Birthday party in the park.
Your school friend Lexi celebrated her fourth birthday with a party at the Ricky Guerrero park. This was your first visit to the park in the summer with the splash pad turned on. After you and the other kids got your fill of water play, everyone congregated around the canon in the playground. A hierarchy quickly … Continue reading
Roadtrip.
In July we took a road trip to Durango and back. Did some camping, stayed at a horse farm, wandered through caverns. You were a remarkably good traveler. DAYS 1-2: MARFA We broke up the long drive through west Texas by spending the first night in Marfa. We camped out in our tent at El … Continue reading
Three and a bit.
Suddenly, it’s all about independence. “I do it! I do it MYSELF!” is your new mantra. As you pull up a stool to turn on the lights, or to reach the apple in the uppermost fruit basket or tangle yourself up attempting to remove your shirt. And since monkey moved into his daytime monkey box, … Continue reading
Tractor!
Who leaves a tractor abandoned in the park with the keys in it? This tractor has been parked near Stacy Park for months. Sometimes it’s just the one. Sometimes there are two. Once we even found three. So, why not take it out for a joyride to the playground?
Secret Beach.
Sunday mornings we go to Secret Beach. We get there early before the crowds, and it’s just a few folks like us, there with kids and dogs. You and me and Diggy and Daddy all play in the water. With your new goggles on you put your face down into the water and find … Continue reading
Father’s Day at the water park.
For Father’s Day this year we went to Schlitterbahn. The first tube slide spooked you a bit and you thought you were ready to “go back to the blue car,” but after a picnic lunch and some playtime in the kiddie area you were ready to try again. We took a gentler tube ride down … Continue reading
Harmonica.
I went to Los Angeles for a few days, and came back with a coffee mug for Daddy and a harmonica for you. You picked it right up. Didn’t like when Daddy played it though. “Too noisy.” You said you wanted to go to Granbunny and Grampa’s house to play ‘monica while Grampa played his … Continue reading
Two big milestones.
With each milestone, just about the time I start to worry about whether and how to help you across, suddenly, unexpectedly, you just do it on your own. So it was with walking. And with weaning. With saying goodbye at school drop-off. And now with using the potty. And swimming. Both on the same weekend. … Continue reading
Ramen!
If ever asked what you’d like for dinner, your answer is either pizza or noodles. As in, Stanley’s Farmhouse Pizza (“kale pizza” you call the one with arugula that we always order) or ramen from Daruma. Daruma is especially good because you get to read the book about Little Daruma and Little Daikoku while you … Continue reading
Aquarium.
We discovered that Austin has an aquarium. A good diversion for a rainy weekend.
Weekend visit with Grampa and Granbunny.
Grampa and Granbunny came up for a visit, and you got to do two of your most anticipated activities: go to the zoo and take a train ride.
Fledgling.
We discovered a fledgling in our bamboo garden. You studied it carefully, and then we left it alone so it could practice its flying without our (or Diggy’s) interference.
Bedtime.
At night when you get tired, you put yourself to bed, tucking yourself in under your covers. Cuddled up with bunny. However, when you aren’t ready to go to bed, you’ve adopted a new tactic, which is to insist that you’re scared of your room. Why? “Monster,” you say, matter-of-factly. So I asked you … Continue reading
Easter.
This year you got to enjoy TWO Easter egg hunts. First at school, followed by a second egg hunt at home. And again, to your dad’s dismay, the eggs were all filled with inedible goodies like balloons and stickers. And you even got a special Easter bunny book, one that I had as a little girl.
Poor Mingus.
Mingus, the most tolerant of all cats. She was sleeping peacefully in the chair, until suddenly she found herself buried amongst a pile of trains and trucks.
Rainy Sunday at the children’s museum.
A good activity for a rainy Sunday is an afternoon visit to the Thinkery children’s museum. There’s so much to explore there, but you became obsessed with the light bright wall and refused to leave until you’d replaced every single peg into the wall. Of course, when other kids started moving your pegs around, that … Continue reading
House guest.
During SXSW this year we had a house guest: my friend Thea or, as you called her, Fea. During the 5 days she stayed with us you and Thea became best buddies. When I came home from work in the evening, you talked excitedly about Thea – what she was doing upstairs, what you and she … Continue reading
Birthday circle.
The next day was Tuesday, your Starbright day, where you were greeted with yet another birthday celebration. It was a rainy day, so you got to wear your new fireman raincoat and boots to school. When you arrived, you were outfitted with a special birthday cape and crown, and then given a craft to work … Continue reading
Monkey box.
We had one extra special birthday present in store for you, which we set aside from all the rest. You knew you were getting it, and even helped pick it out. A decorative red lacquer red box, with a hinged lid that you could open and close by yourself. This would become “the monkey box.” … Continue reading
Birthday present overload.
When you came home from daycare, you were presented with yet another birthday surprise: a big pile of birthday presents! You got a police car and a bug box and a fireman raincoat (to go with the rain boots you got from the fire lieutenant at the fire house) and more trains and some Thomas … Continue reading
Birthday surprise.
Rose and Sam and Ian were out of town for your birthday party, which we had celebrated two days before your actual birthday anyway, so we decided to surprise you at daycare with birthday cupcakes. When Shena opened the door, it wasn’t just Mama like you were expecting, but Dada too, singing happy birthday and … Continue reading
Fire engine #6.
After your birthday party, we returned to the firehouse to get you a t-shirt.
Fire truck birthday party.
For your third birthday, we planned a special surprise. We had a picnic in the park with a few friends – Hugo from school (who the teachers like to joke is your twin) along with his older sister Greta, baby Johnny from daycare and Walter who’s a new friend that you hadn’t previously met (your … Continue reading
Garden of Lights.
Towards the end of February each year, your school celebrates the coming of spring with a special ceremony. The playground is transformed into a garden of lights, and you arrive at dusk to join a processional in which you and the other children are led out, accompanied with parents, each carrying a candle in a … Continue reading
Almost three.
At almost three you have become very aware of yourself relative to others. As in, me versus you, and mine versus somebody else’s. Alternating between the third person (“Ethan’s iPad!”) and the first (“my choo choo socks!”) Your possessiveness of things you like has even extended to the cats, who you have claimed as yours, … Continue reading
Black and Sun 