Milestone Day

No pictures, but for the sake of documentation, yesterday Rosemary started clapping, cut her first tooth, and scooted forward intentionally toward a toy (giant stuffed yellow duck) for the first time.

I am fine with all the rest growing up, but I wish Rosemary could stay my little pet baby forever.

Two, With Gusto

Claire is two. Proof:

• For breakfast #2 the other day, she wanted a yogurt cup, mostly so she could lick the lid. I said no (they were for Dan's lunches). A few minutes later I found her with all 3 remaining yogurt cups, licking all 3 opened lids. 
• I poured her more cereal instead. Soon thereafter, she spilled it...on the family room floor (yay hardwood)...on Rosemary's lap.
• She can scavenge for any food or item she wants, even if that means pulling a chair over to climb onto the counter and then reach the highest shelves.
• If she can't find a chair to facilitate her reaching, she overturns a trashcan or basket of clean, folded laundry. Well, not always clean, but those times certainly stand out in my mind!
• She often gets a cup down out of the cupboard and fills it with shredded cheese from the refrigerator then carries it around the house as a snack.
• Every direction must be given with two choices. If it's not her choice, it won't fly.
• She shouts things like, "Stop annoying me!" at her siblings and, "MOMMY I NEEEEEED YOU" at me far too frequently.
• The good thing is, even though she knows how to throw tantrums, she can listen to reason while tantruming and can often choose to snap out of it and say things like, "I done crying now".
• She is starting to talk really well and be able to hold small conversations. She can say her name and how old she is, even if she sometimes gets the two mixed up. She now wants to know every doggy's name and how old they are. 

I love this spunky girl. She is following in her siblings' footsteps of loving books which warms my heart and makes me feel I am at least doing ONE thing right as a mom! Here's her "reading" Brown Bear.

Swedish Fish

The kids got lots of bottles to redeem for candy money from Grampy and Oumi this weekend and Ruth used part of her money to buy me a bag of my favorite candy. She even remembered it was Swedish Fish. She really is a very thoughtful girl!

More Sentimental Stuff

The going away party for many of my good friends: the McGowans, Rogers, Vornehms, Hunters, and probably more I'm not thinking of. I could do mushy posts about each, but suffice it to say that living in a place with high turn over has taught me that every person that enters your life is an opportunity to learn something new and to grow as a person. I am so grateful for the blessing they each are in my family's life and wish them the best in their future adventures.

With them gone from Whipple Park, we are down to only one or two families we are close enough to to visit and their time there is short, too. This was most likely our last big Whipple Park party after so many large gatherings on these lawns and playgrounds. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at these buildings without smiling. As we all mused tonight, we would never have guessed when we first laid eyes on these old townhouses that we would be so sad to leave them.

First Day of Summer!

Ok, not really, but it felt like it! We have had some 85-90 degree days already in Rochester and we are doing our best to make the most of any sunny weather after a long Winter. One one sunny day, Claire and I (and Rosemary) went on an adventure to see the daffodils and fish.

We started with a hike to a daffodil meadow. Claire brought her backpack, but has never seen Dora so my intermittent songs meant nothing to her. At one point she stopped and opened her backpack and she had brought a baby doll! What a sweetheart. I took her picture with my phone and from then on she wanted her picture taken all along the trial. 

 I kept promising Claire yellow flowers and she kept pointing out all the dandelions. I'm not sure she understood what made these ones so much better!

 After the hike, the girls went into a double stroller and we ran to the fish hatchery at the park. My best laid plans for a workout were dashed when I realized the fish hatchery was at best half a mile away. So much for a workout! We love feeding the fish here, though!

 We also stopped to play on the swings and I tried my first underdog with Claire. She followed-up by trying with Rosemary. I was a little nervous, but Rosemary loved it!

 After the big kids got home, we spent a little time at Whipple Park and then grabbed dinner at DQ and met some friends at a park (Dan was out of town). Not long into our picnic, a thunderstorm came sweep in with dramatic wind and rain. Most of the kids screamed, ran, and yelled, "tornado!", but Rosemary giggled at the wind. She is so ticklish and so good-natured!

I can't get enough of the sunshine!!!

James' First Science Fair

James decided to do a Science Fair project about Optics. In particular, he was inspired by the game Launch Ball where you can use a lens to concentrate light at varying focal lengths. We checked out books at the library to learn more about lenses and light, wrote some outlines, and then asked Dan to review our work and conclusions. It turned out Dan had an outreach kit that taught the exact principles we'd ended up focusing on: refraction, reflection, and diffraction. It made creating James' set-up easier since we already had the components, but he still made his own so it wasn't just using something someone else made.

James did all of the posterboard design by himself and even did a fair amount of the typing until he got tired and just dictated to me. He chose the colors and placement and content. It was hard for me to stop at gentle suggestions, but I think it helps him to me more confident and proud when it is his own creation.

Unfortunately, Dan was out of town for the fair itself, but James did a great and job and the other kids were really well behaved for an event that started when they'd usually be getting ready for bed!

 Demonstrating refraction, diffraction, and reflection:

 I was really impressed at how well James explained things to people who came by his table. He used his display board and demonstration box and even answered questions pretty well. I am so proud of him! He pointed out that being next to the "Make Your Own Goo" station was perfect because it got lots of people to come to his too.

Snuggles

Rosemary loves to snuggle and it melts me. Any time I pick her up, she snuggles into my neck at least momentarily. When she doesn't want to go to sleep, she usually just needs some snuggles (if her tummy's full and diaper's empty). I love her!

She also likes to bounce and smile when I hold her. Equally cute, but less easy to capture on a cell phone camera.

Graduation Weekend

It finally happened. Once and for all, Dan graduated! His defense was the major milestone and the arrival of his diploma in an unceremonious postage tube a couple months ago was pretty conclusive, but there is still something very final and concrete about walking across the stage. It was wonderful to share that moment with his Dad, step-mom, and sister, too. We were so glad they made the trip.

 At Kodak Hall in the Eastman Theater. I was ALL the way in the back which was perfect for squirmy kids who need potty breaks, but makes for less than ideal photo conditions. Ah, for a lens with a longer focal length...Anyway.

 Arms out: he did it!

 By whatever means necessary, we kept the kids quiet. Noleen and Nicole helped with the kids coming and going so I could stay in the theater until they read Dan's name. THANK YOU! 

 Closest I got to a picture of any of our other friends graduation. Joe Vornehm is in there.

 This picture was taken by a professional photographer and shared on the university website:

 I am so proud of Dan! School isn't "his thing", but he worked really hard to catch up and then exceed in his program!

 It is such the story of the American Dream. Dan's grandfather was the son immigrants and a blue collar worker with a high school education, if that. He worked hard to help his son, Dan's dad, through school. Dan's dad has a master's degree. Now Dan has a PhD. 

 It was great to have Nicole here. She was so wonderful with the kids and reminded us all so much of Grammy. Her presence was missed in the celebration of Dan's achievements. No one worries more about a child or feels more keenly the pride in their success than a mother. We definitely acknowledge her part in getting Dan to this accomplishment, even if she always said she could only raise him so far and then she handed him off to me.

 My gift to Dan: a frame for his diploma to match his others. The kids put together the "Happy Congraduation" banner with Aunt Nicole's help.

 Honorary place for the weekend!

 Photo featured on the U of R website.

My graduation gift from Dan! Our first year here we visited the bookstore and I said I liked this shirt. We were told the mascots were changing to some dopey smiling friendly version of the yellow jacket, and I said how much better I liked the tough fighting yellow jacket. Dan bought this shirt not long after and kept it in his locker at school for SIX YEARS to give to me as a graduation gift. So sweet!

The yellow jacket and the dandelion are symbols of the U of R. Yup, a pest and a weed. But, they are ubiquitous in Rochester so I guess it's fitting!

More inspirational to me is their motto "Meliora" which means, "Ever better". I love that motto and hope to live by it.