Gardening Princess

A mile from our house there is a very small and sweet botanic garden.

We took this sweet and sassy girl for a visit last month.

Any expedition is fun when wearing a new princess gown.  It makes the flowers smell extra sweet.

We went right when spring had just sprung in Palo Alto, so even Orelia appreciated the novelty of blooming flowers and ladybug sightings.

Bobby and Linda were there to appreciate our California weather and especially their favorite California girl.

 We were the only guests at the garden that morning, but there were plenty of volunteers digging up plants to make room for new ones.

 The volunteers were so sweet to Orelia, answering all her questions and encouraging her to help.

John and I don't do any gardening, so Orelia loved the opportunity to get her hands on some plants that actually had roots attached.  If she even knows what a root is.

It was the perfect way to show our guests the beauty of Palo Alto, and I was proud of Orelia for enjoying the experience as much as a 3.5 year-old could.

 Of course, some 1-2-3 swinging didn't hurt either.

After the garden we took Bobby to his favorite Palo Alto restaurant since he, like Orelia, is much more willing to experience some culture if there is a promise of pizza and ice cream at the end of it.

Wonder Girl

 Despite our preschool's attempts to create an even split of genders in each classroom, Orelia happens to be in a class where there are twice as many boys as girls.

 This leads to quite a bit of superhero play from the majority of her classmates, which consists of chasing each other around and using their hands to express their "power."

 I have been noticing that the kids in the class who are occasionally "blasted" with the pretend powers can have a variety of reactions.

Some kids seem to barely even notice it happens and just go about their own business.

 Some kids are more sensitive to the behavior and become upset.  Usually they run away or tell an adult that it bothers them.

 Orelia is in a third group.  When she is accosted by some pretend powers she raises her hands up in defense - shooting her own pretend powers back at the kids and yelling "I'm Wonder Girl!"

It cracks me up.

 I certainly don't think she's stronger than the kids that have different reactions, but she just doesn't mind that type of play and even enjoys it.

 She may not be able to summon her Wonder Girl persona every time it happens, but today she was my Wonder Girl.

 And I am grateful to call this little Wonder Girl my own.

In Her Married Dress

Sometimes the camera comes out because the house is full of a laughter and I want to remember the moment.

Sometimes she is wearing her "married dress" complete with a veil and her grandma's glasses, laughing up a storm.

 Sometimes she is somber, but just as beautiful.

 And sometimes she is laughing and her eyes sparkle.

Most importantly, sometimes she is acting like a complete nut and her grandma is willing to go along with whatever game has been concocted.  I can't remember now how the snowballs became food that afternoon, but I do remember she was having a great time with a grandma she treasures.

School Aged

Around 18 months, a switch flipped.  Something changed inside Bennett and he basically just seemed much more a "person" than a "baby."

With a mid-September birthday he doesn't qualify for most preschools that require children to be two years old by September 1st, and I thought "who cares."  He seemed so young and didn't really need school anyway.

Well, at 18 months he became this little person, and I realized he would absolutely love school, and I would really regret it if he didn't have school next year, and hell I just missed the deadline to apply for a class at Orelia's school.

We found out this week that he got off the waitlist for a class at Orelia's school, so all is not lost.  Every Friday he and I will get to toddle and climb around the same playground Orelia played in at his age, sit on the same rug Orelia sat on for circle time (likely for a similar ten seconds before bolting), and hopefully eat a little less sand than Orelia did.  I can't wait to make great memories with him at this wonderful school and to watch him develop friendships over a shared interest in dump trucks and bubbles.

A Boot Full

 Orelia is a bit of a girly girl.  I'm not sure if you've noticed or not.  So when we found a park with a creek and she actually wanted to go in, I made sure we went the next week with our rain boots and swim suit.

I want to encourage her adventurous spirit, especially when it is somewhat outside her usual comfort zone (ranging from Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty).

Well she did lots of wading in the very cold creek, and discovered that when walks into water higher than one's boots, the boots immediately fill with water!  Whoops.  After emptying the boots a few times, she played on the muddy banks and pretended to talk on a rock phone.

She then decided to get out, put on her sundress, and declared "I am never going in that creek again."
Kudos for trying something new, darling.

May She

 May she always explore with an open mind,

 Play chase with wild abandon,

 Walk away with such confidence,

And return so eagerly.

Boosky Cottontail

I now have a new favorite photo.

Backlogged

Sometimes I don't blog because I have no material.

And sometimes I don't blog because I have way too many photos to go through.

 I am happy to report that I've got thousands of photos in the backlog, and hopefully I'll get to them soon.

 The warm weather means a few things.

 I'm taking a lot more photos since we are spending so much time outside.

And any relaxation time I have is spent outside instead of inside blogging.

 So all you get for now are a few photos.  Important ones, like Bennett placing chalk phone calls.

And B getting my goat by eating chalk so he can see me snatch it from his mouth.

More soon!