I'm dreaming...

...of a White Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Note: There's a real treat at the end of this post, so don't give up before you get there.

This week we made the trek to New Hampshire to celebrate with the White side of the family. We began the festivities with Thanksgiving on Thursday, followed by a day of games and decorating on Friday, and then we celebrated Christmas all day Saturday. It's been a lot of fun, with 13 here for Thanksgiving and 18 here for "Christmas." Josiah has been delighted by all of it, of course. Mid-way through the gift opening on Saturday, he unwrapped a toy from Nannan and Papa. As he began playing with it, we prompted him with the standard, "What do you say to Nannan and Papa?" All day he'd been saying "thank you" very nicely, but this time he beamed up at them and replied, "More presents?" Hm. 

Preparing to play Settlers of Catan on Wednesday night.

Decorating the Christmas tree with Auntie Kara.

A few hours later, Josiah finding a ball and deciding it should go on the tree too.

Tramping through the woods.

Opening presents on Saturday morning.

An English tradition: Opening Christmas crackers and wearing the enclosed paper crowns.

•  •  •  •  •

And...

Here’s an early Christmas gift for all of you: an announcement.

Josiah has a new cousin on the way!!!  Kara and Matt announced on Thursday that Baby Prahl is coming in early June. Two days after they divulged the secret, they received their first baby gift. They don't look pleased, do they? Hooray for babies and sisters and cousins and blankets with little yellow duckies!

Hands-down fun

Yesterday evening the Martys and the Caslers had dinner and fun a few doors up at the Bredeman house. First things first: Although we had to call our Settlers game before it came to a proper end, my winning streak showed no signs of ending. :) And with that duly noted, the kids had fun too! The youngest cohort (Caden, Briar, and Josiah) are separated by barely 5 months, and they showed a shocking degree of cooperation while we played with a magnadoodle. I traced their three hands, and they took turns erasing it so we could do it again...and again...and again. And then Briar took over the tracing while the boys dutifully had their hands drawn.

(Oh, and we're so happy that Daddy got home in the wee hours this morning!)

The Marty Party

Our good friends the Martys -- Bethany, Quenton, Eden (9), Truman (7), and Briar (2) -- are moving from Lancaster to Krakow (with a month in Wisconsin in between). They packed up the moving truck on Friday and today, and the new owner of their home began moving in literally as they walked out! And...we're enjoying having them here in our home for the weekend until they hit the road on Monday morning. Josiah had a blast with the super-duper train track Truman constructed, and he and Briar have cracked me up several times with the little games they create with one another. Jesse, you're missing a party!

'cause everyone should enjoy a cloth-diapered bottom now and then

Pumpkin-bum and I both miss you, Jesse!

A Very Useful Engine

For his birthday, Josiah received a Thomas the Tank Engine costume from Auntie Kara. It's a few inches too long, but there was no getting him into a kangaroo costume – which still fits from last year – with this alternative in the closet. So, I pinned it up, and one Very Useful Engine had a great time at his school costume parade and then later doing his first trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. We're delighted that Pop Pop Casler arrived on Halloween. Pop Pop manned our front door and candy bowl so Josiah and I could make the rounds (Jesse was in Boston). And Josiah L-O-V-E-D it. He very quickly got the hang of ringing the doorbells, saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you," and then literally running to the next home.

Speaking of the kangaroo costume... Although he wouldn't wear it, Josiah fell in love with the baby joey sewn into the top half and spent several days toting the entire outfit about. We tried to get him to carry just the top, but he'd beg, "and the pants! and the pants!" when he didn't have both enormous parts. He slept with the outfit hung over his crib rails, brought the stinkin' thing to school, and loved talking to "baby joey" in a hilarious, sing-song, baby voice. 

Batmobile

Okay, so actually it's a bat mobile, not the Batmobile, but I'm loving it! It's been a fun craft idea that has developed over the last couple of Thursdays with Josiah (and frankly, I'm just more excited that I can call it the batmobile, since there's seriously nothing I love more than a great, geeky, play on words). In any case, Josiah helped paint the egg cartons, I took care of the hot gluing, and he helped hold the sticks while I strung them together. Josiah's excited that Rojo gets to see the bats all the time. I should have photographed it at night to full spooky advantage. 

Thinking of Rojo, here's a proper photo of him, as promised a month ago. He's still alive and well! Josiah helps to feed him every day.

Fall Excursions

We've been reveling in a light travel schedule for Jesse this fall (although all good things must come to an end, alas). A few recent highlights:

• Playing at the park. Josiah enjoys the playground, and we try to get out at least once per week. It's great practice for our little boy who got so behind in his gross motor skills last year. (And FYI, I'm in embarrassed denial about the possibility that his poor coordination and physical cautiousness is likely more due to my feeble genes than the fact that he was half blind for the first 12 months of his life!)
  
• Visiting the Choo Choo Barn. This is a Lancaster County must-see for all little engine lovers! Josiah was in heaven in this massive model train set-up. (Can you catch a glimpse of Josiah's amazing Thomas sweater that Auntie Ann knit for his birthday??)
  
• Psych Department Barn Party. My department holds an annual fall event for students and faculty. We enjoyed an evening at a local farm (where one of my students grew up), with a pig roast, bonfire and s'mores, cow barn tour, and pumpkin carving. We had to leave before the hay ride. Of course, in spite of enjoying the entire evening, only one aspect seems to have made a lasting impression on Josiah, which he brings up whenever we talk about visiting the farm. I'll give you a hint, as I'm too delicate a flower to post it directly. It involves the cows and the large, umm...products...they create. Josiah was highly impressed.
  

Bad Hair Day

A couple of Thursdays ago, Josiah and I were at a nearby playground. His verbal skills currently far outpace his social graces, which is both delightful and disarming. I was showered and reasonably put together that day, but it was a very blustery, gusty morning (his first request as we stepped outdoors was, "Mama turn off breeze?"). As I pushed him on the swings, he looked up at me, and his eyes become worried. "Uh-oh, Mama," he said. "Uh-oh. Hair. Uh-oh, Mama hair!" I asked him if my hair was a mess, and he agreed with wide eyes, saying, "Mama hair, BIG mess!"

I thought Mommies were supposed to be beautiful in their little boys' eyes for at least a few more years!

I Need...

What a funny little development! Until today, Josiah has made requests by stating the item with rising intonation and slightly widening eyes, e.g., "Animal crackers??" Unprompted, today he began asking for anything (and everything) as a statement of need. An incomplete list of exemplars from our day together: I need cereal. I need raisins. I need your hand, Mama. I need buckles. I need help. I need bubbles. I need string cheese. I need Thomas on the big TV. I need Teddies. I need paci. I need chocolate. I need more.

Beautiful illustration of an advance in language development...and human nature...

Trains and Fish and Pumpkins

We've had adventures today!

There is a rail yard behind campus, and although unfortunately no trains were moving when we were there, Josiah was excited to see these three "wagons full of tar" on a siding. (I have no idea what they really contained, but they looked just like the cars that James -- of Thomas and Friends -- crashes into in one of Josiah's books.)

After that, we headed across the street to my office...to...adopt a fish! Rojo, our beautiful new red betta, is an ex-lab animal who needed a new home. You can't quite see Rojo in the one shot we took here, but trust us, he's very handsome. We hope he makes it through his first 24 hours as a Casler, though. On top of the trauma of moving, within five minutes of being transferred to his new bowl, I managed to let Josiah dump about half a cup of fish food on him. (I didn't think Josiah would be able to get the cap off the container. Wrong!) Poor Rojo's gleaming new home went instantly murky, and although we strained out as much food as we could, we had to leave Rojo in that state most of the day until new water could come to room temperature and sit for a while.

Jesse took off the afternoon, and we went to a garden center to pick up some new perennials for the backyard. Josiah loved the pumpkins!

Birthday Boy!

Josiah turned two yesterday, and he's enjoyed two full and wonderful days of fun and gifts! It didn't go entirely as planned to start, though...

On Friday night, Jesse and I set up Josiah's train table with a bunch of new track and put new batteries into his two mechanical engines, which had been dead for a while. (All of his train gear is second-hand off Craigslist -- so wonderful!) We knew he'd LOVE it, so first thing Saturday morning, I kept Josiah hostage upstairs while Jesse had to attend a few sessions of a HOPE board meeting. We did breakfast up there, played games, read books, and opened his first present: Thomas books from Lisa and Jason. We had lots of fun blowing the tissue paper like confetti, and I wish I'd gotten a shot of Josiah's smurf face after he spent too much time with the blue tissue paper stuck on his slobbery visage. :)

Jesse's meeting went almost an hour longer than expected, and I was running out of tricks by the time he called saying he was finally leaving the office. Fifteen minutes later, Josiah and I were expectantly watching out of the upstairs windows when a second call came: Jesse was still at the office, and the car wouldn't start! So we went to get Daddy, and in the interest of not losing more of the day, we abandoned the dead vehicle for the weekend.

Josiah loved his trains when we got home...finally...at 11 a.m. He spent the first 5 minutes completely enraptured, just watching in awe, and then the next hour he was busy and delighted as he explored everything. Lucky boy! Later, after some tickle fights with Jesse (when his badly beaten up glasses finally broke for good, alas) and lunch, Josiah spent some quiet minutes watching "Pop Pop do 'vice'." A week ago Jesse's dad uploaded a special video to YouTube just for Josiah: Pop Pop playing guitar and singing Edelweiss, one of Josiah's favorite going-to-sleep songs. He LOVES it. :)

After nap, Josiah was introduced to his first ever M&M. He's more into savory than sweet, but he liked to suck them for a minute and then spit 'em out after the shell dissolved. We then headed off to a huge pet and fish shop where we looked at hundreds of tanks of fish, lots of reptiles, birds, and small rodent friends. Josiah's favorite part was the deep buckets of feeder crickets! It was a great free excursion.

Jesse's parents arrived just after Josiah went to bed, and so we enjoyed a gift-filled day with them today. I was a bit out of commission for some of it, managing to have one of my worst headaches so far this year (starting around 3 a.m. and not really abating until late afternoon). So, they all went to church without me for the morning while I flitted between devouring far more painkillers than advised on the bottles, feeling miserable in bed, making a big quiche and salad for lunch, and cutting my hair several inches because it felt so unbearably heavy. I'm dangerous with a migraine!




We had been spreading out the presents over these two days but picked up the pace this afternoon, still trying to take time to play with and appreciate most gifts as we went, though. Here he is with his new car rug and cars, opening a train with Pop Pop, and meeting Mr. Potato Head. Thomas and related train items certainly ruled the day -- sweaters, cards, books, engines, bath toys -- and Josiah was in heaven.

Keeping with the theme, I baked his cake in mini loaf pans in order to construct a simple train. He really enjoyed looking at it but wouldn't eat any!

It's hard to believe he's really and truly a toddler. We're very proud of our little boy, especially appreciating that at least for now, he's very kind and very gentle and has a real love for life with a constant twinkle in his eye. But rather than ending on a sentimental note, I'll leave you with a parting shot of Jesse in the gift Auntie Kara and Uncle Matt sent down. Am I a lucky lady or what?

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Perhaps last Thursday should inaugurate a new trend: Thursday posts. Year-round I stay home with Josiah on Thursdays, so although it's a stretch to "keep Jesse in the loop" on what Josiah and I do on our day off together while Jesse's at the office, well, do you think it works?

Frankly, I suppose today is barely even blog-worthy! We kept pretty quiet --- ran a few errands, played at home. Background for non-Jesse readers: Josiah's 24 hours into a course of antibiotics for another really nasty double ear infection, so he's been pretty sick. It's 90 degrees out today (i.e., still summer) and the child has ear tubes (i.e., should be all but infection proof), so this bodes very poorly for cold and flu season. Anyway, one of my favorite things that Josiah does right now is choose colors that match various Thomas and friends engines and then name his scribbles appropriately; a red scribble is James, a green one is Percy, and so on. I'm thinking I need to plan a "Thomas" birthday party for him when he turns 2 next week.

(Titled with apologies to James Joyce, whose alter ego shared few if any traits with the artist depicted here!)

Close to Home

Jesse's not away, but he had to work today rather than play at home with us, so I figure that's close enough to qualify for a post on this blog. Lisa (Jesse's sister) and her family are here for a couple of days, and despite being sick with an unpleasant cold, Josiah is enjoying time with his big cousins: Jaron (10) and Bryn (8). This morning we went to my office so they could see my lab -- including the secret spy room! -- and for a visit downstairs to the monkey labs. We enjoyed watching the capuchins and squirrel monkeys playing with their toys, eating green beans, swinging, and peering back at us. This afternoon, while Josiah napped, Lisa, Bryn, and I went pottery painting. Lots of fun!

No Photos!

We have no working AA batteries in the house and even our rechargeable ones are so old that they won't hold a charge. That means no pictures -- sorry Jesse. :( Here are some mental snapshots of our evening for you to envision down in the DR instead:

- When I picked Josiah up at day care, he was dancing with his friend Sarah (who has some amazingly cute dance moves, I might add!)
- When we got home, Josiah and I watered the flowers. He enjoyed sticking his hand in the stream of water for a bit but then preferred to get his entire face in so he could have a "big drink" (said with glee!).
- It was 90 degrees and still humid, so it wasn't too many minutes before I had the sprinkler going so he could "wun in wain." He was completely soaked.
- While watching Kipper for a few minutes after supper, he began fiddling with his diaper -- which was accessible since I had stripped off his wet clothes when we came into the house --- and he managed to remove it. Uh oh!

All in all, we had a great day. I'll try to get some batteries for tomorrow!

100% Boy

Mom made the comment today that Josiah is 100% boy. I know what she means. He's CRAZY about trains, balls, and things with wheels. They spent ages outside this morning watching heavy equipment working on the house lot a few doors up from us. He runs everywhere, is constantly getting grubby, and eats like a champ. And today he enjoyed visiting the Habitat Re-Store shop with Papa, where we poked around building supplies and salvaged house parts. He (Josiah, not Dad!) especially enjoyed it when we left the store and could watch trucks speeding by on the highway. We look forward to you coming home this weekend, Jesse, since this 100% boy definitely needs daddy in addition to his girly-girl mother!

Halfway Point

Today was a relatively quiet, normal day. Josiah enjoyed a new book from Nannan and Papa that features a battery-operated stop light. It's been perfect for doing "red means stop and green means go"!

A Tale of Two Teddies

Well, Jesse, disaster struck this morning at 8:45 a.m. Before heading off to work, I scrambled around and started a big load of laundry. Somehow I managed to get Teddy *AND* Mo Teddy into the load, which only was discovered a few minutes later as we piled everything into the car to head to work and day care. By that time it was too late. They were both completely sudsed. With no small amount of apprehension, off we went to school as I concocted an elaborate story of how the Teds were having a special day with Nannan, since Josiah began asking for Teddy before we even backed out of the driveway. (For non-Jesse readers: Josiah's absolute best, inseparable friend is Teddy, and Teddy has a stunt double just in case Teddy should ever come to an unfortunate end. Josiah is happiest when he has both bears simultaneously; when he has a Teddy in his arms, he often asks for "more Teddy," which comes out "mo' Teddy.") Anyway...the drop off went well enough, I explained The Story to his teachers, and I finally bolted over just in time for several meetings in my lab. The plan was for me to dash back home as soon as I was free a couple of hours later, in hopes of delivering Ted in time for nap. Alas, I got a call just as I was grabbing my things to head home to retrieve the clean bear --- Josiah had done fine initially but had been sobbing inconsolably for time at that point. :( Knowing that, I went and got Josiah immediately and we spent the afternoon at home. Now I'm looking at a late night given how much I didn't get done today, but the good news is that Josiah had a great afternoon and evening in the end!

Birthdays

Today was Mom's 57th b-day and Tim's 24th, so we enjoyed a birthday supper with them here this evening. It wasn't quite as festive as I had hoped since today was CRAZY at work, leaving no time to do fun things like buy balloons en route home, but we enjoyed one another's company and ate a big, yummy supper. I took this photo right before Josiah's bedtime and couldn't induce him to remove the pacifier, but he managed a pretty good grin saying "cheese!" in spite of it. :) And I don't know where he picked it up, because I don't recall telling him that you were flying, but at dinner Josiah suddenly seemed to realize that you were missing. "Dada?" he questioned. I agreed that you weren't here, and after a moment, he said matter-of-factly, "Dada, plane, in sky, bye bye." Wow! I was blown away! We miss you!!

Missing Day

Well, Jesse, it must be odd to have pretty much entirely lost Sunday somewhere up in the air. Rest assured it actually existed for most of us! This morning Josiah and I made it to church in good time and I taught toddlers. This afternoon we played lots of Thomas, I introduced him to Kipper the dog (huge hit), we danced and played, he learned how to climb up my back and roll off (hilarious, I assure you), we played Thomas, we made a big chocolate-n-raspberry-with-cream-cheese-frosting birthday cake for Nannan in prep for tomorrow, we did several loads of laundry and got the room ready for Nannan and Papa, we played Thomas. We also did some Play-Doh, as you can see here. What I didn't catch on tape, but so wish I had, was him reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." It's obvious he knows the entire thing off by heart given how he'll fill in words for us, but tonight I left him sitting on the big chair in his room with the book and his Teddies while I ran down to grab a paci. As I was trotting back up the stairs, I heard him chanting along, "Brown bear, brown bear, brown bear, see? Brown bear, see? Red bird, see?" and so forth. Clearly we've had a great day for you, since you didn't really get a Sunday of your own!

Traveling Circus

You wouldn't know that the cost of gasoline is through the roof to look at our family this weekend. Jesse left this afternoon for a quick trip to the Philippines. We don't envy him the 16-hour flight from Detroit to Manila, which he's on even as I type! He left just as Kara arrived; she and Matt are in the midst of a 48 hour trip to PA so Matt could do tiling in Tim and Holly's kitchen today. They were gone by suppertime, but the dinner table was full between Tim, Holly, Holly's two brothers, and a girlfriend, all of whom also were here basically for just the day to help with the kitchen renovation, and of course they ate here since Tim and Holly presently have a work site (or disaster zone?!) in what was their kitchen. One of Holly's brothers will spend the night here, and they're due to be heading back north by 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. To round out the travels, tomorrow Mom and Dad will drive down from NH -- you guessed it, to help with the kitchen.


Anyway, Josiah had a great day. We went to Market with Auntie Kara this morning, where he got to make a fresh blueberry, yogurt, and granola cup compliments of a local, just-launching food place. He played lots of Thomas at his train table and enjoyed all the new faces at dinner. I forgot to take the camera out at any point, so here are photos from yesterday, when we washed the cars before Daddy left.