Brought to You by the Letter "E"

Joy didn't even have to leave home to attend co-op preschool this morning, because it was my turn to teach.

(Somebody was camera-shy.)

We're taking turns focusing on a letter of the alphabet, and today's letter was E. I let the kids hunt for plastic eggs, and inside each was a picture and a few factoids about some bird that starts with E (emu, egret, elf owl, etc.).

This guy's eagle picture inspired him (and several of his classmates) to flap around the room for a few minutes.

Then we decorated elephants . . .

. . . and had snack time. I tried to stick to the E theme with English muffin faces and fruit that could be used for eyes and ears, but Joy was the only one who had any interest in the muffins (do you like her Mike Wazowski face?). The rest of the kids just ate grapes and goldfish (hey--G-day isn't until next month!).

All in all, I'd say everyone had a good time, and maybe kinda learned something (like how to walk on plastic stars or flap like eagles).

Fun in the Hot, Hot Sun

We joined some friends at the beach today. It was a whopping 113 degrees outside, . . .

. . . and halfway from the car to the water Joy concluded that the sand was too hot for any sane person to walk on with flip flops. She asked me to carry her, but I told her I couldn't until I put Daniel and our bag down by our friends. So she decided to just wait for me to come back.

Joy also determined that the cool, refreshing ocean was kinda scary, so she stood and watched us play in it.

Daniel felt no such compunctions, . . .

. . . but both of them agreed that it was best to play in the sand in the shade.

Mama was just glad she could let the solar oven cook dinner.

Wake Cool

I have successfully wakeboarded exactly once in my life (and water skied exactly never, despite lots of attempts). I've wanted to try again all summer, and this weekend at the lake the stars finally aligned. The water was comfortable and not choppy at all, so in I went. And don't think I was particularly brave for being the first person in the water--I just wanted to put the life vest on while it was still dry.

Before.

After.

I got up twice, and though it was nothing spectacular--I basically went in a straight line the whole time and focused on not falling (immediately)--it was still gratifying to get up.

Daniel: Great job, Mama. That was cool.

Mama: Thanks, Buddy, . . .

. . . I'm not as cool as Papa, though. :)

Ticket to Ride

Joy loves riding the train, so this morning we took a ride downtown. Our destination?

The Los Angeles Public Library. I want to improve my bread baking skills, and they have a few baking books I'd like to try out.

We arrived a few minutes before the library opened, so the kids had fun playing on the steps, then we checked out our books . . .

. . . and rode the rails home. We all enjoyed the trip, but I'm definitely taking the stroller next time.

It's Autumn!

Today's the first day of autumn, and the kids and I decided it was a nice day to go to the park.

Daniel enjoyed climbing the steps on his own (with maternal supervision).

He likes the slide, but still needs a little help getting down it.

Joy decided to go fishing.

Here she's showing off her latest catch: an airplane fish. She also caught a house fish and several dinosaur fish.

And of course, the first day of autumn is a fine day to help Mama make pumpkin cookies, then feed some to your little brother. :)

Chalk Portraits

Joy asked to go outside and draw with sidewalk chalk this afternoon. As usual, this meant that she directed me what to draw.

First, she asked me to draw our family holding pumpkins, cuz after all, Halloween is just around the corner.

Next she drew the trail we hiked to Hidden Falls a few weeks ago, then she asked me to draw the dock where we caught a boat across the lake.

Last of all, she asked me to draw friends and family taking a hike together. She asked me to draw (from left to right): me, Aunt Laura, Pink Grandma, Joy, Sean, Heather, "Hola" and his friend*, Daniel, Daddy, Red Grandma, and Papa.

Personally, I think the leaves and rose petals were more picturesque than my "artwork," but Joy didn't seem to mind.


*"Hola" and his friend are the two Latinos who fix things in our apartment complex. Joy calls him Hola because that's what he says to her every time she sees him. She asked me to draw them brown because they get dirty at work.

We All Love the New Bed

We've been meaning to move Joy to a real bed for a while now, and when I saw a good deal on one at a garage sale yesterday I decided the time had come.

Daddy, Joy, and I assembled it that afternoon . . .

. . . and Joy immediately tested it to make sure it was nice and comfy.

I guess it passed inspection. You'll notice that White Bear likes the new bed, too.

Daniel's a fan of the new bed as well--now he can reach the light switch on his own. :)

Turning to a Life of Climb

Daniel loves to climb these days.

One of his favorite objects to climb is our stroller. I leave the left seat's shade down to keep him from reaching the light switch that controls our VIO (Vitally Important Outlet - the one our computer, printer, and sound system all plug into).

With Operation Blackout thwarted, Daniel decided there was nothing left to do but sit back, relax, and take a good long look at his toes. They certainly are cute toes.

Five Years With My Sweet Prince

Phillip and I are celebrating our fifth anniversary this month.

Here we are in 2005, a few minutes after we were sealed for time and eternity in the LA Temple.

And here we are two kids, three degrees, four computers, and five years later, outside another temple that has special meaning for us. We were singles in Orange County when the Newport Temple was under construction. We each sacrificed to help build it, and we had the privilege of helping with the open house. It still holds a special place in our hearts.

For dinner we went to someplace a little fancy. Phillip craved the sweet potato fries and a brownie, but he knew I yearned to try the roasted zucchini blossoms and creme brulee, so he let me pick our appetizer and dessert. Thanks, sweetheart. I love you.

And in case you're wondering, both dishes were really good. Even Phillip thought so. :)

Paint and Legos

In addition to starting preschool, we've begun a new semester at one of the free parenting classes offered through a local community college.

Joy never used to take much interest in the crafts (and her messphobic mama didn't do much to encourage them), but now she's decided that she loves them . . .

. . . especially when paint is involved.

She also likes to climb the trees in the park.

Daniel prefers his usual hobby of opening and closing doors . . .

. . . with occasional breaks to get some fresh air and play with the Legos.

Mama's favorite part of class is song time. :)

All that fun wore Joy out, and she fell asleep under her bed.

Is anyone else having flashbacks about the Wicked Witch of the East?

Snakie-poo

I know you've all been anxious to hear what we decided to name our snake. Well, the wait is over. The name we finally agreed on is . . .

. . . Spot.

Phillip couldn't think of anything he liked better, so he opted for my original suggestion. Of course, since I called our pet "Snakie-poo" while we were trying to reach an agreement, now Joy prefers to call him that instead of his actual name. Fortunately Spot doesn't seem to mind.

Eager Young Mind

We're back!

Just in time for Joy's first day of school. Preschool, that is.

Kindergarten is still two years off, but we decided to join a preschool co-op with a few other families in the area. The moms trade off teaching at our homes once a week. It's more play than work (lots of art projects, story time, snacks, etc.), and that's fine by me. At this point I just want Joy to have a stimulating experience and learn that education can be fun. She seems to be enjoying it so far.