Making Daddy Proud: Swimming

I have very fond memories of swimming as a kid.  I'm sure I'm not unusual in this; swimming is a play-time right of passage for many.  But I have a very specific memory from my childhood that epitomizes what it means to be a dad.  I clearly remember my father with his brown swim trunks with yellow piping, diving deep under water as I held my breath and clung to his neck, forcing myself to hang on as long as I could.  I felt like Whale Rider (no offense intended Grandpa Lodwig).  As I've mentioned this memory was a powerful one for me, and so I've been looking forward to giving Anya "daddy whale rides" since she was still in mommy's tummy.
Today at the pool at Mountlake Terrace we finally did it! 
Anya wrapped her little arms around my neck and had me swim to the bottom of the pool.  We decided she could pinch me on the shoulder whenever she wanted up. And so that was what we did.  Probably about  3 or 4 rides to the bottom.  It meant the world to me.

But it wasn't just the daddy rides that were great today.  Today was also the first time that Anya actually swam by herself.  Anya doesn't really take instruction very well (read: at all) so she's been flailing around in the shallows by herself for some time, or bobbing around in a life vest telling mom that she swam when we get home.  But today she put her head underwater, picked her feet up and began kicking and doing the breast stroke (I did manage to get her to learn that one thing today).  And she moved! Very wobbly and very slowly, but it was real unassisted swimming. 

I'm extremely proud of all the strides she's been making in the pool over the last couple of weeks.
Chris

I've created a "favorite photos" photo album

The other day I realized that we had years worth of images on our computer which weren't being backed up . That made me feel pretty insecure, so I've begun the process of putting our favorite photos online. You can see the complied album of our favorite shots here.

Those of you who use Picasa probably know about the face recognition feature. Very cool and creepily accurate at identifying people in your albums. There were 2,336 confirmed Anya sightings in our photos. I guess we like her.
Enjoy!
Chris

Anya Feeds the Reindeer and Mumbles at Santa at Swanson's Nursery

This year mom heard that some of Santa's herd were being housed up as Swanson's Nursery while they rested up for their long Christmas flight. Anya and I headed up there on Christmas Eve before Santa showed up to claim them and yoke them.
Eventually Santa did show up. Santa doesn't scare Anya, but he does make her very bashful.

Chad and Megan Come for Dinner

Anya's biggest crush came over for dinner the other night and dusted off his old pizza tossing skills from back in high school. Anya was very impressed.

Makin’ Daddy Proud

This week has seen a lot of advancements on Anya’s part. 

Amy just informed me that her teacher at Little Gym thinks Anya is too advanced for her class and needs to move up. (The unfortunate symptom being that she is acting out and not listening.) 

She has started answering the phone when Grandma, Andrea, or I call.  She’s also started texting back when I text. It is particularly cool seeing her text “Anya”, “Mom”, “Dad”, and even “volcano” back at me.  (Don’t get too excited, she also sends, “daerajdaejae” more often than not).  Again, a disaster on one level and pretty astounding on another.

Most impressive to me personally is her sudden curiosity about everything. Amy informed me that Anya had “big questions this morning about where life comes from and evolution.”  The other day in the car she asked where the sun came from, and the earth, and the sky?  Where did the bugs come from?  Where did plants come from? 

I answer as simply and accurately as I can and she continues to ask clarifying questions rather than getting instantly annoyed or bored. It’s really exciting for me to have these types of conversations with her.

Monday night her and I worked on a 50 piece floor puzzle of the planets. I gave her hints, encouraged her and talked her through lots of it, but I didn’t help at all. She finished the whole thing and was really proud.  She and I then talked about how asteroids make impact craters on the moon, and how Mercury and Venus are very hot.  Then she READ the names of all the planets (she needed help on Uranus).

It is so cool to see her actually reading and writing and discussing really hard to grasp concepts with me.  Now if only I could convince her that I’m not “ruining her life” by asking her to wash her hands before dinner…

Preschool Progress

Anya's preschool progress notes. Grandparents, click on the picture to enlarge.

Anya's Art

Anya just drew this for me. In this picture we see:
Hot lava (the chain looking thing at the bottom) which is for the centipedes (segmented bodies in the middle top) and jelly fish (upper right) to eat.

It seems that going to Hawaii has deeply embedded itself into Anya's artistic sub-conscious. Hopefully this won't lead her to become the next Christian Lassen (see below).

 

 Note: As Anya is looking at this blog post she says, "Oh I like that picture!" I've created my own worst artistic nightmare.

Anya's Doppleganger

This is probably my favorite picture taken by Judith, Anya's photographer.

Last night Anya and I were at the video store (So anachronistic I know!) and we saw this movie sitting on the shelf. It made me smile. I would have gotten it and watched it, but Anya insisted on Beauty and the Beast. Next time.

Anya the Musical

This was Anya's first "play".
Since Uncle Bob and Aunt Amy were here she decided it was time to have her theater debut. 
Luckily for us all, it was a musical.

The Libretto
..but he got colored on by some children
face paint and he was so mad at the children
then he was okay, and his life was hard
His mommy and daddy told him not to go in the outside world
because it was dangerous and a T-Rex would come and eat him.
But he didn't care, he wanted to get eaten,
But he doesn't get eaten in this play! ...But in other plays.
(spoken) There's five more plays coming up.
He was just turned into a tiger and he never died.
He told his mommy and daddy, "that's my children" but he looks like a tiger.

But he didn't look like a tiger, but then he did!

And he really was made to be a tiger.
But then he really turned into a bird (Awk awk!)
(spoken) but it was still the time of the dinosaurs.

Anya the Puddle Stomper

Stomping in puddles is just one of those universal kid things to do. I caught Anya doing it, and just wanted to remember her like this.

Proud Mama Moment

I just wanted to take a little proud mama moment and note that my kid is a-learnin' stuff. We were writing thank you notes to Anya's friends and family for her birthday presents and took a little break. A short while later she came up to me, held up a card, and asked, "Is this how you spell Eloise?" On the card she had written "E-L-L-U-W-S". Obviously not correct (so I spanked her first of course), but she sat down, thought about it, sounded it out and wrote it down completely all on her own in the other room. It's pretty close phonetically even. 

It's so neat as a parent to witness these lightbulb moments and milestones. And I'm a proud mama because she took the time to try without getting frustrated and giving up - and look - success! 

Photos from Ohahu

Anya chasing birds around the cabins at Bellows.  

Gradpa and Anya looking over the ray garden at Sealife Park

This place was really neat. It's called Shark's Cove. It was really shallow no waves and full of fish and urchins.  Anya dipped her head under water and finally saw some tropical fish.  

Dad shows Anya something or other.  They had seen Portuguese Man-o-War on the beach so dad was a bit freaked out. Now all Anya can say is that there are jelly fish out there. 

Dad picks up Anya.  Certainly to avoid a killer jelly fish.

Grandma and Grandpa keeping Anya for the stinging jellys.

Scenes from Ohahu 2011

Frolicking in the waves at Bellows Air Force Base.  This beach was a minute walk from our back door. 


Checking out the sea turtles and fish at Sealife Park


Watching the dolphins at Sealife Park.  We saw a cooler dolphin show later, that I managed not to record.  Sorry about that kid.

Halloween

 Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, and frying pan

PEPS kids all dressed up

 Sweet Pea Cottage Halloween parade

 Neighborhood Halloween parade with Alexa and Jada-dog (Noah and Anya were running around somewhere)

 Laika wasn't so keen on her costume. 

Trick or Treating (was with Flynn and other kids for most of it, maybe she's running ahead in this picture)

The Lodwigs had a decent Halloween this year. It felt a bit rushed, since we had just come back from Hawaii (blog entry to follow) and I was still in the mindset of lazing around on the beach in warm weather. I still am, in fact. 

Anya, like roughly half of all four-year old girls this year, wanted to be Rapunzel. I sewed her costume back at the beginning of the month, when I knew I'd have more time to focus on it. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and fortunately Anya is thrilled with it. Anya informed Chris that he was to be Flynn Rider (the love interest from Tangled) and I was to be Mother Gothel (the wicked old woman who kidnapped her). Chris managed to borrow clothes from Todd. I didn't have time or inclination to dress up as Mother Gothel, so I dressed up as a Dairy Godmother (or Dairy Fairy).....basically, a cow costume with a tutu, wings, and wand. It was actually pretty ghetto and I reserve the right to not post any pictures. 

Since we were pretty jet lagged, we missed some Halloween parties, but made it to the PEPS group Halloween party Sunday. And Monday was a full day of festivities and trick or treating. Anya knew trick or treating was all about this year and had a great time. The next night, the Halloween Fairy came to visit. Anya got to keep 3 pieces of candy, while the fairy took the rest (so there's candy for next Halloween of course) and left a present at her bedroom door when she woke up. I wonder how long that trick is going to work. 

Anyway, all in all, a good Halloween. 

Explainations

One of my favorite short stories in collage was Herman Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener.  Where a mild yet wildly insubordinate Scrivener answers the ever-escalating frustrated requests of his boss with the maddeningly simple and consistent "I'd prefer not to."
This story now comes to mind every time my daughter answers my questions of "Why did you do that?!" with:  "I just want to do what I want to do."

Anya: Year 4

Well child visit stats: Weight: 34 pounds (50%), height 39.5 inches (50%), BMI 15.3 (50%), BP: 95/54, hearing: pass, vision R 20/40, L 20/40, pulse: 93
_____

Yesterday Anya turned 4 for the very first and likely the last time.  This is our annual report on her.  Her progress, her temperament, her likes and dislikes.

Anya is very energetic.  Why walk when you could run is her motto (still).  When she's not running, she literally hops up and down in place until the opportunity to run once again presents itself.

She loves to eat and she does so constantly.  We are very fortunate that she is not a picky eater, but she starts asking for food as soon as her current meal makes it down her throat. 

She's very empathetic, perhaps too much so.  She's always running to help the "hurt cats" or the "poor dog", which basically means she manhandles them endlessly and probably makes any matters far worse then if she just left everyone alone.  But she's awfully sweet.

She has a very literal and scientific mind, she's crazy about dinosaurs, loves to talk about animals, and seems to have no suspension of disbelief.  For example, the other day we were in Hawaii, and saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  She didn't say, "Wow, there's Mickey and Minnie," she said, "There's people in those costumes".  She's also started asking how Peter, the Elf on the Shelf, can see through door nobs, and walls.  


She can count to 100 with very little help (she gets stuck sometimes going from 59 to 60, and 69 to 70).  She can read three to four letter words with no tricky stuff in them (just like her dad!), she could doubtlessly read much better if she wasn't so stubborn when we try to explain things to her. She can also write her name and other short words.

Yes Anya is very strong-willed.  She really doesn't like taking instruction or directions from anyone, especially us.  This makes it very difficult for us to teach her how to swim for instance, or how to read, cut with scissors, ride a bike, or anything else that doesn't come naturally or can't be accomplished with brute force.  

She has a remarkable memory. She still remembers Barbara, the woman who did our color consultation two years ago.  She also remembered some specific details about Judith, her photographer, from two years earlier (she had a bubble gun, and two cats).

Here is a breif interview I just performed with Anya. (Mom and Dad's opinions added as well)

What do you want to be when your grow up?:
A Dentist, because I want to help people when they get a cavity. It's bad because cavities get really bigger.
Zoologist (mom)
Medical something or other (dad)


Who are your favorite friends:

• Eva
• Javier
• Eloise
• Riley
• Flynn
• Noelle (mom)

What are your favorite places?: 

• Hawaii, because Andrea is there.
• Seattle, because I like to see Byron and Susan there.
• Any beach (mom)
• Any place where there are animals, especially the zoo (mom)
• Any place she can climb or jump (mom)
• Burke Museum (dad)

What are your favorite things to do?:

• Go to the State Fair
• Go to the pool with Javier, Elloise and Eva
• Go to the jumpy house (dad)
• Go see Grandma and Grandpa (dad)
• Explore outside (mom)
• Arts and Crafts (mom)
• Dressing up (mom)
• Playing board games (mom)
• Harass the cats (dad)

What are your favorite things: 

• Elephant (her lovey)
• iPad
• Laika
• The cats
• Any trampoline (dad)
• Any creature-including bugs (mom)

What are your favorite foods:

• Pizza (Peperoni preferred)
• Bagels
• Indian
• Thai
• Sushi
• Fruit (mom)
• Deli Meats (dad)

Favorite Movies: 

• Tangled 
• Land Before Time (the whole dang series of 11 or so)
• Despicable Me (mom)
• Toy Story 3 (mom)

Best Qualities?:

• I have 100 energy
• I'm funny.
• Compassionate (mom)
• Strong willed (good and bad) (mom and dad)
• Questions things (mom and dad)
• Physically agile (mom) 

We look forward to what the next year brings. 

Happy birthday

Happy fourth birthday, Anya!

Ridiculous Arguments

One of the worst parts about having a child is the ridiculous arguments you’re forced to either have, or adjudicate. 

On a daily basis a parent comes face-to-face with issues so mind-numbingly trivial that you find you have long since lost the tools and techniques required to comprehend the issues at hand let alone resolve them with Solomonic wisdom.

Yesterday was one of the more memorable days in this regard.  Anya and her good buddy Eloise had both picked up leaves they found pretty.  At some point there was a disagreement over whose leaf was whose and both wound up shredded in a pile on the floor.  Much crying ensued.  All I could think to say was, “You guys do realized that, unlike anything else in this entire world, leave DO grow on trees and you could probably both find another if you looked really hard.”  But there went 10 minutes of my and Hank’s lives;  20 full adult minutes lost to an intractable argument over leaves.

But the argument that took the cake yesterday was a tantrum about who would get Anya some water.  She said, “Dad get me some water. ”  I thought about her lack of a “please”, the fact that I had just sat down on the couch, her uncanny ability to fill vessels with water food coloring and balance them precariously on the arms of chairs and in cupboards, and the fact that half the time when I fill her cup she wails at the injustice of my having deprived her of such an auspicious activity.  So I said, “You can get your own water, honey.” 

This instantly caused a flop-on-her-back-pound-her-heels-into-the-floor-squealing category 5 tantrum.

Once a kid has flipped out, it seems unwise to give in lest you encourage such horrid behavior in the future, so the “good” parent in me is then forced to dig in his heels while the rational adult who is looking for peace and quiet is yelling nearly as loud as the child into my brain, “Seriously?!  You can’t just go fill her firggin’ water?”  To which I say, “Shut up rational-self, you coward.  I’m trying to keep her in college and out of a life of crime, and drug abuse.”

This yelling screaming kicking and yes BITING extravaganza spanned 2 hours and even had time for a quick nap in the middle. 

Finally we came to a compromise: I put the cup next to the sink, she filled it, and I put the lid on. 

She took a sip and said, “How’s your leg where I bit you?  I’m sorry about that.” 

Take that rational adult-self.

Making Judith Work for Her Cash

 It's become a yearly tradition: As Anya's birthday approaches we head out to Issaquah to have Judith Fernstrom take our family photos.  Every year they come out great.  We wouldn't want you to think this is because Anya is easy or Judith lucky.  Oh no.  Anya makes Judith work for her dough, which makes us appreciate Judith's skill all the more. 



Mind you Anya has only been to Judith's twice before.  Once near her 2nd and once near her 3rd Birthdays. This morning Anya said the following:
Judith's house looks like a palace.  Fact.  It very large and beautiful.
Judith has two cats.  Fact: two felines do indeed inhabit said palatial abode. 
Where is the bubble gun?  Fact: Judith used to have a bubble gun which is now broken but which we used as we approached Anya's 2nd birthday. 
I think it's very funny that my Grandpa Lodwig never believes Uncle Brian and I when we claim to remember the most minute details of our young lives.  If we are anything like Anya I'd be more apt to believe Brian and I then Grandpa.

Grandpa Miller

Goodbye, Grandpa. I'm glad you are no longer in pain and are now at peace. And I know you will be watching over our family. I love you.

Big Girl Bed

Goodbye, crib-turned-toddler bed. Hello, big girl bed!

Last night was Anya's first night on her new (to her) twin bed. She's been ready for one for awhile, but we've been stalling. As some of you may have guessed, Anya is not the most gentle, docile creature - the state of her (and our) furniture is proof of this. So the choices for a new bed were 1) regular kids furniture that she will destroy within a few years 2) top end furniture that she won't break, but it's pricey and I will be annoyed when she inevitably colors on it or "decorates" it in some other fashion 3) old, sturdy furniture that has survived generations of kids. We opted for choice 3.

Lynn thought someone in the family might have something in storage. And we were in luck! Chris' Uncle Rick and Aunt Teri had some old beds stored away in the garage rafters that we checked out while at Anya's great-grandma's 85th birthday party. It turned out that one of the beds was Chris' when he was young. Lynn had purchased it from a grandmother while they were living in Kentucky, so it's been through several kids including Chris' cousins. Score!

Chris cleaned it up and sanded it and I slapped on a few coats of paint. It's not the most feminine bed, but it's sturdy and should last. And now it sits in Anya's room with the quilt that my mom made for me when I was little -- so it truly is a family bed. How cool.

7 Months of Kid Quotes

March 13, 2011    [Crying on the floor] Dad: What's the matter?
Kid: I can't clean my room.
Dad: Why?
Kid: I don't have enough hands!
 
March 15, 2011   
[At the Burke Museum arguing with another Dino-nut kid about the Euoplocephalus]
Kid: ew-OP-lo-SEF-ə-ləs
Other kid: yu-OP-lo-SEF-ə-ləs!
Kid: ew-OP-lo-SEF-ə-ləs!
Rinse. Repeat.
 
March 17, 2011
[Discussing the idea of loss] If I lost Elephant (stuffed animal/lovey) a dandelion and a hammock would make me feel better. I looove hammocks.
 
March 25, 2011
My hair is starting to turn brown. I'm going to be a MAMA!
 
March 26, 2011
[Crying after falling and hurting herself WELL after bed time] This is going to hurt forever.
Dad: Where did you get hurt?
Kid: My breadbasket
Dad: That's not your breadbasket, that's your butt.

April 1, 2011
I bet when Laika (dog) grows up she wants to be a human.
 
April 19, 2011
Mom: What are you doing?
Kid: Sometimes you need to jump on a chair. But only on Fridays.
Mom: It's Monday.
Kid: And Mondays.
 
April 24, 2011
[Apparently apropos of nothing] Mom, saying hasta luego is just like saying au revoir
 
May 1, 2011
[After Rapunzel makes her daring escape in, "Tangled"] Uh oh, she's going to make her mommy very upset by running away.
Mom: Yes. Yes she will.

May 1, 2011
[Regarding a piece of hard candy]
Dad: No honey that's a choking hazard.
Kid: I like choking hazards.
 
May 7, 2011
Dad: What should we get mom for Mother's day?
Kid: A book.
Dad: What type of book?
Kid: One with a princess in it.
Dad: Hummm. Well what makes mom really happy? That's what we should get her.
Kid: Water! Get her water!
 
May 10, 2011
You're beautiful Morgana. You're the king of the cats
 
May 12, 2011
I have to go to the doctor's office because my feelings are hurt.
 
May 23, 2011
When I'm fat, can I go to that McDonalds?
 
May 30, 2011
Teach me how to play this game (Balderdash)
Dad: I don't know, it requires a lot of knowledge.
Kid: I can do knowledge.
 
June 2, 2011
[Regarding iPad] I WANT MY SCREEN TIME!!!
 
June 6, 2011
Let's play "market". I'll be the marketer.

June 13, 2011   
[Playing Plants vs "Mazombies"] Dad, you protected my mushroom! You're my hero.
 
June 16, 2011
[Headed to grandparents]
Parents: Anya where do you think we're going?
Anya: I don't know.
Parents: Guess!
Anya: I give up.
Parents: That's not a very fun game.
Anya: It's an "I give up game"
 
June 18, 2011
[While mom and dad were waking up] Don't get up yet. I'm going to surprise you and I'm not ready. ...Okay come out now and I'll jump out and say "boo!"
 
July 4, 2011
Opposites: Sunny : Cloudy. Lunch : Pie. Water : Milk. Plants : Zombies
 
July 12, 2011
[Pointing at a pilot in the Minneapolis airport] Is that a Nazi!?
 
July 13, 2011
Dad: I thought you said you were full.
Kid: I didn't say I was full of ICE CREAM.
 
July 14, 2011   
Kid:I found a new way to get off the bed. I throw a pillow on the ground and I fall on it.
Dad: How's that working for you?
Kid: Good. My head hurts a bit.
 
July 14, 2011
[Playing with toy bugs]
Kid: The mean dragon fly stole the baby lady bugs!
Dad: What are we going to do!?
Kid: Oh nothing, go to the kid store and get a new one!
 
July 24, 2011
Kid: Are we flying or driving to Portland?
Mom: Driving
Kid: But if we drive, I'm going to keep asking if we're there yet.

July 25, 2011
[Upon waking up on our road trip north]
Kid:I know we're in Seattle because it's raining. (Sadly she was pretty close, we were about in Sea-Tac)
 
July 25, 2011   
Kid: I have an idea, let's have a race![tears off up the hill.] [Once I've caught up to her] I've got another idea. Let's have a tired race. Where the person who's the most tired wins.
 
July 25, 2011   
What a sad little play ground with no one playing on it. I can make it happier!
 
August 2, 2011
[Freaking out in the car and wanting her elephant which we'd accidentally left at home] (rather helplessly and matter-of-factly)
Kid:I can't stop screaming until I get elephant.
Dad: Okay, okay! We'll go home and get him.
Anya: Aaaaaah. But I can't stop until I have him. (and she did, in fact, scream all the way home)
 
August 7, 2011
I didn't like being 3 1/2. I was too small. (she's now a whopping 3/4)
 
August 10, 2011   
Guess what mom!? I saw a small and stingy animal and it wasn't a predatory wasp!
 
August 11, 2011
I'm going to tell you a story. There were three pigs. One had a house made of straw, one made of sticks, and one made of real house.

August 13, 2011
[Playing with an ice pack]
Kid: Can I put this here (on her dresser) until I fall off my bed and hurt myself?
Dad: are you planning on falling off your bed?
Kid: yeah
Dad: won't that hurt?
Kid: Yeah. (proceeding to jump on the bed) Is that the kid quote of the day!? "
 
August 16, 2011
[The moment she woke up] Sqwaaaaarrrrrrck! I'm speaking pteranodon English.
 
August 18, 2011
[Eating flank steak] Is that mastodon? It looks like mastodon skin!

August 25, 2011
[In the PCC parking lot]
Kid: Just leave me in the car.
Dad: I can't. Mommies and Daddies who leave their kids in the car get in trouble.
Kid: And you could go to jail?
Dad: Yep.
Kid: Well the cops won't SEE it.
 
August 27, 2011
[After saving this earwig from drowning] He's so cute!
 
September 5, 2011
[Whispering in my ear conspiratorially] Daddy, I can feel my cells.
 
September 8, 2011
[On vacation with the grandparents]
Dad: How's the pool?
Anya: It's a little bit drowny.
 
September 17, 2011
Laika (the dog) needs a Halloween costume. She should be a cat!

Taking Anya Fishing

On Sept 11th this year my buddy Jeff and I decided to take our kids--Liam and Anya--fishing.  Being fully cognizant of our childrens' attention spans, we decided to do something I swore I would never do: We took the stinkers to a trout farm. Funny how many lame things our parents did make sense to us once we are parents. 

While the kids showed no interest in the fishing poles and bait they loved the nets, and spent the entire time Jeff and I tried to hook fish running around the ponds trying to ensnare each other.  

Here I am pretending Anya is loving the fishing.

Alas Anya didn't actually hook a fish, but she did help me by netting one of mine all by her self. Then again she had practice. She netted several fish from the feeding/growing pond (no fishing allowed). Below you can see her an Liam feeding the very same fish she eventually scooped up.

I don't think our child is normal. 

In our post fishing discussion Jeff informed me he was concerned what he was going to tell Liam when he landed his first fish and had to beat it to death.  The fish was flopping around and Jeff was having a crisis of conscience (albeit minimal). Anya and I walked over and I whacked the fish and no one even raised an eyebrow.


According to Jeff he had to explain for a few days why we had to kill fish to eat them and how farm animals become burgers and all that.  Our friend Maria didn't want me to bring her boy Javier because she felt killing the fish might traumatize him, our buddy Luca still asks his dad, "Do you mean animal chicken or food chicken?"

Know what my kid asked?  "Dad! Can I eat the fish's eyes?!" (Mom said, "No" by the way)

While it is true that Anya is a very empathetic child who always shows concern for others who suffer or cry.  She's also pretty comfortable with guts and gore and bugs and all things icky. 

I think she'll be a doctor or nurse or vet.

Anya's first Husky's Game

Today my good friend Loren invited Anya and I to use two of their Husky season tickets with he and his son Benjamin. For a little background Loren is a friend we met through our parenting group (PEPS) and I also play on a soccer team with him.
It was a lot of fun.  Anya ate her way through the tailgate party and then asked every three minutes for more food. She loved screaming when everyone else screamed (they would yell "Go Huskies" and she's yell, "EEEEEEEEE!" at the top of her voice.  She was also heard to say, "GO HUSKIES WHEN CAN WE GO HOME?!!?"
Eventually both the kids decided that they would rather be at home than at the game so we left at half time and went over to Loren's to watch the rest of the game.

Here's Anya conquering the mighty husky.

Here we are at the game


And here we are on the way home.  We took a Pedi-cab both there and back which was awesome and will be a main stay of our lives from now on.

Bug Bash 2011 at the Burke

My child (and wife apparently) fear no bug.
Here they are wrangling Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches at the Bug Bash at the Burke Museum today.  Very cool place for kids (and dorky adults I must say).  Anya also played with a tarantula, giant walking stick, Hermit Crab and two other giant cockroaches while we were there.

What did you do on your summer vaction?

Anya and the rest of the family just got back from a night's stay at Discovery Bay on the Olympic Peninsula.
This was her take. 

Bouncy House Frenzy At Eloise's Birthday

Anya (of course) pushes ahead, and Javier is the one who can't contain himself and yells "AWESOME".

At the Dentist

Today we were told by Dr. Cliney to start an orthodontist account for Anya.
Honey, when you're an embarrassed and awkward pre-teen, don't blame us, it's your under-bite, and we're no more happy about it than you are.

Anya in the sky (with diamonds)

We went to the Evergreen State Fair a couple weekends ago. Anya has been asking to return to this hallowed ground now for approx 12 months. Last year there were life-sized animatronic dinosaurs (which terrified her and have since been her obsession) along with pony rides. This year neither of those were on offer, but the Power Jump (tm) system had her from word go. She did this twice. Sadly the audio didn't work so the squeals of joy are inaudible. There was also a goat or two that grabbed her attention, and little bit of trivia, we saw about 20 seconds of JP Patches very last public performance.

Anya a Go-Gos

On August 14th, we took Anya to go see what music was like 30 years ago. Here we are are the Go-Gos at Woodland park zoo.
She spent almost the entire time trying to get away from the show and into the Zoo itself to see the animals. This video belies the fact that dad spent most of the time chasing her around and scolding her for throwing grass into the air and annoying those around us.
Ultimately we just got frustrated and went home.

First Day of Preschool, Second Year

Sadly, this is the best picture I could get of Anya today. The only way I could manage it was to physically restrain her in the car seat and then take her by surprise. This way, she couldn't run off or have time to put elephant over her head. This was taken after school. Shame. Before school, she was all dressed up and her hair hadn't been halfway removed from the ponytails yet. But Anya wouldn't allow me to take her picture then because now she "hates having her picture taken". Whatever. I got one. I win :-)

Anya's first day of school went well enough. They divided the classroom into 2 separate ones this year. So now she is a Dragonfly with Miss Emily. The roster looks like a great fit for her -- lots of her friends and without the one kid she didn't get along with last year. She was in a great mood and had a good time, which has been the norm for the past year. Unfortunately, I was spoken to for the second time about Anya's propensity for challenging the teachers and class rules. Apparently, she's been questioning them and trying to renegotiate (in her favor, of course)...which has been disruptive to the class. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. True, she should be respectful to the teachers and not disruptive, but it seems totally developmentally normal/acceptable to me to try to negotiate and challenge things. So, we've had some family discussions about this (namely, when and how it's OK to question the teachers) and we'll keep going from here. Could be worse.

It should be another good year for her, though. Once Anya turns 4 (in less than 2 months. Ack!), she'll get to start Sweet Pea College - a pullout Kindergarten prep class during school and she'll also get to start attending the weekly class field trips, which are just open to kids 4 and up.

And today, we also are revisiting classes at The Little Gym, after a 7 month hiatus.

Minus a mini trip to Discovery Bay as one last summer celebration, unofficial Autumn has started.

Aspirations

Anya: Mom, when I grow up I want to be a waitress

mom: Oh? Why's that?

Anya: Because waitresses are good and I'm good.

mom: Why do you think waitresses are good?

Anya: Because they bring people food when they are hungry.

drawing

"Morgana the cat dressed up as a ghost"

Some Highlights from the Recent Trip to North Carolina

In early July we took a family trip to go see Amy's half of the family. It was great. Here are a couple of video's I grabbed while things were going on.

Anya checks out a caterpillar who's seen better days.


Anya Rockin' out at her cousin Alivia's


Anya and Alivia Reading/Making a Mess



Anya on a rope swing at Dondon and Grangies. She loved this swing and played on it every chance she got.


Anya meets a horse on a the covered bridge by Dondon and Grangie's

Doing Laps on the Ferry

Anya still loves taking the ferry. Here we are on the July 3rd 2011 running around on the Bainbridge Island Ferry. We did approx 20 of these laps between the outbound and return trips.

Fort Building with Eva

Todd, Tracy, Eva, and baby Greta came over for dinner. They kept trying to get the grownups to play and we just wanted to sit outside and have a beer and chat. Our instructions where along the lines of, "You guys are kids on a play date, go play with each other for crying out loud. Don't light anything on fire and don't leave the house. Here was the result.

Kidlet is sick

Anya has been sick for the last couple days. I may have mentioned before that I don't deal well with sickness.
Anya has, over all, been the best kid I could have hoped for. Yesterday marked only the second time to date that she's thrown up. So really I can't complain.
Anya is really sweet when she's sick. She cuddles up close. Thinking of it, it's one of the only times she treats me like she needs me. Usually she's off running around acting 3 times her age. So I guess I should appreciate this time as much as all the other time I spend with her.

Father's day 2011

Anya chases Grandpa Lodwig

Anya works 9-5

I guess this would be Anya's first job interview. I'll give her some pointers over the next 15 years...

end of school year notes

End of school year parent/teacher conference notes (grandparents, click on the picture to view it larger)...

Anya's breif moment of flight

picking daisies

at the Tolt/Snoqualmie campground when Don-don and Grangie came to visit.

At The Tolt River With Buster

Anya at the Tolt river with Buster the dog keeping a close eye on her, and a quick cameo by Laika.
Anya decided to stay the night with Don-Don, and Grangie and the dogs. She ate a ton of their food and eventually got evacuated...as a result of flooding not over eating.

Anya Plays the Euphonium

Anya found my euphonium this morning. She's already better at it than I ever was :-)

Easter

We decided to go to the Mill Creek Easter egg hunt again this year up by Lynn & Steve's house. Unlike last year, the weather cooperated for us and it was beautiful outside.

waiting to start the egg hunt

sick of waiting...


Aaaand they're off! Anya was like an egg-gathering machine.
Those boys didn't stand a chance


Her haul (sadly, all eggs were filled with chocolate, which she won't eat.
Fortunately Grandma brought a few with jellybeans and she was none the wiser.)

How awesome is this?? Three bald eagles circling over the school.

Video of Anya after she discovered what the Easter Bunny left her on Easter morning.

Inappropriate Questions

The other day we took Anya and her good friend Eva to the Seattle Children’s Theatre’s rendition of the P.D. Eastman book, “Go Dog. Go!” It was a wonderful play and both kids seemed to really enjoy themselves.

At the end of the play, the actors came out and said hello to all the kids and told them something about what it takes to put on a play and be an actor. Finally they open up the room for questions.

“Does anyone have any questions we can answer?”

Anya’s hand shot into the air and she squealed, “I do, I do!”

We were in the first row so I feared there was a good chance she would get called on. My concern and curiosity got the better of me. “What do you want to ask the man?”

“I want to know what happened in Japan with the earth quake and salami (tsunami) that hurt all those people.”

I didn’t tell her to put her hand down but whenever the actor looked her way I made eye contact and shook my head in a very disapproving way, using any and all my psychic power to put one thought in his head, “Don’t call on this one…”

I’m really glad I asked.