Family Picture

A snafu in the church directory photo calendar meant we didn't get the Olin Mill's special. But hey, we dressed all "purdy" and weren't going to be denied a chance for a family picture. The result is...

Clara's Haircut

Clara is four and a half, and this is literally the second time scissors have ever grazed her hair. The first came during our 2011 summer visit to Lock Haven when she agreed to excise some fraction of an inch to humor Kate at her own styling session. 

Since then, Clara has insisted she doesn't want a haircut until its at least as long as Rapunzel's. And she's been getting pretty close to that goal.

Then Kate took her to Kendall's (our neighbor) for an afternoon of play. Kendall was cutting her son's hair and asked Clara is she wanted a cut, too. We expected the usual no. But after Kendall enticed her with a cookie, Clara shrugged her shoulders and said, "Why not?"

The result was a close crop just in time for summer. Those of us tasked with combing out those tangles each night are deeply indebted to kind Kendall.

Chicago!

Paul and Kate were not keen on the idea of taking the girls through the flying experience during their baby and toddler years. It's less about fear for them than it about fear for us and our fellow passengers. Going through baggage check-in, security, and boarding is unpleasant when flying solo, why subject your children to it unnecessarily? So, our family trips have been limited to the extremes of driving up to Pennsylvania and down to Alabama and many destinations in between.

But with Clara now four - with all the big girl stuff that entails - we thought it time that she have the airplane experience. We decided it would be a daddy-daughter thing, and so Paul has been looking at short-flight, non-stop destinations for the past few months in search of the right trip.

A few weeks ago we settled on Chicago in no small part because it was a good in-between spot to meet Paul's friend Jason and his four-year-old daughter Fiona (Paul's goddaughter). They flew in from Boise for a weekend daddy-daughter rendezvous.

Clara has been excited about the trip since we planned it. Leading up to it, she would wake up each morning and ask, "Is this the day we're going to Chicago?"

We flew in Friday morning, met Jason and Fiona at O'Hare, and took the "L" into town. Our apartment overlooked Soldier Field and had a great view of Lake Michigan. It gave us easy access to plenty of things to do.

On Friday afternoon we grabbed a taxi to Navy Pier where the girls were excited to ride the ferris wheel, take in the view of the lake, gobble down some ice cream (chocolate for Clara and vanilla for Fiona), and dance along the boardwalk together. 

On Saturday we walked over to Shedd Aquarium, grabbed a quick lunch at a little french brassiere, and then hopped a bus down Michigan Avenue to hit the American Girl doll store.

Jason was somehow able to convince the girls that they didn't need the full-size (i.e., full-priced) dolls...that the minis would be just fine. This let us get out of the store with minimal pocketbook damage. Pappaw would later call Jason's maneuver a "dirty lawyer trick." We agree but are no less happy with the outcome.

We ate Chicago style deep dish pizza that night, grabbed some more ice cream, and turned in for the night. 

We grabbed an early-Sunday morning taxi into O'Hare where everybody headed their separate ways. Clara was a star on this trip, giving everyone confidence she can handle trips like this with aplomb! We hope to do another trip like this again soon!

Why Sleep In Your Bed?

Clara went nearly three weeks without sleeping in her bed. Preferring various combinations of blankets, beanbags, and pillows on the floor to a soft mattress.

Why bother sleeping in the bed, when you can bunk in a fort beside it?

Arts Together End of Year Play

Clara played the frog in Arts Together's end of year play, and she worked hard to memorize her three lines...

"I better hop to it!"

"Kermit was right, it's not easy being green."

"I can do it. I'll jump at the chance!"

And as the videos demonstrate, she nailed them!

(Behind the video camera is Daddy, more than slightly phlaklempt, Kate, Hattie, Ga and Pappaw...all of us are beaming with pride. Even Hattie as she squirms to get away from her keepers and join the big kids on the stage.)

Hard to believe a full nine months have passed since starting preschool. Here's a look at Clara back in August for "transition day" when Daddy was able to spend an hour with her that first day of school. (And when she announced to the class, apropos of nothing, that she was allergic to strawberries.)

After the play and some light refreshments, the teachers past out yearbooks and the kids spent the next while scribbling their signatures on each others' yearbooks pages.

We don't think it's fully dawned on her that she won't see all these wonderful friends nearly as often during the summer, but Clara is excited that she will be a "Star" next year who goes to school five days a week instead of three. 

We couldn't be prouder of our big girl. It's remarkable to reflect on the ways she's grown and matured in the nurturing environment of this first year of Arts Together!

Clara's Last Day of Gymnastics

Here is 4-year old Clara displaying her medal and certificate for completing her first full-year of gymnastics class.

And here is Clara 2 1/2 years ago at her first tiny-tumblers class at the same gym. 

With summer approaching, all the regularly scheduled activities are drawing to an end. Certificates are handed out along with the occasional medal. It's a time of panic for parents (how do we manage all this energy through the summer without school, etc?!), but also a happy time of reflection. 

Clara has loved her Monday-afternoon gymnastics class and is looking forward to enrolling again this Fall.

Dad is Great, He Feeds Us Chocolate Cupcakes

Yes, that is a cupcake. Yes, this is breakfast. And we feel zero guilt with this when Clara sets a Sunday morning record by sleeping in till 8.30. We shall stock ho-ho's if that's what it takes!

Dancing the Night Away

One of Paul's colleagues is a rock star with a standing gig at a North Hills restaurant. On Thursday night we brought the whole family up there to listen along with several of Paul's co-workers. Hattie and Clara relished the chance to dance way past their bed times!

Clara Rides a Big Girl Bike!

Poor Kate. On the one day of the year reserved for mothers, Clara goes and grabs all the attention for herself by learning to ride a bike.

Of course, Paul will try to take all the credit for being such a masterful coach, but reality is much different. He did take the training wheels off her bike and lowered her seat a bit. And he also suggested she push off a little bit to steady herself with speed (like on her balance bike). Otherwise, this is pretty much something she did on her own.

And she did it all in the span of about 7 minutes!  Yep, from a wobbly fall on the first try to a downhill brake-skidder soon after...it would have taken more time to hard boil an egg.

So, yes, it's clearly because Paul is such an excellent teacher.

Mothers Day 2013

Kate's Mothers Day gift...a day in the spa plus auto body wash. Wait a minute! That's not just a gift...that's a brilliant friggin' business idea! Hmmm...now I need all of Facebook to sign a non-disclosure agreement....

Real Mothers Day gift...it's 9 am, and this one is still sleeping! Wow! Hattie's first ever 12+ hour night.

Some other shots from our Mothers Day activities...

Clara's Favorite Things

Clara showing off her latest tricks on her scooter

Clara LOVES her scooter.  ADORES it.  A gift from Ga and PapPaw last fall, the scooter has been a constant companion of Clara's for the past several months.  She was a bit intimidated at first, but she quickly became more comfortable on her scooter than she was on her balance bike (although she still loves racing around on it, too!)  In fact, Paul recently had to replace the rear wheel with a new one, due to wear-and-tear from going down steep hills and using the brakes so much.  Last week, Clara exceeded all expectations of what we thought possible for a barely 4-year-old to accomplish on her scooter:  zipping around in circles and down hills while balancing on one leg (with the other leg crossed).  Such a daredevil!!

Clara the Hoola Hoop master

Clara's other current love is her HOOLA HOOP!  She received it as a gift from Adah for her 3rd birthday, but it was much too big (and daunting) at the time to master, so it sat idle.  This past fall, Clara pulled the hoola hoop out of the garage and slowly began practicing with Mommy & Daddy.  She was able to make it around for a full circle once or twice, but she decided that it was going to take a bit more practice than originally assumed.  So we packed it with the boxes and moved it to our new house.  Upon our arrival in the new neighborhood, the 8-and-10-year-old sisters who live two doors down showed Clara their awesome hoola-hooping skills.  Clara was hooked!  She REALLY wanted to hoola hoop like Anna and Lily Kate.  The older girls would show Clara new techniques (like putting it around your knees or hoola hooping while walking or putting it around your neck)  and Clara quietly took mental notes while studying their every move.  Well, it worked!  Clara is now a Hoola Hoop Master.  She quickly passed Mommy's record for most hoola hooping in our family, and she is well on her way to catching the older girls (they can exceed #150 times around their waists without letting the hoola hoop drop).  Paul captured a classic video of Clara mastering the hoola hoop last week:

 

Springtime Fun

 

Hattie & Daddy at the Arts Together Spring Field Day

What a fun, fabulous Spring for the Dryden family!  The warmer weather means outside playtime, and the girls have been maximizing their outside time thus far.  We have enjoyed our evening fun with the other families on our new cul-de-sac, where Clara and Hattie have gained at least 8 new playmates all under 10 years of age.  We have loved walking to North Hills in the mornings, especially now that the Farmer's Market and Beach Music events have begun!  We have also had several end-of-the-school-year celebrations, including the Arts Together Spring Field Day.  Here are a few fun memories captured from the various events:

Clara with her Strawberry Mouse at North Hills Farmer's Market

Clara with Wooley the Durham Bull

  

Waiting patiently (with tickets in hand) to play carnival games!

Hattie "driving" an Arts Together race car

Clara LOVES her new NC State cheerleading uniform (thank you, Lily Kate!)