Spring art project

Grandma Sue and Grandpa Brent are amazing gardeners. Last year Sue grew some birdhouse gourds, and then dried them over the winter. Sunday we had dinner at their house and the kids got to paint them! It was such a fun project. Macy was very focused on painting her gourd pink.

She recently discovered just how much fun painting is; we've made some art with Kennedy's new birthday supplies and even finger painted (both on paper and all over the kitchen table, hence the new orange stain by her seat.)

Jake painted his to look like a quetzal. Kennedy painted two, one for her in her favorite colors (purple and pink) and one for Grammie and Pamp.

Beth made an amazing rainbow layer cake for dessert. I ate way too much, but it was both delicious and beautiful.

Kennedy had a few bites of the purple layer, and then Macy and I finished hers off. Macy had also been sharing with Grandpa Brent.

On our way home, we stopped by the Weiler's to see Jeff before he heads back to Oregon to start a new quarter. He's been in town for spring break, and he and Jake went skiing one day last week. It had been awhile since Jake's last time on skis, but he reported everything went well and they had a great time. Jeff is ready to part with his long hair. Jake bet him $20 that he wouldn't get a mullet and keep it for a week. Looks like we're going to have to send him $20!

Run, Kennedy, run!

Last week Kennedy participated in her school's annual fun run. The kids raise money by running laps in the gym to support Native American grandmas and girls attending school in Africa. Kennedy was so excited, and said she'd been telling all her friends that they had to run really fast to beat the boys! She had some tough competition in the Purple Class, not only with the boys, but also with the five and six year-olds.

I stole away from work to watch, and I'm glad I could be there to support her. The kids did a warm up and stretched, and then they lined up for the whistle.

Kennedy started out strong, but eventually got distracted by the drinking fountain. She'd run a few laps, then go out in the hall for a drink. She'd come back in strong and run (on her toes) a few more times around.

Kennedy completed 16 laps in eight minutes. Not bad, but I think it was fewer than last year - that drinking fountain was just too tempting! Everyone finished with a cool down lap and then some stretching before heading back to the classroom.

We weren't on the ball with our fund-raising this year, but Kennedy is really excited to make thank you presents for the few people we asked.

Tenny's o-tay

Saturday night I went to a dance performance of Romeo and Juliet with my friend Sara. The dancing was great and we had a really fun time. The girls had a sleep over with Grammie and Pamp because Jake has been working crazy hours this week. He went in at 2am on Saturday and didn't get home until 6:30pm!

Sunday morning we went over to get them and then we drove out to Costco. As we were walking in, Kennedy wanted to run to get ahead of Jake and Macy. We caught up to them, but Jake tried to block Kennedy from getting past him. Well, with one of the blocks, he accidentally sent her bumping into the brick wall - and she hit it face first, right at the corner. I quickly scooped her up for a hug, but when I was able to get a look at her I saw that she'd cut herself right above her left eye. We went back to the car to get the blood cleaned off and to figure out what to do. The cut looked fairly deep, and we just couldn't tell if there was something stuck in it. Luckily, there's an emergency room right across the parking lot!

Our wait wasn't too bad, and we bought some pretzels from the vending machine and read princess books from the library (that I just happened to have in the car from the sleep over) to pass the time. Kennedy was very much against going to the hospital, but she was quite brave, under the circumstances. She's getting to be a pro at ER visits! After getting everything cleaned up, the doctor decided that glue would work just as well at a stitch. Kennedy was especially glad to hear this - after she got over her disbelief that glue would actually work for a cut. The doc was really nice, but he didn't build our confidence when he shared a story about almost gluing a kid's eye closed. He tried to say it wasn't that bad, but Jake told him, "We're glad you had this learning experience on some other kid."

Macy was very sweet and wanted to make sure that Kennedy was okay. "Tenny's o-tay," she'd say over and over, and "Tenny go bonk! Tenny bump her eye." And yes, this is how she dresses pretty much all the time. She gets quite a bit of attention in her necklaces and princesses.

Luck o' the Irish

When I picked Kennedy up from school yesterday, this is what she told me, "Mom, I've changed my mind. I don't want a restaurant when I grow up...I want to be an Irish dancer!'

I was shocked! Apparently during the day, the kids had a special St. Patrick's Day treat and got to watch a performance by a local Irish dance group. It made quite an impression on Kennedy. She really "liked the way they moved their feet and did those kicks." I would assume that she was also very interested in the fancy dresses. I did some searching while I was at work today, and I found a class that's not too far from our house. The next session for 3-5 year-olds doesn't start until May, so we'll see just how serious she is about this.

We've had some nice weather, so the girls have been playing together in the backyard. They draw on the patio with chalk. Kennedy scoots around in her little car. Macy follows Loki around the yard. And somehow they managed to climb up on the swing all by themselves.

I went to a parent teacher conference for Kennedy. She's doing very well in school and is especially strong/interested in: creative projects, especially when they involve cutting, coloring and gluing; learning Spanish letter sounds and vocabulary; number and counting jobs; writing - she has excellent handwriting which she puts to use by signing all her work "KENNEdY MACY MOM dAd" or copying words out of books (which she started doing all on her own at Grammie's and Pamp's); and puzzles. Her teachers really like her and they say that she's a happy and compassionate friend to everyone. The kids want to sit by her, play with her, and notice when she's not around. She's very tender (often downright sensitive and can be set off by the most random things...hmm, it sounds like she got that emotional gene from Grammie and me - funny story about that: Miss Lorena said that Kennedy was crying the other day, so she tried to ask what was wrong. Was someone mean? No. Did she miss her mom and dad? No. Kennedy said, "I just feel like I need to cry.") As the year has progressed, Kennedy has become much more comfortable in the class and is willing to try everything. I guess she needs to work a bit on greeting her teachers in the morning. I think she just gives a quick wave and then gets right to work. They get that she's more of a quiet, introspective kid (seriously, she's a mini-me in so many ways) and they love that she is a good listener, stays focused and works hard. And, it's only once in a while that the teachers have to separate Kennedy, Mae Mae, Lucy and Amelia for being too silly or too loud.

Better late than never

You can finally see my wrap up of 2010 - a little late, I know! I'm working to get caught up again. And a happy new year! and several posts after that, with still more to come...

New pets

Sometimes Macy likes to pretend she's a puppy. She'll crouch right by my legs, look up at me and start panting. Then she expects to be scratched behind the ears, patted on the head and told, "good puppy!" It's a little strange, but I indulge her because she's just so darn cute! One of her favorite books is Mo Willem's "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy." Macy can just about recite the whole thing with me - just like Kennedy did when she was this age. Maybe it was the story that gave her the crazy idea to be a dog...

The other day Kennedy was acting like a cat, so Macy started meowing, too. At dinner that night she was licking her applesauce off her plate and later began to lick Jake's arm. She had been licking my arm the same way maybe a week before that. What a girl! She wants to be a princess one day, then our pet the next. Go figure!

My princesses

Kennedy graciously shared her new princess dress up clothes with Macy. Aunt Kari and Uncle Rainier sent some click-clacks, a purse and gloves, and jewelry for her birthday. The girls were having the best time putting on their new fancy things at Grandma Sue's.

They looked so cute and were more than happy to pose for a few pictures. Macy said, "Mama, I pitty?" Yes Mace, even with your frizzy morning hair, I sure think both you and your sister are pretty.

Kennedy is really getting interested in dressing up. We might have to find her a few more options, but she can be pretty creative with the stuff in her closet. (another sign she's growing up: she doesn't call it a "close-it" anymore.) She talked me into dressing up with her over the weekend. I found some crazy outfits for myself. Jake tried to take my picture when he caught me in a black and pink butterfly sarong (from Mimi's travels, of course) and Kennedy's fairy wings. I stripped down as fast as I could to avoid his ridicule, but I couldn't get the wings off in time!

Macy is the real girly-girl in our family! We're still dealing with her requests to "wear my pwincesses" around the clock. When she wakes up, it's usually, "Mama, want my bacelets! Need my purple tick-tacks!" So I have to find the bracelets, necklaces and shoes. The earrings and purse have opened up a whole new world of accessorizing. She our own little Fancy Nancy.