Finger paint Expressionism

Franny loves to do art projects. Trying to give her more opportunities to express her creative side (as well as my trying to relax some about creating a mess), a bought some washable finger paints. Last week, Franny and her Auntie pressed and smeared and blobbed out some 15 different original works of art. And, while they turned out to not really be that washable, Franny did really enjoy them.

New perspective

It took three years, but finally she is willing to wear sunglasses, and she loves the new ones she was given for her birthday. Since the warmer weather began, we have been going on a lot of walks and hikes, during which Franny insists on wearing her new glasses. But with all the repeated taking off and putting on and adjusting, we don't get very far very fast...

...until all the fuss--as well as the glasses--are abandoned. Then, we can finally pick up a little speed.

Head over heels (literally)

This weekend, Franny went to another fun birthday party of one of her playgroup friends. The party was at a bounce house, so needless to say it was talked about for many days preceding and following the actual event.

A few of her favorite things

Over the past few months, one of Franny's favorite activities has become dressing up--on any given day, she may change her clothes a half dozen times. It is an ironic passion, given that she also likes to run around in merely her skivvies. Also, although recently her naps have finally resumed, for nearly three long months her nap time became merely "quiet time", which to her, translated to "destruction time". Without fail, she would literally empty her closet. She would try on different outfits, lay outfits out on the floor for her friends, create all sorts of imaginary scenarios, and just make a tremendous mess. Even the hanging bar has been known to leave the closet and her closet door has been off it's track for weeks. Occasionally, she would eventually crash and fall asleep, but typically the process would be two hours in the making, followed by at least an hour for her to clean it all up. And frequently, the clean up would quickly divert into more dress-up and re-dress-up time. It was no less than excrutiating. I tried numerous things to attempt to minimize it, to no avail. I was close to considering finding a creative way of locking the doors when she started napping again. In the future, hopefully this pattern will continue and the mess will be significantly lessened.

I don't WANT my picture taken!!!!

I typically respect Franny's wishes when she has strong opinions like this, but when she has pigtails, I just can't resist. Those of you who know and love sweet Franny, you can probably hear these words in your head...

A day of trains

Sunday, we had a family combo birthday celebration for Noelle and Franny. We rode the MAX from Willow Creek Station to the Oregon Zoo, where we then rode the Zoo Train, before taking in a few animals and heading home. Franny had a GREAT time--she finally was able to ride one of the trains that she has previously only been able to see through her car window. I think she was overwhelmed at times, as she was so excited by the whole event. It was so special to watch her face light up, her eyes get big, and see the mix of emotion, anticipation, and excitement that comes only when she does something for the first time. It is during times like these where I am torn between wanting to step back and just watch her joy and also wanting to be right there beside her, experiencing it with her. Franny is such an incredible little girl with a vibrant spirit and a tremendous heart, and I absolutely adore her.

Breaking bread

After school yesterday, Franny's daddy treated her to her favorite Hawaiian bagel at Starbucks. At home, Cole was very interested in Franny's treat, so she it shared with him, breaking off little pieces appropriate for Cole until they finally both lost interest. Franny has battled a bit with him, as of late, so her sweet gesture was a very endearing sight to see, because she initiated it. Of course, siblings don't adore each other all the time, so when they reconcile it is particularly heart warming. And they have been inseparable ever since, so apparently there is harmony in the world once again!

Franny quote of the week

Daddy, thank you so much! You are such a good helper!

April 2, 2005

Francesca Rae

7 lbs, 5 oz

4:17 pm

Disgruntled blogger

For the past month or so, I have received spam comments in my blog. These have been unappreciated and reported to Blogger. New ones, however, continue to find my blog and I have finally made the decision to enable comment moderation. But I wanted to make it clear that I don't want to discourage appropriate comments, as I really do enjoy them!

Sweet big sister

I started this entry over a month ago. Now, I realize that it will never be done, as I could add something new almost daily. Here are a few of the things that I love about Franny and her relationship with Cole.

Her chatter in the car:
Cole--see the excavator? I see it too!

Look at the airplane, Cole!
Do you want Tucker (his turtle), Cole?
We're going over the bridge Cole... We're not there yet!
Ba, ba, ba (and endless variations)
He's talking!
That's rain, Cole... It's wet.

It's OK Cole, we're almost home.

Her endearments:
Little guy
Baby Cole
Sweetie

Her attentiveness:
A toy for you, Cole.
Cole needs a cup! (a bowl, a lid, a spoon...)

It's okay, sweetie--mama's coming...
Cole come too!
Mom! Cole's crying! Mom!
Cole wants one too!

Good morning, little guy!
Cole wants a Cookie Monster diaper!
Cole needs diaper cream!
(To Cole in the backpack) You OK up there, little guy?

Be careful Cole... Don't hit your head!
Did you fall, little guy?

Time to wind down, Cole.

Garden Party

For Franny, this was the year that birthdays changed. After being at two very fun destination birthday parties, she began to ask When is my birthday? and say I want to go to my birthday! Needless to say, I wanted her birthday to live up to all that wonderful toddler excitement and anticipation, which is difficult to really gauge with an almost-three-year-old. For a number of reasons, I opted for a garden party at home with her playgroup. I wanted her day to be wonderful from beginning to end. So, when she came downstairs the morning of her birthday, the house was covered in a garden of flowers, bugs, and butterflies. Her friends arrived a few hours later and we had games, cake, and lots of fun. My only complaint was that with all the chaos of the party, I wasn't able to really enjoy seeing Franny having fun on her birthday. In my planning, I know I underestimated Franny. For her, a special party wasn't about an exciting destination or having everything just perfect or over the top. It was about having one special day just for her and having fun. Fortunately, when all was said and done, that's exactly what she had.