The Bambini Visit Grandma Connie and Grandpa Charles

Fans, the bambini are spending their first nights ever away from home this week! On Saturday, we met Grandma Connie and Grandpa Charles at a McDonald's halfway between Minneapolis and Chicago, and after lunch, the bambini got in Grandma Connie and Grandpa Charles' car, and off they went. Julie cried, but managed not to do so until they'd pulled out of their parking space and were well and truly on their way. The bambini were distracted by the delights in the bag packed with distractions in the backseat of the Grandparents Trumpmobile. Ted had no such bag, so he distracted Julie with a This American Life podcast which worked pretty well.

We spent the night in Red Wing, Minnesota, a river front town along the Mississippi. Our route there took us right along the river and Lake Pepin so we saw the evidence of all the rain that has fallen up here outside our windows. We were home by ten Sunday morning, and decided to tackle putting in a garden bed around the deck. (Clearly, we are seizing our chance to live it up.)

Meanwhile, we can report that the bambini went to a horse show to see Lippinzaners, and that they got horses. (We assume these horses are of the toy variety since Grandma Connie and Grandpa Charles have said nothing about looking for stables.) Joe's has no flowers and is a boy while Clara's has flowers and is "not a boy." They also saw where Julie went to middle school and climbed the same trees she once did!

It is very quiet here at the White House. That is o-kay only because we know come Friday evening, it won't be.

Aunt Kate and Cousin Nick Visit

As some of our Fans know, we had Aunt Kate and Cousin Nick with us last weekend. They are a dynamic duo and now that Cousin Nick is at French Camp and Aunt Kate back home with a Uncle Scott, we are back to missing them. But, we will see Cousin Nick in another three weeks, on the flip side of French Camp, when he will be the sole counselor at Cousin Camp--a day camp with just one camper: Joe.

Aunt Kate and Cousin Nick were here on a very full weekend, but they were up for it! We participated in the annual neighborhood garage sale on Saturday, and had a Pampered Chef party on Sunday. In between all that, there were, for various of us, trips to the park, the pool, and various college campuses. We dined al fresco on the deck every night. Good times, as always.

Learn to Ride a Bike Class (or, Our Hero Rides a Bike!)

Before class, in Teacher Carrie's helmet.  (The first thing we learned was that Our Hero's helmet was too small.)

Fans, we (well, one of us) is coming to you tonight from learn-to-ride-a-bike-class side where Our Hero has been coasting around on a pedal-less bike like a champ having the best of times. Now some of you might be thinking, "A class?" Isn't learning to ride a bike like riding a bike? Like, isn't that an expression? (Julie at least can report that a few years back, when she'd not been on a bike in a while, Ted had to tell her to put a pedal up with which to push off, proving that riding a bike is not just like riding a bike.) REI put this gig on and most of the class is getting comfortable balancing on a pedal-less bike without the security of training wheels through games. You can see a brief clip of Our Hero coasting here.  Pedals went on at the end and well, check out this clip here. Our Hero, pedaling! Riding a bike!  (This is really the money clip; the voice you hear hollering, "I'm pedaling!  I'm pedaling!"--that's Our Hero.)

He fell twice. The first time, the two other boys he was racing around with stopped and came over straight away.  It was very much, "Man down!  Man down!  Don't leave a man on the field!"  One said to Joe, "Dust yourself off. That's right.  Just dust yourself off." The other said--to Julie--"He's tough. Yeah, he's tough." Then the first boy said to her, "Yeah, but falling on concrete still hurts."

Not more than a minute later, Our Hero was asking Julie if he could bike home.  The second time he fell, he was just going to fast and clipped the wall.  But he got right back on.  It was clear the joy of riding outweighed the spills which we all know, Fans, are great moments.

Summer Ways

We are rolling into our second week of summer--meaning warm days without school for Joe, and summer programming at the KinderCare for Birdie. So far, so good.

Last week, Joe was at Kid's Place where it turns out he knew a handful of kids from his school, or the KinderCare. Still, it wasn't surprising when he sort of fell apart a day or two in. Julie found him wadded up in his bed before bath time still hissing tears and vinegar in the wake of a low-grade tantrum.  There was still a lot that was new that he was managing as best he could. Sometimes, even at our best, life backs up on us and we all want someone who loves us to love us still as we hiss and foam. By bath time itself, he was o-kay.

This week, Joe is at a YMCA day camp--their "Sports Sampler"--with Graham. Fans, they arrived today wearing the same cornflower blue athletic shirt and it was all coasting downhill from there. On the way home, Julie learned that they played baseball today; that they caught pop flies, in gloves that you wear on the hand you don't use to throw; that they hit balls; and that the pool was broken today because the stuff that makes the water o-kay to swim in has to be just right. Julie also learned that Joe's teachers today were girls, but that he doesn't remember their names--or anything else that happened after lunch.  Also, he's not so old that he is above running at her headlong at pick-up to be  picked-up and held.

Clara, for her part will soon begin two, half-day camps that happen twice a week at the KinderCare: Art Camp and "Ball Camp"--Sports Camp. Julie had signed Clara up for Art Camp, reasoning that Birdie liked coloring, drawing, and painting, so she was sure to like Art Camp. And although this was not off the mark, Clara also said she wanted TO. GO. TO. BALL. CAMP!!!!! Julie said o. KAY!!!!! Clara said maybe other girls would sign up, too, but confirmed that she would still want to do it even if no other girls signed up. Since then, at least two other girls have signed up. Sporty Birdie leads the way?!

And so we are making our way through summer.

Of Braids

Braids are back, Brigade.  To be fair, braids are a classic hairstyle for the preschool girl set, but still, many a girl are sporting them when not so long ago it was less so. Clara doesn't really have enough hair for one braid.  Julie kept suggesting two braids--French braids close to the scalp to start before finishing in braided tails.  Clara balked and asked for one, maybe one just on one side.  Julie balked and said that wouldn't look as good as two.  Julie couldn't figure out why it was one braid or bust--until Clara said she wanted an Elsa braid, not Anna braids.  And then Julie realized she had the Frozen sisters and the Frozen phenomenon to thank for the fixation on not only braids, but one braid.  Julie's really got the hang of two French braids down either side of of the front of Clara's face now, even when Clara's head is bowed low to examine her toes, say.  But it was truly exasperating in the early going, especially when Julie would finish, and Clara would announce tearfully that she wanted one braid.  Light streamed from the heavens when Clara said she wanted one braid like Elsa, not two braids like Anna.  (Here we pause to ask what's wrong with Anna?  That's not to say there's something wrong with Elsa, but come on.  Anna's got it going on, too!)  Elsa, Anna, Anna, Elsa.  Julie had had enough.  Julie told Clara that Clara had "Clara braids" and made like Elsa, which is to say she let it go.