Halloween

Boy, do we know how to have a good time on Halloween.  We went out with Theo in his neighborhood (just a few blocks from us) and the boys had a blast.  They are just all joy and excitement at this age - no self-consciousness, no competitiveness over costumes, no concern about fair candy distribution.  Jordan was a jaguar and for a while he carried a plush duck as prey.  Later, he decided he would not carry the duck, and said, "When I see other children dressed as things a jaguar eats, I will just eat them."  Theo was a robot and had a hilarious stiff-legged robot walk.  Aaron would not let us get anywhere near him with any adornment at all.  Theo's little sister Zoe, though, loved her lion outfit.

The neighborhood here was quite wonderful.  Lots and lots of families, everyone super friendly.  Haddon Drive, we miss you, but this was some serious competition.  

And here's the loot.

We love school (II) (sort of)

To say that Aaron loves school would be pushing it; he still starts crying when he sees the building, and is very very sad when Dale leaves the room. (Dale does the dropoff.) But five minutes later he's fine, and engaged in whatever fun new thing is going on that day in his classroom. Yesterday it was little colored puffballs: good for throwing, putting in things, and just squishing in your hand. The toddlers were entranced. Today was markers on mirrors on the floor. Other days it's been crunchy leaves, rice, or foam paint. We get to see some of this, because his teachers do the same kind of documentation as in Jordan's class.

Here's his classroom. Sorry it's blurry; these kids move around a lot. And Aaron likes to get up close, which makes for a lot of weird pictures.



One of the things I like is the light table, with its basket of translucent objects.



For eating Aaron sits in a cute blue chair at a table, and uses utensils all by himself.



But his real joy is to be outside. We walked across the neighboring ballfield this afternoon.

We love school (I)

The lack of a camera really put me off blogging. Thanks to Jes, we now have a replacement.

The big thing at the moment is school. I tell you what, it's terrific. We are so lucky to have found a place that we like, that the kids like, in a good location, at a price we can pay - and we found it long distance! Jordan in particular seems to have taken to his classroom like a duck to water; his teachers say so, and we hear a lot of interesting stuff from him about what he's doing. He and I were taking a walk the other day and he said "Mommy, they speak English at my new school. Today I learned: Akhat, Shtaim, Shalosh. That means one, two, three." How about that! One two three in Hebrew! (Jordan often says "english" when he means a foreign language.) I was impressed. There are different assumptions about English literacy in his class, too... Jordan was not writing letters or spelling at his old school, and in his new class all the kids write their own name. The teachers here don't pressure him, but are providing him with a new wealth of writing opportunities, and he's joining in. Spelling, too: today he looked at his labeled milk cup and said, "That's my name, Jordan! J, O, R, O, A, Z. Jordan!" I actually love that he got the D and the N wrong: that shows he was really deciphering the letters, not just reciting the spelling. Here is his classroom in the late afternoon light:



And here is Jordan with some new friends, doing a word puzzle.



I also found a chart in the classroom of an "Apple Taste Test." This must have been done before Jordan started.



Jordan does a lot of Lego building in his free time, as at home (below left, where I snuck up on him). But he also participates enthusiastically in the art projects - we hear a lot about those - in fact we hear more about this school in one day than we heard about the last place in a month. Below right he's showing off the day's project, in which all the kids made creations to represent Light. Jordan's is made of gold rope, glitter, beach sand, and marker. The artworks are always annotated with a sentence from the child explaining their picture; the idea is that it helps the children to reflect on their work. Unfortunately I don't remember Jordan's caption for this one.



The teachers do a staggering amount of documentation and display of the kids' projects, typically including not only what the kids made, but also photos of the kids as they do the project, and a paragraph from the teachers about the activity and what particular children did with it. This is part of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, in which the teachers use detailed observations of the children to inform their emergent curriculum. They say that rather than being a burden, it keeps them engaged. And of course the kids find it thrilling. Here's a display of their activity "My favorite things about fall." Jordan said his favorite thing was the falling pine cones.

Magnuson Park

We had dinner early and went out to Magnuson Park before the sun set.  It was stunningly beautiful, with Rainier looming over the lake in the pink-gold light.  Sadly our camera is on the blink, and in this phone picture, Rainier is a mere shadow of itself.  But maybe you get the sense of things.

Little duster

We all dig the apartment. Aaron especially enjoys looking out the window, and he helps with the cleanup, too.

The Locks

Dale took Jordan and Theo to the Ballard Locks on Sunday. They talked politics the whole time. Theo is an ardent Obama supporter, as are all of our children. It’s actually a big topic of conversation among the four-year-olds. The other topic was cruise ships, which, as Theo informed Jordan, have a hundred apartments on them. Jordan has only recently learned what an apartment is and he was very impressed. Dale was impressed at the fish nets on these so-called cruise ships.

Seattle morning

What a terrific Seattle morning we had. We needed a toaster, so we decided to go downtown to Sur la Table at Pike Place Market. We petted the pig, marveled at the fish throwers, admired the crabs and clams and oysters. The toaster quest was unsuccessful so we walked out to Westlake Plaza and went to another kitchen store or two. Still no luck, but it was a nice walk, sunny and breezy; Jordan ran, and Aaron rode on Daddy’s shoulders. Back to Pike Place Market for lunch at the Athenian, where we were all captivated by the view. Blue water, dark trees, ferries, tugboats, a cruise ship under construction, seagulls flying at window level. Everybody loved it.

We jogged back to our car to beat the meter. Seattle has this cool new system replacing coin-operated meters: you pay for your parking time at a little automated pay station, and receive a sticker that says when you’re due back. You stick it to the inside of your curbside window. You can even take it with you if you change parking places. The most brilliant part is that you can use a credit card to buy the sticker. No more running into the store for quarters! I also like that it tells you what time to come back, rather than how much time you have remaining. This seems like the more customer-centered piece of information.

We got to our car at 12:10, and were pulling into our own driveway at 12:19. How cool is THAT. In DC we had to plan half an hour to get home from the Mall. From anywhere, really.

First day of school

The kids had their first day at school today, hooray!  We went to Jordan's class first, and his teacher, Michelle, stopped everything to have a circle where the kids introduced themselves.  Jordan's name has been on the attendance list all year already, and there has been much suspense:  when would he come?  was he a boy or a girl?  Everyone was very excited to finally meet him in person.  All the other kids seem very charming and warm, and Jordan seemed very comfortable.  Dale and I left him to do leaf rubbings, and recess, and lunch.  When we checked in on him occasionally he looked like he fit right in.

Aaron fit right in too but he was not okay with our leaving him... ahh, fifteen-month-olds.  We took off for about 45 minutes and during that time he was somewhat unhappy.  When we got back I hung out in his room with him, and as long as I was there, he merrily did what the other kids were doing.  It seems like a great room: there are cooking toys, musical instruments, a light table, floor mirrors, and a giant bin that had recently been full of fall leaves.  Today's activity was painting with foam paints - quite a glorious mess.  For lunch, the little guys sit at a low table with kid-size chairs, not high chairs, which was just completely cute.  Very sorry I didn't bring the camera.

The little kids don't take a morning nap, and the big kids don't nap at all.  This isn't what our kids are used to, but I think they can handle it.  So grown up, my goodness.

School is closed tomorrow and Wednesday for Shemini Atzeret.  That's a downside to a JCC preschool... closed for what are, to me, obscure holidays.  October is the worst.  The good news is they're open for Christmas.

It was a huge relief to have them at school for the morning.  My life has been very kid-centered for a while now, and it'll be very freeing once they're situated.

Landing

We're settling in for our second night in the apartment, and things are going great.  We've gotten everything in, put together the beds and the dining room table, unpacked the kitchen, and even had home-cooked breakfast and dinner today.  (And hooked up the internet!)  We're still tripping over boxes, and the dresser drawers are full of things besides clothes so there's nowhere to put the clothes, and various surfaces are covered with many miscellaneous items; but for our second day here, I think we're doing great.  

The apartment is terrific.  Everything is clean and functional and well-designed (except the walkways).  It was a sunny day today and the big southern windows were in fine form.  Aaron likes to stand up on a bench and point at the birds and dogs and whatever else is out there.  Both kids took naps, and the late afternoon included a fun walk past an aquarium store to a great playground.  Sue is spending the weekend here to help us with the kids while we finish unloading and run errands.

The Camry was returned to us today as well.  I had a little bit of an adventure coming up with over $1000 in cash on a couple hours' notice, but it worked out.  Who knew you could just get that much from an ATM?  It took two cards, but so what.

It takes moving to a new place to make you realize just how many necessary objects are involved in the simplest tasks.  Today I kept starting to do the dishes but needed soap, a sponge, a brush, a dish drain.  I even did that Lily Tomlin thing where you buy a garbage can and take it home in a bag, then when you get home you put the bag in the garbage can.  I've been grocery shopping a couple of times, too, and it wears me out, because I don't know where things are.  And I spend five minutes furrowing my brow over what kind of bread to buy, because bread is different here.  Better, by far - great bread is everywhere I look.  But that doesn't make the decision simpler.  

Moving in

Dale slept the clock around. And we had a very successful day today! We got ourselves to Seattle, liberated the Corolla from the trailer, and figured out where to put the truck. We're on the third floor, but thank goodness there's an elevator, and they gave us the "stop" key so we could keep the door open for loading and unloading. In the middle of the day our savior Bob arrived, and we got a good routine going: Bob and Dale hauled stuff up to the door, I brought it into the apartment and kept an eye on the kids. Here's Jordan and Ava having a little drink by the fire.

Later in the day the kid factor went up (Aaron woke from his nap, and Susanna and her friend Penelope came home from school) and the unloading efficiency went down. But we got the truck more than half unloaded, which is fantastic progress. And I unpacked the kitchen.

Happily, the walkway was not nearly so bad today. When they're not actively working on our area, it's safe.

We're back at Kari and Danny's tonight, but tomorrow morning, we'll go back to Seattle to stay. Jordan is eager. Saint Bob will help us again in the afternoon, and hopefully they'll get the truck emptied out. And we'll start really living in our house!

Dale's here!

He has arrived, safe and sound!  He went 900 miles a day.  He is taking a nap.  All is well.

That's more like it

We got into the apartment, and it's great! Bekah and Ava met us there, and the kids romped around while I did the walk-through. It's about the same amount of space as the Haddon house, minus the attic and basement (which is a big deal) but plus another bathroom and a gas fireplace. The main living area is just one big open area, overlooked by the kitchen - a good arrangement with the kids. The kitchen is pleasant and functional, more than I'm used to. There's a big wide south-facing window along the far wall of the living room, through which the sun was streaming today. There's a view that is partly the roof next door and partly a nice vista down over the U district - including my new office building! There's the same view from the master bedroom. Jordan's bedroom is in the front of the house, looking onto the courtyard; Aaron's is the walk-in closet off the master, which is more than big enough for the purpose. There's a small and mostly unappealing balcony. Closets. And last but not least there's a generous utility room with washer/dryer and plenty of space for Phil's facilities. It's quite a bit nicer than the other apartments I've stayed in (Olympia, College Park) and I think it will accommodate us very well for the next few months.




Jordan's bedroom:

Aaron's bedroom:

Entry closet:


There is one huge, serious drawback, and that is the construction on the exterior. It is horrific. Look at the walkway. And we have a toddler.

I will never be able to put Aaron down out there, ever, and even Jordan and I are going to have to seriously watch our feet. Not to mention guests. Can this be legal? Even in the name of necessary improvements? We already argued for (and got) a bit of a break on the rent, but that was with the understanding that the walkway in front of our door would be completed when we arrived. This is so extreme that Bekah and I pretty much found it comical.

On the bright side, the courtyard might be sort of cute when it's done. If we're here then.

And if I feel too sad about the situation, there is a Grief Support Community just down the street.

When we had completed our apartment business, the five of us went to the zoo. That drive was six minutes. I practically shrieked with joy when I clocked it. We had lunch, and then since it was on the chilly side, spent our time in the Zoomnasium, a nature-themed indoor playground. It rocked. Aaron ran around going "Pbbbbth" at the elephant (his trumpeting sound) and making fish lips at the fish, and Jordan and Ava took turns hatching out of a big rubber egg.

This afternoon, Jordan is playing with Sam for a change. When Harry gets home from school, the three of them will go with Aunt Kari to the farm where they pick up their box of veggies. Aaron will stay here with me and Grandma Sue, who is aching for quality grandson time.

Preview day in Seattle

We are having a great visit with the family... this highly stimulating house is a thrilling change from the very stripped-down existence we've been living for the past few months.  Here, we have energetic cousins and big dog and guinea pigs and gecko and stick bugs and many rooms and many many many toys, and the kids are having a blast.  I'm happy too; it's nice to hang out with folks, and it's easy being a guest here.  All the amenities, and there's nothing to pack.

Dale calls a couple times a day to report on his progress.  Last time I heard from him he was well into Nebraska.  He is not sleeping much, but it's his choice, and I am trusting that he is being safe.  He has been listening to countless episodes of Fresh Air.  He was particularly struck by an interview with interrogation experts talking about the unacceptable strategies in use at Guantanamo Bay, including sleep deprivation.  By their definition, he is officially tortured.  He says it's not so bad.

Today the boys and I made our first foray into the city.  We tried to get into our apartment, but unfortunately, the leasing office was closed.  We cheered ourselves up at the ever-welcoming Whole Foods around the corner, and then went to visit Theo's house.  Theo wasn't home, but his mom was working from home that day, so we visited for a cup of tea and Jordan played with Theo's toys.  We're invited to dinner there later this week.  After that, we stopped by the boys' future school.  It wasn't an official visit, but they let us in, and we peeked around inside the building and played at the playground.  The school shares a courtyard with Temple Beth Am, so we got to enjoy their beautiful sukkah.  (I took a bunch of pictures but lack a cable for uploading them at the moment... Soon.)

Then the long schlep back to Sammamish.  It's about forty minutes, which could be worse, but doing it twice in a morning is more than I prefer.  Everything we did in Seattle, by contrast, seemed fantastically compact.  Apartment/Whole Foods was ten blocks from Theo's, Theo's was ten blocks from school.  How great is that?  Meanwhile poor Kari thinks she drove a total of fifty miles getting her kids to and from various activities today.  This is something we are trying to be purposeful about in our new lives.  There just aren't enough hours in the day for us to feel like we can afford so much time in the car.

It was a tough day for Jordan.  This was his first day here without the cousins' exhilarating company (they went to school), and the first time into the unfamiliar territory of Seattle as our future home.  As we drove to the apartment he said he was feeling a little nervous and a little sad because he misses our friends.  I can really sympathize - there we were on the stoop of our new apartment and we don't even know what it looks like?  That was a strange feeling.  Jordan was quiet much of the day and irritable in the evening.  All the boys went to bed early; maybe that will help.

Phone

FYI, I have essentially no cell phone reception at Kari and Danny's, so if you want to reach me, email me or call them.

We've arrived!

It was the usual cross-country travel day, very tiring, but did anyone nap?  Nooo, not until we got into Uncle Danny's car in Seattle.  Then both boys fell asleep hard in the back seat and what use is that to me?  Jordan roused for the excitement of the cousins and their house full of toys and guinea pigs and a lizard and a dog, not to mention Grandma, and had a fantastic evening.  Aaron just wanted to go to bed.  But he'll have fun tomorrow.

It's wonderful to be here.  I can't believe I actually live here now.  There's been a misplaced piece of baggage, and the person at the desk asked me if the address on my driver's license was current, and I froze.  Uh... no?  I guess not!

Key

You know you're really moving when you reach in your pocket for your keys and instead of the usual fistful you get ... one.  And it's the key to the car.  That's all I've got.

Loading up, continued

It's possible that we got too small of a truck.  We (meaning Dale) had to work very hard to get most of our stuff in.  (I have been more of a boxer/hauler.)  And some just did not fit, even in the car on the trailer.  But it's an excuse to get new lampshades.  And believe me, if Dale couldn't do it it couldn't be done.  His ancestors were those Egyptians who built walls where you can't slip a knife between the stones.

I tell you what, though, I feel for those Egyptians.  Hauling all those boxes down from the attic on Thursday was totally exhausting.  Friday was more about the psychological difficulty, for me, of how much there still was to do.  And we didn't get it all done on Friday.  The original plan had been for Dale to drop the boys and me off at the airport on Saturday and then leave in the truck, but there was still a lot of work to do after that.  He will leave Sunday.  

We need to remember when we move next:  A sixteen-foot truck does not actually hold all of our stuff (in one trip), and we need three days to load it.  That's after boxing up everything that's not in immediate daily use.

Loading up

The truck is half full and I am half awake. A lot of up and down the stairs with boxes today. I got very tired, and maybe dehydrated because now I have a splitting headache. I hope to awaken refreshed in the morning, ready to pack up the rest of our daily stuff and fill the other half of the truck. I don't know if everything will fit. Dale is an excellent packer, with a keen spatial sense; if anyone can do it, he can. And as he said, "Whatever doesn't fit, well, we probably don't need it."

Camry goes west

A couple of guys with thick accents came to the house today and drove off with the Camry.  I was hoping to see them load it onto the gigantic car carrier, but that of course does not come down our street.

Cleaning out the car first was sort of amazing.  Four boxes of kleenex and a roll of toilet paper?  Two sippy cups, several dinosaurs, a number of Jordan's socks (he likes to take them off in the car), quite a few Cheerios.  Balls.  Drawings.  Flashlights.  Water bottles.  And maps of places we will no longer go.

Dale will tow the Corolla behind the moving truck.

Leaving campus

I left campus today. Goodbye office! I will miss my office. Not aesthetically (it's a pretty horrible little space), but there's a lot of history in there. And in my new place I only have a cubicle. (But I'm lucky to have that, so never mind!)

My former parking garage, the door nearest my office, and the grander door in the front.

The palatial gym, where I have spent many excellent hours.

The student-run vegetarian food co-op, our favorite place to have lunch. "Food for People, Not for Profit" -- Their logo is a clenched fist punching through a sandwich.

Eventually I turned in my parking pass, handed over my keys to the person who gets my office next... and that's it! I had to take the bus home, because my car is gone. It took forever. The University runs this shuttle system, which is increasingly underfunded.

I can hardly be said to be ending my relationship with the University of Maryland - I am still employed there, advise two UM students, and am principal investigator of two grants through there - but this is the most concrete goodbye I'm likely to have.