Fiction is boring.

Discussing what library book Weston wants to get at school library day tomorrow.  

Every week this school year, he has checked out a non-fiction book: cars, trains, space, police cars, insects, sharks, sharks, maybe reptiles? I can't recall them all!

I think tomorrow I'll get ... ... ... planes!

Mommy: Ok, didn't you already get planes?

Yeah, we had planes before, but I'll get it again.

Mommy: Do you ever look at books with stories? Stories about things that aren't real?

(Laughing) Books with stories make me bored.

Mommy: What does bored me?

Bored means when you don't want something you don't like.
(Or maybe he said "... when you don't like something you don't want.")

Either way.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's topic.

look-out treehouse

look at my hair blowing in the breeze

do you think i'll fall out?

is this the right way?

What's a byterian?

When Weston was admitted to the NICU at Presbyterian Hospital (Dallas, TX) at birth, they gave the parents a backpack with a bunch of information in it.  Our friends' son had been in the same NICU almost exactly 2 years earlier.  I noticed later that he used that backpack at preschool at our church in Dallas.

I came across this backpack again after we moved to Austin and made it Weston's school backpack when he started All Saints last year.  It has some child's handprints and he seemed to like it well enough. (Not yet aware that he could request some other type of backpack.)

Anyway, now that he is getting into letters and learning that they spell things, he recently asked me what his backpack said.
"Presbyterian Hospital"
"Presbyterian Hospital" he repeated.
"Yes, that's where you were born."

---

Several days pass and I hear him saying "Christbyterian Hospital"
"No, PRESbyterian"
"Christbyterian"
"No, PRESS. Like your seat belt buckle says PRESS."
"Presbyterian Hospital."

---

Several more days pass and he says again "Christbyterian Hospital"
"No, PRESbyterian"
"Presbyterian. What's a byterian?"
"No, it's Presbyterian."... I can't manage to recreate the rest of the conversation, to summarize, I tried to explain that Presbyterian was like a kind of church and that the people from the church started the hospital and that's why it was called Presbyterian.  I do not think I was successful.

If only the hospital had changed their name to Texas Health Resources before 2008!!

one year with Matsy

Can you believe Matilda Jean has been making us laugh for one whole year?

She started taking a few steps just before her birthday.

We spent her birthday week-end at Camp Allen Family camp - a family week-end at our Episcopal camp.  Matsy went on her first bounce house!

We then celebrated with some friends from Dallas who happened to be visiting Austin.  Weston chose her birthday cake several weeks ago. He insisted that she should have a lady bug cake.

First day!

Weston started his 2nd year at All Saints' Episcopal Day School.
He is in the Pre-KII class, which is essentially the "older 4's" and "young 5's."  All the classrooms are named by color so his is the Yellow Door.

Matsy: Months 8-11 and the Summer of '13

Matsy's 8 front teeth came in pretty quickly this summer and two more recently.
She moved into the "Infant 3" room in her daycare.

Matsy quickly grew tired of baby food.  She'd rather have something to pick up herself.   She also mastered a sippy cup in no time.  So she really loves lunch and snacktime at daycare.  She gets to sit at the table and eat like a "real big kid"!

Matsy is not quite walking.  She holds onto things and "cruises" and has let go a couple of times, but doesn't quite have her balance yet.

"DaDa" is her favorite word.
It seems to mean any of the following: daddy, weston, daphne, doggie, that, and possibly even mommy.
Just yesterday, daddy got her to say something that sounds like "up" = "bup"

We had some great vacations this summer.
In May, the whole family visited our friends the Clarksons in Atlanta for the baptism of their twin girls.

Then Mommy, Weston, and Matsy spent a week with nanna and poppa in Alabama.

In July, we were able to visit Michigan at the same time as the Coughlin family (minus Chris who is working in Qatar!).  It was the first time Aunt Anne, Ansley, Jack, and Piper had met Weston and Matsy.  As well as the first time that all **8** Leacock grandchildren had been together.  Such joy!!

July 4th - I do not like hats.

Reasons my son is crying

Church edition

I wanted to dip my bread in wine. 

I want to go to the playground. 

I really want some light up police shoes. (huh? what in the service made you think of this?)

Experiments...

WV: What are your students talking about today?
ME: Umm... we're talking about experiments. Do you know what that is?
WV: No.
ME: Umm... an experiment is like when you see if something sinks or floats. It's when you ask a question and see what happens. 

[We visit my teaching lab and feed carrots to sea urchins.]

On way back to his school:
WV: So today your students are going to see if things sink or float.
ME: Oh, no, we're not talking about that. We're talking about experiments with animals.
WV: So you're going to see which animals sink or float?
ME: (chuckling) No, we're going to talk about experiments to see how animals grow. You know how animals start out tiny and then they grow and change?
WV: Yeah. Because they get lots of food.
ME: Yes.

Lucky momma

Mother's Day gifts

The last one is a picture of me ... That's matsy in my tummy!

Conversations with Weston - April/May 2013

---
Reading Bible stories after dinner:
I love arks. They're my favorite kind of boat.

---
From backseat:  
it's 76
Mommy: 76 what?
Wv: 76 on my watch
---
From backseat:
Can you please turn off the radio? I need to tell you something.
Mommy: Yes?
A long time ago there were some giant birds that ate horses until they got "stinked up" and now they don't live anymore.
Mommy: What does "stinked up" mean?
Daddy: Extinct.
---
From backseat:
Sharks are mammals.
Mommy: No, sharks are fish. They have gills.
Oh. But dolphins and whales are mammals.
Mommy: Yes.
And rabbits, and deer, and mice, and people. You grew me in your tummy.
Mommy : Yes.
I grew you in my tummy.  [Laughing.]  Kids can't grow grown-ups. 

---

When Matsy was growing in your tummy, did the ambulance take you to the hospital?
No, Daddy took me to the hospital?
Did I go with you?
No, remember grandmother was at our house with you?
And after daddy took you did he race home?
No.
He just drove home?
No, he stayed at the hospital with me.
[fake crying] but i wanted to be with daddy because i love him.
I know. But when babies are born daddies like to be there to see them. 
But I wanted to see Matsy.
I know, and daddy came and got you and grandmother and brought you to the hospital.
And I got to see Matsy.
Yes. 

---

Matsy: Months 5-7

Dear future grown-up Matsy,

I'm so sorry that we have missed a few months of updates.  But please know that every minute of those busy months has been a joy!  You are a sweet, happy baby.  You are sitting up by yourself and can even push yourself up to sitting when you are lying on your belly.  You're not quite crawling yet, but you sure do move around, rock on your hands and knees, and do a bit of yoga - pushing up on hands and feet!  Your two bottom front teeth have just started poking through.

The thing people most say when they meet you is "WOW, she has beautiful eyes."  They are a light blue with a darker blue ring around them." We're not sure if they will stay that way, so I am trying to get a lot of pictures now.

You adore your brother and will shriek and laugh whenever he acts silly around you.  We all just love you to pieces, our precious baby girl.

Easter pics!

 Matsy and "Buttercup" - the day care bunny!

 neighborhood egg hunt

What day is it

Wv: what day is it? Is it Friday?
Me: no
Wv: Saturday?
Me: no
Wv: Monday?
Me: no
Wv: what day is it?
Me: it's Tuesday
Wv: no I wanted to say Tuesday first!

Matsy's Baptism

We had the pleasure of celebrating Matsy's baptism with about 400 faculty and staff of the St. Andrew's Upper School when she was baptized at school Chapel on Friday, January 11th, 2013. 

Leading up to the baptism, we had been telling Weston about getting Matsy baptized and how they were going to pour water on her head.  One night last week, the following conversation took place:

Weston: is daddy going to cut Matsy's hair?
Mommy: Does Matsy's hair need to be cut?
Weston: no?
Mommy: Why is daddy going to cut it?
Weston: When he pours the water on her head?
Mommy: AHHH, no, that's no why he is going to pour water on her head.  He's going to say some special words "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost"
Weston: A GHOST! AAAAAHHHHHHHH! (runs away) 

Knock, knock

We have recently introduced Weston to "knock, knock jokes."  He finds them hilarious.  The only problem is that he doesn't really get that the person telling the joke has to initiate the "knock."  So he will come up to me and say, "Knock, knock. Who's there?"  So I have to have some jokes ready to tell!!

Our silly boy...

4 months with Matsy...

At 4 months old, Matsy is quite a curious child.  She loves to sit up now and look around at everybody.  She sleeps 10 hours at night and naps frequently during the day.  She just started daycare this week and her teachers agree that she is adorable!

She's flipping over onto her belly at every chance.  The only problem is that it usually leads to immediate "spit-up"! She also loves to grab her toes.