A word with Elise

Elise caught a fish!

What's going on in Elise's mind? The past few months have revealed such treasures as: "Purple purple purple," and "Look hop-hop" ("Look at the bunny!") and much more. I love knowing what's passing through my kids' minds--and usually they're eager to share, sometimes too willing, in the case of dark thoughts against their sister, for instance.

And I'm happy to say that, only a few months after the childhood development expert thought Elise should be stringing two words together, she has finally begun doing just that--and more! In fact, I imagine the little tyke would be well on her way to becoming a chatterbox if she didn't have an older sister who dominates Mommy's mind and mouth by demanding answers for, "What do helicopters do that's different from airplanes?" and "What do kittens need?" (Yes, we still occasionally brainstorm kittens' needs, and attempt to meet every single one.).

The cousins visited! And
went to the zoo with us!

But what does a nearly 2-year-old have to talk about? Purple, needing a drink, wanting to go outside, not wanting to wear shoes outside, putting Bear down for a nap, missing Daddy at work, and, of course, MOMMY (I'm flattered!).

Not only that, but the toddler demands to be taken seriously. Gone are the days when I can chalk "I want that purple lollipop" (or something similar) up to baby babble. Now, I must answer each request, even if it just about kills both of us ("No, you may not have the purple lollipop right now, let's go do a puzzle." "Waaaahhhh!"--Elise still sometimes resorts to "baby talk!").

And then there are the times when she demands to not be taken seriously. For instance, Elise's first joke, which gets repeated mercilessly and has even been taken up by her big sister at times:
Elise (pointing at Mommy and grinning): Daddy!
And we all laugh uproariously, Mommy and Daddy because we think Elise is cute and are glad she's not screaming, Kalina because she's young enough to actually think the joke is funny, and Elise because she's making all of us laugh, plus she doesn't yet possess any stigma  against laughing at her own jokes.

Purple, purple everywhere.

Elise's enunciation, as one would expect, still leaves a bit to be desired. It'd be particularly helpful if she could distinguish between "purple" and "potty" a little better. However, I give her extra credit every time she queries, mournfully, "Where did the Bear go?" (Which sounds like, "Wheah di da Bah go?") This is the most advanced sentence she uses, but she can apply it to all kinds of situations (cup, Kalina, cat, Mommy, etc.). Elise is also happy to add new words and phrases to her collection, and seems to be gaining rapidly. For instance, she can now use two adjectives in a row to describe a noun.

Perhaps best of all, Elise's growing ability to communicate has been embraced by her big sister, who, when she's in a good mood, will happily do her best to accommodate all requests, even the unreasonable ones (unless, of course, Elise is asking for the toy Kalina is currently playing with), and even advocate on her behalf.
Kalina: Mommy, Elise wants more animal crackers.
Me: She finished hers. Snacktime's over, let's go play.
Kalina: Elise, are you still hungry?
Elise: Eh! (Yes)
Kalina: Oh. What would you like to eat?
Elise: An cra. (Animal crackers)
Kalina: Mommy, Elise says she's still hungry. She'd like more animal crackers.
Me: She had lots of animal crackers, plus lots of other food. She's fine. Let's go play!
Kalina: Elise, do you really, really want more animal crackers?
Elise: Ri, ri an cra (Really really animal crackers)
Kalina: But Mommy, she really, really wants them!
Me: She'll be fine. Doesn't Lamby need a hug or something?
Elise: Waaaahhhh!

It'd be cute if it weren't counter-productive (note that Elise was perfectly content before Kalina put the idea in her mind). They do have real conversations, however, usually led by Kalina and centered on animals.

But don't let Elise's new talents fool you--she's certainly not above tantruming as an attempt to get her way. That's right--this relatively new (for us) and intense form of communication has recently come into play. I will say that I've seen far more impressive displays of emotion from other kids, but it's really fine with me if Elise doesn't excel in the screaming-fit department. And she has plenty of time (and opportunities) to practice.

When there's nothing else to say, Elise sings, which is another of my very favorite milestones. Our favorite: "Hah hah hah haah haaah haaaah." This is her version of "Happy Birthday," and she can get through the whole song, in tune, this way. Often, she'll throw in a "Mommy" or "Daddy" or "Kalina" ("Hah hah Mommmy hah hah haaaah,"), depending on the particular occasion, or how she's feeling at the time.

Now, the only challenge is to let Elise get a word in edgewise. Somehow, I think she'll find a way.

Swim lessons: a perfect 10

I can't figure out how to get my swim
lesson pics of Kalina off my phone,
so here's an equally impressive pic
of her playing sight word Bingo with
a few of her friends. Good thing our
game comes with enough cards for a
classroom! 

It has not escaped me that Kalina's introduction to swim lessons has corresponded nicely with the summer Olympics. And in fact, most competitors began their sporting pursuits when they were roughly Kalina's age. Certainly, none of us have Olympic dreams (or, realistic ones, anyway) but when Kalina took to the water nearly like a little fish (albeit a fish that's afraid of getting its nose wet), we couldn't help but notice.

As we all anticipated, Kalina would rather have stayed home and played with tiny plastic animals than venture to the unknown of swim lessons on the first day. After all, what if there was a boy teacher? There had been in the class that we watched.

Consoled by the fact that I would be sitting poolside, never to stray away, she suited up easily enough and even thanked me for her sunscreen ("Thank you, Mommy. I don't want to get a sunburn.").

Upon arrival, we scoped out a shady lawn chair so Kalina would know just where Elise and I would be sitting (my goal, of course, being to keep the little one out of the water while keeping the big one in it). Then, we found her group of teachers and breathed a sigh of relief to see that, 1.) All three were women and 2.) There were many more girls than splashy boys in the class.

As class began, I left a relatively contented Kalina scooting into the the pool with her classmates (which was conveniently the perfect depth), and not freaking out at all, unlike a certain summer camp that's all too fresh in our collective memory. Back at the lawn chair, Elise spent the first 10 minutes of this 95-degree, sunny day cuddling with me (because who doesn't want to be attached to an oven when it's 95 degrees?), the second 10 minutes eating crackers, and the third 10 minutes relaxing on the lawn chair beside me. Easy peasy.

Still waiting for the tears to begin, I watched Kalina refuse to blow bubbles in the pool, but happily work on kicking, floating and the rest. She appeared quite enthusiastic about her kickboard ride and cupped her hands mostly correctly when asked.

It had helped to be prepared. Not only had we watched a previous group of Seahorse class swimmers in their lesson a week or two before, but we'd talked to other moms and kids who'd taken swim lessons. Kalina was practically an old pro.

Afterward, Kalina decided she'd like swim lessons every day. Good thing, kiddo, because you're going back tomorrow! And the next day, and the next. And next summer, and the next, most likely.

On Tuesday morning, I kept waiting for the, "I don't think I'll be going to swim lessons today," but it never came. What's more, after practicing a bit in the bathtub, Kalina actually bubbled with the rest of the class. We were all so proud!

A small hiccup occurred when Elise needed to be taken potty in the middle of the lesson. I managed to catch Kalina's eye on the way out and quickly explain my mission, plus make it back before the end of class. No problem.

The next day, I took the girls swimming in the adjacent kiddie pool before and after the lesson. According to Kalina, I was allowed to go to the kiddie pool, and anywhere in the swimming pool area, even out to the parking lot, but I was not to drive home. I assured her we'd be nearby.

Kalina practiced her skills before and after, even "swimming" through the kiddie pool by walking along the ground with her arms. She loved it, as did her little sister who copied her movements in the shallower water and insisted she was big enough for swim lessons, too.

And so it went, through eight days of swim lessons. While the routine got a bit tiresome, Elise never attempted to put much more than the occasional finger or toe in the big pool, and Kalina showed clear improvement with her skills--which were already good to begin with. She only once mentioned that she wasn't planning to attend swim lessons that day, and was easily distracted out of it.

Kalina's favorite activity was noodle riding--when a teacher would take each kid out to practice swimming while using a noodle for support. Looked like fun to me, too. She even loved practicing without the noodle, and seemed to welcome the opportunity to float, supported. Eventually, she submitted to putting her nose in. And then we discovered that free suckers were given away on our way out to the parking lot, so those became a favorite tradition as well.


She also liked watching the bigger kids swim as we walked to our car--two levels above Seahorse had a particularly dynamic teacher. While Kalina has mentioned that she never wants to be in that class, she can't help but be fascinated. Little does she know that she will, indeed, be in that class in a couple years. And she'll do fine.

Day 7 was testing day. Despite the fact that Mommy and Kalina had both already tested each others' patience many times over that morning, Kalina's teacher mentioned that she did "really awesome." Really? My sensitive little kitten fanatic? Awesome at swimming lessons?

Day 8 proved it: Kalina received an "Excellent" rating (as opposed to a "Good, needs work" rating) on every skill on her report card. She'll be allowed to enroll in the Starfish class next summer. Where they learn to dunk their heads under water (Shh! Don't tell!).

Day 8 also had the unfortunate honor of being pirate/shark day for the littler classes. After practicing their skills, the kids were placed onto a rubber raft and floated around while a boy teacher swam around and pretended to be a shark or a pirate or both.

What happens when you take sweet Kalina and put her on an unsteady boat, then send a strange 18-year-old male roaring right up to her pretending to be a fearsome beast? The tears I'd been expecting all along finally made their appearance. Poor girl. A hysterical Kalina was consoled by a teacher, and lessons ended shortly after that. Just in time for us to be worrying about next year. ("Will there be a boy teacher?")

Not that we need rankings, but might my girl have been at least in the top two of eight or nine kids? I couldn't help but compare, just a little. I smiled sympathetically, I hope, at the mom whose girl seemed to dislike swim lessons about as much as I had expected Kalina to. Another couple of girls could already stick their heads clear under water (but their floating could use some work). Kalina had the propensity to wander off during the lesson, but overall followed the teachers well  and seemed to understand the concepts and enjoy herself.

And, of course, we aren't planning to send Kalina to the Olympics anytime soon. Pirates and sharks aside, we'd rather she'd follow her dreams of kitten farming, at least for the time being.

Ode to Purple

Elise picked out her own
outfit, from bow to toe. Yes,
even her underwear is purple.

For the past few weeks, one of the most important things in our house is not a thing. It's purple. To use an analogy, purple is to Elise lately the way kittens are to Kalina.

What, exactly, does purple mean to our family? It can make getting dressed in the morning an easy achievement or a  tricky struggle depending on whether there's any weather-appropriate purple left in Elise's closet.

Purple passes the time in stores and other patience-testing situations. We go on purple hunts everywhere--Kalina no less enthusiastically than Elise, and Mommy joining in with the relieved excitement of, "They're neither crying nor hitting each other nor demanding things I don't have/won't buy them!"

It helps us decide, easily and without contest, who gets which plate/book/crayon/you name it. Both girls can agree on one thing: the purplest one belongs to Elise.

Even the minutest touch of purple counts--if we can see it, we can celebrate it. Sometimes we have to deem shades of blue or pink to be the royal color itself, lest the little one be too disappointed to hop into her crib, for instance. 


"Would you like some yellow pepper?" I ask the girl. "Purple," she requests. "What book should we read?" "Purple." "What should we do today?" "What would you like for your birthday?" "What color of kitten would you like?" "Purple." The answer is always the same.

Purple has it's own song, composed by Elise: "Purp purp purp purp purp," etc. It's sung to celebrate the most exciting purple occasions. 

Purple is not an attribute of an object, it is the object. It's not a cup, it's a purple! It's not a sticker, it's a purple! It's the most fundamental description of anything so fortunate as to bear the color.

I'm not sure what's drawn Elise to purple. Does she consider herself royalty? It may trace back to the purple dress she wore in her spring photos a while back--for weeks after that, she'd attempt to pull it out of her closet every morning. Every time we put it on her, she'd break out into her "I'm going to be in a picture!" smile.

Or maybe Elise is just a purple person. Vibrant? Dynamic? Deep? Individualistic? Only time will tell.

There and back again: an epic family road trip

Family reunion in Iowa!

Nine days road-tripping with two small kids. What were we thinking?

Family reunion picnic!

Apparently, good things: we had a great time on our marathon journey through Iowa to Minnesota and home again. We spent time with dozens of friends and family members, tracked down a few long-lost sites and even, very uncharacteristically, slept in a few times. The kids loved it. Mommy and Daddy did too. Here are the highlights:

More family!

We began on a Saturday morning, with Grandpa following us. Spirits were high, and we needed no more than the occasional switching of carseasts into Grandpa's car to keep us happy. Elise was even too happy to nap! We arrived safely at the hotel and immediately set to racing around the hallways and jumping on the beds. Better theirs than mine, I suppose. I tried half-heartedly to calm them down but couldn't help smiling at their energy. I wondered how bedtime would work out.

Elise tolerating being held by
someone who's not Mommy
(Aunt Debbie)

Elise and Uncle Tom!

Our first activity was a kickoff for something like a family reunion. We met my aunts, uncles, cousins and more at a local restaurant. Then it was bedtime for my girls, and fireworks for everyone else (Uncle Tom + anytime close to Independence Day + an audience = fireworks, which I sorely missed!).

Catching up with family friend,
Prisiclla!

My strategy for getting Elise to be okay sleeping in a pack-and-play (and three different ones throughout the trip!) was to pretend it was the greatest thing ever. "Look, Elise, a NEW pack-and-play!" (she loves anything new). It worked, but maybe a little too well. So enchanted by her surroundings, Elise happily jabbered about them for a good 45 minutes, interspersed with the annoyed pleadings of her big sister to, "Be quiet and go to sleep, Elise!"

Matt runs a tight ship (feet on, hands
on, or you walk), but a fun
one as he entertains the kids!

Matt jumped at the excuse to hit the hay early--he headed to bed in hopes of being a calming presence. Now, the chorus I heard from my hideout in the bathroom (the only place I could have any light to read by), was, "Bibbity doh!" "Quiet, Elise!" "Shh, Kalina!" All were sleeping by 9 p.m.

Science Center in Des Moines, building
an arch! The blocks make great toddler
seats, but that doesn't get us very far!

The next day, after seeing a family friend, Priscilla, and two of her grandkids (who Matt graciously wheeled around in a luggage cart to keep them entertained in the hotel), we visited my college friend, Pat, and his wife, who were expecting a baby any day (still are, as far as I know). I'd intended on this trip to catch up with several old friends, some that I virtually have only seen on Facebook in the past 10 years--and so far, we were off to a great start. The girls cowered in fear from their over-excited beagle for an hour while the adults chatted--so, it worked well. Eventually, the dog calmed down, and so did the kiddos.

Bubbles! But when the wands started
to resemble weapons, we had to stop.

Afterward, scared off from doing naptime at my cousin's house because of a fever (and who wants to get sick on day two of a nine-day trip?) we returned to the hotel, where Matt and the kids napped and I relaxed with a good book. I wouldn't have requisitioned Matt to a dark, quiet room for two hours, but he again delighted at the opportunity for a little extra sleep.

Dominoes take serious concentration.

Then we headed out to a local park for an amazing, if humid, family picnic. The vast majority of my near relatives on my mom's side attended, and more than half engaged in a dripping game of ultimate Frisbee. Kalina and Elise both joined right in the general activities--although they'd barely met some of these extended family members, they seemed to feel right at home.

If you look closely, you can see them
on TV!

The next morning found us at the local science center, goofing off with Uncle David, Aunt Debbie, Grandpa, Uncle Tom and Angela. The highlight: when Kalina found a mini tornado exhibit and ushered us all to the safety of a cave exhibit in the vicinity. Uncle David kept wandering out, but the 4-year-old pulled him back in for his own good. No one got blown away.

Conveying food on the food
conveyor with Angela!

 Afterward, Matt happily volunteered for nap duty while I spent more time with family. And once everyone was awake, we visited an elementary school friend of mine and her two kids. By this time, Kalina and Elise, who had been enduring the, "Ew, don't lay down on the floor, it's dirty!" of public places far too long already, thoroughly enjoyed being able to stretch out at a real, nice house. Shy Kalina and shy Logan, my friend's 3 1/2-year-old daughter, hit it off and managed to construct a Duplo structure in complete silence, while Elise got hold of a pretend camera and couldn't seem to stop saying, "Cheese!"

At Jess's house.

Elise will be your friend if you offer
her a Dorito. During a picnic by
Clear Lake.

Then, another dinner with family and bedtime. On our way out of town Tuesday morning, north to Minnesota, the next day, we stopped by my friend Debbi's house to see her and meet her new baby. We further punctuated our 4 1/2-hour-journey, and in fact turned it into an 8-hour one, by stopping to see Candy, my mom's cousin; Matt's dad's family farm; and Matt's Uncle Eric. We also enjoyed the scenery--windmills, cows and corn get us all excited. The drive was a breeze.

At Matt's family's farm!
Barely pictured: bees.

Add caption

We finally arrived and Grandpa Les' and Grandma Jan's house in time for supper--and not a moment too late. The paint was still drying from their recent kitchen renovation. The girls could hardly contain their excitement, nor could Mommy at being in a clean, nice house well stocked with produce, as opposed to a hotel and restaurants. We played inside and out before putting the kids down for bed in their own rooms.

Kalina learned how to break
eggs all by herself for this
birthday cake project!

We took it easy all day Wednesday--making a birthday cake for Kalina and opening some grandparent gifts, playing outside with bubbles, a sprinkler and sidewalk chalk, reading stories and such. In the evening, we braved the heat for a campfire and smores. Crazy-delicious.

"Planting" paper flowers in her
birthday cake garden.

On Thursday, we headed to a local park, where Kalina made a new friend and Elise glued herself to a bouncy motorcycle. Vrooom! That evening, we were in for a special treat: Daddy rented a pontoon! He and Grandpa Les took a spin on it first--and spent a couple hours catching no fish whatsoever.

Happy birthday, Kalina! Again!

The rest of us picked up sandwiches and boarded as the day was beginning to cool off a bit. Initially a bit wary, Kalina got her "sea legs" with some practice. Elise preferred the driver's seat. We kept it slow, at Kalina's request, and tried to avoid any and all waves left by other boats.

Elise kept the marshmallows very safe
for us.

Soon, we'd found a nice little cove for dinner--and it wasn't long before Kalina was asking to fish. Matt agreed (a bit reluctantly only because he'd been left empty-handed). Soon, her rod was in the water--and shortly thereafter, enthusiastic Elise's new rod was, too.

Look how far back we had to sit from
this nice little fire after a 100-degree day.

And then...a bite! Elise had caught a nice, little sunfish! How big is the fish, Elise? "Biiiiiggg!" said the little girl, arms spread wide. Everyone admired and Elise carefully petted the fish before helping Daddy send it back to its home. Re-baited, the hook when back in. And then...another bite! Another sunfish! We were starting to feel bad for Kalina when...a bite! She'd caught a smallmouth bass! She proudly showed off her fish and let Elise pet it, too.

Vroom! No doubt Elise will be asking
for a motorcycle as soon as she can
say the word. We'll pretend not to
understand her as long as we can.

Boating with Grandma!

On the way back, we saw an osprey feeding a sunfish to her nest of young. Not a coincidence.

Boating with Grandma 2!

We gave Elise the wheel for a while.

Two drowsy little fishergirls hopped off the boat just as the sun was beginning to think about setting (so, around 8:00 p.m.). They slept quite well.

Elise's first fish on her new pole!

Friday morning we headed to Como Zoo, as the weather was supposed to be a bit cooler. It was not. We all melted outside, but not until we'd seen a few hardy animals and one poor seal that looked like it could use a cool drink and possibly a refrigerator to hang out in. We also checked out the amusement park so that Kalina could see what one looks like. But that was enough.

Kalina graciously letting Elise pet
her fish.

Indoors at the zoo, we took a look at some live-animal exhibits (Daddy got dragged back and forth between the snakes, as both girls have caught on that he likes them) and panted our way through some heated, humid greenhouse areas that are just lovely in the cold, snowy winter. The biggest hit was the children's play area, where Elise could play with water to her heart's content, and Kalina could feed pretend zoo animals pretend food (there is no exhibit anywhere that is more up her alley). They also planted and watered a garden with Grandma, and Elise rode on a zebra.

We weren't really supposed to be on
these giraffes, so we only had a
quick ride.

Gardening with Grandma!

Back home, we enjoyed stories, games and playtime and...frozen yogurt! We decided Kalina needed a Mommy-Grandma-Kalina outing and we headed to a new shop. It was an instant hit (not that any of us harbored much doubt).

These zoo animals were very well fed.

On Saturday morning, we packed up and faced the terrible task of wresting Kalina away from her grandparents' house. There were tears inside the car and out, and Kalina decided that life would never be happy again. However, equal amounts of granola bar and planning about when we might see Grandma and Grandpa again cheered her right up.

Not supposed to ride this,
either, but that possibly
only made it more fun.

The final leg of our trip looked back at our college days! We met Jess and Curtis, friends who we'd known from Iowa State, and their kids on campus. With five children between the two families and pretty intense heat, we took it slow: a short lap that included the famous campanile and Lake Laverne--and the swans even showed up to greet us. Soon, we were on our way to our favorite old restaurant, Hickory Park. The menu, prices and food had barely changed in the near-decade since we'd last eaten there. We celebrated with ice cream.

We will be back to this yogurt place!

That night, we stayed at our friends' house--enjoying seeing all our kids play together and, once they'd fallen asleep, playing games like we used to do on occasion a lifetime ago. It was possibly a little too much fun, however, as we stayed up a little too late since we hadn't planned for Elise waking for the next day at 4:50 a.m. But we couldn't complain: both girls had slept great the whole trip. We sleepily left for home and pulled out all the special toys we'd saved for this most wearisome leg of the journey.

Elise picked me a flower!

Kalina has been wanting to
climb a tree, and we found
the perfect one in the 

At home, we were met by Grandpa Tom, who played with the giddy children while Matt and I scurried around unpacking.







Truly a wonderful trip, and truly wonderful to be back home!

Jess, Curtis, Isaac, Lily, Cora, and our
family on the ISU campus!

Yum! Hickory Park. Elise loved sitting
next to the baby.

P.S., please forgive the awful formatting! I did my best!

Kalina at 4

Let's begin by saying that I love 3. The kitten escapades, the endless curiosity and the penchant for stories all come to mind. Learning how to do "big girl" things, showing true depth of thought and empathy, and making up songs about anything and everything. And the cute things Kalina says, and thinks, and how wonderfully little she still is. Can't she be 3 forever?

But she can't, and 4 has pleasantly surprised me by being 3, but even more so. So far, we enjoy even more complex kitten escapades, Kalina artwork that sometimes makes sense (but it's okay if it doesn't, too), invented words, silly jokes, and truly original thinking. Logic, a sense of order, and patience are all lovely traits, too.

Uncle Alan and Autn Diane visited!

During her threes, Kalina went from purely shy to jubilantly friendly, and from often frustrated to an increasingly able problem solver. She's attuned to herself--her feelings and needs--beyond her years and  openly apologizes for wrongs better than many adults. She can now actively play with other kids--and actively play without anyone. Animal caretaking is still a top priority, yet she recently left the house without an animal friend and survived--even thrived--for about the first time since she could walk.

Still sugar-sweet, Kalina cheers me up, and Elise, and Daddy, and random strangers in the grocery store, I'm quite confident. She makes me think about things I've never thought about before (and not just, "Is God allowed to run through traffic?") She's ever-loyal, and honest.

What's a cat party without matching
cat outfits?

The girl who never wanted to bother with numbers can count past 100, frequently cites a trillion, and adds a little bit. She writes her name (albeit never left to right), draws balloons, houseboats and mouse kennels, and holds rhythm better than many elementary-schoolers according to a music teacher friend of mine. She dances her own, lovely version of ballet to classical music, and teaches Elise how to do cool things like that, too. Kalina can find and name all states where friends and family members live. And she can read (a little) and spell (inventively, but well). She knows how to raise plants and baby kittens, almost always asks permission, and never runs into the street. She recently learned how to pump herself pretty high in the swing, which also required overcoming her fear of swinging high.

No, she's not the perfect person. But Kalina is nothing short of amazing.

The party table!

As you would probably guess, Kalina decided to have a kitten party to celebrate her new age. Actually, it was going to be a kitten/lamb/bunny party, but we simplified lest I have to track down party paraphernalia representing three different species. Would she rather do something special with her family? No. Would she rather go someplace fun? No. A kitten party we would have. I couldn't have been more excited.

In years past, our house has been too small for parties of almost any kind--especially with kids around. Not the case, this year. I excitedly typed, "cat party" into Google. After seeing too many pictures of cats in party hats, I changed my search to, "cat birthday party." Even worse. But...by adding "kids," I soon accessed a wealth of ideas--even improved upon since our previous cat party when Kalina turned 2.

What's not to love about
chocolate kittens?

It took only a nanosecond for me to decide we'd be providing each guest with a small (cheap) stuffed kitten at the party. After all, Kalina, who's very fond of her friends, would like nothing more than to play "kittens" with them--and offering them a free cat might be the only way to convince them to even come close to sharing her enthusiasm. After all, four-year-olds ask far too many questions to simply humor someone.

After much deliberating, I involved Kalina in almost all of the planning and preparations. She made the final decisions on which stuffed kittens to buy, she helped bake the cupcakes, and she went to the store with me to pick up balloons. After all, that's half the fun. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to see her cupcakes decorated like kittens when she awoke on birthday party morning.

I'll admit that poor Kalina was a bit confused as to when, exactly, she'd be turning 4. "Now am I 4?" she'd ask throughout the day. In truth, Matt and I hadn't quite decided--should we officially celebrate over the weekend, when he's around, or on her real birthday, two days before we were heading out of town on a giant trip? In the end, I couldn't lie to my child. So we'll end up celebrating "birthday week," hopefully to culminate in frozen yogurt at exactly 3:45 on Thursday, followed by one or two presents and any cards she receives in the mail.

But nothing could be more festive than a kitten party, in Kalina's opinion, anyway, so Saturday morning was the highest of highs. She and Elise wandered around with armfuls of balloons while Matt and I frantically put the finishing touches on the decorations, food and craft activities.

Molly, Madeline, Elise, Kalina
playing at the vet's office.

Kalina could hardly wait to welcome her guests. Soon, six small girls (including Kalina and Elise; it ended up being a small party--and we don't actually know any boys Kalina's age, by the way) were darting around the family room. That's when I brought in the kittens, in a basket.

Both of my girls had known for at least a week or two that they would be getting a kitten at Kalina's party (which Elise thought was her party, too, for her birthday, too, but no one really minded). They dove in, and the other girls followed.

Then we made beaded collars for them, complete with name tags (Kalina named her kitten Emily, and Elise named hers Meow). And kitten carriers, with stickers. The kittens all visited the vet (Kalina's had a broken leg that veterinarian Madeline mended) and the bathtub. Soon, they were in tip-top shape, and it was all pretty adorable. Elise, by the way, was an active participant in everything--from directing Grandpa in the exact specifications of her sticker-adorned cat carrier to scrubbing her kitten in the tub. I think she thinks she's 4, too.

Molly, Kalina, Madeline, Juliette.

 The kitten cupcakes were a hit, Elise sang along, in her own little way, to "Happy Birthday," and each candle was extinguished with minimal spittle. The party was perhaps quieter than some, but fun nonetheless. Kalina loved it.

The next day, after a visit from Uncle Alan and Aunt Diane, we opened family birthday presents with Kalina. We hadn't accounted for how zonked the child would be from all the activity, nor how quickly she would dive in. What resulted was that all the presents were unwrapped at record speed, and that she was really too tired to play with most of them.

However, that didn't stop her from wanting to have Daddy set up her brand new BIKE!

It was with great confidence that Kalina informed us she was ready for a big girl bike--after months of trike practice. After all, the neighbor girl, age 4, has one. And it was with a healthy measure of doubt that we actually decided to give her one for her birthday. This was followed up by extreme terror on my part as we took her for her first ride, later in the day. 

Kalina saddled up (she calls her seat the saddle--and please don't anyone tell her differently) and pushed off, apparently not knowing that she might tip over, and if she did, there would be blood. And then, with only a little help from Daddy going up a hill, she rode! A bike! All by herself! And liked it! (With training wheels, of course.)

Elise and I followed on the toddler's "new" big-girl trike as Matt walked along beside Kalina--hanging on nearly tight enough for my taste. I was glad Kalina couldn't see my face and only heard, "Wow, Kalina, all that trike practice really paid off!" rather than my silent shrieks as she pedaled too close to the curb or went a bit faster than was comfortable for me.

We worked on braking, with Matt carefully letting her approach parked vehicles while patiently (too patiently?) reminding her to brake, helping her figure out how to steer a little but not a lot, and catching her when she would've fallen over otherwise (yikes!). He cautioned her against coasting down a large hill all by herself. 

Presents!

Kalina made it all the way around the block and would've gone further if she hadn't been hot and tired. Her kitten had fun, too, in the handlebar bag.

Elise has started to insist I not push her on the trike--but before she gets anywhere with that, will have to learn to pedal. Little Meow also had fun.

Continuing on with birthday week, Kalina tried her bike again Wednesday night. We made it a couple hundred feet in tiny increments before we all walked home. Whew, for a second, I barely recognized Kalina--glad she's back!

Guess what's in the big box!

Birthday morning dawned sunny and sweet. It took Kalina a little prompting to remember the occasion, but that didn't stop her from milking it the rest of the day ("I can flush twice, Mommy, it's my birthday!" "We should have three stories, it's my birthday!"). But it was all said with a smile, and that's pretty much all I ask on a birthday. Within limits, of course.

What did Kalina want to do for her big day? Stay home and craft. With temps of 108 degree anticipated, that was fine by me. While the birthday probably wasn't the most exciting ever, that's exactly what we needed. Vacation was two days away, and we'd already had our fill of busy-ness for the week/month/season.

Elise made sure the Hello Kitty
plates were in the picture.

So we crafted. We mixed clay, and we made a pom-pom caterpillar. We also did a puzzle, ate a picnic snack in the yard, took Kalina's new umbrella for a run in the sprinkler, pretended to be squirrels gathering nuts, and whatnot, interspersed with some cleaning and other chores that needed doing before the trip. We had fish sticks for lunch, and I let Kalina get up from her "downtime" early and watch a little TV.

Then Grandpa arrived, and the true festivities began. We headed out for frozen yogurt (and to get keys made for our upcoming trip), and then back home for more low-key playtime. When Daddy got home, we opened cards and the two remaining presents.

Me, my birthday girl, and her fawn.

I'm not sure for how many birthdays I'll be getting Kalina stuffed animals, but it's become clear that a new "friend" is a sure way to light up the girl's day. We already have a million, and she plays with them all, so what's one more? At 4, she's the proud owner of a new little fawn that she named Lilac. She's in love, and this little deer, which she's essentially been asking for for a year or so, rivals the bike as the favorite present.

We had hot dogs for dinner, of course, followed by leftover kitten cupcakes (they went over as well the second time as the first).

And then we did read two stories for bedtime, and the second one twice. After all, you only turn 4 once--we have to make it special.

Happy birthday Kalina! We love you and thank God for you every day!