#The Happiest Place On Earth

Good Morning California

Baby's First Road Trip

We've arrived in Southern California after 16+ hours of driving, over two days, not including stops to pee, stretch, playground, eat, and gas up. Charlie told me not to jinx it but it must be said: Scar and her cousins were awesome in the car. We have a 12-passenger van for the 7 of us.  The girls sat together in the back with coloring books, stickers, magnet toys and a whole lotta snacks.

There has been only one fight so far- Tom insisting that foil needs to have the shiny side out, Sally and I countering that FOIL DOES NOT HAVE AN UNSHINY SIDE.

Two days from now, the girls will have their first trip to Disneyland. Hope has some maps drawn up.  they. cant. wait.

Big thanks to the cousins in Berkley for housing us last night and caffienating us this morning.

A(nother) Blossoming Friendship

We all went to the zoo, Scarlett and Ella and their moms and some grandparents.  The forecast was saying, rain possible, but we went anyway, because we live in the northwest and it would be silly to stay inside for something as common as rain.  Ella doesn't even believe in wearing a coat.  

Scarlett skipped her nap but was a total champ.  We took them to the park afterwards, 'the new park' she calls it, the same way she says 'the new car' even though we've had it for over a year.  A zoo trip, then a park trip, weren't enough to tire them out.  So they went on some walks with grandma and grandpa also.  

Speaking of bears, Scarlett asks me to tell her the story of Goldilocks every night at bedtime.  The story is a little different every time.  Sometimes it focuses on the girl, sometimes on the bears.  Scarlett likes to decide what the bears are cooking.  Tonight, it was the culinary delight 'cracker porridge pudding'.  Lately, it's also been cracker asparagus soup, and 'chocolate mushrooms pudding'.  Sometimes the chair breaks, sometimes not.  Sometimes Goldilocks wakes up, cleans the house and makes new bowls of porridge. Sometimes she just runs away.  In all cases, Scarlett reminds me that little girls should not go into the woods alone.  Good girl.

A Blossoming Friendship

Scarlett and Willie are getting to know each other, cautiously.

Scar-isms

"Do I have good climbing tree skills?"

Yes, obviously!

"Why don't we have long necks like giraffes?  I wish we had long necks like giraffes."

"I’ll always be your baby.  Even when I’m a hundred and ten I’ll still be your baby."

"There are friendly giants that live in our attic.  They are having a birthday party.  They always have a stuffed animal with them."

Also, she wrote a story.  "Once a Frog Had A Goldfish."

Boston

My plane landed in NYC and I was at baggage claim, trying to figure out how to get to my hotel.  Charlie texted, did you see a bomb went off at the finish line of Boston?  I hadn't.  I wish I never had. 

I love the Boston Marathon.  I follow the elite runners online every year, and would have if I hadn't been on the plane yesterday morning.  Charlie's sister missed her qualifying time by a matter of only about 7 minutes this year.  Lord, I am so thankful.  She could have been there, and my nieces, at the finish.  I've been at the finish line of more marathons than I can count- there's so much joy, and perseverance, it always brings tears to my eyes.  The marathon brings out the very best in people- runners and volunteers and crowds.  People being proud of total strangers is such a beautiful thing to see.

Our friends in Boston are runners, one is also a surgeon, working yesterday.  I find myself once again just wanting to hug my runner husband and my little girl, and keep my family right next to me at all times. 

Progress

This morning I leave for my third work trip in 6 months. It sounds fun but I spend most the time missing my little froggy girl. Today she said, I am sad when mama is not here. Then later she said, I wish you would go so I can eat a granola bar. When they dropped me at the airport, I did not cry, which is progress.

*Update*
After 2 hours in the airport, my flight was delayed such that I would miss the connecting flight.  So I'm on a direct flight for tomorrow morning instead.  I am home now, listening to Scarlett sing "Happy day we love you, happy day we love you" to the tune of Happy Birthday.  It is unclear who she is singing to.  Maybe the turtles?

Forever

"Can I keep my Dora toothbrush forever?"
"Will you be my mama forever?"
"I will love you forever!"


Other things she wants to keep forever:

• Her green bath loofah
• Arnie
• A piece of string
• Flowers picked from the neighbor's yard

Our new additions

Scarlett says to her cousins "Want to hear something new about my family?  We have turtles now!"

It's true, we have turtles.  Herman and Willie are box turtles who have been together for 42 years.  They live at our house as of about 4pm today.  They are the first pets Charlie or I have owned as an adult.  Luckily, we have a frog living with us who happens to know how to care for turtles.

More Scar-isms

Scene: Eating Easter candy with her toy frogs at the table.
"This is the first time I'm eating candy with a frog."

Scene: Discussing preschool lunchtime
"I don't like it when somebody eats near me."

Scene: I drop a pen on the ground.
"You need the pen in your hands and not on the floor"

Scene: I'm working in the guest room and I hear her shouting...
"Don't Don't!  The sun is shining!  The snow is falling!"

Scar-ism

"Today for dinner Arnie ate biscuit salad."

The Real Easter

On Scarlett's first Easter, I was sitting on the couch holding her, while Charlie was in the kitchen making homemade perogies.  Scarlett was fussy, and no matter what I did- holding her, nursing her, rocking her- she kept crying.  I picked her up, I set her down.  I walked, I sat.  I was starting to get panicky, was she sick?  We tried lots of things and she was just unhappy.  Finally, Charlie put her in the sling and took her into the kitchen, and she happy hung out in the sling all afternoon and made perogies with daddy.

Nowadays, they do a lot of kitchen activities together during the day. Baking pizza dough, bread, and bagels, and roasting coffee. 

Easter this year was nice.  We went for a family run and Scarlett sat happily in the jogging stroller, eating this here chocolate bunny.

First chocolate bunny EVER

We painted eggs, and as a result I will be eating a lot of egg salad sandwiches this week.  We had three shades of green, obviously. 

Polly and Charlie like to dress matchy-match and eat rice pudding together. At first, Scarlett wouldn't even try the rice pudding.  I was finishing up making it, and offered her a lick from the wooden spoon, but she scrunched up her mouth and shook her head.  But later, she saw me eating it ravenously from the almost-empty pan and suddenly she was interested.  So yes, rice pudding hot and straight from the pan, delicious.

I also made this tart with caramelized onions and cauliflower.  And cheese.  And truffle salt.

Then we had the mandatory cousintime, of course.

Easter, part 1

 
I have a story about Scarlett's first Easter, which I want to post with pictures of actual Easter.  But this post is about the day before, when it was 70 degrees and we hunted for Easter eggs and drank wine and Scarlett wore a green frog dress.  She was so excited to show everyone her frog egg-collecting basket, and when she found her first egg, she walked over to show us.  We tried to coerce her, go get more eggs, we'll look at them later.

Oscar looks like a different baby, I guess it's been many weeks since I last saw him.  He has so many expressions, and chubby cheeks, and he walks while holding on to things, and he laughs. 

I also can't get over how bit Scarlett looks, suddenly.  I look and this picture and I think I can see the teenager she's going to be, giving me that same look.

This is Luca, looking stylish.  If I had a little boy, I would dress him like this. (Don't take that the wrong way.  There are no plans for future Dickersons.)

Frog basket, egg, sunshine, fun and eventful day.