Feathers

Have I told you all about Coop's obsession with feathers?  I honestly cannot remember, so if I did, sorry. If not, read on!

Coop loves feathers! He picks them up anywhere and everywhere we go. Everywhere I look I find feathers- in the stroller, in our diaper bag, in his room, on his bike, in his backpack--everywhere!  Even Tucker has gotten in on the feather collection, but thankfully, he loses interests in them after about 2 minutes. Coop will not walk by a feather and leave it on the ground.  He must have everyone he comes across.  If I can get away with it, I throw a lot of them away and luckily he does not notice they are gone.  He has probably collected 30 or so feathers which we have put into a "feather book" that we made.  He has mostly pigeon and seagull feathers since they are so abundant, but he also has a few feathers which even I will admit are pretty cool- one from a Rainbow Lorikeet, one from a Corella and a few  from the Australia Ibis.  We also have a few feathers from our couch in the book and, my favorite, are the feathers he found strewn about town after the  Mardi Gras parade. I tried to explain to him that they are not real feathers and that they came from the costumes from the parade. His response? "Mom, let's just use our imagination and pretend they are." :)

Feathers

Have I told you all about Coop's obsession with feathers?  I honestly cannot remember, so if I did, sorry. If not, read on!

Coop loves feathers! He picks them up anywhere and everywhere we go. Everywhere I look I find feathers- in the stroller, in our diaper bag, in his room, on his bike, in his backpack--everywhere!  Even Tucker has gotten in on the feather collection, but thankfully, he loses interests in them after about 2 minutes. Coop will not walk by a feather and leave it on the ground.  He must have everyone he comes across.  If I can get away with it, I throw a lot of them away and luckily he does not notice they are gone.  He has probably collected 30 or so feathers which we have put into a "feather book" that we made.  He has mostly pigeon and seagull feathers since they are so abundant, but he also has a few feathers which even I will admit are pretty cool- one from a Rainbow Lorikeet, one from a Corella and a few  from the Australia Ibis.  We also have a few feathers from our couch in the book and, my favorite, are the feathers he found strewn about town after the  Mardi Gras parade. I tried to explain to him that they are not real feathers and that they came from the costumes from the parade. His response? "Mom, let's just use our imagination and pretend they are." :)

The Lyrebird

The boys and I were listening to a CD we bought down here called, Cooee, by a man named Paul Taylor. Taylor is an Australian who lives in the US where he visits schools to talk about Australia and the Aboriginal people. This was the first time I really listened to what he was saying on the album.  He tells a wonderful story about the lyrebird, which some of you may know from David Attenborough's BBC video. If you did not see it, take a minute to view it. This bird is amazing. It can imitate ANY sound from the calls of other birds to man-made noises such as a camera shutter or a jackhammer.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

Anyway, the story Taylor tells comes from the Aboriginal dreamtime, or the time before living memory when the land and all living things were created.   Some stories from the dreamtime include "How the Birds got their Colors," "Why the Emu Can't Fly" and "How Kangaroo Got a Long Tail." There are obviously thousands of such stories, but this particular story, tells of why the lyrebird can mimic any sound.  I immediately fell in love with the story and thought I would share it with you.  

LYREBIRD THE MIMIC

In the Dreamtime, all the birds and animals spoke the same language. This meant that all the birds and animals could talk to each other, and understand each other, and there were no fights. There was plenty of food to eat, and at this time no animal ever hunted another. They had nothing to fear. Even the tiny Whip Snake and the Kookaburra were friends. One day, all the animals and the birds decided that they would hold a huge corroboree, with lots of singing and dancing. The corroboree was to last for several days, so a great quantity of food was collected, and all the animals and birds in the whole land were to attend. The Brolga, being the best dancing bird in the land, was to be in charge of the dancing and the Dingo and Kookaburra were going to sing. Everyone was looking forward to it. 

On the day it was to start, all the animals began to gather at the waterhole near the camp of the Lyrebird. The Native Cat, slinking in from the bush, was the first to arrive, and then the Crows, the Eagles, the Galahs and the Magpie Geese flew in. The old wombat waddled in, the Kangaroo and the Wallaby hopped in together, and the Frog arrived with the Platypus. It was the largest gathering anyone could remember. They set up their camps, and readied themselves for the corroboree. It was a splendid affair. never before had they enjoyed themselves so much. The Kookaburra told some jokes, and laughed much louder than anyone else!

The Frog who was the greatest mimic in the whole land, then copied the Kookaburra's voice, and told some more stories. All the animals, even the Kookaburra, roared laughing. They all agreed that the Frog was certainly a very clever mimic. Then the Brolga danced, and all the animals and birds joined in, even the Old Wombat. The Frog thought that the wombat looked so funny, dancing beside the graceful Brolga. Then the Frog had an idea. he would really have some fun! He copied the Brolga's voice, and called out to the Wombat.

'You look so stupid! Fancy a fat little roly-poly like you, trying to dance!'

The wombat stopped and looked at the Brolga. No one had ever been rude to him before! Not even the nasty Crows. The Frog, seeing how well his trick had worked, took on the voice of the Brolga, and called out to the Emu.

'Hey, Emu, why are you trying to dance. Emus can't dance, they can't even fly!'

The Emu was furious. No one had ever teased her about her small wings before. The Emu ran towards the Brolga. The Frog, thinking that this was great fun, began calling out all sorts of rude remarks. He imitated the Kangaroo and the Kookaburra, he insulted the Platypus, who thought it was the Eagle being nasty. Soon all the animals at the corroboree were hurling insults at each other. And in the middle, sat the Frog. He was having great fun. There were animals and birds quarrelling and fighting all around him. Then the Frog, using he voice of the Wombat, yelled,

'To battle! Let's fight! come on, to battle!'

A huge fight broke out, and as the animals fought, the Frog hopped quietly up on to a high rock, to watch the whole fight. Only the Lyrebird took no part in the fight. Fanning his beautiful tail feathers, he went from quarrel to quarrel, pleading with the animals to stop. But stop they wouldn't! The Kookaburra was fighting with the Whip Snake. The Crows were chasing a Lizard. The Lyrebird pleaded,

'Please, please stop! We are all friends. It is senseless to fight. Please stop!'

But no one took any notice of the Lyrebird. In fact the fighting grew even worse! The noise was deafening. Shouts and groans filled the air. The Frog was jumping around on his rock, yelling more insults, urging on the fighting. Now, the noise of all this woke the Spirits. Seeing what had happened, they became so annoyed that they put an end to the battle. The animals were very embarrassed. They had never fought before. To punish them, the spirits took away the creatures' common language, and gave each animal and bird a language of its own. The wicked Frog, who had the most beautiful voice, was given an ugly croak as punishment for having started the fight. The Lyrebird was to be the only animal who would be able to talk to all other animals. Even to this day, the lyrebird is the only animal that is able to imitate all other animals. And to this day Aboriginal people have a special respect for lyrebirds because of their role as peacemakers. Today, frogs still talk in an ugly croak. And still today, no animal or bird can talk to a different animal or bird. They can only talk with their own kind.   

The Lyrebird

The boys and I were listening to a CD we bought down here called, Cooee, by a man named Paul Taylor. Taylor is an Australian who lives in the US where he visits schools to talk about Australia and the Aboriginal people. This was the first time I really listened to what he was saying on the album.  He tells a wonderful story about the lyrebird, which some of you may know from David Attenborough's BBC video. If you did not see it, take a minute to view it. This bird is amazing. It can imitate ANY sound from the calls of other birds to man-made noises such as a camera shutter or a jackhammer.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

Anyway, the story Taylor tells comes from the Aboriginal dreamtime, or the time before living memory when the land and all living things were created.   Some stories from the dreamtime include "How the Birds got their Colors," "Why the Emu Can't Fly" and "How Kangaroo Got a Long Tail." There are obviously thousands of such stories, but this particular story, tells of why the lyrebird can mimic any sound.  I immediately fell in love with the story and thought I would share it with you.  

LYREBIRD THE MIMIC

In the Dreamtime, all the birds and animals spoke the same language. This meant that all the birds and animals could talk to each other, and understand each other, and there were no fights. There was plenty of food to eat, and at this time no animal ever hunted another. They had nothing to fear. Even the tiny Whip Snake and the Kookaburra were friends. One day, all the animals and the birds decided that they would hold a huge corroboree, with lots of singing and dancing. The corroboree was to last for several days, so a great quantity of food was collected, and all the animals and birds in the whole land were to attend. The Brolga, being the best dancing bird in the land, was to be in charge of the dancing and the Dingo and Kookaburra were going to sing. Everyone was looking forward to it. 

On the day it was to start, all the animals began to gather at the waterhole near the camp of the Lyrebird. The Native Cat, slinking in from the bush, was the first to arrive, and then the Crows, the Eagles, the Galahs and the Magpie Geese flew in. The old wombat waddled in, the Kangaroo and the Wallaby hopped in together, and the Frog arrived with the Platypus. It was the largest gathering anyone could remember. They set up their camps, and readied themselves for the corroboree. It was a splendid affair. never before had they enjoyed themselves so much. The Kookaburra told some jokes, and laughed much louder than anyone else!

The Frog who was the greatest mimic in the whole land, then copied the Kookaburra's voice, and told some more stories. All the animals, even the Kookaburra, roared laughing. They all agreed that the Frog was certainly a very clever mimic. Then the Brolga danced, and all the animals and birds joined in, even the Old Wombat. The Frog thought that the wombat looked so funny, dancing beside the graceful Brolga. Then the Frog had an idea. he would really have some fun! He copied the Brolga's voice, and called out to the Wombat.

'You look so stupid! Fancy a fat little roly-poly like you, trying to dance!'

The wombat stopped and looked at the Brolga. No one had ever been rude to him before! Not even the nasty Crows. The Frog, seeing how well his trick had worked, took on the voice of the Brolga, and called out to the Emu.

'Hey, Emu, why are you trying to dance. Emus can't dance, they can't even fly!'

The Emu was furious. No one had ever teased her about her small wings before. The Emu ran towards the Brolga. The Frog, thinking that this was great fun, began calling out all sorts of rude remarks. He imitated the Kangaroo and the Kookaburra, he insulted the Platypus, who thought it was the Eagle being nasty. Soon all the animals at the corroboree were hurling insults at each other. And in the middle, sat the Frog. He was having great fun. There were animals and birds quarrelling and fighting all around him. Then the Frog, using he voice of the Wombat, yelled,

'To battle! Let's fight! come on, to battle!'

A huge fight broke out, and as the animals fought, the Frog hopped quietly up on to a high rock, to watch the whole fight. Only the Lyrebird took no part in the fight. Fanning his beautiful tail feathers, he went from quarrel to quarrel, pleading with the animals to stop. But stop they wouldn't! The Kookaburra was fighting with the Whip Snake. The Crows were chasing a Lizard. The Lyrebird pleaded,

'Please, please stop! We are all friends. It is senseless to fight. Please stop!'

But no one took any notice of the Lyrebird. In fact the fighting grew even worse! The noise was deafening. Shouts and groans filled the air. The Frog was jumping around on his rock, yelling more insults, urging on the fighting. Now, the noise of all this woke the Spirits. Seeing what had happened, they became so annoyed that they put an end to the battle. The animals were very embarrassed. They had never fought before. To punish them, the spirits took away the creatures' common language, and gave each animal and bird a language of its own. The wicked Frog, who had the most beautiful voice, was given an ugly croak as punishment for having started the fight. The Lyrebird was to be the only animal who would be able to talk to all other animals. Even to this day, the lyrebird is the only animal that is able to imitate all other animals. And to this day Aboriginal people have a special respect for lyrebirds because of their role as peacemakers. Today, frogs still talk in an ugly croak. And still today, no animal or bird can talk to a different animal or bird. They can only talk with their own kind.   

Starbucks Aprons

Today was an exciting day for the boys-- they were each given their very own, official Starbucks apron or "afrond" as Coop calls it-- to keep.  At first, Tucker wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, when it was first put on him he cried and when he brought it home he literally threw it in the corner behind the couch as if to say, "There! I am done with that!" But once he saw Coop wearing his apron, he was all for it.

 Coop, on the other hand was ecstatic. I first told him about it one the way home from school.  When he heard the news, his eyes lit up and he got a smirk on his face. I could see the wheels spinning. He was already planning something. When we got home, the first thing he asked for was the apron. He immediately put it on- with a huge grin- and said, "I need black shoes to go with this." (just fyi- all the baristas have to wear black shoes and he knows this). He happily posed for a few photos and then, it was on to setting up our very own Starbucks store in our living room- drink board and Starbucks logo included.  All was well, until he asked me for a Sharpie to write on our cups for each order like, as he put it, "a proper Starbucks worker does."  I refused that one request preferring not to have all our drinking glasses covered in writing and he lost it!  He sobbed and told me he didn't like me blah, blah, blah. I finally calmed him down, he put the apron back on and we were back in business.  By this time, Tucker had become interested in the apron as well and was right in there playing Starbucks with us. 

After playtime was over and the kids had had dinner, Coop asked if we could go to Starbucks so he could get his very own drink- and he did not mean the usual cup of milk he gets. He wanted a frappucino. The boys had tasted a coconut creme (sans the coffee) frappucino a few weeks ago and he wanted that specific drink again- and with chocolate syrup on top of course.  You all know me well enough to know that he did not have to twist my arm to go and so we went. The boys got their drinks, were able to visit with their barista friends and Coop even got to bring home some Starbucks products (straws, cups, napkins etc) for his home store.  

I have to say this was one of the most entertaining afternoon/evenings we have had in a long time. The boys were so happy and so proud. I was so proud of the imagination and creativity that went into creating the store and in their play.  I am hoping that getting a frappucino doesn't become something that the boys expect to get everytime we visit Starbucks because that isn't going to happen, but every once and a while on a wonderful night like to tonight, a little sweet indulgence isn't so bad, is it?  :)

"preparing" the drinks

Note the logo and drink menu on the wall

Our  Starbucks set up

Coop swiping a gift card

Tuck working the register

Enjoying their frappucinos

Starbucks Aprons

Today was an exciting day for the boys-- they were each given their very own, official Starbucks apron or "afrond" as Coop calls it-- to keep.  At first, Tucker wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, when it was first put on him he cried and when he brought it home he literally threw it in the corner behind the couch as if to say, "There! I am done with that!" But once he saw Coop wearing his apron, he was all for it.

 Coop, on the other hand was ecstatic. I first told him about it one the way home from school.  When he heard the news, his eyes lit up and he got a smirk on his face. I could see the wheels spinning. He was already planning something. When we got home, the first thing he asked for was the apron. He immediately put it on- with a huge grin- and said, "I need black shoes to go with this." (just fyi- all the baristas have to wear black shoes and he knows this). He happily posed for a few photos and then, it was on to setting up our very own Starbucks store in our living room- drink board and Starbucks logo included.  All was well, until he asked me for a Sharpie to write on our cups for each order like, as he put it, "a proper Starbucks worker does."  I refused that one request preferring not to have all our drinking glasses covered in writing and he lost it!  He sobbed and told me he didn't like me blah, blah, blah. I finally calmed him down, he put the apron back on and we were back in business.  By this time, Tucker had become interested in the apron as well and was right in there playing Starbucks with us. 

After playtime was over and the kids had had dinner, Coop asked if we could go to Starbucks so he could get his very own drink- and he did not mean the usual cup of milk he gets. He wanted a frappucino. The boys had tasted a coconut creme (sans the coffee) frappucino a few weeks ago and he wanted that specific drink again- and with chocolate syrup on top of course.  You all know me well enough to know that he did not have to twist my arm to go and so we went. The boys got their drinks, were able to visit with their barista friends and Coop even got to bring home some Starbucks products (straws, cups, napkins etc) for his home store.  

I have to say this was one of the most entertaining afternoon/evenings we have had in a long time. The boys were so happy and so proud. I was so proud of the imagination and creativity that went into creating the store and in their play.  I am hoping that getting a frappucino doesn't become something that the boys expect to get everytime we visit Starbucks because that isn't going to happen, but every once and a while on a wonderful night like to tonight, a little sweet indulgence isn't so bad, is it?  :)

"preparing" the drinks

Note the logo and drink menu on the wall

Our  Starbucks set up

Coop swiping a gift card

Tuck working the register

Enjoying their frappucinos

Gorgeous

The other day at pick-up time, Coop introduced me to the student teacher who is working in his class this term.  She told me that Coop was the first student whose name she knew in the school (imagine that!) because he is so "gorgeous." I said, "Thank you," and walked away feeling proud, but confused. What exactly did she mean by "gorgeous?"  People here seem to use that word the way we use the word "awesome" back home.  It is used in so many different contexts that, at times, I have trouble deciphering the exact meaning each time it is used. You might hear someone say, "She is gorgeous." or "That is a gorgeous sunset."  Another time, you might hear someone say, "We had a gorgeous time." or "That was gorgeous party."  Did Coop's teacher mean he is really good looking or that he is an enjoyable person?  I am not sure. As his mom, I am, of course, hoping she meant both, but as an American, I am baffled by this word.

So I came home and decided to look it up in the dictionary.  I thought maybe there was a secret meaning of the word that we Americans just don't know.  Here is what the dictionary says:

gorgeous

 

1.

splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.;magnificent: a gorgeous gown; a gorgeous sunset.

2.

Informal . extremely good, enjoyable, or pleasant: I had a gorgeous time.

So, I still am not exactly sure what she meant by the word "gorgeous" in regards to Coop, but since all the  possible meanings are positive, I will just simply enjoy the compliment and enjoy my gorgeous boy.