Monday, August 19, 2013

Scarecrow

For Dustin's birthday Kenzie gave him a picture she colored.  It was a scarecrow.  She thought their garden needed some protection, and that she and daddy needed a project.  An idea was born.  It took a little while to find the time to build him, but Mr. Scarecrow is now ready to find his home in our blossoming garden.

They worked on it mostly while I was away teaching my night classes.  It was fun to come home at night and see the progress.


Detail work is perfect for attention-oriented McKenzie.



Kaia helped, too, but Dustin said she did a lot of what Kaia does.  Which is, well, anything but what everyone else is doing.  Here's a good action shot of her chasing the chickens away from Kenzie's work space.



This finished product is a scarecrow that is scary enough to freak me out every time I come home at night.  My heart jumps every time I catch a glimpse of the towering shadow.  Kaia isn't afraid, though.  She tells me it looks like Papa....

Kaia: Care crow looks like Papa.
Me: What?!  You think it looks like Papa?
Kaia: Yeah, looks like Papa.
Me: Papa Lavoine or Papa Ricci?
Kaia: Papa Voine.
Me: The Papa with Auntie Jenni or the Papa with Auntie Loren?
Kaia: Auntie Denni.
Me: That's Papa Lavoine.

Ha!  My dad has confirmed, however, that while she may think it looks like him, the scarecrow does not dish out ice cream and candy so he is not nearly as cool as Papa Voine.


Monday, August 5, 2013

All Aboard!


When my friend Jess sent me a link to the Essex Steamtrain and Big Top Circus Show I didn't have to think twice.  Kenzie has been asking for months if she can someday ride a train, "maybe, when I'm five?"  


Here's a confession, I've always wanted to ride on a train, too.  I've been on a subway train, but that doesn't count.  So, when that steam train glided up to the station and blew the whistle I was just as giddy as the girls.  Unfortunately, the train ride lasted all of ten minutes and never exceeded 5 mph, but it was thrilling, nonetheless.  





The circus was fun.  It wasn't a big "big top" but it was enough for the girls.  There was one aerial act where a woman twisted and turned and hung upside down from long silk sheets.  Kenzie was astonished.  She didn't take her eyes off of her the entire time.  Her facial expressions say it all.




The man who climbed atop the stacked chairs had me nervous.  There were no safety precautions.  I kept thinking that if he fell the girls would be forever scarred.  Kaia wasn't too concerned, I guess.  She spotted my friend's newborn baby next to us and smiled big.  The daredevil behind her apparently wasn't enough to keep her attention.


The girls had a great time on the rides.


A good representation of the Kenzie/Kaia dynamic.
 Kenzie is serious (she really thinks she's driving) and Kaia is just along for the ride.

It was a great day, and now I have a brochure of all the other steam train events (including dinner and a sunset).  Anyone want to babysit?