Summer Haircuts

Ready for the hot days of summer with their short hair.

Enjoying the new basketball hoop. Buster was willing to be lifted to the basket one time, but insisted on shooting from the ground after that. SwingDaddy got them the cutest little basketballs ever.

In other news: Did you see ballet dancer Alex Wong totally rock his Napoleon and Tabitha routine with Twitch on SYTYCD? Wow.

You Know You Wanna Wampa

Do you remember that awesome Tauntaun sleeping bag? Now ThinkGeek is producing a Wampa rug.

And a C-3PO backpack.

The world is complete.

If you have an appetite for more Star Wars craziness, see these Victorian portraits and the Stormtrooper corset.

Ladies Laughing

We attended a charming ball at a vintage manor last Wednesday as part of the dance week. (I'm the one in red, duh.)

Photo credit: CEvans

Costume details on my dress - I call it the Flickering Flame gown. The beads are all antiques, with some golds mixed in with red for extra shimmer.

This glamorous lady is a hard-core costumer who even knows how to make shoes.

For the final evening's ball, she dressed all the pictured ladies in Renaissance gowns that she created herself.

Clothes are so much fun!

Gone Dancing

Enjoying our vacation this week – teaching, performing, learning, spending time with my sweetie at a historical dance workshop at the University. We started dating at this same workshop, fifteen years ago.

Photo credit: JChuang

Fruit Snobs

On my sister’s recommendation, we joined a CSA( Community Supported Agriculture) group and now receive bi-weekly deliveries of really, really excellent fruit. The boys are little fruit monsters already, so the variety of peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries added to our usual watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries have made everyone very happy.

The CSA must have a picky clientele, because we got a funny note in this week’s box. It was a profoundly sorrowful apology that the plums had . . . get this, STICKERS on the them! Stickers, like you find on fruit at the ordinary supermarket, where dull, unenlightened people shop.

Anyway, the plums were delicious, after we peeled those stickers off.

Octopus Opportunity Lost

It has come to my attention that there is an octopus character in Toy Story 3. “Stretch is a fun-loving under-the-sea octopus friend that shines in glittery purple.” I was very hopeful for cute plush Stretches, but after a recon mission to the Disney Store, my hopes are dashed.

Tell me, does this look like a fun-loving octopus friend? No, this is a grumpy octopus. Sigh.

In other news, we had yet another confirmation, like we needed one, that we are hopelessly geeky in this household.

Q-ster, holding a white napkin to his chin: I have a beard!
Me: Like Santa
Q-ster: Like Gandalf!

The Modern Fort

The boys have been constructing various houses, castles, and forts in their imagination from the big foam blocks (thanks RuggerMom and grandparents!), tables, and chairs. The toy workbench is set up nearby, and various tools are applied as necessary.

I asked why there was a basketball hoop on the roof of their construction. Q-ster explained, “It’s the satellite (dish.)”

I had no idea he even knew what a satellite dish was.

Random, Yet Useful

Where else but the blogosphere could I have learned about canoe strollers and pleasant smelling lice-prevention shampoo (filing that resource away for the future), not to mention mermice wedding cake toppers (yes, you rodent-lovers, check out the second photo on that link for mermaid-mice statuettes!)

The Silicon Valley Moms Blog (for which I periodically write) is shutting down at the end of the month. It’s sad to see it go, since the community has been so vibrant – sharing stories and information for four years. Not all the facts are known, but it seems the founders (brilliant, organized ladies who probably have a better handle on writing without parentheses than I do) have many professional and family commitments that need to take priority for a while. Anyhow, SV Moms will be missed, and I look forward to future ventures from all the other writers.

Speaking of other writers, if there’s one link you click, make it this one: 20 Things I Wish I’d Known at 20, by Maggie Mason. My favorite parts, especially since work is so complicated right now:

16. Focus. The saying, “what you’re thinking about is what you’re becoming” isn’t just chilling, it’s a universal law. Be aware of how you’re investing your attention – including your words, and your actions.

18. Don’t be intimidated. World travelers are just people who bought plane tickets. Pulitzer Prize winners are people who sit alone and write. You can break the most profound accomplishment down to a series of mundane tasks.

Boys

Wordless Wednesday

See, That’s What’s Important Around Here

Tonight, I overheard Buster reading a picture book to himself. Each page features cheerful illustrations where the child is supposed to identify key shapes.

Heart!
Star!
Ball!
Crab eating sandwich!

Ah, yeah, that’s right. An critical image that one should learn to recognize. Certainly in this household.

The Baby Team Returns

One of the dear families in our moms group is moving out of town, and YF and Momma to LG gathered us to wish them well. I’ve known these families since Q-ster was three weeks old, and they’ve shared advice, poop stories, and sleepless nights for five years.

Check out this cool cake, with a photo of the kids as babies! Q-ster is wearing blue stripes, top left.


Q-ster, eating the piece of cake with his face on it.


LG, doing the same.


We’ll miss you, A (and family)!

Track Night

Tonight, we went to the cycling races at the velodrome, which is a banked racecourse.

Good, close-up views.

Although Buster wanted to get closer, of course.

Non sequitur #1: Thanks for the suggestions on the appropriate titles for adults. I’m polling the local parents with older children as well, to see if is a consensus in the neighborhood.

Non sequitur #2: If one resorts to sending oneself email to make sure that the office Exchange system isn’t down because there’ve been only two incoming emails today, perhaps it’s time to get a grip and realize that perhaps my colleagues are spending Saturday LIVING THEIR LIVES and not worrying about work. Just saying.

That’s Miss Jackson, if You’re Nasty

The old rules were clear. You would be Miss Bennett as the oldest daughter, Miss Elizabeth as a younger daughter, and later Mrs. Darcy.

To keep using the example, I was never Miss Bennett or Miss Lizzie, and have never had a single person call me Mrs. Darcy, except perhaps a telemarketer calling at dinner time. I’m Lizzie at work, at dance, with friends.

And so far, I’m Lizzie with Q-ster’s friends.

I didn’t used to worry about he addressed other adults because it was so exciting that he was willing to address them at all. “Hooray! He said Hi,” instead of hiding behind me. Time has gone by and he’s more confident talking to and about the parents of his friends.

“Charlotte said that our sand castles were nice.”
“Catherine was really busy today.”

It sounds weird, coming from a five year old. Somehow, it seems like he should be saying, “Mrs. Collins said . . . “ and “Mrs. De Bourgh was . . .” On the flip side, it will be really weird to be regularly addressed as Mrs. Darcy.

If you have children, what do they call their friends’ parents?

Return to the Green Screen

More favorite exhibits from the Zeum. The Dance Video lab!





And the foam block corral. Oof.

Welcome to GreenWorld

Last weekend, we had a splendid time at Zeum, the "multimedia arts and technology experience for kids."

Checking out the green screen slide.



Playing back the results.




Plus the Lego Wall.

Bins of Legos must be overturned, of course.

More tomorrow - Green screen hip hop videos!

Music, Lights . . .

We saw a fun concert by a dance troupe we performed with for years. It was great to see old friends (new baby announcements!) and favorite dances (several of our choreographies!) One couple is due any day now, and they said the only thing left to do was to buy a glider-rocker. Well, ours is merely serving as a bookshelf and stuff-collector in Buster's room, so we're arranging a hand-off this week. Date night, artistic enjoyment, and cleaning out the house, all in one night!

Here's a flashback picture from the last show we danced with them, back in 2007.

Photo credit: HB

Moving On Up

Dude, the sign says this playground is designed for kids 5-12. You are two!

I’m FIVE.

Just Taking Things to Their Logical Conclusion

Everyone remembers the trash compactor scene in Star Wars, where Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca dodge blaster fire by diving into a room that turns out to be a giant garbage bin. I’ve gotten a little tired of playing that scene with Q-ster, plus we had a lot of laundry to do this weekend, so we imagined up a little story where we fell into the washing-machine equivalent on the Death Star.

After all, there must be an Imperial laundry for all those dirty uniforms and pieces grimy Stormtrooper armor! We had a good time pretending to swim among the suds.

On an unrelated note: If you think your 'friends' are being boring on Facebook by posting about their babies, why don't you stop reading their updates? Really, all that Facebook is good for is finding out what parties you’re missing and locating your lost colleagues who are stranded due to volcano ash. (Just kidding, you Facebook addicts!)

I, Maggie Mason

In which I actually take fashion advice!

I love Maggie Mason’s Packing Light series, where she shows the fabulous clothes she squeezes into her carry-on bags to go to exotic places and fulfill her Life List.

I was going to do a little post about my wardrobe from my last trip, but I’m so far behind in my posts that I’ll just show this pic instead. I’m wearing my new grey hoodie (designed by Avril Lavigne, embarrassingly enough), and an odd colored layering t-shirt underneath, on clearance for $5. I was totally inspired by Maggie, who wrote in this post, “I like to buy unusual colors so I can combine them with neutrals and have it look all artsy.”

One miracle is that I remembered that post and the second is that I went for it, instead of the usual black.