Mr. Tesla, the experiment was a success.

Bedtime story

Happy Birthday, Thomas

Juniper's good friend Thomas just turned 4!

We celebrated his birthday at the Oakhurst Community Garden. Hazel was delighted with the chickens. Juniper was more excited about the dirt and worms (of the oreo and gummy variety). When I saw a big pile of dirt and worms on her plate, I asked her whether she'd had any real food first, or just gone straight to dessert. She assured me that she'd started with real food: "Chips. And watermelon."

  

Trying to convince Thomas to move away from the serving table, someone asked him whether he wanted to move to the picnic table with all his friends. Thomas protectively put his arm around Juniper's shoulders and proclaimed, "I am with my friend." They're a delightful pair. Aaron's theory is that they get along so well because both of them have stereotypically boyish interests (superheroes, police, stopping bad guys) but play like girls (sustained imaginative narration, not very rough and tumble). Whatever the reason for their special spark, we're glad to have Thomas in our lives.

Hazel did get to ride in the wagon with the big kids. At one point there were 6 kids crammed into the wagon. They all grumbled about not having enough space, but not a one of them would get out and wait for the next turn to ride.

All in all, it was a very fun day at the gardens!


Part 2: I just realized that when I did this post last night, I missed a couple of photos Aaron had given me.



We knew the Lego steam roller was a big hit when Thomas' parents told him he could open it at home and he immediately replied, "let's go home!" 



True friendship = sharing your special birthday cake.

In full bloom

Woohoo! With the end of the school year, Sally is done with teaching, Aaron is done with school photography, and we are back on the blog. You can be on the lookout for more cute, absurd, silly, and delightful photos of the girls.

Well prepared

Juniper the Super Red Tiger and her trusty sidekick, Mom the Super Red Panda, are ready for any situation:

"I have powers for grasslands, space, and China."

Welcome Home

Little Racer

Juniper's preschool holds an annual 5k fundraiser race, Beat the Street For Little Feet. This year, Juniper was a proud participant in the "tot trot," which involves a herd of young children running (or meandering) across a patch of field that's maybe 15 yards long. Maybe.

 The tot trot does not involve a fancy finish line, but Juniper was happy to pose here while the one mile fun run was in progress. Several of her friends very impressively ran the full mile.

Though she didn't run an official mile, she played hard and ran all over the park with her friends. By the end of a very fun morning, Juniper was pooped and pathetic about having to walk up this hill to leave the park.