Ezri and I celebrated “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” at the ARRRRRRboretum’s new tree houses. We celebrate all the important holidays. We found the treehouse that is shaped like a ship and boarded her while talking like pirates.
Ezri came up with a new pirate joke. I am so proud of her.
What does a scurvy dog say?
ARRRRRF! ARRRRRRRF!
She also spent part of our play as “Sunflower the Robot” who at times was a robot pirate who said, “ARRRRR, matey – beep-beep,” in a robotic voice. Sunflower the robot is a repeated character from Ezri’s pretend play. She also repeatedly pretends to be “Charlotte Q.” for realistic household play (Charlotte is a college friend’s faraway daughter whose blog we follow) and “the Pink Ninja” for wild adventures (The Pink Ninja is a character created with a friend she made on vacation).
It was triple digit hot, but we still went out the parade down Main Street. Needed to see our high school marching band and some classic cars and tractors and firetrucks and veterans and elected officials and girl scouts and the choral society singing from a flatbed truck. Ezri realized quickly this year that some folks were throwing candy. Her bag of parade goodies is being dolled out slowly over time – but she has lollipops and tootsie rolls aplenty.
It was so hot that Ezri and Eric went for snow cones before the parade started.
Here’s Ezri at the side of the parade route soaked in sunscreen with her snowcone.
Here’s Ivan wondering why he isn’t big enough for one of those snow cones yet. And how we expect him to stay cool without one.
There are two kinds of kids
1) those that are shy and nervous around giant costumed characters who admittedly can be a bit creepy
2) those who would follow a giant costumed person just about anywhere despite their inherent creepiness
Ezri is firmly in the latter camp. When we saw Mr. Bunny at the park district evening egg hunt, she followed the bunny right at his heels gently patting his fur.
The bunny led dancing and was mobbed by the little people hoard.
When Ezri got to sit the bunny’s lap, she could not have been a happier child.
There was a second round of getting to meet the bunny after other children had moved on to the crafts table. This photo sums up how Ezri feels about the bunny.
Here is a photo of the egg grab. It was called an egg hunt, but the prey was pretty easy just hanging out in the open on the gym floor – like fish in a barrel for these kids.
This post-Christmas and Last Night of Hanukkah party was just our speed this year. A few good friends came to eat treats, play with the dress-up box, make a craft and watch trains together. It was all over by early afternoon and we could nap.
Ezri waits not-so-patiently for friends to arrive!
We make a Thank You card craft with watercolors.
The quote from the girl holding Ezri’s reins here is, “Super Santa Ho-ho-ho. Slow down!”
Ezri is wearing part of a garden gnome costume and a superhero cape which you cannot see from this angle. The cape is from a past Summer Reading Club in which I dressed up as “Speed Reader” and visited schools to encourage summer reading. The reins are a cat toy. Pirate Meghan is in the background.
Here is the final product which she decorated adding Muno’s eye and mouth. It looked like Muno but blue not orange according to Ezri. Muno is an orange character from the children’s program Yo Gabba Gabba. He has one eye and a mouth with just two teeth.
Stirring up the latkes.
Christmas morning before opening presents. The only thing Ezri asked for this year was a stuffed Donald Duck. The first present she opened was shoes she loved that were unfortunately too small. She noticed this gift was not Donald. The next present when asked what she thought it might be, “Maybe Donald Duck or grande shoes.” This present was shaped like a book which only made it funnier.
We are listening to a recorded book of Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Ezri loaned me her new frog hat to wear.
Christmas morning brunch.
Bacon frog tongue by Ezri. We are trying to discourage playing with food but I found the “I am a frog!” maneuver charming. Good thing we only eat bacon at Christmas so she won’t be repeating it often.
Ezri’s sitter Jenny gave Ezri a tiara. “Jenny got me this because she thought I would love it. And I DO LOVE IT!”
Ezri wearing her “super incredible big sister” medal.
Lighting candles with Eric.
Holding her nose because one candle was smoking.
Enjoying a model train display at Morton Arboretum
I am adding this just for you, Michele. Ezri repeatedly asked for a Donald Duck and we did not know why. But, since it was the only thing she asked for and could be had for $16 with free prime shipping from amazon – Santa delivered.
Donald was acquired and is loved.
Book Angels
This year for Anderson’s Bookshop Book Angels we were running late, so they were out of needy people Ezri or Ivan’s age to shop for. We adapted and bought for school-age children. Ezri selected Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books which I think have staying power for kids through age 7 (Heck, I like them at almost 36). So, Ezri got Happy Pig Day! to give and Ivan went with We Are in A Book! We also got a copy of DK’s Alien Robots Kit because combining Aliens and Robots is just neat. Ezri did ask if she could keep the book she chose to donate. We talked about gifting and she agreed to give the book to someone who did not have Elephant & Piggie books at their house.
Hanukkah Reading
Hanukkah Hop by Erica Silverman
Jaunty rhyming text as Rachel and her family host one hopping, Hanukkah party.
A Blue’s Clues Chanukah
A favorite TV character goes to his friend Orange Kitten’s house for a Hanukkah party. Ezri seemed surprised that Joe did not know what a dreidel was.
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Susan L. Roth
Collage illustration of mice doing the things in the classic song. Ezri likes the page that shows the sheet music. In a slight sleep deprived haze, I reversed the lyrics and sang, “latkes to play with and dreidels to eat.” Ezri now requests the song “the silly way.” She laughs and pretends to be eating a dreidel. Two-year-old holiday humor at its finest!
Hanukkah by Trudi Trueit
This book is a rebus reader replacing words in the text with small photos like candles, menorah, and gelt. Ezri enjoyed saying the items in the photos. The simple holiday explanation was right at her level.
This year we had to pull up Ezri’s step stool so she could help.
Ezri is enamored of the idea that the cats might knock ornaments off and play with them. She even pretended to be kitty Ezri and batted at the low hanging tigger ornament.
We went out to DeKalb to spend Thanksgiving with Ezri’s paternal grandparents and aunt. Ezri really liked sleeping over at her grandparents. It has been almost a year since sleeping over at the grandparents and now Ezri loves the idea of a sleepover. She got to stay in her own room which was Eric’s room growing up. In the rush of packing, Eric and I managed to leave behind her favorite stuffed animals and her pink blankie. We had visions of a crying Ezri at 2 a.m., but Ezri managed to sleep through the night without these comfort items. She really is growing up.
She likes to help. Ezri helped her dad make the cranberry relish.
When we all sat down and poured wine and began blessing the meal, Ezri’s small voice piped up with “I want to eat.” She had been waiting with all the wonderful smells of food surrounding her for long enough. She enjoyed her sweet potatoes and turkey and stuffing very much.
She enjoyed teaching Amy and Tim to play her favorite board game, GO AWAY, MONSTER!
Amy’s chocolate pumpkin pie was probably Ezri’s favorite food of the day. I can understand why – yum.
Whipped cream is perfect on pie or straight from the beater.
Does this count as playing with her brother? These are some of her dad’s and aunt’s toys saved from their childhood. Ezri loves the barn and all the little people.
Having pie for breakfast on Black Friday was a family tradition Ezri approved of wholeheartedly. She told all her friends at the library on Saturday about having pie for breakfast when asked how her Thanksgiving was.
This is a photo taken to reproduce a similarly staged photo of Eric and his family in 1976. When we scan that one, I’ll post it for comparison.
When asked what she was thankful for, Ezri responded with “TREATS!” I asked what else and Ezri said, “Flowers.” Anything else? “Nothing else I think.”
It was a very nice Thanksgiving all round. Good people, good family, good food and plenty to be thankful for – treats and flowers included.
Ezri got to climb in a garbage truck and a street sweeper. She spent some time in the back of a sheriff’s car. She practiced saying “trick or treat” and saw a lot of costumed compatriots.
She loves her costume. It was made by Grandma Liz. Ezri painted the shoes herself. Here is a photo that is not great, but shows how much she likes to groove in her Pete the Cat suit. She will dance and play harmonica as Pete.
Here she is behind the wheel of a construction vehicle. Letting the kids climb into the big vehicles is a genius idea. It was so appealing to the kids to be behind the wheel. Plus some vehicles had horns they could push. *BEEP* Thank goodness all sirens were turned off.
It was dusky, so not the best light for photos. Here is Pete holding her Pete doll.
Afterwards, Pete got a chocolate for the ride home.
Me: Ezri, what was your favorite thing at the Halloween Happening?
Was it the firetruck?
Ezri: No.
Me: Was it the garbage truck?
Ezri: No.
Me: Was it seeing Spider-man?
Ezri: No.
Me: What was your favorite thing?
Ezri: CANDY!
(At this point she had eaten one small chocolate bar, but climbed in six different trucks and seen all sorts of costumed people. I guess it was a good chocolate bar and there was power in knowing she had more.)
