Teeny Tumbler Alum

Rosie "graduated" from her tumbling class the other day. This was the best possible wintertime activity we could have had: she learned how to do summersaults, log rolls, balance beam, trampoline bouncing, all that. Not that she can do it all by herself but she *thinks* she can. It was a cute ceremony where each kid did the "course" and then got a little certificate. This was one of the rare toddler classes I've been in where they introduce a modicum of order/discipline -- beyond the usual no fighting no biting kind of stuff. Coach Mason was just this side of strict and the kids went crazy for him.

This last day was especially poignant since it was the last week the place was in operation. Sad, sad! Closed for business, what will we do next winter?

Goodbyes with Coach Mason and Michelle:

Summersault! Getting a little help from Mason--and then getting his trademark high five. Other children (same age) could do proper summersaults. Rosie's still getting the hang of it, but it still is progress since for awhile there she refused to do them at all.

NYC just gets better and better

We visited the new park by the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of weeks ago. Actually, it was my first visit and Rosie's second. She had gone earlier that same day with her babysitter, Alma, and insisted on going back that afternoon.

Rosemary attempting to transport what she deemed a "sick duck" to the doctor:

Never mind that I think it is a chicken.

Rosie and Maple sliding on the controversial slide wafers:

And then the first thunderstorm of spring cometh and we booked it 1 mile home!

Still Life by Toddler

This morning, as I was busy doing something or other, Rosemary walked by with my house keys, tapping them on her hip like Lori from the Partridge Family played the tambourine. Whatever I was busy doing - I forget what it was - meant that I couldn't stop and grab them from her, and of course she is two, so that means there would most certainly be protests and foot stomping. I made a mental note that in one second when I finished doing whatever it was, I would go hunt those keys down, so they wouldn't get lost forever. But I have the memory of an angel (none), so it wasn't until we were in a big hurry to leave 2 hours later that I thought to ask Rosie if she recalled where she'd put them. She looked at me blankly for a split-second before walking into her room, to a pile of toys in the corner, pulled out her pink backpack, opened a pocket, pulled out another purse, and pulled out the keys.

Good memory.

Of course she did not remember where she had put her favorite bedtime lovey, Ba, who vanished around the same time as the keys. She told me I had probably put him somewhere. Classic. It was a baffling disappearance that caused some drama at nap time. It took me to long time find him here:

Bottom left.

Water Taxi!

Is it too lazy of me to post to our friend Leo's site for pictures of our Ikea water taxi adventure? Probably. But there, I did it. We had fun. Maple and Kim barely made it. The ferrymen -- surprisingly salty and gruff given that they just go back and forth across the East River all day -- were nice enough (just barely) to lower the gangway and let them on the boat. Ten minutes over to South Street Seaport, five minutes in Manhattan, ten minutes back, followed by a 40 minute tour through the bowels of Ikea trying to find something to buy to recoup the ferry ticket price. Worth it! Did I mention we had fun? From the water you can spot helicopters, tug boats, huge cranes, all the things that make 2 year olds go gaga. And the Statue of Liberty, which leaves them totally cold. Afterwards, the 3 of them ran around on the stage/abstract sculpture/no man's land between the boat dock and the parking lot.

Heads and Bones

I am remiss! No posts for so long. We went on a fantastic trip to Oregon and Washington (Seattle, Portland, Newport, Eugene, and then Seattle again) and ended up with far too many wonderful pictures of good times with friends and family that I am paralyzed with indecision and haven't posted a thing. You know who you are though. We miss you.

Today as we were walking home from the park, Rosemary told Jason, "I want to take off your head." (Massaged his head tenderly.) "And play with it" (Pretended to remove it and then chuck it.) "And put it in the stroller."

Then as if that wasn't weird enough, she moved on: "I want to take the bone out of your chest." And then she reached down Jason's shirt and screamed, "Take it out! Take it out!" laughing hysterically the whole time.

Interpretations?

Mexican Wrestling Trilogy