Of Bikes Rides and Popscicles

Yesterday afternoon we went for a long, long bike ride with the bambini packed into the bike trailer, and on which the bambini--really, Joe--learned that limbs touching is as a result of natural jostling of the bike trailer is all a part of biking fun.  To be fair, Birdie seems to think that antagonizing her brother in close quarters is also a part of biking fun, but so might you if you got as dramatic a reaction as Joe was dishing out when Birdie shook her straw cup filled with water such that water flew out on Joe--at least until the cup was taken away.  (Really, Birdie.)

When we reached the end of the Stone Arch Bridge (the halfway point of our ride), we happened upon an ice cream truck and had ice cream all around.  The bambini had something called a "tongue blaster" pop, seen here in Clara's hand.

The tongue blaster pops left blasts of color in their wake, as advertised.  Joe looked like The Joker, and Birdie's dress looked like Joe's face.

So when we got home, the bambini stripped down to their underwear so their tongue blaster pop-sodden clothes could go into the washing machine.*  The bambini love tearing around in the underwear so for them, they only thing that could have made the day better, was birthday cake after dinner.

(This might be why the toy stroller's lining is tearing.)

 *For the curious, everything came clean, despite what would have been suggested by the appearance of the bambini's skin after eating these frozen delights.

USA! USA!

Ted is rather into the Olympics and so, perhaps in an effort to turn them on that much earlier each evening, watching a bit of them has been introduced as a pre-books-and-bed Quiet Activity option.  Joe has learned all kinds of new things.  In addition to the likely obvious (badminton! what swimming really looks like!  people put their faces under the water!), he has also learned about the perhaps less obvious, like instant replay.

Last night, the boys watched women's rowing. Not long after the race wrapped, Joe said, "Daddy, the USA is still going."  That was when he was introduced to the wonders of instant replay.  Tonight, while in his bath, already anticipating the Olympics (just like Daddy!), he sought to confirm that Quiet Time would include Olympic viewing:
Joe: "What is that thing on the TV?"
Ted: "The Olympics?"
Joe: "Yeah.  We'll see Bob?  I don't know his other name."
Ted: "Bob Costas?"
Joe: "Yeah.  Bob Costas."

Yeah.  (This reporter isn't yet sure if Joe has learned that Olympics rolls around but once every two years.)

Socks

Joe wanted to wear socks today.  You look as good as you feel, right?*  Naturally, Clara wanted to wear socks as well.  Socks all around!  On the back end of the day, Julie was attempting to sit at the dining room table in a little puddle of peace, and flipping through the newly-arrived Boden catalog, considering a particularly delicious pair of red heels, when Clara marched up and said--ordered?, "Hold my socks!" while thrusting the sweaty wad into Julie's face.  We have, of late, been working on the addition of please to such pronouncements.  Still, when Julie asked Clara to please put the socks in the hamper, Clara scampered right off to do so, and peace reigned again, for as long as it can in a house with 12 feet or paws on the ground.

*Here, Julie would like to send a shout out to Grandpa Charles and Grandma Connie, who might recall the red stirrup pants and oversized white sweatshirt festooned with shapes in primary colors getup she wore three out of five weekdays in fourth grade.  But Julie felt like a million bucks in that outfit.

Have To Go Poopie

And then Fans, there's Joe.  Here is the dinner conversation we had with him last night:
Joe (slightly breathless with excitement): "There was a fly in the bathroom!  Daddy caught it and flushed it down!"
Julie [worried about Mr. Miyagi's karma]: "Too bad we couldn't let it outside."
Joe: "You remember when the butterfly flew in the house when we were putting on our shoes and we let it outside?  [beat] But now we are eating dinner."

The conversation zigs and zags, flits and flies.  You gotta be quick to keep up.

It may interest you all to know that last night ended with the bambini in tears behind their closed door.  It all began when Clara began bawling and we broke our own cardinal rule, and went in.  She said, "I have to go potty."  You cannot be fooled by such statements, Brigade.  She's is playing you with such statements.  She had peed.  She had pooped.  So, too, had Joe.  It didn't stop him from cranking up the bawl on cue as it became apparent that no one was going to stop his sister's squalls and he was going to have to JUST DEAL.  In any case, the two of them had taken care of all potty business before bedding down for the night.

Which is why it was somewhat funny to retreat to the couch and hear Joe wail--WAIL--from the other side of the door: "I HAVE TO GO POOPIE!!!!!" over and over again, with Clara's descant of the same in the background.

And yet, they made it to this morning.

Got Boogers, Got Hope

That, Birdie Brigade, is what Clara just chanted on her way to bed via the bathroom to collect a "tissue."  (Birdie always calls it a "tissue."  There is now brand-name-as-noun Kleenex for her.  Just something we've noticed--especially because initially, between this reporter's use of and therefore expectation of hearing the word Kleenex, and Clara's emerging speech, this reporter really had to pay attention when Clara was asking for a tissue.)  So we got boogers here.  (Now you can rest easy tonight, Brigade.)

We've also got Clara chatting it up more and more.  About a week ago, she was in the bath tub when Julie arrived home late and crouched down next to the tub.  They had the following exchange:
Clara: "Got to be careful!"
Julie (hazarding a guess): "Or you might fall down and go boom?"
Clara (in a tone that suggests she cannot believe what she has to deal with): "No."
[beat]
Clara (trying again): "Ride bikes!"
Julie: "Oh, when you ride bikes?"
Clara: "Yeah." [Read: "Now you've got it Poindexter."]
[beat]
Clara: "I got a wash cloth!"

It can be tough to keep up, Brigade, with a girl such as this.  Nowadays, it seems like she's just showing off ay every turn.

Last night, when it was time to read books before bed, she came tearing around the corner saying, "school bus, school bus!"  By this, she meant that she wanted to read the book School Bus.  She likes to try and count the school buses, pointing at them just like Julie does.  Birdie can count all the way to 10! But, she mysteriously skips two.  If Julie tries to correct Birdie, and lifts her own finger to point at the objects she's counting, Clara allows Julie to reach about the count of two before she will shove Julie's hand away and say, "Not your turn.  Not your turn."  It can be tough to keep up with a girl such as this.

Tonight, when it was time to read books before bed, Birdie came tearing around the corner hollering, "Yea!"  (Naturally, Julie's bookish, dorky heart swelled.)  Clara tore right over to the entry hall table that we use as a side table, on which are housed books that are mostly Joe's speed.  And yet, perhaps Clara is revving up?  Clara picked Owl Moon, about a father and son who go owling.  It features much who-who-ing!  It also features a moon.  Both are things that Clara knows.

The final lines of the books read:
"When you go owling
you don't need words
or warm
or anything but hope.
That's what Pa says.
The kind of hope
that flies
on silent wings
under a shining
Owl Moon."

There are times, you know, Brigade, when you are sailing along, feeling yar as all get out, and then before you know it, you've sailed right into a squall and you're just trying to make your way out to calmer waters.  And sometimes, you know, Brigade, that Joe and Clara are the squall, and sometimes, they are the calm waters.  That's how Julie felt tonight, when she was reading the final lines of Owl Moon to Clara--like Clara as the calm waters, a lap full of hope for smooth sailing ahead.

And then Clara climbed on down and toddled off to bed calling out the news: "Got boogers."

"Mama shoes," Big Girl In