September photos

On the way to a princess birthday party

Katie and her pink boots

Katie on the move at the Sippy Cups concert at the House of Blues

The Dolphins are in their fifth season together this fall.

Having fun at a soccer game

On the way to a den meeting

Adam turned 2 yesterday and graciously let Cooper & "T" help open gifts.

Howdy, folks!

Cooper and the Midway Barker (who looks like a man with just a torso) had a fun exchange.

Moments after I took this photo inside Music Hall, an usher arrived and told me she would either confiscate my camera or I could check it in at the booster seat/headphone desk.

Random updates

Katie fell off the slide at preschool on Thursday morning and broke her left clavicle. She's had a rough few days but is improving. (She started out sliding as usual but then stood up, lost her balance and tumbled about four feet onto her back.) We'll have to avoid playground equipment and classes at the Jungle Gym for three weeks, but then she should be completely healed.

Cooper and I had a great day together today. He participated in the children's Sabbath this morning, and then we headed for the State Fair of Texas. He rode a few midway rides, we ate some unhealthy food and we saw The Lion King. It was my third time to see the musical, and even still it induces chills. At times Cooper could hardly contain himself -- he waved his arms, sang with some of the songs and shouted "That's the best!" when Scar fell to his death toward the end of the second act.

Cooper is a Tiger Cub. He and Steve attended a lock-in Friday night with almost 300 other 1st-grade Cub Scouts. Poor Steve slept about six hours but woke up every hour, on the hour. He and Cooper had sleeping bags. Some families had king-size inflatable beds! Along with scouting comes fundraising, apparently, so if you're in the market for popcorn, let me know.

Cooper and five of his friends are part of a Destination Imagination team, coached by me, with help from all the other moms. They'll work until March to produce an eight-minute play and then perform it at noncompetitive tournament.

My blogging has suffered, as work projects have stacked up and are colliding with my volunteer projects and running-a-home projects. After I'm done with this update, I'll return to some writing, which this week includes M is for Malachi, a look at English translations of the Bible, a review of a Catholic blog, menu descriptions for Super Suppers for the month of January and household tips and facts for InnerCircle, a subscription Web site.

Steve's 20-year high school reunion is Saturday!

When to discuss Sept. 11

Cooper was not yet three months old the morning of Sept. 11. Our chunky little boy sat on my lap in our family room as I watched the "Today" show. Steve was just a few feet away, washing dishes before he left for work. We watched the horrible events unfold on our television. Steve went to work, and I stayed glued to the TV, switching among channels, fearful I would miss something. (That continued for about a week, and then I turned off network and cable news for years.) Later that day, I took Cooper to Grandma, who took care of him for a few hours while I went to work. I was still on maternity leave, but I couldn't bear to sit still at home, so I returned to the newsroom to stay busy.

We've purposefully not discussed that dreadful day with Cooper yet. When he was 3 and attended a local day-care center, I had a small battle with one of the directors. She was insistent on remembering Sept. 11 at the school, with children no older than 5. I'm sure she was well meaning, but I think she was so wrapped up in the idea of patriotism and honoring heroes that she lost sight of the fact that toddlers and preschoolers probably don't need to have discussions about planes flying into buildings. (The issue was moot for us in the end -- we were actually in D.C. that week for a work conference.)

Cooper doesn't watch the news, though he does pick up the newspaper every day, usually bypassing the news for the comics (also my first destination section). And I'm sure some of his friends know something of Sept. 11. So the time will come soon, I think, that we'll need to have a very basic discussion. What I find most troubling is explaining to him how people could be so evil and yet how we shouldn't be scared on a daily basis. How New York City, a city he loves for what it is now, was altogether different on Sept. 10, 2001.

Preschool

Katie is napping late today, recovering from a full day of preschool.

How excited was she? She wanted to wear her backpack in the car. She wouldn't take her backpack off when we reached the classroom. She didn't cry when I left -- she was already wrapped up in playing with plastic ponies. She wore her backpack while in the stroller, on our walk to and from Cooper's school this afternoon and told passers-by about her day.

Mrs. M said Katie is very mature for her age and was a big help with the other children. (She's probably seizing the opportunity to corral and boss some others around after being the little one at home.) Katie didn't fall asleep until late in the school day, and then the other three kids woke up, so Katie did too. Naps may be a challenge, as she's not allowed to take BB, her favorite blanket, to class. She's slept with BB since she was born, so the adjustment may take a while.