Friends–June 2013

Zoe made fast firm friendships with two sweet little girls who just so happen to prove that it’s a small world after all.
Cassandra’s (seen here on a play date) mom (Tamara Fernando) and I graduated from Federal Way HS together (‘94).

And Claire, seen here at the morning kindergartners’ ‘transition lunch’ (whereby they get the hang of having lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of school), and her mom and dad were in my PEPS group with Zoe.

The three of these girls make a great little troop and I’m glad they have each other as friends.
Then there’s Jake, our neighbor in the green house in the cul-de-sac across the way (the only other house we put an offer on when hunting for house #2!). Jake’s pretty much the lone boy on a street full of girls. Good thing the girls don’t mind going in cahoots with him

Maggie’s popular by her own right and never fails to impress new friends with her crazy sense of humor. (seen on a play date with Peneope)

Vancouver, Memorial Day weekend 2013

We were far overdue to go down to see Dave’s grandparents’ new house in Vancouver and the long weekend was a great time to do it.

Now that the girls are a bit older, we’re finding that getting *out* is a necessary thing and the Esther Short Park near the Vancouver waterfront is a great excursion. We love the farmer’s market, they have a great play area and the water feature is always a treat. And a great opportunity for some great pix:


Monkey meets bars

No suit? no worries!

love these sisters


blooms for grandma

Kindercreations–May 2013

Zoe’s kindergarten class said goodbye to their school year by putting on a showcase of some of the music and art they’d been working on throughout the school year. It was a really fun opportunity to see Zoe being a real part of her school community.


 Zoe and best buds, Claire Sterling (second from left) and Cassandra White (second from right)


 Zoe (top, second from left), Cassandra (middle, far right), and Claire (bottom, far right)



Flat Stanly (aka, Flat Zoe), home from Maine


Cool cat

GET VIDS - Within a matter of seconds–May 2013

We took Zoe’s training wheels off in late fall, 2012. So late, that we really didn’t get much practice on the bike without them before the truly crappy weather emerged.

Then, come spring, we had those new Xmas scooters to break in and the bike became ‘that thing we should do’ but didn’t. That, and I have to admit, I wasn’t overly excited about hunching over to steady Zoe’s reluctant riding.

And man, she was reluctant.

And then one day, the Waddells came over for a visit and brought their bikes for some spins in the circle. Lucy was already on her two wheels and working her way into using handbrakes. And I committed, then and there, to make riding on two wheels a daily thing for Zoe.

So, the next day, I took her out. And she got, let’s say, reluctant. So she bailed and I didn’t fight it. But I did notice that her little sister was tearing up the street on her little scoot bike, so I suggested to Dave that he take her training wheels off her two-wheeler.

And then he set her up at the top of the slope where she confidently said over her shoulder “Dad, I got this.” So he let her go. And go she did!

Seconds later – after my disbelieving hoots and hollers – Zoe suggested that if Maggie could do it, perhaps she could try again.

So she did. And she nailed it!

I don’t have pix of Maggie’s first ride because, well, I wasn’t expecting it to be a true maiden voyage, but these shots and vids were all taken within minutes of each other.

Amazing.

Scoot

WILL HAVE TO POST THE VIDS TO YOUTUBE!
And then these, a few days later:

This did make us realize that both girls had outgrown their old bikes…they looked a little clownish on them!

Twinges of summer–May 2013

Did I mention that it was a lovely spring? So lovely that the girls were wise to go in on a neighborhood lemonade stand with Ellie (our sitter) and her sister Julie.
Cuteness ensued:

Free raspberries!

Drumming up (literally!) some business

Gotta have signage!


serving up some sweetness
And they did well! Thanks to a few generous neighbors (ahem, Don), they were able to give about $7 to the turtle sanctuary in Edmonds and take home $3.50 each. Not bad!

In the morning, we get dressed–May 2013

Since Dave started working for the Clipper last July (2012), I’ve been manning the girls during the weekday morning routines of getting out of bed (oy), getting dressed appropriately for the day (oy), making and eating breakfast (OY, MAGGIE!) and getting out the door with our teeth brushed and lunches in tow.
I can say that it took a LONG time to get into a pretty reliable swing where I wasn’t arriving 35 minutes late. Now, I’m proud to report, I’m only 25 minutes late! Not bad considering I have two drop-offs.

All that being said – I’m sure you are picking up on my bits of consternation (I’m being gentle and kind here), but there are bright spots, too. Namely, when it all falls into place, no one has been dragged out of bed or yelled at to get to the bottom of the oatmeal bowl. Sometimes we’re pretty happy and cute. And sometimes, we’re a bit jumbled, but still come out smiling.
Case in point:

Note the stripes w/ plaid and stripes w/ flowers & polka dots! Not to mention the socks!
And then there’s these days:

Yup. Two right shoes.
And then, it doesn’t even have to be the morning when we decide to throw on an interesting ensemble

Movie night debut!–April 2013

We decided the girls were old enough to stay up a little late, pop some corn and snuggle in for some movie fun. They were. Not to say there weren’t tears and anxiety over those burly parts – why is it there can’t be strife-free kid movies? Just saying…anyways, overall these were a success. Maggie learned to cheer for the good guy (“You kill him that bad bear!”) and Zoe, well, Zoe learned to listen to mom and dad: these things ALWAYS come out OK…

(More) monkeys at the zoo–April 2013

Yeah. We do the zoo. A lot. Good thing it’s a great place to be!

Take me out to the ballgame–April 2013

The girls’ big cousin, Cameron is a pretty good ball player. We decided to make the trek down and give him some support. Brrrr!!!