). He knows his alphabet and the sounds of all the letters. He's learned to spell words like his name and several superheroes and he can write anything he can spell. All very cool things and I loved watching each of those skills develop BUT tonight he figured out how to sound out words. NOTHING has been as cool as that moment was tonight.
We had just started reading Bambi Grows Up. He opened the book and pointed at the word 'deep' and asked how to read it. He asked what sound does 'e' make. I had to tell him the sound of 'ee' and then he slowly put it all together. When he read the word he didn't even know what he had said. It was a beautiful moment and we were both so happy and excited we hollered for Alice to come and see his new talent. With much prompting he read 'Bambi' 'Grows' and 'Up'. He needed much less prompting for 'Jack' and 'and'. I had to tell him what 'the' was and I think 'beanstalk' was a bit much for me to hope for.
I'm verklempt.
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Monday 26 October 2009
Pumpkins
Alice and the kids along with the Defieuxs and the Englesons ventured out in the countryside for a second consecutive weekend. This trip wasn't for apples but pumpkins. With Halloween fast approaching it has become something of a tradition to venture forth to farming villages to buy pumpkins. The procedure is simple enough. Find a small community/village/neighbourhood and ask if they have pumpkins for sale. Most do at this time of the year and they are only too willing to part with them for the requisite $$. I can only imagine they stories they tell around the dinner table about the van of foreigners that pulled up with kids in tow seeking to buy pumpkins.
For a second straight weekend I didn't join the group as walking around the countryside on crutches just isn't that much fun. I did it last year but this year I've just struggled and laboured a bit more with them and elected to stay home. I am not sure if it was the right decision .. it certainly wasn't a happy one but I think it was necessary. Well enough self-pity .. the pics.
I contributed to the venture in the only way I can which is to carve the pumpkins with the boys. Carter took his turn at the knife and did a pretty good job for the most part. Nathan "had a stab at it" so to speak but I've decided he can wait a year before trying again.
The first one we carved was a simple Ultraman face. Next up?? Keep checking back.
For a second straight weekend I didn't join the group as walking around the countryside on crutches just isn't that much fun. I did it last year but this year I've just struggled and laboured a bit more with them and elected to stay home. I am not sure if it was the right decision .. it certainly wasn't a happy one but I think it was necessary. Well enough self-pity .. the pics.
I contributed to the venture in the only way I can which is to carve the pumpkins with the boys. Carter took his turn at the knife and did a pretty good job for the most part. Nathan "had a stab at it" so to speak but I've decided he can wait a year before trying again.
The first one we carved was a simple Ultraman face. Next up?? Keep checking back.
Thursday 22 October 2009
An Apple A Day
Last weekend the family set out to the Chinese countryside to pick fresh apples. Unfortunately traipsing around the countryside on crutches is not very enjoyable and I opted out on a cool activity. Nathan asked me "How come you always stay home?" Alice and the kids were in good company however as they were joined by the Englesons and the Moshers for what looked like a beautiful day. Carter made sure to pick the biggest, shiniest and juiciest apple for me (or so he says) which warmed this father's heart.
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Never Assume
Cause as the old line goes you make and ass out of u and an ass out of me.
On that note I give you "The Assumption Song"
On that note I give you "The Assumption Song"
Monday 19 October 2009
Where The Wild Things Are
Some memories of childhood are so pervasive that even through the hazy looking glass of a life that has been lived they are crystal clear.
Grade 2 Ms. (or Mrs.) Bunnell's Grade 2 class as we looked through the Scholastic book order with as much anticipation as the Sears Christmas catalogue. The Scholastic catalogue was a cornucopia of all the goodness that books had to offer a young child. I am not sure when I lost the passion (or maybe I just have less time) but when I was young I loved to read. Sure it was mostly comic books but just books in general especially new ones were particularly exciting. In Ms. Bunnell's class was when I saw the writeup and the front page graphic for one of the most well known children's books of all time, "Where The Wild Things Are."
What a beautiful book. A timeless classic written in 1963 by Maurice Sendak. He reportedly based the creatures in the book on relatives that would come over for weekly dinners. That makes it even more charming.
The movie adaptation by Spike Jonze was released this week and I for one am clamouring to see it. Hopefully our local cinema in Dalian takes pity and decides to show this one in English. I'd love love love to take the boys.
Grade 2 Ms. (or Mrs.) Bunnell's Grade 2 class as we looked through the Scholastic book order with as much anticipation as the Sears Christmas catalogue. The Scholastic catalogue was a cornucopia of all the goodness that books had to offer a young child. I am not sure when I lost the passion (or maybe I just have less time) but when I was young I loved to read. Sure it was mostly comic books but just books in general especially new ones were particularly exciting. In Ms. Bunnell's class was when I saw the writeup and the front page graphic for one of the most well known children's books of all time, "Where The Wild Things Are."
What a beautiful book. A timeless classic written in 1963 by Maurice Sendak. He reportedly based the creatures in the book on relatives that would come over for weekly dinners. That makes it even more charming.
The movie adaptation by Spike Jonze was released this week and I for one am clamouring to see it. Hopefully our local cinema in Dalian takes pity and decides to show this one in English. I'd love love love to take the boys.
Sunday 11 October 2009
Lavender Bath
When you are on crutches the daily shower gets replaced with the (hopefully) daily bath. We should all take the time to slow down and enjoy a good hot bath now and then. Unfortunately until the stitches come out I am forced to drape one leg out of the tub but soon (Tuesday) the stitches are gone and I am going to enjoy this small luxury.
The bath is THE ONLY GOOD THING about being on crutches and nothing says bath like the soothing smell of lavender bath salts and bubble bath. Yes I am secure enough in my masculinity to admit that it's lavender all the way for me.
Cheers
Thursday 8 October 2009
Tibial Nail
This past week I entered in the Kai Fa Qu #3 Hospital to have the rod/nail (both terms are used) that was holding my broken bones together removed. It was held in place by several screws and as fate would have it one of them was broken. Bone had grown enough to hold it in place so I was unaware it had even happened.
The complications of the broken screw turned a 30 minute surgery into a 2 hour affair. Essentially an extra hole was drilled into my ankle to reach the broken piece and it was tapped out of the newly drilled hole. After all screws were removed the kneecap and patellar tendon were moved aside and the rod/nail was pulled from my tibia. I was fortunate to be able to keep the hardware and have brought it into my classes for show and tell.
I put a CD beside it to give a size reference.
Note the broken screw.
One more month on crutches to allow some bone to fill in the screw holes left behind and I should be back to walking in no time.
The complications of the broken screw turned a 30 minute surgery into a 2 hour affair. Essentially an extra hole was drilled into my ankle to reach the broken piece and it was tapped out of the newly drilled hole. After all screws were removed the kneecap and patellar tendon were moved aside and the rod/nail was pulled from my tibia. I was fortunate to be able to keep the hardware and have brought it into my classes for show and tell.
I put a CD beside it to give a size reference.
Note the broken screw.
One more month on crutches to allow some bone to fill in the screw holes left behind and I should be back to walking in no time.
Thursday 1 October 2009
Carter
Time for another update of one of the children .. this time its Carter. This morning he woke me up and asked if I wanted to see a drawing of a hot air balloon. Naturally I said yes and he trucked off to the easel and drew this.
While he may not be a Picasso he has reached another mental development stage - drawing from memory something which he has not been shown how to draw.
He has taken a keen interest in Math since he was very young which of course makes his Math teacher father very happy. Below is some of his work.
This first page he did mentally (without using any manipulatives like rocks, cubes or even fingers).
This next page was difficult for him but he chose the page to do and we let him do his thing. He first started using hangers from the clothes rack as countable objects but when he realized he didn't have enough he switched to Pogs (or kapian in Chinese).
And perhaps 11-1 is 16 in another form of mathematics. He said he was trying to write 10 but got mixed up.
It's very interesting to watch the young minds develop along the paths they do.
While he may not be a Picasso he has reached another mental development stage - drawing from memory something which he has not been shown how to draw.
He has taken a keen interest in Math since he was very young which of course makes his Math teacher father very happy. Below is some of his work.
This first page he did mentally (without using any manipulatives like rocks, cubes or even fingers).
This next page was difficult for him but he chose the page to do and we let him do his thing. He first started using hangers from the clothes rack as countable objects but when he realized he didn't have enough he switched to Pogs (or kapian in Chinese).
And perhaps 11-1 is 16 in another form of mathematics. He said he was trying to write 10 but got mixed up.
It's very interesting to watch the young minds develop along the paths they do.
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