Io the Cat

Our little black cat, Io, is an oft-neglected member of the Zoglman family, at least on this blog. He's a sweet pet and a fun companion for the kids, who alternate between tender and aggressive in their interactions with him. They feed him his food and stroke his fur, but also play "catch" with him, which is not a very balanced game when one of the participants has no thumbs. He is patient and tolerant, and today Geneva commemorated his awesomeness in the form of a poem.


Io the Cat

He is as good as Geneva making good choices.
He smells like nice, cool fur.
His claws are like needles.
His back goes up and down as he wiggles his tail.
His nose is like a wet rainstorm.
He is as black as the night sky.
His eyes are as sweet as wonder.
He says meow like a hello.
He runs around on his legs like a tornado.
He is the goodest cat of every cat.
With a whick of his tail, he's gone!

By Geneva

The Cat's out of the Bag

Hey, Internet, there's something I haven't been telling you. Not because I'm not excited, and not because I'm not happy-- in fact, I'm practically vibrating with anticipation. No, I've been keeping this secret because it's the last time I'll ever get to keep it. Back in October, along with a million other questions that suddenly sprang into being, was this one: "whom do I tell, and when?" I decided to keep my good news offline indefinitely, but the fact is that it has become too big of a secret to contain any longer. I am a couple of weeks, if not days, away from delivering a new baby boy into this family. He will be our littlest and last, but certainly not least. 

It has been a joy getting to tell people about our growing baby in person, rather than online, and see the happiness on their faces that almost matches mine. I have had support during this pregnancy from people who will know and love our boy after he is born, without having to deal with unwanted advice from internet acquaintances who will, in all probability, never meet my son. And it has kept me from filling facebook with updates about my various aches and pains; I can choose to either vent to a real person (sorry Avery) or just get over it, which I think is healthier and more pleasant for everyone (except Avery).

The newborn hat is knitted. The birth tub is on standby. The baby clothes are sorted by size. The floors are vacuumed. And now the cat is out of the bag! I think I am officially ready to hold my little boy.

Rock Excavation Project

Geneva received a rock excavation kit from her dear Auntie Kristen as a birthday present. It lasted two days  in its box before Geneva decided we simply must find out what was encased in that cube of clay. I'll admit, I was feeling the same way. With a little help from a dear friend and neighbor Geneva was able to remove and clean all of the rocks hidden inside. It took about an hour, and she stuck with it. We got to talk about what a real geologist, paleontologist, or archaeologist might do while digging, and wondered if they ever encountered the same problems that we did. Overall, the project was a huge success, and we have even decided to make our own excavation kit using quick-drying clay and whatever treasures we feel like hiding inside.


After completing the rock excavation project, Geneva wrote this letter to Kristen. Kristen, I hope you don't mind me sharing it with the whole wide web!

Dear Auntie K,

I thought I would have a hard time doing this, and I did, 'cause I had to chisel these rocks out and I couldn't do it by myself, so I used Haelo's help. I thought I would find a diamond, but I didn't. I thought I would find five, and I did! I thought I would find blue, black, brown, and purple. That was a great experiment! My favorite part was when I popped the rocks out. Then I washed them, and used the brush and chisel. Haelo brought a gold rock over to her house. I kept some rocks. I don't know their names. I call them Earth Rock, Beautiful Diamond, Everyone, and Tall Rock, 'cause this one is tall. I loved it. Thank you.

Geneva

Blog Post by Geneva, Age Four

"I love the whole wide world. I have a new slip 'n slide. That's all I'm going to say today. Daddy has a cut on his foot. He put some gauze on it. I couldn't do the monkey bars when I was three, but now I'm four so I can do the monkey bars. The end."

Today my darling oldest child is four. My life as a parent, the ferocious love and sense of purpose I feel as a mother, is also four. Right now Geneva is thinking about what she has accomplished now that she's no longer three-- monkey bars, primarily. But today I'm thinking about where she is going. I don't really have any idea where that will be, to be honest, but I know how she will get there. Feist and passion lead to the monkey bars and beyond.

Happy Birthday, Geneva!