Category: Neko

This is a picture of Neko and I outside catching fireflies. You can tell it is us, beause we are clearly labeled and you can tell we are girls because we both have vaginas. This has been a big thing in her drawings lately…everyone has been drawn down to the, um, details.

This is also a picture of Neko and I, but this is the first time she has ever represented noses this way. I can’t decide if she saw someone else do it or figured it out on her own.

This is Neko on her new skateboard. She is wearing her helmet, which she has drawn, including the buckle.

I know that I’m starting to get used to this motherhood gig, because when I arrived home at 10pm, I discovered that Neko had been playing with all the Playmobil stuff and instead of freaking out because she’d mixed up the zoo set with the nursery set and then mixed those up with the flower shop, I said, “Hey, that’s a pretty cool animal picnic.”

And then I rushed to put all the sets back into proper order, because motherhood only gets you so far.

Neko’s drawings are getting outrageously fabulous. I still have to scan in the explosion of awesomeness that occurred when we were in Michigan.

But for now, I give you Neko and a robot. (Those are stars and the moon above them.)

It’s a throne. Really. She told me herself.

I know I already have 8,643 entries about Neko releasing her latest creature back into the wild, but I feel that if I don’t document it enough she will never understand the enormity of how much time we spent convincing her the bug/spider/toad/snake needed to go back into the wild to be with its friends and family, orchestrating the release and, ultimately, letting it go.

The last photo is Neko and Shep saying “ta-da” after the big release. Marlin Perkins would be proud.

Today we went to Highfield, one of our favorite spots. When I took out the camera to take some photos of the kids, Neko asked if she could have a turn. And then for the next half hour, she ran around taking her own photos. You can see my favorite shots here, uncropped and in the order they were taken.

Before, you say anything, I just want to say that, yes, I know we need to clean the patio, and that the visual noise is bothering no one more than it bothers me. But we have kids and Ellie drinks the pool water and that’s why we have that big green cover, and those big blue tiles prevent concussions upon exiting the pool and it goes on and on, so just try to ignore all the crap in the background.

Suddenly, Neko is totally into dancing. Shep, too. This morning Neko treated us to a performance, complete with butterfly wings, tutu, and sparkly dance shoes. Over her pajamas, of course.

The moment my uncles Keith and Kevin see these photos, I have a feeling they’re going to storm into town and sign her up for some sort of lessons. And if they can find somewhere that places more focus on, oh, I don’t know, dancing, and not bedazzled outfits and heavy mascara, I’d be happy to sign her up.

In the meantime, this butterfly ballerina is doing just fine on our patio.