Bounce, Slide, and Ride

Summer reflections

Not at all seasonal, but here are some photos of Juniper enjoying summertime activities with her friends.

"I lost my tooth, and I lost my tooth!"

A new milestone on the path from little kid to big kid: last Friday, Juniper lost her first tooth! As she described it, she was eating lunch at school when she noticed blood on her cornbread. She excitedly confirmed that she had a gap in her mouth, but the tooth was nowhere to be found. Her teacher reported Juniper's joke back to us: "I lost my tooth, and I lost my tooth!"

The tooth had been wiggly since just before Thanksgiving, and Juniper was excited about the prospect of losing her first tooth and receiving her first visit from the tooth fairy. She was concerned about what would happen, given that she had no tooth to leave under her pillow. Her teacher helpfully wrote a note to the tooth fairy, attesting to the fact that Juniper really did lose (and lose) her tooth.

Those of you who know Juniper will not be surprised to hear that her scientific mind went to work analyzing the idea of the tooth fairy. She thought and thought and thought and drew some mature conclusions, including the realization that no matter what, she is looking forward to receiving a gold dollar coin in a fancy envelope the next time she loses a tooth and that she is glad someone put it there.

Peek-a-boo

Kids peeking out from playground equipment is apparently something of a theme on this blog.

The young geologist

Juniper uses her favorite rocks and minerals book to identify some rocks she got at a museum. And, yes, describing this one as her favorite does mean that she has multiple field guides to rocks and minerals.

Firsts

Today was an eventful day in the Honeycutt-Dill household. Hazel got her first allowance, and Juniper has her first loose tooth. What big, big girls!

Happy Birthday, Jason

Early November is a busy birthday season for our family, with Jason on the 2nd, Dan on the 5th, and Hazel on the 6th.

If you look closely, you can see where Hazel served herself some pie ahead of schedule. The poor kid didn't realize she was doing something wrong and was somewhat traumatized when four separate adults simultaneously yelled out for her to stop as soon as we saw her digging into the pie.

 Even dragons like pumpkin pie.

Loot

The day after Halloween

Summer splash fun

These photos are a little unseasonal now that fall is fully here, but a few months ago the girls had a great time trying out the new splash fountain at the zoo.

Pumpkin carving

Doctor at the Doctor

For her three-year checkup, Hazel got to stand on the big kid scale.

 It was also her first time standing against the wall to be measured. She now officially has a height, not a length.

But the best part of the visit by far was when Dr. Honeycutt-Dill got to examine Dr. Bataille. She brought her own stethoscope and used it to listen to his heart and his breathing.

Dr. Bataille also shared his instruments. He explained to Hazel what each one is and how they work, and he let her examine his eyes...

...and his ears.

Both doctors gave their patients an excellent bill of health! (And Dr. Bataille laughingly skipped the social skills questions on the developmental milestones checklist. "If she's giving me a checkup, she's definitely got all the social skills appropriate for a three year old.")


If anyone in the Atlanta area is looking for a pediatrician, consider this a plug for the great team at Intown Pediatrics.

A very happy birthday indeed!

For her birthday dinner dessert,  Hazel picked chocolate chip pancakes.

Parents are often willing to go to great lengths to see this expression on their kids' faces.

It took her a few tries, but she did blow out all the candles, all by herself.

Hazel was thrilled to open her child-sized broom.

This is the reaction every parent hopes for when picking out a child's birthday present.

 She took a break from opening presents to try it out immediately.

 Oh, joy! A book!
 

The Spiderman hoodie was also a big hit.



Spider-Hazel in action, slinging her web.

The Doctor and the Wizard

 Dr. Honeycutt-Dill and Harry Potter, reporting for duty.

 With spells!

And potions.

For trick-or-treating, they joined up with Tintin and Firefighter Luke.

 Juniper and Thomas had a new level of enthusiasm for trick-or-treating this year.

 Hazel was also excited, but she still needed a hand on some of the big steps.



She and Luke helped each other out.

Two adventurers setting off in search of treasure. When did they get to be so big and so independent?

Happy Birthday, Hazel!

Our girl is three!

Birthday photos to come soon.

Fun Day at Fernbank (the Sr. edition)

Going to Fernbank with Juniper and Violet is now a really different museum experience than what we've had over the past few years. The girls are now old enough to...

...listen attentively for the full duration of the live animal show.

...read all the signs and enthusiastically try to answer their questions.

...interact with the science exhibits as more than just neat flashy things.

Shopping List

In case the illustrations of each item aren't enough and you need a translation:

• Apple
• Banana
• Pear
• Broccoli
• Chicken