A bit of catch-up: our mini-vacation

Last month, back before Daddy came down with mono, we packed up the circus and headed up to Clear Lake, California for a bit of a mini-vacation. We were there to celebrate -- along with the rest of Grandpa's family -- Mama's Aunt Maureen, who has been serving the Catholic church and her people as a nun for fifty years.

We gathered for a barbecue and pool party at the home of Mama's Aunt Sheila and her husband John-- and we got the perfect sunny day for it. Our hosts thought of everything. They even greeted the girls with sticker books, bubbles, and fish toys for the pool. We ate great food, let the girls splash in the pool (Kathleen tested out their diving board!), and visited with lots of family. This was a particularly nice treat for the circus; because we've lived so far away for so long, we've not gotten to see much of our extended family. We really enjoyed being able to catch up a bit.

We lounged on the porch (which was cooled by ceiling fans!) taking in the views and the company.

Grandpa and his siblings.

As is typical, Mama's camera lay forgotten in the van, so we don't have many pictures to share from the party. (The ones we have here were actually taken by Auntie Caroline -- thanks!) This is truly unfortunate because there were such gorgeous views of the lake from our hosts' home in the hills.

Since Clear Lake is a few hours from our home, Nan and Grandpa very generously arranged for the circus to stay at a nearby hotel the night before and the night after the party. Cousin Emily and her family did the same, too! So, in some ways, the party just kept going! We all enjoyed hanging out by the hotel's pools.

Sweet cousin Emily and her parents checked out the wading pool.

Nan snuggled with Indy while Daddy and Grandpa chatted.

The girls, of course, really enjoyed themselves.

It never ceases to amaze me -- these children don't need to learn to relax. They're just born knowing. Kathleen demonstrates her natural ability.

Jumping into the "big" pool was a big favorite.

Does this girl love the water, or what?

Our first big -- well, mini, I suppose -- trip as a family of five was a big success! The children were remarkably well-behaved on the car trip, and even cooperated in sleeping reasonably well in the one hotel room. (We were always among the first at breakfast, though, when the restaurant opened at 8!) It went well enough that the circus even started plotting more mini-vacations.

But it's a good thing we went when we did, because all we've done since then is recuperate!

Not so itty-bitty Indy

Look at this baby boy. Not so little, is he?

He's awfully sweet, though. This is how he looks, mostly. Happy.

Here he is, having his very first bottle, ever. (I know! Can you believe he got that big without ever having had a bottle?)

A rookie and a pro.

He wasn't too excited about his first bottle, but by the second try he performed like a champ. Now Mama and Daddy can go on a date. Maybe. (If Mama can muster up the nerve to leave her little man.) And even if they don't manage to go on a date, hopefully Mama will be able to run (ever so slowly) in her first race next weekend!

And just for good measure, one more photo of our budding superhero.

Captain Adorable. We think that's pretty much perfect.

(Did Carter's see us coming, or what?)

The Summer of the Sicknesses

Apparently our family was absent the day that immunities were handed out. It's about the only way I can explain our near-constant sickness. We're reasonably health-conscious people -- we take our vitamins, we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (and protein, too, for those of your remembering Mama's fleeting meat-free days in grad school), we drink plenty of water, we play and exercise in the fresh air, and we sleep as much as possible for a family with small children.

And yet, someone is almost always sick.

The girls both had fevers a couple of weeks ago. And then Kathleen had a strange stomach virus (the sort that only manifests itself at 2am and then lies dormant for a few days and then reappears) and then John David got his two month shots, so he was cranky, too.

For about two minutes, we were all well.

And now it's Daddy. He was feeling miserable for a few weeks and finally visited the doctor. Turns out, the poor guy has mono. We're not sure whether the girls had it, too, since (according the internet) the virus is generally milder in children. We think there's a chance the girls had it first, and then (through their generous use of our cups and such), passed it along to Daddy. We do know that Mama can't get it, since she came down with it in college. And we're grateful for that, because if she hadn't, who would run the circus? But for now, Daddy's spending a lot of time with the circus, lying on the couch, trying to read his schoolwork (but not quite mustering the energy), reacquainting himself with various mind-numbing daytime television shows, and regaining his strength.

It's not exactly the carefree, adventure-filled summer we were anticipating. Still, though, we're largely enjoying the slower pace of days at home, sharing our activities and discoveries with Daddy. (The girls have been most excited to get to share in the stash of popsicles and push-pops for Daddy's sore throat.) Daddy's had a front row seat for everyone's growing and learning -- he's witnessed Kathleen write her name for the first time (with considerable coaching), Madeline exercise her independence and determination ("Myshelf! Do it myshelf!"), and John David begin to smile and even laugh. Even if they're not the adventures we imagined, those are some pretty sweet summer memories.

But let's hope the fall is healthier!

Growing . . . a lot.

John David had his two month check-up yesterday. Our pediatrician confirmed what we already knew:

Indy's a big boy.

He's been growing a lot, and yesterday he tipped the scales at 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Not surprisingly, he's in the 98th percentile for weight! The official length measurement was 24.4 inches. (They convert it from centimeters, which accounts for the somewhat strange numbers.) We think there's a decent chance he's longer than that, though -- he wasn't particularly cooperative when the nurse tried to stretch him out!

We are truly grateful for such a healthy little boy, who's growing in size and strength. John David is already demonstrating his nascent super-powers during tummy-time. Of course, he's got a sister to show him how things work, and that helps a bit!

Madeline relishes her opportunity to "teach" her baby brother.

(Kathleen hadn't woken yet, or she'd have been right there, too!)

John David doesn't hesitate to make his voice heard when he needs something -- he can certainly holler when wants to be fed or held or moved (sometimes the scenery gets a bit boring, I suppose). But he's also "talking" to us more, cooing and gurgling and even giggling. Every member of the family relishes his sweet smiles. We're so blessed to be able to watch him grow!

A Literary Allusion

We're running errands, the three children and Mama strapped into the van and careening around town. We've returned an ill-fitting Land's End order to Sears, we've dropped the books in the drop box at the library, and we're patiently listening to Kathleen lecture about how children should not be left alone in cars. (This because Mama stepped out of the idling car to be able to reach the library drop box out the passenger window. Explaining that Mama could touch the car for the entire 20 seconds she wasn't sitting it did not suffice. The children were alone in a car, according to Kathleen. Let's hope she never has occasion to talk to, you know, Children and Family Services.) We should be headed home, because everyone's tired and cranky, but we're going to Costco instead, since we're out of fruit and milk and other staples at home.

Kathleen pauses in her diatribe just as we cruise onto the on-ramp for the highway. As the van takes the curve, the girls cry out in delighted unison, "WHEE!"

Mama chuckles, and the girls continue whee-ing until we're on the straight, flat highway.

"Are we going home?" Kathleen asks.

"No, darling, we're not. We've talked about this. We're going to Costco." Mama sighs, imagining a battle about the day's last errand. But when she looks in the mirror, Kathleen catches her eye and flashes a grin.

"But, Mama, if we were going home," she offers, "we could go "whee, whee, whee -- all the way home!"

Gratitude

Today, of all days, we are grateful

to God and to our soldiers

(and their families)

for

life

liberty

and the pursuit of happiness...

(How could we be anything but grateful for that?)

Happy 4th of July, dear friends!

Madeline and Her Mama

We've always thought our girls look like Jim. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that when Kathleen was born, she looked a lot like Jim. (So much so that Nan had a hard time cooing at her -- "How am I supposed to baby talk to a mini-Jim?" Nan would say.) And when Madeline was born, we thought she looked a lot like Kathleen -- just with dark hair. By the time our girls were walking, talking people, we didn't spend much time thinking of them as anything but themselves.

But you can imagine our surprise when we stumbled across this photo of Mama, circa 1970-something, at Nan's a few weeks ago. "Wow!" we said, "Mama looks so much like Maddie Beth!

And then we compared it to a couple photos of Madeline, circa-2009.

They're not the perfect photos for comparison. We're still plotting how to get the one that will show the similarities in features and expression we already see. Still, though, we thought it was worth sharing.

A friend came to stay recently and when he walked and saw Madeline he exclaimed, "Oh, Kristen! She's you."

You know, we just figured that out.

A Summer Misadventure Or, Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

It had to happen, right?

As Daddy pointed out, she has the genes for it.

When Daddy was a little boy, he made off with one of his sisters' razors and shaved off his eyebrow.

When Mama was a little girl, she trimmed her own bangs. She distinctly remembers standing in front of the bedroom mirror after church, dressed in her Sunday slip, concentrating very hard to make her bangs straight. (This memory does not account for the fact that pictures of the self-supplied haircut feature bangs cut up to the hairline -- in a triangle, no less.)

On Monday Kathleen joined the ranks of the countless little boys and girls who have -- to their parents' horror -- cut their own hair.

Daddy went to get Kathleen from her nap and recovered this:

He showed it to Mama before bringing Kathleen downstairs. Apparently the tiny nail scissors had been left somewhere Kathleen could reach. Mama cried, even before she saw her little girl with what Daddy termed a half-mullet.

When she saw it, she cried a little more.

Eventually, she pulled herself together and everyone hit SuperCuts, where a kind stylist tried to repair the damage.

Mama did not cry at SuperCuts. It was close, but she survived.

It's just hair. It'll grow back. And the new, slightly scraggly haircut is cute in its own way.

Maybe that'll be our last summer misadventure. Probably not. But we can hope!

Hats Do Not Make Good Props

You'd think I'd learn, but I don't. I tried to snap some photos of the girls while they ate lunch at the zoo, but I was stymied by their very cute, but utterly uncooperative hats.

There are cute little girls under there, somewhere, I promise!

Summer Adventures

We've been thoroughly enjoying summer -- warm weather, sunshine, watermelon, barbecuing, water play, popsicles, peaches and strawberries, sunscreen and floppy hats. At least once a week, we've been rounding up the circus and heading out for adventures big and small. Here's a review of just a few of those.

An Adventurous Morning

A few days after exams had ended, we decided we were ready for a bit of an adventure. We knew we weren't up for something big, but we definitely needed to get out of the house. The Palo Alto Junior Museum offered us the perfect opportunity. The little museum is nearby (oh, so close!) and just the right size... with some exhibits to test out and some animals to admire.

The girls raced off to see the animals. They loved the peacock, and talked about their friend Anna! (It's amazing what little minds remember...) They peered at the bats and the lizards and the rabbits and especially the turtles, swimming underneath a cute little bridge.

By the time the girls had seen all the animals and tested out the exhibits, the museum was considerably more crowded than it had been when we arrived. We decided to escape the crowds and round out our morning with a special lunch. Chinese was the perfect choice for all concerned. Indy dozed in the sling, the girls ate their weight in steamed rice (and discovered a new love for sweet and sour pork), and Mama and Daddy delighted in the freedom from both cooking and cleaning.

A highlight: Kathleen's fortune cookie reported that she'd soon receive a promotion for her hard work. We found it amusing, considering that someone else in our family had, in fact, been selected for promotion that week... just not one of our girls!

An Evening Walk

The city recently completed construction on a pedestrian overpass less than a mile from our home. The "bridge" was a topic of discussion each and every time we drove past the construction site, the girls fascinated by the progress. When we finally saw cyclists and runners whizzing over the bridge, we promised the girls they could walk on it themselves. We made good on our promise with a late-afternoon/early-evening walk/wagon ride.

Daddy did the bulk of the work.

But Mama toted someone, too -- Baby Indy! His cheek looks a little smushed, but he seemed to enjoy the walk, anyway.

On the way back, we let the girls walk on the bridge, rather than just ride in the wagon. By that time, though, we were squarely in "commute time," so the trail was getting some heavy use. We were a bit concerned that one of the speeding bicyclists might collide with our girls, so we asked the girls to keep one hand on the fence as they walked. It kept them safe and they discovered the fun of chain link fence noises, too!

Circus, meet the Zoo

Because the girls had been so excited about the tiny zoo at the Palo Alto Junior Museum, we decided that a trip to a "real" zoo was in order.

The circus descended upon the Oakland Zoo one fine, sunny weekday morning. The girls were just as excited as we thought they'd be. Kathleen liked running from exhibit to exhibit, finding the animals "by herself." Madeline took to greeting all the animals as we arrived at each habitat, "Hi, zebras! Hi, giraffes!" and then bidding them farewell as we moved on, "Bye-bye, zebras! Bye-bye, giraffes!" John David just hung out in his Beco carrier like the sweetheart he is, alternately snoozing and gnawing on his little hand.

Kathleen races off towards the next animals, losing her hat in the process...

Daddy and Madeline enjoyed the zebras.

It's a pity we couldn't have enlisted the help of one of those camels to lug our lunch and diaper bag and children. The rarely-used double stroller wasn't the best choice for the zoo -- it was hard to maneuver. (I guess that's why we generally go with the jogger!)

The girls loved exploring the lily pads and rabbit holes in the children's zoo.

And we make our own fun, wherever we go!

More summer adventures (and misadventures) to come...

Scenes from the Circus: A Little This, A Little That

The girls were both sick last week. First Madeline popped up with a temperature. Not to be left out of anything, Kathleen followed suit a few days later. It was a relatively easy virus, for which we are thankful -- no rashes, no vomiting, just a fever. But even if the virus was easy, our children were not. They were whiny and clingy and miserable, spontaneously erupting into tears for no discernible reason. Kathleen looked up in tears one evening and, in the most pathetic of voices, pointed out, "But Mama, being sick is not fun!"

It was not fun. Not for anyone. Even John David, who was not sick, seemed to cry more than usual.

At one point, when just about everyone was crying at once, we were forced to admit: our zone defense strategy was failing us. Everybody needed somebody all the time. For the first time since John David arrived, we felt truly outnumbered.

And since we couldn't clone ourselves, and because we couldn't grow extra arms, we did the next best thing -- we borrowed widely from our library's DVD collection. Between that, countless sippy cups of juice, regular doses of Children's Tylenol, and the grace of God, we all survived.

Zone defense has resumed.

:: :: :: :: :: ::

Kathleen recovered from the plague upon the circus just in time to attend her very first dance lesson. We were beyond grateful for the timing. We'd taken Kathleen to get her leotard and slippers before she'd fallen sick. Even at her most miserable, Kathleen never went more than fifteen minutes without asking, "Is this the day I go to my ballet school?" (She'd go to ballet school, you see, because that's what Angelina Ballerina does. Never mind that her class actually includes ballet, tap, and gymnastics. It's ballet school.) Enduring five days of constant questions about going to dance class was one thing; having to explain that she couldn't go would surely have been the end of her world.

What little girl wouldn't be excited about starting dance class, when going to dance class means you get to wear a new, pink leotard?

And, just in case that wasn't enough, Kathleen got to wear her hair in a "ballerina bun." During the great sickness we'd watched ballerinas on YouTube in preparation for dance class, and Kathleen wanted to look just like them, so she needed a bun. (Mama had to make a special trip out to the store for hair pins that morning!)

We think she looks like a perfect little ballerina!

:: :: :: :: :: ::

Our friend Matt stopped by to visit the circus last week. A friend of Daddy's from high school days, Matt is now a naval aviator and has been stationed at (relatively) nearby NAS Lemoor. The girls were especially excited to see "Mr. Matt." The poor man arrived at dinner time and was barely able to finish his food before he was convinced to play hide and seek. I'm not sure who laughed more during their game -- the girls or "Mr. Matt."

Apparently Kathleen thought she was still playing hide and seek when we took photos!

:: :: :: :: :: ::

We ate supper outside a few nights ago. Mama and Daddy lingered at the table and Indy lounged in his bouncer, while the girls ran around the yard, burning off that last bit of energy before bedtime. Kathleen and Madeline ran races for a bit, lining up and running, jumping, or skipping toward the fence line. Eventually Madeline decided she'd rather officiate than participate.

In case you were wondering, Mama did join Kathleen for a few races. So did Daddy. But Madeline just officiated.

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Yesterday the girls entertained themselves in the backyard with sidewalk chalk paint for quite some time. When they finished, our cement patio was much more colorful, but so were the girls. Mama decided that they should spend a little time cleaning up in the wading pool before they had lunch and headed up for the long-awaited naps. (At least, they were long-awaited on Mama's part. It had been one of those mornings.)

Mama and the girls were standing by the pool, watching it fill with water. Mama was doing a bit of mental math, calculating how long they'd swim and how long lunch would take and how early she could, in good conscience, put everyone in bed for naps. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought the little pool was taking a long time to fill, but she figured she was just impatient. She was, after all, projecting toward naptime.

"Mama?" Kathleen began.

"Yes, darlin'," Mama replied, sighing and wishing the pool would fill faster.

"Um, Mama..." Kathleen continued.

Mama waited, letting Kathleen's words catch up with her little brain.

"Mama, I think you forgot the, um... the cap."

Oh. The pool wasn't filling quickly, because Mama had, in fact, forgotten to put in the plug.

Good thing she has a three year old to take care of her!

Happy Father's Day

Mama asked the girls this morning why they loved their Daddy.

Madeline: "Daddy! YAY! Daddy kish."

Kathleen: "Because he reads to me. And snuggles me. And rocks me. And spins me."

And we could go on all day about the amazing things Daddy does for the circus -- all the providing and teaching and loving and clowning and guiding and cheering and praying. But we won't. We'll just say this:

We love you, Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

Fashion at the Circus

We're not particularly fashionable here at the circus. Sure, Mama would like to be a fashionista, but she just doesn't have it in her. Even when she had more than five minutes to select an outfit, shower, and dress herself, she was never on the cutting-edge of fashion. It was a short trip from tried-and-true classics to the much-maligned mommy fashion, characterized by convenience (must be endlessly washable) and comfort (if you can't stoop, jump, run, reach, and nurse in it, it's no good). She doesn't mind, though, really. It can't be all that bad to look like a mom when you are, in fact, a mom.

Daddy could really care less about fashion. He's all about function -- not so much about form.

Our girls, though? They have their own distinctive fashion sense. It currently tends toward the froufy and colorful, incongruous and humorous. And now that both Kathleen and Madeline are (generally) able to undress and dress themselves, the fashion emerges at unexpected times.

The other day Mama glanced out the backdoor while preparing dinner and caught of glimpse of true toddler and preschool fashion in action! (Let's not dwell on the fact that they somehow undressed and re-dressed themselves without Mama noticing... We're still not quite sure how that happened.)

It was a bit of a blur, so it took a few moments to figure out the elements of each ensemble.

That's a flower fairy skirt with a receiving blanket cape... Kathleen must be some sort of cross between fairy and super hero!

And that's another fairy skirt, but paired with a Little Mermaid pajama shirt... Remember, we were cooking dinner -- no one had been in pajamas in ages!

The girls are also quite interested in accessories. They tromp about the house in Mama's heels (you know, the ones that wouldn't see the light of day were not little girls parading in them). They frequently require two purses each to carry their treasures. And jewelry! They're constantly accessorizing their outfits with necklaces and bracelets. When they can't find actual play jewelry, they manage to fashion their own from ribbon or what-not. And apparently Madeline applies the same make-it-yourself approach to headgear. She danced around the yard in this hat another night.

Yes, it's an empty plastic flower pot, left over from planting our Trader Joe's basil...

Take it for what it's worth -- but we think it actually works on her!

Invisible Indy

Indy, it seems, has been rather absent from our posts.  It might even seem as though he's not around.  He is, of course.  You just have to know where he is...

For example, here he is enjoying story time with Mama and Kathleen while at Nan and Grandpa's.  

Actually, Indy might be enjoying his meal more than the story.  It's hard to see the pictures from underneath that blanket.

Here's Indy at the park with Nan and Grandpa.  But that's not Indy in Nan's arms.  That's cousin Emily.

You mean you don't see him?  He's snoozing in the carriage that Aunt Caroline was sweet enough to loan us for a moment.

Okay, enough of that.

In all seriousness, we're having a wonderful time with little Indiana.  He's becoming quite a big boy -- outgrowing his sweet little newborn outfits already.  He's obviously eating well, but he sleeps decently, too.  (Of course, we'd rather that he was clocking 11 or 12 hour nights instead of the 4 hour stints he has going on right now, but all things considered, we know we're lucky.)  Excitingly, Indy has just begun to be more social.  He's cooing and smiling at us, much to our delight.  Before we know it, he'll be walking and talking and keeping up with his sisters.

With that in mind, we had a little Indy-only photo shoot the other morning.  We think he's quite the little man.  Oh, and take note of the pajamas -- perfect for the circus!

And because nothing at the circus goes quite the way we plan, Indy was joined by an exuberant sister for at least a bit of the picture-taking.  Madeline wasn't all that interested in the photos -- she was pleading, "Kish, please!  Hold, please!" as she climbed up to be with her brother.  She'd hold him and kiss him all day long if she could.  We couldn't resist snapping the photo, since this is the way things really look around here...

A party and some pictures

A few weeks ago, we were privileged to attend the baptism of this sweet little girl -- cousin Emily.

Cousin Emily was baptized by Father Phil, a family friend (Emily's pastor, obviously) in a sweet, private ceremony at a beautiful little church in her hometown.  One of the many wonderful things about Father Phil is the way he welcomes children and encourages them to participate in his services.  At the baptism, Kathleen got to stand right in front and watch everything.  She loved it.

And after the ceremony we all retired to Emily's house for a party!  It was a wonderful time with friends and extended family and delicious food.  The girls ran and played and Mama and Daddy got to chat with lots of people we hadn't seen in a long time.

While were there, a friend and gifted photographer offered to take a few pictures of our family.  Since it can be a challenge to get all of us in one photo, we happily took her up on the offer.

And that's pretty much the way we look, friends.  Even when we're all cleaned up, we look a little crazy.  What else would you expect from a circus?