Stuff Thekla says

Thekla and I were outside playing during my lunch break (I’m working from home). At one point, she says “let’s play space,” so first we’re astronauts, then she’s the Sun and I’m the Earth, and then she decides that she’s Saturn.

“Saturn spins, Daddy,” she says, spinning. And then she points to her skirts twirling out and says, “and these are my rings!”

My child.

That would be a tiny square dancing dress, red cape with hood, and a black fedora with pink trim… and SOCKS WITH SANDALS!

That is my fancy kid.

Mornings in Casa de Lovely

This morning Bryan and Thekla sent me a picture

So I sent this back

We’re a happy family
We’re a happy family
We’re a happy family
Me mom and daddy

Someone is choosing their own outfits now

Of course this leads to days like this:

Little Gym kiddo

New pictures

Moving up at Little Gym

Thekla has moved from the “Funny Bugs” class (ages 2-4) up to the “Giggle Worms” class (ages 4-6). It’s a much smaller class and Thekla is no longer the tallest and oldest member.

They’re continuing to work on the same skills as the younger class, but getting more toward execution rather than just building up. So for instance they’re starting to actually do cartwheels instead of monkey jumps (put both hands down and jump your legs from one side to the other) — run up and hand and foot placement so far, presumably straight legs and arms later. They’re also doing a lot more on the beam without assistance, and working toward doing a pullover on the bar.

This first video is of the beam station. Thekla walks across the high beam without being supported (granted, they had the beam width extender on it), and then on the low beam starts doing dip steps without anybody telling her to:

And then the teacher pulled the springboard out so they could do a vault up onto the block:

Four.

I took the kiddo in for her four year appointment, she’s 40.25 inches tall and 36 pounds. It means we are cruising up on the weight limit on her five point straps on her child seat and will get to convert to the seat belt over the seat. It is always a little, panic inducing, to hit the visible height and weight limits on things, knowing that I can’t pretend she isn’t getting older and bigger.

Bryan has been doing reading words with her, and we both read to her all the time. She found a book in her closet that she had left there and on her own she sounded out ‘Silly’ in the title. I guess Bryan had mentioned that she was sounding out words, but it was the first time of seeing her doing it on my own.

She’s an amazing kid, but she has been hard lately. She is pushing buttons, arguing, lots of tantrums. My thought is that she has had a huge developmental leap, and now it’s just push all the boundaries o’clock.

She’s been singing, dancing, drawing and pretending all the time. I do everything I can to foster her creativity.

She’s amazing and wonderful, yet sometimes horrible and whiny,

and I love her just the way she is..

Cause she’s mine.

My little girl being adorable

Thekla and her old man

They love each other so very much. It scares me a little that Leo is 18, but he is healthy and hale. And he is certainly spending his autumn years surrounded by love.