Superhero Swimmer

It's been too long since we got in the pool, so this Sunday while most of the world was watching a football game, the kids and I went and got wet. But earlier in the day, Vincent used his swim gear as a superhero costume. Note the special superhero computing device he also incorporated in his play.

We had a great time in the pool, then I surprised them by swinging by the ice cream shop. It's been months since we've done that, too. Zoe had strawberry, Vincent had chocolate, and I split my scoop between coffee and chocolate. We savored our ice cream and swung gently in the giraffe glider. We ceded the glider to another party who wanted a turn, six college girls. That was evidently a few too many, 'cause they broke it!

Vincent and Zoe examined the glider carefully, and determined that one giraffe was missing a tail. They thought that was probably why it didn't glide anymore.

Fish Hatchery

At the fish hatchery, a quarter gets a child a double fist-full of fish feed. Our kids carefully meted out their feed supply, and then gleaned more from the ground. It's so much fun to watch the steelhead fingerlings leap and splash to get at the eats on the surface of the water. This time the holding tank at the entrance of the hatchery was full of big adult fish, which we didn't get to see on our last visit. However, we didn't see any fish coming up the ladder from the river. We were out with friends from preschool, and after we admired the fish, we went for a stroll and had a picnic lunch. Just another awesome day in this place we call home. 

B...B...Book

Outside of a dog, a book is a person's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to see. David tells this joke often enough that it's one of the few I remember. I've recently added a new one to my repertoire, courtesy of a children's book. What color is a burp? Burple. We read this one as a family. Vincent immediately chuckled, which made the rest of us laugh.

Where was I going with this? Books. We love them, we have lots of them, we read them together, and it pleases me so much when I see the kids reading alone. Or with each other. Or with their dog. 

Zoe is bringing home from school something they call precodable books. They are a combination of high frequency (frequently seen/used) words, and pictures with words underneath, telling short and simple stories. She proudly read this week's precodable tonight. When she paused for an extra beat, trying to figure out what the picture represented, Vincent prompted her with the beginning sound "B...b..." He is learning to read right along with his big sister.

Fabulous, Dahling

Every day, Zoe plays dress up. She would go to school like this if we let her. 

Prime, Purple, Blue

The new year has brought us fabulous weather. It's cool, but not too cool. The sun is out. It's dry. We've been outside every day. David and the kids worked on the dog house, and I cleaned out garden beds, pulled weeds, and pruned honeysuckle. Weather like this gets me thinking about planting. I have to remind myself that it's the middle of winter! Garden planning is not amiss. Bare root fruit trees and vines are already arriving in the nursery...

Catching Up

Some of it is just the perspective in these photos, but the size disparity between these two children is steadily shrinking. 

New Year, New Adventure

When you're small, it is an adventure to be outside in the dark without a grownup. This after dinner outing was Vincent's idea.