Santa

I paid Santa a last-minute visit today to get my arrangements settled.

It was a productive visit. I was most curious about how Santa placed the star atop the storeys-tall Christmas tree. According to Santa, Rudolph flew him up there. Then we talked about what kind of snacks I should leave out for him. It turns out we both love chocolate chip cookies. (Who doesn't???) I will offer him some decaf chai and a plateful of the white chocolate cranberry macadamia cookies I baked. Then we got down to the important business of what I hope to get for Christmas. I am hoping and hoping for a wooden train set. wish me luck.

Santa seemed confident that my wishes will come true. He seems reasonably trustworthy.

The only moderate disappointment of the day was that a visit with Santa didn't mean a trip to Swains like last year.

p.s. You might notice two things in my photo. I continue to be in desperate need of a haircut and I took matters into my own hands earlier this week and snipped off some locks.

wolf

Look at my new wolf sweater! This photo was taken last week at a birthday party.

Not only is this the most handsome sweater in the world, but Trinity sent it to me. That makes it even better. When I wear clothes to school that Trinity has sent, I am sure to brag about it to anyone and everyone.

Before the H&M store finally opened in Austin, Trinity sent me a steady supply of cute clothes. This fall, I had a fondness for shirts with elbow patches.

I suppose our Texas "winter" is about to draw to an end so it is time to stock up on summer clothes. And I desperately need a haircut.

tree

At every opportunity, I encourage the arrival of Christmas. When my mom is making a meal and I ask for Christmas dinner, that will magically make it Christmas. If she asks me to clean up to get ready for Christmas, it is Christmas morning when I am done my chores. If I run about the house singing "hooray it is Christmas," that can only mean one thing. I listen to Christmas carols all day every day. And I know all of the lyrics.

With Trinity gone this year, we were left to decorate our tree by ourselves. oh dear. She makes it seem so easy and the tree always looks beautiful. It took us two full days to decorate and the end result isn't perfect. As you can see from the photo, my mom realized early on that, with a bit of training, I can take over Trinity's job. I don't quite have Trinity's aesthetic sensibilities but I did quickly grasp onto the concept of the need for balance. We do like our tree. The best part is that, at long last, we have blue lights on the outside of our house; we have wanted that for years!

I have decided what I want for Christmas. Now all I need to do is make an arrangement with Santa.

skating party

Rarely will we schedule two big activities for one day. Last Saturday was different. Long after we booked our tickets for the train, we were invited to celebrate my dear friend's birthday at Barton Creek Resort. It was slated to be a skating party with a wintery theme but it was in the mid 80s and the rink melted.  We played some golf and thoroughly enjoyed the sunny day. My friends and I could happily spend days running about. 

The resort is perfectly lovely. My mom should hate it because of its devastating environmental impact (see The Unforeseen) but, wow, what a beautiful job they did with the resort. And my favorite bridge is on the road leading to it. 

After a round of golf (I beat my dad, again) and chasing around with my friends, I ate an amount of fondant that would make the average person vomit. It may have been the most delicious cake ever baked.

Even though I was overtired and a bit cranky (only when my parents tried to bring me inside but that is typical), this was the best birthday party ever hosted. What a joy it is to be friends with Ava. (She might be the female equivalent of me.)

train

Last weekend, we rode the North Pole Flyer.

We got off to a rough start, to say the least. Because my mom booked our tickets later in the year, we ended up in the excursion coach car instead of the first class lounge. Not only were we not served an endless supply of cupcakes and other sweets, but we had to go to the concession car to fetch our own hot chocolate. Oh the horror! As it turned out, none of us were especially interested in drinking much hot chocolate that day - mostly because it had the distinct flavor of hill country water. And my mom had packed a huge lunch for me with all of my favorites.

The concession car happened to also house a gift shop and that almost ruined my entire day, if not my entire life. My dad agreed to buy me one train to play with. Needless to say, I could not decide and, when I did make my purchase, IT WAS ALL WRONG. So I spent the next three weeks (oh wait, we were only on the train for 2.5 hours) on the verge of a tantrum. And your parents cannot simply get you off the train and take you home when you are in the middle of no where. I ended up negotiating a loan with my dad and buying a second train. Then everything was good and my first train and my second train played nicely together and they continue to bring me hours of fun. (Thanks for the negotiation skills, Montessori. But please keep your fingers crossed that my dad doesn't remember that I owe him $16. So far, he hasn't tried to collect.)

Once I had my toy train situation under control, we had a fantastic ride. There is plenty to look at. There is always at least one person in the train car who talks loudly about himself/herself the entire time  so that entertained my mom. My dad marveled at the rock formations and I was interested in all of the construction sites adjacent to the track. We even passed by a cement factory!

there's fishing, and then there's fishing

In recent days, my dad has been taking me to the lake to fish. (Please do not tell my PETA friends.) I am a very compassionate fisherman though. Since time is precious in this process, I quickly cuddle the fish, kiss them, and tell them "it's alright little fishy" before tossing them back into the lake to be free and happy.

My dad marvels at the quantity of fish we catch. I might be good luck. And, since he has never done any real fishing, he thinks these little runts are something to brag about.

My mom laughs at us. It's not real fishing unless what you catch is bigger than a toddler. This is Scott, my mom, and Heather in the early 1970s. Now that is a fish worth catching.

sneak peek

This photo is from the series taken at my school this fall. Somehow the photographer managed to get me to sit still and smile. Unfortunately, my barber was on vacation the week before and week of school photos. We briefly considered seeing someone else just that one time but barber loyalty is highly important. My mom was trying to keep these photos secret (not even my dad has seen how cute they are) but this one is too perfect not to share right away. 

My mom wrote extensive Christmas card procedures for my dad. Now we just wait for him to compile his part of the list (deadline is Saturday) and, from there, we will print photos and get cards ready. Check your mailboxes after December 10.

Once we get Thanksgiving out of the way, we will turn our attention to my whirlwind month of December. I have tickets for the Polar Express train ride. Countless birthday parties to attend. Cocktail parties. A luncheon and skating party at the country club. What else?

Since Trinity and Hector are enjoying Thanksgiving in the northwest, we will have a quiet Thanksgiving. My mom even suggested to my dad that he bbq his meat of choice. She presented this as something that would greatly benefit him but, really, she didn't want to make a four-course meal for just us when none of us really like Thanksgiving food anyhow. My mom is making quiche for me; earlier in the week I opened the fridge and had a bit of a tantrum since we had no leftover quiche. WHAT??? No quiche in the fridge!??? What is this world coming to?

Our menu includes roasted garlic on ciabatta, salad, quiche, mashed potatoes, cranberries, bbq chicken for my dad / bbq veggie hotdogs for me and my mom (what's more American than that?), and chocolate pecan pie for dessert. best pie ever. We started the pie already since my mom saw no point in not having some for dessert last night.

Capitol

After almost two months of courtship, my mom was convinced to work for the legislature during the upcoming session. We are not really sure why any of us thought this was a good idea. But the work has started.

My mom is forbidden from talking about the specific details of her work but did you know that legislators do not write their own bills? Ask my mom anything you want about issues such as surface mining, anthropogenic carbon dioxide storage trust funds, or the rate at which fireworks are taxed. Her brain is now littered with information that must have mattered to someone at some time for some reason.

Instead of our afternoons being filled with reading and playing and napping like before, we are juggling our schedules and trying in vain to make it all fit together. I have joined Casita and now stay at school until 5:30. My transition (and only mine) has gone smoothly; I started napping on the very first day - much to everyone's surprise. (And my mom is really suffering without her afternoon nap. No number of iced lattes can replace sleep.) Even though I tell my mom I cry about her when I am at Casita, the truth is that I love it. I enjoy having lunch with my friends, followed by a nap, and then two hours of outdoor play. Six of the ten children in my class now go to Casita. And my regular teacher is the nap helper so she rubs my back while I nod off. Then she sings to me when I wake up. Casita has helped to regulate my sleep schedule. I am ready for bed by 8:00 and this is a huge improvement for a night owl like me.

The worst part though is the commute. Rush hour has become considerably more intense than what you see in the photo below.

garden day

Garden day was originally scheduled for a Saturday back in early October but in typical alarmist Austin style, it was cancelled due to an expected heavy rain that never happened. Finally, today, the most ambitious of children in my class convened to perfect our outdoor environment. My good friend Samuel and I started the day by building a raised bed (with just a bit of help from his dad). Later in the day, we shoveled 220 pounds of soil into it and then planted jasmine, tri-color sage, day lilies, Mexican petunias etc. Notice my fancy new shovel! At the very beginning of the day, there was much negotiation over who would wear which gloves and use which garden tools. My shovel was popular but I had to part with it for a short time to wear Isabella's lovely pink gloves.

In the front of the cottage, we let the parents do some of the work. To make room for lavender, lantana, columbine, and other flowering plants that will grow huge come spring, my dad removed a towering cypress tree (which we brought home and planted in the very center of the front yard and now we have to wonder how that will factor into our baseball, soccer, and football games). We also had dozens of bulbs from the prized collection of a famous iris breeder that we planted all around. After everything was planted, Pragya and I watered. And watered. We are all hoping for a good soaking rain.

I am excited for the rest of my friends to come back to school on Monday to see all of the good work we did. While I don't want to wish the school year away, it will be interesting to see how everything grows and blooms in the spring.

Speaking of school, this is what my classroom looks like, sans the ten toddlers who normally occupy it. I so love the orderly nature of the Montessori classroom.

After hauling away all of the compost, recycling, and trash, I stole a few minutes to turn myself upside down on the monkey bars.

14-12

Many thanks to my good wishes, the Seahawks won what is being touted as the weirdest ending in NFL history. (No, I did not violate the media policy to watch football.) And even more thanks to my good wishes and the fact that I wore my special shirt on my evening walk, my mom won her first and only bet thus far of the season.

And the play on the field stands as called.

I just hope Mike didn't give up on our beloved Seahawks and leave the game early!



Note: I had to crop my dad out of this photo because he was saying thumbs down to my team. Censorship at its finest.

lazy Sunday

We are excited that fall is here. And the mornings have finally felt like fall. We are getting back to being able to spend our weekends how we best like them: my dad and I take a long walk in the morning while my mom makes something hearty and warm for our breakfast. Then it is nap time. 

My dad and I pretty much wanted to sleep the entire afternoon away. My mom tried for hours and hours and even more hours to wake us up. My dad was only interested in getting out of bed if my mom made cookies for us. We didn't have all of the ingredients for our favorite (peanut butter chocolate chip) so I whipped up a batch of banana bread instead. another perfect loaf.

Since I have displayed my culinary expertise, my mom has already had the talk with me about when I will start making dinners. Trinity, who began subscribing to Martha Stewart Living when she was quite young, was a masterful chef and baker at an early age. (What couldn't she do?) I guess the same is expected of me. We do love to bake. Not only do I enjoy my treats, but baking also serves as a good math lesson (for my mom) . . . especially when we have to calculate half of 1 3/4 cups when making a smaller batch of bran muffins.

After nap and baking and snacking, my dad and I went to the lake. My mom had a pot of potato cheddar soup waiting for us when we got home.

The best part is that I seem to be in the midst of another growth spurt so I can eat 50 servings of yummy food each meal. The downside is that I cannot wake up.

visitors

My guests, Grandma Betty and Papa Geary, were just arriving from California this time last week. They drove all the way here just to see how cute I am. It was a short but busy visit. We ate. (It turns out that they also love pecan pie and ice cream.) We played. (Building, I am always building.) We swam. (Brrrrr. It was a chilly 92 degrees. But I would gladly swim in the Arctic Ocean.) We played a bit of golf. (Mini golf at Barton Creek Resort.) And then they departed just as suddenly as they arrived. This is a photo of me saying goodbye to Grandma Betty.

I am still adjusting to my school schedule and, most days, I am sleepier than anything. Like clockwork, I have gone back to crying upon arrival in the morning. They warned us that I would have three joyous weeks of school and then the tears would start again. Well, I am delighted to be there; I just don't like getting there in the morning.

My dad has taken me to school a few times lately because my mom has had one appointment after another. But he sticks closely to our routine. Arrive at 8:09. Turn the car off. Read to me while we wait for Mary to come out promptly at 8:15 to escort me into school. I was a bit disappointed one day this week when my mom came to pick me up instead of my dad. My dad can very easily be talked into a trip to Central Market for snacks after school. My mom will sometimes surprise me with a bagel from Central Market but mostly she takes me directly home to make lunch and so I can sleep all afternoon.

milestone

Today marked a milestone in my Montessori career.

On my first day of school, there were no tears. The following days, once I wised up and realized that school means four hours away, I cried. I tell people that I cry because "I didn't want to be away from my momma." All weekend I resolved not to cry once I returned to school after Labor Day. On the way yesterday, I told my mom "actually, you know what? I am going to cry." And I did. It might have been my worst bout of tears.

Today, however, I did NOT cry. When I was retrieved from the car, I hopped out and asked no one for a hug. I was ready to walk by myself.

In my class, we like to get wrapped up in one another's drama and I return home each day with tales of who cried, and why, and for how long. Samuel is the happiest. Elowyn is the most sorrowful.

I opted not to nap today. Instead, we went to the library after lunch and stayed until dinner. Here is a photo of me reading. I am on the verge of being able to read fluently. Give me three more months . . .

the first day

Yesterday I made it through my first full day as a student. I spent much of my time working with the pink tower. I commented to my mom that Montessori is lonely. My previous program was play-based and, because I was the most popular student in the class, everything revolved around me. At Montessori, the materials for my stage of development are designed to be worked with by one child at a time. The collaborative work will be introduced later. 

We had crackers and organic pears for snack (but I skipped the pears) but I ate 11 crackers. One child, NOT ME, dropped a plate and it broke. 

I put my shoes on all by myself when it was time to go home. You might notice in the photo that I have them on the wrong feet. That doesn't matter though. 

I made careful note of what indoor shoes all of the other children have. Isabella wears pink shoes that have a slight squeak when she takes a step. January wears green shoes and wore a green shirt. No kids have blue shoes. My sister would have made a note of these important details too.  

Below is a photo of me getting lined up for departure. As soon as I got into the car, I said to my mom,  "ask me if I want to go to Starbucks." We all know the answer to that question and, sadly, I was deprived of a trip to Starbucks. We do, however, have a date for Friday. Since I am only supposed to have sweets twice a week, I need to plan my indulgences carefully. 

Instead of Starbucks, we came home and had organic fruit smoothies. I am obsessed with straws this week.

And then I snored for the next four hours. I ate three sandwiches when I woke up.

Adjusting to the new routine is exhausting. My mom started steaming spinach for my scrambled eggs (delicious, by the way) at 5:30am. And the traffic is worse than dreadful.

my favorite life

Today I enjoyed the last playdate of the summer with my St Michael's friends. Last week was supposed to be our final visit but we opted to squeeze just one more in. We met in the same lovely Westlake park where we had our first playdate of the summer. Over the past few months, we have grown from classmates into the best of friends. Mid-morning, I declared "this is my favorite life."

We stayed to play for several hours until I had to go home to bathe and get ready for my third and final Montessori orientation.

When we arrived at the Montessori school, Elizabeth was sitting outside waiting for me. I told her the story of my dad's fall and how he tore a ligament as though it had just happened yesterday. This is a story I can tell for years! I thoroughly enjoy the sympathy I rightfully get (nevermind my dad). This detailed sob story charmed Elizabeth. Not many toddlers can speak in such detail about broken bones, torn ligaments, and the surgical procedures needed to repair them.

My dream came true today. I learned how to work with the pink tower. Then Elizabeth decided that I could start school tomorrow instead of waiting until Wednesday. (Three children start per day and there are only ten of us in the class and two are vacationing in India.) I am excited about this but we had planned to use tomorrow as a practice to see how long it would take to get ready in the morning. According to the policies, I need to eat a full high-protein breakfast before school. I normally like to be awake for a while before I eat my breakfast (but I have water and a light snack before my meal) so this is all going to take some adjusting. And my mom needs to get her sleep schedule on track. Big changes!

We have our alarm set for hours before dawn so we can get out of the house in time to sit in traffic at the Y for hours. (And by the Y I don't mean the YMCA . . . I mean the dreaded Y at Oak Hill. Worst traffic ever.)

weekend chores

Perhaps I have been influenced by the very short time I have spent in the Montessori classroom already but, boy, did I ever have the urge to work on Saturday morning. I scrubbed the outside of the oven, dishwasher, and fridge.  I wiped the inside of the fridge. I carried the clean laundry into the bedroom. I swept up the bits of dogfood Remus has scattered about. I wiped the window sills in the kitchen. And then I stepped outside and washed the back window.

Next project: washing the baseboards.

orientation, day two

Today I had my second visit at my school. The goal of today's visit was to practice the arrival and departure procedures and to work with two of the materials. My mom waited in the car in front of my class (as instructed) so that I could feel confident that I wasn't just being left behind (not that I would have cared, really). I also took my indoor shoes (brand new red Tom's) and I was later quite upset that I had to leave them behind.

I was confident when Elizabeth greeted me today. And I was in a much better mood. My mom was unsure how I would fare considering some of my morning shenanigans. First, I pulled my dad's sugar dispenser off the counter and "drank" from it. Shortly after, I stripped naked and intentionally peed on the kitchen floor. There was more but those were certainly the highlights of our morning. I am acting a bit odd because I have just realized that I won't be classmates with my dear friend Lela anymore. I love her and we have had such a fun summer.

Elizabeth showed me how to work with the cylinder blocks and the spooning. On Monday, at my final orientation session, I will learn how to work with more of the materials. I am hoping that I can get my hands on the pink tower; I am so fascinated by it. Wednesday is my first real day of school.

I fell asleep on the way home from orientation. And I slept and slept and slept all afternoon. School is exhausting.

orientation

Today I began my orientation process at my new school. My mom has been deeply engaged in her orientation for almost a week with meetings, reading (the handbook is 170 pages), gathering supplies, and slowly trying to introduce some new procedures into my life. My dad has been working working working. Below is a photo of me after my bath (I even flossed my teeth because I so detest plaque buildup) and when I should have been walking toward the car instead of teetering on the verge of getting dirty. 

Pay no attention to how terrible my yard looks. This particular patch of "grass" has been a victim of the severe drought and my shovels. I am still on a mission to dig up my entire yard. It is a huge undertaking but it makes me happy and keeps me occupied (and then tired). 

My visit to the school went well . . . except I was rather sleepy. I had dropped my naps last week but have needed them some days. I am trying to be horribly unpredictable mostly so I can torment those around me. Today would have been an ideal day for a nap but my mom forced me to stay awake and I was miserable. We know that I will naturally fall into some kind of regular sleep schedule once school begins. In the meantime, my mom just needs to know if she can stay up until 3:00am because she will get a nap with me the next day!

We arrived at my school a few minutes early. We were instructed to wait in our car in the arrival lane. It was the most grueling five minutes of my life. Luckily, there were some birds frolicking about and I was certain that they were calling my Guide, Elizabeth. At long last, Elizabeth bounded out and greeted me. After I made it through the platitudes, I asked her "do you have any trains or cars" and the answer, of course, was no. But it did open up a conversation about whether I have ridden a train (yes, several times!). She likes trains too. The classroom is lovely. What is this? How does this work? What do you do with this? Can I try this? I was most interested in the color tablets.

I made it very clear that I do not like chairs but I told her I do like tables. In that setting, it becomes apparent just how big my personality is. Tomorrow I will return by myself for 30 minutes (GULP) and learn how to work with some of the materials. The visit will be earlier in the day so I should be less toddlerish.

I was supposed to call my grandmother after orientation to tell her how great my school is. But the day cooled off to a pleasant 90 degrees so we had to play outside for hours. I ran. I dug. We played ball. I rode in my swing. I climbed. My dog barked. It was almost as though we have not played outside ever. We love this time of year when the end is finally in sight.

before and after

Early this week, we received my orientation package from my new school. In addition to my whirlwind social life, I have started preparing for school. I have a new sleep schedule to which I am adapting and it has not been easy for anyone. I am not napping now but I go to bed early . . . sometimes as early as 6:00pm. I start to fall apart around 4:00pm so my mom has moved my dinner to mid-afternoon so I have lots of healthy food in my tummy to make it through the night. This all means that 1) I sometimes don't see my dad in the evening and 2) my mom goes to bed when I do but wakes up for the day at 1:00am. Quitting the nap was my (BAD) idea but I will need to be well rested for a rigorous academic schedule. According to my school's policies, I must get at least 11 hours of sleep at night. And only have sweets twice a week . . . and definitely not before school. 

Before school starts, I have supplies to gather. I need an entire new wardrobe to fall into line with the dress code. And I desperately needed a haircut. Here is my golden mop of hair that I sported until this morning. 

And here is me afterward. The best part of getting my hair cut, other than looking so handsome, is playing with the toys at the barbershop. I arrive early and stay late. I learned today that I have the same barber as Lance Armstrong's kids.

More about school: my mom went to a meeting tonight to visit my classroom (it's beautifully bright and airy and there is a drinking glass with my name handwritten on it!) and meet my new teachers (well-versed in a variety of educational philosophies). I visit my school three times next week and then I start on August 29. I am so ready.

ER

This morning, we set out to enjoy story time at the Laura Bush library. A freak accident required a trip to the ER. 

After stories, songs, and crafts, we visited the room with the big blocks. I met some sweet girls and we built houses and forts. After we ceremoniously knocked down one construction, I was walking toward the bigger girl to ask her to help me rebuild it. I fell and bashed my head into the vertical divider underneath the bench she was sitting on. Blood sprayed everywhere. The girls' mom went to fetch me some ice - in the form of a delicious popsicle! The librarian also came to assist and to fill out an incident report. We called the doctor and we were told to go to the ER because of the possibility of a broken nose. (It's not.)

This is a photo of me in the ER. I told my tragic story repeatedly with perfect accuracy to a series of nurses and doctors. I followed their directions and let them look up my nose and in my eyes and check me for a concussion. I don't seem to have one but I am on bedrest today to prevent further bleeding and I cannot nap (ugh, I am sleepy!). I did not squirm during a series of x-rays. I suppose the doctors and nurses liked me best of all because I wanted to know how does this work, how does that work, and what is this, and can you show me what that does. I could be a doctor.

Best of all, they asked me if I wanted to watch cartoons. No, I wanted to see the races because I had caught a glimpse of them in the waiting room. And I was able to catch history in the making as Saudi Arabia had a woman competing in the 800m.

My dad is going to bring me home some popsicles.

hungry like a bear

We had yet another busy day as we inch toward the end of the summer. I am so ready for school to start. 

In the morning, we met my friends at the science center. (No, this bear is not one of my friends from school.) I have to wonder why I had never been there before; my dad is a self-proclaimed lover of all things science. And now I have somewhere new to take him! Luckily, it was a lovely cool (90 degrees) morning so I got some much-needed "fresh" air as I visited the (real) animals and played in the dino pit.  

In the evening, we went out for pizza.

You see, I have been rather bent out of shape since last Thursday. My mom had a lunch date with a friend and had leftover pizza. Not just any pizza but the greatest pizza in the world topped with green olives and onions. It was left in my dad's fridge at work for safekeeping since we had errands and he was supposed to bring it home that evening. It was all I could talk about all that afternoon. He forgot. I cried. And cried. I tried, in vain, to send him back to work to fetch it for me. Same thing on Friday. Really, my desire for pizza has consumed me.

This is a photo of me at the pizza shop cheering for the Olympic divers. (Yes, the tv ban was tossed aside during dinner simply because every wall in the restaurant is covered in televisions.) I was mostly worried about the divers afterward and whether or not they felt sad. Go Canada!

Tomorrow I start swim lessons again. I have decided that I would rather be a diver.

bush

This week, at the urging of my girlfriend, we made our first trip to story time at the Laura Bush library. Though you would never guess by looking at this photo, this was the grouchiest day of my life. I resisted going to story time but my mom knew better than to stay home with a fierce toddler. I fussed all the way there. When we arrived (late), I flopped down face first in the middle of the circle and tried to drum up some sympathy. Once I warmed up, I had a fantastic time. The stories were great. We sang songs. We did crafts and I participated eagerly even though I am not the artsy kind. We stayed at the library for a good long time afterward and read at least 100 books. We noted that this library has the finest collection of kids' books. And they are categorized according to topic. I told my mom I wanted to read about trucks (just for something new), and there they all were! easy. didn't even have to search through the card catalogue. After we read and read some more, we visited the family center; it is well-stocked with puzzles and huge soft blocks. I met a nice family and together we stacked blocks, knocked them over, stacked, knocked them over . . .

It was a dream come true. until I had to leave. My only disappointment was that I did not see George Bush at the library. maybe next time.

This photo was taken outside in the garden where there is a statue of Laura Bush reading.

Tomorrow we are taking my dad to the library so he can see why I love it so much. And we will present to my dad our case for paying $100 to have out-of-district membership. There is no better investment.

ice cream factory

Today we attended the ice cream workshop at Gorgeous Millie. Or, as I told my dad, I went to the ice cream factory. I had a grand time making the ice cream and an even better time playing. As usual, I was able to earn some one-on-one time with the instructor so I could tell her about my favorite flavor. She  had a multi-color set of measuring cups so it was important for her to know that my dad's favorite color is blue (probably not true) and that my best color is orange (also not entirely true). After the ice cream was ready, there were a variety of toppings to sprinkle on my sundae.

Here is a photo of me enjoying the fruits of my labor. Though I once loved ice cream more than anything, I am not terribly interested in it anymore. My mom once bought a less good flavor of Ben and Jerry's and that ruined my life. My mom loved the ice cream today. very creamy, she said.

When we got home, I had no interest in napping. But I had a raging sweet tooth so we had to make peanut butter cookies. Then I ruined my dinner because I ate 1/4 jar of organic (unsweetened) peanut butter - straight out of the jar.

more goodbyes

Today was the final day of the Gorgeous Millie summer term. Luckily for me, I will be attending a birthday party there tomorrow, another later in the summer, and we have signed up for an ice cream workshop on Tuesday. We already know how to make ice cream but it is an excuse to prolong the impending arrival of countless empty days.

We are scrambling to make some meaningful plans for August. We have our Monday playdates. Our week will now include a trip to story/craft time at the Laura Bush library. We have some other invitations that we need to accept. and quick! We also need to start resetting my internal clock so I can become a student who gets up early five mornings a week.

This photo is of me and the new love of my life. She was in my preschool class and she is the one who talked us into joining Gorgeous Millie (best decision ever). We both love puzzles and reading. We also like to hold hands.

You might wonder why I am wearing my pajamas - especially when I don't even sleep in them! Today was a special "pancakes and pajamas" party. And we got an e-mail late last night that there would also be treats from the Cupcake Bar.

This is what cupcake envy looks like. It did not matter that my mom did not restrict me to one cupcake and she let me pick the ones I wanted (one at a time, of course). I have an affinity for pink frosting (or butter, as I call it). But still I could not help but long for whatever cupcakes each of my friends had. Can I have a white one? I need a chocolate one. They were all deliciously moist cupcakes and somehow I managed to choke down four of them. My mom did too.

baking

This morning we woke up and baked banana bread. It isn't really baking weather but we turned the AC way cold and ignored the summer.

As usual, my job was to stir. The key to making the best and biggest loaf is not stirring very much (and always always always stir by hand but this rule applies to all baking). We put blueberries in our bread; I know when the stirring is done when all of the berries are hiding.

I could share my recipe, but I won't. My mom has recently but reluctantly shared her best recipes with Trinity: quiche, potato cheddar soup, and baked mashed potatoes.

After the loaf is tucked safely in the oven, my mom lets me lick the spatula. I would rather just eat the entire loaf raw.

the princess and the fireman

Gorgeous Millie has been our saving grace this summer. Two mornings a week, we visit with good friends and enjoy the greatest collection of toys ever assembled. My mom is especially fond of the neverending supply of English breakfast tea. She did not become a victim of the latte machine, luckily.

The moms at Gorgeous Millie love me. And I love all of the praise I get for being the sweetest boy. The moms ask: how did you get him to be so articulate? well mannered? gentle? (Hint: turn off the tv and read some books. easy as pie.)

I mostly play with the girls. I like to dress in high heels and wave my wand about. I can even run in heels now! That really impresses the moms . . . but not so much my mom.

Now that I am a big kid, I play nicely with the little ones. I am not sure when I became the role model though but I take my responsibility very seriously.

Sadly, Gorgeous Millie closes for the summer next week. Then what?

If I cannot be a princess much longer, I can always be a firefighter. Here I am reporting for duty on Monday. I impressed the crew during the fire safety lecture with my story about that time our fire alarms malfunctioned (remember that debacle?) and the other time that my neighbors burned down their house when their parents weren't home.

fishing and digging

You probably won't recognize him but this is my dad. When my mom took this photo, he had been asleep for about 28 hours . . . and was only halfway through his nap.

He endured a botched surgery on Monday. It was supposed to be a simple procedure but he was in surgery for hours and hours, with lousy results. He will be lucky if he still has two hands at the end of this ordeal.

best party ever

It was a grueling wait between my real birthday and my party. Every minute, or sometimes much more frequently, during the week, I would ask my mom "is my party ready yet" and tell her I wanted to put my dress on to go. At long last, Saturday arrived. 

We arrived early to set up the food that my mom had stayed up all night Friday preparing. It was a relatively simple menu - especially compared to previous years - because toddlers generally don't eat at parties. (We proved my mom wrong.) Gone from previous parties were the samosas, caprese pasta salad, and sushi; instead we had fruit, veggies, hummus and pita, chips and dips, and my favorite: organic pickles! Though it was simple this year, my mom had to gather all of the serving dishes, brew the hibiscus mint tea, and cut the fruit and veggies into pieces suitable for toddlers (grapes had to be halved etc). Somehow I managed to sleep soundly while all of this busy work was going on.

We arrived to find Gorgeous Millie set up so beautifully. They had made trains to drive, train tracks, and there was the hugest train table I have ever seen in my whole life. There were train whistles, tickets, a train tent, and books. Anything you can think of that has to do with trains, it was there. I enjoyed playing until my friends arrived. (Beautiful and impeccably mannered Ava was the first guest to
arrive . . . wearing a crown, nonetheless.) I lost count but I hosted about 12 friends and their parents. We all had the best time. I have the nicest friends.  Sadly, there are no photos of us all together because 1) Gorgeous Millie is a large space and 2) we were all moving about at a frantic pace.

While we played, the Gorgeous Millie guide worked at the play doh bar and custom made each guest a batch to take home. We got to pick color, scent, add ins like glitter. Nicholas got cinnamon play doh!

I had requested no gifts for my birthday party since I only wanted to focus on spending time celebrating with my friends. I got a few really nice gifts though. Ava gave me a fun magnetic building set. It's almost like she knows I spend countless hours each and every day building. I also got a white t-shirt that I am proud of. And two books that we read over and over and over. Travis gave me a digger.

This is my mom's favorite photo of the day. Grover appears to be chasing me but I am fast. My dad deserves credit for this photo.

The only hitch we encountered with my party was with the cake. For my previous two parties, I had a cake from Whole Foods and I had fully intended on going through life only ever ordering cake from them. But, alas, the staff at the Whole Foods near us have absolutely no clue what they are doing and they would NOT make me a train cake. really? We went back there almost every day (to get a snack and) to ask every single baker who works there if they would make a train cake. no no no no no NO. Their excuses ranged from "we would have to outsource it" (what is the point of that?) to "we don't have that capacity."

Side note: my mom has a long list of complaints about this new Whole Foods.
They don't sell organic russet potatoes.
They cannot make chai, mocha, or lattes that are worthy of drinking. (Once they even asked my mom how to make chai.)
They won't sell half loaves of bread from the bakery.
Some of their clerks have to ask us to identify vegetables when we are checking out.
They never have slices of pizza ready during the dinner hour.
They only have breakfast tacos with meat in them.

None of these issues are as serious as them not making my cake, however. We took our business elsewhere and watch out Whole Foods: you will be getting a letter from my mom and she is the reason why you have been so profitable. My cake turned out to be cute and it was delicious anyhow. Everyone loved it. HA!

three in June

Up until just a few days ago, I had been telling people that I am 2 1/2. Then I said that I will be "three in June." Today was my big day. It is June. I am three. 

I started the day bright and early with my kitty. She still needs lots of care and attention. mostly attention. I happen to be her best friend. Then I decided that I should go to Seattle. today. I even got the face cloth out of the bin and asked my mom to wash me up. Normally I run and hide when it is time to wash up so she knew this Seattle plan was serious. And I insisted that I should wear a dress.

Instead of going to Seattle today, because it is very far away, I spent the morning and the better part of the afternoon swimming (for four hours!) and visiting and lunching with dear friends at the Barton Creek Resort. It was lovely.

After my very long nap that lasted for almost as long as I swam, we went to Verdes for dinner. Well, I really went to Verdes to play ball on their huge back lawn. I met some sweet girls who played with me while my parents ate.

I got free ice cream with three cherries in honor of my birthday. My mom ate the cherries.

Now I just have to wait impatiently until my party on Saturday.