Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

We are in Berwyn right now, for a pre-Thanksgiving visit with my parents. I love it when my kids spend time with their grandparents. They all enjoy it so much, that I can step back and just be a casual observer for a change! Ahhhhh... For a special treat today, my dad took the day off, and we all went to the Crayola Factory. Everyone had a great time. (I highly recommend it if you're passing through PA.) One of the things the boys enjoy sharing with Pop Pop is jokes. My father, like his father, has a great sense of humor, and loves telling jokes. My memory of my grandfather is that he was always doing one of two things - humming or chuckling. He walked around the house telling jokes, reading jokes, or recalling them to himself. He liked corny jokes, and also jokes with puns or other plays on words. My father is the same. So, it was no surprise to find our lunchtime conversation at the museum today turned to joke telling. Armed with some puns they read recently in a Thanksgiving joke book , my kids joined right in the fun. Here are a few of my favorites, plus the ones the kids really wanted me to include:

Pop Pop:
Why did the turkeys at the baseball game stand up and start dancing?
Because the umpire said it was a fowl ball!

Jack:
Why did the turkey cross the playground?
To get to the other slide!

Elliot:
Why are there the most turkeys in Florida?
Because it is the key state!

Jack:
Why did the turkey take a key to Florida?
Because Florida has the Keys and he is a turKEY!

Elliot:
Why did the turkey go off the field?
To catch a fowl ball!

Pop Pop also shared this joke with us, which was one of his father's favorites, and the only three word pun he had ever heard. It's more of a word riddle, but here it is:
A woman had three sons. They started a cattle ranch. What did they decide to call it?
FOCUS - a place where the sun's rays meet (and the sons raise meat!)

Wishing you all lots of laughter with your families! Happy Thanksgiving!

New to the Gallery...

Elliot has been busy creating lately. He has a wonderful art teacher at his new school. Here are some things which have come home recently. You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger image.


My favorite part of the picture above is the scrollwork on his name. He's created his own font! It reminds me of the doodles Jack always worked on, but this is the first time I've ever seen Elliot do anything like it. Ahhhh... I love his new school!


Elliot has also been inspired poetically...


This first poem reads:
My family went out to play
on a sunny sunny sunny day
and this is the place id like to stay
on a sunny sunny sunny day.

The next day, he wrote a contrasting sequel, published in book format. The front cover says:
My poem
on the back
Elliot.













The poem itself reads:
My family went in to play
on a rainny rainny rainny day
and inside is the place id like to play
on a rainny rainny rainny day.
I wated for the rain to stop
and finally it was at an end
the rain had stopped hooray hooray
and finally i could play outside
on a sunny sunny sunny day.
The End.

And the back cover says:
To mom and dad
From Elliot
I love mom and dad
The end

The Calm After the Storm

There are so many things going on at our house right now. We have roofers here. A new tenant is moving in downstairs. My new housekeeper and I are still figuring out how to best work together. A new dishwasher is sitting outside in my trunk, waiting to be installed. Life is crazy. I feel crazed. At times like these, my instinct is to keep looking straight ahead and push through the chaos, waiting for the calm after the storm. Just a few more days, I tell myself. Just get through this, and things will settle down. But, in reality, they never do. Sure, the roofers will be done, the tenant moved in, Miriam and I will settle into a comfortable routine, the dishwasher will get put in. But by then, there will be new things, other things. I have to remind myself that life with four young children is busy. It's messy. It's complicated. It's hectic. It's unexpected. And it's what I wished for with all my heart. Somehow, I have to change my automated response. I need to stop holding my breath, stop waiting for that elusive calm. I need to learn to relax in the midst of the chaos. When I focus on and hold out for the future, I miss out on today. So, now, when I feel myself drifting into autopilot, I tell myself to focus on the moment, the here and now. This is the calm. Those moments I've been waiting for are right here, all around me. And through that, I relax and embrace this busy little life that is my own. There are so many sweet moments to enjoy, if only I remember to stop and take them in.

A roster a day...

Jack and Elliot are once again fully engrossed in hockey. The Minnehaha Mosquitoes play daily. This keeps Jack very busy, working on their team roster and setting up their lines. The backyard has been reconfigured to accommodate fantasy games, where they play for every member of their team. Our small patio is just the right size for a one-on-one game, complete with blue recycling bin goals. And homework always gets done faster when there is a saved game just waiting to be watched.

Last night the boys went to a Bruins game with Ted. It was the first Bruins' win in any of the games they've attended this season. It was an exciting night, but that wasn't all. As one of their season ticket perks, they were invited to take a shot on goal out on the ice, after the game was over. Then, today, they played in their own first official hockey game. The Dorchester Chiefs took on Weymouth's Mighty Mites. It was a close game. They were edged out 6-5, but, both Jack and Elliot scored a goal! Both boys were incredibly excited to be playing an actual hockey game. And even though their team didn't win, they walked off the ice smiling ear to ear, already making plans for next weekend!

Elliot's Money

Someday Elliot is going to make a wonderful accountant, investor, philanthropist...

or bank robber.

Elliot loves money. It's not about buying things, or spending it, or even saving it. Elliot just loves having money. He steals it from on top of Ted's dresser. He keeps his eyes on the ground at all times in public, ever searching for lost coins. And, yes, he even sleeps with it.

I'm constantly amazed by how often he seems to have some amount of change tucked in his pockets. He often offers it to me in stores, when it's time to pay. One day, I turned around to check why he had fallen behind, and happened to catch him giving his coins to a beggar on the street. He's not a hoarder. He parts with his money as readily as he collects it. But, still he can't seem to get enough of it.

The boys recently participated in a Cub Scout fundraiser. Their Pack sold popcorn. The boys set up a table outside of a store, and were instructed to introduce themselves to shoppers, and offer their popcorn for sale. Neither Jack nor Elliot had much enthusiasm for this endeavor, until Elliot realized that, if successful, he would be collecting cold, hard cash. He immediately warmed up to the job. Ted said that he did an excellent job, until people took out their wallets, whereupon Elliot grabbed their money, right out of their hands!