Art Exhibition, Lucy at 3 and 3 quarters

Title: Princess Mermaid (from the royals collection)
Medium: crayon on canvas
Significance: culmination of the artist's preoccupation with female royalty, sea life, and art

Title: Paper Tiara

Medium: multi-media (jewels, doily) on canvas

Significance: showing artist's ability to see the princess side of everything, including a scrap of paper doily found on the floor

Title: Mandala #104

Medium: crayon on multi-media (paper, silk petals) on canvas

Significance: a favorite of art critics, exemplifies 4 variations of coloring techniques

Title: Madame Butterfly

Medium: multimedia (cardboard, paper, beads, tape, pipe cleaner, string)

Significance: irresistibly charming

Title: Phoenix

Medium: glitter on paper

Significance: demonstrates improvement in artist's cutting techniques

Title: Mandala #115

Medium: paint on paper

Significance: exemplifies artist's color-block style, value greatly increased by artist's signature

Title: Mother's Heartstrings
Medium: pencil and paper on canvas
Signficance: first time expressed in print

Better than stand up comedy

Lucy, I'm sorry. I was not incredibly sensitive this morning. You got your hand stuck in the door jam and I all I could do was laugh. And it just got worse from there.

Mama, smirking: "How can I help you?"

Lucy, very serious: "I don't know?"

Mama, barely containing laughter: "How did you get your hand in there?"

Lucy, very serious: "I don't know?"

Mama, clenching teeth to hold it in: "Was the door all the way open?"

Lucy, very serious: "I don't know?"

Mama, practically snorting: "What were you doing?"

Lucy, still very serious: "I don't know?"

Mama, losing it in laughter, has to take a moment to compose herself before she finally gets you unstuck.

Just three minutes before this, you had been upstairs explaining why a leotard makes a perfectly good "outfit" (I had to talk you into at least socks and a sweater). And then you went downstairs and promptly shoved your hand into a door jam?

If you were an adult, this would be called insanity. Since you are a toddler, this is just called thinking. And sometimes it is impossible not to laugh at your thinking.

Lucy - unstuck, dressed and ready to go.

How about a filter?

You love made up songs about all kinds of crazy things. You offer suggestions - "How about..." and I make something up. Lately, your suggestions include lots of filters. Who could have guessed?

Here is a listen.

Tonight's itinerary

A little under the table reading...

Possibly the worst manicure ever - unless you are a toddler and absolutely LOVE it...

And a few chapters of Mom's old favorite...

Lucy, walking on her heels...

"Look at this trick. I learned it from my bones."

Hallelujah! Praise the leash

Silly me - I thought leashes would be embarrassing but I'm so happy with them I don't even care. And do you know what is embarrassing? Yelling at your kids in the street is embarrassing. Really embarrassing.

So - here is to walking without carrying, wrangling, and yelling. Here is to enjoying the 95 walkability score for our neighborhood again. Here is to Mama being able look up and enjoy the cherry blossoms without you getting hit by a truck. Here is life on foot with cute little bears to boot.

Let's get walking!

Herding cats

Walking to and from school lately is a comedy of errors.

This morning, it took us a full hour to walk the 10 blocks - with the additional jobs of checking all the pipes, color typing all of the cars, collecting various "treasures," discussing filters, and smelling all the plants (and several rocks) on the way.

I really enjoy the walking adventures. Well, except for the required constant state of alertness and a fair amount of wrangling/negotiating to get you there safe and sound.

Setting of my alarm bells this morning:

• Henry: darting into the street, eating a coin found on the sidewalk, running the opposite direction of school every 35 seconds.
• Lucy: picking up "beautiful" pieces of broken glass, playing with and wanting to taste a mysterious white powder on the sidewalk, finding a rusted razor blade.

And now, back home and just about to start a days work - I am wondering, where in the house did Lucy leave her bowl full of "pet ants."

Things you don't want to hear

Started the day with this from Lucy:

"Mom. Just don't look in the toilet, K?"

Then got this one from Daddy:
"Oooo. Could you Keep an eye on what's in H's diaper? He swallowed a bolt yesterday."

And ended with this from Henry as he overturned Lucy's worm garden on the back porch mat.

"I dumped!"

Thank goodness for rubber gloves!

Goodbye worm garden, hello mess

Walking across a quiet playground...

"Mom, do you hear that sound? That's the song of my shoes."

Eastering

We spent a wonderful weekend with friends and neighbors. No garden in this year - too wet! But lots of egg-y fun and candy.

Lucy stole the show with her Easter fashions. Henry's constant talk of "jeh-wee" beans was pretty irresistable too.

You both made out like bandits with egg hunts at home, at Marjie Lundell's and at the Isabells'.

I feel renewed by beautiful weather, wonderful friends, and well-behaved kids (despite the pounds of sugar).

Plus, it is pretty fun to play the Easter Bunny. So much easier than the whole Santa routine.

Happy Easter my sweet little bunnies!

Love you both,

Mama