McMiller PDX

Fashion Friday: Earring and Clip

2012-02-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Little aqua blue clip and princess stick-on earrings really do accentuate the sparkle pink bow top with grey ruffle sleeve accent.

I kid you not, Robin wore this shirt this summer when we were out and about and people still assumed she was a boy. Can't wait sometimes for her hair to grow in.

Robin's First Google Search

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

It would not surprise me if she was really trying to look up "Who Pooped?"

Erin Reads "5 Little Ducks"

2012-02-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

She's not truly reading, as much as knowing the song and looking at how many ducks there are. But she nailed it.

Truly, I'm not sure how much she really can read right now. She knows how to write several words and tries to write others she's unsure of. Sometimes when we flip through a book she'll recite what is on a random page. Likely it's memorized, but still it makes me think she can read more than she lets on.

One thing about this person named Erin is if she's not 100% sure she can so something perfectly she sometimes will dig in her heels and not even take a stab. There's a lot of data about how praise can hinder children, as described here, here, and here. I can absolutely see a difference in Erin over the last year or so since I shifted praise from "good job" and "you're so smart" to "wow, you used a lot of blue in that picture" and "I can see you put in a lot of effort". But I still worry about her holding back, or even giving up, because she's not perfect at something.

2 big K's

2012-02-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

K number 1:

We signed Erin up for Kindergarden today. She starts in August.

K number 2:

Kitchen. Now you see it:

Now you don't!

Superbowl XLVI: live blogging edition

2012-02-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Erin: I'm voting for the PaintChips.

Ash: Great, that McDonald's commercial made me cry. (commercial just before kickoff)

K: I think the entire U.S. will be short of sequins for the next few months. (at halftime)

3rd Q Taste Test: Pigs in a blanket made with refrigerator croissant dough vs. biscuit dough. Winner? Biscuit dough. Hands down. Especially with catsup.

And how did it end up? C says, "Suck it, Tom." word.

February 5th

2012-02-05T12:03:00.001-08:00

Time to do serious recycling

2012-02-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

We're cleaning out the kitchen to prepare for the remodel. I've come across my college and grad school textbooks. It occurs to me that
(a) I have two copies of MBOC
(b) They are different editions
(c) Parts of the earlier edition have been rendered invalid through the last 20 years of experiments
(d) I really need to get rid of some of my college and grad school books.

Anyone need something to prop up a wobbly coffee table? Or maybe some kindling?

Goodbye Stove!

2012-02-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today as I was cleaning out cabinets in prep for the kitchen demo, I found the original manual for our range. I tried to figure out what date it was installed. The most recent manual I could find online was from 1984, and it was a later model than ours. Judging from the canning tips and very slender, well manicured ladies' hands in the drawings, I'm guessing early '70's.

As funky as this range is/was I will not miss it. We stopped using the two right burners a long time ago as we would frequently get a sharp electric shock when cooking with them. Brian and his dad figured they weren't grounded but try as they might couldn't fix it. So we removed the knobs and stopped using them. So we've been cooking with 2 burners for nearly 2 years. And the larger of the 2 working burners only works about 60% of the time.

I look forward to a stove and oven that work and will let me live till dinner.

Project Sparkly

2012-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

The last trip to the dollar store resulted in a glitter shaker set. What better way to spend some time with a 4-year-old playdate than to make some sparkle-laden paper plate puppets?!? The results were stunning:

However, the cleanup ~~was~~ is awful. Sparkles are e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

The floor, the sofa, the counter, the keyboard, my eye sockets, and probably all over our dinner tonight but who can say. I love the creative, let the kids explore and experiment projects, but the cleanup* kills me.

*The clean up from yesterday's impromptu 15-minute project took at least 30 minutes to clean up and still resulted in some warped IKEA floorboards. And the floor still feels funky underfoot. I feel we will be finding sparkles for a few weeks. Good thing the kitchen is going to be demolished in a few days.

Indoor Skating

2012-02-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

I made this bubble recipe today. Good bubbles, easy recipe. This isn't a post about bubble recipes.

I filled two empty yogurt cups and put in two old bubble wands. This isn't a post about blowing bubbles.

This is a post about silliness.

The girls excitedly found the containers. They had already taken off their clothes (normal at this time of day, and hence why this post has no pictures). They blew a few bubbles. They spilled the entire contents, maybe 4 oz, of bubble solution on the family room floor. They laughed. They pushed it around with their hands. They laughed harder. They squished it around with their feet. They slipped. They laughed even harder. They bubbled up their tummies and legs. And laughed.

At first I quickly pulled out the cleaning rags and a bucket of water. I warned them they would slip and it might hurt. I was concerned, nervous. Then I started laughing too.

Erin's quote: "You know what I want to be when I grow up? A kid."

Me too, sweetie.

Wordless Wednesday: Smear

2012-02-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

T-minus 6 days to demo

2012-01-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

As is the trend this winter/spring, we are embarking on a kitchen remodel. The cabinets and appliances are in our garage. Monday is the predicted start day, when demo will begin. We learned this yesterday afternoon. So 6 days to pack everything up, not only in the kitchen but the adjacent family room, and relocate to the living/dining room. Should be smooth.

The project is expected to take 8 weeks, hopefully less but I'm not holding my breath. We've done the kitchen remodel on the PDX house, so we kind of know the drill. Last time we had a microwave, hot plate, BBQ, with a dishwasher rigged up in the basement. Erin was about 9 months old at the time, so we were pretty much only cooking for two.

This time we're considering paper/compostable plates, microwave, BBQ, and our camping cookstove. We are thinking of having a very basic menu of 7 easy meals - either all made in the microwave or in one pot - and using the same menu for the span of the project.

Any meal ideas, dear readers? I mean, other than Budget Gourmet one night and Asia Palace the next.

Almond Citrus Salad

2012-01-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

Time for a crazy "let's-see-what's-in-the-fridge-and-try-to-make-something-paletable" experiment.

Salad:

Romaine lettuce

segmented grapefruit

toasted slivered almonds

pickled ginger - this is not the sushi kind, I think it's more of a Korean style and was a random buy at the local Asian grocery store

Dressing:

Olive oil

rice vinegar

little bit of apricot jam

dash of sesame oil

dash of soy sauce

I liked it. It was really bitter and sour. Brian took one bite and passed his bowl to me. Well, 50% is not bad for a random recipe.

Seattle Domination!!!!

2012-01-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend, McMiller Inc. is in Seattle, visiting Stunt Dad and family. * Our long weekend has been composed of overnight yeasted waffles, a trip to Costco, visiting an awesome park with lots of ride-on toys, an outing to a play gym at the Y, a swimming trip, a rainy visit to a beach, much cousin craziness, extended bedtimes, and enjoyable glasses of wine and TV after the kids are asleep. Our girls loved seeing the newest McFeely boy cousins** and getting more time to play with Liam. Thanks for the great visit!!

* I have zero pictures because I didn't bring a camera, but hopefully some of Brian's iPhone pictures and movies will make their way here.
** Holy moly, twins are a lot of work. I bow in honor to all mothers and all families with these special two-fer blessings.

Extreme Piggyback

2012-01-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

It really should be an olympic sport.

Fashion Friday: Hair Clips

2012-01-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

Frequently, in lieu of combing Erin's hair she has the option of pony tails. Today she decided hair clips would be better. Two of each color. Worked for me.

Stalagmite experiment: FAIL

2012-01-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

We found a kid experiment to try from my latest obsession - growing stalagmites and stalactites in your own kitchen. Looked easy enough and we set it up. The hope was for a beautiful column of crystals dipping down and upwards to touch.

We ended up with this:

The crystals were pretty, though:

It was a good lesson that experiments rarely work perfectly the first time.

Wordless Wednesday: Purple

2012-01-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

Sweet Big Sister

2012-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

Erin is turning into a very, very sweet big sister. It was a little hairy for awhile there, especially last summer, but since she's entered the 4's and since Robin thinks she's 4, Erin has been good natured, helpful, friendly, loving, and generally interested in her little sister. They play together. Erin helps her out, whether it's choosing the right color crayon or getting onto her tricycle. Erin defends her. Erin nearly always saves a bit of her candy to give to Robin, even if Robin has been given the same exact piece and would never give any to Erin. Erin had a fit of cuddling with Robin last night at bedtime and asked Robin if she wanted to sleep in her bed together. It was the sweetest thing.

In exchange, Erin is Robin's favorite person. She is the classic little sibling mirror of Erin. It's like having Peet and RePeet.

In no way to I expect this sibling bliss to endure uninterrupted; no doubt they will have ups and downs. But it's so nice to know they will have ups. And how sweet these ups are!

Today's reading list

2012-01-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Down By the Bay
Three Hungry Spiders and One Fat Fly
Peek a Who
Goodnight Moon
The Daddy Book
Monsters
Go Dog, Go
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Farm Animals
Giggle, Giggle, Quack,
Click, Clack, Moo
Maisy's Big Book of Flaps
Good Night, World
My Cold Went on Vacation
Ladybug Girl (2x)
Officer Buckle and Gloria
If You Take a Mouse to School
Diary of a Worm (2x)
I Loved You Before You Were Born
The Desperate Dog Writes Again
Where's Waldo: The Great Picture Hunt
365 Penguins
She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown
Haiku Baby
I Must Have Bobo
10 Minutes to Bedtime
Ladybug Girl Dresses Up
Pete & Pickles
Insect World

We still have snuggly reading time (just before bedtime) to go.

My voice is hoarse.

It's raining, it's pouring

2012-01-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

Finally!

Knitting Project III: Fingerless Gloves

2012-01-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Technically, this project is only HALF done (still need to do the other glove). This was supposed to be for Erin since she's been asking for mittens for awhile now. I thought fingerless gloves would be a little more functional for her. I used the smallest needles and a thin yarn.

Yet this pattern is still WAAAAAYYYYYY too big for her. Might look good on me though. . . Will have to find her a kids size pattern.

Moustache III

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

And goatee, I suppose. Robin also loves the blueberry smoothie. And making funny faces. And mustaches.

And look - eyebrows!

Playtime: glow sticks

2012-01-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

2 glow sticks + 2 girls + 1 bath = super fun

Got this idea here. Awesome blog. Go check it out. Now. Even if you don't have children. You will find something there you want to try.

Wordless Wednesday: Rainbow

2012-01-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Smoooooooooth

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

We received a VitaMix for Christmas from A's parents. I had no idea how much of a thing this was until my sister-in-law D clued me in. And we've used it nearly every day since. Smoothies with whole fruits/veg/ice, sauces, hummus. I mean, I put an entire carrot, in huge chunks, and it is pulverized to deliciousness in a few seconds. I even chopped an apple, cole-slaw style, for a salad tonight. I love this appliance! Some of our better smoothies:

Orange, carrot, banana, pineapple, orange juice, ice.

Blueberries, protein powder, banana, milk, whole apple, ice.

Carrots, orange, orange juice, coconut milk, pineapple, ice.

There've been some flops too. No one liked the spinach smoothie. Well, I did but no one else. And one avocado one was a little, um, odd.

Meet Cody

2012-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

The most patient cat in the world.

McMiller Puzzle Sunday

2012-01-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

The girls love jigsaw puzzles. Erin will happily do and redo and redo the same one over and over. She can do up to 100 pieces. The cutest thing is how she now helps Robin do puzzles, offering her the correct next piece, suggesting tips to get the piece to fit, encouraging her to look at the colors and designs on the pieces ... she's a patient teacher. And Robin loves the Big Sister attention.

This is Winter?

2012-01-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

This season there's been 14 "Spare the Air" days in SFBA. On these days, it's illegal to burn wood, and it's recommended to limit driving due to poor air quality.

In Dec there 0.1" rain. In January so far, 0". That's several inches lower than normal. Rather it's been very cold at /night, in the 30's and below, but quite warm, sunny and pleasant mid-60's during the days.

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow

Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy / Wind	Mostly Clear	Sunny
37°F	51°	31°	49°

Don't get me wrong, I've really appreciated being able to go to the park with the kids, minimally bundled. I've enjoyed the extra vitamin D. But we haven't had a winter. At all. It's a strange feeling that we might go from a summer to a pleasant fall straight into spring/summer.

Enthusiastic eater

2012-01-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

Robin loves food. She loves to eat. All meals are called "dinner time". Any time she hears the microwave going (no comments on how we cook, please) she gets very excited, and sits nearby to see what tasty treat emerges. She greets the Trader Joe's Indian food boxes with a happy bouncy "Panak Paneeer Panak Paneeer" chant.

Tonight I was getting dinner on the table and she decided she was ready enough. While I was putting on the finishing touches on the chicken, she helped herself to not one, but two servings of mac n'cheese. Then went on to eat a full plate of chicken, mashed potato, and carrots. Followed by some builder bar and a slice of butternut squash pie. The kid eats.

Knitting project II and bonus crochet project

2012-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

A cute "eat your veggies" hat for my nephew, Kai. I've made 4 of these hats in the last month or so, but this one turned out the best.

A crochet Swifter cover. Found this idea yesterday on Pinterest. Needless to say it was a fast project. Erin enjoyed the results and quickly started cleaning. Double bonus!

Wordless Wednesday: Moustache II

2012-01-11T06:11:00.000-08:00

Homemade bread

2012-01-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

I mentioned we have 50 lbs of flour, right? Brian realized it won't last forever, flour does eventually go bad. So while we're waiting for the pandemic, I though I'd get cracking' making some wheat-based treats.

And I give you bread. This was a white sandwich bread recipe from America's Test Kitchen cookbook. We've made better yeast breads in the past: I love the ATK pizza dough recipe and we've got a delicious pretzel recipe we do frequently. But I thought having a good white sandwich bread recipe would be great, but I think I'll keep experimenting.

But it was tasty. And with the stand-up mixer the kneading work was done for me. Love the dough hook.

The lesson from this batch was oil or put parchment on the bottom of the pan. We nearly couldn't get it out. Not that it stopped us from gorging ourselves on it right as it came out of the oven. So tasty we ate half the loaf in about 15 minutes. We were supposed to wait 2 hours until it cooled down, but with the whole house wrapped in the delicious fresh-bread smell, who could wait?

Farmer's Market Dinner

2012-01-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

This turned out really delicious. Lots of different flavors, and since it was a lazy Sunday I could do one thing here, chop another thing there, stir every now and again and it all seemed to come together.

Dinner:
Roasted beets topped with caramelized vinegar beet greens, beef stew over baked potato.

Ingredients:
1 bunch golden beets (3 total) with greens intact
3 potatoes
2 carrots
2 ribs celery
1 onion
1.5 # beef

Seasonings and fats-
For beef stew:
oil, salt, pepper, thyme, beef bouillon, ~2c homemade chicken stock, dash of wine, scoop of tomato paste
For sautéed greens:
Oil, 1 clove garlic, 2-3 tbs balsamic, sprinkling of sugar and salt.

Beets & Potatoes:
Cut off tops, chopped and soaked in water to rinse off dirt. Wrapped beets in foil, roasted at 350 for 1 or 1.5 hours. Wrap the potatoes in foil, and throw them in at the same time.

For greens (do closer to dinnertime) - sauté in a bit of oil, with water still clinging so they sauté/steam until wilted. Sprinkle on a bit of sugar, salt, and the balsamic vinegar. Cook down till most of liquid is gone and greens are in a slightly sticky syrup. Toss in a minced clove of garlic, earlier if you like it mellow, closer to serving if you like it stronger.

Beef stew:
Saute chopped onion, celery and carrot in some olive oil until it's smelling good and looking soft. Throw in meat. Throw in broth, bouillon, seasonings you like (I like thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary). Cook 1 or 2 hours, or until meat is nice and soft and sauce has reduced to thick deliciousness.

To plate: peel and slice a beet, arrange on plate. Spoon some greens on top. Cut a baked potato in half and squeeze a bit to mash the cooked potato flesh a bit. Spoon stew on top. Drizzle with a bit of oil, or dot with butter, sprinkle a bit of fresh herbs if you like.

Enjoy!

Ruffle skirts!

2012-01-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

A little more fashion for Sunday.

Erin got this skirt for Christmas from Santa Cruz cousins. The size is bigger than her normal size, but it seems to fit. She's found out the top part of the skirt can be pulled over her chest to make a strapless dress.

Robin got this skirt as a dress-up set for Christmas. She loves it. She wears it all day and cries when I have to wash it. She calls it her, "Yo ho a pirate life for me".

The Music Critic

2012-01-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

"Mom, I don't want to listen to the news! I want to hear girl music. Soft girl music. Maybe with a little guitar. And some gentle drums. And maybe some violins. But soft violins."

I switch over to an appropriate station.

This is playing.

"Perfect, Mom. Thanks!"

Fashion Friday: Sweatshirt edition

2012-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Our model, Brian, shows off the latest in sweatshirt fashion: the kangaroo. It comes in two sizes currently...

The 4 year old

And the 22 month old.

Sizes and selection in your area will vary.

Knitting project 1: Baby Squash Hat

2012-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Pattern was from here. A fast, cute little hat in infant size. Size 5 round needles, and used a fancy yarn, Cascade Yarn 220 Superwash color 893. This one is going to my Cousin who is due with a little boy in April.

Moustache!

2012-01-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

Robin loves to have a moustache. She makes this funny, pucker face and says in a low, gravely voice, "mooooooouuuustache!" She's a total ham.

Oh, and like that shiner? This was a few days before the Christmas madness. Girls and I went to the zoo with another mom and one of Erin's classmates. We had *just* gotten there and were waiting to show our pass when Robin decided to get out of the stroller. By herself. Sideways. Yeah, you could hear the smack on the pavement from 100 yards. The other mom was nearly beside herself with worry, and wanted to scour the park for ice. Turns out, the zoo had a water main break the night before and there was no water, much less ice, to be had. I knew Robin wasn't that bad off, even though the purply-red goose egg was ginormous. She's quite the roller-derby queen and was being her normal silly self in about 30 seconds.

Today's new game: Orange Ball

2012-01-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

The game: take an orange, try to land it in the box with one good throw. Optional: run around the other boxes when an orange has successfully landed in the box. Equipment: 5 oranges (more or less, depending on how many each kid wants), a few empty christmas boxes, giggles.

The kids were going stir-crazy and starting to throw the oranges in the house. Solution? Get them to throw them outside. Erin made up the rules of the game after the equipment was strategically placed outside.

Birthday Sushi!

2012-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

The salmon was by far the tastiest. In the demitasse? Sake.

It's 2012. Are you ready?

2012-01-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

With the new year, we update our "go bags". This year we expanded our emergency supplies from 72 hours to about 1 month. Some of our supplies for the 1 month set:

50 # flour

50# rice

25# pinto beans

25 # salt

1 # yeast

10 # pancake mix

16 oz vanilla

4# trail mix

1 gal oil

Mmmmmmm..... emergency rations.

Santa Came!

2011-12-31T12:56:00.000-08:00

The girls wrote a note and left some treats:

In case you didn't notice, Erin likes to include belly button and nipples on her pictures. Also, Santa looks like he's been spending some time in Amish country:

And their efforts were rewarded!

It didn't take long to open up all the loot:

And the "big" present will be enjoyed for awhile yet!

Hope everyone had happy holidays and a wonderful end to 2011.

Why I rarely buy fancy toys....

2011-12-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

They spent the last 20 minutes playing with 6 bricks and a few pieces of chalk.

Fashion Friday

2011-12-16T12:02:00.001-08:00

Smocking just so right for Christmas!

Just some Robin cuteness

2011-12-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Translation:
She sings, she twirls, she tries to eat a coffee bean off the floor, she makes jokes, she follows directions and tries out some potty humor.

Enjoy your day!

I gotta say, today was a good day

2011-12-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

We brought out the camera a bunch of times today, so thought it would be fun to give a few snapshots of our day today.

Erin, 8:30 AM. Dressed in a hand-smocked Nutcracker dress (thanks Grammie), with LOTS of Mardi Gras beads, playing air-drums along to her favorite holiday song, "Santa Baby".

Robin, 10:30 AM, after begging for stick-on-earrings, not quite sure about the whole thing.

Erin, Robin and Erin's classmates N and L, 2:15 PM playing "surfing" off of Brian and my bed.

Robin, 6:00 PM, finds something sharp and pointy on the stroller.

Brian and Erin, 6:30 PM, making "Erin Soup" for dinner. Good way to end the day.

Yup.

It's gonna be a long week

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Brian left last night for a week long training in PDX. This is the longest he's been away since Robin has been born, and the second longest time he's been gone since Erin was born.

But.... he's thoughtfully set me up with so many playdates and outings at grandparents/cousins houses that we will be reeeeaaaaally busy.

Also he left this:

a present for each girl, for each day. That's 12 presents people!

Brian is an awesome Dad.

And he also got a present for Mommy each day:

I love this man.

This week might go faster than I think.

Chalk

2011-11-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

When using a new set of sidewalk chalk, why stop at coloring the sidewalk?

And just like that. . .

2011-11-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

. . . it's Christmas season!

Brian and Erin put up the outside lights:

And I and the girls trimmed the tree

We may have to rearrange some ornaments later after the kids are asleep ... there is a high density of decorations on the lower 2' of branches.

Thanks and Gratitude

2011-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

So many reasons to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robin Update

2011-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

After the scary incident a few weeks ago, Robin is totally fine.

We learned a lot about febrile seizures, lost a lot of sleep for about a week watching over her at night, got through a round of colds in the whole house, and she is fine. Robin did not do any extra tests, as the pediatrician determined it was a classic case of febrile seizure. I'm kind of relieved about that, knowing the tests would be pretty difficult for a little girl, and also really believing in my heart it was due to a fever rather than something else.

At any rate, the girl is a total ham.

Erin Loves Power Tools

2011-11-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

I fondly remember doing projects with my dad when I was a little girl. I felt, even then, that he chose me, the one girl over the two boys, to join him on the handyman projects. He taught me how to change a p-trap, use a socket wrench, and mix cement.

I love that now, Brian is doing the same with Erin. He and she have a special interaction as they work on tasks. All he has to say is, "Erin, we have a project to do." and she immediately heads for the tape measure and goggles.

Love it.

Just some more silly

2011-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

A Very Crafty Sunday

2011-11-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

It's raining and chilly over at the Orinda branch of Casa de McMiller. We decided to take a lazy Sunday and just relax a bit.

Relaxing here means doing projects, of course! And thanks to my newest obsession, we had lots of half-finished projects on the docket.

A few things we did:

Autumn leaves from coffee filters and washable pens,

A height ruler from a 1"x8"x6' board, some stain and a sharpie,

An earring holder, and repurposed Balinese-sculpture-as-ring-holder,

And with this morning's leftover oatmeal, a delicious oatmeal snack cake with broiled frosting. It smells soooooo good, it's difficult to wait until it's cool enough to eat.

Sigh. What a relaxing day.

Welcome, new Cousins!

2011-11-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

There have been several additions to the extended McMiller family tree, and we will present them in inverse order.

Introducing:

Kai

and Graham and Evan

Cuties all of them!!

Erin is 4 part II

2011-11-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

In between crazy trips to the doctor and ER, we did have a girl who turned 4.

4!

We celebrated with a bouncy-house, a trip to Disney on Ice (thanks Grandpa and Grandma), presents, cake, book exchange, and a new big-girl booster seat.

A 5-point-harness-up-to-80-lbs "booster" seat, just to be on the safe side.

Erin's 4th year was a busy one. Her sense of self really emerged, as did dancing, singing, language (lots of language), dexterity, fears, friendship, inquisitiveness, independence, fashion, empathy, courage, and love.

Happy (1 month late) 4th birthday, sweet one. Your sparkles make the whole world brighter.

Rough start to November

2011-11-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, at about 6:30, I awoke to find Robin having a seizure next to me. She had spent the night in our bed because she seemed to have a tummy-ache, or something, and was crying on and off all night.

She was hot, hot, hot, and it only lasted maybe 1 or 2 minutes (though it seemed a LOT longer). We tested out the Moraga-Orinda Fire District and they were here just a few minutes later.

She probably had a febrile seizure (see here or here), caused by fever. Common in early childhood, and not linked to anything more serious, yet since no one actually verified that her temperature was high we will be doing a battery of neurological tests later this week.

Robin is running a low-grade fever today, and is napping, with me checking on her about every 5 minutes.

Poor kid.

The way this month is going, we'll have a LOT to be thankful for at the end.

Alfred J. Gardner

2011-10-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Brian's maternal grandfather, Alfred J. Gardner, passed away Friday at age 91. To say that he lived a full life would be an understatement. He graduated from West Point, was a Hump Pilot in WWII, earned two masters degrees, was involved in Project Gemini, and had a very successful career at Lockheed.

He raised two wonderful children, Carol (Brian's mom) and Al Jr. I will always remember how he spoke of their births as a joyous miracle.

He was married to his childhood sweetheart, Florence. He truly was blessed with spending his life with the woman he loved.

I feel so fortunate that the girls not only have had so many great-grandparents who could get to know them, but also that they actually are at the age when they can remember them.

Halloween warm up

2011-10-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

We had an action-packed pre-Halloween kinda day. The kids started out in costume set 1 for Erin's preschool party.

Yes, that would be pirate and chicken. Don't they go well together?

The chicken knew how to scratch, peck and cluck. Those trips to Little Farm must be paying off.

The pirate knew how to properly say "Arrrrr" and insisted there was an invisible bird named Polly on her shoulder.

Halloween festivities part II included a trick-or-treating outing at a local shopping area, courtesy of our local Mom's group. Erin was all business, identifying the stores displaying the pumpkin picture that indicates they can be hit-up for treats, charging in, filling her bag, then going onto the next establishment. She came home with a nearly full bag of treats. She asked to have one candy. Then one more. Then one final one. She was so polite and showed such self-restraint, I had no problem with it. Bonus to me: turns out she doesn't like Snickers. M&M's, yes, Snickers no. We're gonna be a great trick-or-treating pair!

Robin's bag came home empty.

Robin appropriately trick-or-treated at all the establishments Erin visited. Robin insisted on sampling each treat after leaving the store. I have no idea how much candy she actually ingested, but she did eat her full dinner and go to bed pretty easily, so it's all even in my book.

Sister Snuggles

2011-10-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here's your RDA of cuteness.

4!

2011-10-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

So behind on blogging. . . .

Erin turned 4. 4 people! There were many festivities, and will update when we sort through the pictures. But the most exciting thing this week has been this:

The rules here are if you can write your name you can have a library card.

Sweeeeet.

Fashion Friday: Rah rah rah!

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Brian, Erin, and Robin went to our nephew/cousin's football game last night. In honor of the outing, I thought Robin would look smashing in this mini-Bruins cheerleading uniform. She was energized, especially when she realized just how much fun pom-pons can be.

You will notice the worlds smallest pig tails on this child. No matter how frilly or girly the outfit she wears, she is always assumed to be a boy. Poor kid.

Future occupation # 32

2011-10-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Recent conversation with Ms. E

E: Mom when I grow up I want to be a teacher. Will that be O.K.?

Me: Absolutely honey.

E: I know I will be a good teacher because I am really good at pushing on the swings.

And no, this picture has nothing to do with that. I just love this shot.

And sorry, Dave B. This conversation sounds eerily close to something from Family Circle.

Future occupation #56

2011-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Hairdresser.

Erin was enamored with the front-do. She said I was ready to sing Rock N'Roll.

The main "do". Notice: the shiny silver is the shiny silver in my hair.

The final product. Complete with 2 head-bands, 15 clips, LOTS of brushing and water spray.

Our family is growing by two. . .

2011-09-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

. . . cats!

We got two new kittens. They're yet to be named.

Here is the girl kitty enjoying the ~~clutches~~ affections of their new kiddo friends:

Picture of the boy kitty coming soon.

Ever Industrial Erin

2011-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

A little duct tape here, a little play dough there ....

... and voila! A grid of roadway for her cars.

Erin gets a haircut

2011-09-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

She got ribbons, sparkles,

Stick-on earrings, a necklace, and a ring pop.

Oh yeah. Ms. Karen cut her hair too.

Robin's first day at nursery school!

2011-09-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Robin missed the cut-off to start at Erin's preshchool this year by about 6 weeks.

But she seems so engaged and interested, we thought she would enjoy getting into some peer activities. So yesterday was her first day at nursery school. She was there for 1.5 hours, the longest she's ever been away from family. And she did great, only cried just before I picked her up. And I think the only reason she was upset was that she was hungry.

Here is the art project she brought home:

A tree cutting story, part 1

2011-09-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had two Monterrey pines in on our property listing to the side, threatening to topple our neighbor's house. Apparently, in the 50's, people planted these trees in Orinda, at a cost of about $0.19 apiece, to make it more scenic. What they didn't think about was the soil here was poor for these type of trees. So, 60 years later, and about 1,200x the cost, these trees must be taken down.

We hired a local crew who said it could be done in two days without cranes.

Indeed, the men on this crew were acrobats and could easily climb up, chainsaw dragging behind them, and use only ropes and a pulley to fell even the largest of branches. Many of these "branches" could be classified as trees in their own rights.

Here you see the observation crew. Grandpa couldn't pass up a chance to see this kind of arborist engineering at play.

The results of 1 days work. Astonishing.

A playtime story - by Robin

2011-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

I was very busy playing with toys. I was trying to get the elephant to pop up. That one is tricky.

But then I had to stop. I had to poop.

It was funny. So I made pooping sounds.

Developmental milestone #687

2011-09-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Self administered haircut.

2 of 2 Erin Stories

2011-09-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

In her words:

"Mama, I made some technology. I tried to make a project. I taked the hose, take a turkey baster I turned on the water and I taked the hose and connected it to the turkey baster. So, what I did next is I taked some tape from the garage and then I taped the turkey baster to the hose. I turned on the water next, and I wanted to see if there was any water coming out, so I could give medicine to Cuckaduh. But it didn't work."

Apparently, this experiment was based on something she saw on Curious George. Not entirely sure what the outcome was supposed to be, but she never quite got there. Oh, and Cuckaduh is her imaginary friend.

1 of 2 Erin Stories

2011-09-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

(Robin has plucked tomato leaves from the plant and is turning them into confetti.)

A: Sweetheart, no touch! Those leaves are poisonous! They'll hurt us. Let's not pick those ones.

E: mama, are tomato leaves poison?

A: Yes, sweetheart, but not the fruit.

E: So the tomatoes are OK to eat?

A: Yes, that's right.

E: So.... what's the chemistry of that?

Fashion Friday - Wanna be a Cowgirl

2011-09-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

This outfit is *all* Erin. It began with the shirt, then skirt, then pigtails, then by finding the cowboy boots in the garage. But what really ties it together is the skull bracelet. That's my little Cowgirl!

Angel Island Camping - August 2011

2011-08-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

We did it! We backpacked for 2 nights with an almost-4 year old and 18 month old. Before the trip, I was questioning our sanity, but it was quite an easy introduction to non-car camping.

We took the ferry from Tiburon to Angel Island. The grown-ups anticipated carrying the gear and having Erin in the Bob stroller, Robin in the Ergo in a front-carry. It was MUCH easier, however, to cart all the gear in the stroller and hoist the kids. Erin even figured a new way to ride in the stroller, atop the canopy, and imagined herself to ride a horse named "Lala" all weekend.

Our site was remote (heck, there's only 10 on the island), and was a bit windy, but we had incredible views of the East Bay. The evening/morning fog kept temperatures kind, and pesky wildlife was limited to a few raccoons.

We hiked about the island, checking out this historical sites, including the West Coast's Ellis Island equivalent and an army base used throughout WWII. It was sobering to have such crumbling monuments nearly next door to where we live. We ended the day with a hike to the top of the island, Mt. Livermore. Perfectly clear weather permitted a spectacular 360 view of the bay area, complete with the picturesque San Francisco skyline, the Golden Gate, Richmond, Berkeley (we could see the UCB campanile!), Tiburon and more.

This was the 3rd summer camping trip so the girls were total camping pros. But backpacking limited the gear (toys, books, etc) we could bring. The girls did just fine, making up lots of fun games and being generally energetic and silly. Plus, they got to eat SPAM. I think there will be more backpacking in the future!

Of course, there were TONS of pictures. And movies. But pictures for now:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

It started much earlier than I thought

2011-08-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today Erin expressed displeasure at the wondrous red curls that grace her head. Curls that many people pay lots of good money for. Curls that spontaneously happen, full of energy, élan and intensity. So, like any good mother of an almost 4-year-old, I busted out the straightening iron.

With questionable results. Erin was happy with the "smooth" texture of her hair. I won't speculate too much on her impetus behind the statement that she hated her curls and wanted to find a way to change it, although it may have a little to do with how ev.er.y.one. who sees her exclaims how wondrous her curls are. Or maybe it's that her BFF has straight hair. Who knows. I know that we all harbor things we'd like to change about ourselves. I'm not gonna worry about hair. I'll listen to that, and maybe she'll let me in on other things, as they arise.

Easy skirts, attempt 5

2011-08-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Every girl in Erin's phonebook will get skirts this year for their birthday. I made this one last weekend for her BFF Ella.

Cute fabric, no? I made Erin a matching one, since it was her BFF and all.

I liked the fabric so much I bought 2.8 yards of it, all they had. And for the size all the girls are now it's just about perfect: the width of the bolt is a tad bigger than the recommended 2x waist size. The heart pattern is length-wise so I figure I can get about 7 skirts out of the deal, costing about $3 per skirt (including the cute pink trim).

Orders anyone?

Erin the composer

2011-08-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

Erin had a great jam session yesterday on the piano. I'd pose to her animals/things, and asked her what they would sound like. She'd contemplate, then bust out with some music. And she pretty much nailed the impression every time.

Guess it's never too early to start learning improvisation.

Robin June: 18 months

2011-08-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Stats

Height: 33 inches (75-90%)

Weight: 24 lb 0 oz (50%)

Robin is in full toddler mode. She runs. She climbs. Time has its own meaning when she's interested in something, and these days she's interested in everything. She sings, makes jokes, and absolutely knows the meaning of "mine". She loves her little blankie (LB), Erin, Mommy, and Daddy. In that order. She'll gladly tell you if something is big or tiny. She counts while climbing stairs or contemplating her toes. She loves if you read a book to her, but loves even more to show you what in the book she already knows. Her investigations are mostly self-driven, and she often quietly busies herself with interesting rocks, laces, water, and other fascinating tidbits. She loves music and demands, "more" whenever there is a pause between songs. She's a social butterfly and charms anyone nearby - so long as she's safely in Mommy's arms. Her favorite food is a toss up between hot dog and palak paneer, but also begs for chocolate milk (koko mulk), doughnuts, lolly pops, otter pops, cookies, or other sweets. She knows how to open the freezer to look for ice cream. She has 18 teeth and loves to brush them.

On a Mommy note, these 18 months have gone by very fast.

Negotiating with a toddler

2011-08-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Robin: (from the back seat) mama, need a pop-pop.

Me: No sweetie, we don't get a lollypop until after lunch.

Robin: Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees?

Reason #7,294 why I love my husband

2011-08-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

He loves getting flowers. He especially loves tuberoses. He's commented 4 times tonight how wonderful the whole house smells.

Wordless Wednesday: Flower and fly

2011-08-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

The A's Game

2011-08-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

So behind on blogging. It's been a busy summer.

Brian and Erin went to Erin's first baseball game last weekend. They had a blast. They had just missed getting free jerseys, but the amount of kid-friendly stuff made it a super memorable event.

Erin was engaged, got to carefully select a treat from the vendors (ice cream, of course), played in the play area, colored pictures, and, by far the coolest, got to run around the bases on the field after the game was over.

Oh, and did I mention Brian got the tickets for free from someone outside the stadium?

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

New wheels

2011-07-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

We scored ourselves new bikes. Now, hopefully, we can make use of this fancy trailer we bought when Erin was small. Inaugural ride to the "cocoa" store went smoothly on the way there, but Brian had to go get the car because Robin just wasn't having it on the way back. Erin was chillin' like Bob D. Any tips for getting Robin more comfortable in the trailer?

Garden miscellany

2011-07-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

We planted a few veggie starts late this spring. So far, the crop has been pathetic. Erin's showing our first (and only so far) squash.

I think she's singing to it. We made a small batch of squash pancakes which were delicious. We also harvested 3 barely ripe cherry tomatoes. Slim pickings here, folks. Good thing there's an awesome farmers market here.

We also set the girls digging in the back yard. Never too early to start on chores, right? I have this idea we'll plant some fruit trees back there - one apple, one pear, one cherry, one orange. Then the birds will have plenty to eat.

Of course, there are always work breaks for silliness.

I LOVE FROZEN BLUEBERRIES!!!!

2011-07-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Says the teething toddler.

Wordless Wednesday: Water Ready

2011-06-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

Robin's Latest Rash A.K.A. poor kid can't catch a break!

2011-06-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

It started on her trunk, on the left side. It spread to her back. It didn't seem to bother her, but because it was spreading we took her in to her doc.

Looks like it's a reaction, somewhat rare, to the Chickenpox vaccine she received on her 15 month checkup. It began 10 or so days after the vaccine. Currently it's also on her arms and legs, with her scratching her trunk.

We were assured it's not contagious, and it will go away soon. Anyone have this happen? It's been nearly 3 weeks now, so it may be here to stay for awhile.

Poor kid. At least we have tons of cortisone cream from a few months ago.

Little Slice of PDX comes to Orinda

2011-06-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

We had our first official visitors last week!!!! These guys braved the long, overnight drive to sleep on our fancy Ikea sofa bed for a few nights.

I didn't get all that many pictures, but since Christie is basically an unpaid professional photographer at this point, she took over that job.

We smooshed three car seats into the Prius and set off for adventures, checking out the Oakland Zoo, the California Academy of Sciences, and the local pool. We ate some good burgers, bacon, prosciutto, pork. There was a lot of meat. And there was lots of talking, kid wrangling, catching up and fun. And one round of preschooler-toddler soccer:

Thanks for the great visit, Darren, Christie and Henry! Now it's official: hotel McMiller Orinda is open for business!

McMillers Invade Sacramento, 2011 style

2011-06-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

That's right. We took another short train trip up to Sacramento. We swam in the American river (somehow not pictured.) We ate fish n'chips. Twice. We met up with these guys. We saw the Railroad museum. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Old Town. Really, we did it all. And had a great time.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Little Diva

2011-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Do-re-mi from Ms. A on Vimeo.

Robin June 15 months!

2011-06-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Robin had her 15 month check up a few weeks ago, and thought I should get this posted before she turns 16 months!

Robin June 15 months stats:
Weight: 22 lbs, 14 oz; 50%
Height: 31 1/8"; 75%

What's new in Robin's world? She's emerged from the squishy infant larval stage into full blown toddler.

She is talking up a storm, from the moment she gets up, "It's a blankie" (and holds up her blankie) "Mouth! Eyes! Tongue! Teeth! Nose!" (as she pokes at my face). Ask her a question and you'll get, "No." or "Yeah" accompanied with a belly bounce. She loves playing pretend and anything can be a phone on which she calls her grandparents. She is sad when anyone leaves the house but is desperately sad when it's Mom, Dad or Erin. She throws tantrums, or now that we know what full-blown, knock-down, drag-out tantrums are like, throws cute little toddler tantrums. Usually involving Otter pops.

She's energetic, she still loves highly seasoned food. She now has two molars but still has two molars and 4 canines to go. She tells jokes. She sings all the time, ABC and Happy Birthday being her two favorites. She loves books, especially those with bugs in them. All in all she's a pretty cool person. It's so fun watching the girl emerge.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

And now for gratuitous sibling cuteness

2011-06-08T21:28:00.001-07:00

Follow the leader from Ms. A on Vimeo.

Heath's new bike

2011-06-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is Dr. A's brother's new toy:

Heath's Chopper from Ms. A on Vimeo.

Sweet, no?

A very DIY Saturday

2011-06-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Nothing new in this post, only today was a very PDX kinda day, Orinda style.

One new skirt made (yes, it is addictive).

Homemade pizza & calzones made.

Plus it rained and rained and rained (hence the PDX). But we had to drive everywhere (hence the Orinda).

Recipe corner: crunchy kale

2011-06-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

This was totally not my idea. It was Jaques Pepin. But I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. It's easy, it's tasty, it's addictive, and it's healthy. What more can you ask from a vegetable, particularly one with such a questionable reputation as kale.

Oven: 250-300F
Ingredients:
One bunch kale, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces. You don't need the ribs.
One tablespoon olive oil
Sprinkles of sea salt

Toss ingredients together. Spread on a cookie cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Try to get it as mono-layer as possible. Bake for 20 minutes, or more or less.

It will be crisp, crunchy, very fragile. We gave some to the girls and they loved smooshing it to green powder. I don't think they actually at any of it.

We, however, ate the entire bunch.

Such a delicious way to get your greens.

Look, Amber!

2011-06-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

I did it! It was super easy!!!!

Thanks for the pattern. Now to make matching ones for me, Robin and Erin.

Fashion Friday

2011-05-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Robin is showing off her adorable purple garden outfit. While a good friend is adept at making cute skirts such as this one, this Mama chose the lazy route and obtained it here. The shoes are See Kai Run hand-me-downs from Erin. Robin loves them and will happily point out the little silver stars on them to anyone interested.

And then there's my little Ab Fab girl.... This colorful outfit was selected by her Grammie and Poppy. The story goes they saw it in the window when driving by a children's store, were compelled to stop and purchase it for our little sparkle girl. I think it does suit her well.

Of course, most days, the fashion runs more in this direction: