Birthday on, Power out!

We spent the second half of Silas' birthday without power, thanks to an afternoon wind storm. We celebrated in the semi-dark, amidst mounds of boxes. It was still a wonderful day.
Opening Grandma G's cool present:Blowing out the birthday candles. We had ice cream too (raspberry--Silas' choice!):
Last year I made Silas a big, complicated play blanket. I did not have the time or energy to duplicate such an endeavor this year, but I did manage to fulfill one of his requests: about 3 weeks ago, he asked me to knit him some hoses for his fire trucks. That I had time for for sure! I also knit him a helipad for the cool helicopter we got for him. It sits atop his fire station awaiting the next "emergency."
This was a pretty low-key birthday due to our upcoming move. We promised him that next year, for his fourth, we can celebrate in style at our new abode!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Silas!

Sunny day

Today we went to the new house to take some measurements. It will probably be the last time we need our agent to open the lock box and let us in. We get the keys on Thursday!

Coming up...

We went to our house yesterday for a little visit, and found several things in bloom.

This is going to be a busy couple of weeks.
Silas turns 3 on the 16th. We close (4 days earlier than our original date!) on the 18th. My birthday's on the 21st, and we move on the 30th. Whew!

dam bones

Last weekend, Silas took me to the dam he had built in a stream leading to a retention pond, which is just across the road from our current abode. It had been raining a lot and his dam had collected a lot of water.
They don't call these boots puddle jumpers for nothing!
Earlier that day, we had been reading "Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones" by Byron Barton. Silas isn't a real dinosaur enthusiast, but he did love the idea of searching for "bones" and putting them together to make animals. So, when we arrived back home from our tour of the dam, we hunted for bones on the front lawn and put together this dinosaur:
We then found the backbone of a Tyranosaurus Rex:
With all the hub-bub of our upcoming move, it's nice to still have these sort of moments together.

March '09 Book of the Month

Announcing Planet Silas' March '09 Book of the Month:

We're Moving by Heather Maisner ; illustrated by Kristina Stephenson.

When Amy and her family move into a new house, it takes some effort to make it feel like home.

Anyone who has been following this blog knows by now that we are in the process of buying a house and will be moving to said house in a near-by town at the end of the month. Change can be difficult for kids (and adults too!) and Silas has reacted in a pretty typical way. He will seem fine with the idea, but then say things like "I don't want to buy the yellow house. I want to buy this one!" We have been gently guiding him towards accepting the change by seeing it in a positive light. We have been talking up the following, for instance: "There will be a room just for your toys" and, "there will be a room for Grandma and Papa and Grandma G to stay in so they can visit with us longer."

Being a librarian, I am inclined towards using books as a means of making the idea of moving more concrete and less scary. I've checked out a dozen or so picture books on the concept of moving (and for those interested, the Library of Congress subject heading is Moving, household.) We have been reading them all pretty regularly and I knew I wanted to select one as the book of the month, but wasn't sure which one to go with. In the end, I let Silas decide. Although he enjoys all books and has asked for multiple readings of several of the "moving" stories, We're Moving has been a favorite. I'm not surprised that he made this choice and here's why:

When the little boy looses his favorite toy car, his sister, Amy, helps him look for it, and they find lots of interesting things in their new house including "two dirty socks behind the radiator." He laughs so hard when I read that line and asks me to repeat it over and over again. "Two dirty socks behind the raderator. STIIINKY" he shouts.

Well, whatever works. The move to a new house is scary for the brother and sister and it takes them a while to adjust to their new surroundings. But, as these stories always do, thing work out for them in the end and all is well. I hope that that concept, that things will work out in the end, sinks in to his little noggin, deeper and deeper with every reading. It is a message that we could all benefit from listening to.

Grand Forest

We have been taking advantage of nice weather and hiking up in the Grand Forest a lot lately.
Our cat often walks with us for the first 15 minutes or so. He takes off when we get to a house occupied by horses and barking dogs.

This is the easement into the forest. Privately owned land is on either side of the path, and it's the only way into the park from our neighborhood.
Up in the park...I usually let Silas decide which way we'll go.
We twist and wind our way through the trees.
The forest is big enough that we usually only cover part of it while we're up there.
Finally, on the way back down, we meet a sunny path:
I will miss living in walking distance from such an awesome place, although there will be plenty of new places to explore around our new home. And I'm sure we'll be back to visit. It will be only 15 minutes away, after all :)

Best. Muffins. Ever. (and the bears like them too)

A while ago, I catalogued a kid's cooking book at work that included a recipe for peanut butter and jelly muffins. I thought they sounded interesting and made a mental note to try them sometime. This past Monday was a work holiday, and Drew and I had the same idea for breakfast: Muffins.

I googled PB & J muffins and went with the first recipe on the list. They did not disappoint. The peanut butter is mixed in with the batter. Half the batter is put into the cups, followed by a teaspoon of jelly and another heaping of the batter. Eaten fresh from the oven: warm, jelly-filled goodness.
Silas invited the three bears to join us for a teddy bear breakfast picnic. They gave the paws up to the muffins too.

Emergen-C (not really)

The friendly ghost

"I'm a ghost" Silas exclaimed when he put on his dad's sweater. Given the outrageously long arms, I would have gone with Inspector Gadget, but these kids today, they just don't get 1980's TV references. So, a ghost it is. Happy haunting, Silas.

Home Sweet Home

Hi everybody. Welcome to my new home! Come on in and take a look.

Yesterday, we had the house inspected. I helped! This is one of the downstairs bedrooms (2 bedrooms down, two up). We were really relieved that the house is in such good shape.
Here's our nice big, bright kitchen:
And our cozy, airy living room:
Our house is on a double lot. Big garage. Lots of room, lots o potential! To see more pictures, check out the Home Sweet Home photo stream on flickr.

And a note from the editor: Yes, Silas, that's right. In a few months, barring any unforseen hitches, we will be the proud owners of this beautiful 1916 four-bedroom craftsman. The house is in a town near the island. We are very excited, and a wee bit nervous. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition! Closing in on March 22nd (the day after my birthday!).

Work is play, play is work

Silas has a construction scene book with reusable stickers depicting trucks, machines, and construction workers. Silas asked me about one sticker in particular showing a manhole with a worker peaking his head out. I explained to him that the worker was going to fix something underneath the ground. Ever since then, he's been fascinated with the idea of holes leading to underground zones.

A few days ago, he asked me to "be the cherry picker." This is a common request. He usually asks us to be the cherry picker when he wants us to pick him up and deposit him someplace higher up. In this case, however, he wanted me to lower him down the manhole, which, apparently, is our laundry basket's new identity. Once he was in the manhole, he said he was "a worker man" and proceeded to fix things. After a long day's work, he called over the cherry picker to lift him out of the manhole.

Job well done, worker man.

February 10 Book of the Month

Introducing Planet Silas' February '10 Book of the Month:

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry.

A small blue truck finds his way out of a jam, with a little help from his friends.

We recently checked this book out from the library and it was an instant hit. Silas literally shakes with excitement when I read it to him. Little Blue Truck is just the happiest, friendliest truck to ever come rolling by. All of the animals adore him...but they aren't too keen on the big dump truck who comes roaring by, without any regard for others.
When the dump get's stuck in the mud, it looks like no one will help him...until Little Blue Truck comes along.

By the end of the story, all is resolved. Lesson learned: be nice to others, they'll be nice to you. I always try to emphasize this point with Silas, and I'm hoping it's seeping in through his ears to his brain. But honestly, what he truly loves about this book isn't really its message (he's not even three yet, mind you), it's the wonderful warm illustrations, the variety of animals, and the attempts I make at giving each one a distinct voice. And it's Little Blue Truck, for no other reason than that he lets all of the animals climb on board and have a ride at the end. In Silas's mind, there is nothing better than a big green toad driving a bunch of farm animals around in a pick-up truck. Where the book leaves off, Silas' imagination takes off. And isn't that what we want books to do?