Little Horsey Ride

Documented at Caleb's Birthday party, November 5 2011.

Not old, not a cowhand, nowhere near the Rio Grande.

But certainly enjoying the company.

Thanks, Caleb!

Five Years Old

Now you are Five.
These years now have some meaning to you, as well as the party and recognition and happiness for you from everyone around. You revel in this.
This morning you were sure that you were taller than before, the bathroom sink now coming only up to your tummy instead of at your chest, and you saw more of your beautiful self in the mirror above it.
We see more of you too, every day.
You become more Yourself with every Question you now relish asking us, about The Great China Wall or Dinosaurs and Their Demise.
We revel in your Olivianess.
Even your brother and sister enjoy you more, and you them. You all played together on the porch and attic and bedroom numerous times over this weekend after your birthday, and they seem to take your "direction" for them with reasonable joy in the play and pleasing you. Henry imitates almost everything you say, and you don't notice yet but this will annoy you greatly in a few more years.
You had a party over the weekend with quite a few of your Apple Tree school friends, past and present, at the Iowa City Gymnest, and you all ran and bounced and yelled and laughed for quite a while, swallowed some cupcakes, then returned to the mats and tramps and foam block pit. You were more brave than I thought you might be, and I was very proud of you for having the fun you wanted to have and not being afraid of it. The party included both sets of grandparents and Aunt Margo and your cousins Spencer and Irelynn too. Your mother and I spoke to each other on Sunday evening, after all had left and you kids were asleep, about how happy we are that you have such regular contact and familiarity with so much of your extended family. This is very important to us and we are regularly thankful for all of their presence in your life.
When I asked you, you weren't sure what this coming year would hold, what you might learn or teach or do or practice. You were pretty sure you wouldn't be driving a real car and that you would be going to kindergarten, but this was as much as you would venture. I hope for at least both of these things for you too.
I love you very very much, my big/little LaLa.
Daddy

Olivia and Her Dad

These three photos probably capture our relationship as well as can be expected. Enjoy. I do.

Such a Small Change to Look So Different

Olivia got a haircut, and I told her she could have anything done to it she wanted - curled, braids, straightened. She picked the last. Interesting difference in her look. I think she liked it, but not enough to ever work on it again.

Interlude, before returning to Disney Description

These were pictures taken by Olivia of herself in the back on the car on a ride with Mommy.
So intent. So unlike her usual electricity. Yet, funny.
I don't know when it happened, but she is able to actually run now. Not so much side-to-side, more lifting of knees, pushing off with feet and kicking back. Faster, more confident, still laughing.
She is no better at hide-and-seek, though. Laughs uproariously from wherever she has encamped as soon as you "wonder where she could be". Explodes forth after 3 seconds to start again. Joy in repetition.

Travels

Two firsts for Olivia on June 21:

First Airplane Ride (Cedar Rapids to Chicago, then Orlando), and First Boat Ride (from our Saratoga Springs Disney resort to Downtown Disney).

Wide open enjoyment.

Dis-a-ney

Just the start of some photos and description of Olivia's highlight of the summer: her trip to DisneyWorld, June 21-25, with Oma, Opa, Daddy's siblings and her cousins. She made Disney into a 3-syllable word for the 3-4 months of build-up to the event.

The first night in Florida, to celebrate Oma and Opa's 45th Anniversary, we all had a wonderful dinner at Wolfgang Puck's in Downtown Disney, and Olivia tried using chopsticks. On a big piece of bread. Pretty good for a first time. Easier than rice.

Typical Conversation

From the back seat of the car, on the way to school in the morning, any day in the last month:

"Um, Dad, um, Daddy...um, can you, mmm, did you, um.....is there a thing, ummm....Dad?"

"Yes Honey?"

"Did you, um....did, um, um....."

"Say it out loud so I can hear you, Honey."

"Um......Dad....um, did you ever, um....did you.....Can you tell me about Ancient China?"

"Well.... it is a country far away from..."
"I mean, um, can you tell me a story about a Disney Princess?"

Her thoughts skip and jump like her ever-longer legs, carrying this lithe little body and personality along through a day filled with interesting people and stories and future plans. She is absolutely delightful...when she pays even a little bit of attention to what she is actually doing. And quite nice, though thoroughly frustrating, all the other times too.

Nice Big Sister, Circus Big Sister

Olivia can be kind to her siblings, as well as frighten them.
To be fair, she asked me to draw a princess on her tummy, of course.
The moustache was my idea.

Swimming Lesson, Her Perspective

This is a picture of her swimming lesson that Olivia drew the next day.
"This is me getting into the water."

Just swimmingly

Olivia started swimming lessons tonight. She was very excited for the last few days, and the half hour lesson went very very well. We are so proud of her. She was happy excited throughout and had a little difficulty floating on her back with her teacher holding her up, but though she sputtered and arced back up to sitting, she never stopped smiling. Each of the 4 kids in her lesson group took turns being held up to swim their arms around, then held up to kick on their stomachs, then back floating, then jumping in to a little deeper water, then chasing after some thrown rings and toys to get more comfortable with depth. They would occasionally stand in a circle in the water and swim their arms through the water.
I watched her the entire time, held my wife's hand, and remembered moments of her pregnancy. I smiled and waved back every single time she looked over at us, but she only did a few times. Which is very good, that she was so involved and attentive and not seeking out Dad or Mom's approval. Maybe she knows she has it? I hope so. I love to watch her bounce up and down when she is excited, and raise her hand to answer a question in the water, even though I couldn't hear what was asked and there were only 4 kids even being asked the question. And that, when she is through swimming and we had to go pick up her brother and sister, she is wrapped in an Iowa Swimming towel, given to her mother back in undergrad for being a swimming support cheerleader/manager - sorry honey, I can't remember the name of the role and can't describe it any better than that.

Big Curls for the Girl

When Audrey got her hair cut, Olivia did as well AND got it curled with a real curler. She loved it. Cindy never gets to do this to my hair.

Pony Presentation

On March 11, Olivia delivered a fine report on the habitat and diet of the Shetland Pony. She made a wonderful model in clay of a pony, and placed it in it's natural habitat: a field of grass and flowers, which she made by painting a cardboard packing board. Her research question was: What do ponies eat? She found out that they eat carrots, hay, oats, apples and, for a special treat, peppermints.
We are extremely proud of her scholarship, and of Olivia in general.
I cannot believe that she is four years old and delivering oral presentations to an audience of parents, teachers and her peers. And she insisted on dressing up.

Little Girl Hair

Pig tails and a barrette. I put these in. I'd do it every day, she looks so stinkin' cute.
But she usually won't have it.

Just General Antics

This was the answer to some little girl question in her head.

Popular. Music.

Last week I was trumped by my four year old daughter in popular music awareness.
She had been singing something at the dinner table that Melissa and I had a hard time understanding, but finally got out something about "Can't put a RING on it" and "All the Single Ladies!"
It is disconcerting to hear your daughter, who was a toddler in your memory just about 5 minutes ago, singing anything at all about Single Ladies. Especially at the dinner table.
Fortunately both of these lyric fragments were googlable, and returned references to the song stylings of Beyonce. When we asked her, she divulged that it came from a CD at school called Kidz Bop, the website for which described said remakes as cleaned-up songs re-sung by kids (FUBU?). Of course I knew OF Beyonce Knowles, but was completely unaware of this song, which turns out to be years old and already parodied on SNL. And she also likes to sing this Train song too called Soul Sister, but I'm not all that ashamed that I didn't know this one.

I write as an embarrassed father. Already old, unhip and hopelessly behind the times, and could you please turn that crap down already? I can't hear myself think.
C'mon, really? I'm already behind at four? I really didn't see this coming. And I'm starting to really question my assumption that someday she will think my old Zeppelin, Beatles and Dylan are really great. Or really Easy Listening.
Well, Wheel of Fortune is over, so there's nothing left but to pop my dentures out and hit the hay. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.

Church

Olivia has been going to Sunday School fairly regularly now, as freedom from illness or travel has allowed her a month or so of Sundays in her own bed and schedule.
She really seems to like the singing and class experience of Sunday School, and I've gotten to sit in with the class a couple times to verify that she is very verbally involved and interested.
This and her great-grandmother's funeral a few months ago lead to lots of interesting statements and questions. About God and heaven and what we do with peoples' bodies when they die and where their spirits go. And how did David kill Goliath with a little rock and what is a sling anyway? Today she told me that Oma was not crying for Great Grandma any more because she is up in heaven. And I told her that was true and that she could ask Oma about that anytime she wants to; talk to her about how she feels and what Great Grandma means to her. Told her that Oma would be be happy to talk about that anytime.
She sat on my lap for the sermon in church today, and defied my warning that Pastor Mark is going to talk for a while now and that he might say some things that she won't understand. She would regularly lean back and whisper in my ear things like "that means that Jesus is trapping people in a net" as Mark was discussing aspects of Matthew's verses of James and John leaving Zebedee and their nets to join Jesus on the shores of Galilee. Right she was.