Home Again Home Again

April 27, 2012 by Rieshy
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5 of the kids and I drove to Ft. Benning to watch a nephew graduate from Boot Camp.

Wow.

What a show.  The marching band was spectacular.  My little boys were shocked to discover that soldiers can play instruments, and dance. Yes, dance.  It was quite fun.

I was holding my 4 year old in my lap when the machine gun fire and smoke covered the parade field.  Good thing. He was so astounded he would have fallen off the bleachers.  The smoke cleared and suddenly there were soldiers in battle fatigues waging a mock battle while huge guns boomed in the distant woods.

There were soldiers dressed in uniform for every battle this particular company and battalion has been involved in from the Revolutionary War through the current conflicts in the Middle East.  It really was amazing.

To say that we are proud of my nephew is an understatement.

We went through The National Infantry Museum multimedia walk-through presentations.  As you enter each area an announcer's voice is triggered which names the war and then gives a brief history. After leaving the WWII area my 5 year old said, "So the next war is WWIII right?"  It gave me a chill.

I'm proud but I'll be praying...



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When 5 Year Olds Write

April 24, 2012 by Rieshy
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My 17 year old was composing a poem today with the "help" of her 5 year old brother.  Finally she suggested firmly that he go write his own poem.

So he did.

Well, he dictated it to a 12 year old sister who, happy for any diversion from her own school work, wrote it.  Then she burned the edges of the paper on which the poem was written to the supreme satisfaction of the 5 year old.  Unfortunately the flames moved a little too fast and the second section of the poem has a huge hole.

What I can read is as follows:

When the world never ends the monsters will sleep.
The people won't stop building.
The world is made from glass, something's coming.

Hear the mighty roar,
places are getting destroyed.
Towers are breaking down.

A watch tower sees,
A dragon waves are coming.
People are turning into Kings.
Volcanos are erupting.
The earth is made out of Lava.

The End


I can't tell if Norse Myths or Lord of the Rings figure more prominently, but we all got a kick out of this glimpse into his imagination.  

5 year olds can be many things, boring is not one of them.



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We Start Them Young

April 18, 2012 by Rieshy
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My husband may have painted and I may have knitted when our 20 year old son was little, but 
 there were no patient electric-guitar playing friends that came over to jam.

No matter how consistently you aim to parent your children, youngest children just grow up differently.


 I'm pretty sure my 4 year old is satisfied with his lot in life.



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In An Uptight World

April 8, 2012 by Rieshy
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What can you do?


Climb.


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Stock Phrases

April 6, 2012 by Rieshy
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Story Telling For the Gadget Generation

In The Horse And His Boy, by C.S. Lewis, when Avaris is asked to tell her back-story she, "...immediately began, sitting quite still and using a rather different tone and style from her usual one."

I was reminded of this passage the other morning when I asked my 4 yo to narrate a story for us to include in a package to a nephew who is currently away at army boot camp.  My 4 yo, sat up a bit straighter, put his hands together, took a deep breath and began.  I expected one of several stock phrases such as: once upon a time, one day, or once there was a...

Nope.  I had forgotten, my son is of the Gadget Generation.  He falls asleep most nights listening to his big brother's books played off my ipod.  He began his story without a trace of sarcasm but with great solemnity, "This is Audible."


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