Sunday, March 18, 2012
Yogi has started talking about saving for college
Yogi saw an ad for Full Sail University game designer programs in his Game Insider magazine, and now he wants to save for college. He also mentioned today that he wants to start saving for retirement once he's not a minor and has his first $1000. He's a very practical person in a lot of ways.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Yogi firsts
This Thanksgiving brought Yogi's first Monopoly game! We went to Michele's and played games with "the boys," Michele's nephew Max, and his two friends Mun and Eugene, all of whom are from Australia, and are staying with Michele for the next 3 months, and their swim coach, Megan.
Yogi made a pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust.
We all had a great time. Now we're full, and we're going to bed!
Yogi made a pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust.
We all had a great time. Now we're full, and we're going to bed!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Army Men Dilemma
Yogi has been lobbying for army men. He played with them at a friend's house...well, okay...at OUR grown-up friend's house...and now he wants them badly. So he's pleaded with us to consider it. So we did.
After much discussion, as we were both very torn, we told him that he could have army men on 3 conditions:
1. He'd have to pay for them himself.
2. They can't be used as a precedent for bringing more toy guns into the house.
3. He has to study Ghandi and MLK and write a 1 page essay on non-violent conflict resolution.
His reply: "So...I just have to write like a hippie?"
As long as it's Dylan, son.
After much discussion, as we were both very torn, we told him that he could have army men on 3 conditions:
1. He'd have to pay for them himself.
2. They can't be used as a precedent for bringing more toy guns into the house.
3. He has to study Ghandi and MLK and write a 1 page essay on non-violent conflict resolution.
His reply: "So...I just have to write like a hippie?"
As long as it's Dylan, son.
Sunday, September 05, 2010
A sad day
Our 14 year old doggie Sam passed away at home tonight.
Yogi is on the phone talking with his best friend Trip about what happened and how he feels. He said "Life is just an amazement of sad and happy things."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
More Yogi Remarks
A few days ago..."Soup is good for your innards!"
And today we were having a discussion about the fact that we think some websites are inappropriate for kids because they're unmonitored and it's possible for kids to see disturbing images on them.
"Like what?" he asked. "Like a naked lady?"
"Things like that. Or worse," replied John.
Without missing a beat he asked, "What's worse than a naked lady?!"
Pretty funny, but only until you start thinking about the kinds of things kids get exposed to these days that we as parents have so little control over. Billboards, for example. I've seen the most disturbing billboards in LA. And so has my little boy.
And of course later I had to have another conversation about the fact that there's nothing wrong with naked people, but that sometimes how they're pictured is disturbing.
Parenting can be so complicated!
And today we were having a discussion about the fact that we think some websites are inappropriate for kids because they're unmonitored and it's possible for kids to see disturbing images on them.
"Like what?" he asked. "Like a naked lady?"
"Things like that. Or worse," replied John.
Without missing a beat he asked, "What's worse than a naked lady?!"
Pretty funny, but only until you start thinking about the kinds of things kids get exposed to these days that we as parents have so little control over. Billboards, for example. I've seen the most disturbing billboards in LA. And so has my little boy.
And of course later I had to have another conversation about the fact that there's nothing wrong with naked people, but that sometimes how they're pictured is disturbing.
Parenting can be so complicated!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The kinds of questions Yogi is asking these days
"How can my ass be wise?"
"Why are all the dogs attacking me with their noses?" followed by a gleeful giggle.
"Why are all the dogs attacking me with their noses?" followed by a gleeful giggle.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Santa Claus
Yesterday Yogi and his friend Martin were talking in the back seat. Martin asked Yogi if he believed in Santa Claus. This is a sensitive topic for Yogi because in April he caught us preparing for Easter and thus - in his mind - 'ruined all the holidays' for himself. He has expressed in the past that believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny gave him a 'warm feeling' that he no longer has and that he longs for.
I know, the kid is amazing.
So Yogi doesn't want to take away that belief from anyone else and so he treads carefully when the topic comes up.
Martin is a year older than Yogi so it was probably safe.
Okay, enough background. This is what Yogi said.
"I think Santa Claus is a warm feeling. He's like the spirit of Christmas you know? The spirit of generosity and the spirit of kindness."
My heart was in my throat. How could this child have such a beautiful, poetic understanding? Then he said:
"He's also the spirit of gingerbread people."
So there ya go.
I know, the kid is amazing.
So Yogi doesn't want to take away that belief from anyone else and so he treads carefully when the topic comes up.
Martin is a year older than Yogi so it was probably safe.
Okay, enough background. This is what Yogi said.
"I think Santa Claus is a warm feeling. He's like the spirit of Christmas you know? The spirit of generosity and the spirit of kindness."
My heart was in my throat. How could this child have such a beautiful, poetic understanding? Then he said:
"He's also the spirit of gingerbread people."
So there ya go.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
New vocabulary
Last week Yogi told me his friend Xander was a "girl magnet" and that Asher and Keller had tried to cure Xander, which seemed to work for a while, but the effect wore off. So apparently Xander is still a "girl magnet" which is a potential problem when you're eight.
He is full of interesting and funny stuff like this these days.
Last night at Therese's birthday party we were teasing him about being nutty or something like that and he yelled, "I need my medical records!" (He knew I'd been working on getting his medical records transferred from his old pediatrician to Kaiser.)
He still loves speaking in accents, and last night he was working on mumbling in French, British and American southern accents.
He's also been getting really good about talking about his feelings about being teased at school (by his "friends" who are going through their own stuff and can be pretty mean as a result.)
Today we talked about Santa Claus. He's in this murky place where I think he knows Santa isn't real, but is trying to figure out the implications of coming right out and saying that. Last Easter when he got his first big hit of the possibility that Santa isn't a physical being he told John he'd lost that "warm feeling" about the holidays and was sad about that. Geeze! I think I remember those kinds of feelings as a kid, but I never talked about them.
Nothing brings me as much joy as how fun, funny, unexpected and thoughtful Yogi is.
He is full of interesting and funny stuff like this these days.
Last night at Therese's birthday party we were teasing him about being nutty or something like that and he yelled, "I need my medical records!" (He knew I'd been working on getting his medical records transferred from his old pediatrician to Kaiser.)
He still loves speaking in accents, and last night he was working on mumbling in French, British and American southern accents.
He's also been getting really good about talking about his feelings about being teased at school (by his "friends" who are going through their own stuff and can be pretty mean as a result.)
Today we talked about Santa Claus. He's in this murky place where I think he knows Santa isn't real, but is trying to figure out the implications of coming right out and saying that. Last Easter when he got his first big hit of the possibility that Santa isn't a physical being he told John he'd lost that "warm feeling" about the holidays and was sad about that. Geeze! I think I remember those kinds of feelings as a kid, but I never talked about them.
Nothing brings me as much joy as how fun, funny, unexpected and thoughtful Yogi is.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Yogi is 8
We celebrated Yogi's birthday on Friday with a full day of activities.
John cheffed up a breakfast of peanut waffles with whipped cream which was shared by Yogi, John, me and G-Pa, who is visiting. (G-Ma was in St. Louis visiting (great) Gramma.)
After that we decided to open presents and Yogi got showered with LEGO and games for Wii and his Nintendo DS.
We played games for the rest of the morning, and then went to Bucaneer Bay in La Mirada.Bucaneer Bay is not quite a water park, but among other things it's got 3 great tube slides (one is a sort of free fall that we all braved) and a lazy river you can navigate with intertubes. Our friends Apollo (the kid) and Xander (the dad) were there so we met up with them and lots of getting-away-from-the-monster games ensued on the lazy river, with occasional forays over to the slides.
After we closed down the water park we went for dinner at Yogi's restaurant of choice, Homegirl Cafe. The food was exquisite, and after dessert Yogi and Apollo became volunteer busboys and cleared our table. The staff was very sweet and generous, and Yogi got a card and a birthday brownie which blew his little culinary mind ("Mom! This chocolate!! It's so intense!")
The next day, Yogi got his first stitches when he backed into a floor lamp which cracked (the glass sconce hit the window framing) and rained down on him causing 2 lacerations in his scalp and one on his knee. It was a pretty bloody scene, but when all the blood was cleaned up and our jangled nerves calmed, the wounds didn't seem so severe. To be safe we called the triage nurse at Kaiser and she said to bring him in for a look. So we went off to the emergency room and Yogi ended up with a stitch in his head and one on his knee. He was so scared, and so, so brave. I've never had the chance to see him display such courage and it was truly amazing. First were the shots of lidocane. He was talking and talking and trying to get the whole process to slow down, but we were in the ER so it was hard to put the breaks on things. He said to the doctor "Don't stitch me right now, I need some time to calm myself!" and he'd put his hands together and close his eyes and do deep breathing, all this amidst tears and sobs. The lidocane was administered, one in the head wound and one in the knee wound, and he held so still while he gripped my hand and wept. Soon it was time for the knee stitch which turned out to be not so bad after the lidocane. When it was done I said "It actually looks pretty cool." He bent forward and peered at his knee and proclaimed urgently, "No! That's not cool! It's not cool!" He wasn't yet ready to marvel at medical science and the healing power of the body at that point. Then the doctor told him he couldn't move his head when he was being stitched. He was especially scared of having his head stitched because he thought it would hurt more than the knee because it was so close to his brain. He was in position with his head on the pillow, and suddenly said, "I really want to move my head, I really want to move my head! Wait! Can I just move my head around first?" The doctor consented and Yogi shook his little head around and around as fast as he could, again while sobbing, and it was amazing and cute at the same time. He was so good at talking about his fear and communicating what he needed to do in order to feel more comfortable. From his bedside manner, it was clear that the doctor had never encountered a young patient who was able to articulate so much about his experience. When Yogi shaken for a bit the doctor said it was time, so he put his head on the pillow and the operation was over in 2 minutes.
He spent Sunday and Monday recuperating - no swimming, no baths. But Apollo ended up coming over Sunday night and they were racing around as they usually do so my motherly fears were able to calm even more, which was a relief.
So that is how 8 started for Robert Yogi Wenk Sylvain: Fun, exciting, scary, triumphant. It was such a privilege to share it with him.
John cheffed up a breakfast of peanut waffles with whipped cream which was shared by Yogi, John, me and G-Pa, who is visiting. (G-Ma was in St. Louis visiting (great) Gramma.)
After that we decided to open presents and Yogi got showered with LEGO and games for Wii and his Nintendo DS.
We played games for the rest of the morning, and then went to Bucaneer Bay in La Mirada.Bucaneer Bay is not quite a water park, but among other things it's got 3 great tube slides (one is a sort of free fall that we all braved) and a lazy river you can navigate with intertubes. Our friends Apollo (the kid) and Xander (the dad) were there so we met up with them and lots of getting-away-from-the-monster games ensued on the lazy river, with occasional forays over to the slides.
After we closed down the water park we went for dinner at Yogi's restaurant of choice, Homegirl Cafe. The food was exquisite, and after dessert Yogi and Apollo became volunteer busboys and cleared our table. The staff was very sweet and generous, and Yogi got a card and a birthday brownie which blew his little culinary mind ("Mom! This chocolate!! It's so intense!")
The next day, Yogi got his first stitches when he backed into a floor lamp which cracked (the glass sconce hit the window framing) and rained down on him causing 2 lacerations in his scalp and one on his knee. It was a pretty bloody scene, but when all the blood was cleaned up and our jangled nerves calmed, the wounds didn't seem so severe. To be safe we called the triage nurse at Kaiser and she said to bring him in for a look. So we went off to the emergency room and Yogi ended up with a stitch in his head and one on his knee. He was so scared, and so, so brave. I've never had the chance to see him display such courage and it was truly amazing. First were the shots of lidocane. He was talking and talking and trying to get the whole process to slow down, but we were in the ER so it was hard to put the breaks on things. He said to the doctor "Don't stitch me right now, I need some time to calm myself!" and he'd put his hands together and close his eyes and do deep breathing, all this amidst tears and sobs. The lidocane was administered, one in the head wound and one in the knee wound, and he held so still while he gripped my hand and wept. Soon it was time for the knee stitch which turned out to be not so bad after the lidocane. When it was done I said "It actually looks pretty cool." He bent forward and peered at his knee and proclaimed urgently, "No! That's not cool! It's not cool!" He wasn't yet ready to marvel at medical science and the healing power of the body at that point. Then the doctor told him he couldn't move his head when he was being stitched. He was especially scared of having his head stitched because he thought it would hurt more than the knee because it was so close to his brain. He was in position with his head on the pillow, and suddenly said, "I really want to move my head, I really want to move my head! Wait! Can I just move my head around first?" The doctor consented and Yogi shook his little head around and around as fast as he could, again while sobbing, and it was amazing and cute at the same time. He was so good at talking about his fear and communicating what he needed to do in order to feel more comfortable. From his bedside manner, it was clear that the doctor had never encountered a young patient who was able to articulate so much about his experience. When Yogi shaken for a bit the doctor said it was time, so he put his head on the pillow and the operation was over in 2 minutes.
He spent Sunday and Monday recuperating - no swimming, no baths. But Apollo ended up coming over Sunday night and they were racing around as they usually do so my motherly fears were able to calm even more, which was a relief.
So that is how 8 started for Robert Yogi Wenk Sylvain: Fun, exciting, scary, triumphant. It was such a privilege to share it with him.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Trip for President
Yogi and Trip are talking on the phone right now about Trip being President when he grows up.
"Trip!" said Yogi. "You can't make all the rules! I know more about Congress than you do!"
"Trip!" said Yogi. "You can't make all the rules! I know more about Congress than you do!"
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Question of the day part 2
"How are angels different from those flying babies with bows and arrows?"
Friday, May 08, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter! New videos and pictures! Fencing and more...
Finally, new videos and pictures of son #1!
Here he is at fencing class:
Yogi said to me that in fencing you're supposed to hold the tip of your sword up so you don't accidentally hurt someone.
"It's the way of the blade," he said.
Click the link below to watch more on the family YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/sylvainfamily
And some great pictures...
Yogi loves to play with the PhotoBooth app on the computer. This is a self-portrait:
Glasses were a gift from Granny Deb:
Yogi and John are writing a book together about a boy named Bobby Blinx. Here they are working on the first draft on a Sunday afternoon:
We have endless photos so...Coming Soon: A Flickr account to make perusal easier!
Here he is at fencing class:
Yogi said to me that in fencing you're supposed to hold the tip of your sword up so you don't accidentally hurt someone.
"It's the way of the blade," he said.
Click the link below to watch more on the family YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/sylvainfamily
And some great pictures...
Yogi loves to play with the PhotoBooth app on the computer. This is a self-portrait:
Glasses were a gift from Granny Deb:
Yogi and John are writing a book together about a boy named Bobby Blinx. Here they are working on the first draft on a Sunday afternoon:
We have endless photos so...Coming Soon: A Flickr account to make perusal easier!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
New Years Eve 08
We have two family traditions for New Years. One is a New Years Day Brunch which we have been doing for 4 or 5 years and which we are really looking forward to. Then we have a new years eve ritual that we stole/invented/cobbled together last year. It goes like this:
We bath
We write down things we want to give up for the new year
We take turns smudging the house with sage as we ring a bell 108 times to dismiss the 108 human weaknesses.
This year John is giving up Selfishness, Procrastination and Lazyness and Impatience. Shelley is giving up Impatience, Reasons for not exercising and meditation, things and clutter and perfectionism.
Yogi did this for the first time this year (giving rise to some impatience in John!) and he said he wanted to give up:
Anger
Impatience
Agitation
War and Destruction
Pain (for other people and me)
Selfishness
Buying Things I don't need
Cool!!!
We've had a couple trips to the snow and Shelley and Yogi made a ginger bread house that collapsed under the snow. Vids and story coming soon..
Right Shelley?
We have two family traditions for New Years. One is a New Years Day Brunch which we have been doing for 4 or 5 years and which we are really looking forward to. Then we have a new years eve ritual that we stole/invented/cobbled together last year. It goes like this:
We bath
We write down things we want to give up for the new year
We take turns smudging the house with sage as we ring a bell 108 times to dismiss the 108 human weaknesses.
This year John is giving up Selfishness, Procrastination and Lazyness and Impatience. Shelley is giving up Impatience, Reasons for not exercising and meditation, things and clutter and perfectionism.
Yogi did this for the first time this year (giving rise to some impatience in John!) and he said he wanted to give up:
Anger
Impatience
Agitation
War and Destruction
Pain (for other people and me)
Selfishness
Buying Things I don't need
Cool!!!
We've had a couple trips to the snow and Shelley and Yogi made a ginger bread house that collapsed under the snow. Vids and story coming soon..
Right Shelley?
Friday, November 07, 2008
The family that votes together
Well we all went to the polls together, Shelley, John and Yogi and we all voted.
Well Yogi didn't vote and he's a little upset about that. Trying to explain why he can't vote yet was difficult. It really doesn't make much sense that kids have no vote. Yogi will be paying for George W. Bush's policies for a long time.
After we came home I said to Yogi: "I want you to remember this day. It's an important day in American history."
He said: "Of course I remember this day. It's today!"
Well Yogi didn't vote and he's a little upset about that. Trying to explain why he can't vote yet was difficult. It really doesn't make much sense that kids have no vote. Yogi will be paying for George W. Bush's policies for a long time.
After we came home I said to Yogi: "I want you to remember this day. It's an important day in American history."
He said: "Of course I remember this day. It's today!"
Friday, October 03, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
School Starts!
Yogi started his 5th year at Play Mountain Place Tuesday (his 2nd in Primary Group in Mountain Yard.)
The pics below are from his first year (2004) and his 2nd year.
Ready for Little Nursery. The first day ever!
First year of Big Nursery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
