Lesson: The meaning of Eccentric

 

Today, in Georgetown, Julia and I saw a woman riding an old  bicycle. No big deal--except that she wore a mink coat and wore a silk scarf over her head. No helmet, of course.
Naturally, I pulled over and took a photo.

Jules: Why did you take a photo of that woman?

Me: Because she was riding a bicycle while she was wearing a mink coat, and I thought it was eccentric.

J: What’s eccentric?
Me: Something out of the ordinary, not something you do every day. For example, if a person  walks a cat.

J: I walk Kitty.

Me: Well, or if someone has a Parrot on their shoulder. That’s eccentric, it’s not normal.

J: Yes it is, Pirates have parrots on their shoulders all the time!

 

I looked in the rearview mirror, and Julia had a straight face, she was not kidding and was a sweet as ever.

=

 

Typical annoying Georgetown eccentric.

And...hmmm. What is this? 5 year old, wearing her brother's inventive hat..

Graham, modeling his hat, made of construction paper/poster paper...there's a secret opening under the red square...

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving was so nice...Thank you, Wagshal's, for cooking...well, I take that back: everything needed to be warmed up ... which translates into dirty pans...and hand wash china...etc.

But it was heavenly, the food...the company..the children! Oh, how they entertained themselves so we could chat and eat and enjoy...since Graham and Julia aren't huge 'meat eaters' (Um, except those cheeseburgers they love to scarf down every other month or so...need I tell them it's from a cow? Julia claims she won't eat anything from a pig...I guess my non meat eating has rubbed off on them.)

 

I digress...after T-day, we drove to the Eastern Shore (what a mind numbing drive that is! Egads...flat, flat, boring...then the amazing ocean!)...

Just chilled, saw Gramma Dot...and got some book store time as well as some beach time...

 

 Julia, after her bath, sans shoes...

 "Come buy something in our store!" Graham and Julia kept themselves entertained by creating a store in the kitchen while Terence, our friend Caitsby and I enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal ... Graham then shut the store down, and had an 'advice' office...for 5 cents (thank you, Lucy from Peanuts!)...I told him my problem was "oh, I am dropping everything! I sometimes forget things!" and Graham looked ever so serious as he told me his diagnosis:
"I think you need to see a doctor."
ba-da-boom.
When I told him I'd paid him 5 cents, he became quite serious and took out a piece of paper...and proceeded to write me a prescription.
Priceless.

 Graham, most likely thinking of his next invention or building he'll create

 At Bethany Beach, Thanksgiving weekend.

Sand castles

Halloween 2013

 Is that a fire I see?

 Julia, the Movie Star, strikes a pose

 G-Man, with a chocolate mustache...at the Tudor House Chocolate house making workshop

 Julia, at Tudor House, taking a break from the tour

 Contemplating "her" Tudor Estate in Georgetown

 Chocolate House, eat some, build some!

Washington International School Parade...

Pirate Cruise on the Potomac

Ahoy Maties! We had a great time in August on a Pirate Cruise with Mame and Andy ... followed by lunch at Sequoia.

What's amazing about the cruise is for a mere $10, you get an hour or more on the Potomac...complete with pirates 'chasing' the boat on a powerboat...which the children then 'shoot water cannons' at...then, the children got the key to the treasure chest after 'catching' the pirates in the boats (by shooting them with water cannons, naturally)...Got that?

 

All in all, a great day...and view of the Kennedy Center from the Potomac!

 

 Our Mame!

Baltimore Aquariaum, August 2013

Baltimore makes for a great day trip, especially the Aquarium. Graham and Julia and I went in early August to check out the newest Reef...sharks galore. The children and I prefer the playful dolphins.

 

 Julia...and Kitty

 Scary!

 More our speed...a wonderful view from beneath thte tank.

 A highlight for Graham involves the 'workings' of the dolphin tank.

 So odd how an iPhone can capture the perfection of jelly fish.

First day of Kindergarten sniff sniff

I can't believe our 'babies' are so grown up!! Today, we dropped off Graham and Julia to their Kindergarten classroom...I became quite teary eyed, and, as Terence said 'this felt harder than the other years' ... probably because, well, Pre-K is just Pre-K! Kindergarten is...the beginning of the end! Just kidding...but really, now they are ensnared in 'the system' ...

And it's a great system at Washington International School, where Graham and Julia have attended the French Immersion Program since age 3 ... while Julia stuck close by me initially, she wandered away to her friends as Terence and I prepared to leave the room...Graham? Sat down and read a book at first, then also went to play with his friends from Pre-K and to make new friends.

Julia motioned for me to lean down, and she whispered so, so softly into my ear Mommy, can I tell you about what happened today when you pick me up?

Of course! It's the only time of the day -- well, and bathtime and lying down with the children at night -- that I get any information out of the children...well, and when Julia tattles on her brother ;)

The sad sounds of little Makram crying--this sweet little boy we all knew from last year--and another little boy in K weeping as his mommy left...oh boy. I was so happy G&J did not cry, I would've been tempted to take them right back home with me...

The morning, preparing for school...was not so smooth at home! The children were so excited last night they couldn't get to sleep until 10:45 pm!! or even 11:00 pm...and Terence got up, as ever, at 6:00...he had his suit and tie on--looking quite dapper, as always--and said "well,I'll see you tonight" ...
"Where are you going? You're coming to school with us!!" ... and, so, he and I had to carry Graham and Julia downstairs to breakfast, while they were still basically asleep...then, Graham fell back asleep on the couch...
eventually we wove our way out the door...Julia is a good little planner, so we had both laid out her clothes the night before. Graham is easy to dress--preppy t-shirt, shorts, underwear, shoes.

So here are some pictures...more to come.

 Terence and Julia

 Twin lockers

 Graham, settling in

Wistful Julia

Tooth Fairy!

Julia lost her first tooth! And her doctor yesterday said that her '6 year' molars are coming in--early. My baby's growing up, time for me to, I suppose, as well. (Although Graham had his batman cape on last night, and reverted to the 'lookit me! lookit me!' phrase...as he ran down the hall and dove into bed...over and over...with Julia soon following.)

I digress. Megan, as ever--Graham and Julia's 'big sister'--our beloved sitter from Georgetown University who is living with us this summer as she works at her two unpaid internships--had treated Graham and Julia to dinner out with friends in DuPont circle--a donut/burger place...and G-man swung the umbrella by accident and it konked Julia in the mouth, and kaboom--out came the wiggly tooth that I did not have the nerve to pull out!

Megan thought fast--and had Julia write a letter to the Tooth Fairy. And Megan put the letter above the fireplace, as well as the tooth (which Megan placed into a silk little bag, which, frankly, had contained the head of baby Jesus from a creche of my grandmother's, a head that the children snapped off at age 2.5, became lost, then found, then the body was lost, then found...oh, never mind).

 

The "Tooth Fairies" sprung into action--Terence found two 50 cent Kennedy Pieces, and I found 4 one dollar bills--2 for each child.

Because, you see, if you're a twin, the Tooth Fairy rules stress that both twins receive a gift for the first tooth that comes out of either one's mouth. So, very late at night, I wrote a letter to Julia, put the swag inside, and licked the envelope...hmmm, Then, I opened Julia's letter to the Tooth Fairy--I tend to do some things backward, like occasionally reading the ending of a book first--and noticed that Julia had given the tooth fairy a bracelet!

Horrors! I had to write on the envelope 'thank you for the bracelet' ... as the Tooth Fairy would indeed be polite...

Julia's Tooth Fairy's name is Gigi, Graham's is Cliff ...here are some pics.

Julia

Note to the Tooth Fairy

The tooth (obviously!)

Julia's sweet note to the Tooth Fairy