Family Davis-Ross

the camera doesn't lie

Peter and Lucy seem to enjoy a little roughhousing. Or, Peter seems to enjoy hurting Lucy, and Lucy's doesn't seem to mind. Is that what roughhousing is all about? Knowing just how much to hurt someone without crossing the getting-in-trouble line?

Anyway, Peter got in trouble for this one. Pushing your sister down - no matter how tempting her standing form may be - is not something we'll tolerate. I'll permit a well-timed chokehold or two, though.

last farm, last pool, last car trip?

temporarily hatless, as we wait for the fog to burn off

Sample conversation from the past few days:

Me: Peter, this is the last time you'll go to the farm. Are you sad?
Peter: Peter go new farm!
Me: But this is the last time you'll get to see Luna [the cow] or Apple Blossom and Olive [the pigs] and walk with your friends.
Peter: Peter go farm, OK Mama?*
Me: Yes, we're going to the farm. But it's the last time ever. No more farm, Peter. The farm is all done.
Peter: Peter go now?

We've been having this discussion about all sorts of things, and it usually garners neither angst nor anxiety from Peter or Lucy. Despite my efforts to rile up some emotion ("your friends will be ALL GONE! No more friends, no more ocean, no more sea lions") the kids remain cheerful and focused on the task at hand: enjoying life.

I should take a lesson or two.

We took our last hike to the farm yesterday. We had a few highlights - finally seeing the 10 piglets and Peter's first solo coyote spotting** - all of the kids seemed to be more interested in agitating one another and their mothers. Some days are like that: dirt, hay, and sticks are more interesting than the animals.

Today we visited the pool for the last time. We combined it with our last CalTrain trip and our last milkshake and apple pie at the Creamery for good measure. As always, the kids had a great time splashing in the pool and playing with their friends.

And we've just decided that Wednesday will be our last car trip. Is it kind of ridiculous to anyone else that we've been crammed into a midsize car with two children in gigantic car seats?*** There are a few other reasons behind this decision, but the fact is we've just outgrown it and it will cost more than it's worth to have Kevin drive it across the country.****

* Peter's started saying "OK" at the end of almost every statement, but he says it the way he hears it 100 times a day, which is in a context much like this: "Peter, Lucy doesn't want you to stick the drumstick in her ear, OK?" Also, inexplicably, I've become "Mama," after over a year of being "Mommy." Also, he says "Mama" about 50 percent more than he ever said "Mommy."

** He spotted it himself. It took me a minute to figure out what he was saying - coyote not being a frequently used word - but there it was, running across the path in front of us, across the field and up the hill.

*** Peter and Lucy have perhaps the second-largest carseats on the market. They're really, really huge.

**** We ran the numbers again and realized that Kevin would be saving us only $400-$900 by driving the car, which, frankly, isn't enough to justify the trip. Plus, he'd be missing Lucy's first birthday. Plus - and I don't think he'd admit this to me, but I know it's certainly true - he can't wait to get to the land of water ice and cheap cheese pizzas.

choo-choo!

We finally made it to Roaring Camp Railroads, a narrow-gauge steam train which travels through the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz mountains. It was a logging train; now it's a nice way to see some pretty tall trees.

The trip was over an hour, which included a stop at the top of Bear Mountain and some switching-back action. The ride probably could have been 20 minutes shorter and the kids would have had their fill; they weren't unhappy by the end of the trip, but they had some energy to run off.

Peter and Lucy were excited and surprised to learn that their friends Samuel and Sofia would be joining us. I purposely didn't tell the kids that their friends would be coming to add an extra surprise to an already treat-filled day.

surprise cupcakes!

We weren't expecting huge and delicious cupcakes today at the park, but Efusn and Alara arrived, treats in hand, to help celebrate Alara's second birthday.

(I don't think anyone minded.)

Peter and Alara; unique cupcake technique; friends!

camping adventures

I think it's a sign of how well we know our kids that there was little about our camping trip that came as a surprise:

    

neither Kevin nor I were this happy at 5:30 a.m.

The kids were mostly great in the car. Of course, there were moments (first to mind: Lucy's post-dinner cry-fest during our drive home, for example, that found me squeezed in the tiny space between the kids' gigantic carseats to nurse her, unsuccessfully, to sleep). I packed a gigantic bag of toys and books to keep the kids entertained, which worked for the most part. When that failed, there was always food. The power of a well-timed granola bar or slice of orange can't be underestimated.

Since the kids see the ocean at least once a week, Lake Tahoe was kind of more of the same. There certainly was some novelty in the calmness of the water, and the kids appreciated the supply of rocks to throw, but they were as appreciative of the water in our campsite as they were the lake itself.

bedtime routine pays off

Getting the kids to fall asleep wasn't tough. They were wound up and excited to be sleeping together, but once it was time for sleep they didn't protest. What they did protest was our crazy rule that they not get dirty after we put them in their pajamas. This required us essentially locking the kids in the tent while we went about securing our toothpaste and food in the bear locker. They were not happy as camping prisoners, but they were clean.

The trip was a success enough that we've started thinking about our next camping adventure, and Peter agreed that yes, we should sleep in the tent again. We have a few kinks to work out, but I think we're back in the camping business.

Tahoe day 2: Emerald Bay

After breakfast and church Sunday morning, we drove south along Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay.

We first stopped at Eagle Falls, a large waterfall that tumbled 500 feet to Lake Tahoe below. Here, the kids just wanted to splash in the water, and luckily we found a small area where the current wasn't too strong and the rocks weren't too slippery.*

Next, we hiked down to the lake. Since the trail was a narrow road and downhill, we decided to let Peter walk on his own. He had fun looking for the small waterfalls along the trail and quickly intuited where to find them. Lucy also loved to watch the water rush down the rocks and along the trail. But, since the sun was only getting hotter, Kevin and I each grabbed one of Peter's hands and helped him walk very, very quickly down the trail.

This beach had more waves than our first beach, but it also offered sand. Once Peter overcame his fear of the very small waves, he and Lucy had fun splashing in the lake's edge and building sand castles. The water also was deeper here, so Kevin took the opportunity to swim.

Once the kids had their fill of the sun, sand, and water, we packed up and headed back up the hill for our car. Within minutes, both Peter and Lucy were asleep. Just as I was bemoaning my out-of-shapeness, Lucy woke and began crying. With that distraction, we quickly hiked to the top. I think I'm not out of shape so much as just easily bored. (Yes. Even in the middle of beautiful nature with an awesome conversation partner, I'm bored.)

*This isn't to say that it was entirely safe, either. I mean, the kids weren't ever in real danger, but Peter had it in his mind to cross the river on his own, and Lucy of course wanted to follow.

Lake Tahoe, day 1

We visited Lake Tahoe this, our last non-frantic California weekend.

Our first stop Lake Tahoe City, where we first visited the lake and set up our camp. Our site was literally 200 yards from a McDonalds - hardly rustic! - but provided easy access to milk, ice cream, and other necessary foodstuffs.

The lake was beautiful: blue, surrounded by mountains, and so clear.

The kids seemed to like it, too.

On the drive to the lake, Kevin and I realized that our California years are bookended by visits to big, blue mountain lakes. Within a month of moving here, we drove up to Crater Lake. Now, days from leaving, we made the trip to Lake Tahoe. The trip was different for a few key reasons - ahem, children? - but both were good reminders of how beautiful it is out here. (And how much we'll miss it.)

    

Peterpost

I spend so much time talking to Peter that I start to think in his cave-boy English at times. So, today's post is written from his POV.

Peter have lunch Jessie house. Peter play friends. Maybe Alara? Maybe Samuel? Samuel naked. Maybe Emelie? Maybe Kristen?*

Jessie have bounce house Jessie house. Peter bounce. Peter fall. Boom! Lucy bounce. No, Sofia, no tackle Peter.

Alara Daddy pick Peter up, put Peter in bounce house.** Peter like bounce house. Peter like Jessie house.

*Alara and Efsun had just returned from Turkey, and I didn't think they'd be at lunch but the minute Peter said "maybe Alara" I knew we'd see them. That kid knows things. Also, if you believe Peter's version of life, Samuel spends 90 percent of his day naked, and any time Peter gets naked in public (say, when he gets wet and dirty at the farm), he is "naked like Samuel." Finally, some of the mothers get a lot of airplay from Peter. Lillian's mother, Kristen, is one.

**Also, this was Lillian's grandfather, not Alara's Daddy, but we'll not be too picky.
 

friends, friends, friends

There are many reasons to be sad to leave California, but at the top of my list are the great friends the kids, Kevin and I have made. And while Kevin and I will be sad to leave our friends, it's really going to be tough to see Peter and Lucy leave their first friends behind. This is especially true now that Peter really has friends rather than playmates.*

cute, but causing trouble: Peter and Lillian at the farm

Tonight we visited downtown Mountain View's street party, which featured a cover band, some classic cars, and so many of Peter's friends he didn't know who to greet first. He ran and jumped through the park with Lillian, danced with Jack and Maddy, walked the balance beam with Ellie, and almost made it to the bounce house with Wyatt, until the bathroom called. This after a full day at the Children's Discovery Museum with Sofia and Samuel.

 I love how Peter has a different mode of interacting with each of his friends. They aren't a homogeneous group of toddlers in his eyes: they're people, and they each offer their own type of fun. Just like adults, he turns to some friends for quiet play, some friends for raucous good times, and some friends for a frank discussion of the finer points of animal poop.

Samuel and Peter watch the cow pen get cleaned

Kevin's a little wistful that Peter will probably not ever get this much attention from girls again. With a few exceptions, Peter's good friends are girls who like to great him with great big hugs and the occasional kiss. Kevin's also pretty certain Peter's seem more action in his first two-and-a-half years than Kevin saw until he graduated college, but, you know, kids these days and all...

I'll note once again that Lucy, who believes herself to be two years old, too, is also enamored of Peter's playmates. She's even joined in a few rounds of ring-around-the-rosie with them, although she often falls down a few beats too early.

*This is useful for parenting, too. When Peter asks "what's Lillian doing?" or
"where's Jessie going?" my answer is usually not what he wants to hear - and probably not true: "oh, she's eating a big bowl of broccoli" or "she's going home to take a nice, long nap."

our first "lasts"

If Kevin wants to get me emotional, all he has to do is reference any activity and say, "this is the last time we'll do this." It applies to fun things, like visiting the Zoo, but it found me a little weepy on Monday when we were grocery shopping and Kevin said, "we have only a few more visits here, you know."

So here are a few things we've probably done for the last time:

visiting Burgess Pool, where Lucy showed us her funny little getting-teeth smile and Peter raced around the baby pool with the assistance of a pool noodle

eating In-n-Out, the only fast food exception we've made (depending entirely, of course, on what you consider fast food)

how many kids can fit in a wagon? (answer: at least five)

The kids made room for all of their friends today when riding in Jessie's wagon became the activity to do. Even Lucy joined in the fun, although perhaps "endured" the fun is a more accurate description.

Thanks to Kristen who saw the photo op and took the picture for us.

communicating

1.
Tonight, at dinner, Lucy pointed to her out-of-reach cup and said, "water," asking for a sip. Language (rather than cries, grunts, or wails) is so, so pleasant. I like this turn of events.

2.
Today, while driving to church, Kevin said something about "finding a parking spot." Which lead me to say, "Peter, wouldn't it be silly if we drove our car into church?" To which Peter replied, "Father Bob say, 'no car in church!'"

3.
A few days ago I made mention of BDR3.0 (or, child #3 for recent blog readers). Please rest assured that this is a future baby, and that I'm not - to the best of my knowledge - pregnant.

Lucy Clare, in three photos

This photo stream says more about my daughter than words possibly could. She's cute, she's funny, and she's trouble.

These are taken during our family trip to the San Francisco Zoo last Thursday, but this kind of cute troublemaking occurs during all waking hours, regardless of location or event.

We're still trying to be touristy in San Francisco during our last three weekends here.

This week? A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Summer in San Francisco? Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold? Yes, cold.

And foggy.

Also, we really underestimated how much the windy weather on the bridge would irritate the kids. Plus, they just wanted to get down and run around, but it was a total death trap. On one side: speeding traffic inches away. On the other side: the plunge into the icy San Francisco Bay. And in the middle? Bicycling tourists.

I think if she hadn't been frustrated by the weather, Lucy would have mastered walking while on the Bridge. She certainly seemed intent on walking the entire span herself, until she decided she wanted to nurse, and while I've fed her in all manners of inconvenient and unexpected places, doing so while walking across the Golden Gate Bridge was not something I was prepared to do.

Peter was thwarted by our panicked insistence that he hold at least one of our hands (and preferably both) while walking, especially since neither Kevin nor I allowed him to do the things that seemed the most interesting: climbing up the bridge structure, for example, or trying to touch the passing cars.

Four years ago Kevin and I took a California vacation - before we knew we'd be moving here - that found us walking across the Bridge. It was a freakishly clear day, although it wasn't properly summer yet, either.

For the past six months or so, I've had it in my head to walk across the Bridge with the kids, if only so that we could get a family photo in front of San Francisco's most iconic landmark. It would be a simple, quick, no-explanations-needed way to commemorate our three years in the Bay Area.

picturesque city, no?

But we didn't get that photo. It's OK - we certainly had many opportunities to take it - and in the end we have (literally) thousands of other photos proving that yes, we did live here and yes, it was great fun.

six random things

1. How many clothes do kids need? I'm repacking/reorganizing the kids' stuff and realized that there is a very real possibility that BDR3.0 may go from 0-3 months without wearing the same outfit twice. Bridget, you're getting a ton of hand-me-downs.

2. Today Peter looked at an anteater and said, "he has a long nose like a dolphin." He also pointed to a kid's giant ball of cotton candy and said, "Peter want THAT."

3. This 9:45 bedtime for the kids is one of the first things we're axing when we move to PA.

4. Lucy tried to rip the claw off of a bearded dragon lizard at the zoo today. She also tried to pick up a hedgehog and make for the hills. (Oh, and Kevin reminds me that she also pinched the ball python.)

5. After successfully avoiding jury duty once (thanks to a breastfeeding infant), I've been summoned again. Luckily, we'll be moved by the time I have to appear. Now I just have to prove it to Santa Clara County.

6. "If we understood baby vocabulary we would learn that Lucy has the mouth of a sailor. Sometimes it really looks like she's just cursing," says Kevin, before settling down to his nightly gigantic bowl of popcorn.

indoor/outdoor

Peter does his own makeup

I've been trying to vary our indoor/outdoor activity time, keeping in mind that we all prefer to be outside for 12 hours a day. Luckily, Peter has started requesting to visit the Children's Discovery Museum at least as often as the Zoo, which is to say only two or three times a day.

I think Lucy could spend her entire visit to the Museum in the water play area. She wastes no time getting completely wet and we've not ever spent enough for her. Unfortunately, being the less-mobile younger sister, she (and I) spend much of our Museum days chasing after the always-in-motion older brother.

Peter eats his vegetables, Lucy gets messy

But, now that the kids are getting older, they're finding new and different ways to play. Lucy likes to join in on messy art projects in the art room, especially if that gives her license to wash her hands after. Peter's capacity for pretend play is growing every day, and he had a great time "shopping" for fruits and vegetables in the upstairs market. (He was at a loss for what we should make with them, offering only "dinner!" as a suggestion.)

And for outdoor play, we joined almost all of Peter's friends for a trip to the pool. He became increasing excited as he saw everyone arrive, in groups of ones and twos, and both he and Lucy had a lot of fun splashing in the water, walking into the pool, and playing a silly crawling game of the toddlers' invention.*

    

*The game: crawling into the walk-in pool, until walking became necessary, at which point you return to the pool's edge and repeat. Unfortunately, Peter slipped on the tiles or otherwise lost his footing and ended up floating, underwater, for a few seconds before rescued by the lifeguard and then me. He rebounded pretty quickly and returned to the pool after a snack break, but the image of his blue swim hat floating in the water, his head underneath, is one I'd like to forget.

duck (and goose, pigeon, and coot) pond

so very much to point to!

The Palo Alto Duck Pond is one of my favorite go-to last-minute activities when I need to fill a few hours but am particularly unmotivated to pack a lunch, drive far, or change diapers. It hosts enough attractions to fill our time with little effort but not so much the kids are clamoring to stay for an extra hour or so.

But, a word to the wise: the boardwalk to the bay is chock-full of splinters. Peter tripped, and, when he arose, had splinters in his hands, knees, elbows, and lip.

So while the Duck Pond may have been a fun way to spend the afternoon, splinter-extraction was not the most pleasant way to spend early evening. To quote Peter, "splinters make Peter sad."

free babysitting?

When Lisa suggested that we relocate Friday lunch to a nearby park, I knew it would be a big hit.

The bigger kids enjoyed running through the randomly-timed spurts and sprays while Lucy liked crawling over for some water play of her own.

We visited this park quite a bit last summer, when Peter was a year younger and I was still pregnant with Lucy. It's funny how Peter had exactly the same reaction to the water (wanting to drink it, for example, or dashing away surprised/excited), and a completely different reaction (bravely running through the sprays all over the water play area, not just where I am hovering).

(Plus, the kids - well not Lucy, but the toddlers - could turn the water on themselves, which is good news for lunching, socializing mothers.)

a lesson in sharing

Clearly, we're doing something right on the parenting front if the kids are this excited about sharing their special treats.

Also, we've discovered that Lucy is quite pleased to hold an ice cream cone with just a spoonful of ice cream inside. It's still more ice cream than she ought to have, but she's yet to realize just how much her brother has in his cone.

she may not be able to walk...

...but boy, can she climb.

Kevin and I watched as Lucy adroitly climbed up the chair and on to the table. She was motivated by the jar of colored pencils and crayons. Once acquired, she began to throw the colored pencils to the floor and eat the crayons.

busy bees

Some days, like today, are just bursting with fun from start to finish.

    
Gelled-up hairstyles + games of catch in the baby pool.

    
"Babycinos" with friends.*


"Pie" food for dinner. (That's "Thai" for those who don't speak Peter.)


A downtown street party that turns into an opportunity to run through the streets, balloons tied to shirts, with more friends.

And other updates:
I think we've turned the corner on the teething front. After a few nights of "why-can't-I-sleep!" anger and frustration from Lucy, I'm reminded of just how good and easy she is 99 percent of the time. (And how thankful I am that I've yet to have a colicky baby.)

Peter has grown the extra quarter inch or so he needed to reach the pedals on his tricycle. Rumor has it he can pedal as far as "Jungle Park," several blocks away. He still prefers to ride the tricycle Flintstone's style.

We made our last trip to the Academy of Sciences on Sunday, where we tried to see all of our favorites one more time.

It was on this trip I realized exactly why the Academy causes me such stress, even though it should be a place the kids love (full of cool animals, real and stuffed): the railings. Oh, the railings. Every exhibit is surrounded by these metal railings that, to Peter and Lucy, must look like the most perfect playground ever. I can't count the number of times I had to pry Lucy's tight grip off of the narrow bars, while she wildly shook her head and bucked her body in protest.** It's not the most pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

The trip was interesting also because it was the first time Peter realized what was recreated in one of the African Hall dioramas: a cheetah, hovering over his kill. Peter was really perplexed by the small deer, obviously injured, on the ground, and returned to the scene again and again, pointing out that the animal had gotten hurt. ("Animal ouchie, Mommy! Animal fell down.") His innocence remains intact, thankfully, as he didn't implicate the cheetah in any crimes of nature, and we didn't have to talk about death or killing.

Also, Lucy was roughed up while playing a tunnel in the Early Explorers Cove. As far as we can tell, she took a hit across the face by another child who was not playing well with others. She was as upset as we have ever seen her, and was calmed only when Kevin took her into the hall to look at the taxidermied giraffe family.

We spent the rest of our week enjoying the wildlife, both indigenous and exotic. A quick trip to the Zoo with Shannon, Sofia, and baby Sebastian yielded a few new sights, including a fight between one of the baby giraffes and an ostrich, a snacking giraffe just feet away from the kids, a glimpse at the tiny baby gorilla, and a roaring tiger. Peter was beyond excited to show Sofia the dik-dik, but I'm not sure if Sofia was as taken by the little creature as Peter is. (I'm not sure Peter's as taken by the dik-dik, either. His excitement over the dik-dik has waned since our recent visit.) And since we had to do something to shake of the chill of a San Francisco summer day, we stopped at a nearby coffee shop for warm drinks, including Peter's first hot chocolate. He was beyond thrilled with his first three or four sips - you could see him thinking, "what is this, and why haven't I been drinking it all my life?" - but he quickly reached his limit and was more than willing to donate the rest of his drink to Sofia. I'm certain Lucy would have enjoyed the rest, but she was content enough to hold an empty coffee cup and "drink" along with the rest of us.

And, on our weekly hike to the farm, we saw a crazy amount of non-farm wildlife, including a family of deer, a wild turkey with her two turkey chicks, several lizards, and a coyote, from across a field. I'm sure I was more excited about the coyote than Peter or Lucy. All we need to see now is a mountain lion and I'll have seen all of the animals on the "these animals may kill you" signs posted in local parks.***

*A not-so-hot espresso cup of foamy milk, topped generously with cinnamon. What's not to like?

**This said, a friend just relayed the tale of her daughter, feet through the railing, a dropped shoe, and the albino alligator's afternoon snack. I'm glad Peter wasn't there to see it, or he would have been throwing his shoes in the swamp, too.

***To be clear: I do not wish to find myself near a mountain lion, unless it's behind metal bars and/or bulletproof glass. I'm just pointing out that we've seen rattlesnakes and ticks and the Cheerio-hungry squirrels of Cuesta Park.

teething

why the radio silence?

Lucy's teething. Four, possibly more, teeth all bursting through at one time.

It's made for some sleepless nights and some significant lack-of-blogging time.

But we'll be back, soon, with tales of: trike-riding toddlers, ostriches chasing baby giraffes, cute baby gorillas, Peter's first hot chocolate, and our first coyote sighting.

Fourth of July (in review)

You may recall we watched the Redwood City Fourth of July parade last year, but Peter didn't recall this, so our weekend visit to watch floats and marching bands was as new to him as to Lucy.

The parade was a pretty basic affair - some marching bands, some floats, local dignitaries, fire engines and horses. Certainly tame by parade standards, but more than enough for the toddler set. (Lucy found it all so overwhelming that she fell asleep just minutes after the parade started.)

Two memories will capture the weekend for me: first, during the parade, when Peter discovered a knocked-over traffic cone just a few feet ahead of us. That kind of disorder is not to be tolerated - Peter pointed to it and cried, "uh-oh!" I told him to run over and upright the cone, which he did, to the applause and cheers of a dozen or so nearby observers. He was so proud of himself to receive such congratulations.

Second, when, after the parade, we headed to a post-lunch ice cream. While waiting in line, Lucy spotted a kid nearby with a huge ice cream cone. She began reaching and grabbing for it in earnest. Then, she became aware that she was surrounded by people with giant ice cream cones, all of which she wanted to cram in her mouth.

happy fourth of july!

, originally uploaded by amy_and_kevin.

I *had* a great post which Typepad just ate. So, instead, a picture of the kids.

Yes, I made the shirt for Peter. It was glittered and he LOVED it. ("Peter sparkly! Mommy art project!" was a frequent refrain.)

Both kids also sported some rockin' bald eagle tattoos on their shoulders.

We were aiming for irony, but might have crashed straight into trailer park. Oh, well.

Friday lunch

I am amazed at how calm, contained, and focused on eating the kids in this picture are. Who are they? Certainly not the kids from our Friday lunch group, who are more often found running and playing than calmly eating while seated at a table. (Then again, if Emelie, Jessie, and Alara had been here, it might have been a different story.)

Also, please note that Peter's wearing a dress. Yes, a dress. His choice, and he specifically requested to wear one of Lucy's dresses. (As opposed to one of his dresses?)

naked!

Peter and Sofia, decent again

Could there be anything better than getting wet, getting sandy, swinging "silly style," getting wet again, then stripping off all of your clothes and running around a park, doing naked somersaults with a good friend?

If you are under 3, the answer is an unequivocal "no."

Thanks to the good people of Sunnyvale who didn't seem to mind two naked toddlers running around one of their fine parks and to Shannon who suggested we visit to begin with.

"water" just one of Lucy's words (and loves)

And while the older kids were off causing mischief? This one was content to play with the water.

You know the notion of being "raised by wolves?" I think Lucy may be "raised by preschoolers." When two older girls threatened to use some of the faucets Lucy had claimed as her own, she reacted just as her older peers would (on a bad day): cries and shoves. Yep, she's learning life lessons all over the place. But really, an almost 11-month-old pushing aside two 3-year-old girls is a funny sight, however it comes about.

watering our sunflower seedlings

watering our sunflower seedlings, originally uploaded by amy_and_kevin.

Elmo's World isn't our primary pedagogical tool, but it's amazing just how much Peter has learned from the program.* For example, last week at the beach Peter started jumping rope with a huge piece of seaweed he found.

Kevin: Peter, where did you learn that? (to me) Did you teach him how to jump rope?
Me: No. He learned it from Elmo. (to Peter) Hey, Peter, who taught you how to jump rope?
Peter: Mr. Noodle!

After watching the Flowers, Plants, and Trees episode for the 80th time, Peter decided he, too, wanted to sprout some seeds in a clear jar. We rounded up the materials - jars, paper towels, some sunflower and green bean seeds, and water.

Our sunflower seeds sprouted roots and shoots and were transplanted into a little pot with just a bit more room for them to grow. I'm not holding out high hopes for them, although I'm always willing to be amazed.

Now the green beans are in our jars, waiting for their own roots and shoots, and Peter's more than willing to continue his watering duties.

*Especially amazing given Peter's insistence on watching only two or three episodes overandoverandoverandover. Bananas, I'm looking at you.

another day at the beach

We were more than happy to join friends Lisa, Steve, Samuel and baby Shira at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz today. Multiple beach trips in one week? Yep, these are California kids.

Peter, Samuel, and Lucy enjoyed making and destroying sand castles, pushing around Samuel's little wagon, and venturing to the water's edge.

And, once our friends left, we took the opportunity to explore the beach a bit more. On the north edge of the beach are a series of rocks which jut out and host tide pools. We weren't able to make it to the interesting tide pools (since we'd started walking without shoes, over pointy rocks, and someone was determined to master walking in the most dangerous place, ever), but we did come to a rock which hosted mussels, limpets, and other sea snails.

On our way back to our beach camp, Peter realized the crumbling sandstone provided more than enough ammunition to launch into the lagoon underneath us.

Oh, yes. We also dug holes.