Francesca

Snow Storm!

2012-01-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

Last week we were hit hard with a major (for the Pacific Northwest) snow storm. Francesca's school was closed Wednesday through Friday meaning she only had one day of school that week as Monday was a holiday. Nice break for both of us! And lots of play in the snow...

Francesca, being very brave, wanted to sled all by herself.

Discovery Park

2012-01-16T09:15:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was much more mild, weather-wise. It was "warm" (for winter in Seattle) and somewhat sunny. So we took advantage and walked the nearly 3 mile loop at Discovery Park. Francesca did great and walked most of it; in fact, she could have walked all of it but we took pity on her. It was getting late and a bit cooler, as we took a leisurely 4 hours to walk the nearly 3 miles. There were lots of breaks for lunch, snacks, and lots and lots of pretend play, exploration, hypothesis making, and wondering...

{Our fearless leader, complete with walking stick}

{Mt. Ranier}

{Olympic Mountains in the background here}

{See the glimpse of a pink sprite at the top and center?}

A Sick and Snowy Weekend

2012-01-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

The photo above was my view for much of this weekend. Francesca had a low fever, not enough to make her miserable, but enough to make us lay around and cuddle on the couch and watch videos most of the weekend. Luckily, Marco was game.

But, then, it was also snowy. It doesn't snow all that often in Seattle, so we had to indulge Francesca a little. We also had a drawing of a boy that we wanted to take a picture of in front of the Space Needle for one of Francesca's cousins.

Francesca really liked trying to catch snowflakes in her mouth.

We have snowflake cut outs decorating our home and the snow outside was falling steadily and hard.

But very little stuck in our 'hood. The 'burbs had several inches of accumulation, but not us city folk. Still, enough to make some good snowballs...

Francesca definitely continues to feel better and more snow is in our forecast...woohoo!

The Dentist

2012-01-11T21:15:00.001-08:00

Although you may not know it from looking at this picture, Francesca was actually quite happy and excited to go to the dentist this morning. She goes to a dental practice that specializes in pediatrics, so they really cater to the child. With things such as creamsicle or berry flavored gloves on the medical professionals to fish tanks to a play area and an amazing toy chest from which to choose a prize, it's easy to understand how a child might think of a dental office as "fun".

Funny Face

2012-01-10T20:22:00.001-08:00

A Year with Frog & Toad

2012-01-08T08:04:00.001-08:00

Over winter break, Francesca and I went to the Seattle Children's Theater to see A Year with Frog & Toad with her friend Sage and her mom. The show was our first experience at SCT and it was great! We followed it with lunch and a visit to Molly Moon's!

Off to the Woods Went We...

2012-01-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

We went for a walk in the woods...

Then for a tall glass of milk, some food, and coloring...

Candy Cane Lane

2011-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

On Christmas evening, we went to see Candy Cane Lane, a street in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle that works together to decorate the whole street. It was a nice way to end the day.

Christmas

2011-12-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

Francesca woke up several times the night of Christmas Eve and could not wait to be allowed to open her presents! When her wish was granted, she ran right for this big teddy bear and rolled around on the ground with it for quite some time.

Starting with the stockings...

Dress up!

Hand-knit lovelies

Francesca's gift to Alex: an octopus! This was her plan for some time--she wanted to make him an octopus. I have no idea why and when asked, she supplied no explanation.

I loved that in the midst of toys and gadgets, time froze for a few moments while Francesca poured over a new book about a country veterinarian.

And, in case you are wondering if Santa granted Francesca's one request of a Pink Princess Castle:

A quick change of costume was in order...

Some princess painting

Playing veterinarian...

But this is what most of the day looked like...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

A Christmas tradition of ours has been Francesca gets a new pair of jammies on Christmas Eve to wear that night. This year was no exception. Here she is modeling her new nightgown with Marco, the ever patient cat.

Francesca and I made chocolate chip cookies (her choice) for Santa. Francesca picked out the "special" dishes for Santa and put carrots out for the reindeer. She included some soy milk as well, along with her note (at the bottom of which is her drawing of Santa with hearts all around). She also picked out an orange crayon and a coloring she had done to give to Santa, as she was concerned about the possibility of Santa not getting any gifts.

The tree with all the gifts (and a crooked star!).

Off to bed to rest up for Christmas...

Ice Skating on Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:34:00.000-08:00

We went ice skating on Christmas Eve, which may become a tradition of ours. It was the perfect way to properly channel some of the holiday excited-ness!

In this video, Francesca is in the middle back of the frame. It may be tough to spot her at first, but then she'll skate towards Alex and then towards me. More of a "trot" than a skate, but she is certainly very comfortable on the ice!

Skating by and giving high fives to the characters! She's like a professional!

Ice sculpture outside of the skate rink.

Taking a break by International Fountain

Christmas Camel, Donkey, & Reindeer

2011-12-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of Francesca's and my winter break together! We went to Swanson's to check out Curly, the camel, the donkey, and reindeer, which we had not yet done this year.

Reindeer resting up for their big night...

Happy Girl

Oh, and the huge koi that nibble on fingers? Those were the biggest hit!

Santa's Message to Francesca

2011-12-23T17:44:00.000-08:00

Santa emailed me today with this video to pass on to Francesca. She was beside herself! Watch Santa's message:

Ice Skating

2011-12-22T21:07:00.001-08:00

There is ice skating at Seattle Center as part of WinterFest. Francesca and Alex have gone the last two afternoons. We hope to all go tomorrow and catch some video. Apparently, Francesca has picked it up quite quickly.

Proud little athlete, isn't she?

Santa & Downtown Christmas Cheer

2011-12-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

We went downtown to try and find Santa and any other Christmas cheer that might cross our path...

We found nutcrackers galore...

When one place told us it could be as long as 6 hours before we could see Santa, we went to a secret place where we got to see Santa almost right away. Francesca told him she wants a pink princess castle...

Then we went to the market in search of crepes...and hot cocoa...

We found our crepes and a bird's eye view to see ours being made...

Mmmmmm...

Carousel ride...

What a magical day! Christmas cheer all around!

Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T20:41:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Gingerbread houses

2011-12-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Francesca's school had another fundraiser for the middle school children's trip by hosting a bake sale/gingerbread house decorating/wreath making party. Francesca was busy!

Gymnastics!

2011-12-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

Francesca (in pink) with two fellow classmates and Coach Kristin

This evening was Francesca's first gymnastics class. Her dance teacher is pregnant and will be taking some time off after the current class ends next month and Francesca decided she wanted to try gymnastics rather than find a new dance class.

I would hate to be accused of speaking in hyperbole, but Francesca smiled The.Whole.Time. Her coach told us she was the best student (and she was the only new one). Francesca cried when we left at the end of her class (she suggested we could live there). She watched videos of Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comeneci ad nauseum when we arrived back at home. She kept doing "one more" dance, move, jump, etc. before bed time. I think Francesca has found her bliss!

Guess Who?

2011-12-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Cello

2011-12-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

{Music Class, featuring Francesca on The Cello}

Today, before music class, Francesca and I watched another child's cello class and Francesca said, with certainty, that she wants to study the cello. She has tried it out at previous classes but I was unable to attend those so this was my first time seeing her with her beloved (at least as of today) instrument. I have always loved the cello and would love, love, love for her to play it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T19:01:00.001-08:00

Countless things for which to be thankful but a Thanksgiving walk with Francesca provides ample opportunity to reflect with gratitude:

It started raining right as we stepped outside. I looked to her and said, "Do you want to keep going or go back home?" To which she responded emphatically, "Keep going! We don't give up!" I am thankful for her spirit. And for giving me no other choice but to make the most of it, rain or no.

We walked to a playground near by our home. You would never know it's cold and rainy. Francesca was a mermaid! Another thing for which I am thankful: a child who reminds me that life is good and "stuff" doesn't matter. "Stuff" like rules about what one should or shouldn't wear. Yes, to some degree these rules matter. But to another, not so distant degree, they do not. And, yes, this is a fleeting time in our lives, when the magic of a 4 year old girl dictates that she dress somewhat absurdly. But there is a lesson there nonetheless and for that, I have respect and gratitude.

I am thankful Francesca reminds me there is great beauty in silliness, healing in humor, and love grows infinitely.

I am thankful for the strength, perseverance, and determination this girl has. It is a great mirror to remind me of all the strength, perseverance, and determination I contain. Thank you, again, sweet girl.

I am thankful to have a child in my life who reminds me that a wall of ivy is a place of wonder: I wonder why this leaf is brown? I wonder why this leaf is smaller? Look, a new, baby leaf! I wonder why this leaf looks different? I wonder how this plant grows all around the wall with no dirt? I wonder, I wonder, I wonder...what a gift to "wonder".

You are such a gift to us, dear Francesca. We are most thankful for YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 4 1/2 Francesca!

2011-11-22T18:47:00.001-08:00

Francesca is now 4 1/2! This a big deal to her. I think mainly because most of her friends are older, so to finally be able to claim an older age was very important. So we celebrated it! Francesca chose pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting (and sprinkles!) and it was very tasty!

Here's a video "interview" I took of Francesca. It is about 5 minutes long, though, but it is a nice snapshot into this little person that came into our lives 4 1/2 years ago.

Francesca is often making up songs and incorporates dance in many things. Alex and I joke that life is a musical with Francesca around!

Starlight Gala Class Project

2011-11-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

This Saturday is a big auction for Francesca's school called the Starlight Gala. They do it every other year so this is our first one. It is quite the event! To contribute to the auction, each class makes something and Francesca's class made stamps of things associated with the beach. Each square below was done by a child in Francesca's class. These are all beautifully matted and framed, which you can not necessarily tell from this photo. Francesca's is in the bottom left corner and is titled, "Turtle".

Turtle

Violin at Music Class

2011-11-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today at music class, Francesca tried the violin for the first time...

School Picture

2011-11-02T18:06:00.001-07:00

Autumn 2011

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

~A Halloween Fairy~

Francesca was very excited about her costume and to be a fairy. I don't think she could believe it when I told her she could wear some makeup....some of mama's makeup....some of mama's special glittery makeup. And then I told her to she could apply it herself. Whoa! That made for one happy girl, err, fairy.

The Fairy

We started by trick or treating at some of the shops in our 'hood.

Then we went to our friend's, Eliot's, home to trick or treat with him in a part of his 'hood which was promised to be great.

I was really impressed with how brave Francesca was---just walking up to homes, knocking on doors and ringing door bells, saying "trick or treat", and even "thank you"!

{Eliot was dressed in scrubs, like a surgeon}

Then we went to East Blaine which was over the top fantastic. So fun and cute and happy! They had tons of great stuff for the children and were even serving "adult beverages" and snacks for the grown ups! Totally made me love Halloween again.

Back to Eliot's to survey the booty.

Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

{When getting out of the car this afternoon, Francesca told me to "wait", she had "a surprise" and this is what she did}

Spooky Dancing

2011-10-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in Francesca's dance class, the teacher invited the children to wear Halloween costumes. At the end of class, they put on a little show for us where they:

Were skeletons
Walked like zombies
were witches riding their brooms
were scary cats
made jack o'lantern faces
rolled like pumpkins
the last thing they did which I cut off, was they lined up and all shouted "Boo!" at the same time

{Francesca is in the green and purple fairy costume, but she had to take off her wings because they were too "fragile" for rolling around like a pumpkin}

The Arboretum

2011-10-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

We've been working hard at keeping a bug/virus at bay, and in that effort, had a very home centered day on Sunday. But it did reach a point where we needed to get outside. So we went for a nice & easy walk through part of the Arboretum.

It was just what we needed!

Mondays...

2011-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

...are good for cuddling with a new handmade blanket...

...and doing shaving cream art on the window with papa...

...and doing puzzles, hugging the cat, enjoying homemade soup, hugging the cat some more, and going to bed early!

Off to See the Lions!

2011-10-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Francesca has not wanted to see the lions at the zoo for years because she was frightened of them. I'd given up even asking. And then, last week, out of the blue, Francesca shared with me that she felt she was ready to see the lions! We went late in the day last Saturday and hurried to see the lions. Just as we arrived, the papa lion was standing up from lying down and walked back to an inside part of his habitat where we could no longer see him! Oh well. But we did get to see him and Francesca was brave (although she did keep her ears covered, just in case, you know, he roared).

Here she is atop a lion statue close to where we saw the real lion:

Up close and personal with a python:

Contemplating life with the penguins:

Dance!

2011-10-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

{Thank you, Oma, for the tutu-skirt!}

Bangs!

2011-10-11T22:40:00.001-07:00

Francesca has been asking for bangs for some time now and I finally gave in to her wish. She is quite pleased!

Jack-o'-lantern

2011-10-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Francesca has been waiting patiently to carve the pumpkin we picked last weekend. She has drawn countless doodles of how she wanted us to carve it. Last night, she came up with her final version and we cut it out and committed to doing it today after school.

Alex went a step further and drafted the pieces with Francesca to tape to the pumpkin to ensure *just the right face*.

This is so exciting!

At first Francesca didn't want to touch the insides of the pumpkin. Then she did. Then she decided she didn't like the way it felt on her hands...

Jack-o'-lantern, designed by Francesca

Boo!

Cider Press at the School's Farm

2011-10-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we headed to Vashon Island for the annual cider press at Francesca's school's farm. The day proved to be unseasonably warm and sunny--always a welcome surprise!

::here we are with a good friend's baby::

::cider pressing::

::enjoying the fruits of one's labor::

::ride home on the ferry::

::as Francesca and I were talking about what goes on up there (picture below), a kind man asked us if we would like to come see what goes on up there::

::um, yes, we would::

::when he realized we were truly excited he showed us everything---the galley, sleeping quarters, and the room where *it* all happens::

::Francesca steering the ship::

::lovely sunset sail home::

Goodnight, Vashon....

Pumpkin Patch at Jubilee Farm

2011-10-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, for our 5th year in a row, we made our way East to Jubilee Farm to find our pumpkin.

{Pigs}

with perfectly curled tails

{Rooster and Hens}

Francesca took this photo

{Hay Maze}

Francesca is really good at it!

{Tractors}

Shiny ones

{Horse-drawn carriages}

To take us to the pumpkin patch

Driven by teen girls, which Francesca thought was pretty cool

{Eliot & Francesca}

On said horse-drawn carriage

{Pumpkin Patch}

Finding just the perfect pumpkin

{PUMPKINS!!}

Happy October!!

Dance Class

2011-09-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Francesca's dance class has started again! This year, she is taking a tap/ballet combo and she couldn't be more excited. It is with her same teacher from last year, which is nice. Her first class was Wednesday and on Thursday, she asked when her next class was. I think that's a good sign!

First Movie

2011-09-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Francesca went to her first movie! It was an IMAX movie in 3D (those are the glasses she is wearing) called Born to be Wild. She was excited and then nervous, but ultimately really enjoyed the experience.

Molly Moon's

2011-09-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Molly Moon's is a very popular local ice cream shop and they opened a store in our neighborhood today! From 3-5pm, they were offering free ice cream cones to children so Francesca and I had no choice but to stop by on our way home from school today.

She chose chocolate, of course.

Opening Ceremony for the New School Year

2011-09-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today, Francesca's school had a special morning drop off at the park where the children play every day. It was to commemorate the beginning of another new school year! All the children in the school stood in a circle, nearly 240 children ages 3-12, and their teachers. A teacher from each level gave a short speech, as well as the director of the school. Then music was played and everyone sang "This Land is Your Land" as the children walked in a single-file line back to the school (3 short blocks away). It was very special and I love that her school honors these special times with such ritual. That rhythm is so assuring.

{in case you can't tell: Francesca is front and center in the multi-colored striped dress. and that's Francesca's teacher, Candace, standing behind her in the bottom photo}

Oh, Sunny Day!

2011-09-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

In my mind, summer is July, August, and September in the Pacific Northwest. So far, this September has had the sunniest and warmest days of the year. And today was perfect...especially at the beach with cold water and a cool wind. Not to mention the beach umbrella to provide some shade. Perfect!

Francesca was very busy with sand, water, and rocks. Too busy to pose for pictures, that's for sure!

There was a little creek running down to the water and the children constantly change the path of this running water by making dams of sand and rocks. They were all like budding little engineers!

And the parents' view. {At the rare times when we both weren't playing with Francesca}

Last Day of Swim Class

2011-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

2011-09-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Last days of summer...

2011-09-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

Francesca starts back at school tomorrow. We are all looking forward to it, but it also means saying good-bye to summer. Which honestly, seems a little odd as it feels like summer never actually made its way to Seattle this year. But we've made the most of it these last few weeks: camping trips, swimming, lazy days, play dates, seeing old and new friends, visiting new and old parks to play and baking...

{vegan lemon-blueberry muffins. Yum!}

...and rock throwing. Lots and lots of rock throwing!

Olympic Peninsula

2011-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Blogspot has changed their formatting and I'm still struggling to understand it. As a result, these pictures are our of order, which bothers me, but if I spend another minute trying to *fix* it to no avail, I might explode. So here are the pics from our trip to the Washington coast, Hoh National Rainforest, and the Olympic Peninsula:

We started by camping at Kalaloch Beach up on top of the bluff above the beach:

One of the trails from camp to the beach:

After playing at Kalaloch on the first day, we went inland a bit to the Hoh National Rainforest. Alex and I had been there many years before and its other-worldliness stayed with us.

We asked this nice park ranger for a suggestion on a nice and appropriate trail to walk with Francesca. He took us outside and showed us many interesting and unusual things, including feeding the young salmon in the stream and telling us stories of the voles and strange bugs in the area:

We found a banana slug at the base of a tree:

The trail we walked took us to the Hoh River, which was awesomely beautiful:

We walked around the river and spent a long time throwing rocks in the water.

The walk down to Kalaloch Beach from camp--as you can see, the weather at the beach would change from cloudy to sunny and back again:

Kalaloch

Lots of drift wood at Kalaloch:

Francesca's idea: Sand Angels!

Camp fire!

I had thought we would take a ferry for our trip but it was actually shorter to go around (under the Sound), much to Francesca's dissapointment. So, on the way home, we fit in a ferry ride!

Arriving in to Seattle via the ferry:

Ruby Beach, which is just north of Kalaloch Beach, notable for its multiple sea stacks:

and caves!

The Olympic Peninsula is an interesting and very diverse place (I mean it has glaciers, skiing, alpine lakes, temperate rain forests, and the beach!) which proved itself worthy of much more exploration!

Vashon Island

2011-08-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening on Vashon. My dear friend, Whitnie, is in town from NYC and had a celebration at her parents' home. It was a lovely time, as always. And so wonderful to catch up with so many people and see all the babies that have entered the world among this group of friends and family.

Below is Francesca with Whit's brother's daughter. Francesca was smitten and so sweet with her. So many people at the party commented to me what a sweet and gentle soul Francesca has. Indeed she does.

4 Year Check-up

2011-08-22T21:25:00.001-07:00

Today was Francesca's 4 year check-up with her pediatrician. I had been putting if off because although Francesca is interested in all things medical, she instantly resorts to tears at the mere mention of going to the doctor and the possibility of shots. But today was the day! And Francesca was very brave.

Very curious about the doctor's tools:

Ready and waiting to see the doctor:

Francesca is healthy! She has great blood pressure and did perfectly on her vision and hearing tests. She is 43 1/2 inches tall (110.5 cm) and 46 pounds (21 kg) which puts her in the 95th percentile for both categories. She had four (4!!) booster shots which was upsetting to her but she was still very brave. The good news is the doctor said she won't need another shot until she is 11 years old! Whew!

Biking at Green Lake

2011-08-19T22:02:00.001-07:00

Swim Class

2011-08-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

Francesca is taking a total of three swim class series this summer. She took a 2 week one with her summer camp where they went to the pool every day. Then she took the one of which I recently shared pictures. That one was twice a week for 4 weeks. Next week, starts pretty much the exact same thing at the exact same pool. At any rate, Francesca has made leaps and bounds in her comfort in the pool and her ability to actually swim! It has been so great to see. The first class I took her to, she shook her head no when the teacher asked her to put her face in the water. And she certainly would not put her face in the water. Now, it's a totally different story. She practices her bobs while the teacher works with the other children and goes underwater to look for the rainbow fish her teacher assures are down there {she knows it's just pretend, though!}. She can even swim actual free style (front crawl) strokes! And jumps in the pool with out holding your hand! And loves to be in the pool! And put her whole head under water--even her eyes! It really has been so great. I wish we would have signed up for more. Oh well, there's next year.

Here she is in her racing suit to help her swim so fast:

This pool has family swim nights which we went to last year and this year. They are great fun and Francesca loves to show off all her newly acquired skills.

Despite all the exuberance around swimming, Francesca would not go down a big slide. Absolutely refused. No big deal, right? Well, on the last day of this series of classes, all the children play much more than usual and get time to go down the slide. Probably every other child was very excited about that. But not Francesca. She came home from her class the time before the last one (when the sliding would happen) and was very upset that she would have to go down the slide. I reassured her that she didn't have to do anything and if she felt strongly about it, she could simply tell her teacher, "No, thank you". But then, of course, I proceeded to tell her how fun water slides are, and how often she loves things once she tries them, etc.

The day of the last class came and Francesca was very nervous. She suggested that maybe she shouldn't go to swim class. I reminded her she could say, "No, thank you", if and when the time presented itself.

During class, the children went over and their teachers helped put on life jackets. I was waiting for Francesca to balk at the idea, but she did not. Instead, she marched (maybe even skipped?) over to the slide. I'm not sure what was said, but the teacher did go down the first time with Francesca in her lap. I couldn't read Francesca's expression until she hit the pool of water with a splash and immediately a big smile came to her face. After that, she ran around and did it all by herself:

This is one of the many things I love about this young child: she can admit her fears, face them, and grant herself permission to enjoy that of which she had been so afraid! She was so proud of herself, too! She has promised to show Alex and me how to do the slide next time we go for a family swim. The little pro!

Here is her report card from her class. She's doing great!

Summer Camp

2011-07-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Francesca's school follows a traditional school year calendar so the school year ends in June. However, they do have a summer camp program for people who need child care. Francesca has been going to it all summer and has really loved it. There are many fewer children in the school so it feels more quiet and calm (although her school is usually pretty quiet and calm) and they do more fun things, like field trips to parks, libraries, pools, etc.

Because they are out and about so much more than usual, Francesca needs to pack a back pack daily. She also needed a better lunch bag that was well insulated and zipped close. Here she is as she looks most mornings:

She has a certain pride in carrying her own things. It's really endearing. Like her lunch bag? She requested something like a jaguar or leopard so I searched high and low and found this bag.

Swim Class

2011-07-27T22:02:00.001-07:00

Francesca has been all about swimming and swim classes lately. She has had daily ones at her school for the past two weeks and she also started one in the evenings. She loves it!

Except she still gets "shy" (that's what she always calls it). Below, she is going to her first of the evening classes, clutching her unicorn, feeling a little shy:

But she overcame her "shyness" quite quickly and beelined it for the pool:

The things I love about this pool: 1) It's outside, 2) It's heated (yes, we need that in Seattle, even in the summer), 3) Francesca can stand in it, 4) It's at our neighboring neighborhood's community center, 5) They love children and make it really fun and relaxed for them.

As we were leaving tonight, Francesca was glancing backwards toward the pool and said, "I want to go back in the water." Oh, my little mermaid-dolphin-manatee (these are the things she pretends to be in the water)!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2011-07-27T03:45:00.001-07:00

This month also brought Alex's birthday. Celebrations, of any kind, are taken pretty seriously around here:

The above poster was Francesca's idea completely. I did the writing but by dictation from her. She drew the "x's", though! And those were her idea, too! And yes, we were out of tape but Francesca was adamant that it must be hung on the door. So we used lint roller tape! If you are wondering what was inside the closet that was so top secret, it was a stuffed animal cat (which Francesca promptly asked Alex, when he opened it, if he would share with her), crazy bands (rubber bracelets, which Francesca quickly pointed out were for everyone, when Alex opened them), a card, and a picture drawn by Francesca.

Then there was chocolate cake which was picked up the day before, so Francesca insisted the box receive the same treatment as the closet door:

It reads: "DO NOT OPEN (or peek). Only open by Francesca or Nicole" with some more "x's".

Francesca picked out a set of candles that spelled out "Happy Birthday". Here she is helping Daddy blow them out!

Happy Birthday, Alex! Francesca and I love you so very much. You are the perfect husband and father to us both. Get ready for another wild trip around the sun!

4th of July on Lopez Island

2011-07-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, let me apologize in advance. A) for it being such a long gap since the last post, and, B) for all the pictures in this post. And many of them are not of Francesca, but when you are in such a special place as Lopez Island, it is hard to restrain oneself. If you don't want to take my word for it, maybe you'll take the word of National Geographic who picked the San Juans (archipelago of islands which contains Lopez) as the #3 destination or maybe The New York Times that picked it as #2 for top travel spots in 2011. Still don't believe me? Here's a website with links to both articles.

At any rate, we revived our annual ritual of spending the 4th of July on Lopez Island.

Below, is part of the ferry dock structure in Anacortes, which is our sailing point from the mainland. In every little cubby, there were nests with mama birds and their babies.

The weather was amazing. For the whole time we were there. It rained the first night, but only while we were sleeping and our tent kept us, and our belongings, perfectly dry.

This is from the top deck of the ferry:

View from the ferry window:

This is the beach at Spencer Spit, our camp site:

Camping means camp fires and 'smores, for sure!

Our new tent!

Getting ready for bedtime:

Farmers' Market:

Shark Reef Sanctuary. Alex and I have now been here many times and we never cease to be awestruck by it. It is one of those places that pictures fail to capture...no matter how good they are.

Shark Reek Sanctuary has trails that take you to the "beach" (in quotes, because it's a rocky beach full of steep cliffs). It's a short, easy walk but Francesca was not so sure. So we turned it into a scientific expedition. Francesca brought a note pad and pen (the kind with 4 colors of ink, mind you). We took turns being the note taker/sketcher, photographer, and scout/lead.

Here is Francesca purposefully sketching the little white flowers at the entrance to the trail:

Photo of said flower:

Oh, yes. There were some early raspberries. Not the sweetest, most delicious ones yet, but just perfect for our greedy little hands.

Finding the red, juicy ones:

Francesca ran, skipped, twirled, danced, "flew", etc. most of the way:

And then you get your breath swept away as you exit the tall forests and stand upon a cliff that overlooks this:

There were seals laying all around the outer rocks--you can see one here on top of the front and center rock. There were even baby seals nursing with their mamas!

We had loads of fun climbing over all the big, craggly rocks, playing in tide pools, watching little fish, crabs, hermit crabs, and the like.

Picnic lunch with an incredible view:

On the way back, picking more raspberries:

Getting ready for the 4th of July parade:

Below is Agate Beach, which is a beach we've driven by but never spent much time at. A mistake we remedied:

Building sand castles. Francesca was very busy with this for a very long time. She was finding "the most beautiful" shells and rocks, and when lucky, even some beach glass, for her "estate".

I wrote her name in the sand:

Then she got the really cool idea to fill in the letters with rocks. This beach is sandy, but it also had tons (literally, tons) of small rocks. All very rounded and smooth.

I started helping her with the project and it took us a good, long while. We had fun:

Our finished work:

And then, like that, it was over.

Until next year, Lopez.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2011-06-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

I dropped off Alex and Francesca at the airport this morning. They are on their way to Scottsdale to celebrate Oma's birthday. This is Francesca's and my first time apart. Oh, I already miss her so...But doesn't she look like a natural traveler who's going to have a life of wonderful adventures? I sure hope so!

Super cool

2011-06-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics

2011-06-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, our friend, Addie, had her birthday party at Seattle Gymnastics Academy. The children get to run around and use most of the equipment in the gym for about an hour. Francesca had a great time. She had previously been unsure of the trampoline, but it quickly became her favorite!

El Sol

2011-06-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today was the nicest day of the year to date. So we had to get out there and enjoy! We did some chores and then headed out to Francesca's choice of the beach at Golden Gardens. Bliss!

Northwest Folklife Festival

2011-06-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend means Northwest Folklife Festival in our home! This is one of our favorite celebrations. Unfortunately for me, I was bogged down with finals, but Francesca and Alex went each of the three days. I did manage to go for a few hours Saturday morning to enjoy some of the revelry!

Francesca had a butterfly painted on her face, which she absolutely loved! Folklife is such a wonderful celebration of the human spirit and all that it can create with its own two hands (or whole body). So much beauty!

Final Dance Class

2011-05-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today was also the last dance class of the season, so families and friends were invited to come watch the whole time.

Here is Darrah with all the girls (Francesca is 4th from the left).

There was some free movement time at the beginning of class. This skirt was one of her birthday gifts.

Here was a dance obstacle course.

And the dance finale where the girls had to learn a dance routine.

At one point during the class, Francesca was closing her eyes. She came over to Alex and me and told us how tired she was. That's what a whole, long weekend of birthday celebrating will do to anyone! But she still did great and had lots of fun!

Darrah is taking the summer off so, assuming Francesca will want to, we will return to dance class in autumn.

Birthday Celebration at School

2011-05-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Francesca's birthday at school! It is an exciting and ritual laden experience.

First, the family is asked to make a poster with pictures from the child's past birthdays.

This is in part, to help the child conceptualize the passage of year, which is one earth's rotation around the sun. The parents are asked to share stories from each year and at the end of that "year" the child walks around the candle (the sun) holding the globe to symbolize that the earth has travelled around the sun one time.

There is a nifty little song that goes along with it that seems to be sung at every Montessori school.

Francesca brought Mighty-O Donuts to share with her classmates: seasonal flavors of raspberry lemonade and blueberry. The birthday child can pick 3 friends to help her pass out her goodies.

The family can bring a book to donate to the classroom and the parents read the book aloud to the class while they enjoy their treat! And then each child came up to us to thank us for coming.

Family Photo. Francesca was filled with so much pride that it was her birthday and we were celebrating her. It was such a pleasure to watch her enjoy herself so much!

Happy Birthday, Francesca!

More Birthday Celebrating at the Farm's Spring Celebration

2011-05-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the Spring Farm Celebration at Francesca's school's farm on Vashon Island. Oh, and yes, it was Francesca's actual birthday, too!

Soon after we arrived, they did a cake walk. Francesca is in the large flower dress, in the back and center. Alex is in the foreground watching.

Then the lucky birthday girl won a cake!

Proud girl!

Then there were garden posts to be painted.

And orchards in which to run free.

And tall grass in which to play jungle cat.

And good music to which to dance and good friends with whom to dance.

We also ate gelato, indulged in loads of good food (including roasted pig for those who eat such things), planted sunflowers, ran, and laughed, and danced.

Thank you, Vashon and Pacific Crest School, for yet another memorable day!

And Happy Birthday, Francesca! You are now officially FOUR! The party continues tomorrow at school...

Birthday Celebration, Part I

2011-05-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

{We did the bulk of celebrating Francesca's birthday today because tomorrow is a big party at Francesca's school's farm}

This morning, Francesca awoke to her birthday card, a bouquet of flowers, and this crown:

Oma came over and we all ate breakfast. Afterwards, Alex and I gave Francesca our big gift to her: a new bike with pedals! She has been wanting one...

Here is a little clip of her first ride. She took to it quite quickly and was so proud to have a big girl bike and to be riding it so well.

Francesca said she wanted sushi for her birthday dinner, so it was off to Blue C Sushi for us. Francesca chose her outfit: befitting a 4 year old birthday girl, don't ya' think?

(And, yes, she is reading while walking to the car.)

Birthday cake was yellow cake with strawberry filling and frosting. Francesca was very excited for cake and there was ice cream, to boot! (Francesca frosted and decorated the cake pretty much by herself.)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! You have brought so much love and joy into our lives in these short four years. I look forward to what the future will bring our way, too. But for now, I try to sit and enjoy your wonderful, mind opening, sense of wonder, accepting, generous, imaginative, and simply delicious newly 4 year old-ness. Thank you for the gifts you give us each day. We love you so much!

Oma's Here!!

2011-05-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Oma has come to celebrate Francesca's completion of 4 years!

Dinner at Delancey's was super fun. As you can see, Francesca and Oma were immediately smitten with each other.

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

I realize I created a Mother's Day post last year, but never posted it, so I just did. You can see what Francesca made last year here.

Now for this year, Francesca planted this flower and decorated the pot with colored pieces of broken glass (she made this at school). It is very sweet and Francesca was very proud to present it to me.

Francesca and I have such a wonderful connection. I truly enjoy her and feel as though I am constantly falling in deeper, more complete love with her all the time. She has shown me so much, both about myself and about the world. Today, especially, I miss my mother. I was thinking the two greatest gifts she gave me (and it was hard to whittle it down to just two) were knowing that she loved me no matter what I did and giving me a sense that I belonged in this world. I hope I can pass those down to my daughter.

Happy Mother's Day!

Pancake Breakfast

2011-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Francesca's school had a Pancake Breakfast today for all the families with a talent show as entertainment. The talent was the children doing all kinds of things, like singing, playing instruments, etc. It was very sweet. Francesca said she will NEVER take part in it. I hope she changes her mind....

The second photo is Francesca with her friend and classmate, Hailey. There was paper over the tables with crayons with which the children could color. Smart move, because their attention waned as the show went on.

The Zoo

2011-05-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Francesca and Sage, best buddies, atop their daddies at the zoo this morning....

Easter

2011-04-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Easter basket filled with Easter goodies! Francesca's question: "Why did I get so many things?" Sometimes, she is too good to believe!

Pacific Crest School

2011-04-23T23:03:00.001-07:00

This is Francesca's school. She started here last fall and I hope she can stay through 8th grade. We feel so fortunate that she goes to school here as it's truly an amazing place. This video was shot last year, so you won't see Francesca anywhere, but some of her friends are there. And you can see all the cool things they do at this school and how they truly honor the creation of the adults these children will become.

Pacific Crest School: A Joyful Place to Grow from Pacific Crest on Vimeo.

Spring Break

2011-04-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

This is Spring Break at Francesca's school so we've had a nice week of play and relaxation.

Here she is doing the Bunny Hop at dance class (she is 4th from the front):

Although it was supposed to be a rainy week, it has been mostly sunny and no rain! Lucky us! Here we checked out a new-to-us park in Ballard called Salmon Bay Park:

She liked the park so much that we had to bring Daddy back:

Went to the Zoo with some friends and their daughters. Here is Francesca with Addie:

And it's only Friday morning---more fun to come!!

Francesca's Handiwork

2011-04-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

A part of the Montessori "curriculum" is needle work. Needle work incorporates many different areas of development, such as fine motor skills, concentration, delayed gratification, the ability to make something/do something useful, the ability to make something beautiful, creative expression, etc. Apparently, Francesca loves it! She does most of her handiwork in the afternoon with her teacher, Louise, who says she has started teaching Francesca different styles of embroidery stitches because Francesca has been such a fast and eager learner. It started with her sewing lines on very large gauge fabric (like potato sack fabric). Then she was sewing large buttons on fabric (and quite well, too). She also sews shapes on cardboard--animal shapes, polygons, etc.

Here is one example:

And then about a month ago, she started telling me about a pillow she was making with a banana embroidered on it. Since she is almost 4, many things that come out of her mouth are not true in the world in which you and I exist, so I nodded, interested, and paid little attention...until she brought this home!

It's a pillow, with a banana embroidered on it, with a lovely yellow floral calico print on the back (Francesca's favorite part!), that she made all by herself. I am continually amazed by this little being. And the pride she exudes when she tells me she made it and how she made it, well, words fail me in expressing that humble awe.

Day in the Sun

2011-04-18T07:35:00.001-07:00

Admittedly, it doesn't look very sunny in the following pictures, but rest assured, it was. Yesterday was forecast to be cloudy and rainy, however most of the day was warm and sunny, much to everyone's delight. Absolute delight! We went to the Ballard Market and there was sheer joy in the air. Then we went to the Ballard Locks (we were married in the Botanical Gardens, there, which made no difference whatsoever to Francesca...no matter how many ways we tried to explain it to her...in her mind, we've always been married).

Apparently, this has been an especially rainy spring. I have to admit, it doesn't feel much different to me, but everyone has been complaining. I just don't expect to see sun until after July 4 and then I'm rarely disappointed (except for last summer which had very few sunny and hot days).

And this week is spring break at Francesca's school so we are off together! What fun is in store for us is yet to be determined....

Art Work

2011-04-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to our favorite toy store, Top Ten Toys, to pick out a present for a birthday party that was today. Francesca chose out a new art supply and I'm such a sucker for art supplies that I couldn't say no. They are big crayons that have the consistency of oil pastels, but then you can paint them with water to get a water color effect. Francesca thinks they're pretty cool.

A Sweet Girl with a Sweet Cat

2011-04-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Francesca and I spend the very beginnings of most mornings lazing around in bed with Marco. It's such a sweet start to the day.

Love & Happiness

2011-04-08T23:17:00.001-07:00

Discovery Park

2011-04-03T16:59:00.001-07:00

School Farm

2011-04-02T20:54:00.001-07:00

Francesca's school has a farm on Vashon Island and occasionally, they have work parties where parents are encouraged to come help out on the farm. The job this past time was to build another green house. By the time we showed up, that was well under way so....

...Alex got to do some heavy duty weeding.

Francesca really wanted to help out but most of the work was too hard and she wasn't satisfied with anything else. Except for walking in the mud and finding slugs and earth worms. Which we did.

Hand washing in dripping rain from the gutters.

Scooter cutie

2011-04-02T20:51:00.001-07:00

Seriously, I don't know where she comes up with this stuff!

The Zoo

2011-04-02T20:48:00.001-07:00

Seattle Bike Expo

2011-04-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Seattle Bike Expo is fun and cool!

::Trying on sparkly helmets::

::Trying on silly helmets::

::Young children on unicycles {which Francesca loved--power to the children}::

::World Champion bicycle artists::

Rain Forest Cafe

2011-04-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Several weeks back, Francesca and I tried Rain Forest Cafe. It's a chain restaurant that has a rain forest theme. Francesca bordered between fascination and frightened but overall, seemed pretty interested. Especially when it was time for dessert!

Unicorn Tree

2011-03-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is a tree on the way home from Francesca's school. She dubbed it

"The Unicorn Tree".

Projects with Papa

2011-03-27T21:21:00.001-07:00

{Building with mini-marshmellows and toothpicks}

{Coloring; including "stain glass" paper}

Face Painting at Trader Joe's

2011-03-26T15:11:00.001-07:00

After a late and quick visit to the zoo one afternoon (here are the poison dart frogs--one of our favorites)...

We headed to Trader Joe's for some grocery shopping. For some reason, the staff were doing face painting that day. Francesca requested a "princess" and she loved it! The only thing is now she hopes for face painting every time we go to TJ's.

Silly girl

2011-03-25T23:46:00.001-07:00

Francesca & Sage

2011-03-23T20:56:00.001-07:00

This is who Francesca identifies as her Best Friend, Sage. Or sometimes she calls Sage her Best Buddy. Either way, they're very cute together. We went to Sage's house last weekend for an evening of play and dinner and Sage's mom caught this picture of the girls doing art on the deck.

Fancy Nancy Ballet

2011-02-28T06:50:00.001-08:00

Fancy Nancy is a series of books about a little girl who likes everything *fancy*. Of course, Francesca loves it! A local ballet school created a ballet based on one of the stories, Bonjour Butterfly. As you can tell in the photos below, Francesca was quite excited.

This was Francesca's first ballet and she was very brave because she has been scared of this type of thing as of late. But she faced her fears for Fancy Nancy. The show started with Peter and the Wolf during which time I thought we might lose Francesca, because there is a menacing wolf and boys with guns, but she hung in there (I think mainly because there was a beautiful bird ballerina). Francesca loved the whole experience and wanted to see it again!

Afterwards, some of the ballerinas were in the lobby to meet the children.

It was fun and the ballet was for children so it was a very friendly atmosphere. The ballets were narrated so the children knew what was going on in the story. Super fun!

Party in the Park

2011-02-28T06:49:00.001-08:00

One of Francesca's friends had her birthday party at a park on a freakishly cold day. Everyone rallied and had fun anyway!

Pacific Science Center

2011-02-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

I had resisted the temptation of Pacific Science Center until this past winter when more and more of our friends wanted to meet there, it was cold and rainy, and this place is in walking distance of our home. Since we are now members, we have been several times:

Flying the space ship!

There is also a planetarium that has a show catered to Francesca's age that is great!

The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach! One of Francesca's faves. I didn't think she would even go near it but she can't stay away and hovers around the display to have the chance to hold it again and again and again.

Tide pool area with hermit crabs.

Butterfly house.

In the shadow of the Space Needle and 60s architecture.

Outside play area.

My loves

2011-02-20T00:34:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Cookies

2011-02-18T22:11:00.001-08:00

Francesca and I made sugar cookies for her afternoon class to decorate for Valentine's Day. The teacher requested 48 cookies and we had preeeetty big cookie cutters, so this proved to be a long afternoon of baking. Francesca picked out a heart and cupid cookie cutters but unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of those as I think we were running out of steam at that point.

And, yes, Francesca is wearing dress-up clothes. No reason not to look glam while working in the kitchen!

Last fall at Francesca's school, they had all the children draw a face (their face?) and then they print all the faces on various surfaces for people to buy to generate income for the school. Here is Francesca in an apron that has only the preschoolers pictures on it (there are 4 preschool classrooms).

And here is Francesca's little egg-face! We think it's really cute.

And please excuse the cat fur. There are many reasons why a cat may need to be held or cuddled or moved or whatever. Yes, even whilst baking. You've been forewarned.

Bath time cuteness

2011-01-31T20:32:00.001-08:00

This is a new bath robe Francesca received for Christmas. It is so cute and oh, so soft and cuddly. And it has a crown on the head! I don't love this picture but wanted to capture a photo of her in it. At least she's flossing her teeth (well, holding the floss with which to do it)!

Art work and writing

2011-01-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Here is some art work Francesca brought home from school. I especially liked these.

The one below is a picture cut into squares that Francesca had to puzzle together and then glue to create the original picture. I had never seen this and think it is a cool idea and a cool picture. Often, fluffy cats are the pictures given to children but this is a great black and white of the city. Awesome!

I like this one below because you can see the beginnings of her writing her first name. She can do this all by herself and sometimes it comes out more legible than others. But I am so impressed that she can a) remember all the letters that go into her name, and b) usually get the letters pretty darn close.

And here's Francesca weaseling in on picture fun.

The Artist and her Work

Impish?

Dance Class

2011-01-24T20:45:00.001-08:00

Francesca has been in a 16 week pre-ballet/creative movement dance class. Monday was her last class for this series and parents were invited to attend the whole class and watch. Normally, parents can only be present for the last five minutes or so to see what the children have worked on in that class. I usually have to miss dance class all together but I definitely had to make it to this very special one!

In every class, Darrah the teacher, tells the children a story and then they dance and act it out. This story was about some children who were walking in a forest and came upon a sorceress' house who practiced some of her magic on the girls by turning them into all kinds of different things.

Now, here's the highlight of the class! At the end of the story, each girl had to dance their favorite, most beautiful dance across the room to be changed back into their human form. Now to really appreciate this, you would have to have seen the other girls. Most of them skipped, hopped, galloped, even just walked across the floor. Not Francesca! Watch and be wowed:

Isn't she amazing? I am just so pleased and tickled by her in so many ways.

Afterwards, we went to get a celebratory cupcake!

I hope she can dance through life with the grace, confidence, happiness, and pride she showed here. At any rate, she's off to a grand start!

Sunday fun

2011-01-23T23:55:00.001-08:00

Hello! It has been a long time since we've been around here. Just a quiet January getting back in the swing of "normal" life.

Today, we met our friends, Eliot and his parents, at the park for some fun followed by some yummy food.

Francesca and Eliot drove this "bus" around the world taking passengers wherever they might want to go.

This was the best I could do to get a picture of them together. They were too busy to stay in the same frame for any length of time.

After saying our good-byes, we went to the library and played around in all the cool architecture that is the Seattle Central Library. And Francesca checked out her books! Libraries are so great!

Play, Art, & Dress Up

2010-12-31T17:10:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, Francesca always wanted to be outdoors: going for walks, to the park, riding her bike or scooter, etc. Now, she just wants to stay home and play. And since we have been off school for the holidays, there has been much play at home.

In her new fancy dress, with face paints and crown, while working on her threading boards.

Playing veterinarian.

With stethoscope.

Giving shots.

A butterfly she drew all by herself with metallic colored pencils.

And Francesca as I see her most days. While we were sitting together doing some art and making some cards.

And the dress she wears every day. Every day.

Cold and....sunny?

2010-12-30T21:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was freezing but sunny, so we had to take advantage. Francesca's suggestion? To go to the beach! I think she thought since it was sunny it was beach weather. She even said she would pack her bathing suit just in case she wanted to go swimming. I decided we should go to Carkeek Park since there is a beach but also a great playground, knowing the beach would be even more than freezing cold. Alex thought the park would be empty and that I was an *exceptional* (my word, not his) person for even considering this adventure. I assured him that in Seattle on a sunny day, there would be many people at the park, freezing temps or not. So we went.

Not only were there lots of people there...Bubble Man was there!

We had oodles of fun pretending to ride the ferries on the big teeter-totter, driving a big boat to Africa on the tall climbing structure, swinging, listening to the waves, seeing trains, pretending to be a bear family in the caves, etc. AND, watching Bubble Man!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T13:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was much anticipated. Francesca woke up and the first words out of her mouth were, "Did Santa come?". She came into the living room and immediately saw the presents under the tree (none were there when she went to bed) and her stocking was full. Big, huge satisfied smile.

We started with her stocking which was a lovely gift, as well, with her name embroidered on the top fuzzy part.

It was apparent almost immediately that Francesca was pretty overwhelmed by this whole thing. So we mixed it up. We opened some stocking and some under the tree presents. At one point we took a break to eat some breakfast. We went slow and let Francesca enjoy the gifts at her speed. At one point, I was trying to instruct her to open all the gifts first and then we could play. But luckily I caught myself and realized this was her experience, there was no right and wrong way of truly enjoying presents, and maybe hers was even better where she savored each moment. Boy, this girl has a lot to teach her parents! Merry Christmas to us!

Below with a much wanted and coveted stethoscope for human and animal medicine practice. A tea set and some play candy treats, too.

Practicing print writing.

Santa brought presents for Marco and Sophia, too. Francesca made sure Marco was set up with toys but knew to leave Sophia alone. Photo by Francesca.

Face paints in crayon form were another hit. No surprise there since Francesca has always loved to write on herself and anyone else who will let her.

Alex and me proving that, if nothing else, we are good sports.

Now she is getting into it!

So far one of the favorites: two little doggies (one is a yorkie and one is similar but white) in a shiny pink carrying bag each with collars and coats and treats and food bowls and a comb to groom them.

The horse that Francesca had asked Santa for: a black and white horse. Santa kindly suggested that maybe Francesca could be happy with a toy horse because a real horse wouldn't easily fit on his sleigh. She agreed. And was quite happy to receive this one. Thanks, Santa!

A horse tattoo, even!

Francesca making the magnetic dancer dance.

Another favorite: this fancy, princessy, beautiful dress! Oh, how she loves it! And has worn it every day since. (With a new robe on the floor in front of her which was disrobed as soon as she opened this dress.)

And then the big present: a wooden stable with horses.

She included them in the tea party.

Oh, my. This girl is really something.

I found this later Christmas evening on the rocking chair. So sweet!

We were very fortunate to have such a wonderful Christmas. Francesca got each of us gifts, too. For me it was fancy soap and a teddy bear and for Alex it was new tires for his bike. She was very excited about the gift giving, too, which was fun.

Afterwards, I made a fancy (fancier than normal) brunch and then we napped and played some more.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T21:10:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve we made special cookies for Santa---sugar cookies with frosting and decorations! Francesca helped the whole way from making the dough, wrapping it to chill, she did all the rolling of the dough, all the cookie cutting, and decorating. Whew!

The proud baker

Alex helped and decorated some, too!

Some of the cookies with a note I wrote for Francesca, but it's all her wording. Her school introduces reading and writing using cursive, so I'm trying to be mindful of that and model it at home.

Francesca chose three to leave for Santa, along with some soy milk, carrots for the reindeer and this note.

Every year, Francesca gets a new pair of jammies on Christmas Eve to wear that night. This year she received ones that have fairies and princesses on them and even some glitter! Here she is modeling with Marco which bears an uncanny resemblance to last year.

Francesca has had lots of questions about everything that is going on and is definitely very excited. Even so, she went to sleep pretty easily on Christmas Eve! Now let's see what she thinks of Christmas Day...

The Zoo

2010-12-23T04:11:00.001-08:00

Francesca and I went for a quick visit to the zoo last Sunday and as a result of the "quickness" missed some key animals that Francesca wanted to see. Tuesday morning started off with lots of sun and blue skies so we decided to head back to the zoo to see the animals we missed. Francesca was so determined, she decided to make a list of animals to see. I love that she calls it "a line of things to do" rather than a list. She will even say, "we have a long line of things to do" and she will rattle off all the things (often with remarkable detail) and I can see how in her head it might seem like a "line" of things connected by a thread or like a train, perhaps.

You might be able to make out "elephant", "zebra", and "giraffe". There is the start to "jaguar" but she quit. Many of her letters are written backwards and/or upside down, but she also kept twisting the sheet around so it might be hard to say what is what.

For whatever reason, we spent a lot of time playing with the animal statues on this trip. Here is Francesca feeding the snow leopard.

Francesca riding the komodo dragon.

And atop the hippo.

Me and my girl on top of the komodo dragon.

Life is a blur when one is 3 1/2 years old...or the traveling partner to a 3 1/2 year old (photo by Francesca).

Happy Winter Solstice!

2010-12-21T22:14:00.001-08:00