Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween from Oscar and Edgar!

Monster Mash

Tonight we had a little Halloween celebration for the boys and their friends.  There were spooky sounds, lively songs, high-fat/high-calorie foods, and a whole lot of sugar!  After the party, and despite the chilly temperatures, some of us made the trek down to our favorite Halloween display in town. 

One of the many wonderful aspects of parenting young children is that it gives you permission (and an excuse) to be a big kid yourself.  Tonight I donned my witch’s hat and scraggly gray hair, and Don debuted his Grinch costume–and was even asked for his autograph by a young fan!

As I sit here quietly, the boys are tucked into bed, the entire downstairs has been vacuumed, and order has been restored.  But I can still hear the laughter, see the costumes, and feel the energy. 

We have many pictures from tonight’s festivities.  Please click on the link to check them out.  And Happy Halloween!

http://picasaweb.google.com/samanthadonoscaredgar/HalloweenParty#

Oscar’s Library Card

During our planned visit to our local library today, Oscar made the impromptu decision to sign up for his very own library card. 

When the librarian handed him a “Sharpie” marker to sign his name, he declared with the utmost consternation, “I’m not supposed to use those kinds of markers.”

After reassuring him that it was okay–just this once–to use a permanent marker, Oscar signed his name on the back of the card to make it official!

Though we had already checked out twelve books with my card, Oscar needed to “break in” his by checking out three of his own.  He beamed with pride as he told Don and our good friend “Cap’n Mike” about it tonight. 

Prospero said in The Tempest, “My library was dukedom large enough.”   Today Oscar’s access to his library was secured.  Another milestone, another sigh . . .

Salem in October

The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials, Cotton Mather, Nathaniel Hawthorne . . . Salem is an English teacher’s dream:  History on every corner and an atmosphere that, if you can for a moment suspend your disbelief, at times hearkens back to centuries past.  We spent the day there on Sunday, soaking in the last vestiges of warmth and enjoying the bustling atmosphere as the town paid homage to its signature holiday–Halloween.  We popped into the New England Pirate Museum, then roamed an historic cemetery. 

Though our dinner plans were foiled due to a power outage at our favorite restaurant, we found sustenance at a nearby sandwich shop and made the best of our lengthy ride home–talking, singing, and just relaxing.  Though Salem’s unfortunate past and energetic present each radiate drama in their own way, our visit was anything but dramatic.  It was a lovely, easy afternoon with family–a day replete with a sweetness the likes of which even Cotton Mather would have to approve. 

If you would like to see the photo album from our day trip to Salem, please click on the following link: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/samanthadonoscaredgar/SalemMA#

Pirates Arrrrgh Cute!

If I were working for the Pirates’ Union or serving as their PR rep, I would have definitely been at Oscar’s preschool today photographing this mass of adorable children dressed in their swashbuckling finery.  Oscar is in the black sweatshirt with the skull-and-crossbones motif, brown hat, and eye patch.  Edgar got in on the fun (or lawlessness) and wore his pirate hat today, too.  And now, as I write this, Oscar has announced, “We are now preparing for our FEARLESS PIRATE DANCE!”  I’m not sure what that is.  It may at some point involve Band-Aids and/or an ice pack, but it’s definitely going to require my attention.  So, off I go . . . If you think being a pirate is hard, try being the  mother of two!

Seasons Change

This is my 100th post since starting the boys’ blog in June, and it seems fitting that the first post featured them exuberant on their teeter-totter in our backyard last spring, and this one finds them in the exact same spot–this time with Oscar raking leaves into neat piles and Edgar plotting how best to jump into said piles as discreetly as possible.  This blog has been and is a joy for me to create–chronicling their adventures through photography and the written word–and I hope it has been fun for people to read.  As much as I truly endeavor to live in the present, it would be disingenuous of me to say that I don’t often think about what the next 100 posts will look like or reveal.  What I do know is that I know very little and that I am grateful every day for the lessons my sons bestow.  I made a commitment to pay attention to those lessons long ago when I read two sentences in a parenting magazine:  “We do not raise our children.  We raise the future parents of our grandchildren.”  Whether or not Oscar and Edgar make the choice to become parents themselves one day is not for me to say much less predict; but by paying attention to them and to what they have to teach, I feel as though our bond is continually cementing and that they will grow into secure, thoughtful, compassionate people.  They know they are loved, they are respected, and they are valued.   I’ll keep writing and photographing so that one day they can review the journey that brought them to adulthood.  And I hope they’ll be able to say, “It was good.”

I Only Have Eyes for You

Tina Fey is often credited with making the bespectacled look fashionable, but I think Edgar might be a worthy successor.  He asked if he could try on my glasses; and despite my unfortunate prescription, I couldn’t refuse.  Though the enormous frames eclipsed those beautiful blue eyes, Edgar managed to wear them with dashing style!  We certainly hope he never has to be dependent on glasses; but it’s nice to know that should he have to, he’ll be able to make it work!

Class Participation

Last week the Parents as Teachers group hosted a dog safety class at one of the local schools, and Oscar, Edgar, our good friend Christina, and I were in attendance.  A representative from our local animal rescue shelter came with her dog, Pepper, and spent time explaining to the children the proper way to greet and pet a dog.  After a pizza dinner, the children gathered in a circle, listened to a story about interacting with pets, then took in the details of how to hold your hand out to a dog, the proper way to ask an owner about petting his/her dog, and the signs of an unfriendly dog.  Both Oscar and Edgar listened attentively, were respectful of the presentation, and raised their hands when they wanted to answer a question.  Oscar has been in school for six weeks now, so this concept of proper audience etiquette is familiar to him; but for Edgar, this was fairly new.  And though I had visions of him disregarding the presentation and working his Dr. Doolittle magic on Pepper despite any admonitions from the presenter, he showed remarkable restraint, raised his hand when asked a question, and waited as patiently as he could to take his turn petting her. 

I have been thinking a lot about birth order recently.  And since the boys are a year apart almost to the day, I often say to myself when considering Edgar, “What was Oscar doing last year at this time?”  Edgar reminds me that that is ultimately a fruitless exercise.  Each of our children, whether coming to us biologically or through adoption, is different, arriving with his/her own set of abilities and inclinations.  My initial fear that Edgar would not be able to sit still through the entire presentation or may have pet Pepper prematurely was based partially on Edgar’s unfailing adoration of all things with four legs and fur but also because he is not the same rule-abiding citizen his brother is.   Edgar knows the rules and understands the rules; and when he breaks the rules, his conscience reigns supreme.  But his enthusiasm and zest for life occasionally interfere with his best intentions.  Last year at this time, I know I would have had the expectation that Oscar would have been able to sit through the entire presentation without event.  He may not have wanted to pet the dog in the end, but he would have followed the rules and done what was expected.  Edgar taught me that I need to have the same general expectations for him–because he’s ready and because he deserves it.  Parents cannot treat each child the same any more than we can treat the myriad individuals we meet in life indentically.  Our interactions with others are based as much on their temperaments as ours.  But when raising children, I am learning that no matter how different they may be, it is a duty to believe in both equally–relish and celebrate their differences, yes, but afford them the opportunity to rise to the same set of expectations, the same level of accomplishment.  The bar will be set for Edgar as high as it is for his brother, and I have to believe that it will lead only to good things.

Ta-Da!

Fabulous news:  I am typing with all ten fingers! 

Our pumpkin from Sweet Berry Farm succumbed to my novice carving attempts, and we emerged with a semblance of a pirate ship. 

Oscar and Edgar couldn’t have been more pleased with–or more curious about–the process on Thursday night.  Then, Don and Oscar carefully carried the pumpkin into school on Friday, and it made it safely to the display for Saturday night.  We waited in line for about twenty minutes, searched for Oscar’s pumpkin for probably another thirty, and ultimately spent over an hour outside on a 45-degree evening (which feels very cold right now, actually).  But in the end we were able to declare Oscar’s pumpkin “the best pumpkin in the whole display”!  And that was worth every shiver and goosebump!

Sweet Berry Farm

This week Oscar’s preschool hosted a field trip to Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, and Don and I have made the executive decision to return and put an unabashed dent in our grocery shopping–the offerings are that amazing. 

The purpose of the trip, however, was to select a pumpkin suitable for carving for a display in Newport on Saturday evening.  The carving can be anything as long as it relates to a subject the students are studying in school.  Oscar chose pirates and would very much like me to carve a pirate ship–complete with a Jolly Roger–into his pumpkin.  Ummm . .  the only problem is I’ve never carved a pumpkin in my life.  I’ve drawn on them, decorated with them, eaten them, and occasionally smashed them (accidentally, of course), but I have never carved one.  We got a pumpkin-carving kit and a stencil, and I am going to cross and try to retain my fingers as I hope for the best.  Stay tuned for the results!