Multi-Cultural Day at the Neals'

So we finally met our neighbors of 3 or more years. Yes the ones with children the right age to play with Lea. What stood in our way? Well, a language barrier. 

The mom definitely does not speak English (or speak only about as much as I speak Spanish). And apparently the little girls don't speak a lot of English either. But that didn't stop Lea! She had been waving to the out her window (instead of napping) and finally there was a time when she was awake the the neighbor girls were outside so upon Lea's instance Dan let them play together. I came home for lunch to a strange play kitchen in our front yard and three little girls in our back yard!

Through mangled Spanish we learned that the younger girl's name is Grace (the one in the foreground) and the older girl is Leslie (in the background) who is age 5. They said they do not go to school when I asked in broken Spanish.

They all played very well together. They played kitchen, scooped rocks, blew bubbles, took turns on the trapese swing. They ran from front yard to back and from house to house. They even got into a bit of trouble as friends tend to do to one another. Lea wanted bubbles so Leslie opened the door to our shop out back, a real no-no considering all the dangers in there. We had a talk and we'll see how well Lea follow rules now that she's getting more and more rules to follow. But they had fun. Oh they played Hopscotch too...


Lea couldn't stop talking about them. No one was around after nap time and Lea was sad. As we went to the store in the evening Lea called next door "Where's Grace?" to the woman walking across the street. It could be Grace's mom... I'm not too sure. While Lea can play and play and play with no notice that they don't speak the same language Mommy doesn't have that same suspension of human interaction.

I did try to teach Lea some words I thought would be important like sí = yes por favor = please gracias = thank you dolor=pain... then I said well if you hurt yourself "Ow!" is international! She said "Let's just use sí for please." I said "You don't get to decide what words mean what, its already pretty set." 

College... No wait, this is just pre-school... application

Many have heard the story and seen the stress, though I'm trying to be very zen about the whole deal... We have applied to a Montessori program through DISD that would allow Lea to start Pre-K in the fall. Silly me thought I was a year early, but no, at just 3 I'm right on target according to this program. It seems to be the only pre-K available through the public school system, though we'll look at paper work for our regular schools if we don't get in.

So on Jan 12 or so we went and tour the two Vanguard Magnet program elementary schools in Dallas. Dealey (which we ended up applying to) and Harry Stone which Mia & Leo attend (past tense in Mia's case since she's older and has gone to another accelerated school in the DISD system). So we had heard good things about both and neither were conveniently located, but we had to make a decision so we went with the one in town as opposed to the one on the out skirts. It was very hard to make a decision and the possibility exists that we could still go to Stone as our second choice. We would be just as happy there.

The application process consisted of submitting a letter of intent and application between Feb. 2 - 27. But we were told that occasionally when there is a tie in who to admit it comes down to the first application in the door. Others had appearently heard this also because they started lining up at 5:30 pm the day before complete with sleeping bags. Dan was kind enough to deliver the application and was at the school at 5:30 am and was #95 in line. He was on the news... well his face, he wasn't interviewed.
Daddy on TV

I couldn't find this film on the Fox 4 website so I just recorded it. Poor quality, but you get the idea. And I point out Dan.
Dan on the news


Once the application was submitted we got an appointment for an interview... yes an interview for a 3 year old! They took 6 children at a time, away from their parents to see how they worked with others and to talk with them individually. We were told at the open house and from parents that the two important things they look for were separation without crying and writing their name. Thus the reason a)I didn't go to the interview (didn't want any Mommyitis) and b) Dan taught Lea to write her name.
Ready for school and an afternoon with Mommy. 

Daddy and Lea off to the interview. Leas said afterwards that she was asked to write her name, draw a circle and draw a person. She reported that she did all of those and that she had fun. So that was the important thing. I'm trying to make sure I convey that it will be good if she gets in, but if not, that wasn't the right school for us. I don't want her to feel pressure at 3 years old for crying out loud. Dan helps me keep it all in perspective.


After the interview I met them for lunch at Chic-fil-a and we played and had lunch. Then it was off to the the theatre with Pam and Molly (Anna was sick unfortunately) to see Click Clack Moo.
It was a stupendous show with fun songs and dialogue that kept all the audience from 3 to 37 entertained. The costumes were so adorable. My favorite was Duck. I obviously conveyed that to Lea because when we talked about it she'd say "Duck was the star."


After the performance the actors were out in costume signing programs and such. It was so cute the actually signed "Cow #1" and "Duck." Here is Lea getting Cow's autograph. They really did a great job with the kids!

After the play, since Anna was a sick bear Molly and Pam had to head home. But Lea and I went to a play ground and found a fun friend named Jude. They played for quite a while and we had a wonderful afternoon.

We look forward to more culture, whether we get into our selective school or not. We'll still have girls day out at the theatre and hit as many playgrounds as we have time for. Besides we learned Lea could write her name, so something good has come out of the experience already.

Christmas (December) Recap 2

And the rest of the Christmas holiday continued Christmas afternoon when Grandpa Neal, Teresa and Robert came mid-day on Christmas. More food, more presents, more great family.

We had a wonderful big dinner and lots of good chats.

Here a handsome photo of Grandpa and Lea.


Grandpa and Lea big smiles all around!

Dan and Grandpa. Handsome boys.

Teresa and Lea


Grandpa and Lea opening presents. Here Lea is getting a very useful blue windbreaker/fleece coat. Teresa got Lea Tinkerbell pjs and Santa brought bubblebath. Many thanks for all the great gifts all around.

Dan's can of Whoop Ass Chili from Arizona I believe. Grandpa Dan must have done some Christmas shopping with Aunt Kaitlin while he was in AZ with her. We all got treats from the Copper State. (We did make the chili and it was good.)

We got Lea Raindrop, Teresa's new Webkins Turtle from Dan and me. Lea named the turtle Raindrop and Teresa loved it. On Webkins your stuffed toy has a house with furniture and food, as well as lots of fun games that Teresa will have a lot of fun with. Lea already as a frog and a panda and loves being on Webkins.

It was a wonderful Christmas day. But there was some things we did to fill time between the big holiday events. There was a lot of good quiet down time at Grandma's. It was nice enough to be out on the porch some. Lea loved going out there to swing. Grampy and Lea on swing. They were having more fun that it appears. I actually love this picture, even though the two are not smiling.

It was nice weather, but very very windy. I had thought we'd sit outside around a nice roaring fire so we brough our fire pit. But with the wind that never happened. However, once I gave Dan the job of gathering fire wood... well we barely saw him for all the time he spent out back trimming a huge downed tree. Grampy helped some. Even Grandpa Dan got out  there and supervised for a while. A rather huge wood pile was the result. There is a lot of tree left to trim and Dan is being sensible and not getting near the big trunk that is leaning against the main tree, but there are plenty of smaller branches. Hopefully over time Dan can trim it down so that it will be less costly to have the big tree cleared. I came up with a log term plan to then turn the broken big left over trunk into a treehouse and play area for Lea... but that's A LONG way off. 
Here are the boys at work.

Dan & Grampy Cutting Wood. Dan used a saws all with a battery pack for a while, but near the end of the long weekend he found an electric one that had him working faster, but taking less breaks since the battery didn't die. 

The other great time waster for the long Christmas break was taking a walk out to the pond and visiting Mary the Donkey.

It started like usual with Lea and Tina feeding Mary by throwing apples and carrots over the fence.
But once I saw that Dan and Grampy were walking in the gate past Mary I decided it was time to take a stroll through Mary's field to visit the pond. I knew Dan had been back there to fish, though he said all he'd caught was tiny catfish. There was a nice mowed path so it was easy to walk. Even Grandma and her bum knee made it out there one day. Margarte came out regularly with Grampy, Lea and me. Lea enjoyed a game of throw sticks in the pond. This would have been a super game if it hadn't been for the fact that she made mommy find the sticks and threw them in faster than mommy could find them.

All this traipsing through the field I think had Mary a bit on edge. But thanks to Margarete the donkey whisperer we ended up with a very friendly Donkey. Mary has always been skittish. She'd check us out, but not get near us. Margarete however talked German to her and was patient and quite. She made a friend. The day we all sat out by the pond Mary was licking Margarete's hair and snuffling in her pocket. 

This paved the path for Teresa to make friends with Mary. At first Teresa was afraid of Mary, but when I explained that Mary was probably skittish because she'd been treated badly before Mom's neighbors bought her. When Teresa heard that she wanted nothing more to make friends. Teresa never got to the point where Mary was nuzzling her, but Mary did eat out of her hand and let her pet her. Mary followed Teresa around as we walked out tot he pond.

Teresa and Robert walking to see Mary the Donkey

And after almost a week of a wonderful Christmas it was time to come home. But not for long for Mommy. We came home Sunday night and Tuesday morning Mommy took off to Chicago for New Years with Sherry. It was a very fun, but very very very very cold time. I was there from Tuesday to Friday. Sherry had to work a party at the Drake hotel so we got to stay there... wow was it fancy! Doormen and everything.
I found a $2 Tueday bar the day I got there, then had a $18 martini at the hotel bar. I had dinner with Sherry's co-workers at Cheesecake Factory (after an hour 15 min wait!). Wednesday was New Year's Eve. Sherry had to work so I went shopping at H&M (I'd heard it was the IKEA for clothes, but not as exciting as I imagined.  I got a bracelet and earrings for that night.) Then we were supposed to all meet at Gino's East but Sherry got hung up working so I met Sherry's co-worker Amy and we had lunch together. While I was getting a table alone I saw Vince Vaughn coming out of Gino's. Authentic Deep Dish Pizza was good. We got enough so we had left overs at 4am on New Year's Eve. Then Sherry had to work the party in the hotel so I walked (a cold, dark lonely) walk to Navy Pier to wander around the tourist places and watch fireworks. I got a little grumpy because I was tired and cold, but some stranger said to me, "Hey, no ooh and ahhs out of you? Come on." It was said with a smile and it totally snapped me out of my grmup. I enjoyed the fireworks and then went to a franchised Billy Goat Tavern... the original "Cheezbooger Cheezbooger. No Coke. Pepsi." from SNL is in downtown Chicago, but they franchised to the touristy area. Then back to the Drake. Sherry was still working so I went to warm up, take a bath and lay down. I couldn't sleep so at 11:30 I went down to check on Sherry and mill about in the fancy lobby with the folks dropping $200 at 11:50 for a party that was over at 1am. We managed to find people to talk to until 4 am. Then we got up at 8am to get to Wrigley Field for the REAL purpose of the trip... The Winter Classic Hockey game at Wrigley Field between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings won, but it wasn't about win or lose for Sherry and I (it was counted as a regular season game for the Wings & Hawks, though). It was about the love of hockey and thousands of people standing out in 22 degree weather to watch some good old fashioned hockey. It was SOOO awesome. 



Then after the game we traveled by bus to Ann Sathers a Swedish diner. Then after a long cold wait for the bus back, we cabbed it back to Wrigley, shopped for shirts and headed back by train. We were SOOO tired, and had planned to go lay down for a bit and then go back out. I think Sherry and I both knew we weren't super likely to go back out, so I proposed stopping at a bar that we'd both took note of by the L stop. So we stopped in. They had High Life! It was great. We ended up talking to two Wings fans that had been at the game. Despite planning on making it an early night, we were still there until like 10. Perhaps an early night in most books, but considering how tired we were it was like 4 am again. But we had a great time. Long conversations about everything!


So back to the hotel, much needed sleep and then our last day. Friday we took the bus down Michigan Avenue to Millenium Park, oogled ourselves in the "bean" and had lunch by the skating rink. Then a nice run through the Art Institute Museum and ready for home. We picked up or bags and I headed to the airport while Sherry who had a few more hours in Chiccago than I did spent the evening with friends who live there. An unadventurous trip home and the perfect cure for mild homesickness. I missed my monkey and my monkey daddy! Back to production week short handed and crazy sick with some kind of bronchitis and before I knew it it was February!

December (Christmas) Recap 1

So on this the last day of January i am finally getting Christmas pictures up. Usually I hate to see Christmas go, but this year it seemed like it would not end. Perhaps it was the Christmas music continually played at the airport days and days after new year. Then the whirlwind of being gone for two weeks and coming back with an awful cold and into a solo production week. But none of that diminished and awesome Christmas season. 

We started the Christmas season by decorating our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. The next weekend we headed out to Grandma's place to decorate Grandma's house. 
Lea decorating Grandma's tree.

Lea and Grandma decorating the tree. What a sweet pair.


The next weekend Mommy, Daddy and Lea headed out to the Fair Park Christmas Festival of Lights. There were several animated twinkle light decorations. But the best part (as well as the loudest) was a tent set up by Home Depot that had free wood projects. We selected a tool box (that we now keep crayons in). We put it together there among the hammering and kiddo noise. Lea learned the hardest lesson of carpetry — don't let your thumb meet the hammer. But we got a free tool box!

Lea and Daddy working on the tool box.



What we didn't know at the time was there was also a rap concert as part of a Kwanzaa Festival and a Girl Scout Jamboree. The Girl Scouts didn't cause us any problem, however there was trouble at the rap concert. There was a shooting at the concert and a fight outside the parking lots. The roads were shut down as the police searched for the shooter. Whoever got shot survived. We just knew that the traffic was terrible and no one in the parking lot was moving. No one was getting out, so we hauled our cookies back across the park to eat at the Old Mill Inn. Not as quaint as it sounds, but it was edible and we were starved. That is where a police officer chatting it up with the staff shared her brief version of the shooting. "Oh, yes there was a shooting, BUT you've nothing to worry about." GREAT. So we got the heck out of there.
Lea and Mommy at the Christmas Shooting after Mommy walked the length of Fair Park three times. Note tool box in Mommy's hand.

We then took the long way back and toured lights along Swiss avenue, but it turns out the best decorated house was just blocks from our own.
The best light show in town on Larry St., just blocks from our home.

Then on a Monday we braved the wilds of North Park Mall with Wilder and Family. Unfortunately Santa was out with the Reindeer Flu on Monday, so back we trudged on Tuesday. The kiddos didn't seem to mind, Lea and Wilder loved seeing each other. Wilder was quite the gentleman leading his lady around the mall, showing her the sights.
Wilder and Lea walking around the mall


We did finally get to see Santa. It was actually quick and painless when we mentioned we'd been there the day he was sick. The secret is to go get a number in the morning and then you get to pop into line when you return. Robert Bunch was kind enough to tag along and took the best Santa photos we've ever had!

Lea asked Santa for a doll house (encouraged highly by mommy) and a Lightening McQueen book.
Lea and Santa




And finally it was Christmas week. Lea's Great-Grandpa came on Monday before Christmas with Margarete and Tina. We had such a wonderful visit. It was so very nice having them here. 

Here is a nice picture of Tina and Lea.

Grampy and Lea


Grampy and Lea playing train.The house was filled with toys even before we opened gifts! Lea and Grampy had a good time with the alphabet train.

They also played with the work bench. All of the pieces come off with nuts and bolts. Lea showed Grampy how to take everything off and put them back... over and over and over again.

Note Lea's big present. Tina kept teasing Lea that the big present was for T-I-N-A and Lea would say "No, its L-E-A" Very cute.

And finally it was time to open presents. Tina, Margarete and Lea opening presents. Here Lea got a purple poodle purse from Tina.

Grampy opening Sock Roses from me. Yes... tube socks folded and put on stems to look like roses. Packaged in a long stem rose box.

Grandma holds a Gay Dolphin bag. We carried one of Grandma's Christmas present from Myrtle Beach in her van without her knowing it. Inside the bag are wine glasses with flamingos painted on them. But I just loved giving a bag from the Gay Dolphin gift store (see our Myrtyle Beach post).

Tina and Margarete

Lea opening baby doll from Tina. Lea also got a doll stroller and bottle from mommy.  So she was playing mommy all weekend.

  

And finally it was time to open the big present. Lea opening doll house

Lea Playing with doll house. Mommy and daddy worked pretty hard on the doll house. And Lea LOVES it. There will be a post soley about Mommy's proud doll house work, but that is for another day.
We wrote Santa a note and he wrote a very sweet note back. We left cookies (Lea told Santa when she saw him at NorthPark that she would leave him cookies.) We left our special handmade socks at our house and there weren't enough old family stockings to go around so Dan put up his own sock, something we've done in years before, but usually they are fresh clean socks. This year Lea pulled the sock off Daddy's foot and wanted to put it up. So we did. Here the stocking are hung with care, awaiting Santa.

In the morning Daddy and Grandma were the first ones  up with Lea. They were kind enough to let the family sleep in for a bit to wait to open Santa presents. Here is a picture of Daddy and Lea playing High Ho Cherry O, which Lea got from Grandma on Christmas Eve.

Finally it was time to open Santa prestents. Santa did pretty darn great! Santa brought mommy a lap top battery! Sounds pretty silly but I was so touched that he thought of it so that I could have my laptop on the plane to Chicago (we'll get to that part). Before my laptop was only good for about 40 minutes. Now its good for 4 hours! I watched videos and worked on my trip. It was super!
Lea opening Santa presents. Santa brought Lea a kitty family for the doll house. Mommy just put these silly little peg head people in the doll house. I figured they'd get tossed once we saw Santa's wonderful Kitty family, but the peg head people live happily along side the kitty family. But the Kitty Family, officially the Buttercup Family consist of Mommy, Daddy, Brother, Sister and two babies. They also came with two dogs. So yes, the Kitty family has pet dogs.

Lea also got her lightening McQueen book, a book and CD actualy, plus 5 other books on CD with books.

Some videos from Christmas.

And the rest will have to wait for another post... alas they will not all get posted in January.

My Name is Lea

Well there is much to post from Christmas, but if I wait for that I'll never post anything new.

Here's the exciting new news! Lea can write her name. Spurred by a very complicated application process to a Montessori program through the DISD Dan has been teaching Lea to write her name. This is what I received when I got home from lunch today!


This is an attempt to recreate circles in every color, a drawing I made famous by putting on a CD label of Lea's favorite music. We lost Grandma's copy and ever since she's been telling me she'd draw it again to put on a CD. She doesn't understand I would just print out the computer file. Very sweet. But her name! She wrote her name! I wrote the date. We haven't worked on numbers yet. Although she does know if she writes the "L" wrong that sometimes it looks like a 7.

Then I got a person. This is a face with eyes, mount, arms and legs... She doesn't have the body part down, but yesterday on aqua doodle I got a face with eyebrows!

Lea tried to write her name here, but got messed up and kept putting letters in differen places. It actually kind of looks like "Alien" and ... well the picture does look a little alien-like.

Here is the Aquadoodle person. Look eyebrows! And eyes with dots in them. Still no body.