Happy Birthday to Allison!

Apparently there's someone very scary over there.

Tower, school and peaches

Nicole was proud of her building, so we took pictures from all angles before Allison knocked it down.

First day of school last week!  She loves it.

Nicole woke up frequently last night due to a cough, and this morning, she said her throat hurt, and her voice was hoarse, so we made her stay home and rest.  She hurriedly put on her uniform before Daddy left for work (he normally drops her off) and tearfully begged, hands pleading, to let her go to school today.  It was a bit heartbreaking, but Daddy taught her about children who are sick all the time who can't do what they would like to do, and hopefully that gave her some perspective.

 

Delicious breakfast.

Homemade whole wheat waffle toasted with peanut butter, topped with Vermont maple syrup and fresh local peaches from the Farmer's Market, and cream.  I highly recommend.  It was exquisite.

Like me and you

One of Nicole's favorite songs is Raffi's, "Like Me and You," because it has the name of one of her cousins:

Janet lives in England, Pierre lives in France
Bonnie lives in Canada
Ahmed lives in Egypt, Moshe lives in Israel
Bruce lives in Australia

Ching lives in China, Olga lives in Russia
Ingrid lives in Germany
Gita lives in India, Pablo lives in Spain
José lives in Colombia

Chorus:
And each one is much like another
A child of a mother and a father
A very special son or daughter
A lot like me and you

Koji lives in Japan, Nina lives in Chile
Farida lives in Pakistan
Zosia lives in Poland, Manuel lives in Brazil
Maria lives in Italy

Kofi lives in Ghana, Rahim lives in Iran,
Rosa lives in Paraguay
And Meja lives in Kenya, Dimitri lives in Greece,
And Sue lives in America

Repeat Chorus


Well, Nicole was listening to this song a few minutes ago, and came to me crying with an unhappy frown and big, tearful eyes.  I asked her why she was sad.  Apparently remembering some of her education from me (I've taught her on occasion that some children don't have parents, or aren't treated well, and some children have poor living situations), she squeaked out that she was crying about the children in the song "because how their feelings are hurt and how they live."

While I don't want to burden a five-year-old with the problems of the world, I do want her to cultivate compassion and empathy, especially as she grows older.  I hugged her, and then told her that's one reason I want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I believe that the gospel gives people and families tools to become better parents and individuals; it reminds us to value compassion; it teaches us to serve others; and it helps connect people to others to receive help.  I told her that her uncle is serving a mission in Costa Rica, and that he's helping some people who may need help.  I told her there are people in Utah that she can help.  If there are people with "hurt feelings," she can be kind to them and be friends with them.  We talked about ways we can help people in Utah, and about considering the feelings of our family members as well.

Nicole reported later that sharing helped her feel much better.

Birthday cake, aircrafts and melons

We celebrated Daddy's birthday this month.  Nicole and I had lots of fun making his Oreo cookie birthday cake together.

Nicole will start school in a week.  She is so excited!!!!  (The four exclamation points are absolutely necessary to convey her level of excitement.)  In the meantime, she continues to produce an endless slideshow of pictures, writing, and "books," which she has me staple together.  Below are some examples.

You will often find Allie sitting and bouncing on her knees.  She loves to play with Nicole and explore new places - such as the indoor playground we visited, where she wandered far away from me - as well as new things - such as these melons, which she took an interest in.

Daddy's birthday cake.  You might notice the progression of bananas in the background.  I'll have you know those made three batches of delicious banana bread.

Regular cake and ice cream cake

This is an otter that Nicole drew about a month ago.  Nicole confessed to me that she didn't know how to draw an otter.  Maybe I'll give some sort of guidance next time by at least providing a picture, or something.  I think it's cute that it looks more like a rocket ship.

An airplane.  She had an elaborate description that I don't remember.

A picture that Nicole drew for her friend.  I'm a little disturbed about the implied upcoming events.

The elusive remote

Our Allie cat finally gets the remote control that we're always zealously guarding from her...

Snapshots from the past two months

It's not what you think

Family hike

Family hike

Rolling on Daddy

Sleeping and hiking

Family reunion hike

Cousins

The stocks

Playroom at the reunion

Kids games

Cardboard canoe at Grandma's house

Being pulled back and forth between Aunt and Grandma

Allison enjoyed it

She also enjoyed being dragged around the kitchen on a towel by Nicole

Chillin' in the swing