Happy Thanksgiving!

Studio Lucy: Animals

Cat.

Giraffe and tree.

Very Hungry Caterpillar, copied from the book as a 1st birthday present for her cousin June.
She even made fruits with holes because the caterpillar ate through them!
(but for some reason she wrote her name backwards...on purpose)

Basketball Jones

I’m not sure why I titled the post this way…but my dad used to sing a song something like “basketball jones, wanna be a basketball jones…” Dad, is that for real or am I making it up?

Anyhoo, back to the real subject. Lucy just completed a 4-week “Basketball Skills” course for 4- to 6-year-olds. It was offered through our local community education system, and we thought it might be a nice intro to the sport for her, and another way to get in some exercise. It took place Saturday mornings from 9:00-9:45, and we have dance class at 11AM on the other side of town, so it made for some busy days. Lucy had a good time though. She held her own alright being on the younger side of the age range, and being only one of 2 girls in the course (where were all the future WNBA-ers?!)She *almost* made a basket in week 3, and I thought she’d have a chance the last week, but they didn’t really offer them many opportunities for shooting. She’s slightly better at dribbling, though still a long way to go… Bottom line is she had a lot of fun, and she’ll do it again.

As a side note, I am really starting to notice the differences between boys and girls at this age, in terms of physical and mental prowess. In swimming, the boys seem to more easily pick up the skills. In basketball, the boys seem more coordinated and confident. The girls, however, seem more socially adept and able to follow instructions. Of course these are generalizations and there are exceptions in each case. How about you – do you see this change too? And is it just due to the way the minds and bodies of girls and boys are built, or does it have more to do with how we and our “village” raise girls vs. boys, and now is the age we start to see the separations?

While you’re chewing on that, some action shots from the “season.” Until next time, happy dribbling!

This Girl...

...is 4 1/2 years old.
...takes showers instead of baths.
...puts her own waffle in the toaster.
...feeds the dog and lets him out.
...is going to kindergarten next year.

Wait, what?!

Yes, it has already begun. We had a parent's meeting last week, and did her mandatory pre-K testing a few weeks ago.

Can somebody tell me when this girl got so big?

Yeah, and don't think seeing that year in print doesn't make me feel old!

Bewitched

We had a little witch for Halloween this year! She got to wear her costume to a school party, and and then come home for trick-or-treating around the neighborhood (she lasted about 45 minutes this year).

If you ask her, she was a "good witch, not scary." It was the first thing she said when I asked what she wanted to be for Halloween, and she stuck with it. I am a fan of creating a costume, so we had some fun putting this together. A black shirt from Goodwill, a hat from the Target Dollar Spot, a striped shirt, striped tights (thanks Grandma), some fabric scraps from Grandma's stash and a couple buttons roughly sewn on by yours truly, and voila! A little patchwork witch. I loved how it came together, and most importantly, she loved wearing it!

Happy Halloween!