Bird's Brain

Earlier this week, Clara went to Susan Lindgren for her kindergarten assessment. This is the assessment done by the school less for readiness as the state does, and more for room placement and balancing. Our Birdie is tall for her age, as long-time Fans know, and as it happened, she was a head or so taller than the other kindergarteners-to-be being assessed in her time slot gathered around the desk placed at the entrance to the media center. We won't bury the lead much more: she can still head to kindergarten in the fall. The teacher who assessed her showed us all of Clara's work, including a self-portrait. The picture included a darkened-in oval in the middle of the forehead. It looked ambit like a band-aide maybe. The teacher had asked Clara what it was.

Have you guessed, Fans?

Her brain.

I Spy More Memorial Day Memories

Memorial Day weekend is the wettest of the three summer holiday weekends according to the Minnesota weather people, who are minor celebrities in the North Star State. This Memorial Day weekend proved them right. There was upwards of a 40 "per chance"--as Joe says, with much authority--of rain all weekend long. But we had enough of a sunshine chaser Monday evening to eat al fresco on the deck. We played I Spy while we ate. Joe had us all stumped with something white that you sometimes see and sometimes don't. It was all very existential in the backyard of Casa Blanca. Peals of laughter ensued when he revealed the item: his underwear.  Kind of a potty word! At the dinner table! Parents laughing anyway! Oh the delight.

In this picture, you can see where Clara Scissorhands cut her hair nearly to the hairline, right in the middle of her forehead.

Memorial Day

Joe and Ted got to head to the ballpark on Memorial Day to see the Twins play the Red Sox. We got there just in time for some touching tributes to our veterans and the National Anthem which is a must see activity for Joe due to the fireworks during the song.  We were also treated to fireworks after a Twins home run during the game they ended up winning 7-2. We had ice cream, as always, and caught the mascot race in the 4th. We finished the day with our trip to visit Sue where Joe got to stand at her organ while she played Take Me Out to the Ballgame. On the way home, Joe asked if we could go to the cemetery.  On any other day the request would have seemed odd, but it made sense today because on the way to the game we were stuck in traffic near Lakewood Cemetery where Joe saw a horse drawn carriage and lots of American flags.  So Ted wasn't too surprised the scene had stuck in the little man's brain. So we parked and walked around the cemetery which is very impressive. We went inside a large mausoleum building, walked to the GAR statue and grave site, and took a drive around the seemingly never-ending roads. A chance to explain to Joe more about veterans and a good end to our Memorial Day.

Big Kid Beds

Berenice's new favorite napping spot now that she can no longer get on the big bed by herself.

The other weekend ago, Julie spied a lovely twin bed for sale on Nextdoor, a social networking site for neighborhoods (that is both often useful and often highly entertaining). The bed had a canopy of sorts--every little girl's dream--the price was right, and it was still available when we contacted the seller. A few hours later, Birdie had a brand new bed.

We had, actually, been wanting to get a new and bigger bed for Joe. The Nextdoor score prompted us to head to IKEA as we'd planned for some time, to find something for Joe, Nextdoor having proved a much richer source for elementary school girls' bedroom furniture than the same for elementary school boys. We did indeed find a bed at IKEA, and some malaria prevention grade netting which was as close to a canopy as Joe could get. Turns out a canopy is the dream of many (every?) kid, no matter his or her gender.

All that was left was a mattress which Ted and Joe picked up a day later. You can see a short video here of Joe testing out the wares. (It is short, by amazing.) Clearly the two guys minding the store that day were willing to allow a lot to make a sale.

The bambini are both asleep in their new beds tonight, wreathed in gossamer trappings of some stripe. Sweet dreams are made of this.

Writer

At Clara's preschool, each child is given a job for the week. For example, the Electrician is in charge of turning off the lights when the class leaves the room to go outside; the Nurse carries the backpack with medical kit outside; the Zookeeper feeds the fish; and the Gardener waters the plant. This week, Clara was the Writer whose job is to fill out the daily report. Here is Friday's report. Hopefully you can tell which words she wrote.