Erin turns 7!

 Happy birthday, Erin!

Lordy, lordy, Brian is 40!

Birthday time!!  Brian turned 40 today.  We started out with tons of friends and a BBQ at a nearby park yesterday.  Here is the rainbow unicorn cake (unicorn was not yet put in place) that was partially smashed by Robin reaching into the back seat to grab the unicorn:

We got the sports package from parks and rec.  All the kids - and many adults - had fun!

Our friend, Patrick, helped indoctrinate B to his 5th decade with some prune juice…. to keep things "running smooth."  Sage advice. 

Of course there was BBQ!

Then today celebrated with multiple soccer games and a dinner at B's parent's house. 

And one challenging game of "Sorry":

Nothing says "40" like a delicious homemade super chocolate cake:

And because his lungs are, well, 40 years old, he had help blowing out the candles. 

Happy 40th Brian*!!!!

* and David!

MadLibs with a 6 year old

are awesome!

And yes, it is from the limited edition Napoleon Dynamite Book. 

Precocious Art Critic?

Erin (getting ready to do an art project):  What can I draw you?  I can draw people!
Brian: Draw me the Mona Lisa.
E: What does she look like?
B (looks up the picture on his phone): There!
E: Wow. Why is she smiling?
B: …….  !

"Take 10 Interesting Pictures"

We have an "I'm Bored" jar - a jar with about 50 little slips of paper with different activities on them.  If any kid says, "Mom, I'm bored." she gets to pick out a slip and has to do the thing on that.  Some are chores, like "help fold laundry" some are fun like "do hopscotch outside".

This morning Erin was bored and got the "Take 10 Interesting Pictures" assignment.  Here they are:

Girls with Power Tools

For the first time, our school's girl scout troops get to do their own pinewood derby. Look it up. It's cool.  Because (a) girls are good at design (b) girls are good at using tools and (c) girls are good at applying physics concepts. 

Erin learned how to use a sawzall:

Chiseling: 

Belt sanding (not shown) and other cool stuff. 

Robin was content to color her block rather than shape:

And then gave us all a riveting rendition of the "Roses are Red" poem, beat-poet style. 

I love Girl Scouts!

Kid Date Night

Erin and Brian went to the Daughter Dance at her school:

Robin and I went to the Hofbrau for some corned beef and hot dogs. 

Fun was had by all. 

Wrestling Rules

Translation:
This is just for people over 1 year old
All wrestlers must have undies on.
No jewelry while wrestling.
Play gently!
and have fun!

The Loot

In the envelope was a few postcards from his bookstore, a CD of children's songs, a DVD of 3 of his stories in animated form, a flier on "The Dot Day" and a personalized and hand-watercolored thank you:

We are off to find other authors asking for snail mail!!!!!

He Wrote Back!!!!

A couple weeks ago, Erin wanted to show us some interactive art thingie she did in her class that was based on Peter H. Reynold's book "Ish".  We browsed his website and came across this in the Contact section:

Snail Mail

I actually love snail mail... so feel free to send me a note the old fashioned way at:

c/o The Blue Bunny
577 High St.
Dedham, MA 02026 USA

Robin set down and wrote out a "letter" to him consisting of a few pictures, and probably the word "Butterfly" which she is currently fond of writing.  We sealed it up, popped it in the mail.  I put a little note on the back envelope that it was from a fan, "Robin, age 3" and briefly described the drawings she did.

LOOK WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!!  I'm so curious to know what's inside.  We will have to browse other authors' websites for similar invitations to communicate. 

Snuggly Saturday Morning

Gains by Barter

Lately the girls and I have been bartering for things.  I have a small box on my dresser with interesting odds and ends -  mostly little broken pieces of fun jewelry that I'll never get around to fixing.  I don't remember who came up with it, but we have been "trading" for things in that box for awhile now.

Tonight we took it up a notch.

I have bags full of costume jewelry, trinkets, and fun stuff I've collected literally my entire life.  I brought out one bag and asked who wanted to trade.  I got this:

In exchange for things like this: (note that most of the "good" stuff - rhinestone necklaces, anything bearing a heart - had already been swapped)

When the girls ran out of things to trade, they made me pictures and cards.  This one was by Robin, and shows a Shark (the twisted thing) about to eat a fish (the bubbly thing) and the caption is "SHARK!"

Totally worth it.

Girls Day!

1. Erin sewed two dresses for her barbie dolls. 

2. We took a bike ride and found an awesome leaf pile. 

3. We went to the trampoline place and jumped for an hour.

4. We went to the Orinda Community Park and played. 

5. We watched a wood-working show. 

Can't wait for the next Girls Day. 

LIfe, the Universe, and Everything

Tonight's discussion hovered around the new supernova discovered in the galaxy M82.  

So, of course we discussed what a galaxy is, what it is made one - planets, stars, black holes, etc. 

Erin: A galaxy is where, like where we live, goes around and around, all the away down to the center, and that's where the black hole is. 

Robin: MOOOOMMM!!! DAAAAD!  When are WE going to see a black hole ?!?!?!?!?!?!