And a happy day to my two year old!
Friday, December 09, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Happy Birthday, Madeleine
Of course, this happened way back in August. It is hard to believe that she is four already! And she is an amazing, beautiful, thoughtful, and astonishing four. We adore her.
Friday, July 15, 2011
happenings
Real quick -
The girl is growing in leaps and bounds in confidence and creativity this summer. She is climbing like a monkey, practicing 'figuring' and rudimentary reading, has started really developing her artistic sense (representational drawings, color block paintings, ubiquitous ballerina dolls), and has been mostly happy and a joy to be with.
The boy is going through his language explosion - suddenly he is mimicking everything. he gains words every day (although some of those words are indistinguishable from other words), and with them opinions and interest. He lives for tooling around outside or snuggling up with a book. He, too, seems happy and is fun to be around.
The girl is growing in leaps and bounds in confidence and creativity this summer. She is climbing like a monkey, practicing 'figuring' and rudimentary reading, has started really developing her artistic sense (representational drawings, color block paintings, ubiquitous ballerina dolls), and has been mostly happy and a joy to be with.
The boy is going through his language explosion - suddenly he is mimicking everything. he gains words every day (although some of those words are indistinguishable from other words), and with them opinions and interest. He lives for tooling around outside or snuggling up with a book. He, too, seems happy and is fun to be around.
Twin Falls hike
This morning the kids and i went on a hike to the nearby Twin Falls. We were joined by some friends. I hadn't taken the kids on a 'hike' by myself before, but it went so well that i'm encouraged to try it again soon. And boy did it feel great to get out there - a warm day, but cool and peaceful beneath the trees.
The intrepid explorers set off:
As with many local forests there were lush landscapes and trees in all sorts of stages of life. Some of which made good hideouts.
While we got out lunch the kids practiced magic on a bench high on a cliff overlooking the falls.
See, really, there were falls in the distance:
We didn't make it to what is supposed to be the big payoff - a bridge over those falls - but at something nearing 3 miles round trip we felt like it was a good hike for us. The big kids would have liked to go further (but i think we were glad to get back when we did - still happy and moving along). Even the little kids walked some of the distance, and mostly did well to explore via backpack and let us get a bit of range in.
My partner in crime:
And my smiling company on my back:
And proof of a good outing:
The intrepid explorers set off:
As with many local forests there were lush landscapes and trees in all sorts of stages of life. Some of which made good hideouts.
While we got out lunch the kids practiced magic on a bench high on a cliff overlooking the falls.
See, really, there were falls in the distance:
We didn't make it to what is supposed to be the big payoff - a bridge over those falls - but at something nearing 3 miles round trip we felt like it was a good hike for us. The big kids would have liked to go further (but i think we were glad to get back when we did - still happy and moving along). Even the little kids walked some of the distance, and mostly did well to explore via backpack and let us get a bit of range in.
My partner in crime:
And my smiling company on my back:
And proof of a good outing:
bike gang
Last week i watched some friends' kids for a day, and they brought their bikes. That meant i spent the afternoon in a local school's parking lot with my very own bike gang. (If you look closely that is four kids on bikes there...)
Can you imagine how good it feels to know that my kids are out there riding bikes? The boy loves that tricycle, although his legs aren't quite long enough to make the pedals go round. When the garage door is open he beelines for his helmet. And the girl is making strides - she's getting fast, and adventuresome on her bike. More importantly, she is having fun.
Can you imagine how good it feels to know that my kids are out there riding bikes? The boy loves that tricycle, although his legs aren't quite long enough to make the pedals go round. When the garage door is open he beelines for his helmet. And the girl is making strides - she's getting fast, and adventuresome on her bike. More importantly, she is having fun.
camping!
So, we took the family camping last weekend. Two nights and two days with a smoky camp fire, camp food, dirty feet, and a blessedly close beach. It was awesome!
The kids did great. They tried all manner of shared camp meals (we went camping with a total of four families - four camp sights, 7 parents, 7 kids, the dog, and loads of fun), and slept well. Here is the boy in his first ever night sleeping in nothing but his bag:
(You also see here, one of his current favorite books - My Friends, *and how cool do we find it that he has favorite books?* - a beloved present from Team Neill when the girl was born.)
During the day the kids took trips to the park's playground, and to the park's beach. The playground was a playground, and valuable, but not inherently thrilling. The beach, on Hood Canal, was excellent. The beaches were rocky, but shallow for lots of kid play. And the life was terrific - clams, oysters, barnacles, crabs, shrimp, lichen, random beach succulents, un-recognized but thrilling bird songs, the dog...
I think everyone had a good time, and i'm so grateful and happy that we get to do this sort of thing!
The kids did great. They tried all manner of shared camp meals (we went camping with a total of four families - four camp sights, 7 parents, 7 kids, the dog, and loads of fun), and slept well. Here is the boy in his first ever night sleeping in nothing but his bag:
(You also see here, one of his current favorite books - My Friends, *and how cool do we find it that he has favorite books?* - a beloved present from Team Neill when the girl was born.)
During the day the kids took trips to the park's playground, and to the park's beach. The playground was a playground, and valuable, but not inherently thrilling. The beach, on Hood Canal, was excellent. The beaches were rocky, but shallow for lots of kid play. And the life was terrific - clams, oysters, barnacles, crabs, shrimp, lichen, random beach succulents, un-recognized but thrilling bird songs, the dog...
I think everyone had a good time, and i'm so grateful and happy that we get to do this sort of thing!
summer camp
The girl is attending a summer camp for a few weeks this summer - about 8 hours a week of playing outside, doing craft projects, and dressing up with other kids. Right up her alley. Here she is with the outfit she chose for the first day - she (thankfully) still has a kid's sartorial sense, but its interesting to see the progression. Note here that she picked out (carefully and deliberately) matching pink rabbits.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
summer!
The local wading pool opened this weekend. Girl and boy even got to try out their new summer swim suits.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
gettingready
Here is the girl arriving for her big ballet performance. She was practically vibrating. We've got a bunch of pictures of the actual performance, but i've gotta sort them.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
best buddies
I got out of the shower to find the girl reading to the boy. They wouldn't sit still for the photo, though.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friends!
Our family is so lucky. We're lucky for our family. And we're lucky for our friends.
We made friends with a neighboring family this past year, and the girls really hit is off! Here they are enjoying a surprise visit by a Red Robin at story time. (Yes, it was surreal to me, too. But, hey, books and shake-a-shake-a.)
And in a quieter moment:
One of our idyllic 'family' dinners.
These guys are gonna be trouble!
We also get to go on field trips with people.
And get in a lot of princess time.
We made friends with a neighboring family this past year, and the girls really hit is off! Here they are enjoying a surprise visit by a Red Robin at story time. (Yes, it was surreal to me, too. But, hey, books and shake-a-shake-a.)
And in a quieter moment:
One of our idyllic 'family' dinners.
These guys are gonna be trouble!
We also get to go on field trips with people.
And get in a lot of princess time.
3.9
Somehow, the girl's first year of school has come to an end. It is hard for me to believe - it seems like just yesterday that she was begging me to start school earlier. We have some plans for the summer, but are also looking forward to laying low, devouring books, and getting in some quality swimming.
On Friday she has her first ballet 'performance' (a half hour class demonstration, marked by the excitement of getting to wear a skirt, and more importantly, having her dad watch). She still delights in ballet, and likes to practice often.
In the past few months we have also seen the girl make great leaps in her self confidence and creativity. She often sings songs to herself, has been experimenting with more complex art, and just recently has been sounding out words to spell or read.
Of course, she still delights in sartorial expression, and is still our sweet little girl.
(after a haircut)
(enjoying an idyllic Seattle day in the Market.)
On Friday she has her first ballet 'performance' (a half hour class demonstration, marked by the excitement of getting to wear a skirt, and more importantly, having her dad watch). She still delights in ballet, and likes to practice often.
In the past few months we have also seen the girl make great leaps in her self confidence and creativity. She often sings songs to herself, has been experimenting with more complex art, and just recently has been sounding out words to spell or read.
Of course, she still delights in sartorial expression, and is still our sweet little girl.
(after a haircut)
(enjoying an idyllic Seattle day in the Market.)
Friday, June 10, 2011
18 months
The boy hit the 18 month mark on Wednesday. Today we had his well-child doctor's visit. Of course, he was declared fit and happy.
At about 33.5" tall (82%), 27 lbs (57%), and 49.5cm head (90%), he is a bundle of energy, and coordinated to boot. He loves spending time outside, and throwing and chasing frisbees and balls. He will make a drum out of just about any stick and round disk he can find. And he eagerly joins the girl in bringing me a book when we sit down for reading.
We are delighting in watching him develop. It feels like he is on the verge of a language explosion, and has acquired a number of words and demonstrated a lot of interest in more. He seems to understand a most of what we say to him. He also has a growing interest in ducks, drums, frisbees, balls, and trucks.
Also, recently, he moved into his big-boy bed, after an early morning visit to mom and dad's room demonstrated his ability to climb out of his crib. (An impressive feat that he made look easy.) We think he likes his new bed, although he is not quite as willing to fall asleep with a good book-shelf as his sister was.
Some of my happiest moments are watching the girl and the boy together - they have a growing relationship and often seem to delight in each other's company. The girl takes good care of him, and he aspires to take part in all of her fun.
At about 33.5" tall (82%), 27 lbs (57%), and 49.5cm head (90%), he is a bundle of energy, and coordinated to boot. He loves spending time outside, and throwing and chasing frisbees and balls. He will make a drum out of just about any stick and round disk he can find. And he eagerly joins the girl in bringing me a book when we sit down for reading.
We are delighting in watching him develop. It feels like he is on the verge of a language explosion, and has acquired a number of words and demonstrated a lot of interest in more. He seems to understand a most of what we say to him. He also has a growing interest in ducks, drums, frisbees, balls, and trucks.
Also, recently, he moved into his big-boy bed, after an early morning visit to mom and dad's room demonstrated his ability to climb out of his crib. (An impressive feat that he made look easy.) We think he likes his new bed, although he is not quite as willing to fall asleep with a good book-shelf as his sister was.
Some of my happiest moments are watching the girl and the boy together - they have a growing relationship and often seem to delight in each other's company. The girl takes good care of him, and he aspires to take part in all of her fun.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
But these are better pictures with Dad!
From an idyllic Seattle day at the Market:
Playing Frisbee with Dad (Frisbee is his best buddy):
Playing Frisbee with Dad (Frisbee is his best buddy):
Ducks!
More recently - last weekend Dad's company (www.cozi.com) had a publicity event - Get Your Ducks in a Row!
Have we mentioned that the boy loves ducks? His first word was probably duck. And 'duck' and 'quack' are the things we hear most often. He loves ducks.
Have we mentioned that the boy loves ducks? His first word was probably duck. And 'duck' and 'quack' are the things we hear most often. He loves ducks.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Behind
I'm a terrible blogger. Let's face it. There are many things that should be here, even many photos. Starting with, but not ending with a wonderful trip to the east coast. For, example, we found this great playground near the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
The year according to the girl.
Girl: I'm so excited!
Mom: Really, why?
G: Today is Easter. Easter is one of my best days.
M: That's cool. What are your other best days?
G: Fair. Halloween. Easter. ... Thanksgiving. Christmas. and my Birthday.
G: and Sleepovers. and Desert.
Well, she's just about got it down.
Mom: Really, why?
G: Today is Easter. Easter is one of my best days.
M: That's cool. What are your other best days?
G: Fair. Halloween. Easter. ... Thanksgiving. Christmas. and my Birthday.
G: and Sleepovers. and Desert.
Well, she's just about got it down.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
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