Saturday, July 6, 2013

Sparkles McSweatypants

Our MOMS Club sponsored the kids' craft at the Farmer's Market today, and if we do it again next year, we will definitely go with some sort of apple craft in September, or even pumpkins in October. Because today was, quite literally, hotter than the Fourth of July.


I see the sweat, but what's up with the sparkles? 



Oh.


As you can see, Peeper chose to make a Texas flag. (Sort of. Yes, I know it should have the "blood on the ground," but she wouldn't believe me.)


Originally, we planned to do these hand "print" (cut-out) flags, but Peeper insisted that she wanted hers to be "a rectangle flag" so we offered that option as well. (Most were actually half this size. This was our example.)

As it turned out, most of the kids chose to go with the rectangles, although we had a few takers for the hand prints toward the end of the morning.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a lovely Fourth of July! Shrike was off work, so we actually got to spend the day together as a family, and we were also able to spend the evening with friends.

We started with swimming lessons. It was "family day" so there were lots of parents and grandparents hovering around the deck taking photos, so we were finally able to get close enough for you to actually see Peeper in the pool.



From there, we grabbed some lunch and made a Target run to get a few things for this evening. Then home to pit all those cherries that we picked the other day, and bake a cherry pie. I meant to take a photo as soon as it came out of the oven, but of course, I remembered right after I'd served the first slice. It was much prettier about thirty seconds earlier.


The pie (and a watermelon, and s'mores fixins that didn't get used and half a bottle of wine) went with us over to T's house, where we had a cookout with her family and A's family. I got lots of Baby N snuggles, as did Peeper. She told me, "He's breathing. His little belly is going up."


From there, we went to another MOMS Club friend's house to watch the fireworks. She lives right next to the park, and they were shooting them off literally just a few feet from her backyard. As soon as they started, several of the little ones freaked out because of the noise and had to go inside, but not our Peeper. She loved it.

We'd brought glow sticks/bracelets for all the kids, and during the show, she was "directing" the fireworks, telling them what to do!





Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Little Horses

After swimming lessons this morning, we grabbed some lunch and headed over to the miniature horse park down the road.

Shrike and I have been there a couple of times, once when we first moved here, and once with Peeper, about three years ago.
















During the animal show, Peeper was chosen (after she practically climbed into the ring on her own) to play basketball against a border collie (and that big boy).







Then (August 16, 2010) and now:




Tuesday, July 2, 2013

An Interview With Athena

Plus a little cooking, and another myth or two. It's super-long, but I think it's worth it.


Fifty-Six Months

Dear Peeper:
Last week, while we were in Texas visiting Grandma and Grandpa (and everyone else), you turned fifty-six months old - four-and-two-thirds!

You and I have both been on summer vacation all month, and we're certainly enjoying it. Other than our trip to Texas, we haven't done anything really spectacular yet, but it's been nice to just hang out and not have to worry about work or school for either of us for a little while.

And what have you been doing during all this hanging out?



We put up a bunch of new shelving in the sunroom (paid for with our birthday money) and when we took the old entertainment center out to the curb (with a "FREE" sign on it), you had a complete meltdown. You cried, "Entertaaaaiiiinmmmmeeent Ceeeeennnnnteeeer!" like you were losing your best friend. Luckily, by the time you noticed that it was gone, you had gotten over it, and were excited to report that someone had taken it.


While I was in the shower getting ready for the birthday / Father's Day gift extravaganza with Mommy's family, you came in and informed me that, "I'm making a pina-yata for Papa's birthday." (Which was to be celebrated about an hour later.)

"Sure honey, okay."

When I got out, and went into the kitchen, I saw that you had a balloon and a much of strips of paper soaking in a bowl of water.

So, I kind of promised you that we would make one sometime. Guess we gotta do that, huh?



A couple of weeks ago, Mommy and I went to a concert, and Miss S came over to babysit. You were totally cool with it, and barely even told us goodbye when we left.

As the concert was wrapping up, Miss S texted to tell us that after several stories, she got up to turn off the lights, and when she asked if you wanted her to come back and lie down with you again, you said no. She kept an eye on you, and a few minutes later, texted to say that she was "hearing some little snores."

The next morning, you told me that, "Miss S was looking at me through the door. I closed my eyes, because I didn't want her looking at me."

When we got home around 1:30 am, you were still asleep. I took you to potty, put you back in bed, and although you had your eyes open for a bit, you didn't cry or ask for goody, you just went back to sleep.



More often than not, you fall right back to sleep when I get you up. Often, even if you are asking me to lie down or give you goody, if I have to go potty first, you are asleep by the time I get back. Okay, sometimes I potty reeeaaalllly slowly.



"Ring around the rosie, a monkey full of tooties. . . ."



In discussing "Aunt" Frappa's wedding, you told me that "Uncle" S, "Should wear a suit and a coat and a collar."

I had to explain that men wear ties, dogs wear collars.



Me: Why do you like chewing on your fingernails?
You: They're very tasty.
Me (trying a different approach): Is there a way that you're feeling, when you feel like you want to chew on your fingernails?
You: Yes.
Me: How do you feel?
You: Hungry.

Oh.


Happy four-and-two-thirds, little girlie. 

We love you!


Love,
Mama

Monday, July 1, 2013

Panda Pics: Fifty-Six Months (Plus a few days)

Featuring Young Santa



Young Santa?

This child. I swear. The things she comes up with.





First Day of Swimming Lessons

Peeper started her first "big kid" swimming lessons today, at the public pool.

The weather was a bit touch-and-go, but there was no thunder or lightning, so they were able to swim. Today was just the screening day, where they figured out what the kids can do, so they can group them by ability for the rest of the course.

Peeper did great! It was the first time she's been in a pool without one of us, so we weren't sure how she'd handle it, but she had no problem at all.

It was also our first time at this particular pool, so I wasn't sure if she'd be able to touch bottom (they don't allow float packs for lessons). I asked a friend about it, and she said, "Oh, she'll be fine. It's only like three-and-a-half feet deep."

Um, Peeper is only three-and-a-quarter feet deep!

Actually, the water is only two feet deep, so she was fine. She walked down those steps and right out into it and was headed on across the pool when the teacher called her back over to where the class was meeting! She blew lots of bubbles, and put her face in the water willingly several times. She also went under accidentally a couple of times, once that the teacher reached over and picked her up. She didn't look to thrilled about it, but handled it okay. The first time, we actually saw her say to the teacher, "I'm okay."

I really wanted to get some photos of her in the water, but the parent observation area was really far away from the pool, so I had to make do with this two, from right after class.



Russian Bear Tap Dancer

That was she said she was.