New address, new footwear

If you're one of my few beloved fans you'll notice that my posting frequency has slowed significantly. It has been a very busy month and now that it's official, I can tell you it's mainly because we are moving! It has been an extremely long process (2.5 years, off and on) to sell our 3rd floor, 2 bed/1 bath condo in Belmont. But we accepted an offer in November, everything went through and we are finally closing on the sale next Wednesday. In a twist of amazing fate, after being worried we would have to put stuff in storage and get a temporary apartment, we found a house that is simply perfect for us, 1.2 miles away in Watertown. I get to stay close to my wonderful friend Chera (who watches Ashton), my wonderful job at Bentley, and the wonderful community I am used to living in. We close on the house on Monday so we will have 2 days of overlap to move, get the painter in, the electrician in, get appliances delivered, etc. It's been a crazy time for us and the next week will only get crazier. Plus, Ashton is sick, our extended family welcomed a new baby (this morning! more on that later), tons of visitors in town, and we are trying to finalize summer vacation plans...THEN, a little thing called my JOB on top of all that. Phew.

But the good news is: Ashton got new boots for Christmas from Uncle Chris and they seem to be the key to his happiness. Even if he is running around after breakfast in his pajamas, and there are no plans to go outside, he will bring you a boot and look at you earnestly to put it on. See the joy?

We do sometimes use them to go outside. Last weekend was nice enough for a walk to the park so we put Ashton in a head-to-toe fleece romper and then of course, HIS BOOTS. More joy.

The romper he was less thrilled with. Admittedly it was a bit tight in the crotch and the leg barely reached to the top of his boot. Plus it had ears.

But we went out and had a really nice afternoon. He ran around like those boots had rockets in them.

But this is my favorite picture (and one of my best ones of him in a long time). I snapped it after we came back in. He was just so cute, all sniffly from the cold and messed up hair from his hat, but energized from being outside...

Ah. My little boy.

Ashton's Book Club

Ashton has his own little library going, and one of the things that Jason and I love to joke about is the ridiculousness of some of the books. For instance, the beloved Spot series is about a small dog that hops around looking for things that are hidden behind flaps. Spot's best friend is a blue        ?         named Helen. Helen walks on her hind legs and appears to be, what, a hippo? Here they are searching for secret eggs in the nail-biter "Spot's First Easter":

I mean, what is that? Something that ate Veruca Salt? Luckily, Helen is very adept at finding eggs and the story ends happily: there is a full basket. Can't miss the symbolism.

I have lots of other examples, but the point is, children's books are full of things you would never see it real life: caroling alligators, emotional whales, bunnies that wear suits, etc. I have no problem with this, honestly. Imagination plays a very big role in childrens' lives and it is a fun part of playing and learning.

What I DO have a problem with is a particular story that looks like this:

I mentioned in a previous post that Ashton has been into this little book series on Pooh and the four seasons.   Spring, Winter, and Fall are perfectly nice stories. It's this Summer one that leaves me mystified. And not in a good way.

I thought we could make "Pooh's Very Hot Summer Day" Ashton's first book club book. Let's read it together, shall we? 5 pages doesn't take long. Here we go.

Any reactions? Here are mine. First of all, Pooh looks dead on the cover and there is a huge ominous cloud in the distance. On the first page, the chair is burning. Then, Owl snaps at Pooh with contempt (you stupid, ignorant bear!), a fatalistic Eeyore is transcribing his will, and Rabbit is trying to stay ahead of an agricultural catastrophe while calling our attention to Pooh's perspiration problem. Amazingly, the repeated insults don't faze Pooh in the least and he finds solace in a nice float under a mocking sun. The End.

What's the lesson here? Heat makes everyone cranky, we know that. But in this story, it's every man for himself. I'm surprised Pooh isn't dragged through the streets. The apocalypse is here, stand and be judged! The title should be "THE END OF DAYS". I mean, it's just hot out. Don't you think the words are a bit extreme here? This is a children's book! The funny part is, the other three seasons are nice and friendly to read. It's like the author got to Summer and said, "I'll show these kids what the world is REALLY like! HAHAHAHA!"

Discuss.