All About Archer

Archer scopes an airplane, USS Midway, San Diego

Now that I've committed to making monthly Fable films* I thought I should commit to posting regular interviews with Archer. At least until he outgrows the blog.

The following interview was conducted after school yesterday, over cookies and milk:

What's your name? Archer
How old are you ? One, two, three. I'm three.
What's your favorite color ? Red

Waiting for pie. Christmas.

What's your favorite book? My truck book.
What's your favorite song? Carmen**
What's your favorite movie? Cars
Television Show? Little Einsteins


Favorite Smell? Flowers
Favorite Taste? Candy
What's your favorite kind of candy? Um... I like gumdrops.
Favorite Sound? Music
What's your favorite instrument? The violin
Favorite thing to do at school? Sing songs.

watching the mariachis with his Auntie Roo, Seaport Village

What's your favorite game? Candyland
Favorite Food? Cheerios and fish and macaroni and also.... cake.
Favorite thing to drink? Water


What's your favorite animal? Elephant
What's your favorite thing to do? Play with my marbles.
Where's your favorite place to go? The slide.

sliding with cousin Anushka, Moonlight Beach

What makes you happy? Being in the car and looking at big buildings out the window. And also... Telephone poles.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A pirate. Argh!

looking for treasure with Uncle Dave (my brother) and my sister, Auntie Roo, Moonlight Beach.

GGC

*I decided to make monthly Fable films so she had something cool to look back on when she's older. Archer has a book documenting his first two years and the months leading up to his birth and I won't be writing a sequel. I want both my children to feel equally loved and inspiring when they look back on the various pages and videos that exist in their honor.

**he sings along in French. No joke. Hal's a huge Opera buff and Archer seems to be in full agreement that opera is superior to all art forms. We're putting the boy in a choir program this summer. I know he's my kid and all but it's pretty amazing how musically inclined he is. And his voice? Pitch perfect. Make a grown man cry, that voice.

29 comments:

Anonymous | 11:20 AM

What a great gift to give them later. When I adopted my son, I created a photo album of his first year with us. All the welcome parties, etc. and he STILL goes back and looks at it now and then. He'll be 14 in just a few months. Your kids will LOVE it.

BITE MY COOKIE | 11:24 AM

hal likes opera?
figures.

Anonymous | 11:25 AM

His love for Bizet might be misunderstood by his peers now, but once he grows up he's gonna break some hearts with that! :)

I was in love with the Beatles Sgt. Pepper when I was about his age and NO ONE GOT IT. WHO'S COOL NOW? Not those kids, with their Tiffany cassette tapes.

GIRL'S GONE CHILD | 11:25 AM

It was pretty much his major in college! Opera 101.

Avalon | 11:47 AM

his fave instrument is the violin...at three. wow. :)

you know rebecca, you don't know me, but i'd always get so mad for you when people would say archer was "behind" according to their arbitrary standards. i mean, what three year old even knows what a violin is? he's not behind at all, his talents, like so many other kids' talents, are just not recognized by a lot of the so-called experts. so what he walked and talked "late" he was busy developing that amazing ear of his.

i'm glad archer has a mom like you, one who was willing to wait for him to "be normal" in his own time. if you hadn't done that, who knows if his musical talents would have had time to shine like this.

i know it doesn't matter what a random person in the computer thinks, but you're a good mama.

GIRL'S GONE CHILD | 11:56 AM

Aw, thanks lady.

What's funny is that he's always been musically advanced... He can tell me what instruments are playing in any given song. He can distinguish cellos from violins and saxophones from french horns. It's amazing. He corrects me.... "Not a clarinet, Mommy. It's a bassoon." So choir at four and then at five we'll start piano lessons and violin if he wants. In the meantime it's Bizet, Bach and Dvorak on his mixtape. Luckily Hal's a classical musician (he's an incredible classical pianist) and can really guide Archer's passion for classical music and opera. It's awesome.

Wicked Step Mom | 12:14 PM

Archer is a pretty cool little guy. I am looking forward to hearing more about him.

And, if you are not writing a sequel, what are you writing?

Anonymous | 12:17 PM

I think it is absolutely wonderful you are doing these stories/videos/ect.. for your babies. They will never be able to say they weren't loved :)

Anonymous | 12:35 PM

Hahaha, gorgeous!! I love that Telephone poles make him happy (or rather, that he was in the car looking out the window and saw one, and decided to add it to his answer)

Super cute! Cheers for sharing :)

Anonymous | 12:42 PM

He loves telephone poles! That is so adorable!

Anonymous | 12:43 PM

That is too cute! I know this will probably make most opera buffs cringe, but that song always makes me think of Sesame Street. This was one of my favorite skits as a kid.

Anonymous | 1:58 PM

I concur, telephone poles are amazing

Anonymous | 1:59 PM

i LOVE that telephone poles make him happy. great interview.

GIRL'S GONE CHILD | 2:04 PM

Telephone poles and Archer = love. He says hello (and goodbye) to every single one of them he encounters.

Wicked Stepmom -- Before F was born, I was working on a novel and a screenplay. Am hoping to get back to one of them by summertime if possible. For now I have to go where the money is -- freelance blog gigs, etc. Sadly, no money in books and money is first priority right now. Trying to sell bits of pieces of work already finished. I'm done with non-fiction, though. No more memoirs until I'm old and have a more interesting story to tell. (A book of essays is a possibility, though.)

Vodka Mom | 4:32 PM

I adore this post.

Anonymous | 5:08 PM

so effing cute!!!

Hey, you mentioned on SFTB that you eat whole grains in the morning to keep you full. What kind do you use/what's your fav? I've been eating oatmeal but the flavored kind is packed with sugar...

thanks!

GIRL'S GONE CHILD | 5:20 PM

Kashi Wholegrain pilaf: http://www.kashi.com/products/kashi_pilaf_original

(They carry at Whole Foods.)

I eat with soymilk and top with fruit for flava. You're welcome!

kittenpie | 5:49 PM

Doe the fact that he sing opera in french perfectly make you laugh when you think back on almost having him in speech therapy? It would me. (and Pumpkinpie is really musical, too, which is odd, since I love music but can't play anything - it's amazing to see in people so small, no?)

EdenSky | 7:24 PM

That is amazingly fantastic, Archer's a musical prodigy. We need a video of him singing opera...not that we don't believe you of course, just for the cuteness factor.

Desiree | 9:41 PM

Your kids are so fourtunate to have a rad mom like you -- they are going to LOVE looking back at these fabulous tributes you've created for them!

Chantelle {fat mum slim} | 11:40 AM

He's so cute. :)

stephanie | 12:17 PM

I love this! I'm currently expecting my first baby, and I've been trying to figure out a way to document the life once he or she is here. I know I'm going to have a zillion photos, because I'm really into photography, but I think interviews to match the photos is a nice touch. :)

Anonymous | 1:20 PM

Why is it that we all love bragging about our own children but hearing about another tot's astonishing precosity is better than a major sedative for snooooooze-making?
Can't the damn kid go hold up a liquor store or something? You could go along and take pictures with your phone and post them on your blog with cute captions.
Example: Archer with his sawed-off street sweeper. How cute!
Archer demanding the contents of the cash register. I made his mask myself!
Archer says "thank-you" to the terrified hostages. He made sure to grab mommy a bottle of Stoly on the way out!
See? It's much more interesting.

Anonymous | 4:17 PM

That is so so cute. I need to remember to do cute things like that so my kid remembers what she was like as she was growing up.

The Panic Room | 9:41 PM

that off center pic of archer on the spring swing is something to be proud of. I love it.

Andrea | 11:53 PM

From one performer to another, from one mother to another and from one future stage mother to another...congrats on having at least one child (so far) that has much in common with you....it's just another great way you can bond with the offspring... congrats :)

Anonymous | 6:28 PM

Not to be redundant, but he telephone poles make him happy. Presh!

Anonymous | 4:19 PM

Adorable. I think when my son (now 8 mos.) is 3 or 4 I will log his answers to questions like this, such a good idea.

Anonymous | 8:39 PM

Funny how Archer loves telephone poles, mine does too. Archer is amazingly advanced musically, have you considerd Suzuki lessons. Some teachers begin as 2 1/2.

Also, have you tried giving him a violin? I only ask because my cousine is also musically precosious and my aunt and uncle bought a violin on a steep sale for a lark, and she handeled it very carefully, not in the usual toddlery throwing and banging way. She still has it.

And Plan Toys makes a great kids Banjo and I'm sure there are other companies that make instruments that can be used by younger kids.