The Baptism, Pt. I: Plane Trip

We flew from Portland to Houston to LaGuardia for Suzanne's baptism. It was a long couple of plane rides: seven hours in the air, plus a panicky scramble through the Houston terminal to get to our connecting flights just as they were announcing final boarding, and finally a hellish, near two hour wait for Budget to get us a car. Finally, after the brief satisfaction of firing the smooth 8-cylinder engine of our pimpin' Grand Marquis, a long 2 a.m. drive through bumper-to-bumper traffic, pea soup fog, and deer-haunted woods to an exhausted arrival at 12 Hilltop Ct.

It was a tough day, but I'm proud of how well my family held up. The girls stayed good-natured and well-behaved, and Barb and I managed not to freak out in frustration and anger and fatigue.

So: good job, Larrison family!

Fairy Garden

Unky Dave has done a ton of work on his backyard these last few years transforming it from your standard urban yard to a sort of fairy garden complete with hidden pathways, pond, and dangers to the unsuspecting little girl.

The other day we barbecued there with Aaron and Wendy and Lily. Summer has truly begun.

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Mother's Day

 

This picture isn't from Mother's Day (it's from April 30, 2011), but it reminded me of something that happened on Mother's Day.

Barb was out to a movie. I was playing with Elizabeth and trying to put Suzanne to sleep -- an iffy proposition, at best. But Elizabeth came over to help soothe the baby. She leaned over the Moses basket in which Suzanne lay and she (baby Suzanne) instantly stopped crying. After a moment or two, Elizabeth tired of the babycare and walked away, and Baby S started crying again. Elizabeth came back, and then: silence and a smiling baby sister. This went on for a while until Elizabeth finally got bored and went off to play. I got Suzanne to sleep. But when Suzanne awoke, and wanted her bottle, Elizabeth insisted on feeding her "like an adult" -- which is to say, without the Boppy nursing pillow.

Despite the fact that it clearly wasn't very comfortable for Suzanne (Elizabeth isn't strong enough yet to hold up the baby's cannonball head), both girls clearly loved the interaction.

I almost feel sorry for Elizabeth, because I think she is aware that Suzanne worships her, and that's a lot of responsibility for a three year old.

Instant Nostalgia

 

It's not that I'm nostalgic for the 18-month old Elizabeth Rose pictured above, it's just that our modern world of digital photography, and weblogging (i.e., "blogging"), creates the ability to call back instantly to even a year or two ago. And when you have young children, a year might as well be a lifetime for all the changes that ensue.

Every year we take a hike (so to speak) at Latourell Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Here is Elizabeth at two:



And here we are this year. Elizabeth, age 3; Daddy, age 41.

The Fairy Books

 

For some reason, Elizabeth grabbed a huge handful of these Rainbow Fairy books (by the suspiciously named Daisy Meadows) and insisted on bringing them home even though they're clearly aimed at girls at least twice her age -- probably three times her age.

She is crazy for them!

One book takes 20-30 minutes to read, consists of five or six chapters of 10-12 pages each, and has illustrations, but not many compared to the books to which Elizabeth is used.

It's quite a franchise. There are seven color fairies (for the famous ROY G BIV colors), sports fairies (not including softball, which makes me wonder if these aren't British), ocean fairies (dolphin, et al.), pet fairies, ad infinitum.

Barb thinks the books are pretty shallow (e.g., there are seven party fairies, including a Fashion Fairy and a Glitter Fairy), but I love them because they are a lot more interesting to read than, say, the ten thousandth reading of Goodnight Moon.


By the way, the above picture was taken by Miss Elizabeth.

Egg Crafter

 

Behold the Easter Egg artist, giving serious consideration to her work.

We had a great time Easter weekend making Easter eggs with the Long-Loughrans and other friends. Egg coloring was followed by a delicious meal and some nice wine.

Holidays are great.

Easter Treats

 

Better late than never, here's a picture of the girls on Easter. Elizabeth is enjoying a monumental piece of chocolate. Suzanne is enjoying interaction with her sister.