May 19 - Officially Three Today

news you can use:  erynn and daddy were playing hide and seek.  erynn tripped over her blankie and fell straight into the side of the bed frame.  thus, you will see a bruised and very swollen cheek in all the pictures today.

news you can use:  erynn has "graduated" from her current therapy services because she is three.  she was evaluated by the school district and selected to participate in a special pre-school program at the grade school by our home.  we are currently searching for a new feeding therapist.

e: today is my birthday.  everyone in my family took the day off from work and school and whatever to do erynn-ey things. 

we went to my school to meet my teachers.  i love school.  i have two new books and a name tag.  i love school.  we played with toys and numbers and cooking and art and trucks and dolls and blocks and beads.  i love school. 

then we went home to have lunch and there were presents for erynn piled on the kitchen table.

a castle for the birthday princess . . .

and an ariel swimsuit and coverup.

it was a bright sunny morning.  after lunch we headed to the park when it became a cold rainy day, so we went to the train store to play with their trains.  then we went to another toy store to play with their toys.  then we went to the "quarter store" to ride the rides.  we stopped and got french fries for a snack.  we had to take the fries home because they were too hot.

hold it. wait a minute.  (whistle)  what is that on my high chair? 

a birthday cupcake and presents from grandma and grandpa.

i blew out the candles and opened the presents and ate the cake in (um) roughly that order.

tip: if you don't like to get frosting on your fingers, then turn your cake upside down to eat it.

after, my birthday cake, i took a nap so that i could be a happy princess.  i woke up from my nap and played for a little while.  and then, we watched beauty and the beast.  and i played belle, too.

a special thank you to my friends and family who celebrated my birthday on other days.  you were wonderful.  i loved to wake up every day to find out who was coming. and, i didn't get overwhelmed and cranky.

e

May 11 - The Beach, The Beach, We're Going to the Beach

in our family, any day is a good day to go to the beach.  you always wear shorts and sandals to the beach.  and you must dip your toes in the water. 

even if it's windy and chilly outside.  (note to visitors:  always bring your blankie with you . . .)

(and a spare set of jammies that you don't mind being photographed or seen in public in.)

because you never when that perfect picture will happen.

e

May 10 - Monday and Monnight

we went to the kid's cove at the big shopping mall to play and climb around lots of loud crazy kids.  i don't know why but mommy probably thought it would be good for me.

the children were not very polite and ran into me a bunch of times.  i didn't know what to do.

i climbed off the ferry.  and went up and then down the rock slide.  it was a little scary for me.  i love it when mommy catches me.

i rode a baby pelican and ran around the lighthouse until everyone was following me. 

then, for family night, we played Blues' Clues and gg took pictures.

can you tell it was time for daddy and erynn to go to bed?

e

May 9 - Mothers' Day and Children at Play

after a very nice mothers' day at church, i took mommy and gg and daddy to the music garden.

we played our family song, mary had a little lamb. we all played it at the same time.  we are good. 

we tried to play twinkle, twinkle but they didn't have all the notes at the garden.

i found a bear sleeping in the garden. 

we went to family dinner.  jeremy is going to cooking school and he made 4 types of salmon for everyone and chicken for the anti-fish.  they say it was delicious.  it looked very pretty.

then we went outside to watch my cousins play pickle ball.  this is daddy and mommy and me and uncle kevin.

this is Michael, Aunt Inge, Jenny and MacKenzie. 

this is Ian, MacKenzie, Steven and Aunt Inge. 

this is Ian and Jeremy.

And this is me blowing dandelions with Inge.

anyone who wasn't an uncle or aunt or mommy or daddy or me is my cousin.  we get very confused in our family and forget who is cousins to whom.  the kelly cousins from oldest to youngest are michael and jen, sean and sean's katie (in SF), steven and mackenzie, ian, jeremy then erynn.

better late than never.
e

May 8 - See Me, I'm Almost Three

today is my day again.  i am having a little gg birthday party at "gate park".  i am so grown up you can see me do all sorts of things i didn't do before.

see me scooch and go down the slide with no hands . . .

see me swing higher and higher and faster and faster . . .

see me climb tall steps by myself . . .

see me climb a "rock" wall for the first time ever . . .

see me give good directions . . .

see me tell my puppy to "speak".

see you . . . soon.

e.

May 7 - Friday Afternoon - It's Garage Sale Time

hurry up gg.  it's time to go garage sale with mommy.  mommy shops and we play with toys.  if we are very careful and play very nicely, mommy might bring the toy home with us.  you better play very nicely gg.  i am counting on you.

i'm sad.  we didn't bring home the toys.  gg, what happened?  i need a park.

gg:  oh mommy, please please stop at a park and help our little girl be happy.

erynn feels happy now.

e.

editor's note:  the true story is that erynn thought we were going to a park the moment we left home.  gg couldn't go through another hour of erynn asking "where's the park?"  and, in case you wanted to know:

10 pieces of wooden train track, 4 play doh cookie cutters, 1 little people grandpa and a wierd block for gak  = 25 cents.  15 rolls of wrapping paper (5 unopened at all) , 5 packages of tissue paper and enough labels to last a lifetime of Christmases = 5 dollars 

May 6 - The "Shark" Park

i am a very silly little girl and very lucky, too.  today is my day to choose what to do.  gg is visiting, so i must take her to music.  i must, i must.  hey, look down, i found music.

apple, peach or pumpkin pie, who's not ready holler i ?  ready or not here i come . . .

mommy, where are you ?  are you hiding from me ?

do you know where mommy is ?

mommy:  Surprise, Erynn !!!!!!!  

(squealls of glee)

time to sing my favorite song.  blow the man down, blow the man down, yo-ho blow the man down.

what could be better than the shark park and singing?  the shark park and singing and a scooter . . .

and a photographer that takes hugs for payment :)

gg:  erynn, i saw a whale and a dragon, but no sharks.  where's the shark?

i told you i was a very silly little girl.

e