78 words
Oh... and here are a few pictures from this week. We were taking pictures at our Girl Scout meeting (working on our photography badge). These are my favorite (of my family. I guess I won't post other peoples' kid's pictures.)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Silly Miscellanea
I took this typing test. I get razzed a lot at work for typing so fast. I guess this confirms it.
78 words
Oh... and here are a few pictures from this week. We were taking pictures at our Girl Scout meeting (working on our photography badge). These are my favorite (of my family. I guess I won't post other peoples' kid's pictures.)
78 words
Oh... and here are a few pictures from this week. We were taking pictures at our Girl Scout meeting (working on our photography badge). These are my favorite (of my family. I guess I won't post other peoples' kid's pictures.)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Signs of spring
Hopscotch drawn on the sidewalks and driveway.
Street sweepers out cleaning up the sand and winter debris.
The orange cone out in the alley. (To warn drivers that kids are playing nearby)
Bike helmets by the back door.
Walking outside at lunch.
Motorcycles.
Going to the park after supper.
Ahhhhh.
Street sweepers out cleaning up the sand and winter debris.
The orange cone out in the alley. (To warn drivers that kids are playing nearby)
Bike helmets by the back door.
Walking outside at lunch.
Motorcycles.
Going to the park after supper.
Ahhhhh.
Monday, April 14, 2008
When I grow up...
I need to interrupt (what was going to be) continuing ramblings on vacation to record a great coversation I had with Amelia last night. She is in 4th grade.
A: "Mom. Did you take one of those tests to tell you want you wanted to be when you grow up?"
M: "Yes. But not until 10th grade."
A: "So that's high school, right"
M: "Yes. High School"
(By the way, smary pants Margaret interjects at this point "Aptitude test".)
A: "I can't decide if I want to be a musician, a veterinarian, a weather forecaster, an on-screen meteorologist, or a storm chaser when I grow up"
M: "Well, you have a lot of time to decide. Some people even change their minds after college."
A: "Well, I don't want to be a hurricane expert. That's scary."
M: "Maybe you can be a veterinarian in Kansas and be a storm chaser."
A: "Yeah. Maybe I can combine all of them. That would be a perfect job. I wonder what I would need to study in college."
and so on...
You know what I love about this conversation? The realization that just maybe I am giving my kids the gift my parents gave me. The expectation that going to college is just "how it's done." My Gram Shaler was a smart cookie.. she wished she had been able to go to college. So was Grandpa Anderson. He had a scholarship to go to college and had to turn it down because his father died and he needed to run the family farm. But all of Grandpa's children who wanted to go to college, did. That included my mom for 2 years (Luther College in Decorah!), My dad went two years to Rochester Junior College. Growing up, there was no talk other than.. "when I go to college". I didn't think much of it then, but now I realize what a gift that was. Not that you have to go to college to lead a great life, I realize that. But I'm glad that the seeds are growing in their little brains that college is the normal thing you do after high school. Makes me happy.
A: "Mom. Did you take one of those tests to tell you want you wanted to be when you grow up?"
M: "Yes. But not until 10th grade."
A: "So that's high school, right"
M: "Yes. High School"
(By the way, smary pants Margaret interjects at this point "Aptitude test".)
A: "I can't decide if I want to be a musician, a veterinarian, a weather forecaster, an on-screen meteorologist, or a storm chaser when I grow up"
M: "Well, you have a lot of time to decide. Some people even change their minds after college."
A: "Well, I don't want to be a hurricane expert. That's scary."
M: "Maybe you can be a veterinarian in Kansas and be a storm chaser."
A: "Yeah. Maybe I can combine all of them. That would be a perfect job. I wonder what I would need to study in college."
and so on...
You know what I love about this conversation? The realization that just maybe I am giving my kids the gift my parents gave me. The expectation that going to college is just "how it's done." My Gram Shaler was a smart cookie.. she wished she had been able to go to college. So was Grandpa Anderson. He had a scholarship to go to college and had to turn it down because his father died and he needed to run the family farm. But all of Grandpa's children who wanted to go to college, did. That included my mom for 2 years (Luther College in Decorah!), My dad went two years to Rochester Junior College. Growing up, there was no talk other than.. "when I go to college". I didn't think much of it then, but now I realize what a gift that was. Not that you have to go to college to lead a great life, I realize that. But I'm glad that the seeds are growing in their little brains that college is the normal thing you do after high school. Makes me happy.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Magic
"Mom, Mickey kissed me. Twice!!!"
I was frankly surprised at how much Margaret loved the "magic and fantasy" of Disneyland. I knew Amelia would get into it, but Margaret? I wasn't sure. Well, Margaret ended up being the one who loved the parade and the characters and all that.
I love this picture I took on the teacups. We were riding it during the parade and it came right by. This is a picture of Margaret waving (either to Ariel or to Mickey an Minnie). Look at her face. Glowing. So into it.
She did not, however, like the fantasy of the rides. Turns out that any ride that the line was in darkness, she would not go on. Nemo's submarine ride scared her. Even Alice in Wonderland (right next to the teacups) was not for her. She deemed it "Kind of freaky". (Well, I agree it's kind of freaky too, but in a good way) So she wouldn't go on anything except the roller coaster in ToonTown, Dumbo, the Teacups, and the Carousel. This is a kid who has been on Excalibur and High Roller at ValleyFair. This just totally amazed me.
Amelia, on the other hand, actually went on The Pirates of the Caribbean with her dad (I ended up going alone so we could do the kid swap thing). This girl won't even go on the kiddie roller coaster at ValleyFair. So I was REAL proud of her. She loved the rides like Nemo's Submarine and Alice in Wonderland. So this girl EARNED her pirate ears (which I totally love. Totally).
I was frankly surprised at how much Margaret loved the "magic and fantasy" of Disneyland. I knew Amelia would get into it, but Margaret? I wasn't sure. Well, Margaret ended up being the one who loved the parade and the characters and all that.
I love this picture I took on the teacups. We were riding it during the parade and it came right by. This is a picture of Margaret waving (either to Ariel or to Mickey an Minnie). Look at her face. Glowing. So into it.
She did not, however, like the fantasy of the rides. Turns out that any ride that the line was in darkness, she would not go on. Nemo's submarine ride scared her. Even Alice in Wonderland (right next to the teacups) was not for her. She deemed it "Kind of freaky". (Well, I agree it's kind of freaky too, but in a good way) So she wouldn't go on anything except the roller coaster in ToonTown, Dumbo, the Teacups, and the Carousel. This is a kid who has been on Excalibur and High Roller at ValleyFair. This just totally amazed me.
Amelia, on the other hand, actually went on The Pirates of the Caribbean with her dad (I ended up going alone so we could do the kid swap thing). This girl won't even go on the kiddie roller coaster at ValleyFair. So I was REAL proud of her. She loved the rides like Nemo's Submarine and Alice in Wonderland. So this girl EARNED her pirate ears (which I totally love. Totally).
Friday, April 04, 2008
OK... and here's Shamu...
In the interest of equal exposure... we had one Mickey picture, some zoo pictures... here's some SeaWorld pictures. Much more to come on all of these topics...but I'm just going through the pictures for the first time myself...
The coolest experience of my vacation...
...was not Shamu or Mickey, as wonderful as both of those experiences were.
This was...
and look for the baby up in the tree in this one...
Look close. She's real small. But I can't believe how high in the tree the little one climbed!!!
We got to the San Diego Zoo right when it opened. It was a chilly morning (for SoCal) and threatening rain. So... we walked right up to the Pandas and got to stand and watch them for as long as we wanted. No one prodding us along.
And one more cool photo. We went back several times throughout the day. Just totally cool. Really...
This was...
and look for the baby up in the tree in this one...
Look close. She's real small. But I can't believe how high in the tree the little one climbed!!!
We got to the San Diego Zoo right when it opened. It was a chilly morning (for SoCal) and threatening rain. So... we walked right up to the Pandas and got to stand and watch them for as long as we wanted. No one prodding us along.
And one more cool photo. We went back several times throughout the day. Just totally cool. Really...
Home...
Lots to tell. Will fill you in over the next few days. Glad we missed the snow earlier this week...
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