Bike Rider

November 27, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma learned to ride her bike today.

At the beginning, she expressed an interest in hopping on Sam's old tricycle, but we somehow got all three younger kids down to the park.  Berry and Duncan put on their training-wheel enabled bikes and were off.  Emma took a bit more work.

Still, within five minutes, she was starting by herself and stopping by herself.  The in-between part of riding around had already been mastered, so she was golden.  I was very proud of her tenacity and she was very excited to have a new, grown-up skill under her belt.

Emma as a 50s Housewife

November 13, 2011 by Adam in Emma

For some reason, Emma struck me as a 50s housewife this morning.  She'd gotten all prettied up with makeup and Joanna helped curl her hair.  Emma has a love for Chanterelle mushrooms, so she was chopping them up and sautéing them with garlic and butter and olive oil.  It was delicious.

Emma's been great today.  She played with Duncan and Berry.  We played baseball in the backyard, with Berry as our catcher.  During the library run, she stocked up on books like The Teen's Guide to World Domination and The Teen's Guide to Helping Our Oceans, Rivers, and Other Aquatic Things.  Emma, who is watching over my shoulder, tells me I should add The Girl's Guide to Style.

You can add "chicken wrangling" to her list of skills.  She had this giant brussle-sprout stem that she was waving around, trying to get the chickens to behave.  It was a sight to behold.

First Day of School

September 07, 2011 by Adam in Emma

It was a whirlwind morning today.  We bid farewell to Sam, who had one final day of summer, and headed out to the various schools.  First we dropped off Duncan, who fortunately thought his teacher was pretty, and thus acceptable.  Next we drove the three blocks to Emma's school, and finally we dropped off Berry at hers.

Emma was looking a little flustered, trying to figure out the instructions for their first assignment that were displayed on the overhead.  We all gave her hugs and kisses and let her be.  I'll call her tonight and see how things go.

We left Berry in the care of Barbara, who was Emma's teacher many years ago.  A friend immediately ran up to her, so I think all is good there.

Seasoned Traveler

August 17, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma was truly great on the trip to Sadie's wedding.  The plane rides were grueling and long, but she managed reasonably well.  When she woke me up when I tried to sleep, she apologized later.  Only a couple times did I get the "how much further?" question.  More often than not, she was cheerful and pleasant and I'd be happy to travel with her again.

She had a great time on the trip, and the farm was the perfect place for an eight year-old to be.  Frogs, butterflies, and grasshoppers were caught.  She picked carrots and ate them raw.

Emma had a great time with her cousins, especially Isa.  The two of them look so much alike these days, and they were both into very similar things.  Isa thought it would be a fine idea for her to come visit one summer and hang out more with Emma.

On the last day of the trip, she ate lobster in Portland, Maine, and then later ate corn chowder in the San Francisco airport.  She seems like such a seasoned traveler to me now.

Hobbes

July 17, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma made a film of Hobbes, our cat, this morning.

Ballet

June 30, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma's starting up ballet this Saturday.  She's strangely excited.  When we went to pick up her outfit, she insisted on wearing it home and showing it off to Berry and Duncan.  She last tool Ballet when she was four or five, so we'll see how much she remembers.  Her friend Taylor was showing her some ballet moves during recess last school year.

Final Birthday Party

June 09, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma had her final birthday party last Sunday.  She had a good time hanging out with her friends, chasing chickens, and being a little wild.

Teeth and Coyote Kids

April 05, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma lost a tooth this morning.  She'd been spending days playing with it, and now it's no more.

I also signed her up for Coyote Kids, the last slot.  She had a good time doing it last year, and she's excited to go along with her friend.  Fortunately Kate's dad will be picking her up, so I won't have to get out of work early.

Valentine's Day Party

February 15, 2011 by Adam in Emma

I had fun visiting Emma's class and helping out for the Valentine's Day party.  I was stationed at the cookie making table, passing out frosting and equitably distributing sprinkles.  The kids were generally pretty excited, and Emma was quite thrilled to see me.

Pierced Ears

January 04, 2011 by Adam in Emma

Emma got pierced ears yesterday.  They're a little sore today, but she's being diligent about keeping them clean.  She's also had an annoying cough the last four days, though I managed to convince her to go to school since she can show off her earrings.  She put on the hair band that Sadie made for her, nicely exposing her ears.

The funniest part of the whole story is that she had been reading a book on how to be glamorous and one of the sections was titled "How to Convince Your Parents to Let You Pierce Your Ears."  Emma carefully went through the list and got everyone's permission, sensibly using her Christmas money and getting it organized.  It was very cute.

I had a great time hanging out with Emma the last four days, despite her being sick.  We played games together, read books at bedtime, and played at the playground with everyone else.  I really like the person she's turning into, and tell her frequently.