Injured Butterfly
J+M+J
Landon found an injured male Monarch butterfly. As you can see, the left forewing is missing. I brought it home to show the little boys and feed it. I took these pictures of the butterfly eating peach juice.
A+M+D+G
Landon
Picture Day
J+M+J
These are pictures of me in my costume for the spring dance recital this year. I do have another costume but those pictures were professionally taken and I won’t get them until the end of May.
You would think that after three years of ballet I would have learned to straighten my arm a little!
These are our tap dance costumes:
Landon’s ballet costume.
This was a dark hallway.
This is the same picture, except I tinkered with it on my computer.
A+M+D+G
If You Wonder Why We Need Stitches…
J+M+J
Landon took these pictures so they are quite dark. If you can make them out, these pictures of Landon and John playing speak for themselves. (From the third picture on the blurry thing is a pillow.)
A+M+D+G
Not How I Planned on Spending the Evening
J+M+J
May 1st was Ascension Thursday, so there was going to be a Mass at the Cathedral. It was sort of rainy and a little windy, but the last thing I expected was stormy weather. Landon was going to be an altar server, so he had to be at the church early. Because of this, Mom left to take him to the Cathedral as the rest of us were finishing supper. My job was to get the little ones cleaned up, and find their shoes and coats and put them on. In other words, they had to be ready to go to mass before Mom got back.
Shortly after Mom left, it started to pour. Torrents of rain fell down from the sky. A few minutes later, it stopped, instantly and completely. Thunder and lightening began to rumble and flash. Alexander was nervous and began to complain about ‘dee funder.’ Maria moaned, “I wish that there wasn’t going to be this really bad storm on the way to Mass.” I responded, “Oh Maria, This isn’t a bad storm. Really bad storms have big winds and hail and tornadoes. This is just a little shower that will help the plants grow.” “I know.” Maria whined, not convinced.
Mom would be home at any minute so I had to hurry I made sure everyone’s shoes were on, their coats found, and done with last-minute drinks and bathroom breaks. In no time, Mom had pulled up and everyone ran out to the car. I ran out last, only to turn around and run inside for Alex, who had had panicked halfway to the car and ran back into the house. I couldn’t convince him to walk with me to the car, so I picked him up and ran to the car, and we were on our way.
Halfway to Mass, my heart leaped as the tornado sirens began to wail. I bean to pray Hail Mary’s with Maria and Johnathan while Mom turned on the radio. We heard that the tornado was close to Harrisburg, a small town not far from Sioux Falls. It didn’t make me feel better that we were on the side of Sioux Falls closest to Harrisburg. Mom kept driving, but I half wondered if we should pull over, find a ditch, and lay down. It was a small comfort that we weren’t the only ones on the road at the time, and the cars next to us weren’t turning around and driving away at top speed.
After a few minutes, we reached the church. Mom called Dad on her cell phone, and he told her that Mass had been canceled and everyone was in the church basement. Mom told us to go inside and go to the basement, so I grabbed Alexander and ran to the door. Maria and Johnathan followed me. Maria was carrying Joseph, who was much to big for her to hold. When I got to the door, it was locked. That was not fun. It was raining, there was a tornado somewhere around, I was hearing a vacuum cleaner-like noise, (now I think it was the sound of a train or another siren being distorted by the wind,) and the door was locked. Mom caught up with us. When I told her the door was locked, she called Dad on the phone to ask him to come up and unlock the door from the inside. She couldn’t get a hold of him, so we ran to another door. Thank goodness it wasn’t locked.
We went down to the basement and saw Dad and all the other people that had come for Mass. My friend Isabel was there, and so we got to talk together. It was a lot harder to be scared in the basement of the cathedral than in the car. There was a little hail, but it didn’t last long. I hoped that it hadn’t hurt my tulips that were about to bloom at home. After a while, the storm passed and we went home. I was happy that the tornado sirens hadn’t gone off when I was at home alone with the kids.
A+M+D+G
Clover and Landon’s Glasses
J+M+J
Clover likes Landon’s glasses a lot. It’s not just Landon’s glasses, but I don’t let her chew on mine, for fear of her scratching the lenses.
A+M+D+G
Not so Bare
J+M+J
Landon had just finished playing with Dad’s air compressor. He had done something to release the pressure for a moment, and it had made a loud sound of air rushing out. Maria and John were getting their pajamas on, and I had just finished putting Joseph’s on. I was talking to Mom about how little things I have had to blog about recently, how funny and talkative my friends baby brother (who happens to be a couple months younger than Joseph) is. “Mom,” I said “I don’t have anything to blog about. My blog is very bare. Alexander used to keep me well supplied with funny things, but now he is going to turn four and doesn’t say so much innocently hilarious stuff anymore. Joseph can’t talk yet very well, so he can’t say funny things. (To Joseph) Joseph, why can’t you talk more like John?” (My friend’s baby brother’s name) I just continued on doing what I was doing, when a few minutes later the air compressor suddenly started going again. Joseph was fleeing from it in pure terror, screaming, “Mom! Mom! Mo-o-o-o-om!” All the way from the air compressor to Mom’s arms, with the air compressor going loudly. We got the air compressor stopped up, and Joseph wasn’t yet recovered from the scare. Mom said, “Who says he doesn’t do funny stuff? That was right on cue.” I replied, “I’m of to my blog!” I was thinking, ‘My blog isn’t so bare now.’
A+M+D+G
Stations of the Cross
J+M+J
We got this kit for making the stations of the cross last year. Landon, Maria, John, and I never finished making them. Also, in the storing, the got a little broken. So a few days before Lent, I got them out, fixed them, and finished them. Now they are sitting on the mantle above the fireplace.
A+M+D+G
Model Airplane
J+M+J
Dad got a model airplane for us to build together. Here are pictures of out progress
It is thrilling to look at this pile of sticks and say, ‘I’m going to build a flying airplane out of that.’
Clamps holding the fuselage together. I glued the sides together.
Mixing up the epoxy. (Extremely strong glue.)
The tail is not glued on, just sitting on top for show.
A+M+D+G
Chinese New Year
J+M+J
Today marked the start of the chinese new year. To celebrate, Mom made Chinese food and we made Chinese Lanterns. Dad was supposed to bring home egg rolls, but he had choir practice and didn’t get to the restaurant before closing time. We said a prayer for the conversion of China, and then we ate by candlelight. Ooh, the food was soo good, but I had to eat small pieces carefully because I got my braces tightened this morning. The Chinese Lanterns we made were strung from one side of the kitchen to the other. Joseph really liked the lanterns.
Later Alexander fell down and scraped his knee. It was a very small little thing, but Alexander was about to cry. Joseph was very sympathetic. I told him to stick up his chin, grin, and bear it like a man. Then I started taking pictures. Alexander soon focused on the camera and completely forgot about the tiny wound.
I can’t believe Maria got Joseph to do this. He must have been tired, or he wouldn’t have sat still long enough for Landon to take the picture.
A+M+D+G
Flying Model Airplanes
J+M+J
Saturday was lovely. The temperature was 34 F, the sky was clear, the wind was not extremely bad, and even that died down later in the day. On this lovely day, Dad took Johnathan, Landon, Alexander and I to fly model airplanes with Mr. Wilson at a place for model airplane flyers. (The same Mr. Wilson that took me in the air balloon.) Mr. Wilson owns two model airplanes. One without a motor called the Gentle Lady, and one with a motor called the Cessna 170. We flew the Gentle Lady first.
This is the remote control. The same control is used for both planes.
To Launch the Gentle Lady, we thread a little string through a backwards hook on the bottom of the main body, or fuselage. Then the holder of the plane steps backward until the string is taut. The string is fastened on the ground across the field. The end of it is rubber.
We let go, and the string pulls the plane quickly and it sails into the air with the string still attached.
The string falls off when it is not pulled tight anymore, and the airplane is free to glide for a couple of minutes.
The airplane gets closer and closer to the ground.
Then it lands.
When it does land, Landon runs after the plane to bring it back, and Alexander or John Paul runs to get the string. Once Alexander bent over and grabbed for the string. He thought he had it in his hands, and so he went through all the motions of pulling it (he has to put his weight into the string because it doesn’t want to be stretched tight) without having it in his hand.
Sometimes Alexander with his little legs can’t keep up with us.
Dad readies to launch the plane.
Then Mr. Wilson got out the Cessna. He filled it up with fuel, and tried to start it, but it wouldn’t start. Mr. Wilson figured that he had plugged the tube that was supposed to be plugged into the fuel into the place for exhaust, and the tube for exhaust into the fuel.
He fixed that and then started the airplane with this thing that spins the propeller fast and starts it.
After a few crashes, it took off.
Vroom!
Neeroom!
Zoom!
This airplane really doesn’t have a limited time of flight, (except for running out of gas or crashing, of course.) You can steer it close to the ground and then back up into the air, unlike the Gentle Lady. It is also very fast.
The Cessna crashed and broke a propeller, so Mr. Wilson went home to get a spare. In the mean time, we went to eat lunch. Mom came to the restaurant to take John Paul home, because he was cold and did not have snow pants. He was a little tired of watching Dad and Mr. Wilson fly the airplanes. I could not believe Alexander did not want to go home, because he should have been needing a nap and usually little kids have short attention spans in watching stuff.
We met back at the field, and Mr. Wilson flew the little Cessna.
But first Dad and Mr. Wilson had to search for the perfect runway. Dad played with this picture a little.
Later we got out the glider.
A perfect landing.
Mr. Wilson showed me how the controls worked, and then he had me fly his hand pretending to be the airplane. Then he tossed it up in the air and let me control it down onto the ground.
I crashed, nose down. On my second try, I stalled and forgot which way was up and which was down and the planes wings flew off. Fortunately, we were able to put it back together again.
To give you an idea of the wingspan…
I got to launch the plane into the air for Mr. Wilson to fly. It bumped my head gently because I wasn’t holding it level.
Alexander never tires of tracking back and forth to collect the string.
Even at the end of the day, the airplane is still a source of fascination for him. Alexander behaved himself quite well considering his age.
By the time we got home, Alexander proved how much fun he had had in a predictable way.
A+M+D+G
Second Stitches Episode
J+M+J
Today I was happily playing with a couple of stuffed husky dogs, when I heard Alexander start crying and Landon calling for Mom. I rushed to the boys room and saw Landon pressing a tissue to Alex’s head. Landon lifted the tissue long enough for me to see the cut. The blood, sudden fear, Landon’s yelling for Mom, and quickness of the glimpse made the wound seem to take up half of Alex’s forehead. I took immediate action. My first step was the logical, predictable thing for am almost-teen to do when she sees her brother seriously injured and is the oldest person around the room. I screamed at the top of my lungs. What is it about girls and screaming? I didn’t think about screaming. It must be instinctual. It must be imbedded in our minds from the days when-oh, never mind when. Wherever that impulse came from, I screamed. I think that was the loudest, most sincere scream I have ever done in my life. OK, enough about my scream. Next I got Mom. She took one look at the cut, (which I now realized was a whole lot smaller than I first thought), and said that Alex needed stitches. So she took him to acute care. (Something unrelated to this blog post about acute care: when I was little I thought it was called cute care and was only for little kids who were cute.)
When Alex and Mom got home I learned a little about the trip. Apparently Alex had his charms on. He talked a lot and had an interesting conversation with the nurse when she was putting on a disinfectant. He said, “I do not like that stuff because it is cold.” The nurse told him, “Oh, I like this cold stuff because it helps the owie not hurt so much.” Alex protested, “But I do not like it!” “But you need it to help the swelling go down.” “Oh, OK” Alex talked as if he knew what swelling was and if it would help it go down, well, it was necessary. After a while, Alex just got too cute, and the nurse went to get him a little hot wheel car. Alex liked that, so when the doctor came into the room and told Alex he as going to fix his head, Alex declared, “No, her is going to do it.” When the doctor was stitching him up, Alex was being held down, and the nurse was covering his eyes. Alexander did not like that at all. He couldn’t feel anything, but he screamed and screamed and fought. Mom said that was when she found out how strong Alexander was. The doctor said, “I’m almost done.” and Alex screamed, “No, you are done, you are done.” Alexander also screamed during the operation, “I’m going to go pee! I’m going to pee on the floor!” I wonder if he really had to, or was he just saying that to get away.
I put Alex in my bed to play nurse and I told him I would get some candy for him. Then I got him toys and blankets and pillows. I asked, “Alexander, is there anything you want?” Alex responded, “Yes, umm… candy!” Alex enjoyed the multitude of surprises he got tonight, but right now he is misbehaving in his bed. So, off I go to referee.
A+M+D+G
Angelica and Augustine
J+M+J
We decided to name the babies that died in Mom’s miscarriage a few days ago and the miscarriage before Maria. Landon, Maria, John, and I got to name the babies. We called the first baby Augustine Michael and the second baby Angelica Therese.
A+M+D+G
Bent Cookie Cutters Joke
J+M+J
Landon was going through cookie cutters. He showed a bent one to me and said, “This one is a little out of shape.” I responded, “Yes, it needs some exercise.”
A+M+D+G
Geography Bee
J+M+J
Today I won the geography bee! There were only five people I was competing against, but the questions were hard. I got three wrong, and I was asked around fourteen to fifteen. There were several questions I never thought I would get right. The first was, “Persian rugs are often decorated with flowers and ornate geometric designs. They originated in which present day country?” I knew that the empire of Persia turned into Iran, but I thought maybe the empire was so vast that it expanded over one of Iran’s neighbors, and that the rugs originated in that part of Persia. Iran was my best answer, though, and it was correct. The other question was more difficult, and I almost said the wrong answer. The question was, “India is bordered to the north by two landlocked countries. Name one of them.” I almost said China, but I remembered it wasn’t landlocked. Nepal was a tiny country that bordered China to the south, but did it border India? It did. The other answer I could have given was Bhohal, another tiny country, of which I have never heard.
To prepare for the bee, I played computer games on a site that I have in my blog roll. I practiced being able to see the outline of a state and knowing what state it was, and where it was at. That came in handy more than once, not only when we were given a map to answer questions about but being able to visualize the state in my head. I listened to a song that had all the capitals of the USA, but I never needed to know that. I studied rivers, lakes and mountains in the USA, and I used that twice. It is very hard to prepare for the bee, though, because the field of Geography is extremely broad.
Sometime between now and January I will take a test, and if I get higher than a certain score, I will go on to the state bee. I am reading lots of books on countries!
A+M+D+G