Frozen Joy

Last night Kurt read his Christmas poem at his school's PTA night at the new Barnes & Noble (now only 2 miles from our house). Here it is:

Frozen Joy by Kurt

When Christmas comes there is no school.
If you lie in the snow you'll sure be cool.
Without a coat you will surely freeze.
It will get colder if there is a breeze.

If you lie in the snow you'll be cool.
The town is full of Christmas trees.
It will get colder if there is a breeze.
Time for snowballs and snowmen too.

The town is full of Christmas trees.
I love Christmas how about you?
Time for snowballs and snowmen too.
Open your mouth and you'll have frozen drool.

I love Christmas how about you?
Without a coat you will surely freeze.
Open your mouth and you'll have frozen drool.
When Christmas comes there is no school.

They've been working hard

Kurt and Erich have been working hard at school this year. They've both made some major accomplishments. Kurt made honor roll for the first marking period and Erich got a certificate for his good work in math (presented by Kurt at the awards assembly). Kurt has yet to get a spelling word wrong on a test (he's had 10 tests of 20 words plus 2 bonus words each). Erich has started to read; after working very hard on his sight words, he's now has three books he can read because of his hard work. Yeah!

Farewell to our friend

"Max"

December 1993 - November 19, 2008

Our beloved Max (aka Mackie) passed away Wednesday just a few weeks shy of his 15th birthday.

Max, born circa December 1993, was adopted from the Morris Animal Refuge (Philadelphia), and came to his new home on June 10, 1994. He quickly charmed the neighborhood children, served capably as a doggie ambassador, and performed the requisite chasing-of-cats.

Max enjoyed camping expeditions and travelled extensively, visiting his uncle Billies in California and Colorado in addition to various Mid-Atlantic destinations. Sojourns were also enjoyed with his great-uncle Russ in Bethlehem. He had a certain way with ladies, enticing some to feed him strawberries with whipped cream, and others to provide him with paw massages.

In 1998, Max adopted a mommy and soon thereafter, enjoyed the arrival of his first baby brother. Max's first facial expression, upon hearing the infant's cry, was to look at mommy and daddy and "say", "Can't you make it stop?" But Max soon came to love and protect Kurt, and in 2003 his next little brother, Erich, was born. The boys now outnumbered the girl, by 4 to 1.

Max moved with his family to his retirement home in Collingswood, complete with a large porch from which to bark at the passing scene, woof at the neighbor dog Maddie, and stare down his friend's (Chris & Liz) cats. Later in life, Max continued to enjoy camping (photo from Assateague, October 2007) and - always wanting to keep things interesting - even staged a jailbreak in February, 2008. (Photo and story, February 2008 section of blog). His last bit of mischief was to stealthily steal, and devour, a loaf of French bread in October.

Max will forever be in our hearts.

Rainbow Bridge



By the edge of a wood at the foot of a hill

Is a lush green meadow, where time stands still

Where the friends of man and woman do run

When their time on earth is over and done



For here between this world and the next

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest

On this golden land they wait and play

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day



No more do they suffer in pain or in sadness

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed

Their bodies have healed with strength imbued



They romp through the grass without even a care

Until one day they stop and sniff the air

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back

Then all of a sudden one breaks from the pack



For just at that instant their eyes have met

Together again, both person and pet

So they run to each other, these friends from long past

The time of their parting is over at last



The sadness they felt while they were apart

Has turned into joy once more in each heart

They embrace with a love that will last forever

And then side by side they cross over together



--author unknown

Halloween 2008

Another fun filled Halloween took place yesterday. The weather was perfect - mid 60s and sunny. The boys had school in the morning and then came home to eat lunch and change into their costumes. They headed back to school for the parade around the playground and class parties. School got out an hour early, so we headed to the business district to trick or treat at all the stores and restaurants. After hiking through town, it was time for a rest and candy counting (and eating). Soon, however, the boys got their second wind and a second round of trick or treating in our neighborhood took place.

Here's Erich and Kurt in their costumes; Erich is Indiana Jones and Kurt is Ben from Ben 10 Alien Force. I put my sewing skills to work on their jackets and the rest of the costume pieces were purchased or things they already had.



Here are the boys in "action" poses in costume.


At school, each class parades around the playground and then everyone does a couple of dances together. Here's Indy and Ben strutting their stuff.

Some more art from Kurt

I'm catching up on sorting through my piles of paper from this summer. I think I'm going to save the fall papers that come from school that don't need to be kept and fuel a bonfire (this is after the school district has made a concerted effort to cut down on paper). Anyway, here's a couple more examples of Kurt's art work from this summer.

A colored pencil drawing.



More paintings inspired by Edward Hopper's work.

A Banana Tree Grows in Collingswood

Our banana tree flourished this summer. Here it is in mid-July.



Here it is yesterday.



For the first time, we've gotten bananas due to the extended growing season. They aren't edible but definitely fun.

Erich's Art

Erich's been drawing a lot lately but yesterday he decided to do a little painting. Here's what he did:


A house with a purple door, a tree and green grass. Erich says this was inspired by his house.



A sailboat. Erich says this painting was inspired by his imagination.

Mini Soccer

Erich's playing Mini Soccer this fall; it's only kids in kindergarten and both boys and girls mixed. A couple of Kurt's classmates have siblings on Erich's team so there's not too much whining when I have to drag Kurt along to practice and his friend Ethan is there for the Saturday game since all the mini soccer games are played at the same time.



Warm up



In action



Kurt and Ethan (spectating or speculating?)

Wellsboro

Last month we took our annual summer trip to Wellsboro and thanks to cousin Rita we got to rent the same house as last year - Almost Home. Here's a few pictures of our adventures.

Here's Erich and Kurt in the grove not too far from the house. We had a picnic lunch here as well as a fire one evening (complete with S'Mores).



We did a number of hikes. Here are Kurt and Erich discussing what's next.




We came across a number of water pumps; both boys were fascinated by them. Erich's first find never did produce any water but another pump we found later in the week did work.



Here's one of my favorite pictures from the week - the boys walking in the stream.




Click here to see the pictures from the week on Flickr.

Back to School!

Today was the first day of school! (I only did my happy dance for a few minutes when I got home before I tripped over the dog.) Erich was up for the first time around 5 am; he rested a bit more but was ready to start the day before 7 am. It wasn't much longer before Kurt got up as well; the ensuing din made me appreciate the fact that school is 6 1/2 hours long.

Both boys posed for a first day shot that suggested their mood; serious for Erich and sad for Kurt.



Next we have the dynamic duo on the steps, just about ready to leave for school.




The kids all line up by class on the playground. Here's Erich with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Keller, the same teacher Kurt had.

Wisconsin Trip

We had a great time in Wisconsin - lots of planes, cheese, and family. The boys all had a great visit at Airventure. We got to go in the submarine Cobia at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. We visited the Pinecrest Historical Village. Check out the pictures here.

Breakfast Conversation

Kurt and Erich are eating breakfast today discussing a variety of issues when my ears zero in on a heated topic -- Creation (Erich) vs. Evolution (Kurt)

Booisms

A few recent amusing quotes from Erich, the salient point being, of course, he's 5 y.o.:

After entering the local bakery, Boo needed the bathroom. The proprietress was kind enough to let him use the facilities, which were large and also used for various cleaning equipment, etc. Upon looking around, boo says, "Daddy, dis baffroom needs a Bathroom Style Makeover". A little too much home improvement tv?

After being read a bedtime book, Boos asks, "who wrote dis book?". I said, "Sandra Boynton". Boo asks further, "Ok Daddy, what inspired her for this book"? She must have had pre-schoolers with, um, interesting questions and comments...

The boys had a bunch of boxes, papers, and pens on the front porch. They were attempting to accost passersby-with-children, offering math lessons - for a price, of course. Entering the house later (I'm still waiting for those quarterly sales estimates) Boo says, "Daddy, Kurtie is my business partner". Can't start too soon ! Just make sure you calculate your share on gross, not net.....

Erich's Excellent Adventure

It was a dark and stormy night...
Actually, it wasn't dark, and the weather was nice. And it wasn't night. But, Erich (a.k.a. "Boo") decided it was time to be a bad novelist/vagabond/Hemingway and live the adventurous life. Or, as he termed it, "Go on his own", and "abandon himself". Meaning, run away from home.
Preparations began early in the afternoon. A number of hours were spent assembling the necessary kit. There was even a plan: "I'll stop at houses to ask for food". Problem is, he's just cute enough to pull it off... {click on photos for larger/clearer view}

Hunger being a prime determinant, Erich decided to stay for supper before he ventured off. Mom and Dad wanted to remember him as our 5 y.o., so we got a last photo - Boo with his 3 little backpacks - before he began his adventure.

A final glance back at the Gittler homestead:

And we're off... abandoning himself. Daddy figured, since two backpacks were being carried in the arms, a block - or two at the most - would pass before sheer muscle fatigue would render the mission unachievable.
Daddy figured wrong.

Progress. By this point, some neighbors had already seen him determinedly chugging along, and when encountering my not-to-close-not-too-far surveillance, noted "... only the names change..."

A twisted path ensues, but Boo scores a 16/17 y.o. girl on the bridge over Newton Creek. A mysterious red cap seems to have appeared on Erich's head. Apparently, a PowerRangers mask constitutes one piece of essential survival gear. Nonetheless, tales are spun, stories are told, 15 minutes later boo is on his way again. At that point, he literally makes it to the next town (Oaklyn). Daddy, out on his "regular evening walk" (hah !) 'accidentally' comes across boo's path and suggests a better route out of town.
Of course, this route suggests a path that circles back to 317 Lees Ave. Daddy's calculations of a one- or two-block journey lead to an ill-equipped posse sans cell phone or money.

So, boo enters the park path by the lake. Minutes later, noisy thrashing about the woods seems to indicate a campsite being prepared. Given that we are now in somewhat "dark woods", Daddy waits for some sort of crying or indication of fear. Yet again, Daddy is wrong.

Boo pops over the small hill above the creek. As you see, it is now twilight. Erichdämmerung... In the absence of adequate light for a photo, a mental image must suffice: view from below of a 5 y.o, backlit by the sunset, scanning the horizon... and then, after considering the prospects... proceeding.

Daddy staggers over the last of the 20-foot vertical massif (ok gimme a break the last 10 ft. were at 50deg. incline) to find Boo well on his way to negotiating a room-and-board deal with a nice lady, again just over the border into Oaklyn. He was invited back anytime. But, at this point, enough was enough (at least for Daddy).

Boo made one final attempt at camping on the walk home (destination still as yet unknown to him). Partial unpacking revealed: Winter clothing (trousers, jacket, mittens); a blanket; two (we vagabond in comfort) pillows; water bottle (filled), and of course the aforementioned power rangers mask. He decided as we got within 2 blocks of the house (and a good 90 minutes later) that he would come "visit for awhile". It would make Mommy happy...

Kurt Paints

Kurt has taken art class all year after school and will continue to this summer. Kurt selects the paintings he is inspired by. Here's two more of his fantastic creations. You can click on the links to see the work that inspired Kurt.



This was inspired by Edward Hopper's Ryder's House


This was Kurt's first painting on a stretched canvas.



This was inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Winter

School Year Wrap Up

Erich finished preschool and had his graduation at the end of May. He'll still go to school-camp at his school this summer but come September he'll be at the same school as Kurt for two years.



Here's Erich with Kurt and Emily S. at the party after the ceremony.




Kurt's classmate Jenny had a pool party the day before school got out. Jenny's mother invited the younger siblings too so Erich was thrilled. The kids spent the entire afternoon in the pool with only a few breaks for food.



Here's Kurt all ready for the last day of school. The end of year party theme was Beach Party; the kids wore bathing suits and played water games and the PTA even rented a big inflatable obstacle course. There was water ice, popcorn and hot dogs. What a great end to the year.



On the first day of summer vacation, we went to the Real Pirates exhibition with my friend Sandie and her kids, David and Francesca. What a great start to the summer.

Father's Day

Our Father's Day celebration started on Saturday night when I found lobster on sale when I went to the grocery store to get the ribs for Sunday. Bob tried a new approach and grilled the lobsters and stuffed them with a stuffing made with tamale, bread crumbs and butter. Yum!



Bob decided he wanted to take Kurt and Erich off for a "boys only" activity in honor of Father's Day and they headed off to the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. There was a wooden boat festival this weekend which added to the fun.



The boys had fun exploring in the museum and even got to go in an old sub.



Later, Bob cooked the ribs and they were delicious. BTW, I did prepare them and make the homemade barbecue sauce but Bob enjoys the meat he cooks much more than the charred scraps that would be left if I cooked on the grill.

Mother's Day

A little late on this post. On Mother's Day, we went to Fort Mott Park for a picnic and fun. There's an old fort for the boys to explore and Mom got some uninterrupted reading time al fresco. Bob also made me Eggs Benedict for breakfast.

Here's the boys exploring in the old fort.



Having fun on the big lawn.

How does your garden grow

Spring has sprung and so have our gardens. Here's a few shots.

Kurt's cactus. Each year it keeps getting bigger and better; who would've thought in New Jersey.



Our front garden.



Farmer Bob's vegetable patch.