Me: *sings* My name is Alexander Hamilton!

Indy: Who’s that?

Me: He’s one of the people who fought the Revolutionary War and helped start the United States of America. He built the banks.

Indy: *wide eyes* Revolutionary War?

Me: Yes. You know how in 1916 in Ireland there was a revolution? The United States had one of those in 1776, a very long time ( Read more... )

Indy and I went on a Pokewalk this evening. Won the local gym back (at great cost, half our Pokemon fainted!). We’re *terrible* at Pokebattles but Indy seems to be learning to embrace the “we’re doing it for fun not for winning” thing, which is great.

and OH OH OH DO YOU KNOW WHY #POKEMON’s MAGIKARP IS SO HARD TO EVOLVE THERE’S AN AWESOME REASON!

( Read more... )

Except this is not a Kitsnaps. This is a picture taken by Young Indiana, who is captivated by my big camera and asked, “Mama, can *I* try some pfa..fopa…forpar…far-tography?”

I think “‘far’tography” is the most wonderful word in the world, and will be featuring Indy’s far-tography from time to time on Kitsnaps. What a darling kid. <3
( Read more... )

I bought the Little House series (the proper edition, illustrated by Garth Williams) for Young Indiana last year for Christmas, thinking that sometime in the next year or so he might be about ready to start having them read to him. A few months ago he got LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, brought it to me, and said, “Maybe we could read this book! It ( Read more... )

Epic disciplinary parenting fail:

Note from teacher: Young Indiana had to be spoken to in the yard for licking other children.

Me, already trying not to giggle: Indy, did you lick someone in the yard today?

Indy, full of big blue eyes and guilelessness: Remember the game we were playing where we were dogs?

Me: …yes…

Indy: I saw one of my owners, ( Read more... )

A children’s book writer and artist, Chris Judge, lives down the street from my parents. Last year, or the year before, he gave them two of his (quite charming) books for Young Indiana, who is very fond of them. (My parents gave them fudge. When Dad arrived at their house with it, Herself answered the door and said, “Oh! Thank you! We were just ( Read more... )

I cannot believe it’s the end of August. This summer has been a loss to a much greater degree than expected, and I’m just sort of…I’m getting my feet back under me, at this point. And I *am* getting my feet back under me: I’ve actually accomplished a great deal of detail work over the past week, all of which was very necessary and is something of a ( Read more... )

To top it all off, Young Indiana has come down with the chicken pox. @.@

I had been certain he’d been immunized against it, but the HSE website says they don’t habitually use the chicken pox vaccine in Ireland. Ted was getting him ready for a shower this morning and said, “Caaaatie? Indy has spots…” And yes. Yes he did. Ten or fifteen of them. Many ( Read more... )

And very excited about it too. Very clear on YESTERDAY he was not yet five, even if we had a birthday party yesterday. (“My birthday celebrated!”) Definitely not five last week when I, being old, started saying he was five. “NOT YET. NOT FOR TWO WEEKS.” (We’re still a little unclear on time. :))

But today, oh my. Today the first words out of his ( Read more... )

A certain young man does not wish to go to sleep. He is serenading me from his bedroom. His song goes like this (and this is verbatim, I’m typing as he sings):

We’re a mom and son
Moooom and son
and we have to stick together
or we’ll (mumble)
and that would be unnecessary
and i’d be sad forever
and you’d be sad too!
because i’d be sad until
the end ( Read more... )