My sweet little Portland bicyclist-in-trainer

Note the bucket.... tre, tre Portland hipsters on bicycles.

Not for the weak of stomach...

The cupcake master chefs

Happy bird birthday cupcakes with sun and cloud

Happy Birthday Grandma Ellen!!!

Us, tasting the batter? Never!

Don't worry Ellen, I made her wash her hands and get a new spoon after this picture!

And here are the little chefs working on Grandma Ellen's birthday cupcakes

It's a cupcake-full weekend!! Grandma Ellen's birthday is actually Monday but we are celebrating it tomorrow/Sunday.

Francesca would like everyone to know, she is now better than mommy at breaking eggs.

Gazing at the beautiful cupcake mix volcano

We are baking!!

Francesca and Blaize are ready to make Canada day Cupcakes!

Everybody clap and dance! Outside Fred Meyers, you know, wherever.

Francesca's impression of the flower that looks like it's from a Dr. Seuss

Sweet gal wiping chocolate ice cream remnants off her face

Blaize says he is drinking water from his "manhole,"

and this is to keep the flies and bugs and dogs
and other animals out. I think there was an octopus in
there somewhere. He really is inscrutably funny.

You wouldn't necessarily know it from looking, but...

Blaize had a great time at church childcare today.
Macaroni rocks.

Blaize with his egg, on his throne in a corner of Grandma Ellen's kingdom

Francesca danced her heart out at her ballet recital today.

This flower, these eyes, these two hands

the crystal vaseness of it all...

Pretty, pretty, pretty sweet.

Yes, you!

Beautiful rose for a beautiful performer

Princess Ballet Class Photo

Every Saturday at 10 am this year, these little ladies moved to the groove, redefining beauty, grace and self-determination.

Le Costumed Princess Ballerina

The big moment

Dancers danced, parents cried, there was order in the universe. Francesca on the far left.

Francesca backstage with Mommy just before Francesca's big Recital!!!

The Class Photo

Blaize's official Gymnastics Picture!

All the cool kids get their teeth cleaned...

Clean Teeth! At the dentist with Blaize and Daddy

Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Sparkle

The drawing is by Mommy... following the drawing instructions from the Draw My Little Pony drawing book.

Blaize with Father and Father's Day haircut lollipop

Blaize during his Father's Day hair cut

Post- Father's Day haircut!

Pre-Father's Day haircut....

Father's Day Pie!

It's marionberry peach pie!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Afterwards, Daddy took us all out for ice cream

Mmmmm chocolate....

This balloon ride went around and around and up and down. It was the best.

So much to watch while eating a 4 dollar snow cone

It was pretty exciting.

This fire truck ride was a hit

The Funhouse mirror at the Fair

A huge rip off but hey, who's counting!

Pretty friendly but sharp tiny teeth... yikes!

cutest tiny dog ever! from next door...

End of itsy bitsy spider and Great Big Spider

Blaize and his new church friend Lucy (actual person) inspect the courtyard.

Blaize rides along with his SLM (sweet little Malificent)

So much to do and make with playdough, it's quite remarkable really.

A master playdough-player at work

Making a glitter, sticker, paper plate picture at Sunday school

Blaize's Sweet little Malificent

So we watched Sleeping Beauty last week at Molly's. Blaize has since started carrying around what he calls 'my sweet little Malificent.' (Invisible) He sometimes has me hold her and sometimes she rides in the car with us. He assures me she won't do anything bad around us, but I am still slightly uneasy with this arrangement.

Related, perhaps, Blaize told me today that his bad dreams slept on the deck last night. He went out to check on them and them came in to tell me #4 had hurt its knee on the sidewalk and could I cuddle it. I did of course, and later he gave me other bad dreams that needed cuddling for some reason or other. Then some good dreams joined in. There were 11 bad dreams and an unknown number of good dreams.

Sent with my thumb-operated device

Sweet self portrait, Sunday 6/8/14

Easy like Sunday morning, reading and lounging on the couch