Look at her hold the fret board hand correctly. She learned on her ukulele.

I celebrated this national holiday by paying a highly personalized tribute to the word "Independence." There come times in one's life when you just know that it's time to do things a little differently and this past week or so has been my time to explore new emotional and physical boundaries. In other words, I'm trying to climb higher, swing faster, make bigger decisions, assert more opinions and just DO more all on my own. It's fun and exciting and a really really REALLY big bummer when I don't quite make it or get my way. Ex: We have been waiting all stinking season for these blueberry bushes to fruit. Now, here they are in all of their juicy blue glory and mom and dad won't let me get up at 7 am, put my boots on and run out to raid all the bushes. They are ridiculously picky about the subtle shade differences between dark purple and bright blue and say things like, "They are not all quite ready yet, Nona." I disagree. I communicate my dissent by shrieking NOOOOOOOOOOOOs and IIIIIIIII WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT IT while trying hard to conjure real tears. (Mom suspects that the neighbors are particularly fond of my Sunday morning 7 am, er, explosions). On a final note of independent ranting: I do not like fireworks. (Which sounds more like "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WAAAAAAAAAAANT IT!")

I do, however, like going to the theatre to see a live performance of Green Eggs and Ham, helping mom repot plants and eating the berries that mom and dad have deemed "ready-to-be-picked." I also like tree climbing-- pictures forthcoming.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the proud owner of a Dora Bike. I don't know how to ride it, but it pleases me beyond your wildest imagination. It has a bell (thanks, Grammy Pam!) and if I place it at just the right spot on the driveway, I don't have to pedal at all in order to wind up at my neighbor-friend Max's front door.

Today we did a science experiment at camp. It was based upon the theory that a person can, in fact, eat her body weight in strawberries. After thorough scientific analysis and documentation (see below), I proved the theory correct.

Goin' in...


Coming up for air...


Back to work...


Yup. Proof Positive. Strawberries are goooooooooooooooooooood. (Only question remaining is: What were the buckets for?)

What better way to celebrate summer's first official weekend than a trip to the ballpark? I sang songs, stamped my feet, clapped my hands, shouted SWING BATTER! and even yelled at the umpire a couple of times (the guys behind me taught me the proper way to do this). Just when I didn't think it could get much better, there was a hotdog in my hands. Take me out to the ballgame ANYday. (Mom and Dad seem to think this is a once in a decade sort of an adventure--I'm not sure what's up with that).

OH! Come ON! He was SAFE! Totally SAFE! What? Are you BLIND?




Seventh-inning Stretch with friend, Cole Cosmo!

Happy Summer! Mark this date, Summer Solstice Weekend 2008, as the first night I waited for Mom to finish bedtime rituals, close the door and walk away before I flipped on my flashlight (they've TOTALLY been holding out on me, these things are the BEST!) and my overhead light and carried on with my night. Mom just found me celebrating the longest day of the year by reading in bed at 10:45. (Busted.)

Stopping at the Market for a snack...


Then on to the park...



Snuggling in the hammock

The good news is that I went on my very first rafting trip down the Mighty Willamette River today! The bad news is that mom dropped the camera into the very wet bottom of the boat and it took on more water than it could withstand. No visuals for awhile. But back to the good news:

Water is running high in the Pac Northwest this season (all that snow is melting) and so most rocks are deeply submerged, clearing our path and pushing our boats along at a good pace. It was quick enough to keep us all entertained, but mellow enough to keep the parents from getting panicky. It was a beauteous run (Springfield to Eugene-1.5 hours-ish) for our party of five rafts, two dogs, 12 adults, 9 kids, one kayak and a partridge in a pair tree.

Wildlife sightings: 1 Blue Heron, 2 Osprey, many homo sapiens: bikers, bladers, skaters, runners and hikers along the bike path that hugs the north bank.

We took out at a riverside park in downtown Eugene and had a birthday party picnic to celebrate Orion and Sadie's second time around the sun. Now, post-napum, we're cleaning up the garden, cleaning out some closets and starting to fill boxes ominously marked, "Garage Sale."

We just got back from a fabulous visit to see Grammy, Grampa Phil, Grampa Art, Uncle Todd and lots of friends. Puppet Shows, blueberries, picking plums off of Grammy and G'pa Phil's plum tree and eating them faster than mom could say, "too green! belly ache!", Canine Cousins Abby and Bruno, the airplane ride with its "TINY bathrooms" and "bouncing around" aka turbulence, playdough and my first (real) haircut were highlights...in addition to the fun time with my family!

On the way to LA...


All mommy could say was, "Well, if you would have sat that still for ME, it would have looked this good MONTHS ago."


Bob Barker's Marionette Show kept the big kids happily entertained, as well as the little ones. A clown sat in my lap and I talk about it frequently...


Grammies and G'pas and books oh my!



Is this what they call jetlag?


Back to my own bedroom to tuck in my friends. Good night!

HOT! Suddenly, after weeks of colder than average weather and overcast days, it's sunny and mid-90s. We went camping despite the uncomfortable heat, and found respite on the shores of a tributary of the middlefork of the Willamette for a nice, long afternoon "nap." That's "nap" as opposed to nap without quotes meaning the kind that doesn't actually involve any sleeping. Rather, we threw rocks, sticks and leaves into the water, painted pictures, sang songs, chased ants and butterflies, and jumped on Mom and Dad if they showed any signs of taking a real nap. Who could sleep when it's this hot, anyway? What's that, Mom? You could have? Well, you had more fun playing with me. Promise.

Here's a peek into Dad's labor of love...the garden. These pictures do not do justice to the spectacular things--some edible, some aesthetic--starting to burst forth from the earth around our home!

columbine

Blueberry bushes


Some of the veggie beds in the background, with some starts, blueberry bushes, and what will soon be flowers in the pots in the foreground.

Fresh salads every night now!

We love spring...

Did someone say "waffles?"


Dad made waffles, fruit salad and bacon ("hmmmm. baaacon.") for a festive Mother's Day breakfast--an event, I think, that with a little planning, could be worked into our every day lives. We also went to feed goats in celebration of Mother's Day (and again, I see no reason why this can not be a more regularly scheduled activity). All in all it was a fabulous celebration of mom. She seemed to have a pretty good time, too!

Tea parties and forts can wear a girl out. Happy May!