Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tristan Riley Tennyson
Its official, our second boy will be named Tristan Riley Tennyson. We are eagerly awaiting his expected arrival in the 2nd week of December, pray Godspeed for Maranda's sake!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Kieran's 3rd Birthday Party
At long last Kieran's third birthday party arrived! It was a lot of fun, see below for our best shots.
Kieran & Maranda to the right.
Car sandwiches!
Dance Party!
Kieran & Maranda to the right.
Car sandwiches!
Dance Party!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Imagination at the Cusp of Three
As Kieran arrives at his third birthday in just over a week, we have really noticed how vivid his imagination has become. From pretending to be a dinosaur, shark, or deer, to creating imaginary situations, scenarios, and outcomes for daily events ("Dad, the vacuum has a flat tire....but don't worry, I will fix it").
The most difficult aspect of his increasing imagination is a stronger sense of fear. It is hard as a parent to see him begin to grapple with a self-aware sense of fear, perhaps one could call it existential fear? It is different from the instinctive fear that he displayed as a very young child, grabbing Mommy or Daddy when he heard a loud noise, or hiding his face when he saw something unusual or strange. This fear is more an awareness of his smallness in the world, an awareness that life has not only wonderful things to explore, but strange and threatening things as well.
Sometimes his fears are hard not to laugh out loud at, so silly and even cute they seem. Like when he was freaked out by the owl poster in his room, and called Mommy to come console him. Maranda quickly repositioned him so he couldn't see the poster and told him that he could sleep now. In a tiny, quavering voice he responded, "he can still see the top of my head," placing his hands up on his head, "he thinks I'm a mouse!" Only by pulling the poster down was Kieran able to sleep.
Lately Kieran has been afraid of ghosts, which can be various objects in his room, or just a perceived "bad ghost" that he needs Daddy to frighten away. One of the best pieces of advice I read in a parenting journal was to reassure him at his own level, without trying to convince him that his fear is baseless. So instead of trying to convince him that there is no ghost in the room (my natural instinct), instead I position his "safety" animals around him in a formidable triangle (a triangle being one of the strongest formations). His big Panda bear watches from behind, his Kung Fu skills at the ready. A large rabbit that looks more like a dog lays next to the bed rail, with his attentive ears listening for the least sound of trouble. Finally "Alexa Dog," a large, plush German Shorthaired Pointer, lays on top of Kieran and a myriad of smaller stuffed animals, ready to growl at any intruders.
Surprisingly Kieran is reassured by this tactic, even without long explanations regarding the fictional nature of ghosts. In fact, he is not even the most helpless in the bed. While he is guarded by his three big safety animals, I have entrusted him with the safe keeping of the lesser stuffed animals in his bed, who snuggle next to him for warmth and safety. This crew is large and varied, and includes a white baby seal (very soft), a yellow baby duck in a bath robe, a doll named 'brina (short for sabrina), several teddy bears, a tree frog, a small grey hippo, two stuffed penguins, a stuffed caterpillar, and miscellaneous other creatures. He takes his role as caretaker seriously, reassuring the small animals while holding them in a huge hug around his body.
Tonight we had a brief concern regarding a large "hand" that was appearing on his ceiling above him after I went out of the room. Leaving his bedside lamp on for a little while was the agreed upon resolution, as Kieran felt confident that the hand would not come back with the light on. He has now quickly fallen asleep, fears vanquished for one more night.
The most difficult aspect of his increasing imagination is a stronger sense of fear. It is hard as a parent to see him begin to grapple with a self-aware sense of fear, perhaps one could call it existential fear? It is different from the instinctive fear that he displayed as a very young child, grabbing Mommy or Daddy when he heard a loud noise, or hiding his face when he saw something unusual or strange. This fear is more an awareness of his smallness in the world, an awareness that life has not only wonderful things to explore, but strange and threatening things as well.
Sometimes his fears are hard not to laugh out loud at, so silly and even cute they seem. Like when he was freaked out by the owl poster in his room, and called Mommy to come console him. Maranda quickly repositioned him so he couldn't see the poster and told him that he could sleep now. In a tiny, quavering voice he responded, "he can still see the top of my head," placing his hands up on his head, "he thinks I'm a mouse!" Only by pulling the poster down was Kieran able to sleep.
Lately Kieran has been afraid of ghosts, which can be various objects in his room, or just a perceived "bad ghost" that he needs Daddy to frighten away. One of the best pieces of advice I read in a parenting journal was to reassure him at his own level, without trying to convince him that his fear is baseless. So instead of trying to convince him that there is no ghost in the room (my natural instinct), instead I position his "safety" animals around him in a formidable triangle (a triangle being one of the strongest formations). His big Panda bear watches from behind, his Kung Fu skills at the ready. A large rabbit that looks more like a dog lays next to the bed rail, with his attentive ears listening for the least sound of trouble. Finally "Alexa Dog," a large, plush German Shorthaired Pointer, lays on top of Kieran and a myriad of smaller stuffed animals, ready to growl at any intruders.
Surprisingly Kieran is reassured by this tactic, even without long explanations regarding the fictional nature of ghosts. In fact, he is not even the most helpless in the bed. While he is guarded by his three big safety animals, I have entrusted him with the safe keeping of the lesser stuffed animals in his bed, who snuggle next to him for warmth and safety. This crew is large and varied, and includes a white baby seal (very soft), a yellow baby duck in a bath robe, a doll named 'brina (short for sabrina), several teddy bears, a tree frog, a small grey hippo, two stuffed penguins, a stuffed caterpillar, and miscellaneous other creatures. He takes his role as caretaker seriously, reassuring the small animals while holding them in a huge hug around his body.
Tonight we had a brief concern regarding a large "hand" that was appearing on his ceiling above him after I went out of the room. Leaving his bedside lamp on for a little while was the agreed upon resolution, as Kieran felt confident that the hand would not come back with the light on. He has now quickly fallen asleep, fears vanquished for one more night.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Garden Update
Every year that we garden we learn a little bit more about the soil, the plants, and especially the pests that are particularly abundant in the warm and wet Virginian climate! Over the past couple years we have battled vine borers, powdery mildew, and squash bugs. This summer we lost our squash plants to squash bug infestations not once, but twice! The beautiful squash and zucchini patch in the picture below was our third replanting attempt in early July! Thank goodness we appear to be winning this time, thanks in part to our relentless effort of handpicking the squash bugs, spraying the base of the plants, and reduced bug activity later in the season. Now if only we can get our first generation of plants to survive next year!!!
This is what it is all about, tender squash waiting to be steamed!
Some volunteer pumpkins from our compost pile that we transplanted into one end of our strawberry bed have done fantastic, we have several rapidly growing pumpkins that we hope to harvest for October holidays, we just hope we can still get around the garden the way these things are growing!
Other end of the strawberry patch with our recently planted everbearing strawberries (Quinault cultivar).
Maranda picking cherry tomatoes. Our tomatoes have done very well this year, although the dry summer did slow down fruit production quite a bit, even with our best efforts at keeping their "feet" wet.
Pepper plants had no problems with the hot, dry summer!
A welcome guest in our garden, enjoying the wet mulch under the tomatoes.
Some happy gardeners looking quite proud of their efforts. I should note that Kieran is already a bonafide horticulturist, he inspects plants for bugs and then asks us if they are the "good or bad" kind, and points out damaged or dying leaves, "sad" plants, etc.
A day's harvest. Radish leaves are poking out the back, their are fresh eggs under the tomatoes (with a cloth cushion that Maranda improvised).
A fair winning bell pepper that Master Gardener Kieran is showing off.
A garden is a lot of work and each year I eagerly start out, only to ask myself about a month into the effort if it is really worth it? For us, though, the answer is always yes. It makes for wonderful family times most evenings as we gather in the garden to water, weed, and harvest as a family. There is invariably some kind of discovery for us to wonder at together, and eating the healthy and fresh vegetables brings a kind-of satisfaction that you can't measure monetarily. Realistically I doubt we save any money by growing our own vegetables, and probably expend a little if you count the time and effort as well as equipment, but it is cheaper than cable and a whole lot more satisfying! :)
This is what it is all about, tender squash waiting to be steamed!
Some volunteer pumpkins from our compost pile that we transplanted into one end of our strawberry bed have done fantastic, we have several rapidly growing pumpkins that we hope to harvest for October holidays, we just hope we can still get around the garden the way these things are growing!
Other end of the strawberry patch with our recently planted everbearing strawberries (Quinault cultivar).
Maranda picking cherry tomatoes. Our tomatoes have done very well this year, although the dry summer did slow down fruit production quite a bit, even with our best efforts at keeping their "feet" wet.
Pepper plants had no problems with the hot, dry summer!
A welcome guest in our garden, enjoying the wet mulch under the tomatoes.
Some happy gardeners looking quite proud of their efforts. I should note that Kieran is already a bonafide horticulturist, he inspects plants for bugs and then asks us if they are the "good or bad" kind, and points out damaged or dying leaves, "sad" plants, etc.
A day's harvest. Radish leaves are poking out the back, their are fresh eggs under the tomatoes (with a cloth cushion that Maranda improvised).
A fair winning bell pepper that Master Gardener Kieran is showing off.
A garden is a lot of work and each year I eagerly start out, only to ask myself about a month into the effort if it is really worth it? For us, though, the answer is always yes. It makes for wonderful family times most evenings as we gather in the garden to water, weed, and harvest as a family. There is invariably some kind of discovery for us to wonder at together, and eating the healthy and fresh vegetables brings a kind-of satisfaction that you can't measure monetarily. Realistically I doubt we save any money by growing our own vegetables, and probably expend a little if you count the time and effort as well as equipment, but it is cheaper than cable and a whole lot more satisfying! :)
Friday, September 05, 2008
August Camping Trips
Well, we have a lot of fun camping in August, finally getting some time to put some pictures up. Our first trip was to Trout Pond in West Virginia, a small, family friendly campground in the rolling hills and hardwood forests of WV. Kieran had a fantastic time and was shaking with excitement as we unloaded the gear and setup the tent. This trip he got his FIRST SLEEPING BAG and was absolutely thrilled! It was a wonderful time with dear friends, although the three days went by far to quickly for me (as it always does).
Here are our best shots (our second camping trip is after these photos).
click on any image for larger image
The beach at the small lake, love the richness of the colors in this shot (hat tip to Maranda). Kieran is in the center.
Kieran straining to carry his load of water, his friend Mike in the background joining the cause.
More water carrying with his friend Keenan.
What used to be a sandcastle!
A boy pile, Kieran and the three Doan boys. Kieran's head is the bottom right. Looks like baby C.J. needed a snuggle!
Cute shot, kudo's again to Maranda.
Kieran and Keenan playing together.
Kieran and Ethan playing together in matching outfits!
Canoe time! From left to right, Sam, Keenan, Kieran, and Ethan.
Our second camping trip was to the Lake Erie shoreline in Marblehead, Ohio. We had a great time with friends Maggie, Schuyler, and their son Levi. Although Levi and Kieran had not seen each other for over 8 months, they instantly bonded over their mutual love of monster trucks! Levi even brough the ICE CRUSHER, which was a new one for Kieran and had him enraptured immediately. We were also able to attend our friends Joel and Kate's wedding which was a beautiful and meaningful affair.
Here are some of our best shots:
A happy boy watching the CARS movie on Daddy's iPod.
Oops, boy had a time out discussion with Daddy...
At the wedding reception.
Levi and Kieran just floatin' around.
Levi and Kieran attacking Ken.
Here are our best shots (our second camping trip is after these photos).
click on any image for larger image
The beach at the small lake, love the richness of the colors in this shot (hat tip to Maranda). Kieran is in the center.
Kieran straining to carry his load of water, his friend Mike in the background joining the cause.
More water carrying with his friend Keenan.
What used to be a sandcastle!
A boy pile, Kieran and the three Doan boys. Kieran's head is the bottom right. Looks like baby C.J. needed a snuggle!
Cute shot, kudo's again to Maranda.
Kieran and Keenan playing together.
Kieran and Ethan playing together in matching outfits!
Canoe time! From left to right, Sam, Keenan, Kieran, and Ethan.
Our second camping trip was to the Lake Erie shoreline in Marblehead, Ohio. We had a great time with friends Maggie, Schuyler, and their son Levi. Although Levi and Kieran had not seen each other for over 8 months, they instantly bonded over their mutual love of monster trucks! Levi even brough the ICE CRUSHER, which was a new one for Kieran and had him enraptured immediately. We were also able to attend our friends Joel and Kate's wedding which was a beautiful and meaningful affair.
Here are some of our best shots:
A happy boy watching the CARS movie on Daddy's iPod.
Oops, boy had a time out discussion with Daddy...
At the wedding reception.
Levi and Kieran just floatin' around.
Levi and Kieran attacking Ken.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Housing Market
The following trend is based on actual 4-bedroom home sale prices in our hometown of Manassas (we are just a few miles outside the city). The trend starts in March, 2007 and looks really close to what we have observed over the past 18 months. This home value slide represents a 40% reduction in home value for our area/size of home! So even for those folks who put 20% down (like ourselves), our home value to mortgage is now well upside down.
click on image to enlarge
Of course, this wouldn't be a huge issue if the home value corrected in a similar fashion over the next couple years, but that is anyone's guess at this point. *My* guess is that with rising transportation costs the suburbs will not show dramatic rises in the next few years, especially the "way out" suburbs (we are 1.5 hour commute to D.C.). Instead I would guess we will see some flat lining in home values or perhaps marginal increases for several years (I am personally pretty convinced that a 40% drop puts us somewhere very near the bottom, at least I hope so).
All in all, it is a pretty depressing situation for anyone who bought a home from 2005 to early 2007, or those who refinanced against their equity in that same period (a lot of folks fall into that second category I am sure). What irks me is that the sub-prime mess created by unscrupulous lending has now really impacted those with traditional loans and significant down payments. Yet those unscrupulous lenders that hawked teaser rates and no money down to people who couldn't afford a home, are now being bailed out by the government. Sorry if this is starting to whine a little, but it just doesn't seem fair in a country where we pride ourselves on talking about "market forces" and the ilk.
For the Tennyson family, as we wistfully look back West and start to think about future plans to move nearer our families, this economic "blip" has very real consequences. Pretty damn depressing if you ask me.
Updated: Here is the LINK to the site where you can pull similar trends for your area/size of home. Once you select the city closest to you, click on the "view graph trend" link next to average home price. Make sure to select the # bedrooms for your home once graph is up and then update.
click on image to enlarge
Of course, this wouldn't be a huge issue if the home value corrected in a similar fashion over the next couple years, but that is anyone's guess at this point. *My* guess is that with rising transportation costs the suburbs will not show dramatic rises in the next few years, especially the "way out" suburbs (we are 1.5 hour commute to D.C.). Instead I would guess we will see some flat lining in home values or perhaps marginal increases for several years (I am personally pretty convinced that a 40% drop puts us somewhere very near the bottom, at least I hope so).
All in all, it is a pretty depressing situation for anyone who bought a home from 2005 to early 2007, or those who refinanced against their equity in that same period (a lot of folks fall into that second category I am sure). What irks me is that the sub-prime mess created by unscrupulous lending has now really impacted those with traditional loans and significant down payments. Yet those unscrupulous lenders that hawked teaser rates and no money down to people who couldn't afford a home, are now being bailed out by the government. Sorry if this is starting to whine a little, but it just doesn't seem fair in a country where we pride ourselves on talking about "market forces" and the ilk.
For the Tennyson family, as we wistfully look back West and start to think about future plans to move nearer our families, this economic "blip" has very real consequences. Pretty damn depressing if you ask me.
Updated: Here is the LINK to the site where you can pull similar trends for your area/size of home. Once you select the city closest to you, click on the "view graph trend" link next to average home price. Make sure to select the # bedrooms for your home once graph is up and then update.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)