Going green

This Spring has been fun with Franny's new interest in gardening and planting.  Sunday evening, she came up with this creative transport and helped me out by moving my yard debris to the compost (as well as up and down the driveway).  Oh, what fun!  I'm just hoping her interest in helping continues long enough to allow me to take some real advantage from it.  Right now, she likes to help me weed, but for only about a minute at a time.  Given the size of our yard, I think I need to try and extend that a bit!  In the meantime, I just love to see and hear her run around the yard as we work--it makes an otherwise tedious job actually enjoyable.

 

A moment of sharing

If everyone would just at least look my way...

Although my favorite pictures are rarely those that are posed, it is nice to have those types of shots on occasion.  I am finding, however, that while it was difficult enough to capture a good picture of Franny and R together, capturing one of Franny, R, and Cole is next to impossible.  Good thing I like the action shots!

Rose Festival

Over the weekend, we joined in the Rose Festival fun by viewing the floats from the Grand Floral Parade, and then enjoying a fun walk that included checking out the dragon boat races. I've never watched the dragon boat races before, and was surprised at how fun it was. We were able to sit just off the river bank and see them close-up, as well as a great scenic overview from the Hawthorne Bridge. Franny called them the "snake boats". Everyone had a great time--it feels like summer is finally here.

Cole, Franny, and Daddy enjoying the sights, sounds, and sun

"Love is in the Air"

Dragon boat races from Waterfront Park

View from the Hawthorne Bridge

Beautiful Portland, Oregon

Who knew laundry could be so much fun?

Around our house, we all have a great time doing laundry--at least the folding and putting away parts.  It actually becomes a big event.  We sort, make big piles (folding gets a bit procrastinated, here) dump, fold, re-fold, play peek-a-boo, bury each other, make the laundry basket into a boat or a train or a house or any number of other things.  The list goes on and on.  Before kids, I just never knew how much fun the laundry could be!  And that's a good thing, because we have a lot of it!

Proudly worn

Monday, Franny fell and skinned her knee on the sidewalk. Amazingly, this is the first tumble she's had that has even warranted a band aid. I bought these Sesame Street band aids last year before our vacation, and this was the first time we have used them (much to her disappointment). Once home, she was quite pleased that it turned out to be a two-band aid injury. Of course, now that Doll and Big Elmo have somehow managed to skin their knees as well, I may need to buy more band aids...

Treat tradition

I'm not sure when it started, but for a long time now, Grandpa has always had a treat for Franny: a yummy mix of peanuts, m &m's, gumdrops, and raisins, compiled into the perfect sized yogurt container. Usually hidden in his jacket pocket, she never has a problem finding it. And although she is always excited about her treat, when she is done and there are still gumdrops left, I realize that the treat is really just something special that Grandpa made just for her. A simple joy, but so very special.

Happiness is family

Sunday morning, Franny announced to us that she wanted to go see Grandma and Grandpa. Given the beautiful day, we had thought that Franny would want to go to zoo since the Spring rains has recently prevented our going. But given the choice, Franny was quite adament, so off we went. And a good choice it was, as it was a fun and relaxing trip for everyone. Franny had great fun riding on Grandpa's ATV, swinging on the tire swing, and enjoying the sunshine. It's wonderful to have family so close that we can enjoy special days like this--and especially when they are as special as ours!

Always at full speed

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.

Spring has sprung?

Remarkably, we have now had six consecutive days with snow! While it has ranged from big fluffy flakes to a wintry mix (I believe this is an Oregon term) there has been enough to create at least a thin cover of white across the yard. The unusual weather has been quite exciting for Franny and fascinating for Cole. This spot in front of the back door has been the prime viewing area for the kids to watch the snow fall and melt. Franny has been in true big sister form, explaining to Cole how the snow falls from the sky and later melts into water on the grass. I love watching these kinds of interaction between them. Even more, I can't wait for later years when they can play in the snow together.

Franny insight

Franny loves excavators. And we have enough construction going on around us that we see them on a daily basis. For a very long time--as far back as when she was using just one word sentences--I have not been on a car ride with Franny without having a discussion about excavators--where they are, what they look like, what they do (excavators dig holes and put dirt in the dump truck!) Without a doubt, she knows exactly which construction sites are using excavators, whether they are the big yellow ones or the little white ones, and if for some reason they aren't where they should be, there is much to be said. If they aren't there, Franny says they're working and if they are there, they are either off or on. Recently, we were on a walk in NW and came across an excavator parked right next to the sidewalk. It was quite exciting, although the size seemed to be a little more intimidating to her when face to face with it. It's funny, I never realized how many excavators there are working in the city until Franny started pointing them out. I always knew that I would learn a lot from the insight of my children, I just never expected it to be regarding heavy machinery.

One more moment

I love Franny's sweet smile. There was many, many days in 2007, where it was only this smile that kept me grounded enough to see me through to the next morning. My life before Franny is such a distant, fuzzy memory that it seems almost unremarkable compared to my life since her birth. I have been gently ribbed by some for the thousands of pictures I've taken of Franny. But every day is new, different, and amazing. To not document every moment possible seems unthinkable, to me. Even now, I can look back just a few months and be astounded at how much she has changed in so many different ways. One of the reasons I love this blog is because I can so easily look back to see both the monumental and random moments that have made her who she is now. Many times, it is the random moments that I linger on the longest and which make me smile, laugh out loud, and cry.

These days, it's a rare occurance that Franny will pose for me. I couldn't decide which picture to post, but after more than 15,000 pictures and 267 blog entries, I figured I'd just post them both. And, a month or a year from now, I am sure that I will be glad I did.

The little shadow

Wherever Franny may be, Cole is sure to be not far behind....

The missing video

Apparently, the trampoline video I posted a few days ago could only be viewed using the Firefox browse--at least, I believe that was what the problem was. So, for those who were unable to see it:

Happiness is two sleeping kids

It's been some time since this has happened. Thanks kiddos--this weary mama really needed a little downtime.


The heavy sleeper


The light sleeper (reason for the distance, as compared to f)

Franny's throne

With Franny less than an inch away from outgrowing her old carseat, we decided it was time to get her set in something more appropriate. The result: this enormous seat (it's even wider than the actual car seat) that she will be able to use with a 5-point harness until she reaches 80 lbs. or 53 inches. Although I know that it is--of course--inevitable, it hard to be imagine little Franny ever being that big. Sigh.

Birthday party fun

This weekend, Franny went to a birthday party for her twin friends. Held at the Oregon Gymnastic Academy, there were lots of fun activities led by their instructors. With 30 kids, it was definitely chaos, but Franny had an incredible time! And it was as much fun for us, to be able to see Franny play with her friends and literally bounce off the walls.

The highlights:


Floor stretches


Jumping into a big pit of foam


The trampoline--HUGE fun


Three of Franny's very best friends