My life redefined, by Dr. Seuss

I thought it would been nice to tell you that we had an awesome 8 day-trip to A LOT of places. It was a vacation that we all needed. Emerson will be in charge of writing that post since we took a lot of photos, and some of them are super fancy**. He would get upset if I didn't post them "right". You know, just like when Elizabeth gets upset because I do not close the toothpaste lid right away, or flush the toilet right before washing my hands. These are the crazy people in my life.

**Fancy Photo: A photo that I wouldn't be able to take since I have no idea how to use our camera to its fullest potential.

Anyways... I just wanted to post some cute pictures and videos of Enzo walking for the first time outside with his NB shoes. I bought that pair of shoes when Enzo was one month old, with money my mom gave me. I've been humpfed at by two or three sour kangaroos (inside joke here, Horton hears a Who, by Dr Seuss, is one of my best friends lately) because I buy my children expensive shoes. I know these shoes are not the cheapest, but they are really good shoes. We are a family who walks a lot, and play a lot outside, so they do wear those shoes. Libby walked many, many miles -literally- with her fist pair. 

So HUMPF!, to you.

Papucho en Acción 

Walking

Also, we've been having these "discussions" at breakfast about heaven, and that kind of stuff. I do most of the talking, of course, and Libby sometimes says things that crack me up. Like the other day I was saying something about Jesus. I explained that Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, the anointed One the Jewish people were waiting for. And then I don't know how, but she ended up talking about Christopher Robin. And I said, "No, Nena. I mean Jesus Christ, not Christopher". And she kept talking about Christopher Robin, and all of Pooh's friends. I knew I had to wrap it up.

Other times, we talk about the songs from Seeds that we listen to. They really like those songs. One of them is about storing treasures in heaven. We talked about what a treasure is, and that we shouldn't store treasures on Earth that are more important than God, like books, or money, or stuff in general; even hobbies, or our time. She looked at me and said, "Cell phones, Mami..." . That made me think she really gets it, because I've been telling her that I value the photos and videos I take with my cellphone A LOT. 

Speeding up a bit

Playing with the lion

Or last Friday, Emerson came from their bedroom and told me she prayed for him. She said, "I pray for you Daddy... You lose your patience, you work, and Enzo cries. Dear God, thank you for Daddy, and for patience and kindness. Amen. I love you."

We think she was talking about herself, because she yells at Enzo when he cries, she is the one getting upset. But, you know, it doesn't matter. She prayed for her Daddy. Actually last night it was the first night that she didn't scream at him in anger. She chose to sing songs to him (I told her to try to do so, and she did). He began crying, and she did yell at him twice, but also sang songs to him, and eventually he fell asleep. This morning I told her I was very proud of her for being so kind, and loving to her brother, and she smiled.

This morning we read about love being patient, and kind, and not easily angered... like she really gets it. Then she tells me, "I put my mocos in your face", Ha ha ha!!

So little by little they are learning many things about God. I just hope that one day they will make the choice about following Jesus, but it's their deal, their choice to do so. Influencing that choice to make it happen would be the worst thing I could do for them. It has to come from them, and be real. Only God knows their hearts.

Daddy in charge of putting them to sleep

The week before going camping we did many things. We went with Daddy to a park to see some owls they have there, and we actually saw how they gave them frozen rats to eat. After that we ate some Indian food. We really liked it! Specially the naan. Man, we are going to get so fat by just eating that. I hope the vegetables, and the almost-no-meat diet help to balance the scale.

Looking at the ducks

Walking with Daddy

Owl

We also went to Target to buy them some gloves because it was supposed to be super cold. And I took them, the day before leaving, to Burger King for lunch after out longest grocery shopping trip ever. That morning we went to Best Buy, REI, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and finally BK. They did great ;)  

At Target

Lunch

I am also teaching Libby how to read now. This is our second day, so please, do not think my daughter will read by next month. I just think that she might be ready. I began teaching her the letters and sounds by the time she was fourteen months old. Nine months later, she knew them all, after me repeating them everyday. Sometimes I thought I was just wasting time, and saliva, but she knows them by heart now. Her new thing is that she spells the words she sees in her books. 

The spelling thing is what made me think that she might be trying to read. Today she was "reading" s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g. 

-Are you reading?  

-Yes.

-Well... s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g is how you spell the word something.[She smiled when I pronounced the word]. You can spell and you can read. Do you want me to teach you how to read? That way you can read books on your own. [In her mind she already does that, though].

-Yes.

Who knows? She says yes mostly to everything I ask. But it would be nice to get our minds into accomplish something new. She needs that. And it's time for Enzo to start learning his letters, too. I'd been just kicking it, watching shows, and playing outside, and being silly with them, which is what a mother is supposed to do, right? Ha, ha,ha!! But I'm a party-pooper-kind-of-mom, too. They need to entertain their minds with something beneficial.

I might be opening a Pandora box by teaching her to read. Today, my throat hurts because I've read Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss, like three times. And I mean, The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, and Horton ARE NOT three-minute books, you know? Oh, no, I'm sorry. Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss.

Bubble

New BK

Every time I read a book to her, she corrects me...

-You wanna read this?

-Yes.

-Okay [I breathe for the millionth time]. Super readers, lets read! The cat in the hat... The sun did not shine...

-Oh, no. No. No. I'm sorry, Mommy. The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss.

-Oh, yes. I'm sorry. The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss...  

She even does the same thing with There's No Place Like Space, by Tish Rabe. I had to explain to her that Dr. Seuss did not write that book, but it was written by T.R. But the people like The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, so much, that they asked Dr. Seuss if they could use the cat from The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, to be in these other books. 

A money-sucker machine if you ask me, but we are easy prey when we see our Libby happily "reading". Emerson fell into this trap at the McDonald Observatory when he walked into the store. He wasn't supposed to buy anything, but then he looked!!, and said, "Oh, The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss. Libby wants this." 

So now, I read, "There's no place like space, by Tish Rabe, with the cat from The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss". It really amazes me how particular she can be. Today she said there were two fishes and two cats, when she put the books back to back. I had to explain that it was the same fish from The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss. The same fish that had told the cat, "No, no!! Out of this house!". 

But now, they are friends. And I showed her how the girl, Sally, is the same girl in both books. And Nick, whose name never appears in the The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, is the same boy, too. "Do you see Sally's bow on her head? It's the same girl, and the same fish. The same cat, too. The cat from The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss. You see them?"   

Whether the name is Dick, or Conrad (1971 aired special), PBS calls the boy Nick. Explain that to Libby. And here I am thinking it would be a good idea teaching her to read :S

Horsie ride

Libby does that to me, too.

Struggling

Grocery shopping

Oh, other than that, I was the best mom for a day when I made them Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss, for lunch. It was a hit in Libby's mind until she tried the yolk. I made her eat it, though, and she did. Those pasteurized eggs were expensive. She was very sweet. I think she did it for me, and because it was very special for her to eat Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss. I followed the recipe from the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook that we borrowed from the library. It has tons of recipes from the books. 

Enzo loved the eggs. Well, Enzo could eat rocks with guacamole for all I know. Not lately, though, because he's been sick. Oh, that Enzo is another one getting into a reading monster. He follows me to the bathroom when I am pooping and gives me books in my hand :)

Green Eggs and Ham

By Dr. Seuss.

Having children really changes your perspective in many ways. We went to a dinner party for Emerson's job on Friday. There were a lot of pretty girls dancing around; guys, too, don't get me wrong. They were dancing these were songs I'd never heard of, or I'm not into that anymore. I ended up chatting with a woman and her husband at our table, and we had so much fun! You wanna talk to someone? Ask them if they have children, and what are they up to these days. Then you won't be able to stop them from talking. Everybody really thinks their crows are the blackest. They got me. We talked about camping in cold weather, and that I was crazy, and brave for camping with two toddlers. And how three is worst than the terrible-two's, specially if Libby is so stubborn. We talked about Dr. Seuss, of course, too. I had fun. 

Still going to those parties leaves me sometimes wondering many things. You know, stupid things in my head. Like if all this is worth it, if I should try to pursue a career like many of those girls, or just stay home until who knows when. When is the right time to go back to work? Should I? Does Emerson expect me to be like one of them? Trying to have it all? Family, a career, and who knows what else? 

I usually come to my senses very quick, and I realize my life is just the way I want it to be. That doesn't mean it will never change, but from now I am doing what I need to do, and that is taking care of my family. Raising two beautiful children, and sharing my life with Emerson. I really hope my efforts one day will be rewarded in this life, and the life to come. Mostly, I want my children to want to be my friends when they grow up. Even if that happens when they are 30, have children of their own, and realize what I meant with all the things I wrote on this bog.

For now, to more urgent things like my very first Dr. Seuss' rhyming attempt  ...

My Pluto is now gone

By Karla "Sauer" Kangaroo 

(FYI, Sauer is one of my two last names)

The sun did shine, it was not too wet to play,

so I was at school, for most of the day.

And the teacher said something that made no sense at all,

She said, "A planet might disappear one day. My words, please, recall".

And the Sauer kangaroo inside of me said, "Humpf! What does she know?

It's not like she is an astronomer, you know?"

But the teacher insisted on having her way,

"A planet might not be here, even if that seems too far away."

Nonetheless, I memorized my planets by heart,

there were nine at that time and,

For learning them, nobody paid me a dime. 

Oh, how I wish there would have been a chart!

Oh, how I wish I had been able to tell them apart!

In no time, however, I had learned them all, 

and it wasn't hard, not that hard at all.

I will show my trick, I will show it to you, 

but you need to know, what you shouldn't do.

It's been said you should use a mnemonic technique

to learn many things, if you want to sound chic.

But I'll tell you, if you, like me, are unique

this method will sound to you very weak.

The Mnemonics for the Solar System, by TR.

Who is this Valerie? And what's up with her nickels?

It confuses my mind, as if my brain had just eaten pickles.

I will show you my trick now, I will show it to you,

I'm sure Dr. Seuss won't mind if I do.

Learning has to be fun, and my house is the craziest,

I'd like to think my children will never be the laziest.

From trips to the park, and visits to the library

Sometimes Mommy feels she's running for primary.

But I'll leave you my trick now, if alive Dr. Seuss would have it approved.

He would say, "This Sauer Kangaroo should have never been proved 

that Pluto is not more a planet, it should not have been removed!"

"Let her sing of her nine planets, who cares if she does?

Her children will learn of more valuable things, things of Heaven, 

So what's all the big buzz?

The Planets, MY way.

My 9 planets