But TODAY ... hot off the press ... Syd learned to ride a bike

... and pulled out her tooth.

Speaking of .... where is that tooth????  Does the Tooth Fairy know where to find it?

Back to the bike.  This is the little "Circus Bike" (as Syd calls it), that Briton snatched off the top of a pile of trash at the dump.  It's definitely earned it's keep.  Talmage took the training wheels off this afternoon and then, before I knew what was happening, Syd was pedaling away.  She got it in a couple of minutes.  Start with little Circus Bikes, is what I say.


Once without the helmet:


Once with:



(For some reason, the most recent download isn't appearing in the iPhoto screen.  I'll insert the videos when I find them.)

Anyway,  it was one of those things I didn't expect to happen during the course of the day.  It just happened.  She's pretty happy about both the tooth and the bike.

Clara turned THREE awhile back.

Clara's cake is supposed to be Rocket.  From the video you can see she isn't too sure about the whole Happy Birthday thing.  She warmed up when it came to present time.  Talmage made her birthday crown.

Clara.  I feel to expound on the delights and challenges of Clara at this age.  Clara has zest.  She chatters unceasingly.  She is outgoing and friendly.  She'll ask strangers, "What's your name?" -- tho' she clams up when they ask her the same question in return.  She is super stubborn and if she decides she's disinclined toward a given parental demand, no amount of threatenings will ensure compliance.  In fact, she'll do just the opposite.  For example, in response to "Clara, don't touch that!", she will slowly shuffle toward the off-limit object and reach out her hand, shrewdly watching your blood vessels rapidly engorge and pop out of your skull, as she deliberately disobeys.  She will melt in your arms if you promise to scratch her back, but it must be on her bare skin.  She likes things "just so" -- her rain coat must be snapped up, all the way to her chin, with her hood on, even if it's not raining.  I know whenever I put any jacket on her, it must be all the way zipped or buttoned up, from the get go or I hear all manner of objections and complaining until it's set right.  When she's super happy, she walks with a wide-spaced gait and gallop.  She's really proud about being able to dress herself (when she feels like it) but if she doesn't feel like being independent or helping to clean up, a common excuse is, "It's too heavy for my hands."   She likes to ride her big wheel, push dolls in a stroller, squeeze the living daylight out of Miles, and play with her playgroup friends.  They dance and play hide-n'-seek.  She loves helping out in the kitchen.  Above all, she adores peanut butter and honey sandwiches, cut into triangles, and eats them 9/10 times for breakfast and often for lunch as well.  But make sure you plate the triangles "just so".    One could compose an entire post on Clara's methodology of eating a PB&H sandwich.

We love you so much, Clara.  Happy Number Three.

Sydney turned FIVE awhile back.

Merriment and good exercise at Pump It Up.

Sydney wanted sugar cookies instead of a cake.  She decorated cookie butterflies for the friends.

T

The awkward after-party -- the PIU place puts the birthday kid over to the side on a throne, apart from the friends.  Then they deliver their gifts to the the throne, like good little loyal subjects.

Grandma and Grandpa Barker remembered Syd's birthday, clear from England.  Thanks, grandma and grandpa.

Birthday Dinner at Five Guys for a Five Year Old.

My, how you've grown!

Love you, Sydney.

This girl ...

She takes the cake.

A morning stroll to visit Puddleduck

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Goldfish.

We're getting rid of the "water feature" out front, so that meant the three goldfish had to move.  Their new abode has waterfront views. In case moving them to their new real estate is considered illegal dumping, we had one of our resident minors do the deed.

"Yazi"

 19 Feb 2013

"Mommy pulled my tooth out.  I put it in a box.  And I put it under the tooth pillow.  And the tooth fairy came.  And gave me some money.  And I put it in my bank.  Now I have a gap in my mouth.  I like to chew things with it, like pretzels.  I put straws in there and my tongue.  Sometimes I smile with my tongue in my gap."  By: Sydney




These three kids have something in common.  Besides the same parents.   Somehow, they arranged to have their new bottom teeth growing in at the same time.  If you could see Miles' pearly whites, you'd also notice his canines are coming in before his two upper front teeth -- so he looks like a vampire when he laughs.

How Media Invaded Our Home and Created New Obsessions

Clara=Little Einsteins

One morning, she was nibbling away on her almond butter sandwich and said, out of the blue:
"I like daddy.  He's so cute.  Like Einsteins."

A few days later, after she'd gone to sleep, I went in to check on her.  She was fast asleep, with one leg slung over the bunkbed rail.  I climbed up to reposition her.  With eyes still closed, she demanded, "Tuck in!"  and then sing-songed the words "Lost our baton."

On her birthday, we checked out a puppet show at the library.   It was mediocre, but Clara, who wasn't paying much attention, snapped to when she heard the puppeteers introduce one of the characters, Albert Einstein.  "Einsteins!"  she exclaimed.

 (PJs are stuffed with a blanket.  She likes to be a weeble-wobble every now and then.  BTW, she's singing the lyrics to one of the Einstein episodes in a very staccato interpretation: "The eagle took Leo's baton...").

Talmage and Briton=Video Games  (email me if you want the TRUE evidence; too embarassing to be posted to the public General).

Me=The West Wing

I'd post a video, but I have to go now and watch three episodes before I go to sleep.

The Story About My Teeth

I lost my two bottom middle teeth. I wiggled my teeth with my finger and tongue. I felt excited for my teeth to fall out. My first tooth got pulled out. And my second tooth got pushed out at lunch recess. And I told the recess teacher and she told me that I should go inside to the office in the school to get a tooth necklace for my tooth.

And when I got home I got ready for bed I put my tooth in my toothpillow and went to sleep. And when I woke up I had four quarters. (which was one dollar.) Thanks Tooth Fairy.

By: Talmage

(top photo: age 12 months; bottom photo: age 6 years)

In Perpetuity.

 We celebrated our 8th anniversary at the thematically correct Cape Perpetua.

 

The little Nubbin' came with us - so it wasn't too crazy.   The above short nature walk sported beautiful views and we took turns exploring the rocks.  Spent some time in the visitor's center - on pretense that we wanted to put together the puzzle, but mostly to avoid the rain (it hailed during one jaunt).  It wasn't busy so the Park Service people let me nurse Miles while we had our own private showing about the grey whale migration.  I learned that mama whale milk is 53% fat (heavy whipping cream is 36-40%) and baby whales drink 50 gallons a day.   This was disconcerting information to hear whilst nursing - especially post-seafood slumgullion (100% cream and cheese), halibut and chips, and crab-cream-garlic soup.

The hotel we stayed at was very fancy -- they even had flowers for us, in commemoration (they do that for all the guests ;).  There was a spa with free use of their pools/locker room.  We had to take turns soaking in the warmth -- they weren't keen on a baby "wailing" and breaking up the "peaceful, transcendent atmosphere."

Baby or no,  I would go back to this hotel because of the locker room.   One table was dedicated to sliced cucumbers on ice.  A little note explained the health benefits of cucumbers as well as their restorative properties.  You could also help yourself to some ice water and float a cucumber in it.  I took two slices, as directed, and placed them just so over my eyes while I lounged in the sauna, like this.  I tried my hard-edest to be zen about it but mostly felt silly.   Another table suggested different smelly lotions to use as you pleased.  I pleased all of them.  The showerhead was the size of a frisbee.  The flooring had raised, smooth pebbles so your feet were massaged while your head was massaged from the shower.   Oh!  And also, you know how hotels give complementary soaps and shampoos in your room and you're always scheming how you can steal more off of the maid cart?  Well!!! In this shower, there is a HUGE bottle of the Aveda shampoo and conditioner -- and it's all tingly and rosemary-minty.  I took three showers one day.  That spa was wonderful.  And I haven't even told you about the plentiful piles of fluffy, white towels yet.

And then, finally, it took eight years, but Briton beat me at Scrabble.  OK.  He SMOKED me at Scrabble.  Score = 440.   Lucky for me, there's eternity for a rematch.

But don't forget the reason we have a zoo membership ...

 ZOOOOOO-Lights 2012.

I look like my mom, Talmage has a long tongue, Sydney is not in a bjorn, Sonya is like, "How'd I get roped into this?"  Clara is all like, "Hey! This stroller is broken." (we threw the stroller in the trash on our way out of the zoo.  Didn't even TRY to recycle it.  Piece of $2 junk).

 The kids played around with the drums in Africa and climbed all over these animal sculptures.  I was impressed that we dissuaded them from the loooooooooooooooooong line for the Zoo Train without much protest.   I gave myself a thrifty pat on the back when I heard from co-workers, later, that the train ride was not worth the wait.

 What in the heck with this picture????  It kind of looks like something is blasting out of the stroller ("Miiiiiiles!!!!!!").

Merry Christmas. As Promised.

 Last year I made gingerbread from scratch, but because it was so labor-intensive, I made the kids share houses.  This year, I didn't have the wherewithal to make the gingerbread.  So when Sydney pleaded, "Mom?  Can I make my own house this year?"  I said, "You bet", because I had already planned these little graham cracker babies.

 Calvary Lutheran Preschool Christmas Program.

 Miss Maggie and Miss Michelle, two really great teachers.

THEN ....

 same trek as last year to The Grotto.  I think it's the same bunny, too.  Clara went crazy with glee in the petting zoo.

 

We don't have a photo, but the Grotto also has the same puppeteer.  She's been performing Christmas puppet shows for the past 26 years.  She is a genius.  The kids (the Littles and the Bigs) eat it up.

AND THEN ....

 Hilary and Jeff hosted the Family Christmas Dinner, modeled after the Wilson Family Christmas Party (Honey Jo's mom's side).  Complete with White Elephant Gift exchange and Nativity re-enactment.  Miles played Baby Jesus most reverently.

 Leila seems a tad bewildered that she delivered such a large baby and Isaac appears to be stoic and proud as Joseph.  Clara's looking for her cue.  And Sydney is wearing her GK's wedding veil.

 The best part of the play was when Leila took the pillow out from her belly and hucked it behind her to show she had, indeed, Brought Forth.

AND THEN ... CHRISTMAS EVE A LA BRUNO'S ...

 Sleigh Bells before we head back home....  to set up the party for the next day.

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

 There's a present on the wall!!!!

 They don't ask for much at this age.

 From Briton, proving the old adage is true, "Good things come in small packages."