Julia and Max

The Tillman's came over last night and provided us with a delicious casserole and entertainment. One thing we commented on is how much Max has become accustomed to all the girls--Julia in particular. They have found new friends in one another.

Here they are playing on the slide together. By the time I got outside with the camera, they were beginning to brawl a bit. Max wanted to go down the slide, and Julia wanted to go up. They soon found that those two plans were mutually exclusive. Max took matters into his own hands and tried pushing her down. Good for him; she knows better (her smile shows that she knows exactly what she is doing).

















This second shot is of them playing on our mini play structure. They were getting along pretty well by this time. They were only on it for about 5 minutes, so there wasn't much time for chaos to break out.

















I took this last shot at the end of the evening. Julia was brushing her teeth, and Max wanted in on the action. They played this way for over five minutes and only stopped once I had my fill of pictures and ushered them out.

















The big question now is whether or not love is in the air. Will we look back on these photos in eighteen years and say, 'Ah, we always knew they'd end up together," or will we say, "We had such high hopes! Why did Max have to join that Coptic monastery in Egypt and leave his betrothed heartbroken?"

Wrapping up the poultry scene

The only chicken that didn't flee the girls was a chicken that couldn't. She was crippled, making her Prime Target # 1 for the girls affections.

Kate was gentle enough, but Julia had a mischievous gleam in her eye the entire time. I did what I could to shield the hen from too much toddler attention, but I'm sure the bird had night mares that night.

When the chickens turned out to be too, well, chicken, Julia turned her attention to some larger birds. Geese. These water fowl, unlike their smaller cousins, were fully willing to take her on.

This photo is misleading - the geese are posturing and hissing at Julia. I had to intervene - this time on Julia's behalf. I doubt she would have faired well against those beaks and buffeting wings.

Life Lessons

Some friends of ours own a ranch, complete with yard full of chickens. We took our girls in there to give them a taste of farm life, and all three loved it. Julia, in particular, loved the chickens.

Here she is observing the chickens being fed. Hmm. Chickens so close...what's a two-year-old to do?






Then it dawns on her. Can't you see the delight on her face?


















She must chase them, of course. No creature on earth reacts to a good chase as well as a chicken. But Julia didn't just chase them, she terrorized them (as seen in her menacing arm-raising).


















But guess what happens when you chase chickens, Julia? They soon realize, with even their minimal intelligence, to stay clear of you.

Here she stands, looking around the now empty chicken yard, wondering where her toys have gotten off to.

Julia, you will find that people behave in much the same way. The more you chase them, especially with arms raised, the less likely they are to hang out with you. Take this as a lesson learned.

Wheat-surfin' USA

I rarely do posts on me, but today seemed a good day to be narcissistic and to show what a cool wheat-surfer I am. That's right, I'm being towed behind a quad while standing on a suped-up skateboard.

It was a lot of fun. This was my first time ever trying something like this, and I took to it like a fish out of water. I spent far more time on my hands and knees than I did on the board. I guess I'm not that cool (no suprise), but I had my half a minute of glory here, so back off.

A Reminder

Last night was a very rough night with Julia -- I am running on only a few hours sleep right now. So, the purpose of this post is to remind me of why I'll keep her.

This first photo is of her fully decked out and ready for a night on the town. She's donned her tinkerbell dress (a bit oversized, but that's stylish), a sun hat, a mismatched pair of shoes, and, of course, a mirror for touch ups. And just so you know, this get-up was chosen by her - we had no influence, eventhough it looks like something I might concoct in my ignorance. But on her it's just plain cute.

This last photo is of her wearing her beloved bucket as a hat. She loves to wear this thing and it makes her look like a capuchin monkey. Annie and I even have her clap her hands together like she's holding a pair of cymbals. Sure enough, she transforms into the spitting image of monkey on a leash tied to an organ-grinder.

OK, I think I'll keep her. For now. But a few more nights like last night, and ...

Quiet Time

Though the twins just turned four, they still enjoy the occassional nap (don't we all). We've found, though, that if we change the name 'nap time' into 'quiet time' they are much more likely to comply and lay down.

Here is Genna after several hours of 'quiet time' - which evidently involved reading every Curious George book ever written and snuggling with a pair of beanie baby cats. I think we need to further train her on the proper usage of pillows. She seems to prefer to lie on them with her whole body rather than just with her head. We have so much to teach them that pillow-use has been relegated to second-tier priority status. That's our fault.

Jelly Monster and Mystery Kid

Our fun at the Jelly Belly Factory continued, though Julia persisted in not participating (she passed on all future photo-ops).

Here is Annie with the twins. I'm not sure if she is aware of the Jelly Monster looming behind her, but they're all smiling, and that's what's important.

Genna is certainly enjoying her shop-lifted official Jelly Belly ball. She must get that behavior from her uncle Ian.

This final picture is a real mystery to me. For the life of me, I can't figure out who this blond kid is. She just shows up and inserts herself into our family photos everywhere we turn. I'm going to have to do something about this.

There was no third picture, because that is when the Jelly Monster attacked. It wasn't pretty. He had the benefit of surprise, but my daughters and the blond girl ended up devouring him. I want to keep this blog child-friendly, so I turned the camera off.

Jaunty Jelly Beans

If Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, then the Jelly Belly factory is almost the happiest place on earth. Here's the whole clan kneeling and posing for a picture while waiting for the tour to start. I say almost happiest because all of us are smiling, save for the scowling Julia. I don't think she appreciated the close proximity of so many tons of delicious jelly beans, but much is lost on sub-two-year-olds. She further defied us by refusing to wear her hat.

To compensate for Julia's lack of enthusiasm, I elected to wear my hat at a jaunty angle. That got a few looks from some of my fellow tour-goers, but I think in the end I was everyone's favorite.