Getting ready to go to the pool two nights ago:
Elena: Mom, are you wearing a top?
Julie (holding up her bikini bathing suit top): Yeah, here it is.
Elena: No, that’s just nipples!
Yes, there is normally a photo in this space. No, there is not a photo in this space today. The reason you can't see the photo here is because I like being married.
Elena playing a giant drum with Eugene Taiko on Friday night.
I was making dinner in the kitchen, and Elena was looking at a book at the dining room table. She had been pretty quiet for a while, which is sometimes a sign that I’m going to have to clean up a big mess later, so I went in to check on her. She was out cold. I’m surprised she didn’t fall off of the chair.
Notice that she got to the last page of the book before "resting her eyes."
This, of course, is better than the other thing that sometimes happens when a three-year-old forgets to take a nap – a nice little meltdown about an hour before her usual bedtime. Not that my three-year-old would ever do that, but I’ve heard it happens.
It’s almost Christmas in Oregon, which means it’s time to go cut a Christmas tree!
It hasn’t snowed in the mountains for weeks, but it has been nice and cold, so I figured there would still be some snow for sledding. We decided to gather some friends and make a day of it.
We cut the tree first, while we had lots of energy. Since there was only about six inches of packed snow on the ground, we were able to walk into the woods after the tree in our regular snow boots. Much easier than snowshoes!
Shoveling it (in).
It took us a little while to find a tree that was short enough and full enough to make a good Christmas tree. Wild-grown trees are necessarily a little Charlie Brown-ish, but they always look great with lots of lights and ornaments on them.
The kids practiced their saw safety:
Like this?
Big brother shows how it's done.
Cries of “Timber!” rang through the woods, and we heaved and pulled the monstrous beast back to the van.
And then it was time for:
Sledding!
Sledding!
The kids loved the hard, fast snow. They are fearless. I, on the other hand, got jounced around hard enough that two runs was enough for me. I was happy to be the designated photographer.
After a peaceful ride home (Sylvan read aloud to himself from chapter books during the whole ride there and back), we took a quick break to go down the street and watch a little Thomas the Tank Engine with Señor Cupcake…
Señor Cupcake's mom says that Elena can come hang out with him any time. That sounded good to Elena.
… followed by putting up the tree!
No ornaments yet. Just a really soft tree skirt to rub our faces on. Did we mention that it was really soft?
“Louis liked Boston the minute he saw it from the sky.” – E.B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan, chapter 14.
OK, not exactly what the author intended, but it's pretty nice this way too.
2000! 2000! TWO! THOUSAND!
Wait, what?
Still a phone booth, just not in the way the 20th century intended.
Note to pedants (I know all you pedants will read this far): I know 2000 is not in the 21st century. As an infamous man said about his bad decision in the year 2000: Get over it.
Mini-recital for her first completed series of dance classes in the morning:
Not a bad first position plie.
This is what Miss E thinks "performing" means.
Followed by the Nutcracker Short and Suite this afternoon, a little present the Oregon Ballet School gives to the community every year. I appreciate it!
The sweetest Sugarplum Fairy, a very poised 16-year-old.
Elena held up her hand after the performance, wanting to make a comment during the question period, but she wasn’t called on. She looked at me and her face crumpled. “I wanted to tell her I dance,” she sobbed. The dancers were all standing around, ready for autographs and greetings. “Go tell the Sugarplum Fairy,” I suggested. Sometimes Moms really do know just what to say.
San Diego. April 2011.
I worked on a grant application in my hotel room for 12 hours that day.
My creative wife. This project took her no time at all. She is amazing.
No, not the little girl, you sick puppy. *Behind* the little girl!
Thank you, Mr. Lawyer.
!