Sprinkler Head

Yesterday was day one of vacation even though we were still at home. We kicked things off with a bike ride around the neighborhood to test Joe's biking skills, which he passed admirably. Next we walked to the pool at the same time the clouds decided to roll in making it a chilly outing, but we did get to eat lunch at the super inexpensive "cantina" before heading home. We got a trip to the Hopkins library to pick up books because ours is under construction and learned that it has a bigger kids play area in which to entertain young ones.  Back at home the kids dug around the garage as usual. This time they got out a bucket to have a foot bath like they have been reading about in Fancy Nancy. Water anything leads to two kids running around in their underwear. Add a sprinkler and it gets really fun!  Clara was making laps to the sprinkler where she would dunk her head and then race back to dry off with a towel.  You can see it here.  When the games were done we had some dinner before bed so we would be well rested for our week at Grand View Lodge!

Six and Four-Year-Old Well Child Appointments

We can report that Birdie's hand, foot, and mouth disease is clearing up nicely in the wake of the bambini's joint annual well-child appointments with Dr. Harrington on Friday afternoon, at which they were pronounced well. Joe weighed in at 51 pounds (77%) and measured 46 3/4" (73%); Birdie, 40 pounds (77%) and 41 3/4" (79%).

If they are charming when flying solo at Dr. Harrington's, they are outrageously so when they are not.  They were a smile a minute, up on the table together, examining all the diagnostic tools on which they could lay hands, answering questions asked of the other one--especially Joe, trying to fill in for Clara's relative language deficit. (Birdie is in the place where she has lots of words and so strings them together to talk around the words she doesn't know. And then Joe hops in with the correction or word she wants and doesn't know.) As always, Dr. H was filled with the perspective that comes from having seen all kinds of kids. We are told that Clara will outgrow the (gross) habit of chewing on her hair, and gentle reminders are the order if the day in the meantime. Also, that as a boy, and one of the youngest in his grade, she wasn't surprised he struggled on the organization of his belongings front and this, too, will be better with time, as he matures. They'll likely grow out of these bad habits and such, in other words, which is good, but of course they will outgrow other--some--endearing trappings of their four and six-year-old selves and that is sad. One doesn't always know what will be a phase that will be over in a relative blink, and what is the start of something that won't fade away. In any case, they are such dear little people and we love them so, maddening ways and all.

Go Twins!

Today at Camp Cousin Nick the big activity was going to a Twins game. Clara was out of school so Nick got to escort both to the game.  They were dropped off a few blocks from the stadium and they found their way to the box office and to their seats.  Lunch was procured and later some ice cream. The Twins even won, but more importantly, Skeeta won the mascot race. The trio walked back downtown and found Ted's building so they could all drive home together.  It was a beautiful day for a game!

Tender Moment

Camp Cousin Nick has had an extra camper simce Tuesday after Birdie was up in Monday night with a fever of over 102. (She came in the big bed and it was like sleeping with a thrashing oven.) Turns out, she has hand, foot, mouth disease (which has an ominous sounding name but is in fact just an annoying virus that until it runs it's course, will give Birdie little blisters in her mouth,or on her hands, or feet, or both). Julie came home early Tuesday to take Birdie to the doctor, and as she was buckling Birdie into the car's backseat, Birdie reached up her hands to Julie's face and said, "I missed you, Mommy." Such a tender little Birdie. Julie pressed her forehead to Birdie's and said, "I missed you, too."

Bird Feeder Acquisition

In other news, we have acquired a bird feeder. Joe has been after us to get one for ages, largely because the Berenstain Bears treehouse is seemingly always surrounded by merrily chirping birds. (When you get right down to it, he and Clara would probably jump at the chance to live down a sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country.) We'd been resisting because unless positioned just so, bird feeders are de facto squirrel feeders, and possibly raccoon feeders, and all other members of the Family Rodenta. We've apparently managed to position it just so because we've had only birds flocking to the feeder, but have they ever been flocking! They are eating us out of house and home, Fans. We've been filling it once a day. The bambini like to hoist themselves up on the deck railing by their forearms and looking the birds from a distance.  Really, they'd like to get closer, but they know that if they tried, the birds would fly further away. But they'd be back. The birds now know what side their birdseed is buttered on.