Fishy Phil

Elizabeth keeps working at her drawing. I want to take a crack at her new drawing book of weird monsters!

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Thanks, Grandpa!

Grandpa sent the girls generous gift cards to a big toy store as a back to school present. Which is a thing, now, apparently. (Grandma also got them back to school presents.)

We went last night. Elizabeth was paralyzed by the number of options. Not Suzanne, though. She got herself a mood necklace with a matching one for her friend Ani, and a notebook that looks like a stuffed animal.

She had a great time and loves her new stuff.

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Back to School Night

What a fun night! It was "Back to School Night" for Portland Public Schools. We met Wendy and her kids at school and then spent a while running from room to room doing a scavenger hunt. Elizabeth showed us her classroom and her work, with a great deal of justifiable pride. We met her teacher, who seems fantastic.

Then we rode our bikes back home through the gloaming. Suzanne was thrilled to be cycling at night, lights blazing.

It was a nice night in Woodstock, our neighborhood.

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Suzanne on Two Wheels

Suzanne has really gotten the hang of cycling. Barb tells me that today our four-year-old rode all the way to Elizabeth's school and back.

Look closely: she's not wearing shoes!

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Floor Drawing

The best thing about the house being under construction is that the girls can draw on the floor!

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Knife Girls

Both girls own knives. Elizabeth got her first knife (from Uncle Mark, naturally) when she was two. It was barely a knife, but it came with a sheath and was made of metal and when we finally let Elizabeth handle it (when she was four, or so) she loved it. She's since graduated to a real jack knife which she uses to whittle. Pictured above, she's whittling sidewalk chalk, which is softer than wood and creates a chalk powder that is useful in spells, potions, and paints.

Of course, Suzanne wanted a knife, too. So I dug up an old folding knife made for cutting rope (I think). It has a curved blade and no point, and is dull as a spoon. It's also too stiff for Suzanne to open or close on her own. So it's about as safe as a real knife in the hands of a four-year-old could be. Suzanne and I had a fun time removing the rust from the metal parts and oiling up the wood grips to make it look better, and when it comes time to whittle, she's got a knife she can claim as her own.

Rain, Rain

It has been bone dry here this summer. Very unusual weather in my experience -- I remember one summer when it rained steadily through Independence Day. So, the girls were excited to put on their rain gear and pretend we were actually experiencing precipitation one afternoon when Barb turned on the sprinkler.

The good news: it rained pretty heavily this morning!