The Schweitzers

Recital Video Goodness

On June 7th we had the ballet recital, "Adventures in Wonderland," for April's dance studio.  Below is a clip of the Tea Party dance, featuring a collection of talented pre-schoolers. Ruby is in the middle of the front row.

A splendid job by all the poofy tea party princesses!

How Come Nobody Told Me

Scene: In the car, Jon at the wheel, Ruby and Alexander in the back.

NPR ANNOUNCER "...and that was William F. Buckley, Jr., who died yesterday at the age of 83."

RUBY (incredulous) "HEY!!  I didn't know somebody died yesterday!"

Career Advice, Care of Ruby

This is the conversation I had with Ruby this morning:

Daddy, are you going to a NEW job today?

-No, I'm going to the same job I've had.

It seems like an OLD job.

-I guess I've been working there for about a year.

Daddy, when are you going to get a NEW job?

-Well, I like my job.  I don't think I'll be getting a new one anytime soon.

I think you need a NEW one.

-Okay. What kind of job do you want to have when you get big?

I'm going to have LOTS of jobs, I already know what they are!

-Oh?

A policeman, a fireman, a mommy, a ballerina, a doctor...and I'm going to work with you!

-That will be very helpful.  You're going to be very busy with all those jobs.

I'll do one every day.

-That's a good idea.

The Happy Jaguar

Item #2 in our artist showcase (click to embiggen) .  This is a picture Ruby drew for me -- on the back it says TODADDDYFROMRUBY.  It's a happy jaguar frolicking through the flowers under a clear summer sky, and I have it hanging at my desk at work.  When there is no French Vanilla creamer left in the break room and I am forced to use powdered creamer, I close my eyes, count to 10, and imagine myself jumping through the flowers with the happy jaguar.

Charles E. Fromage

Here's a picture from our latest Chuck E. Cheese outing.  Click to embiggen.

Snow (Hey Oh)

Thursday we had a "snow day" here in Cary, North Carolina.  Our snow days are a lot less complicated than they are up north.  In Ohio, for instance, scientists employ advanced algorithms and projections to determine how many school children are likely to walk to school without losing an appendage to frostbite; as that number approaches N, the likelihood of a snow day increases.

In NC, snow days occur when there is snow.  Or "wintry mix."  Or TV weathermen who wave their arms a lot.  SNOW DAY!!

But hey, I ain't complaining!  As you can see below, we enjoyed our day to the fullest.  I have the blessing/curse of a job that allows me to telecommute, which means that there's no such thing as a freebie day off from work; but I did sneak some time out to build a snowman with Ruby, and Alex and I...uh...well, he really just sat in a plastic box and smiled. (As usual, click photos to embiggen.)

First snowball of the year!

Our friend, Ol' Pinecone McScratchy. He led a full life, but a short one -- he succumbed to the fabled "Rain of 11:38 AM."

Alex observed the festivities from his "box seat."  Ha! Ha!

Schweitzers à la mode.

Schweitzers à l'amour.

Might as well jump!

I Like Mans

April and I were gathered around the computer screen watching the trailer for a new football movie.  The trailer features, of course, lots of sweaty guys crashing into each other and grunting loudly.

Ruby pipes ups:

"You should be in that movie because you like mans!"

"I like what?"

"You like mans!"

"I like what??"

"You like mans!  YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH YOUR BIG MAN FRIENDS!!"

Photos of the Wee Folk

We took Ruby and Alex to Portrait Innovations for some pictures back on August 29.  You can see the results here.

This shot is one of my favorites:

(Click to embiggen.)

To the Mall!

Early evening in Cary. Wet and dreary.  April is away at a church meeting...what to do?

Why, to the mall, of course!

The nearby mall has a carousel that Ruby loves to ride.  The carousel itself is nothing remarkable; like all other mall carousels, it tries to mimic the vibe of those turn-of-the-century amusements lovingly handcrafted by Danish woodworkers and accompanied by festive calliopes.  Instead, it gives off a chipped-plastic Assembled-in-Mexico vibe that is accentuated by the neon feather dusters affixed to the heads of the horses.

But to a three-year old, what could be better?

The fellow who operates the carousel is a real gem. I'm guessing he's the owner, because he's always there and he takes such obvious pleasure in greeting the children and escorting them to and from their chosen steed.  Ruby handed him her ticket -- a responsibility she always takes very seriously -- then proceeded through the gates to assess the prospects.  She put a lot of thought into her selection and passed by several inferior specimens before settling on a fine chocolate mare. This was her first time on the carousel without daddy hovering inches away, just in case the bugger reared up unexpectedly and tossed her o'er the stern.  I bravely stood on the sidelines with sleeping Alex in tow and performed hand-waving and kiss-blowing duty.

I'm thinking there's a brief window of childhood in which carousels are fun.  About a year ago, riding the carousel was a tight-lipped, white-knuckled affair for Ruby.  Today, she waves and laughs and (to my dismay) taunts the kids behind her to go faster.  In a few more years, she'll probably be asking for a cellphone and swiping the car keys, just like all the other kindergarteners.

After the carousel, it was on to the Jumping Bean -- one of those giant air-filled rubber thingies in which Ruby would jump 'till Kingdom Come were it not for the eight-minute timer.  The Jumping Bean is right next to the carousel, and you can't do the latter without doing the former, although lots of Big Kids skip the latter and go straight for the former.  I was relieved to see that the Jumping Bean was devoid of Big Kids.  We've never had a Big Kid collision, but I always grimace when I see Ruby gleefully frolicking next to the Big Kid practicing his Jake the Snake impression (that is, if Big Kids today know who Jake the Snake is).  So, she bounced and bounced and bounced with an energy that is unique to pre-schoolers and utterly amazing to 30-year-olds at 7 PM on a weeknight.

A woman sat nearby watching her kids in the Jumping Bean.  I could tell we were thinking the same thing: Bedtime will be a cinch tonight.

After the Jumping Bean we made a quick stop in Baby Gap to pick up a pink argyle cardigan for Ruby, as requested by April.  Unlike joint April-Jon ventures into Baby Gap, I zeroed in on my target with laser precision, purchased it, and got out of the place in under two minutes. My only misstep was absentmindedly placing a half-full carton of milk (single-serving size) I'd been carrying for Ruby on an overhead shelf while examining the cardigan. On the drive home Ruby said she was thirsty, and I remembered the milk, no doubt still resting unnoticed on that shelf.  Ah well, I'm sure they'll discover it in a week or two.

A stop back at church to meet up with mommy, then back home.  Bonus: leftover cake from the church meeting. As expected, Ruby goes to bed like a felled tree goes to the ground.  Alex finally wakes up from his nap, oblivious to our entire mall adventure.  Mommy and daddy finish off the cake. Good, but could've used some milk.

The end.

Rubyspeak

A couple of weeks ago, Ruby asked to use the "computer." Jon and I looked each other and knew immediately -- one of the only remaining strongholds of babytalk had just slipped away. Our little girl was growing up. Ruby first called the computer the "pukoo". Then about six months ago (maybe longer?) she started calling it the "puker". After a couple of months of that, she started referring to it with a wry smile, as if she knew how to say it correctly, but she would humor us since she knew we thought her word was cute. Finally, the actual word "computer" slipped out of her mouth. We were all a little surprised.

When she was one, she called pens and pencils "gokeys". "Pukoo" makes some sense, "puker" more sense, but "gokey"? We've never figured that one out.

There are a few other special pronunciations lingering. Here are the Ruby-to-English translations:
    preintend -- pretending, peter butter -- peanut butter, soom -- spoon, singer -- finger, swirl -- squirrel (this one really frustrates her --"Mommy, I can't say it right, but I mean the animal in our yard that runs up the tree.") I'm sure it won't take too long before these go the way of the "pukoo". It's funny because she's really interested in letters and letter sounds, so sometimes we'll sound out words with her, but I'm not really sure how you teach phonics to somebody who doesn't know when she doesn't say things right!

Ruby also has some creative constructions of sentences. The following examples are not verbatim, but accurate as to style and general content. They are uniquely Ruby. Just try to diagram these babies:

• The negative question: Why do you don't like to eat cantaloupe, mama?
• The question that answers itself: Why do I wear my rainboots in the rain because it is wet and I would get my other shoes wet?
• The lost-me-in-the-middle question: Why does Woody, in the movie that has the scary toys in it, not the one that has the part where they're in the toy store, go to the pizza place that is like Chuck E. Cheese but it has the green guys?
• Descriptive use of the word "thing" to bring about understanding: I need the thing that you use when you have some things that got messy on the floor and you need to clean them up.

And one last Ruby-ism:
"Baby's getting angry."
We hear that one a lot. Sometimes it's followed up with: "I'll move away now so that he isn't angry anymore." That's never a good sign.