In Bloom

FINALLY: We got some sun today. Not ALL day mind you. Not even most of the day. But for about 2 hours this afternoon, we did get some sun. And so, we went for (gasp!) a run/ride. Remember that? I barely do. It feels like it's been forever since Christian and I trudged alongside CJ and Bee on their bikes.

As an aside, Kirby may have met her future husband at the park next to Lawton Elementary today. We met a young male Havanese (Manny) and his owner. He was very cute - longer, whiter hair than Kirby. We may have the two get together in the future. We'll see. ...

IN REVIEW: Man oh man did we enjoy the Moisture Festival last night. From the first act, Rob Lok, who was dancing, jumping rope and more while wearing 6-foot high stilts, to the final curtain it was wildly entertaining. We saw Dr. Guy Lafitte, who is described as an entertainer, gambler, teller of tales, living historian, magician and bartender. He was an interesting fusion of all of the above. Wearing a tutu most of the time, Frank Oliver did impressive and hysterical unicycle ballet. At the end of his act he climbed aboard a 6-plus foot unicycle and played the national anthem on electric guitar, a la Jimi Hendrix. Crazy good! Annabelle, especially, enjoyed aerialist Helena Reynolds. I wouldn't be surprised if Bee asks to attend one of Seattle's 'circus arts' schools soon. John Carney was absolutely HYSTERICAL. He performed in the character of Mr. Mysto, and while comedy was a big part of his act, he was a damn fine magician, too. At one point he "channeled" Van Gogh, and the ghost of Van Gogh drew a self portrait with a floating pen. Mysto then signed and gave the portrait to Annabelle (we were sitting in the front row). The kids were so thrilled to have that as a souvenir. Nate Cooper's act was entirely on roller skates. He had his character (a flirtatious, clumsy, temperamental drunk) was very well developed. The crowd loved him. Sunga Rose played ukulele and sang some delightful songs from the 1920s and '30s, including the The Cod Fish Ball, which was an audience singalong. The house band,Doc Sprinsock and the SANCApators, was wonderful. The only performer that had us going, "Um, hmm?" was a man who bills himself as human jazz.

SYNAPSES AND SUCH: Our reading and science for the day came courtesy of a book called "You've Got Nerve." Apparently it's part of a series - "The Gross and Goofy Body." The layout and graphics are great. It packed a lot of info in its nearly 50 pages, and the kids were engaged for its duration. I had previewed it and since I knew it started out, with the words "A grapefruit," I had a couple of grapefruit ready for the kids to balance on noggins and mull over the fact that their brains are about the size of a large grapefruit.

We stopped several times throughout the book for sidebars to discuss what we'd read. For instance, when we read bout the pons, we learned that its job is sorting through messages entering the brain and filtering out unpleasant ones. Like, think about how your socks feel on your feet right now. OK, fine. But be glad that although you could feel that all the time, if your pons is working properly, you don't have to deal with thinking about them all the time. I told the kids, "Imagine if you were constantly thinking. 'Socks, socks! I'm wearing socks! They're cotton socks. Cozy. Socks. Love my socks!' " If that were the case, your brain wouldn't be able to think about important stuff, like that bus coming your way, etc. They thought that was hysterical.

PRETZEL & PC: I just had to take a picture of Annabelle at the computer this a.m. It was like she was doing yoga while computing.

BOXING DAY: I do believe I've mentioned on these pages that Annabelle loves cardboard boxes. Big, small and everything in between, she loves making things out of them. Today, CJ got in on the act. While it wasn't his idea, he willingly donned the helmet Bee made him. :) I think my favorite part is the scribbled out smile in the nose area, when Annabelle struck upon the idea of using the box flaps to extend the helmet to his chest. I love her explanatory sign, too. :)

CJ saw the practical nature of the robo helmet, saying, "I'm wearing this box just in care there are any injuries coming up."

Smart boy. ;)

GENTLE REMINDER: Please vote for "Sesame Peeps" in the Seattle Times contest, once every 24 hours for the next week-ish. There's a link right here on this page - look for the Peeps pic to the right!