welcome summer

We have great friends. 

This year, to celebrate the last day of school, they rented a bounce house, set up a baby pool, provided an arsenal of water guns, and shut down their cul-de-sac for an afternoon of pure fun. 

I snapped these photos of Kate and Maisie in about 30 seconds. 

As soon as I saw them, these captions came to mind:

Did you SEE the bounce house?!

 No, seriously. Did you see we have our very own bounce house?

Does it get better than this? Nope. 

I'm hilarious.

Can we do this again next year? Please?

ballerina

Lauren had her ballet recital last night -- a variation on Peter Pan titled, "Peter's Shadow." She loves wearing a pretty costume, having her hair done, getting a little blush on her cheeks, dancing on stage with a big smile on her face, getting flowers and congratulations, 

and sharing it all with her bestie, Olivia. 

Brava, Lauren! 

on the other foot

As we searched for Audrey's red sandals, I asked her, "Have you lost them again?"
"I don't know," she said, exasperated. "I keep track of them, but they don't keep track of me."

happy father's day

I think Kim had a great day! It included homemade cards, a SodaStream, the U.S. Open, a dish of 7-layer dip, and burgers on the grill. But if you ask him, I'm sure he'll say his favorite part was this: 

If you guessed that this was Lauren's idea, you are correct. She came to me a few days ago and said, 

"I know what we should make Dad for Father's Day!" 

"Yes?"

"A FUZZY CELL PHONE CASE." 

I must have given her a quizzical look, because she immediately launched into a how-to: "We could get some pompoms, the NEON kind, and glue them all over the case." I laughed, but I knew she was onto something. On an errand to the craft store I spotted the pompoms and brought them home to three very happy girls who quickly went to work. The results exceeded their expectations, though this photo suggests the prototype might need a little work.

Lauren is not dissuaded. Thanks in large part to the confidence and entrepreneurial spirit her father has instilled in her, she's announced a plan to trouble shoot and mass-produce her fuzzy phone cases in a new Etsy shop! The large crowd of people who gathered around Kim and laughed hysterically in the church lobby will be pleased to know that they, too, can have a fuzzy phone case of their own, 

unless . . . 

instant gratification

June 21st

As I packed lunches for the last day of school, I announced to Audrey that today is the first day of summer. I heard Ella shout, "WHAT? Today is the 21st? I MISSED the SUMMER SOLSTICE SUNRISE? Aww, man. I told myself I was going to watch that this year."

before, during & after

sweetness

Kim seemed to have homework and bath time under control, so I slipped out to finish some yardwork I'd started earlier in the day.

Just as the sun was setting, Audrey came down the front steps. "I put my shoes on, in case you need some helping hands. Do you need some helping hands?"
"I would love some help from your helping hands!" I told her. She beamed.
"I thought you did. That's why I put on my shoes."

I asked her to hold the trash bag while I filled it with yard trimmings. She asked if she could help with the ivy, but I told her there were some prickly things in there I didn't want her to touch. As I filled the bag, some of the trimmings brushed her arms. "I didn't touch the prickles, Mama! I didn't do it. They touched me." She smiled at her own cleverness.

We finished our cleanup in the dark and Audrey exclaimed, "It sure would be handy to have a jar of fire flies right now!" Indeed.

Could it be that this funny little person is going to kindergarten this fall? That my short season having her to myself is almost though? I am resolved to savor every sweet day with her.

I love you, D$!

as seen on TV

Audrey has a lot of advice for me lately. 

When she saw me filing my feet she said, "Mom, you weally should get Callous Clear. (She prounounced it Callous Clee-ya. I had her say it a dozen times before I knew what she was talking about.) You put a lot of it on, and then you just wipe it away, and all of that is gone, and your feet are soooooo soft. It's easy! And for only $19.95!" 

Hmmmm. 

Yesterday she said, "Mom! Can we get Hot Buns? You will FLIP for hot buns! And when you take it out, your hair has gorgeous curls." 

Okay. 

Today she announced, "Mom, if you wash your clothes with two scoops of baking soda soap, it will make them so clean, it will make you think that you just bought them!"

I'm not sure if I should switch to DVR programming, or celebrate her retention skills. 

Probably both. 

only lauren

Lauren caught me sneaking into the house with the Easter loot. She recognized the bag I was carrying as being from our local toy store and asked, "Mom, what are you carrying?"
"Oh," I told her, "Sometimes I like to buy things for you and keep them as surprises." She thought for a moment then asked,
"Are those for . . . Easter?"
"Why would I buy things for Easter?" She gave me a knowing smile.
"Are you buying extra toys to leave out for the Easter bunny so he can make it look like he gave them to us?" I smiled back. She laughed as she scurried away and shouted, "I knew it!"

nerd alert

Ella came home from school giddy with excitement.  She raced into the kitchen and held out the book she found at the library, The Factastic Book of 1,001 Lists. "Look!" she exclaimed as she turned to the pages titled 'Inventions.' I'm going to read this section and write a 5-page book report on it!"
"Is this for extra credit?"I asked.
"No!" she said, "It's for FUN."
"Oh." I was admittedly a little confused, but listened as she explained.
"I've already read the sections on mathemetical equations, the periodic table, and how to say the numbers 1-10 in different languages. I skipped the part about all the ways to tell time because that was boring. The inventions section is awesome."
"Are you planning to do this over Spring Break?" I asked.
"Yup. When I told Ryan he said, 'Nerd alert.' Mom, do you think I'm a nerd?"
"Well," I told her, "If writing about something you think is interesting makes you a nerd, then being a nerd is a great thing. Besides, 'nerd' is just a word people use sometimes to tease people who enjoy learning. Don't let that bother you."
"Oh, it doesn't bother me, Mom. I don't think of the word 'nerd' as being teasing. I think of it as identifying a species of humans."

Nerd alert.

ready for star wars we are not

When I suggested Star Wars for moving night tonight the girls answered in unison, "Star Wars? NOOoooo!"

When I asked them to explain their disdain, Ella volunteered. "We tried to watch that once and didn't make it five minutes. All those spread out words in space?" She paused to adopt an even more mocking tone, "Loooong, loooooong ago in a galaxy faaaar away . . . Okay, I'm done."

I guess that answers that.

little words, big day

Today I had two notable exchanges with Kate.

First, as we played with her Elmo phone, I excitedly received a call and said, "Hello? Hi! Kate, it's for you." I handed her the phone and she yelled, "Hi!" The girls and I cheered pretty enthusiastically, so I think we can count on hearing that one again soon.

At dinner, I gave Kate her food -- a little Gerber dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and carrots -- and walked into the kitchen. I came back two minutes later to find her fingerpainting with gravy. There were little bits of mashed food all over the floor, her high chair, up and down her arms and, of course, her hair.  (I will insert a small note here, that I had just changed her into fresh clothes after she simultaneously had a blowout and played in toilet water up to her elbows.) I asked her, "Did you really just chuck your entire dinner onto the floor?" She looked me in the eyes and said, quite seriously, "Yes."

So, there you go. Two new words in one day. Her entire repetoire now includes:

Mama
Dada
This
Eyes
Hi!   and
Yes.

Lots of big days to come. And I'll savor every one.

to the letter

Audrey came to me with tears in her eyes. "Mom, I'm not really good at drawing the little letters. Ella wrote them for them, but I still can't write them."

We sat down with sheets of penmanship paper and I wrote out the capital letters with their lower case counterparts. She practiced copying them on her own for a few minutes and then came to me where I was working in the kitchen.

"Mom!" she smiled. "You know why I want to practice this? So that when people see me do it, they'll say, That girl does that like she has the alphabet in her mind!"

january 26th

It was one of those nights.

Audrey had a bad dream and crawled into our bed. Before long, I was clinging to the edge on my side, with Kim crowded in the middle, and Audrey sprawled on what seemed like half of the bed. At some point, we invited her to go back to her room, but the suggestion was met with tears. Too tired to address her fear, we suggested moving her to the foot of the bed. This was met with immediate protest and a pitiful request: "I just want to snu(sob)ggle." But when given the alternative of going back to her own bed, she crawled into the comfortable space I'd made for her. For awhile.
Before long I woke up to find myself back on the edge of the bed with Audrey saying, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."
"What?"
"My nose is stuffy. I need a tissue." I brought her a tissue, settled back in, and closed my eyes. "Mom. Mom."
"What?"
"I can still feel my stuffy nose."
"Trying putting your head on two pillows."
"I don't have two pillows." Kim climbed out of bed to find an extra pillow and put it under her head. I thought dawn might be peeking through the blinds, but I avoided looking at the clock for fear it would confirm my suspicion.
Finally. Silence.
Just when we thought Audrey had settled down and fallen asleep, we heard her whisper. "Dad. Dad. Dad. Da-a-a-a-d."
Kim and I answered in unison. "WHAT?!"
"Happy birthday."

classic

Lauren's blanket was in the wash and, sadly, she lost her stuffed animals after several warnings that it was time to be quiet and go to sleep. When I checked on the girls before going to bed 

I found her like this:

                                                        Yes, those are crocheted slippers. 

daily sighting

What's a girl to do when her necklace-wearing dog is on a leash tied to her jeggings, but she doesn't want to risk him getting dirty in the bathroom when she has to go? 

Strip and run. 

confession

Dear Kate,

Every time I put you down for a nap I hold you in my arms with your furry blanket and hum "I Am a Child of God." If I think it will help, I hum it twice. But then, whether you seem willing or not, I lay you down in your crib.

Sometimes you lie perfectly still on your back exactly where I place you, as though you've already found the most comfortable position possible. Your head turned to the side, you clutch your blanket to your nose, sigh, and close your eyes. It's the sweetest thing.

Of course, there are also times when you writhe angrily to your side and get to your feet in an instant. You grip the bars of your crib like a wrongly accused prisoner. You look to the ceiling, as if to make sure I can really hear you, and let out a cry that is equal parts fury and helplessness. After a few moments (or minutes), you give up in disgust. You look down at the furry blanket at your feet and plow into it face first. You push the blanket under your belly and, with your little bum in the air, you start getting comfortable. You complain with a whimper or two, but before you know it, you're sound asleep.

And here is my confession: I know this because every time I lay you down for a nap I close the door and watch you through the keyhole. When you stand, your big head and little body fill my view perfectly. When you lie down, I hope you turn your head my way so I can see your rosey cheeks, your mouth open in a tiny "o," and your eyes closed so peacefully. I love to watch your antics, and your surrender. And, most of all, I love to watch you sleeping.

I love you.

Mom

xoxo

oldies

There's just not much worth watching on TV these days, especially for kids. Some of my old favorites, like Little House on the Prairie, have been enjoyed by the girls on cable TV. But our recent subscription to Netflix has opened up a whole new world.

First up, Brady Bunch. Before I played the first episode I explained to them, "Girls, when I was your age, every day after school I would race off the bus, get a yogurt out of the fridge, and sit down in front of the TV just in time for this show to start. See what you think." Safe to say, if Brady Bunch were still on TV they'd be racing home to watch it, too. I let them watch the first three episodes for Friday Movie Night, and by Sunday night they'd watched the whole first season. Two things dominated our discussion afterward: The girls wish we had a Tiger, and I wish we had an Alice!

Next up, Leave It to Beaver. I wasn't sure if they'd go for black and white, but it turns out black and white TV is to kids what subtitles are to adults; a few minutes into it they didn't even notice. They were too busy laughing at Wally pretending to take a bath to stay out of trouble, and The Beaver carrying a toad in his pocket. Personally, I'm amused by June and Ward's perfection and, at times, educated by their parenting. It's funny to see what the girls are picking up. Today I found a gift tag Ella made for Audrey's birthday present to Kim. It reads, "This book was made by Audrey Moore on account of her Dad's birthday." Ha!

We just got Brady Bunch Season 2 in the mail. Next in the queue: The Cosby Show.

Who needs cable?

audrey marie moore

Today on the walk home from school Audrey took off ahead of us, as she sometimes does. But instead of stopping at the intersection nearest our house as usual, she ran dangerously across two streets. I called to her, "Audrey! Stop right there!" Lauren set out to catch her, but after a few strides stopped and turned back to me, "Mom?" she asked seriously, "Is this a time to use Audrey's full name?"