Swagger Wagon

We took the kids out for a Memorial Day ride. Andrew was feeling lucky that his kids are in the 5th percentile for weight.


They still add an extra 45 pounds. They had a lot of fun, then got bored.


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Cutest thing on two legs

Claire's getting better at walking, but still prefers crawling. This video also showcases the other feat she's fast mastering--drinking from a bottle. A very welcome developement to her mother.

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Buddy

They had horses too. Ella's horse was named "Buddy". Ella spent most of her time on Buddy piecing together a cogent narrative about him. "Did you know that Buddy is the fastest horse ever?". "Did you know that Buddy can eat grass?". "Did you know that Buddy has sharp feet that can hurt you if they step on you?". "I wish Buddy was not always being in the back of the other horses".


I thought Buddy was a good sport. He probably didn't mind an extra-chatty kid who weighed barely 30 lbs.


Ella had a great time and has been talking about Buddy to anyone who will listen.


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On the farm

Everyone knows that goats will take food from any source...


These goats had to take their pellets one at a time


From a delicate set of fingers


First the fingers had to carefully pick up the pellets from the ground because the fingers' mom wouldn't shell out $1.00 for food for a goat.


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You can take a girl out of the country...

Growing up in a small town, I always saw friends and neighbors whenever I went anywhere. Years later, I still miss it. I feel a slight tinge of loneliness often when I'm running errands in a sea of strangers. I feel it strongest whenever I go into Costco especially, the mormon Mecca that once guaranteed a surprise reunion of some sort. So I was elated on Monday when I ran into my cousin and his wife signing up for their first card. So elated that I nonchalantly snapped this photo. It's of their backs because it would be weird to take one head-on, obviously. Especially since Costco didn't even take their picture.







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Little Claire

I can't believe she'll be 1 in one week!


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Sunday Observations

Every week we give an elderly sister in our ward a ride to church. Her name is Adassa Walker. Ella's been calling her "Miss Adassa", but I recently learned that she prefers to go by "Sister Walker". I coached Ella in the car on the way over. When Sis Walker got in the car, I greeted her using the preferred name and tried to get Ella to do the same. Ella just looked around in amazement then said, "did you know that Sister Walker sounds just like Miss Adassa?"


When we were in church as the opening hymn began, Ella looked up at the stand and observed loudly, "did you know that our Bishop does not sing very good?"

The irony is that out Bishop sings just fine, much better than his critic, in fact. But it went unnoticed because he lacked the performance presence of the sunbeams-- he doesn't open his mouth as far as he can, or bob his head like a broken metronome, or lift his arms high above his head for emphasis, or turn the pauses of the song into solos. All of which were incorporated into Ella's last sacrament meeting extravaganza on mothers day.

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Audience

Claire could not get enough of Ella's "hilarious" display of licking her Teddy bear this morning.

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Saturday Outing

We took the kids to the Children's Fairytaleland in Oakland today. It was a far cry from it's protege, Disneyland, but for $6 and 40 a minute drive, it was a good trip. Ella loved it.


Claire was not as impressed.





Afterwards, we took a trip to Berkeley. Ella liked the clothes.


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Claire's First Steps!

Claire took her first steps today! She was lured by the iPhone-- an object she cannot resist.

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Mission control

Ella went in for her followup hearing test today. I thought she looked so adorable in the headphones; like a little astronaut.


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I'm the Mommy

Ella's been playing at role reversal lately, insisting that she is the mom and I am the big sister. Yesterday she didn't like my attitude and sent me to a time out in my room while she fed Claire. Works for me.



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Teething

Poor Clairey has four top teeth coming in. She'll gnaw on anything...lotion bottles,


Here she tries to chew on the floor but finally settles for her own arm instead. It's a rough world out there.

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Ping pong tournament

Ben spent a lot of time describing how he would beat me in ping pong. I figured he probably would, since most people do.


His first shot went wild, bouncing over the wall and into a swimming pool. The trash talk diminished somewhat after that, but I left pondering the unflagging ego/confidence of the adolescent male.


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Balboa

All "the big kids". Ella keeps talking about last weekend by saying, "when I was a big kid..."


The icecream was big too, but the kids were up to the challenge...


Nate didn't want to miss a single sprinkle...


Claire basking in the three minutes of sunshine her fair skin can tolerate at a time...


"the water has SPARKLES!"


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Newport Beach

Ella's learned a lot from her older cousins this weekend.


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