Aizay and Coraline

Author Author

2010-10-17T21:48:00.002-05:00

Aizay's assignment in 1st grade language arts was to write his own story in the form of a small book. He went beyond the assignment and added some pages after the end of the story. The penultimate page was "about the author" and the last page was an advertisement for another book (which he told me he wrote in camp this summer).

Aizay's Birthday Cake

2010-08-21T16:56:00.003-05:00

I hope someone can think up a fun caption for me. I can't think of one right now. Something about the Doctor wading through cake and frosting in his spacesuit was where my mind was heading but since I am falling asleep, it's not making it to its destination...

Coraline goes back to eating appropriate things

2010-08-05T20:59:00.001-05:00

When Coraline choked on and then swallowed a marble, it was a parent's worst nightmare. Well, not the worst nightmare; that would be running out of vodka during Sesame Street.

Anyhoo, 5 days and 17 hours later, the ball dropped, so to speak, and Poop Watch 2010 came to an end. And you would understand our relief if you'd been prowling through poop for days. Even your own wittle pwecious baby's poop is...well, horrible poop, after all.

Let us never speak of this again...until her wedding slide show.

First Lego project

2010-08-02T07:05:00.002-05:00

Aizay was really good at putting this Star Wars Lego set together...better than I was, in fact. He made fewer mistakes than I did. I could have sworn I heard him mumble under his breath something about he was once but the learner, and now he was the master.

In Massachusetts...

2010-07-20T08:33:00.006-05:00

There were ducks and camping and Six Flags and museums and Joan's wedding and visits with friends and a mall play area in Braintree.

"Make your Braintree face.", I said:

Fun @ the children's museum

2010-07-20T08:29:00.002-05:00

Aizay clearly had the most fun!

Champion

2010-06-29T18:50:00.001-05:00

Aizay has conquered his fears of public performance. He was tested in front of a room full of people and totally kept his cool!

A lesson for the workplace from 2 kids under 6

2010-06-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

Aizay spends 10 minutes setting up a 3 dimensional cardboard gameboard. He goes to the bathroom. Coraline comes into the room singing stomping and dancing. She marches right over the gameboard, flattening it. She runs off to the bathroom.

Coraline: Aizay, I knocked your game.

Aizay comes back into the room with Coraline. He silently stares at the game pieces.

Coraline: I broke it
Aizay: No, Coraline, it's not broken. We can put it back together.
Coraline: I'll help you.
Aizay: OK.

In the workworld, Aizay would have been rebuked for leaving his project unsupervised, Coraline would not have taken responsibility for her actions, a committee would be put in place to review the incident and ultimately, one or both parties would be reassigned so that they don't have to work together again.

Darth Vader terrorized Coraline!

2010-06-26T11:53:00.001-05:00

He made her tremble with fear & cling to me. Don't visit Riverside, IA-it's the most wretched hive of scum & villainy

Lost tooth

2010-06-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

We should leave a note for the tooth fairy that Aizay has a second loose tooth, so that she can calculate the most efficient return path. Her supply chain manager will thank us.

The 'book nook' may seem like a brilliant idea but...

2010-06-19T13:33:00.001-05:00

...Coraline disapproves. This playhouse made of books makes her angry cause she doesn't understand why she can't read them. She spent some time trying to pick up & open the books and asking me to read them.

Tutu cute

2010-05-25T09:13:00.001-05:00

Peace.

2010-05-22T23:50:00.001-05:00

Mind you, getting to this point was anything but peaceful and involved at least one time out, a scolding, kisses, a demand to "wipe my butt," and other sundry interruptions. Think of it as the Middle East peace process with toilet paper.

Tiny dancer

2010-05-16T20:16:00.001-05:00

the karate kid is tired

2010-05-04T18:07:00.001-05:00

Aizay had his first karate class today. He started out enthusiastic if a bit hesitant, and ended, I think, wondering why he was exerting himself so much and with a scratchy throat from all the unnecessary yelling.

99 bottles of pop on the wall

2010-04-26T19:22:00.001-05:00

Aizay has learned a new song. It's pretty.

Yes the shoes are pink but the uncool pinkness is balanced by the cool Chuck-ness

2010-04-12T20:48:00.002-05:00

Coraline got caught behaving badly...

2010-04-11T23:24:00.000-05:00

Photographer Aizay

2010-04-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

Has Aizay found his calling?

trivet on glass table

self portrait with trivet

...for more of his pictures, go here.

I want!

2010-04-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

This is the face of a girl who really, really wanted to go to the park, but sadly her father does not want to take her. He's a bad man.

A return to his stacking period

2010-04-03T15:48:00.002-05:00

After several years pursuing other subjects, Aizay has returned to his artistic beginnings. His 'Stacked Food' has critics buzzing, proclaiming that the master of verticality has returned. The New York Times calls it a brilliant commentary on the state of human hegemony or whatever they said, but that's probably crap...we just know what we like and this is it.

Transfished

2010-03-27T13:39:00.001-05:00

I couldn't get Coraline to move on after our visit to the fish counter. She stared @ this whole bass for 5 minutes.

My delicate ears!

2010-03-09T22:50:00.001-06:00

Aizay got in trouble on the playground today for saying these words, which he would only repeat in writing. He said he was too scared to tell us, and indeed it took an extraordinarily long time to pull it out off him, until I hit upon the idea of having him write it out. After all that, we were a bit let down.

Science!

2010-03-07T15:41:00.001-06:00

During the flood of2008, tredegar raids science center was destroyed. While they rebuild, they have some oftheory exhibits at a local mall. It is totally sad, but Aizay and Coraline are having fun.

Aizay's response to limited screen time

2010-02-14T19:27:00.002-06:00

Success!!! Success! Success. success...

2010-02-14T16:34:00.002-06:00

It may be that we're falling victim to Coraline's many potty successes. Now she's peeing small amounts just to get a treat (we're out of cupcakes and have switched to chocolate). In fact, when I told her she couldn't have two pieces of chocolate after her last success, that she'd have to wait till next time, she immediately ran back to her potty to try again. What now, smarty pants?

Potty success!

2010-02-13T18:04:00.001-06:00

That's what you get when you are a successful potty user. We haven't yet explained that when one gets older it may be what causes successful trips to the potty.

Toilettier

2010-02-13T13:26:00.003-06:00

It's potty training day at the Iowa Etlers'. It's a day of hope, of change, and, just maybe, of dreams fulfilled. We look to the heavens as we pray for deliverance from the tyranny of the diaper. May we throw off our chains and rejoice in our freedom!
Please?

After fainting, Christine got up & took this photo

2010-02-06T19:08:00.003-06:00

When presented with this plate, Aizay said, "I maybe love all of this." While that did turn out to be hyperbole, we are still pleased with his enthusiasm.

Skating @ City park

2010-02-06T15:31:00.001-06:00

Slightly ill

2010-01-24T11:02:00.001-06:00

Aizay woke up w a fever. Maybe that's why he wasn't in a partying mood last night...

Pope Barbie

2010-01-18T13:24:00.001-06:00

at the farm

2009-12-27T19:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Boxing Day

2009-12-26T13:38:00.001-06:00

Coraline is learning the alphabet

2009-12-20T07:36:00.000-06:00

You want accurate? Tough. You'll have to settle for cute.

My five year old is a freak.

2009-12-18T20:59:00.000-06:00

And I mean that in a good way. By the way I had to think about the middle equation...it was too hard.
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You don't know the power of the dark side

2009-12-16T07:20:00.001-06:00

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More family photos

2009-12-09T10:41:00.000-06:00

Aizay learns a new word!

2009-12-09T10:28:00.002-06:00

First a little background: Aizay calls me a scientist but is also confused that I work in a hospital and see "patients". Most of them are actually "research patients"...Yesterday, I told Aizay that because of the blizzard "my patients cancelled". He said worriedly, "Aren't they sick?" "No, they are not sick, they are deaf. They come to see me so I can learn more about how their ears work." My response was followed by much distress and anxiety. I thought he just didn't understand. Again I said something like "my patients are deaf, not sick".

"But they're death?"

Apparently Aizay thought that my patients would experience death if I didn't see them. Or perhaps he thought our research project studies how zombies hear...

I did finally get Aizay to understand what deaf means. I told him that deaf people have ears that don't work the way ours do and that they can hear very little or not at all.

-Christine

Family pictures

2009-12-06T12:51:00.002-06:00

Stay tuned for more...

IMG00330.jpg

2009-12-01T17:36:00.000-06:00

We're waiting for Mama outside Hoover Elementary after a huge screw up over rides and cars and what not. All better now, but it kinda sucked. Aizay is shown here basking in the warm glow of the Hoover sign.
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Just a little poop story.

2009-11-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Coraline. She loved to be forgo clothing (I'm trying to prevent this story from attracting unsavory Internet types, here). If no-one was looking, she would remove her vestments and run around the house au naturale. This has resulted in the poorly sealed floors of their home being impregnated with urine in a number of spots, a fact which their parents don't plan on advertising to prospective homebuyers someday.

One day, Coraline was, as usual, running around in her birthday suit. Suddenly, she decided she had to go, and it wasn't pee this time. Now Coraline, having a fastidious nature uncoupled from actual fastidious habits, could have used the potty right next to her, but...well, she's working on that. Instead, she put on a pullup, did her business, and then removed it. All without telling her parents. She continued to play.

Her mother discovered a poop-filled diaper on the floor of the playroom, very close to the proper poop receptacle. The end. We're leaving off the cleaning details, because you can imagine.

He burns at the center of time...

2009-11-08T10:57:00.000-06:00

...but luckily they have a cream for that now.

Who's scarier?

Aizay calls this his "Journal of Impossible Things"

Don't blink!

nice sideburns

The doctor's new companion?

Does anyone have any ideas about what is happening in this last photo?

Coraline's rude and ungrateful guide to trick-or-treating

2009-10-31T20:05:00.003-05:00

1. Refuse to wear the Halloween costume your mother sewed for you.
2. Push your brother out of the way as the door opens.
3. Remain completely silent for the duration of the time that the homeowner is present. No pleases and thank yous allowed.
4. Ignore the candy offered and instead grab for the candy bowl.
5. After the door closes, turn around and softly say, "Trick or Treat".
6. Run along the sidewalk toward the next house with your fist in the air, yelling, "MORE CANDY!"

-Christine

He's 904 years old...

2009-10-28T18:18:00.005-05:00

...yet he looks younger and younger with each regeneration.
Just in time for Halloween, the doctor's psychic paper says, "John Smith, United States Candy Inspector General".
Doctor, your voice is different (and higher pitched), and yet its arrogance is unchanged.
He is so going to unlock you.

MMMMmmm. Pizza

2009-10-24T18:28:00.000-05:00

Aizay made me a fake pizza with my favorite toppings.
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A little bit of running, a little walking & a whole lot of kvetching

2009-10-19T13:41:00.002-05:00

My son completed the Run For the Schools 1 mile run/walk. For the first quarter mile, he ran, for the second quarter he walked fast, for the 3rd quarter he whined and walked slowly and stopped to rest. And finally for the last quarter he got upset because he thought he was going to come in last (behind the handicapped boy)-so he sped up-a little.

Conclusion: he is not a natural athlete.

She's 2 years old. How did that happen?

2009-10-12T15:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Coraline!

2009-10-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's two days early, but Christine was making birthday cupcakes for her classmates and decided to go all Martha on it. This is deliciously out of character.
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Aizay quote:

2009-09-27T21:32:00.002-05:00

"My butt is full of mischief."

Where's Aizay?

2009-09-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

Electric balloon hat

2009-09-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

I think it should be called a colon hat

Dismembra

2009-09-06T21:38:00.001-05:00

Wonder woman has met her match! Coraline is really the mild-mannered alter ego of wonder woman's archnemesis Dismembra.

Human interest piece

2009-09-03T23:10:00.000-05:00

"...and finally tonight: a local 2-year-old surprised everyone when she fell out of a clear blue sky and crash landed into her crib, without even waking up. She wasn't injured, but her parents were shocked when they heard the noise from the next room...."
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You must buy me a toy or I will be sad...

2009-08-30T20:24:00.001-05:00

Aizay also said, "If I was a parent, I would buy my child everything he wants."

There are rules.

2009-08-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

Coraline does not like it if you take steak from her plate, even if you ask nicely. She will tell you, "No!". But if you open your mouth like a giant baby bird, she will feed you the exact same piece you asked for before. Them's the rules, like it or lump it.
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Sand in the "City"

2009-08-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

For the past half hour Coraline has contented herself with throwing sand onto herself.
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My girl

2009-08-28T20:23:00.000-05:00

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A walk in the park

2009-08-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

Here we are walking in Hickory Hill Park. We should go for walks more often. Aizay was the glue that kept us all together, coaxing us along if we got too separated or chose the wrong path. Thank god he was there, or we'd still be trapped in those woods.
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Kindergarten!

2009-08-20T12:47:00.004-05:00

The photo of the Hooverfest fireworks above has been posted in order to celebrate Aizay's enrollment in Hoover Elementary. This school is located in a non-Gaza-like neighborhood and is named after Iowa's finest United States president...The third picture is Aizay trying to "lift himself up" by his shorts. I guess he wanted to show off to his new kindergarten friends.

Gooorgeous

2009-08-20T12:36:00.005-05:00

I like to tell Coraline that she is Gooorgeous (with a velar fricative like in "gyros"). Here is the evidence.

Quot-azation

2009-08-09T07:29:00.003-05:00

Aizay insists that he doesn't sleep or dream at night. I asked him if he was just resting his eyes at night and he says, no...
"I keep my eyes open all night so I can see when morning comes."

Quote of the Week

2009-08-01T18:21:00.001-05:00

Aizay: "I think I'll be a singer but I hope I don't have to sing any long songs. That would make me tired."

Lemonade

2009-07-29T17:32:00.001-05:00

Quote of the week (7/15/09)

2009-07-15T08:21:00.002-05:00

This blog has been sorely neglected. I have decided to add this weekly feature. Hopefully, I will keep on top of it...

Aizay: My scrotum looks like a brain.

[Bonus guest quote from Aizay's preschool classmate: We're only supposed to talk about sperm at home. (They both recently got "body" books and they were comparing the content.)]

Coraline at the hospital

2009-07-13T12:21:00.006-05:00

Aizay was worried about Coraline... Coraline was pretty happy the whole time (but tired).
The crib was so uncomfortable that she preferred the floor.
And the room was filthy...
There was a stack of about 12 washcloths on a shelf in the room. My children had a ball pretending they were cleaning and ended up using the whole pile.

Update: Coraline is still croupy and she has a little gunk in her lungs. She has partially lost her voice. She is whispering a lot. She is back at daycare today. Apparently she has a relatively narrow trachea (still WNL, just on that end of the spectrum). I have now caught whatever bug Coraline has but because my trachea is not so narrow, I can breathe okay. I just feel like dung...

Coraline is a good patient

2009-07-11T08:23:00.001-05:00

Coraline has croup & was admitted cause the doctors decided she should be able to breathe before she goes home

2009-06-20T13:31:00.001-05:00

Future's so bright

Aizay calls this boring (our exciting trip to Hy-Vee for pancakes and groceries)

2009-06-01T20:13:00.011-05:00

Dancing

Posing

Riding

Eating

Inventions

2009-05-11T12:43:00.002-05:00

Christine and I set up the tent for Aizay and she to camp out in on Saturday night. Aizay, noticing that it smelled a bit camp-fiery, decided that something had to be done. And so, he invented the Water Shminking Box and the Smoover. Let's watch!

IMG00196.jpg

2009-05-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

Aizay is le tired after biking a whole block.
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Snot in the open hand

2009-04-30T11:25:00.002-05:00

Coraline is progressing well through her stages of development. She has learned that picking her nose is rewarding. She is also getting very good at sharing. In fact, she has combined both these skills. She now enjoys picking her nose and offering it to you. She jabbers a little as if to say, "I know you have been dying to get your hands on some of this and here it is!" She has such a look of joy and love in her eyes when she does it. It is actually quite touching. It reminds me of this poem (with some subtle changes):

Not in a silver casket cool with pearls
Or rich with red corundum or with blue,
Locked, and the key withheld, as other girls
Have given their loves, I give my love to you;
Not in a lovers’-knot, not in a ring
Worked in such fashion, and the legend plain—
Semper fidelis, where a secret spring
Kennels a drop of mischief for the brain:
Love in the open hand, no thing but that,
Ungemmed, unhidden, wishing not to hurt,
As Coraline would offer you snot on a finger
Picked from her nose, or hummus in a tub,
I bring you, calling out as children do:
“Look what I have!—And this is all for you.”

— Edna St. Vincent Millay

Photo Spectacular!

2009-04-18T22:43:00.006-05:00

Coraline fights scurvy

2009-04-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

You know how toddlers are supposed to be pretty good at regulating their own food intake over several days? For instance, a child might eat only meat and nuts (and in Coraline's case, hummus) on Tuesday and then eat carbs exclusively on Wednesday. Well, in this picture, Coraline has apparently decided to prepare for a month's worth of vitamin C.

10,000-is-not-enough Pandeggmonium

2009-04-11T23:11:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of Aizay at the "10,000 Eggstravaganza" egg hunt. Notice he is happily sitting in a firetruck instead of being trampled by thousands of basket-weilding, egg-hungry children. Aizay decided he was much happier taking part in the other attractions while the majority of the children were fighting over crappy candy. He encountered short lines for the inflatable bouncy thing (the highlight of his day) and he got to enjoy this firetruck. After the hunt was over, we heard from some parents that some of the kids got no eggs. My son is very wise.

No time for autographs

2009-04-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

Coraline Etler gave a friendly greeting to papparazzi as she rushed by on her way to a museum function (the children's museum).

bathtime

2009-04-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

Aizay has got it going on

2009-03-31T22:00:00.001-05:00

That is not mayonnaise on his sweater. It is a very styling and hip glob of toothpaste.

It's been too long

2009-03-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

We need to do better at adding pictures...

Spring is in his hair

2009-03-18T19:11:00.001-05:00

2009-03-04T11:19:00.001-06:00

Coraline poses

Happy early Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T11:09:00.000-06:00

Our week

2009-02-07T13:52:00.004-06:00

Aizay's "valentime" to the family. I love his heart. I like to think it is bursting with love.

Aizay bought this snail for Coraline with some of his piggy bank money. Coraline doesn't believe in gastropod rights and she doesn't care what pain she inflicts on that mollusk in her attempts to make it go faster than a "snail's pace".

Aizay wanted a "cute or scary" pic too:

2009-01-31T11:27:00.001-06:00

Cute or scary? You decide.

More Pulchritude!

2009-01-24T23:35:00.000-06:00

The quintessence of pulchritude...

2009-01-24T23:12:00.002-06:00

...I'm going to start calling him QP

2009-01-22T09:54:00.001-06:00

Coraline found her belly button!

2009-01-18T20:24:00.000-06:00

inspecting storage containers

2009-01-18T20:22:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T19:53:00.003-06:00

So, this is Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:37:00.002-06:00

Well, then. Christmas has finally arrived, and boy are we excited.

Here's what it looks like when a little boy, who is discovering the real joys of Christmas just this year, and a little girl, who is only interested in eating the ornaments, see the presents for the first time. Memorable quotes from the day include:

"Boy, there aren't a lot of presents!"

"I wanted the barn, but..." (said in a tone of voice which indicated he wasn't aware he'd spoken aloud, in reference to the Word World Dog's House we bought him, instead of the barn which it turns out is what he really wanted).

Watch this space for a small slide show, coming soon. UPDATE: and here it is.

Who needs Syrup of Ipecac?

2008-12-20T09:35:00.000-06:00

...when you can give your son some of a "Word World" cookie with colored gel on it and watch him vomit green stuff? He only ate the I and the E.

The second-littlest elf.

2008-12-13T17:38:00.000-06:00

Aizay is getting excited for Christmas. He begged us for a week (or so) to put up the tree, and we finally got around to it. It's a new tree, by the way...pre-lit and everything.

2008-12-12T19:09:00.001-06:00

Kid stew

2008-12-06T12:34:00.003-06:00

Ingredients
2 kids, grade A (fresh, not frozen)
1 complete alphabet
dash of vinyl toys
20 gallons water
1 bar soap

Into lukewarm water, place kids, alphabet, and vinyl toys. Add soap, and allow to steep. Serves everyone they come into contact with.

A little post turkey drawing.

2008-11-27T17:46:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving

That looks yummy, eh?

2008-11-09T18:41:00.000-06:00

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Cleanliness is next to impossible...

2008-11-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

...without getting water everywhere. Coraline has come to love baths so much that the sound of running water brings her running.
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Finally, a non-blurry photo

2008-11-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

We finally got her to stand still for a picture.
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Let's build a word!

2008-11-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

Aizay is Dog from PBS's Word World, and Coraline is a penguin. It was 70 degrees last night, so they also made me feel sweaty just looking at them.
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