Joey's Teeth Are Dropping Out!

The arrival of the snow this week coincided with another major excitement. Joey lost his second front tooth. This one had been loose for months, and it came out as Daddy tried to pull a sweatshirt and t-shirt over his head at the same time. The Tooth Fairy came and took Joey's tooth from under his pillow, and left behind a pound coin.

Next morning Joey counted up the money in his moneybox and added the Tooth Fairy's pound. It added up to enough for a trip to Tesco to complete Joey's collection of Lego Tiny Turbos. Building the cars ate up a cold afternoon of the school half-term. Playing with them is still proving entertaining. The gap in Joey's teeth came in handy for sucking snow through too!

By the way, Joey has his eyes closed in the photo above because, when the first version was taken the flash took him by surprise and he simply refused to open his eyes again until the shoot was over! (Martin)

Snow in October

The last time it snowed in southern England in October, it was October 1934. On Tuesday night we had about an inch of thick, wet snow. and the temperature was well below freezing too. By the morning the snow was quite icy, but as you can see that didn't stop the boys enjoying themselves outside at 7.15am!

Tolka has been reading 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' (a very cute book) and the family on the bear hunt have to go through a snowstorm. So he spent much of the morning with his nose pressed firmly against the window exclaiming 'I like the snowstorm' with absolute delight. He is still telling everyone that he played snowballs. Joey says the best thing about the snow was being able to eat the ice. It was a bit too icy for snowballing each other, but the boys had a great time throwing iceballs at the house. (Martin, who by the way was ASLEEP when this was happening...)

The Woman is a Whackjob!

John McCain's staffer was talking about Sarah Palin when he offered his negative assessment. This is just my sister Emma stepping out in a truly terrifying Halloween costume. But, frankly, the judgement stands.(Martin)

Powell Shows What True Leadership Can Be

Colin Powell Endorses Obama, and says what I have wanted to hear from someone for a long time. Obama is not Muslim, but even if he were, he could still be President of the United States.
The country was founded based on the freedom of religion, and anyone who says a Muslim cannot be President is un-American. Sorry, but I feel strongly about this one.

Tolka's Learning to Read!

Tolka made us all so proud this morning when for the first time he sounded out words we made with blocks. We started with the 'A' and the 'T' blocks, and from there the world opened up for him as he could sound out all the related words "hat, mat, sat, pat, bat, rat, fat, etc". I wish you could have seen his smile, as he realised "I'm reading!" And he could also then go the other way, when we put out the 'at' blocks, he could find the right block to make all the words. Big boy!

Joey's First Book Review

We just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Here is Joey's first book review:

I liked it when Harry Potter went up on his broomstick, when he wasn't meant to. I disliked when Harry Potter locked the troll in where Hermione Granger was. I laughed when Neville's name was mentioned: Neville Longbottom! Harry Potter is my favourite character because he is brave. My least favourite character is Professor Quirrel and Voldemort (they shared a body). I hope Harry Potter wins Quidditch on 280 points in the next story called 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.' I want to start reading this right away.

I have found it delightful to read this book with Joey (and he does read it, he'll read a page or two and then we read). I am a fan of the book series (and have read all the books at least 3 times each). Seeing the story through the eyes of a six year old has been really wonderful. He listened so closely to the story, puzzled out various bits of the plot, and laughed out loud at bits I might have glossed over. I find it fascinating to watch kids grow older, to see how their reasoning develops, and to be reminded of all the magic that is in the world around us! (Sandy)

Nemo Butcher-style

So here we have the first images the world has seen of the new Butcher fish. Last Friday Joey, Tolka and I went a chose a companion for Alyssa's fish - Ting. Joey and Tolka loved the pet shop, especially the tropical fish with the neon blue go-faster stripe. The snakes and bright green lizards were a favourite too.

It was about time we found a companion for Ting. He's been a bit lonely since several other fish that Alyssa brought home perished in the murky depths of their bowl, unable to see through the thick layers of algae and waste that had accumulated. (Alyssa note how clean a fishbowl is supposed to look!)
Well, the new boy on the block is called Max. According to Joey he is a 'real goldfish'. Max is mostly gold, whereas Ting is white with a gold face.

They both float around happily exploring their bowl and then, when anyone comes to visit the coffee maker next door for a jolt of energy, they thrash about demanding food and pretending not to have been fed for several days.

We have definitely got less fish problems going on than those reported by our niece Jen Moss - neither of the inhabitants of our tank have tried to eat the other, or indeed molest each other in any other way. Ting sulked in his barrel for a while, but it didn't last. (Martin)

Feeling Grounded Again

A simple bowl of New England Clam Chowder. One of my last meals during my first trip back to the US in more than 2 years. It was bought for me by a former secretary general of Pugwash, a man who has throughout his career served his country and promoted peace. (At one time he was involved with devising the strategic nuclear targeting plan of the US, planning the potential deaths of millions of people, and yet he is one of the warmest people I know-a man who came to see me in Boston despite severe mobility problems. Like so many people I have met through Pugwash, he leaves me feeling awed by the breadth of his mind and humbled by his commitment.) I also met with a man who singlehandedly did more on the US side than most to build bridges between the US and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, a retired professor and a scientific advisor to the president, who has trouble getting around and yet who served me a lovely lunch at his apartment. A week full of meetings with people who had no time to meet, but who made time because they care about the Pugwash History, they care about current issues related to nuclear weapons, they value networks of people who together might be able to ensure that these horrendous weapons are never used again, they support young people in the field (not that I qualify as 'young' anymore)...

I spent a lovely 24 hours with my sister and her husband, eating good food, and melting away the months since we last saw each other in England. Martin handled things well at home, and the boys were well-behaved for him.

It was nice to be back in DC, and to catch up with so many people, with good friends and their kids (and cats and dogs). I ate lots of bagels and muffins. I had bbq'd chicken with the Lusks and had great conversations with Kate & Will, I did some artwork with Lily, hung out with Lora & Jim, had crabcakes with Deborah and Paul, got to know Griffin and Oliver better, and caught up with Christy and Guy. I was exhausted when I got back, and I have serious digging out to do, and loads of notes to type up from the meetings. But I am glad I went.

I feel grounded again. (Sandy)