One of the problems about being a Northerner in the South is that summer is over too quickly. This sounds backwards, but it's true - in my internal calendar, summer is kind of just beginning sometime around July, when the window for snow has officially closed for good. In North Carolina, kids are starting to talk about going back to school now that it's August. I actually just started a class again last Thursday. The summer is over.

Well, for what it's worth, we managed to have something resembling a summer vacation, even if it is too abruptly coming to an end. It was at least a change of pace from the usual reality. I had a break from classes that allowed me time to actually start contradancing again, and Erik had a lull in the work-hole that allowed him to yet again complete the legendary Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell, a 65-mile mountain bike race that he was the only one of all his friends to actually follow through on. The kids have fully become creatures of the sun and water. We spent lots of days at the river, in the pool, or playing with the hose in the driveway. Most days they are out of their clothes and soaking wet by the time we've finished cooking dinner. It's been a great way to meet the neighbors - there's nothing like a naked, 2-year-old red-head coming up your driveway to break the ice.

Why does summer still feel like vacation anyway? There's no good reason - the kids aren't even in school yet. Maybe it's the temporary reprieve from having to wear protective outerwear - and I count socks in that category. Maybe it's the bounty of fresh food that we have in the garden or showing up from our CSA. Or maybe we're all happier in the summer because of latent childhood memories of running around naked and wet in the sun. Whatever the reason, it's been a great summer so far, and I'm going to try to make it last as long as possible, despite the resumption of classes and work and other adult-type stuff. My Northern confusion will be helping me in September, when I instinctively get out the winter coats again, and then get to wear flip-flops for another month.

The past month has held some surprises. Erin has accomplished in two weeks what it took us two years to do with our first child: completely potty-trained, wiping herself, no diaper for nap or bed, and waking up to pee at night. I don't want to spend too much time on the finer aspects of potty training, but I did want to update the impression I left with the last blog entry; that is to say, that she was only "pee-potty-trained". It's a big accomplishment for a little girl, and it deserves to be recognized. Since I don't have a baby book for her, the Internet will suffice.

Meanwhile, as many who follow my erratic Facebook status updates have noticed, we're dealing with an excess of vegetables thanks to our first "CSA" (Community Supported Agriculture) experience, plus a wildly overgrown garden and an edibly-landscaped backyard. This has forced some changes in our eating habits and the allocation of yet another corner of our garden for a compost pile. I made "Scrambled eggs with greens" for dinner tonight (CSA ingredients: eggs, chard, mustard and turnip greens; secret ingredients: cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and half-and-half) and actually watched both Alek and Erin ingest something green. Finally, my strategy of smothering nutritious food in fat and salt has succeeded! Sadly, Erik wouldn't touch it, due to the eggs, but I think he ate some of the greens I kept aside for him.

I have to say, I've come to understand the appeal of "greens". Until this year, I don't think I had ever eaten them. Then Erik planted collards, with his usual magic green thumb. Collards became the secret ingredient in everything I made for a few months: sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, vegetarian meatballs (other secret ingredient: meat), even hummus. I still don't know how to make them in a truly southern way, since I understand that requires something called "fat back", or at the very least, lots of bacon, but they have become a staple.

Now, turnips and radishes are another issue altogether. I am trying to learn how to deal with them. I learned that I can bury sliced radishes in a salad with enough dressing to make them palatable, and I actually brought a turnip for snack today. Yes, I had a turnip as a snack. It actually wasn't too bad, dipped in salad dressing - again, the fat and salt strategy is pretty reliable. Maybe I've lived a sheltered life, but I had never eaten a turnip until today. I'm not entirely sure I will eat one again, though I will bring one for lunch tomorrow and see how it goes.

We have had salad every night with dinner for about the past two weeks and we still have an excess of lettuce - part of the problem is the 12 plants of romaine growing in the garden, not that that is a huge problem or worse than any of the other problems that some of our friends are dealing with this summer, just that it grew so well that we can't possibly eat it all. I've given three whole plants away, but the darn stuff keeps growing. Greens are easy - a whole laundry basket can be cooked down to 4 ziploc bags. Yes, we know this from experience. But lettuce is rather bulky and time-consuming to eat, in terms of the calories obtained. I can now see why it is considered a "diet" food. Completely unintentionally, I've lost two pounds, and I think it's mostly from the energy that goes into chewing all that salad.

Did I mention the garlic? We planted 75 cloves earlier this year. They looked so small and innocent. Then each turned into a head of garlic. What am I supposed to do with 75 heads of garlic???

I could go on, but you get the point. Last year's investment in "Bountiful Backyards" has paid off and then some. I thought once I had conquered kohlrabi that the rest would be easy . . .

We had simultaneous 2- and 4-year pediatrician visits today, and the kids are - no surprise here - doing fine. We had so much fun catching up with Dr. Martha that it took a little bit to get around to the actual doctor stuff. Alek had to have his blood pressure checked, so Erin insisted on it as well. Erin opened up wide for the doctor, which was what it took (along with threatening to take away Gordon) to get Alek to open his mouth. Dr. Martha found Smudger in there, and James was in the left ear (Gordon was in the right, safe and sound). Erin couldn't WAIT to show off her belly button while Dr. Martha was looking at Alek's. For some reason, Erin didn't feel the need to get any shots even though Alek got four (and was pretty darn brave about it too - he cried, but held still even after the first one). I had the embarrassment of bribing my children with chocolate in front of the doctor, and she didn't seem to mind. For those who are interested, here are the vital statistics:

• Erin is 35.4 inches (82%) and 29.5 lbs (80%) and on track for being 5'8" (double your height at age 2 = approximate adult height).


• Alek is 38.8 inches (18%) and 32 lbs (15%) and on track for being ... 5'8" (plus or minus 2 inches, although I bet it will be plus).

Erin is almost pee-potty-trained, which is following in the footsteps of her brother. This is a new concept I've invented (or that I've been too lazy to look up to see if it exists elsewhere), wherein I am able to keep my child out of diapers for everything except pooping. No hurry on either account - except I'm willing to embrace the idea this time. Pooping in the diaper is a lot better than pooping somewhere else that isn't the potty.

Along cognitive lines, Erin demonstrated some advanced concepts just in time to impress the heck out of her doctor. I was trying to get her to say her name. She obliged ("Ein-in" . . . although ironically the word for underwear comes out "Erin"), then she pointed at Alek and said "Ahl-eh - boy!" Dr. Martha looked appropriately impressed and asked if she was a boy, and she giggled and said "Noooooooooo . . . ". When Dr. Martha asked her what she was, Erin pointed to her belly and said, clearer than any word I've ever heard her say, "Girl!" OK, it wasn't just the doctor who was impressed - Mama was pretty proud, too. As you can tell! Of course, this just may be a by-product of being a working mom - for all I know, their nanny has been working on this concept for weeks and Erin chose this moment to share it.

"Why is bedtime going so horribly tonight?" That's Erik's question, and I have no answer. Yes, the kids are still awake. They've tried sleeping in Alek's bed, on Alek's floor, in Erin's bed, and are finally in their own beds with the doors open calling out to us and each other. They're singing, kicking, throwing covers on and off, generally having a great time. Two little monkeys, along the lines of "monkey see monkey do" - Alek wants his door open, so Erin insists "Ope! Ope!" Generally being cute. Generally just . . . awake.

Since I last posted anything on Freather, we've had two birthdays and a Between-The-Birthdays-Bouncy-House party. Erin is now officially 2; Alek 4. Both are somewhat confused about the whole birthday process - the extra party in the middle was a confounder, I admit. No more confusing than having Lightning McQueen (attached to the bouncy house) come live in your backyard for one afternoon, and one afternoon only. Erin woke up the next morning trying to run outside, saying "Ligh-neen neen house! Ligh-neen neen house!" All of Alek's friends who have come to visit since then have likewise been very excited to come over here, and very disappointed upon arrival. But that's OK - we've heard that he will be at Audrey's birthday party next year, and maybe Evan's as well. We'll see what their parents have to say about that.

Meanwhile, Erin is grudgingly finishing entire syllables, and occasionally whole words. She will say "Open" if we demand it of her, but it's hard when Alek is adopting Erin-speak as a second language. Maybe even a career. One day Erin was standing at the refrigerator pointing with extreme agitation, saying only something that sounded like "pupe joo!! . . . pupe joo!!!" After I struggled for a few frustrating minutes to guess what she wanted ("Pump goo? Puff jewel?") Alek finally called out "She wants the grape juice! It's in the back!" Of course! It's actually not so surprising that Alek knows her best - he does spend all day with her, and usually I do not. On the day in question, I didn't even know she knew the word for purple, much less that we had grape juice in the fridge.

While her enunciation is lagging behind, her understanding and vocabulary are doing just fine. For example, there was the day I was driving Alek to pre-school and forgot to turn onto Rose of Sharon (having promised him we would go over the bridge, and not on the highway). Erin was silent, sitting with her thumb in her mouth for the whole ride, until I missed the turn and she started pointing agitatedly (a recurring theme in her life) saying "No, Dat Way! Dat Way!" I didn't even know she knew the way to pre-school.

Well, bedtime has gone from bad to worse while I was writing this - Erik is now up there, no doubt pointing with extreme agitation, trying to keep the kids in their own rooms. There is screaming coming from someone. I should probably go help out. It's just another day in our lives . . .

Just some of the many train configurations we've had so far. Notice the homemade "Roundhouses".

I know you were expecting to see another round of adorable photos of the family. Well, they're all there on Fotki, of course. Kids playing in the sand, swimming in the pool, applauding the sunset, and having immense amounts of fun at the beach. But I was in the mood for something more narrative, and I discovered it's hard to come up with captions for photos of beaming gorgeous children. So I picked some more "expressive" photos to share with you, photos that really capture the essence of our trip. Guess who was always holding the camera? Yep, that's why there are no pictures of Erik (here, or in the entire Sanibel album it turns out - oops).

Life may be good, but you can't make me look at it	Ooooo, that Mama thinks she's so smart! I'll show her someday!	Shh. I think I just heard Dada fart.
If I sit here and stare at my book long enough, maybe Erik will put Erin down for a nap.	I've had enough, I'm changing my name. I will now be known as "Henry James Gordon The Express Engine".	Mmmm, I wonder if that's something in Erin's diaper I'm smelling. Time to give her back to Heather.
Man, those kids don't EVER get tired. I'm gonna go back to the room and have a drink.	I am going to get these darn things on my head even if it rips all my hair out and makes me cry. I'm a big girl, and I can DO it.	Waaaaaaaa!
No, I don't want to go down to the beach that we just drove 14 hours and 830 miles to reach. I just want to stay up here and play with my trains from home.	If I sit here long enough and stare into the woods, maybe Dada will let me have a turn on the tricycle instead of my supposed "big boy" balance bike.	I have no idea how we got through those years. Thank god it's them and not me!

Erin had a hard time waking up from nap while Alek was downstairs playing with his trains. Since I already had the video camera handy, this is what resulted. She was looking particularly cute that day. Though she may never forgive me when she watches this someday, I hope she'll see it the way I do - I spent 15 minutes coercing her out of her bad mood and her crib because it really was easier than making her cry, and because I love her that much. Plus, it was kind of fun.

Mix 10 parts water (just a little!!!!) to 1 part dish soap.
Add two bored kids and a dirty kitchen counter.
Insert "AeroLatte" FIRST and THEN turn on.
Make bubbles - WEE!
Spill some wet bubbles on granite counter - WEE!
Spin the cup around and around and around with the "AeroLatte" - lots of WEE!!!!!
Dispense matching blue sponges to kids and tell them to "Mop up the bubbles! WEE!"

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Try to get the kids to stop.
Tell them "The counter is clean enough!"
Dispense more water and soap.
Take away sponges. Dispense dish towels.
Duck! They're throwing bubbles!
"No, don't aim the faucet at the counter - stop!!!!!"
Get out dog towels. Attempt to sop up the mess.
Strip clothes off kids and place in laundry.

Admit defeat. But at least the counters are clean!
(February 24, 2009)

One day Alek McQueen and his baby sister Erin McQueen were getting ready to start their day on the island of Sodor, where they lived in a big brick house with their Mama, their Dada, two cats, and two dogs. And a fish, but they usually forgot about the fish. If anyone asked, they would say that eight creatures lived in their house, because that's how many stockings were hung on the mantel the night before Christmas. Mr. Toppahmhat always said that fish don't need much for Christmas.

On the day of this story it was unexpectedly warm and sunny, which made Dada happy because it meant the solar panels were getting to do something finally. Alek and Erin were well-rested and happy after a good night's sleep and a pit stop with Cheerios and Raisin Bran, the organic stuff that Fillmore was always talking about. Today was a big day - Gordon the Big Tank Engine was going to take them for a ride into town to buy some supplies at Costco. Gordon was a Very Useful Engine who had his own coal car and automatic doors, side air bags, and a lift gate.

The best part about a trip to Costco was riding in the shopping cart, but it was even better on days like today when Poppie and Grandma were there too and Alek could have his own cart and Erin could have HER own cart. Costco was always a good way to lose a couple hours and a couple hundred dollars on a Saturday morning, and it did make Gordon happy to have an errand. After Gordon took Alek and Erin McQueen back home for lunch, he went back to the Roundhouse to look for some more errands to run - maybe Edward needed some extra coal, or maybe Henry needed some help getting out of a tunnel. Alek and Erin ate rainbow tortellini and then went out to play with Snot Rod for a few minutes before it was time for Erin's nap. The Sheriff tried to get them in a heap of trouble, but Alek didn't want to be in trouble so he found a way out. Erin just went to sleep - that solves most of her problems.

Then Evan came over and the race cars and tank engines all played Dinosaur. The baby dinosaur got a ride on Gordon, and the Mama dinosaur tried to eat all of Gordon's coal, but Alek found some more at the coal mine. Then - SOMETHING HAPPENED! A loud noise and a big crash came from outside. Alek and Evan ran out to see Dada and Poppie standing over the tree they had just cut down. But this was not actually as exciting as they had hoped, so they went back inside where their shoes and coats were anyway. While Dada and Poppie cut down trees to make more light for the solar panels, which is apparently not as environmentally ironic as it seems, Evan and Alek decided that Snot Rod needed some company, so Mama turned the orange loader into 'Mater with a little bit of construction paper and black duct tape.

After a busy day of racing around the island of Sodor with Snot Rod and 'Mater, Alek and Erin McQueen got back into Gordon and drove over to Raleigh where Oliver was having a birthday party. This ended up being right at dinner time, so dinner was pear-chocolate chip-muffins, and a little bit of muffin wrapper, too, for Erin. The best part about a trip to Oliver's house is the train table with the electric Thomas and the real Roundhouse, and the Boost and Snot Rods and the Mack the Trucks and the Sheriff and all the Lightning McQueens.

At the end of the now very long day, Gordon took the tired McQueen family back home to the big brick house and the two cats and two dogs who were very happy to see them. Erin McQueen wanted the Baby Bumblebee song, especially the part about the squishing and the licking off, and then she settled down for sleep with Baby, Pooh, Piglet, and - of course - Lightning McQueen ("Nigh-neen Neen!"). Alek McQueen pretended to fall asleep in his bed, but as soon as he heard Mama come upstairs, he came in to her room to keep her company. And as soon as he REALLY fell asleep, Mama came downstairs to write the story of the day. Because that's the kind of universe we live in!

Tonight Alek told me a story. It started: "OK, here it goes. DJ and Boost and Wingo and Snot Rod were all on the circle track. And Mack the Truck and Lightning and Miss Sally . . . and Chick Hicks . . . and the Sheriff . . . were all on the oval track." Then he told me how they were racing at night, and they could see all the planets, like Neptune and Uranus and Saturn and the Earth . . . and Venus . . . and Pluto . . . and Neptune . . . and the Sun. And Mercury. And Mars. All the planets. The story included an adventure - there were some bumpies in the road, and something fell on the button and opened the back of Mack's trailer and Lightning fell out, and then they all raced on the road. It wound up with all the cars back on their race tracks, and the Sheriff won. And that's the end of the story.

I didn't get to see Erin much today, because it was one of those days when I didn't get home until it was almost bedtime and the kids were already running around upstairs on The Goodnight Express. The choo choo had paused to put the blocks away in Alek's room, and as soon as Mama showed up, Alek got out his headlight (the flashlight we got from Uncle Jim for Christmas) and The Goodnight Express did another dozen laps around the upstairs. Erin peeled off to go to bed with Dada, and then Alek discovered "backwards mode" and did the track backwards, and then "sideways mode" and did it sideways, and then when I told him it was time for "bed mode" he laughed and said "I don't have a bed mode! You just made that up!" But I tickled him everywhere until he finally pointed out where it was - about halfway down his right butt-cheek. Sure enough, that worked, and he hopped straight into bed.

Erik reports that Erin is mastering her pronunciation and increasing her vocabulary daily - she says "Elbow" clear as day, and "House", "Knee", "Moon", "Sun", "Clouds", "Sky", "Tree", "Car", and of course "Yel-yow", her favorite color. You get the idea. Ever since Erik's week in Utah, Erin actually lets me hold her and put her to bed at night, so I'm always sad when I miss out due to work. If I go a couple days of working late, all of a sudden she's a whole new little girl - new words, new games, BIGGER. A week ago she put her first two words together (my favorite phrase of all came shortly after: "Hi, Mama!") and now she's trying to say things like "Big Blue Ball". Or maybe it's "Bib Boom Bob" or "Bit boo bong". But it's progress!