This week was a great big celebration of Julia's birthday. We include a full write-up of the actual day from Justin's journal, but before that...
Wednesday morning we joined half of the inhabitants of Silver Spring aged 2-5 and their legal guardians for a free ballet class at the Maryland Youth Ballet studio located a few blocks away from us. This was partly to hang out with our friends the Lakes, partly to remind Julia that her big fourth birthday present will be enrollment in ballet when we return to New Haven.
Thursday morning we braved incomprehensibly congested traffic to meet up with Lindsay, Mayah, and Asher Sevy at Glen Echo Park (also known as "The Carousel") to view an old-time, string-puppet showing of The Wizard of Oz and ride the 1931 Dentzel Carousel a few times. Ever since viewing Mary Poppins Julia and Eli have been carousel nuts, so despite their having ridden this carousel before, it effectively eclipsed the puppet show.
The Sevys then came over for a kid-friendly lunch, and soon after their departure a birthday package from Grandma arrived. Since this was also a day of birthday celebration, I let Julia open one present. Her selection was a winner: a Rapunzel doll with full-length mirror, stool, and hair brush. When Eli awoke from her nap to behold the new addition to their arsenal of plastic people, she grabbed Sleeping Beauty and commanded in her most witch-like voice: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Look at your hair!" Which command was assiduously obeyed, at least by Julia, who rarely STOPPED looking at Rapunzel's hair for the rest of the day.
Friday we went to the National Aquarium with the Lakes. Elaine and her husband Warren are also here only for the summer while Warren researches with the National Institute of Health, and she not only has two adorable little girls but lives very close. I, for one, am SO glad they're here!
The alligator was the girls' favorite, probably because there was a tall step on which they could stand to look, and also because there really wasn't that much there! The $5 adult admission fee is probably just about right.
Wednesday morning we joined half of the inhabitants of Silver Spring aged 2-5 and their legal guardians for a free ballet class at the Maryland Youth Ballet studio located a few blocks away from us. This was partly to hang out with our friends the Lakes, partly to remind Julia that her big fourth birthday present will be enrollment in ballet when we return to New Haven.
Thursday morning we braved incomprehensibly congested traffic to meet up with Lindsay, Mayah, and Asher Sevy at Glen Echo Park (also known as "The Carousel") to view an old-time, string-puppet showing of The Wizard of Oz and ride the 1931 Dentzel Carousel a few times. Ever since viewing Mary Poppins Julia and Eli have been carousel nuts, so despite their having ridden this carousel before, it effectively eclipsed the puppet show.
The Sevys then came over for a kid-friendly lunch, and soon after their departure a birthday package from Grandma arrived. Since this was also a day of birthday celebration, I let Julia open one present. Her selection was a winner: a Rapunzel doll with full-length mirror, stool, and hair brush. When Eli awoke from her nap to behold the new addition to their arsenal of plastic people, she grabbed Sleeping Beauty and commanded in her most witch-like voice: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Look at your hair!" Which command was assiduously obeyed, at least by Julia, who rarely STOPPED looking at Rapunzel's hair for the rest of the day.
Friday we went to the National Aquarium with the Lakes. Elaine and her husband Warren are also here only for the summer while Warren researches with the National Institute of Health, and she not only has two adorable little girls but lives very close. I, for one, am SO glad they're here!
The alligator was the girls' favorite, probably because there was a tall step on which they could stand to look, and also because there really wasn't that much there! The $5 adult admission fee is probably just about right.
That evening Gladriel Clayson and Jarrod Shobe, two of Justin's classmates working on forming some sort of legal partnership, babysat so we could go to the temple. Gladriel presented Julia a birthday present of a My Little Pony, and us an unbirthday present of two sleeping children when we returned! I LOVE Gladriel!
After slugabed Eli finally awoke (about 8:15), and after our repast of special (i.e. sugary) cereal,
Julia got to open the rest of the presents that came in a package from my mom earlier in the week (she had been allowed to open one present—a Rapunzel doll—upon the package’s arrival). Some gifts were strategically addressed to Eli, which significantly reduced the number of jealous conflicts.
The content of the gifts, given Mom’s track record, was predictable—an assortment of Disney merchandise bearing the graven images of the Disney princesses. Both girls were given a princess “sticker book” with unnumbered stickers and a handful of pictures on which to array them. These were the favorite presents, and both Julia and Eli devoted a couple hours of quiet contentment to the intent arrangement of stickers during the course of the day.
After breakfast and present-opening, the girls were given a much-needed bath. Thus cleansed, Julia was ready for her special, birthday Daddy-Daughter date. For this outing of great importance, I could think of no activity more imaginative than a movie. I’m not sure that Julia had ever been to a movie theater before; she certainly hadn’t been to one with me.
We saw Wall-E (passing on Wanted, which seemed to promise all the intellectual thrills that a much-tattooed Angelina Jolie posing amid surging cataracts of bullets and blood could possibly provide), the latest Disney-Pixar masterpiece (I assume, based on fifteen minutes of familiarity with Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, that the others were masterpieces as well).
We loved it. At least I loved it, and with minor, gentle coaxing Julia was persuaded to remain in her seat (or mine) for the film’s duration, with no—cosa mirabile—bathroom breaks. I would recommend Wall-E to anyone as a triumph-of-the-human/robot-spirit film of the first order, livened by a series of deft and subtle political barbs. (Some were not so subtle—a nitwit of an imperial CEO calls across the centuries for the future captain of his harebrained enterprise to “stay the course.”) It’s also a charming love story, and heaven knows how vulnerable I am to those.
We then came home for lunch and naps,
though Julia plied to the full the leverage of her Birthday-Girl status to evade the latter. In the evening we went to the Summit Hills (our apartment complex) “Sunfest”—a mammoth pool party with a pirate theme. It also included free pizza and hot dogs, which relieved us (i.e., in all probability, Lia) of the burden of making dinner.
June 28, 2008
Today was Julia’s fourth birthday. Lia got up earlier to go to the store for some special cereal. Lia hoped to be home before Julia woke up, but didn’t quite make it. When she got back, Julia and I hid behind the couch, with Julia donning inconspicuously our family’s official, pink-spired “Birthday Girl” hat.
Lia didn’t notice us or even seek us, so I told Julia to call out to her. This the Birthday Girl did, first in a whisper, then, with some prodding, ad alta voce. Lia rushed to us and scooped up our eldest in an excited hug. Julia was very excited about her birthday.
Today was Julia’s fourth birthday. Lia got up earlier to go to the store for some special cereal. Lia hoped to be home before Julia woke up, but didn’t quite make it. When she got back, Julia and I hid behind the couch, with Julia donning inconspicuously our family’s official, pink-spired “Birthday Girl” hat.
Lia didn’t notice us or even seek us, so I told Julia to call out to her. This the Birthday Girl did, first in a whisper, then, with some prodding, ad alta voce. Lia rushed to us and scooped up our eldest in an excited hug. Julia was very excited about her birthday.
After slugabed Eli finally awoke (about 8:15), and after our repast of special (i.e. sugary) cereal,
Julia got to open the rest of the presents that came in a package from my mom earlier in the week (she had been allowed to open one present—a Rapunzel doll—upon the package’s arrival). Some gifts were strategically addressed to Eli, which significantly reduced the number of jealous conflicts.The content of the gifts, given Mom’s track record, was predictable—an assortment of Disney merchandise bearing the graven images of the Disney princesses. Both girls were given a princess “sticker book” with unnumbered stickers and a handful of pictures on which to array them. These were the favorite presents, and both Julia and Eli devoted a couple hours of quiet contentment to the intent arrangement of stickers during the course of the day.
After breakfast and present-opening, the girls were given a much-needed bath. Thus cleansed, Julia was ready for her special, birthday Daddy-Daughter date. For this outing of great importance, I could think of no activity more imaginative than a movie. I’m not sure that Julia had ever been to a movie theater before; she certainly hadn’t been to one with me.
We saw Wall-E (passing on Wanted, which seemed to promise all the intellectual thrills that a much-tattooed Angelina Jolie posing amid surging cataracts of bullets and blood could possibly provide), the latest Disney-Pixar masterpiece (I assume, based on fifteen minutes of familiarity with Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, that the others were masterpieces as well).
We loved it. At least I loved it, and with minor, gentle coaxing Julia was persuaded to remain in her seat (or mine) for the film’s duration, with no—cosa mirabile—bathroom breaks. I would recommend Wall-E to anyone as a triumph-of-the-human/robot-spirit film of the first order, livened by a series of deft and subtle political barbs. (Some were not so subtle—a nitwit of an imperial CEO calls across the centuries for the future captain of his harebrained enterprise to “stay the course.”) It’s also a charming love story, and heaven knows how vulnerable I am to those.
We then came home for lunch and naps,
though Julia plied to the full the leverage of her Birthday-Girl status to evade the latter. In the evening we went to the Summit Hills (our apartment complex) “Sunfest”—a mammoth pool party with a pirate theme. It also included free pizza and hot dogs, which relieved us (i.e., in all probability, Lia) of the burden of making dinner.
Lia had already done her culinary magic for the day, preparing a home-made chocolate ice cream cake, which we devoured with alacrity and relish upon our return from the pool. The cake was crowned by one giant candle in the shape of the numeral “4.” She blew it out, with an assist from Lia, on about the eleventh try (the concept of blowing at the flame proved vexing).
After bathing successively in chlorine, ketchup, and chocolate, the girls were ready for another bath.
After bathing successively in chlorine, ketchup, and chocolate, the girls were ready for another bath.
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4 comments:
Happy Birthday Julia! We are so glad you guys are here also! It will be sad when we all go home and can't have playdates anymore!
Happy B-Day Julia!
Tell mommy and daddy to check their email!
What awesome birthday traditions! It makes me so excited for Jace to be cognizant of holidays! That picture of Eli as a drowned rat is hilarious, Julia's birthday sounded magical, and Justin REALLY needs to get his little hiney out of the library and into the sun-- jet black hair and translucent skin does not a match make. Happy Birthday, JULIA!!!!!!!!!
I was reading this post thinking "wow, she's already 3," then realized she is 4! Yikes, that was so fast. Congrats on 4 years of being a super mommy.
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