Mite at the Museum

Our lil’ guy – okay, so he’s not that little – returned to the site of much fun over the years for his older sister and thousands of other children. He slept through most of the commotion as Olivia bounced from exhibit to exhibit with her usual blend of boisterousness and fervor. Here she is...

• Taping a public service announcement
  
  
  

• Making her way across a horizontal rock climbing wall
  
  
  

• Giving some flowers a drink
  
  
  

• Making ice cream
  
  

  Milk (& Sugar, Vanilla, Salt) Shake from chris k on Vimeo.

  
  

• Enjoying the fruits ice cream and chocolate sauce of her labor!
  
  

Saccharinity

The picture above is sweeter than, at least for my tastes, all of the cotton candy and ice cream consumed by those of us present at this afternoon’s outdoor concert in the downtown cultural district.

In-Tents Experience

A checklist of things to have for the Great American Backyard Campout:

1. Great friends as neighbors



2. Bug catcher and satchel



3. Veggie dogs for roasting



4. S'mores!



5. Willingness to get close to nature



6. Walking stick



7. No-longer-walking stick (Olivia squeezed a bit too hard)



8. Ceiling fans



9. Fort in the woods



10. Beautiful view at dawn



11. Zip-line!



12. A contemplative nature for contemplating nature

Play Time

The Vowel Girls of Adrian, Ella, and Olivia – absent were Isabelle, Ursula, and Yasmine, who, as we all know, is only sometimes available – caught a free preview of The Tempest in the courtyard of the manor where Beni and I staged our wedding reception. The girls, by all accounts, gave the Shakespeare fare a fair shake, and even stuck around afterward to pose with the actors and collect their signatures.

Peace Meal

The Very Healthy Caterpillar

As most parents of preschool-age children know, the dining room table can become a battlefield pitting will versus coercion. According to Ellyn Satter, author of Child of Mine; Feeding with Love and Good Sense, the persistence of such a dynamic serves neither the child nor her parents well. A strong-arm approach can lead to resentment, a resentment the child would not likely reserve solely for the spinaches or broccolis of her world. Satter reasons that children need positive feeding to eat and grow well, and so mealtimes need to be pleasant experiences for all.

To that end, Satter recommends that parents forgo the time-honored tradition of forced feedings, and instead pursue the option that trusts that the child will eat what she needs, not just what she wants. And so our table at mealtime now resembles a buffet line, one that allows Olivia the freedom to select a variety of food options. One week does not a trend make, but if we can consistently achieve the results we’ve had the past several days, we’re on our way toward healthier meals and happier mealtimes.

Spotted Owl

From the How Do I Answer This files:

Olivia (seeing and reading the sign of the restaurant while driving by): Daddy, why is that place called “Hooters”?

Moose Sightings

Grandma Moose, the distinguished great-grandmother from Rhode Island, spend the last week with us. In addition to spending quality time with her newest great-grandchild, she’s also been busy cheering on Olivia at her dance recital, catching us up on the happenings with the family, and preparing glorious Puerto Rican dishes. She’s kind enough to prepare the arroz con grandules – rice with pigeon peas (and usually prepared with pork) – with meat substitutes, and her tostones – a dish made from unripe plantains that are sliced and then fried twice – are to die for.

She prepared bountiful portions of the dishes when she got here, and is leaving us with another generous batch on the eve of her return home. The food is so good and authentic that our inner-Puerto Rican comes bursting out with each successive forkful – my non-Puerto Rican self included.

Kiln, with Kindness

Some lovely friends of our daughter partook in a pottery party to celebrate her five years of earthly existence. No day, and therefore no occasion, is complete without a High School Musical interlude, this one taking the form of cupcakes.

Tap Daughter

The dance steps for a delightful recital:

1. Put on your dancing shoes



2. Smile for the camera backstage



3. Light up the stage!

Spring 2009 Dance Recital from chris k on Vimeo.

4. Have friend in audience who's ready with congratulatory flowers



5. Admire his handiwork



6. Show your appreciation!

Chalkoholic

Two of Olivia’s most favorite things: chocolate and to chalk a lot. Here she is enjoying the latter on the back patio.

Sitting of Troika

In an image as epic as – in my completely unbiased opinion – a Homeric poem, sit these three lovelies who I’m lucky enough to call my family.

Attempting Fête

We gave a whirl to the last-minute, let’s-try-to-gather-friends-together-at-the-park celebration for the birthday girl. Can’t believe our baby is now five...

Happy birthday, dear daughter!

Age-Old Challenges

Lil' Miss Sassy is two days removed from turning fifteen five. She's decided to mark the occasion by dressing like a fifty-year-old Russian woman.


The Incredible Bulk, on the other hand, is still in age-specific clothing, but he's growing out and up so quickly – a process Beni's dubbed the "reverse Benjamin Button" – that he moved on to 3-6 month clothing and diapers already.


By the way, I cannot wait until Reed enters that 3-6 month age range because, if our family history is any indication, this is what we have to look forward to:

Olivia, age 5 1/2 months

Let Seeking Dogs Cry

We’ve been trying our darnedest to sit as a family at the dining room table for meals, especially for dinner. We’ve found this what-should-be-simple act to be far from it. For starters, the baby naturally pulls our attention and fannies away from our places at the table. Add to that our hyperkinetic firstborn, and the result is scene resembling a circus and all its sideshows.

In those rare moments when we manage to gather around, we are treated to delicious and diverse dishes (props to Beni for her willingness and ability to prepare unchartered veggie fare), delightful company, and diverting conversation. Take, for instance, our discussion tonight about hunting dogs. Beni and I did our best to detail these dogs’ duties in a realistic yet age-sensitive way.

And here’s what Olivia had to say after our explanation:

"Maybe the dog could be sad a little because his friend the cow or friend the duck passed away."