Audrey as Unicorn

She thinks that the word for barrettes and other hair-ornaments is "nice," which she says in a drawling southern way that makes Scott extremely happy-- same way she says "rice."

I used to think it was so idiotic that anyone would give a little girl horn ponytails like this, but I didn't realize that the hair just sticks straight up like that because it's short, fine baby hair. Put that on my plate of other things I need to eat.

Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!

When she was so sick and miserable last week we thought we'd never see her sweet side again.

Nice to have you back, Chickpea.

Fists of Rage

We have tried and tried to get Audrey to do her "fists of rage" for the camera; the above is not her best rendition but you'll get the general idea. A few months ago she began balling up her fists and roaring when frustrated, and now we are able to get her to do this on command as a kind of performance piece. That's what the video function of your digital camera is for, after all-- turning those unguarded, sweet moments with your child into over-rehearsed, cutesy theater. We hate ourselves but we can't stop.

Like so

Janna demonstrates how to use the playground climbing equipment while Audrey looks on in quiet bewilderment.

Travel Weary

Day one of our trip in Durham, NC. Audrey's temperature is way up, her temper is short enough to make her seem almost possessed, and I see a lot of the inside of our hotel room on the first day. When I took this photo I was not very hopeful about the rest of the weekend.

In the end, our weekend was mostly a good time with some serious toddler challenges thrown in. We loved Durham, spent some great time with Janna and with friends, and fretted a lot over Audrey's persistent fever and wicked bad mood. I know she's a toddler and some cantankerousness is normal, but this child was out of control. We weren't glad that she was ill, but the idea that her behavior was just her personality was such a troubling thought that it brought some peace of mind to think, "It's just because she feels so rotten that she's acting this way." We are hoping we can gently get back on track with sleeping normally and returning to her old self-- the one we know how to negotiate with.

Egg Hunt

Ruth and Bethiah very graciously re-hid some of their Easter loot so that Audrey could come over and "find" it in their living room. Back at our place she has had hours of entertainment with the plastic eggs. Ruth offered that we should make sure the Easter Bunny has our house on his delivery schedule for next year. Duly noted.

Your call is important to us... please continue to hold...

I haven't managed to capture it yet, but Audrey often walks around with not one but two "calls" carrying on rapid-fire conversations with a pocket calculator and a remote control. If it has buttons and is approximately palm-sized, it's a phone, or a "call" or a "hu-whoa?". Sometimes when she's carrying just one she tucks it between her shoulder and her ear and continues to do other stuff like working on puzzles or shredding paper napkins. I love it that we try so hard to teach her things, like how to put on her socks, and then right under our noses she's learned something like multi-tasking from us.

Relax, it's just pureed spinach

I just pulled that sweatshirt out of the washing machine and no, the stains did not come out. There is no product on the market that can deal with that kind of mess.

Scott adds, "If she needed a learner's permit to operate that spoon, she would have flunked the test."

Audrey and Alexander at the Rez

Audrey and her friend Alexander enjoy a little pre-dinner play in the twilight. We are lucky to have two playgrounds within easy walking distance, one on each side of our hill. The one pictured above is closest to us, but as you can see it's a sandy one and Audrey likes to eat sand. Not a lot, just, you know, a little handful here and there on the sly. So we kind of prefer the other playground with the surface made out of old tennis shoes. She doesn't eat those.