Six little monkeys jumping on the bed

Franny's playgroup had a great time testing the springs on her friend's new bed. The "jumping on knees only" rule was a tough one for the kids to adhere to, but they did a good job.

My favorite monkey

Fancy Franny

Fancy Daddy reading Fancy Nancy to Fancy Franny

Given to her by her Auntie two weeks ago, Fancy Nancy is Franny's newest favorite book. She is constantly telling us Daddy is fancy!, Cole is fancy! , as well as anyone else who comes to mind. And if there was any doubt about her favoring this book, she took it to Show and Tell at school, and her teacher later remarked how much she enjoyed sharing it with all the other kids. That's our Fancy Franny!

To build a snowman

With Cole napping the morning away, Franny and I ventured out into the morning snow. After taking some time to explore our yard transformed, we decided to build a snowman--Franny's first. She has been quite fixated on snowmen this winter, so she was quite excited about the whole process--right down to choosing his accessories! The noon sun quickly made our efforts somewhat short-lived, but it was definitely a fun activity for us to do this morning.

Row, row, row your boat

This week, the laundry basket became a great boat for Franny and Cole. Ah, such fun on a weekday afternoon!

A new chapter

Cole is fascinated with everything Franny. Her books, puzzles, toys, and food are all first on his list to get to anyway he can. And while there is no question that Franny loves her little brother, as Cole becomes increasingly more mobile and actually able to reach these things, the sibling relationship is reaching one of it's early challenges. It doesn't seem to be so much about sharing as it is about communicating nicely when Cole has invaded her space, so to speak. And, she really is doing a good job. So now, when Cole grabs for Franny, doll, or her breakfast, instead of No, no, no! (emphasis on the exclamation point, here) a frequent phrase heard at the breakfast counter is No thank you, Cole! followed by I need a scoot, mommy! And, while I'd like to say, can't you just let Cole touch Doll? I have to respect the fact that the concept of community property is an unfair request of a toddler and she needs things that are just hers. And, since she really is very sweet with Cole and shares with him so well, being sympathetic to her frustration is not hard to do.

Toddler art appreciation

Today, Franny's playgroup attended an art class at My Masterpiece Art Studio. Although they do have open studio, where you can try your hand at pretty much any variety of art media, we opted for this fun class. For this session, the teacher introduced the kids to the art of Wayne Thiebaud. Very appropriate for kids, since much of his art is of cakes and pies! Then, they gave the kids the opportunity to create their own Thiebaud-inspired "cake art".

Cakes (1963)

For the hands-on part of the class, the kids first used colored pencils to draw their cakes; next, they used bright primary colors to coat the picture, followed by a coat of white to give it the pastel look of Thiebaud's art; then, they used tissue paper cut-outs for plates, cakes, and toppings; and they finished by giving it a dusting of sugar. Mixed media for toddlers--I was quite impressed! I love going places with Franny that introduce her to great ideas and activities that I would never think of. It was great fun!

Cakes (2008)

Unconditional love

Doll has been Franny's dearest friend and playmate for a year now. Especially over this last year, the two have been through a lot, and there is virtually nothing that Franny has experienced that Doll has not, whether it be in reality or Franny's imagination. Although her body is permanently stained from a rub-down with diaper cream (sun screen last summer), her hair is ratty and beyond repair, and her stitching that distinguishes her toes is nearly gone, I firmly believe that Franny sees Doll as new and perfect. I don't know how long Doll will remain Franny's beloved, but I do know that when her time has passed there will be a very special place for her in my Franny memory box.

2008: High hopes