Ellery decided she was going to hang a few things on her wall.
We have these rolls of painter’s tape that we let the kids use, as it doesn’t damage the drywall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her gather a roll of black tape and a pair of scissors. She trotted off with some paper tucked under her arm.
About ten minutes later, Tom wandered into the kitchen chuckling and said, “I think I found your photo of the day.”
Clearly, she has inherited my enthusiasm for a job well done.
As I mentioned with skating, Ellery has been a bit reluctant to try classes that don’t involve her sitting on my lap. I suppose this is the flip-side of being dragged to all your older siblings’ commitments—once it’s finally your turn to step out on your own, it feels unfamiliar and daunting.
When a good friend said that her kids were taking a dance class, I leapt at the chance to sign her up. With friends by her side, this ballet/tap combo is right up this girl’s alley.
Of course, the added bonus is the pinkpinkpink outfit.
The two oldest kids have been in skating lessons for some time, but Ellery has declined, as she’s scared of going to classes without me.
But today, with Tom gone to a circuit bending workshop all day, we had some time to fill. I mustered up my courage, and headed to open skate with all three kids.
Ellery was nervous, but after a few minutes on the ice with her red pushy-thing, she was whizzing around. Alex was on the ice for the first time, too, so the two of them made quite the big, red, plastic train.
In other news, Neko nearly won the limbo competition.
(Tom had my Lumix with him at the bending workshop, so you’ll have to contend with these phone photos.)
I went to the doctor today. I decided the sinus infection I was humoring was no longer welcome to hang around these parts. Seven days is plenty, thank you.
Ellery didn’t have school, so she joined me. She sat quietly and watched while the doctor gave me the once-over.
When we returned home, she decided it was her turn to be the doctor. She strapped on the stethoscope, gathered up the toy medical bag, and headed my way. I let out a huge laugh, however, when she pulled out her “laptop” and as she asked me for my symptoms, she typed furiously.
Clearly, Fisher-Price needs to add something to their doctor’s kit.
The weather turned, and then the sun came out. And with it, I’m feeling that itch to be outside.
After dinner, I decided to take a walk. The Oldest wanted to come with me. And then the Youngest. And then suddenly we were on a family walk.
When I take these walks with my kids, it reminds me why I love living here. We found little holes in the grass where mice made their winter homes. The tracks of deer. The kids delighted in milkweed pods that burst open with silky seeds.
They found the intact wing of a bird, which may sound repulsive to some. But my junior naturalists aren’t squeamish. They were fascinated by the delicate array of feathers, and insisted on bringing it home to take to science tomorrow.
They threw dozens of rocks in the pond. But the highlight? Cattails. I never lived near a pond growing up, so I experienced my first cattail as an adult. It starts as this innocuous looking, compact plant. But with a few swift moves, it explodes into this huge cloud of fluff. It beats most anything in the fireworks aisle. The kids could do that for hours.
I can’t wait until the days stretch longer, and we can fit these sorts of outings into our evening routine more often.
On a side note, these photos were taken with Tom’s phone. Hooray for pocket technology!
When the weather crept over 50 degrees and the sun came out, we all rejoiced.
Although it’s gorgeous, I think I might be reaching my fill of the snow.
We shuffled everyone outside. Tom and I were focused on winter clean-up. Between the snow and the wind, there’s debris as far as the eye can see. The upside of the snow? It was a nice little blanket over a sea of hard work.
As we were gathering sticks, Neko was eyeing the cart. The minute we left it unattended, Neko claimed it, and conned Ellery into being her passenger. Ellery later decided it was balmy enough to merit a bathing suit and flip flops.
And then a few minutes later she revised it to a bathing suit, flip flops…and a blanket.
Things come later to a third child. Thank goodness for Alex, or the poor kid would have never had a playdate.
But playdates are beginning for Ellery. Buzz Lightyear, Cinderella, the chicken, and the lion had a fantastic time.
