family bike ride!

It's early August but we finally overcame a million tiny obstacles to complete our first family bike ride! It was awesome. And really tiring, apparently I don't use my bicycle muscles often, or at all. But I can get better! I need to get better in order to continue my new Xtracycle family bike dream without severe cognitive dissonance.

I didn't get any pictures because we were all riding bikes, feeling the wind, and smiling to ourselves at our cleverness in achieving this milestone, but I did catch a few last week of Lucy's first bike ride when we borrowed Lilac and Chip's setup as part of a happy coincidence.

Our bike seat is on the back, not the front. It is okay, but I think maybe we need to switch, because the front is awesome.

Thanks for sharing, Lilac!

a friend party, a party with friends (birthday, part 2)

Amazing elephant bonnet handmade by Lilac's mom Rachel

After a day of fishing on Friday, we tromped over to Laurelhurst park after nap to meet up with friends and continue the celebration. My dessert energy was tapped out from the chocolate cake of the day before, so Lucy blew out candles in a bite-sized cupcake covered with Funfetti. (This is my favorite of the Betty Crocker frostings, and Lucy doesn't have enough frosting experience to have an opinion yet. I continued to eat this out of the refrigerator one pilfered spoonful at a time until I came to my senses a few days later and threw it away.)

Scarlett came by bicycle bearing gifts, Ramona chilled with Lucy's Nana, Luca and Lilac and Eli all partied down. There was a brief and nearly ruinous balloon escape, the birthday girl's first taste of grief, but the day was salvaged by crying, duck watching, snuggling, and ultimately the sport of competitive blanket-pull (great idea, Chip and Lilac!).

I don't know who won, but everyone came away tired and happy.

Happy Birthday Sweet Lu!

friday cute shot

you're a popsicle, i'm a goldfish

For awhile Lucy has been answering all our questions of why, such as "why are you biting your hand?", or "why are you throwing that on the floor?", or "why is the monster sad?" with one response:

"Just 'cause."

Pithy and true, it seems to me, why else does a toddler do what she does?

But today she asked me why for the first time as we were reciting nursery rhymes.

Lucy: "5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10"
Mama: "I let him go again!"
Lucy: Pause. "Why did you let him go?"

So I guess it begins.

pizza with candles on it (birthday, part 1)

Here's the real story.

On Friday morning we woke up with Lucy and started the day right with candles, bacon, and a birthday crown. She opened her presents: a tutu, tiny handmade oven mitts, matching mama-Lucy aprons, and some art supplies. We looked at a stack of pictures from her first two years of life. We ate bacon (I discovered her limit--four whole slices), toast with butter, and smoothies.

Then: fishing! Nana, Papa, Uncle Lance, Aunt Sarah, and Teagan met us at Hagg Lake for a boating adventure. We found a place where the tiny fish were biting and we reeled them in. Teagan had an awesome time playing with the fish in the bucket and trying out her sea legs around the boat; Lucy mostly just wanted to sit in someone's lap.

Back at Nana and Papa's house Lucy found a passel of balloons waiting. Pizza was the backup plan for dinner in case we didn't catch enough fish, so Mama made pizza dough while the men cleaned perch on the porch and Lucy played with Titi and Aunt Sarah.

Nana fried up the fish as a snack, or "Dinner Part 1" as we of Fillmore blood like to call it. Forty fish doesn't sound paltry, but they were little and delicious and Lucy as the birthday girl ate far more than her share.

There was an interlude during which Lucy opened presents. The first one was a set of nesting monkey dolls, which she immediately wanted to open and start playing with. I heard myself say, 'Let's just keep opening presents, you can play with them later," then realized that was ridiculous advice (stop enjoying! just open and move on!) and instead we sat and watched her play with every present in turn.

After presents there was pizza, homemade, with basil and mozzarella and hot capicola and whatever magic delicious gestalt comes when you mix those ingredients plus tomato sauce together in a hot oven. This being our second dinner did not stop anyone.

Then the cake, a dense, flourless circle of chocolate I made the night before, knowing that Lucy loves chocolate but isn't much for cake. By this point in the meal I think Lucy thought we were crazy, two dinners and then dessert?, but a second birthday seems as good a time as any to welcome her to her food heritage. We served it with fresh whip cream courtesy of Nana.

Lucy licked her fork, but cousin Titi (like the rest of us) cleaned her whole plate.

Then it was home with a tired two year old and a chance to sleep it all off and get ready for the next day's adventure.