20 June 2011

Our fascination with 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' continues. Rose Pink produced these drawings of Appa and Toph. I put in images from the animated series for comparison.

Appa:

Toph:

Also lately the kids and Mr. Brown have been watching "Batman: The Brave & The Bold", which is a really interesting series of adventures starring the Dark Knight. Lots of superheroness happening at our house lately.

missing

From Mr. Brown: How on earth can my little girl be old enough to lose baby teeth. I can still clearly remember losing my own teeth and so this connects us in a way her earlier milestones do not. My mind boggles at the idea that it has been nearly seven years since she was born and changed my life so completely.

speaking english

In the last couple months we have listened to the following audiobooks:

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

All have been tremendously popular with Rose Pink. All are by British authors, and were read by Englishmen.

At the park on Sunday afternoon (there is not much that is nicer than riding our bikes to the park together, playing in the sunshine, singing and talking on a perfect afternoon), Rose Pink says suddenly, "Reepicheep didn't get his tail cut off!" (referencing The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

Mom: You're right- he didn't, did he? I remembered that but I must have remembered it wrong. It must be in a different Narnia book.

Rose Pink: Mooooom... that's not what it's called! It's NAHnia!

Mom: That's what I said... Narnia.

Rose Pink: Not NAAAARRRnia. It's NAAAAHnia. You're saying it wrong.

The funniest bit was the way that she was emphasizing that nasal American 'R' in NAAAARRRnia.

18 June 2011

Last night, I suggested to Rose Pink that if she would ride her bike without training wheels to the ice cream shop, I would buy her an ice cream cone. She has been anxious about riding without training wheels, but with the prospect of an ice cream reward she set off, albeit reluctantly. We successfully negotiated the 3/4 mile ride through our residential neighborhood, and enjoyed the ice cream. Mr. Brown and Nut Brown came along, with Nut Brown in the bike trailer. On the way home, Rose Pink told me how much fun it was to ride a bicycle.

This morning, I had to carry some cookies over to a neighbor a few blocks away, and Rose Pink suggested that she and I ride our bikes over. So all of us rode over to the neighbor's house, and then rode to a park about a mile away and played there for awhile. On the way home we stopped at the corner store for cold drinks.

Every time that we mentioned going anywhere, Rose Pink suggested riding our bikes. She said it was lots of fun, and that bikes are even faster than cars! In the late afternoon, she finally won us over again, and we rode our bikes almost two miles to a park that's on my way home from work, and from there a couple blocks over to the Telway, a little bitty diner, and had hamburgers for dinner. It was so much fun to be out and about and to have increased our range so much. Nut Brown was very patient (and slightly bored) in the bike trailer, but it will be fun this summer to ride places together (library! farmer's market! other ice cream store!). Hooray!

1 June 2011

Last night, reading scriptures, we ran across the word "Gentile". Rose Pink suggested that it was a cousin to 'reptile' but I explained that it usually refers to people who aren't Jews? What are Jews? was the next question. So I went through the rehearsal about Jacob/Israel, and twelve sons, who became twelve tribes or groups, and one of his sons was named Judah, and members of that tribe are called Jews. "Oh," she says. "Are you a Jew?"

"No," I explain, "Daddy and I are members of the tribe of Ephraim, which is a different one of the twelve."

"Hmmm," she says. "Does that mean you're Ephs?"

25 March 2011

Rose Pink chatted me today, using Mr. Brown's account, using all her own spelling. She is so amazing.

9 March 2011

Because snow is for dancing in. Even when you're on your way to church and your dad is shoveling a path to the car. Snow boots are default footwear, because snow and children in this family are like ducks and water; there's no keeping them apart. Notice she's holding her church shoes in her hand.

7 March 2011

Rose Pink made up her own video game yesterday. Mr. Brown has been playing one called 'Sacred' and Rose Pink came out with the idea of making one called 'Hope'... because you'd have to rescue your sister who's been kidnapped by a monster, and you'd have to HOPE that he hasn't eaten your sister yet. Here are my notes on her creation:

-it's in the style of the Sacred video game (running around killing monsters, collecting treasure, and getting experience points)

-the final boss is the kidnapping monster

-the sister is a twin. They were eight when his sister was captured and now they're twelve.

-secondary boss fights along the way include vampire warthogs, frogs that will suck you while appearing to burp (press A to jump away and escape) and vampire angels wearing ripped black dresses with short sleeves that come down to their knees

-the hero knows karate & has two hooked swords like Jet. Also an axe and a chili pepper gun

-hero's sidekick is named Jet. He's a robot like Astroboy but doesn't have rockets in his feet. Instead he turns into a jet. He shoots missiles and you can ride inside him.

-The monster's lair is in a dormant volcano that's about to erupt when you get there to rescue your sister. Lots of smoking black smoke. You have to hurry and get you sister out and leave the monster there to die.

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And hooray, it snowed on Saturday, a whole inch and a half. Hello, it's March. What's up with this?? However, people at church assure me that the tremendous amount of snowfall we've had this past month has been highly irregular. It may snow this late sometimes, but it doesn't usually snow as much as it has been. That's a relief. I'm worried about my 200 bulbs rotting where they were planted.

1 March 2011

They're renovating and redoing our grocery store, and last time we went they were giving out plastic hardhats to the kids. Rose Pink has worn hers for a significant part of the day ever since receiving it. Mr. Brown sighed and said, "I had no idea that there was a construction hat shaped hole in my six-year-old's heart."

26 February 2011

Rose Pink has a new friend. For her birthday, Gia brought her an American Girl doll that she has named Kit. For this photo, she has done her best to dress alike. The possibilities for play are endless - she's been spending a lot of time in her room with Kit. Kit is apparently Rose Pink's daughter, which means that I'm the grandma. And Kit has a baby doll sometimes too, which makes me a great-grandma. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Mr. Brown and I are both very pleased and excited with the imaginative play happening with Kit.

28 January 2011

Rose Pink got for her birthday a 'draw your own clothes' book, with torso outlines and colored pencils and stencils for the shapes of clothes. She LOVES it. Here are some of her creations (all of which she names, she so reminds me of myself sometimes!). The first is my favorite, because she took the shavings from sharpening her colored pencils and glued them on to make the clothes.

I love the boots. She told me very carefully that even though they look different, they really are a matched pair meant to be worn together.

birthday

Here is Rose Pink's birthday in backwards order. Lastly, she was kissed by a bunch of boys with ink on their lips. Enabled by a stamping ring she was given as a present. The finale of the fashion show, which was a total success. The girls paraded for us, I think, five times? Maybe six. They loved it. Rose Pink's first appearance in the fashion show that concluded the party. Fancy girls have tea and nibbles. Rose Pink and I dressed our fanciest in preparation for guests. On the morning of her birthday party, she also had her first dance class at the community center. Here she is showing off what she 'learned' in class. She completely and totally loved it. Here she is ready to go to class! This is her birthday cake with candles on the night of her birthday. Happy six, Rose Pink! May this year be even better than the last! Sorry that they're all out of order- Blogger makes it too hard to rearrange them and I'm too tired.

19 January 2011

We recently unearthed a set of a hundred markers from the basement (the kids' reward for being safe with markers now). The resultant explosion of creativity has been gratifying, especially from our sweet daughter.

Rose Pink draws her daddy: and enjoys her palette:

It's very fun to hear her searching for the 'right shade of pink', since she now has options.

14 Jan 2011

Happy birthday, Rose Pink! Six years old!

She got up this morning and came in the bathroom and looked in the mirror and said, "I guess I'm not any taller."

This evening we gave her our gifts and she was very pleased and excited. Nut Brown had chosen a Mulan barbie, which she was totally excited about, and Mr. Brown gave her a fashion designer drawing kit thing, which she spent thirty minutes playing with after dinner. I gave her a bathrobe, which was also very happily received. (Thank you for the hand-me-down, Amanda!)

Tomorrow- her first dance class at the rec center, and the fancy party!

10 January 2011

Rose Pink and I have decided to throw her a "Fancy Nancy" birthday party this Saturday. Today we made invitations for it. I cut out and wrote on, and she sewed the butterfly bodies and did the antenna. Also she further enhanced with delicate spirals.

There will be manicures. There will be pedicures. There will be nibbles with fancy toothpicks. There will be a fashion show.

Nut Brown and Mr. Brown are planning a trip to Chuck E Cheese for the duration.

Some more of Rose Pink's artwork

14 December 2010

Sunday afternoon Rose Pink departed into the snowy wilderness that is our driveway bearing tea bags that I had intended to throw away. She wanted to turn the snow pink with the tea bags (it's hibiscus tea). I was dubious, but sure enough, as she messed around outside, the tea bags did indeed bleed into the snow. Her summary: "So it turns out that snow really is just frozen water."

hippopotamus for Christmas

Megan- it's Christmas in Detroit. We heard the 'hippopotamus for Christmas' song on the radio the other day. It's a funny song so I turned it up and afterwards I asked Rose Pink what she would do if she got a hippopotamus for Christmas. I wish I could have captured the look of total stupefaction on her face as she replied, "I'd...I'd...I'd give it to the ZOO! I don't WANT a hippopotamus for Christmas!"

4 November 2010

Rose Pink's gotten quite proficient with scissors and glue. She colored, cut out, and glued together both of these items all by herself.

29 October 2010

So we're riding in the car the other day and Rose Pink says to me, Can you please turn on the radio? I want to listen suspiciously. I was certain that I had not heard her right, but it turns out that she and Mr. Brown have had conversations about advertising and what some of the things that advertisements and commercials say and what they really mean. Hence her desire to listen suspiciously, as taught by her wise father.

Tonight in the car on the way home, she reads the name of the store we're passing: "THE HOME DEPOT". I say, Good job, Rose Pink! and she replies, That's the power of the Home Depot, Mom.