Toys R Silje

The girls and I are heading to Toys R Us to get a gift for a birthday party Ailey is going to and, in classic Higgins-girls'-style, they are all talking at once about Where are we going? and What are we doing? and I do my best to work in an answer with each question.

Of course, they can't hear my answer the first few times so it's a couple minutes before Silje hears me say "We're going to Toys R Us". And it's again a couple minutes before I hear, and then understand, what she is saying in reply.

She says "Mom, that thing you just said starts with Silje!" I'm confused - who wouldn't be, huh?! So she keeps repeating herself, that what I just said "is an S that starts with Silje", just like her name. I'm still wondering WHAT I said that starts with an S, but she is persistent and finally I get it.

Toys R eS. With an S for Silje!

At first I tried to correct her. "No, Toys R US." But she isn't having it. She insists I definitely said "Toys R S", and her excitement definitely makes me want to just agree with her.

So you should too, of course. The next time you need a toy for a birthday party, just head on over to Toys R S and think of Silje while you're there!

Mother's Day at Fort Warden

On Mother's Day this year we took a ferry ride over to the penninsula, had lunch in Port Townsend, and flew a kite at Fort Warden before heading back home that evening (along with everyone else, of course - busy ferry lanes!). It wasn't warm, but it didn't rain, and after this dreary winter that is all we can ask for!

Life has changed considerably for us in the last year. A 6-year-old and two potty-trained 3-year-olds are much easier to take places than they were a year ago. The girls still have fun pulling two parents in three different directions, but they get back into one line with less physical and mental effort on our part than they used to. They are no less energetic, loud, stubborn or crazy either, but perhaps Andy and I have gone just crazy enough that we don't notice as much anymore..?

To all you special women in our lives: Happy belated Mother's Day!



A Sunny Day at the Beach ... Finally!

After a seriously drab winter (I think I could count the days the sun shone from October to April on one hand), I find that we Washingtonians are celebrating each ray of sun even more than usual. No matter the temperature, no matter the wind, if the sun is shining we are cheering!

Over Memorial weekend we went down to the Mukilteo beach. The Lighthouse is now open for tours, and since only Ailey and I have visited there once (when she was 2-years-old and in a body cast on my hip), we thought it was high time.

On the narrow walk around the top of the Lighthouse.

Rock throwing.

Did you know that Silje is a professional rock collector? Yes, she has quite the horde on our front porch from all our trips to the bus stop. Even at the beach -- never mind the bucket, rocks go in the pocket!

It wasn't warm, but it was oh-so-nice to be outside. We even got some pink in our cheeks. We're crossing our fingers that the sun keeps visiting more and more often!

Cinderella and the Fairies

One of Ailey's homework assignments was to read a book to an adult and change the story creating her own ending. She started reading a simple version of Cinderella, and when we got to the page where the clock strikes midnight I stopped her and told her to finish the story a new way, the way she wanted it to end.

She told the following: (with, yes, some rephrasing on my part - a video camera would have been nice at the moment!)

.... When the clock struck midnight, Cinderella and the Prince went inside, and walking around Cinderella found some Fairies. She talked to the Fairies for a while, then realized the Prince was no where to be seen. So Cinderella left the Fairies and went looking for him. She found him in the ballroom dancing with one of Cinderella's step-sisters. The step-sister was falling in love with the Prince, but the Prince wasn't falling in love with her. (Poor girl!)

When the Prince saw Cinderella he came up to her and said "I want to show you something", and he took her into the garden where he pointed out the Fairies home. "These are my friends," he said. "Oh," said Cinderella, "I have little friends too. They are mice." And the Fairies said, "We know some mice named Jack and Gus." And Cinderella was so excited and told them that Jack and Gus were her mice friends.

Then the Prince asked Cinderella to dance again. And after they danced he said he thought it was time for all the ladies to go home. But he told Cinderella she didn't need to go home. She would stay at the castle and marry him. Cinderella said "yes".

.... And they lived happily ever after.

Elementary school is fun. :)

Tawalla

Marin is a puzzle kid. She loves doing puzzles. Especially the large floor puzzles.

We have a Noah's Ark puzzle that she does a lot. It has Noah and his wife and all the 2-by-2 animals. Today we were naming all the animals together after she finished putting the puzzle together. She knew most of them, needed help with a few.

When we got to Noah and his wife she asked their names.

M: "Who's this?"

Jenni: "That's Noah."

M: "Who's this?"

Jenni: "That's Noah's wife. I think she's the only woman in the bible who doesn't have a name."

M, with no hesitation: "Her name's Tawalla."

Jenni: ......... "Oh."

Now you know.