no woman, no cry...

photo Thursday:

(truth in blogging: this picture is from 1/08, so 1.5 years old)

two of us, riding nowhere...

Watchers on the Beach

This weekend Zachary and I did our first OC2 race, the Ruston Way race. This was literally our second time in an OC2, and we both went into it with a goal of enjoying the race and (hopefully) having a paddle that felt good. Luckily this is a low-key affair, with nearly every participant earning a ribbon of some sort. And because it was so low-key, we felt we could give it a try. Also a factor -- Z's attitude. He's an easy-going but capable guy who knows boats and the water and is in good shape. An ideal partner for me. Oh yeah, one more thing about the race -- there's chicken long rice lunch at the end!

The race is 10.6 miles, 4 times down along the shore and back. I fully expected we'd huli at least once during the 10 miles, and if the conditions had been anything other than flat calm, we may have done so, but on Saturday we got through the entire 4 laps without any problems.

The Start
As Z and I paddled out, he wondered aloud if we should try to jump on the start, to really dig to get going quickly. "I have no idea what strategy is appropriate" he said. Well, me either. We collectively decided not to do that. For one thing, we had over 10 miles ahead of us, and for another, we had no idea how we stacked up to the other boats. It didn't seem like it would gain us much to really push right at the start.

So we started easily, just hoping to stay steady and strong. My real goal was to paddle so that it felt good the entire way. I felt that would lead to our paddling most efficiently. and to my surprise, we kept up pretty well with the lead boats (except the first 2 OC2s). That felt encouraging.

I was paddling up front, and because the rear steering cable had frayed, was also steering from up front. Z counted the changes.

First Lap
The first run down felt good and went more quickly than I'd expected. We talked occasionally: "How's that pace feel?" "Good, real good." Then we were coming up to the buoy and I took the first turn wide, not wanting to fight anyone for position. And now we were paddling back up toward the starting line, going into the very light wind. And we continued to keep up with most of the boats in front of us, chatting now and then but mostly just keeping at the paddling.

The thing was, neither of us knew what to expect of ourselves. Would we be able to keep up a decent pace for the entire race? Would we pace ourselves well? How tired would we feel at the end? The two OC2 boats ahead of us were a mens boat, and a mixed boat (with DougM and Sabine in it -- they were going iron, as were we. The other was a relay, though I didn't realize it at the time). So, we were 3rd as far as OC2s went. There were also 2 surfskis immediately ahead of us, and an OC1 that we were just keeping pace with. So far, so good. (There was another OC1 doing a relay, but I didn't ever realize that. I only saw them on the official results.)

Second Lap
After one complete lap I still felt pretty good, and Z said he did as well. We took the turn and headed down for our second lap and the water was beautiful, calm, smooth. There were almost no wakes or bumps of any kind, and so while that meant no lifts from swells going our way, there were also no swells threatening our stability.

The water, when it splashed off our paddles, was cold but not too cold. There was blue in the sky and salt in the air and the morning felt great. A perfect day for a paddle!

We made the turn at the far end of the 2nd lap and Z said "nice turn." This time I'd come tighter around the buoy, following the OC1 closely. There were no other boats to worry about. As we headed back on the return piece of that 2nd lap, I said "these 3 middle laps will be the hardest." I focused on keeping a regular pace and on reaching forward, making the forward part of my stroke the power piece, and recovering at my thigh/hip.

As we neared the start buoy we passed Doug/Sabine on their 3rd lap. I yelled out "Go Doug, go Sabine!" and Sabine called out "You guys are doing awesome!" They were still in 2nd place but were making up ground on the first boat.

Closing in on the start line again, the OC1 near us headed off to the beach -- it was part of a relay! One less boat to worry about.

Just before the start buoy, a wake caught us from behind, giving us our first (and only) lift. I felt us starting to swing left and ruddered right. I think we got a bit of a boost from it, but now I was most concerned that we'd be broadside to the wake as we took the turn. "Watch the ama," I called to Z, and we started left. An OC1 was sitting there at the buoy and just then he started out in front of us, crossing directly in our path.

Third Lap
"Hold up," I yelled to Z, and we stopped paddling. Our ama kissed the other boat which kept going. At the same time, the wake passed beneath us, lifting us from left to right, a little taste of what lumpier conditions would have meant. And then we started paddling again. One great thing about these boats is that they're so light, so a small bump like we'd had (in calm conditions) is nothing.

(Later, when I mentioned that I'd been concerned about the wake catching us broadside, Z told me he'd been leaning way out on the iako to counter the lift. In other words, he'd the situation covered. That's one of the things I really like about paddling with him -- he's a waterman and knows what to watch for and how to compensate. Lots of experience in boats.)

"What was that?" we both wondered aloud about the collision. "It seemed like we had right of way, don't you think?" I asked, and Z agreed. The OC1 was ahead of us, having gotten a quick jump, but we caught up partway down the course. I felt a little annoyed at what the guy had done, but decided I wasn't going to let it bother me. As we passed he called out "sorry about that" and we said "no worries." It felt better that he'd apologized.

Down the length, and around the far buoy, back toward the start the 3rd time. We were keeping our place in the pack, except now I noticed an OC2 coming up behind us that hadn't been anywhere close before. I heard them calling as we all paddled back toward the start, and it became a challenge to not let them worry me. It seemed like the worst thing we could do was lose our rhythm and start to hurry. If we did that, we'd shorten our stroke, lose our power, and probably tire ourselves out too soon. So that was what I focused on. Keeping long and strong up front, and not letting the fact that the other boat was gaining on us affect our pace too much.

Fourth (last) Lap
We rounded the start buoy for the last lap and the trailing OC2 was even closer. More effort to ignore them. Z and I kept paddling, and that continued to feel good to me. I'd gotten a bit fast on the previous lap, rushing a little, so now I consciously made myself slow down and reach out ahead and power my stroke only to my knee.

Salt water, calm seas, an easy-going but strong paddler behind me. The sun was even shining for a bit! It was really a blast and I felt in a zone. I don't really remember much about that stretch of the race.

Around the far buoy the last time and then it was a straight shot up to the start. We could hear the other boat behind us, still there, but closer than ever. Gaining with each lap. The OC1 we'd hit was nowhere to be seen -- we'd left it behind. I tried to reach and pull strong and not think about the trailing boat catching us, and as we got near the finish here came Doug/Sabine again, heading down-course one more time. "Go boys! You're almost there!" they called to us.

"This is our last lap, isn't it?" I asked Z after we'd gone by them. "I thought so," he said. "I'm pretty sure we've done 4," I told him. "Me too. It's my last lap, no matter what," Z said then. "Yeah, mine too," I agreed, laughing.

We kept paddling and hearing the other OC2 then suddenly we were at the buoy and across the line and done!

From up on the bluff Melissa called out, asking if we'd seen Rob. I told her I hadn't, but wasn't looking for him either. (He and she were doing a relay and it turned out her OC1 had started coming apart and Rob hadn't shown up as expected -- Doug/Sabine were headed out to look for him. It turned out that Rob had had to swim the boat in after 2 2/3 laps.)

We drifted, enjoying having finished our first OC2 race, having paddled longer and farther than either of us had ever paddled before in an OC2. It all felt good. And then when we started for the beach I saw Marnie and the girls sitting on a log there, smiling and cheering.

That was the cap on the day. A wonderful way to be greeted at the end.

Here's how we looked after coming across the finish line:



And here, for informational purposes only, is the track that Doug/Sabine took. Ours would look similar, but not as fast:



Our final time was 1.39:35 (1st novice iron, 6th overall), with splits of:

• 24.25
• 25.81
• 25.00
• 24.29

The thing that pleases me about these is that 1) we were nice and regular, and 2) we negative split the last 2 laps. Nice work guys!

Oh yeah, that OC2 following us? They came in at 1.39:37. I didn't realize they were just 2 seconds behind us....

The first place OC2 (relay) came in at 1.32:50, and Doug/Sabine came in 2nd (1st mixed iron) at 1.33:04.

i'm going to heaven in a groundpea shell...

Tomorrow is the Ruston Way race down in Tacoma, and I'll be doing it in an OC2 with Zachary. He and I have managed to get into the club OC2 exactly once, for something like an hour, so we're well prepared! Still, it's supposed to be a "fun" race, with the main focus on the chicken long rice lunch afterward.

I gather it's a 10 mile race, done as 4 2.5 mile laps along the Tacoma waterfront. Some folks do it as a relay, swapping paddlers in/out every lap, every other lap, every once in a while. Others do it solo, or as an iron, and still others only do some of the laps. This low-key aspect takes a lot of the pressure off, and I haven't been worrying too much about it, though I know I'll be freaking a bit come tomorrow morning.

practicing

After missing several practices in a row due to other commitments, I've managed to make 3 in a row now, and those 3 were quite distinctly different from each other.

Last Saturday in pouring rain, we had 4 in an OC6, and it was a beast of a workout. Not that we did that much mileage or especially hard sets, but the boat never really felt like it was moving well, and with the rain, it all felt like a slog. Afterward I felt beaten down and disheartened. (It didn't help that I went home and then worked on the front steps for 5 hours in the rain, not drinking enough water....)

Then on Tuesday we had another 4-inOC6 paddle, this time w/ Maryanne in 1, me in 2 (eventually moved back to 3 and Maryanne back to 2), Zachary in 4, and DougN steering. This time it felt like we were moving well (for a 4-some). The contrast to the previous Saturday was striking, and it help reinvigorate my enthusiasm. Before practice I'd told M that I thought maybe I would start skipping Thurs. I wasn't feeling excited about getting out on the water (a first) and I just felt like things were dragging in all aspects of my life. Tuesday's paddle helped lift me up a bit, and made me realize that 1) the rain had a huge impact on Saturday's practice (for me) and 2) I've been fighting off something, a virus or similar.

Last night (Thurs) another paddle, this time 5 in the OC6. Jasen in 1, me in 2, Melissa in 3 (we swapped partway through at Doug's request), Jack in 5, and DougN steering. Like Tuesday it felt we were getting moving well, and the boat was well in synch. There's really nothing like that feeling of all hitting together: catch, pull, out, recover.... It actually makes it feel easier, and it moves the canoe much more efficiently. One thing that really felt great about last night is that heading out, I thought the other canoe (sabine-1, janelle-2, rob-3, zachary-4, dougm steering) was stronger and would leave us well behind. But as we paddled to Montlake Cut we were evenly matched, and just being able to keep pace gave me a mental lift. ("Hey, I'm not going to suck quite as much as I expected!")

Then we started the real workout (1-easy/4-hard x 20). And for a bit, the 2 canoes kept about even. We headed toward the point (Hunt's Point?) and north along the west shore to Magnuson Park, and we not only kept up with the other canoe, but we started pulling ahead a bit. Doug asked us to focus on the forward part of our stroke, to focus on pulling hard "up front." That, coupled with a real effort to keep in time, meant that our canoe moved really well, and ultimately was faster than the other one.

For both Tuesday and Thursday the water was nearly flat-calm (Thurs had a slight breeze blowing, but not too bad) and an overcast kept the temperatures up a bit. It was beautiful late-fall paddling weather. Dark early, and mostly a deserted lake left to us.

After practice Doug said that he thought the other boat was "stronger" but that we were faster due to technique/timing. It really made me realize (again) just how important the timing aspect is -- it can make or break a boat. It doesn't matter how strong or powerful you are. If you aren't paddling together you're fighting each other and that means you're going slowly. Ok, it does matter how strong you are, but only after you have the timing thing down. And as I said, being in synch makes the paddling feel easier, so it's easier to put some additional effort into it.

Tomorrow is the first time I'll be racing in anything other than an OC6. Zachary and I will, hopefully, be able to keep up a good pace, and stay in synch. We'll see....

please sir, can i have s'mores?

Last week we went across the street to our neighbors' house for hotdogs, wine, and s'mores. This was our second annual s'mores-fest, and the first that really registered on L. She's inherited my sweet tooth, I fear, and really took to the marshmallows.

Our neighbors are our "West Seattle grandparents," filling in wonderfully for both M's and my moms (neither of our dads are living), providing some grandparently love to both girls. And both girls love them in return, independent of s'mores or even hotdogs. It's always fun to get together with the neighbors.


Next week, I hope to post some details about my own grandparents in a vague attempt to preserve the information in case K&L are interested down the road.

tramps like us...

photo Thursday:

We gotta get out while we're young...


(june, 2009)

how long has this been going on?

I was just in the kitchen, zapping my lunch. Waiting close (but not too close) to the microwave, I watched as it counted down: 34, 33, 32.... until it got to 15.

Then the timer went: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 11, 11.... and just stayed there.

The light was still on inside, my lasagna still turning around, but time had stopped.

Wow! Now what?

• Would my lunch keep cooking until there was nothing left?
• Or would the microwave run until something exploded?
• Or did I have a chance now to run off to the post office to get some forever stamps without anyone noticing?
• Was time stopped for everyone, or just for the kitchen?
• What would happen if I never pressed Cancel?
  

So many good questions, so much to find out. What an opportunity!?!

But I was hungry, so I hit Cancel and opened the door and grabbed my pyrex bowl.

A mystery for someone else to solve.

you took my joy...

(photo Thursday)


(june, 2009)

thomthing in the way ...

L has taken to announcing to us that she's got something to tell us. She picked this up from K, who frequently actually does have something to tell us when she interrupts with a "Tell you something!" L on the other hand, seems to be imitating her sister without understanding exactly what it is she's getting into.

L: "Tell you thomthing!" 3 second pause. "Tell you thomthing!!"
us: "What? What do you want to tell us?"
L: "Um...." long pause, seconds ticking toward minutes. "L fall off window seat." smile.
us: "Yeah, that was 3 weeks ago."
L: "L cwying."
us: "After you fell off the window seat?"
L: "Yeah."
us: "Yeah, but you're not crying now."
L: "No."

And it's on to other things.

A few nights ago though, L stuck out her pudgy finger and shouted, "Tell you thomthing funny!!"

us (looking at each other with amusement): "Yes? What L?"
L: "Um.... K poop in potty."
us: "Yes, she did. Isn't that great?"
L: "Yeah." smile
us: bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of the entire exchange.

your phone's off the hook but...

This may alienate 3 or 4 of my 6 regular readers, but there are few things I dislike as much as a driver pulling a idiotic maneuver while on their cellphone. If people could drive reasonably while talking on phones, I'd have no problem with it. But they don't. So I do.

Read the studies. You're not a good driver when you're on the phone. And hands-free doesn't really improve your concentration. If you think you're a good enough multi-tasker to get away with it... you're freakin' fooling yourself! And you're a danger to the rest of us!

Note: I recognize the difference between a brief "Hello? Yeah, I'm on my way. 'k, bye." type conversation and the longer, chatty-kathy sort, and I have much less issue with the former. But one problem I see is that people aren't good at being short and getting off the phone.

I was recently nearly hit in the crosswalk while crossing on green because a woman who was busy in phone conversation that was apparently more pressing than watching where the F#@% she was driving. I'm fairly certain she never even saw me. No last second shock of realization, no attempt to steer around me as I leaped backward out of her path. Hopefully she got her stuff taken care of, because it was obviously very important. As important as she was.

10-4 big buddy...

Driving home this morning after dropping K off at school, it slowly dawned on me that immediately ahead of me was another van, another Dodge Caravan as a matter of fact. Two in a row. Ahead of that one was another van, but I couldn't see around the Caravan ahead of me to get a good look. Another Dodge? Seemed unlikely. But my inability to see it reminded me of one reason I dislike minivans: they're soooo bloody hard to see around/beyond/past.

Of course, now I'm driving one of them. So the person behind me is having the same issue. I'm one of the enemy!!

In the mirror I notice yet another van, and on its snout an insignia I've become familiar with: a ram's head with curving horns. It's another freakin' Dodge! Another Dodge van!!

Thing is, it looks bigger than mine. (It's bigger than mine? Do I care? Why do I care? Is that good or is it bad? Why do I care?!?) I don't think it's a Caravan, but I can't be sure. I haven't honed my Caravan IDing skills yet.

So, 4 vans in a row, with at least 3 of them Dodges. What are the odds? Well, pretty good, apparently.

Here's what I've begun noticing -- there are LOT of minivans out there. And a TON of them seem to be Dodge Caravans (or Plymouth Voyagers -- same diff). Weird. So that's another thing I don't like about a van. It's one more indication that I'm not nearly as unique or independent-thinking as I'd like to think I am. We're part of the herd, cows chewing our carpooling cud, as it were.

Though to be honest, our other car hasn't ever exactly set us apart. It's a Subaru Outback, and around here (the Pacific Northwest), all you need to do to see other Outbacks is look out the window. There are times when we park at PCC and 5 of the other 10 cars are various Outbacks.

Ok, so we're not unique nor free-thinking. Crap. Cross that off the feel-good-about-myself list....

I drive toward home with L in the back seat, mulling all this over, when I realize that the van ahead of me is a Caravan Sport. They have Sport models? Wait! No one told me that! Is ours a Sport? I know ours is the Grand Caravan (so it's bigger, so that's a plus?!?). I'm guessing it's not a Sport. I look the van over. It says Sport right there on its wide hindquarters, so it must be one, but here's the thing -- I don't see much else about it that screams out "sporty!" Or even whispers it. So what, exactly, does a Sport get you in the van world? It's a mystery to me, and I've decided not to Google it to find out more. I already know more about vans than I ever imagined I would. I drive on home feeling a little better because we weren't taken in by the Sport label. Imagine thinking that really got you something that wasn't just another wide-ass minivan!

By the way, we don't have a Sport. I know because I peeked at our own van's butt when I got us home. It's Grand, all the way, baby!

(Did I mention we've bought my sister's van? Like she expected us to ever give it back!?!).

just to be your dad...

One of my favorite verses related to parenting:

"Oh, I'll dance with you when you're happy,
and hold you when you're sad,
and hope you know how glad I am,
just to be your dad."

This is from Spring Wind by Greg Brown. I really like his stuff, but actually prefer cover versions of this song to his original. Jack Johnson covers it sometimes.

every time I see your face...

it's photo Thursday! *


*newly instituted tradition, as of today

workin' for...

I took last week off from paddling, in part because it was a busy week for M so I needed to cover childcare, and in part because I've been having problems with my right shoulder. These started after I spent 5 minutes tossing a tennis ball for Lucy. That is, tossing a tennis ball between 25 and 35 feet. In other words, I did almost nothing, and yet my shoulder began hurting badly.

(A friend told me a few years ago that you know you're getting old when you go to bed feeling great and wake up in the morning and your back has gone out. And you didn't do anything but sleep.)

The pain was bad, but not constant if I didn't lift my arm above my head or reach back behind me. Most of the motion for paddling didn't seem to bother it too much, but I wanted to give it a rest, so I didn't make it to any practice last week. I also did a lot of icing, but took no anti-inflammatories (to give my body a rest).

By Tuesday I was feeling pretty good though, and M would be home in the evening, so I had the option to paddle. Which I did. And I'm glad I did, but man, what a workout! It hurt .... good.

We had 12 folks show up. 10 regulars and 2 newbies. The 6 (regular) men took one boat, and Sabine took the rest in the other boat.

DougM steered the men's boat. He's on his way to Hawaii this morning to paddle in the Moloka'i Hoe. DougN stroked in #1, with Rob in 2, Murray in 3, me in 4 and Zachary in 5. We warmed up hard and headed out onto Lake Washington where DougM gave us the workout: 1 minute easy, 1 mile hard. Repeat.

We got started and paddled south, repeating until we got to the I90 bridge. It got dark as night came on, but it was a calm, beautiful night, and the water was smooth and easy to move across.

That took us about an hour, and nearing the bridge we saw a dragon boat ahead of us. It became our motivation, to catch them before the bridge, and even though we were starting to drag a bit (I think we'd done our 1min/1mile routine 4 times), it gave us a concrete goal and I could feel the difference as we dug in and went after them. We caught them right at the bridge, then continued on by and beyond, until we cleared the other side and Doug called "paddles up" and we took a minute breather before starting back. At this point it was at around 7.10p.

Now he challenged us to make it back to the beach in under an hour.

We turned north in the growing darkness and went at it, 1min easy, 1mi hard. Doug occasionally called for 4 10s, where we'd do 4 changes of 10 harder strokes. And whenever there was a bump of any sort going our way (boat wakes usually), he did his best to get us riding them for an extra lift.

It was brutal, exhausting, the kind of workout where by the end of it my brain was barely working and I was only following the others out of pure habit. Which is when the muscle memory either helps or hurts you -- if you've got good technique and your body knows what it's supposed to do, it can do it even when you're too tired to fully concentrate. I tried my best to focus on timing and technique while pulling hard (favoring my right shoulder slightly, though it didn't bother me hardly at all).

The boat felt good. I love when DougM steers us. He has a way of encouraging in an assertive and push-you-past-where-you-thought-you-could-go way. He strikes me as a real leader. And having DougN stroking was great too, because we were pulling long strokes rather than the shorter strokes that some #1s do. And because he's a monster and wasn't going to ease off at all.

In the darkness it was harder to follow the rhythm of the paddlers ahead of me, but in general I think we all did a good job of staying in time. The boat was moving and there's something about being a part of that that serves as motivation to keep it going. I never want to be the one who gets off, who makes the boat fall of of the top of the water and down so that it's slogging through rather than cruising over.

We paddled up along the west shore, under the 520 bridge, and back toward Montlake Cut. Then through the cut, under the bridge, and out to under the I5 bridge where we finally backed off for the last time and made our way back to the beach. 8p. Under an hour!

Sabine was waiting for us and helped us beach the canoe and close up. I think we were all tired in the best possible way, and I was thrilled that my shoulder didn't bother me too much. By the end I could feel it, and I suspect that was as much due to deteriorating technique as I wore down.

Here's the GPS track of our workout:

According to the data, we averaged 6.9mph with a max speed of 8.8mph.

If we could keep this kind of workout going all winter, we're going to be feeling good next spring! (Unfortunately, DougM doesn't really paddle with us. He works out with DougN regularly, and paddles with us when we need a man in the boat, but he's officially part of Kikaha and races with them. I really enjoy being in a canoe with him though, and will take any time I am able.)

lenny bruce is not afraid....

It's like a drug come on, but legal. At least legal in so much as it's exactly the same way that dealers get you hooked on crack. And that's just good old American business entrepreneurship, right? Or, it's the end of the world as we know it.

Background: my sister is selling her minivan. Maybe to us. That is, we're considering buying it. Which may, in and of itself suggest that we're on drugs. But we're not. We just have kids!

Disclaimer: It's not what we are, this "minivan people." We're actually sexy, exciting, top-down*, sunglasses-wearing, fly-off-to-Sun Valley-after-work-on-Friday-afternoon type people... except that we don't do that and never have and now we have 2 small kids and the need for carpooling flexibility is increasing hourly.

Anyway, my sister did us the favor of loaning us the van for a week. Just to try it out. Like we'd use it for a week and decide we could do without it!

She basically gave us free crack for a week and NOW SHE WANTS US TO PAY FOR THE VAN! The nerve! (Did I mention that we're not really minivan people?)

The plan was, we'd use it for a week, have it looked at by an independent mechanic, and then figure out a way to pay for it. Except that "mechanic day" was Friday, which also happened to be the day after "K playing with keys" and putting them away in a place we couldn't find. So the mechanic wasn't visited on Friday. Nor was the school attended. Nor the grocery store shopped. Eventually the keys were found in K's backpack, but not until late that afternoon.

We found the keys and learned a small lesson and now we've got the crack van for another week and will probably buy it unless we can find a mechanic who'll make up some horrible thing that's wrong with it. (Did I mention that the girls love the van?)

* of the car! top of the car, people!!

memories...

To Remember:

• Do NOT give an almost 4yo electric clippers and ask her to trim your ear hairs.
• Do NOT allow either an almost 4yo or a nearly 2yo to play with the car keys, especially if there is a panic button on the key fob and/or you only have one set.
• Do NOT mention ice cream at any moment prior to the exact moment you plan on serving it to a nearly 2yo.
• Do NOT leave the house without a set of house keys in your pocket or hidden safely somewhere in the yard.
  

school daze

I've been impressed by just how quickly K seems to be maturing, now that she's going to Montessori preschool. She's much more solicitous of her younger sister, and offers to share without prompting. L loves this, of course, just as she loves most everything about her older sister. She repeats whatever K says, whether or not she knows what she's talking about (usually not). K puts up with this, more or less (more when she's rested and happy, less when not). What else can she do? She's the older sister.

On the other hand, it's mighty hard to get any specific information out of K about school. We're not sure who all of the kids are in her class, nor do we get a lot of detail on her day.

me: What did you do in school today?
K: K no 'member.
L: No member.
me: Did you do music?
K: No.
me: Did you do Farmer in the Dell?
L: Farmer in Dell!
K: Yeah.
L: Farmer in Dell, Farmer in Dell, Farmer in Dell!
me: How about circle? Did you do the circle?
K: After we have snack and go play then we come in and do circle. Every day daddy."
L: Every day! L dizzy. Thnack!!

This doesn't bode well for the high school years!

a few of my favorite things...

This week, on L's list of "my favrit":

book: My Sthuck is Truck*
song: Thwimming Thong**
sister: K
stuffed animal: doggie
food: orange
sport: thwimming (w/ mama)


* My Truck is Stuck (Lewis/Kirk)
** Swimming Song (Kate/Anna McGarrigle)