Sometimes it feels like using colors to describe gravity

This is a departure from normal things...

It is approaching midnight, I need to get up at six tomorrow, and I do not doubt my baby son will wake me at least once during the night, yet I am defiantly up. I am not a night person exactly, though I do tend towards it, and I do need sleep to function, but tonight feels different. Tonight I can hear the still air that happens at night, the still quiet that becomes loud and comforting. It is the sound of inspiration without anything to inspire, the sound of the clearness of an early fall day, an air that is full of nothing but….hope. I cannot even fathom wasting such a night on the mundane or the trivial, so instead I will tell you a story about love at first sight.

There are few songs that, upon initial listening, I knew right away were special to me and always would be so. When I was a teenager I remember hearing Abbey Road during an incredibly low point in my life and hearing something beyond the lyrics, beyond the melodies, beyond any of it. I had an instant connection to it, a connection that bound me to it in a cosmic certainty that brings a certain peace and hair-bristling vigor to soul. I knew that, during that short time where I was in complete connection with that album, everything was as it should be and everything would be alright. It did not bother me that things would get worse or that I might not ever have that connection again; the feeling, the unseen but irrefutable bond became part of who I was in a way that sustained me with warmth and hope. Hope. Life and love are all about hope.

I lived much of my subsequent life feeling connected with songs and even sometimes having instantaneous connections, though not on a level or even similar vein as when I thought I met my true love. True love at first site is not just the instantaneous, universe-stopping single moment in time upon first contact, but that is a necessity. True love at first sight grabs you at that point in time and fills you with a swell inside your head where you don’t want to breath because there is nothing greater than what you feel, but then, with each passing moment of interactions and reflection, makes the previous moment pale in comparison. It is romance that burst forth in a fiery bang that continues to expand and sustain.

When this happened again in life, in a way that made other songs or albums seem all the more mundane and petty, I felt like crying with tears of relief of finally being found.

Failer, an odd name for such an amazing album, did that to me. Kathleen Edwards does not have a strong and ideal singing voice, but it is beautiful in a way that I cannot describe. As when I was younger, it isn’t so much the songs themselves that I fell in love with, but the overall depth of emotion that it stirred. To fall in love is to defy description, but from the start of the album until the end, I felt such a center of uneasy amazement that only felt more in place and more real as I heard it more.

Music is not about stories or rhymes, but is about emotions and giving us those rare glimpses of our souls. We never really open our eyes as when the fire in them is ablaze with passion and vitality of music. It can bring tears of all types, melancholy and mania, panic, action, inspiration, and the feeling that, deep down, we are actual real people.

Schmorgasboard of life

Hmmm. So many things going on. Where to begin? Shall I talk about my carefree life of eating truffles and sipping champagne? Or about my rising career as a cupcake salesman?

Meh. Might as well focus on what's real!

Ok, really though, I'm not in a creative mood these days. Too beat down by life and all, I guess. I'm not sad or anything...just so busy all the time. But for all (three) of our devoted readers, here's a bit of this and that in the Orsetti world these days in one convenient post (shipping not included):

Lexington Legends Game

We scored free tickets to a local Legends game at a picnic the kids' preschool had a few weeks back. We haven't been to a game in ages - and maybe only once with the kids (I can't remember). So we were all looking forward to going. Of course, the game was on a weeknight and the kids had been at school all day/all week, so they were a bit grumpy.


We managed to stay for about an hour before all the constant whining and getting in and out of seats was too much. You'd never know, by this picture, who was the least happiest to be there.


Super Seuss Saturday

The next day there was a Dr. Seuss thingy at the PBS station I used to work at...so of course we had to go. It was, of course, to promote the new Cat in the Hat series. We watched one of the episodes while we were there and I can't tell if the cartoon is decent or not (Dinosaur Train sets a high standard), but parts of what I saw were a mix of something actually interesting and something a bit annoying. We'll see...


Mommy-Daughter Day

Back when the kids found out that we were having a boy, I promised Adelaide that I would take her out to lunch - just the girls. Well, finally I came through on my end of the deal. Adelaide picked Culver's and we had a nice lunch of hamburgers, corn dogs, fries, and frozen custard.


Lego-Mania

Back when Fenton was born, we bought the kids a few gifts to celebrate the occasion with. One of those things was their own box of Legos. Well, they are now seriously into Legos, so much that they are giving dinosaurs a run for their money. But even with the "big" sets we got them, they would run out of Legos way too quick. I, pack-rat that I am, still had saved my Legos from when I was a kid, and had my mom recently ship them over. Yeah, just feeding the frenzy, I know. But Legos are so awesome. Here is a recent sampling of their constructions. My favorite is the "dinosaur" with the tall rainbow neck and the looooong blue tail. (Now if I can just get my brother to send over the Lego's he saved...)


Fairy Tales Do Come True


The other day, as I was dropping Fenton off at daycare, I found this flyer about a "Fairy Tale" event at the mall with Chik-Fil-A. Of course Damon scoffed at it (knowing full well what we'd be getting into), but I was determined to take the kids. I planned it all out. The kids were supposed to dress up like a prince or princess, and we'd go on a treasure hunt around the mall. We got off work, picked up Fenton, dropped off Damon (he was too tired to tackle this one), grabbed the kids' outfits, and I picked them up from school and off we went. It was mildly crowded and we got there a bit late, but we enjoyed our Chik-Fil-A dinner and then went around the mall.

The kids met Miss Kentucky...


Adelaide got a makeover...

Kestian watched...

And we stopped in to a bunch of stores, finishing at the portrait studio where they got a free portrait done. Of course, every store we went into to get our "treats" (book cover, coloring book, book mark, stickers...) the kids kept begging for me to buy them something. I was strong and fought off the assault, but having two kids plead and beg with you for everything for hours does wear you down.

Our last stop was at the portrait studio. You'll notice that I don't have the picture here. There was an insane wait to get the picture taken, then to meet with the staff to select the free picture, then to wait for them to print it. We got past having their picture taken before we gave up. We could go back and pick it up I suppose, but Kestian didn't smile in any of them and so I'm not sure it's worth it (or maybe it is!). Besides, I know they'll try to sell me something, and I can be convinced too easily. Probably best that I stay away.

The one thing we didn't have time to do, but would have been fun, was a free limo ride. The kids were disappointed that we missed it, but promises of dessert at home redirected them quite easily.

All said and done, it was 2.25 hours of walking through a mall with two kids bent on getting me to buy them something, with a third who is content to be carried. Still it was a fun excursion.


Stay tuned for next time, when we will find out if Kestian can really name all the dinosaurs, whether Adelaide actually can put on her own socks, and if Fenton can ever not watch me as I walk across the room.

Kindergarten!

Ahhh...kindergarten. I guess I never realized that I would be going to kindergarten more than once in my life. But it seems that indeed, as the kids go to kindergarten, I am also going to kindergarten. I have all the same excitement, all the same questions, I have to learn all the same rules. The only difference is that I don't have a cubby.

So far I think the kids are having a great time with going to big-kid school. They chatter about their friends and what "special" they did that day (rotating subjects like Spanish, library, PE, music, art etc). They seem to be easing in just fine.


But kindergarten is strange. I mean, I'm used to daycare. I'm used to being in total control of what happens to my kids. But kindergarten is when kids enter the system. Suddenly, they are a little bit less mine. A little bit more theirs. And I have to follow their rules now. I can't just take them out of school whenever I want (well, I can, but not for like months or something). I can't just drop them off whenever I want. I have to make sure they get to school by the time they set. I have to make sure the kids have all the stuff they tell me they need. I have to do what they say.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-school. Public school is a fantastic thing. And here in Lexington, we have some pretty decent schools. So I don't worry too much about their education (although that's not to say I wouldn't change a thing or two...). In fact, I've been a little bit impressed so far when I've had to email the principal or just chatting with the teacher. I'm good with it all. I'm actually having fun going to kindergarten!

So here is their class schedule... They run a pretty tight ship. Lunch is 25 minutes. Recess is 15 minutes. I'm not too happy about that, but I know what the schools are dealing with - having to meet all those teaching requirements. Personally, I never understood why school never went longer into the day (let alone year-round). After all, my kids (and many other kids) can do a 10-hour daycare-day blindfolded with one hand tied behind their backs. Suddenly, they are in "school" less than they were before (and end up staying after anyways). It seems backwards to me. But I guess for those kids who never had daycare, it's more of an adjustment for them.

Regardless, though, why not extend the day/year in later grades? Summers-off is an old throw back to the times where kids would need to help out on the farms, harvesting and what-not. Most kids these days don't farm. Longer days and a longer year could allow for more subjects to be taught, and taught more in-depth. And those days could more easily accommodate a morning and afternoon break, a second language on a regular basis, and more exercise. Kids would learn more and working parents wouldn't have to deal with asinine calendars (today they have a day off from school already!!!!). Many would benefit. (Yeah, yeah...the hand-thing means money...I know... but I'm not going to get on my "more tax dollars for schools" soapbox today...)

Anyhow, one of the things they do in the kids' class is this behavior chart... Everyone has a clothespin on green to start the day. It gets moved down if they don't follow the rules, such as not standing in line, talking when they aren't supposed to, not listening, etc. If a kid gets to red, their parent may be called. So far I think Adelaide has had two days where she stayed on green, but the rest on yellow or blue. Kestian has been on yellow or blue every day (mostly for talking when he shouldn't...surprise). Worried that my kids are going to be seen as "problems" I asked them if any other kids get their "clip pulled" (the kindergarten lingo). "Oh yeah!...X got his clip pulled to red today! He threw stuff all over the room! The principal came in and took him to her office, and she took pictures of all the stuff he threw, and he had to clean it all up!" Ahhh...suddenly a little bit of talking out of turn doesn't sound so bad at all. :) And really, the kids are still learning the rules and adjusting to the classroom expectations, so I don't mind so much if they go to yellow or blue. But I did warn them that we would have to have a long discussion if they went to orange or red. Every day they tell me that they are going to try to stay on green all day. If this works well at school, I may incorporate it at home.

Anyhow, here are some more classroom pictures:

Every morning they come in and have to put their stuff up in their cubby and unpack their folders. Lately we have been the first to arrive at the class and the kids love to get settled in...

The kids are all assigned a table to sit at. Kestian is at "table 1" while Adelaide is at "table 3."
After they unpack their things they get an activity to work on, such as playing with shapes...

There are tons of activities for them to do all day...

I'm not sure what the teacher uses the blue thing for, but all the kids sit on a carpet square during this activity...
And now some thoughts from our super duper ooper kindergarteners:

"I had a great day at kindergarten, but why didn't I learn anything?"
"Why don't we ride the bus to school everyday?"

Breaking the non-bitter monotony

Hello, is this thing on? It’s on? Really? Oh, hi everybody, how you doing? This blog can be lots of things, but lately it has been all happiness and bittersweet stuff, and we can’t be having that! So I’ll just say some things that are bittersweet, but without any of the sweetness.

I love my kids and all, but goddammit do I miss being childless.

If my kids ask me if I am going to give them their dinner (while I am dishing it out!) one more time, then they will not get any more food from me. Ever.

If the kids have a bath, then there is no way I am going to do it the next night. Or many times the night after that. Hell, it is the third night of not bathing that I even start to think “maybe they should get a bath?” The answer is not always ‘yes’.

I desperately want to mock some of the kids that go to my kids’ elementary school, but feel that it might be construed as ‘dickish’.

Life used to be an adventure, now it just feels like a chore.

Actually, before life was an adventure, it was a hellish rollercoaster ride through the despair of poverty. Fuck that part of my life.

I am considering joining the PTA, but my final decision will depend on how hot the other moms are.

I really don’t know how much of these one-liners are faux-bitterness versus real bitterness.

On the Sporcle quiz of the regions of Italy (which I aced, using the real Italian names, not the English translations!), they accept ‘Marche’ (but NOT ‘Le Marche’) for Le Marche and it hasn’t been changed. That bugs the shit out me.

Also, if any of you pronounce Le Marche like it is French, I will punch you in the back of the head.

I taught the kids how to play chess for real yesterday, and it is amazing how complex the movement of the damn pawns are. They played two games against each other with both having a stalemate because neither of them really went for the kill when they had the advantage. I guess I’m glad they are nice to each other, but always play the game to win, kids!

I don’t like the kid on Maya and Miguel that only has one arm. WTF is up with that?

PBS has a new cartoon coming on featuring The Cat in the Hat. I hope it doesn’t bump one of the good shows off.

I don’t get the love for the Cat in the Hat. In the book he is a jerk and a bully and cruel, and I thought that was the freaking point of the book. Yet, it is the iconic Dr. Suess character and people love him and he is getting his own show. Has anyone actually read the freaking book?

Sesame Street now sucks. I hate Abby Cadabby and her stoopit flying fairy school with a red hot flame that burns like a thousand incinerated Elmos.

That said, I do like….WAIT this is a list of bitter blurbs, I can’t say any of that!

I’ve been reading to the kids some of my animal encyclopedias before they go to bed, but the ones I am using are ones we bought on eBay used awhile ago. The pages stick together on some of the early ones, probably due to some previous water damage, though I do get really excited when I read them.

If these were the olden days, me and Laura would have like 8 kids by now. Now THAT would suck!

Thank you everybody, I hope you enjoyed the show. I’ll be back next week with a nice dose of bitterness to lighten up the mood, same time same place!

Roly poly sticky licky cutie patootie

Okay, so I admit a lot of my recent posts have been about Kestian and Adelaide and starting school. But that's just how it goes sometimes. Sometimes I am obsessed with one thing or another...you know, like giving birth, or being sick, or the kids starting school.

But today, I am all about Fenton. "Fenton? Who?" You know...this guy...


Yeah I guess I've kinda not been blogging about him lately. But when you have such an awesome baby, and you mostly complain or reminisce on your blog, you sometimes forget to write about the good stuff.

So let's see... Fenton....

Well, first of all, he's an awesome baby. Have I mentioned that? He hardly ever cries, he sleeps great, he's content. Soooo NOT like Kestian and Adelaide when they were babies. Don't get me wrong. I love Kestian and Adelaide, but they were, uh, "challenging" babies. But also they were preemie and there were two of them and we were new parents. Soooo not the case this time. This time we think we know what we are doing, there is only one baby to deal with, and he's just awesome. Already, I can tell that this a baby who loves life and rolls with it all...

I could on and on about his awesomeness, but that would, at best, just bore you. Instead here are some of my favorite recent pics...

First...the hair and that cute face...

Always a smile....

I'm not sure who loves the carrier more...

Playing in the Bumbo (which we never had with Kestian or Adelaide!)

His tight, pursed lips when he's done eating and trying to go to sleep...

So close to holding his own bottle...

And, at least so far, he doesn't do this to the house, unlike some people I know...

Speaking of awesomeness, check this out...Fenton now rolls over! Yeah, pretty cool...



How did we get so lucky?

The FIRST first day

Wednesday was Kestian and Adelaide's first day of kindergarten. A momentous event building up for, well, five years now.

I'm pretty sure I was more nervous and excited than the kids were. What else is new? Despite all their normal-but-annoying-kid-drama, they are very easy going and adaptable people. I can only hope that our parenting has had something to do with that. (Just a little?  Maybe?)

But yes, Wednesday was their first day. We got up bright and early, and everything went like clockwork, mostly because I was watching the clock like a hawk...

6:00 - Everyone get up!
6:17 - Everyone get dressed!
6:28 - Everyone downstairs!
6:33 - Everyone eat!
6:47 - Everyone finish eating!
6:52 - Everyone get your shoes on!
6:56 - Everyone brush your teeth!
7:00 - Everyone smile for pictures!
7:04 - Everyone in the car!

Of course all this included packing their lunches, packing my lunch, getting their backpacks ready, and getting Fenton ready. (Damon is old enough now to get himself ready.) Fenton must have sensed the awesomeness of the day, and decided that he too would get up bright and early. 5:15 actually. Very unusual for him, but the most he did was just chew on his hand and burp a few times. Thank god he's such an awesome baby.

Still, we were all on the road by 7:10 and at the school less than 5 minutes later. We, like everyone else in Fayette County, parked so we could walk our kids in on their first day. It was good that we got there when we did as it was a mad-house when we were leaving.

Anyhow, here are some pics of the big kids on their first day of school...

Fun weekend, eh?

Last weekend we were invaded by our friends from North. Our Canadian friends were in the States for a conference and decided to drop on by while they were "in the area." Good times were had by all...

Food was inhaled

Cut-throat games were played

Kids were hidden

Fours were connected

Paul was eaten

Food was sorted

Moons were discovered

Babies were carried

Ice cream was eaten

Movies were watched

Parks were conquered

Walks were taken


Ticket to Ride was won (by Damon)

Group picture of the nine (soon to be ten) of us together...

totally forgotten!

We had a great time! Guess it's our turn to drive up next...