They're blinding us with science!

Last night, Louise offered salon services (hair & wardrobe) to her sisters in her bedroom.  Some of the results are below:

Today, Hillsborough was hit by an ice storm, school was cancelled, and we were without power for nearly twelve hours.  This meant that we had time to hear what was on the girls' minds.  We had surreal conversations such as:

Claire: "Why did you have three kids, mommydaddy?"

Us: stunned silence

Louise: "Mommy just got pregnant two times.  That's all.  Daddy wasn't involved AT ALL."

Pause.

Claire: "But why did you have three GIRLS?"

Louise: "They just did."

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Louise also took the opportunity of car travel to teach her sisters other things.  "Ice is like poison to trees, because it makes them bend over.  See?"

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Perhaps inspired by big sister, Charlotte also announced, apropos of nothing, "They call me Science Kid."

Disguises

The kids' personalities shone through their disguises on Halloween.  At one door, the kids all gave the customary greeting.  "Are you going to give me a treat?" asked the woman at the door.  Louise reached into her bucket and offered the woman some of her candy; C&C backed away nervously.  The music factory was all about the CANDY.

Charlotte and Claire have some interesting conversations.  Last week, in the back of the car, Charlotte asked Claire, "Can you hear me?"
      "No."
      Charlotte: "Why?"
      Claire: " 'Cuz I got my eyes covered."


Charlotte had a rough day yesterday.  "You're being rather contrary today," Daddy said to her.  "No I'm not!" she defiantly replied

Up a tree

Much to Mummy's regret, Louise demonstrated Good Listening Ears this week, when Daddy was joking with Mummy.  The next day, Louise was talking about her favourite characters from Cars.  "Carla Veloso is fast.  But she doesn't enter every race - it depends on the time of the month."

Claire is not easily impressed.  On Friday, Daddy told her: "If you are a good girl, you'll get a surprise tomorrow after gymnastics."  The following day, after gymnastics, Mummy took Claire and Charlotte to the mall, where they rode on a train, got balloons, and watched a Curious George show.  During the walk back to the car, Claire turned to Mummy and asked, "What's the surprise?"

We had a wonderful time at Aunt Candy's birthday party.  Mummy was rather unsuccessful in her efforts to climb a tree, but Louise blamed the equipment.  "You were strong enough, Mummy - you just weren't wearing the right shoes."  The kids also had the opportunity to play with cousins, watch other people climb the tree, ride a tractor, look at bee hives, stare into a pond with lily pads, and eat CAKE.

Hog Days

Summer has arrived in Hillsborough, and the girls are enjoying it.  Last weekend, they bounced at Hog Days.  This weekend, we went to The Pool.  Charlotte & Claire have a greater fear of the water than they displayed last year, but they're also more tractable when asked to wear floaties, so trips to the pool are far less stressful for Dad & Mum.

Louise's career aspirations have shifted a bit.  Our eldest daughter, who refuses to take swim lessons, wants to be a swim teacher when she grows up.  Or a tree.

Ms. Judy continues to have a lasting impression on the girls, even after we moved away.  "Do you know what a shed is, Louise?" asked Daddy this evening.  "Yes.  It's like a dog house, but bigger."

Pops & Grammy

Pops & Grammy have returned to the Eastern half of the US, and they came to visit for the first time since September.  Do you remember Pops & Grammy, we asked Louise.  "Of course!  Pops brings us presents.  But he doesn't have to bring something this time."  Of course, he did bring something - a zebra pillow pet for Louise ("Carrot!"), a giraffe for Claire, and "Chocolate" Moose for Charlotte.  Pops' sister Candy also came to visit, with her friend Ken.  Charlotte got a haircut after gymnastics on Saturday, so she is fully visible.  Her teacher commented today, "She looks all grown up - like a proper three year-old!"  Claire remains skeptical of the virtue of haircuts, so she now has the longest hair in the family.

Charlotte Atherton, DDS

Last week, Charlotte declared that she wants to be a dentist when she grows up.  What does a dentist do?  "Say no juice and no candy, and brush your teeth."  This morning at breakfast, Dr. Charlotte announced: "If your teeth fall out, you don't brush your teeth.  It's bad."  We usually reverse that statement, but her logic is still sound.

Mummy went out with the Coach House ladies again last night.  Claire thought that was a Bad Choice, and she expressed her opinion with tears.  Louise tried to help her calm down: "When I was three, I didn't want Mummy to leave, and I was upset.  But I didn't cry!"

Louise enjoyed Kindergarten Registration, and she's getting excited about Big School.  When it was time for the kids to go one way and the grown-ups to go the other, she grabbed neighbour Alex's hand and marched off to her new adventure.  She enjoyed riding on the bus, where she chose to sit quietly next to a teacher.  A few days later, she got frustrated when trying to zip up her coat.  "Mummy, you do it!"  We reminded her of the Cameron Park slogan, "GRIT."  The T stands for TEN-acity - Cameron Park kids must try to do things themselves ten times before asking for help.  Wanting to do things the Kindergarten way, Louise tried the zipper again.  "It only took me three times!" she exclaimed.  She also loves the Miss Bindergarten books about Kindergarten, and she's trying to "read" books using the first letter of words as mnemonic clues.

Chinese New Year in Durham & Singapore

Louise can be delightful.  Last night, she told Daddy, "Come back in seven minutes.  If I'm sleeping, you can turn off the light.  If I'm awake, you can look at me."  She also informed him, "I don't want presents for my birthday.  People should bring cans of food for the hungry."  No presents?  "I suppose they could bring a little something AND a can."

Claire's classroom has been celebrating Chinese New Year for the past week and a half, and Charlotte and Claire have been trading classrooms this week, so I've posted some pics from CNY in Durham and Singapore:

GRITS (Girls Raised In The South) 2011

Louise's Southern (US) accent is getting stronger, though she still pronounces garage (GAY-reg) as her father does. She sounds more Southern than Mummy's colleague from Mississippi, and now seems to think that "yeah" is a polysyllabic word.

And don't call me Shirley

We all had a wonderful time at the General Aviation terminal at RDU yesterday, celebrating neighbor Alex's birthday. There were real planes & helicopters, paper airplanes, and ample space for running round in circles - what else does one need for a birthday party?!

As the usually delightful Louise commented later that day: "I'm always good, most of the time." She does have moments of rage, but she also can show great tenderness. Charlotte was getting a little frustrated at lunch today, so Louise intervened: "I'll get it for you, Charlotte. I don't want you to cry!"

Mommy asked Charlotte if she remembered traveling on a plane to England last Christmas. She didn't, but that didn't stop her from replying "Yes! I hit my head on England! I broke it. But Mr. John (our neighbour, and a child psychiatrist) and mommy fixed it. I got a boo-boo!" So perhaps she has some lingering memory of having the flu whilst on an eight-hour flight and in a two-hour immigration queue. Or, as Louise said, "she's just making up a story."

This morning, a tired (and soggy) Claire woke up with the words, "I bet my wed, Mommy."

Professional photos

The CD is in the mail to us, but in the meantime, enjoy the link










Mummy recently went out for dinner with some ladies from the neighborhood. She told the girls it was a "mummy meeting" to "make her a better mummy." Not to be outdone, Daddy went out later that weekend to the pub with a "daddy friend." Louise concluded the next day, "Daddy - you don't need any more daddy meetings. But mummy needs to go on more mummy meetings."


The girls' current ambitions: Louise wants to be a tree when she grows up. Charlotte says, "Me get bigger; go work in hoppital." Claire: "[raises eyebrow, sucks finger]"

Too cool

Louise continues to be on an extremely restricted diet, after pancakes proved too fat-and-protein-heavy for her stomach on Saturday. She acts like a child who is chronically tired and hungry, because she is, in fact, chronically tired and hungry. However, she still knows her own worth. On Saturday, she acknowledged that Claire wanted to spend naptime with big sister. "I'm trying to be less cool," she told us, explaining her solution to the problem.

Some pics of Charlotte from today: