Health: So Close, Yet Sofa Away

Our weary deary has come down with a nasty case of the stomach flu. We thought it was the 24-hour variety, but we’re already three days into it and she’s still battling the virus. Olivia’s mornings are a stark contrast to her afternoons and evenings: she wakes up as if she’s all cured and ready to face the world with her usual ebullience and appetite, but around the time of her afternoon nap and into the evening, she’s crash-landed hard into the couch, moaning in insufferable and protracted pain.

Hang Together

On the night before a work day, I iron a shirt and hang it on the top towel rod in the bathroom so that it’s easily accessible when I’m getting ready the next day. Olivia’s apparently picked up on this ritual—I noticed that she’d hung up her shirt for tomorrow’s school day before going to bed tonight.

Spring Swing

March Gladness is upon us: the warming temperatures allow for extended periods of time outdoors, meaning our dispositions become—much like the days—increasingly sunny.

Felicity Cumpleaños

What do actress Keri Russell and I share in common beyond a nickname (“Care Bear”), signature hair-do, and love for avocado sushi rolls?

We both entered this world on this date 32 years ago.

Eggs Over Easter

Olivia participated in a quarter of a dozen egg hunts today: one at home, another outside the UU church (where it was a hair cold out and there was a cold hare out), and a final one at G’s.

Everyone in the House Was Easter-ing

Lionel Richie sang that he was easy, easy like Sunday morning. I sang that it was Easter, Easter…like (the Valley Girl qualifier)…Sunday morning.

Fortunately, Olivia was able tune out her dad’s lame parody to locate her Easter basket and presents.

Icy Reception

Failing to heed the doctor’s warning to the monkeys, Olivia’s bed-jumping resulted in her falling off and bumping her head—her chin, to be exact—which led to a request for an ice cube in a sandwich bag, just as her classmate Kara had received in school after hurting her finger. Our Queen of the Trampoline (bonus points for anyone who knows the reference) decided to (literally) chill out after (again, literally) taking one on the chin.

Twice Is Nice

This moment had us seeing double and just how fast two-plus years have gone by.

The Doctor Is In (Again)

For those of you who check this blog fairly often, you know that Olivia’s obsessed with Dr. Martin Luther King. (Evidence available here, here, and here.) For further proof, I submit to you a conversation Olivia had with her mother today.

Beni: "Do you know why people celebrate Easter?"

Olivia: "For Dr. King."

Beni: "What about Dr. King?"

Olivia: "He wants us to have a wonderful time and have a happy Easter."

Films Trip

According to Olivia, this is a picture of our family going to the movie theater. (This may go without saying, but I’m the one on the left with no arms and in a pinkish dress.)

Putting All Her Eggs in One Basket

We suffered through a miserably cold and wet morning just to witness the sheer exuberance of a child laying claim to some plastic eggs filled with junk. (As you can see, Olivia was able to feed off her mother’s high level of excitement.)

It's a Mad, Maddi World

While Madison found great joy consuming her big piece of birthday cake, the icing of the cake was getting to wear the icing of the cake.

Once: And for All

Reviews for Once, one of my all-time favorite movies:

“Are you looking for a little film you can make your own, an enchanting, unpretentious blend of music and romance you can watch forever? If you do, Once is about to come into your life and make it whole.”

- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Even the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie's charms, from its likable leading players and its charming Dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love.”

- Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

“Daddy, I really like this Once movie.”

- Olivia

And like it she does. In fact, Olivia was so taken by the movie that she often demands we play the soundtrack when we’re in the car or at home. Here's her rendition of track one:

Kindred Spirit

Ghost, Olivia’s aptly named stuffed ghost, accompanied her to school by hitching a ride in her backpack.

Keeping One’s School

Before Grandma Randi left for her flight home, she stopped by her granddaughter’s preschool for a quick visit, which proved to be a thrill for the former preschool teacher. Olivia was happy to show her around, demonstrating how the kids sign in when they first arrive and how they stay current with their immunizations.

A Brush with Danger

Remember: Brushes don’t hurt people. Three-year-olds with stiff-bristled brushes hurt people.

Grandma Randi must have had second thoughts about buying Olivia a pink brush at the grocery store after tonight’s impromptu hair salon session, which had Olivia working over her hair and scalp the way a farmer tills his ground.