After an afternoon of biking...
Sleeping
the girl
Cycling Afternoon
A new bike, sized right, a quiet cul-de-sac, and an experienced friend who's a wheel-radius ahead in cycling development make for an afternoon of colossal advances in biking. The radius ahead, however, was often a radius to the right, to the left, a radius behind.
Much to the Girl's consternation. Five year olds together, best friends, are often like an old married couple: constantly arguing, but inseparable.
Delicate Work
The Girls
My girls.
A Walk in the Park
After a day spent indoors, we were all in need of some motion outside. A damp, gray sky and cold air conspired to keep us inside -- we all are fighting illness in one stage or another -- but the promise of a warming walk won out.
We headed downtown, to Falls Park, with its cantilevered bridge and short, riverside paths. It had been months -- probably over a year -- since we'd been to that particular park, and it seemed there was a new attraction there: an entire fleet of bench swings.
And the Girl made a valiant effort to swing on every single one.
The swings certainly weren't the only attraction. There was a fascinating tangle of roots,
several dozen rocks begging to be tossed into the swift current,
and an alligator that sneaked up on Mama and almost gobbled her up for a late afternoon snack.
Eventually, everyone needs a late afternoon snack, though.
Rainy Day Play
Rainy days require umbrellas to check the mail -- whichever umbrella one can find.
And rain days require inventive play.
Working the Puzzle
The Girl has a little marble and maze puzzle (maybe "ball bearing and maze" is a better description) that involves manipulating the plane of the puzzle so that the ball bearing roles through the maze. Nothing new: we all had one growing up. She's developed an unorthodox method of solving it, though: she simply shakes it until the bearing gradually crawls to the center.
K decided it was time to teach her how to do it properly.
The results were amusing for both.
Afternoon Playing
Afternoon Playing, a set on Flickr.
We set the camera up and let the pictures tell the story.
Via Flickr:
The Girl and I spend a day out of school together.
L with Papa
Counting Up Costs
When I was a kid, there was once a toy backhoe that I saw in a department stores -- I believe it was Sears back when Sears mattered -- that I wanted so badly I could think of nothing else at times. Every single time we were in the store, I had to head over to the toy department and look at it, handle it, play with it as much as was possible in its wrapping.
I can only imagine my torture if someone in my class had said backhoe, brought it to school, and wouldn't allow me to touch it.
The Girl finds herself in a similar situation. Of course it's not a backhoe; it's a Barbie camper. And she did have the awful situation of being able to see but not touch, of being able to watch someone play with it but not join in.
And so she decided there's only one way to solve the problem, given the fact that the answer to the questino, "Mama, Tata, can you buy me..." was "No."
Check the piggie bank and see how much she was short.