I don't have a lot of solid memories from my young childhood. Mostly it was just one happy, contented blur. One of the more concrete things I remember, though, was watching the episode of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood where they took a camera crew into the Crayola Crayon factory. We almost never watched TV as kids, but that's not why I remember this so well. It was the factory itself. It never occurred to my child brain that the things I eat and wear and play with were MADE somewhere. They just appeared magically in the stores or on our kitchen shelves. This was a real revelation to me.

I remember the workers mixing the different colors. Machines pouring the wax into molds. Another machine applying the paper sleeve to each individual crayon. It was the first time I remember being excited about how stuff worked. It sparked a lifetime of discovering new things, being fascinated by math and science, and creating my own amazing things.

I always wished there were more shows out there like that. Factories are noisy and dangerous. You don't get to see the really cool stuff on the few factory tours that are out there. So when D turned on a Discovery channel show a few years ago called "How It's Made", I was hooked.

This show, like so many family-friendly shows (Max & Ruby, Little Bear, Anne of Green Gables) came out of the Great White North, aka Canada. In the show the narrator takes you around a variety of different factories and explains...well...how things are made. They have an amazing variety of subjects, like paint balls, apple juice, fiberglass boats, wooden doors, microchips, diamonds, and so many others.

They use cinematography tricks to slow down the machines so you can see what they're doing at breakneck speed. They take you from raw materials to finished product in about 10 minutes. They do 3-4 different objects in each episode and each one is fascinating.

My greatest joy is when the kids ask to watch another episode, which they do quite frequently. It's a show I don't mind turning on after dinner while we do the dishes. It's fun to sit with them and learn about something new or revisit an old favorite. Princess calls it "how smade" and will say "Oh, look at that!" and "Ooooh, that's going fast!" Pumpkin is understanding more about the machines and will say "Hey, that's the same machine they used to make _____" or "See how they're lining those up? That's so they can pick them up and put them down in the right holes." I love that they love this show.

So if you like fun and educational shows, you should check this one out. See if your Discovery Channel will record it for you. See if your local library has a copy. There are 10 seasons with like 24 episodes a season.

A youtube video of marbles being made is here. Go check it out. You'll thank me later.

I have a sensitive little boy. Poor kid didn't stand a chance...he comes from a pair of sensitive parents. All D and my parents had to do was look at us wrong, or say they were disappointed in us, and we burst into tears. For Pumpkin, it's the same way. I rarely had to use time-outs or spankings, just because words alone would usually take care of it.

Today my brother (who lives with us) left to work for the summer on the east coast. We were all sad, but none of us more than Pumpkin. His relationship with T is something special. It's not a father-son thing or even a uncle-nephew thing. It's more akin to an older brother/younger brother, with a smattering of best friends thrown in, and then intensified 1,000 times. They tease and chase, they have special inside jokes and phrases that only they can say right. As Pumpkin gets older he can give as good as he gets, except in the physical department, of course. Thinking of these two boys together brings a smile to my face. When I asked Pumpkin who his best friend was once, (expecting him to say the Princess) he immediately replied, "Um, probably T."

So, needless to say Pumpkin was pretty broken up when T pulled out of the driveway and I hustled the kids into the car for computer class. He cried most of the way to class. He kept remembering things they did together and telling me about them, then he'd say "this reminds me of T." And he'd burst into tears again. T will be back at the end of the summer, but I remember what 4 months feels like to a 5 year old. It's forever.

I didn't know how to make him feel better. I kept telling him "We'll see T in July when we go East to visit family" and "he'll be back before you start school in the fall" and "we'll call him once a day to see how he's doing". He knew these things, but they didn't seem to make a difference. T wasn't here now, and that made him feel sad.

Finally, I decided to embrace it. "It's ok to feel sad. I feel sad, too. I miss him already and we'll miss him all summer. He sure is a fun guy and it won't be the same at home without him. It's ok to cry."

And surprisingly that made Pumpkin feel better. He cried for awhile. Then sighed and stared out the window. Then he asked if we can send T a card in the mail. Then he asked if we could go to McDonalds and get a happy meal for lunch after class.

My sweet, sensitive boy. He cries frequently. When his video game freezes for no reason. When he looks up in a store and can't immediately find me. When he can't get the treat he wants. When we have to leave a fun activity. But he doesn't throw tantrums. It's quiet weeping, not attention-grabbing sobbing. He just feels everything deep in his heart.

I hope he's learning that sometimes it's ok to cry. Sometimes you do feel sad, or afraid, or alone. And it's ok to feel that way. Let yourself feel it and work through the feeling. It won't go away right away, but you may find that the feeling eases off and fades into the background for awhile. He's not crying now.

With the windows open I can hear it.

The buzz of lawnmowers and bumblebees. The squeal of bicycle tires and children's voices. The melodic chirp of swooping birds and crosswalk signals.


And the children. The ever present children. The neighborhood children who throw off the tattered cocoon of wintertime and soar free in the bright sunlight. It's finally time for hopscotch and scooters. For water fights and ladybugs and cloud chasing. It's the Song of Spring.

And there's one more sound. If you listen closely you can hear it. A breeze? No. It's the collective sigh of every mother for miles around. Grateful that they've survived another winter. Grateful that the outdoors is once again soft and warm after the long cold months behind them. Grateful that they can once again suggest, "Why don't you go play in the backyard for awhile." Savoring the moments of quiet indoors, but reaching to open the windows and hear their children laughing in the yard.



Mothers have been savoring these moments since the first children walked the earth. I am no different. Just another link in the chain. Just another contented witness to the Song of Spring.

D and I came out of our SCUBA class tonight to find 3 inches of snow on our car. It's April, for Pete's sake!! Why are we having a blizzard in April?

We're taking a Scuba class to certify for a much anticipated cruise next winter. D and I really want to be able to dive in the Caribbean, so we're planning ahead and getting things done early. My mom and brother have graciously agreed to babysit for us while we take this 6-11pm class on M/W for three weeks. It's a lot of time away from home, but at least it's not the 3 month course you used to have to take. It's really fun! It's wild to be able to put your head in the water and breathe. We're learning how to share your air with your buddy, how to replace a mask that has fallen off. How to ascend when you've run out of air. The warning signs of "nitrogen narcosis" or "the bends" and how to deal with many other problems that can arise.

It's really fun to do something together that's not dinner and a movie. Although there is a video. And we do eat dinner during the 20 minute break. But it's being together that we like the best.

Easter was great. Pumpkin stuffed our eggs with candy this year. He decided he wanted to stuff them and cut out little pictures of candy from the Sunday mailer to tape on each egg. We left them out for the Easter Bunny, as well as a carrot in case he got hungry. What a thoughtful child.

Boring post today, but that's all I have. Happy April!!! Maybe it'll start acting like that soon enough.

Last night I took my special little guy out on a date. Our first one with just the two of us that didn't involve grocery shopping.

We went out for ice cream first at a place known for their chilly rock. Pumpkin got raspberry frozen yogurt with gummy bears in it (blech!) and I got my traditional mint ice cream with raspberries and chocolate chips. It was divine. The perfect mix of sweet, tart, and chocolatey. YUM!!

Then we went to the Utah Valley Symphony concert at the local high school. It was their April Fools' Day concert and was perfect for families. For starters, all the musicians were wearing funny hats and some even had on costumes. The concert was ready to start, but the director was nowhere to be seen. Finally, the first chair violinist called him on her cell phone and yelled into the phone "What?!?! Then wake him up!!!" A minute later, the director staggered onto stage in flannel pjs and bed-head hair. They told him he looked too casual, so he ran backstage to put on his tuxedo jacket, complete with tails, over his pjs. Pumpkin thought this was hilarious, and laughed loudly with all the other kids.

During the "Surprise" symphony piece the director kept falling asleep. When the orchestra would hit an especially loud chord, he would jerk awake and start directing again. I've not heard my little guy giggle like that in a long time. It's was continuous. He, he, he. He, he, he. He, he, he. It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

The antics continued on for the whole concert. During the "morning breaks" song they had an Elmer Fudd hunter come out with a Nerf gun and shoot darts at the percussion section. The same song had a musician come up to the podium and try to steal the baton from the director. We were all laughing at that when they started fighting.

They played Harry Potter, which I enjoyed but Pumpkin got bored with since he's never seen HP. The Imperial March from Star Wars saved the day, though, especially when they incorporated the melody from "Book of Mormon Stories that my teacher tells to me..." into it. According to the director, Darth Vader was from Nephi, Utah and started hanging out with some ne'er-do-wells from Santaquin who led him down the wrong path. He redeemed himself in the end of the movie, though, when he remembered the Primary songs he learned so long ago. :) Awesome stuff, especially when two of the cello-ists got out their light sabers and dueled.

Did you know the 1812 overture was originally written for a piccolo and cowbell? Da da da da da, da da da, da da. BUM BUM! It just doesn't sound the same without the tympani. Apparently, later Tchaikovsky had more money and could afford to hire a full orchestra, so he rewrote it to the version we know today.

The concert was a rousing success, complete with contest for the best hat and drawing for tickets for their next concert. Pumpkin had a great time, and so did I. He behaved himself very well for a concert that was set to start at his bedtime. I don't know how to break it to him that not all orchestras are this comedic, but I guess he'll find that out on his own.

I'm not a big holiday celebrator. I don't go to great lengths to fool the kids with jokes, or dye their pancakes green. This was a perfect way for us to celebrate, though, and yay for the Utah Valley Symphony for not taking themselves too seriously.