Trucks and water, Round 1

My dad finally is acting on a decades-old, though not-widely-known, interest in antique fire engines. (I guess when you've spent nearly 20 years shuffling a fleet of Volvos in the driveway, the thought of parking an American LaFrance is pleasant.)
Anyway, he lured a gang of antique trucks (they're all retired; some are more antique than others) to take part in Stillwater's Lumberjack Days parade last summer. It was dubbed a success. In fact, some might say it was too much fun for Lumberjack Days, so he decided to organize a muster on its own weekend this year. It's June 27; you've probably already received an invitation.
In the meantime, a few trucks from the club took part in the Memorial Day parade in Bayport this morning. Afterward, they gathered at the levee in Stillwater to shoot water into the St. Croix, drawing a nice little crowd of old men with cameras and young parents with captivated kids.
We brought Elise. She was excited for a little while, pointing at the trucks and saying something that sort of resembled "truck" but also left you wondering where she picks up such foul language. Then she discovered pavement and wide open spaces, so she roamed. We followed.

A few moments after I took this picture, she tried to put both feet into the nearby sewer drain.

She likes sunscreen in the summer. It could be worse: she could like coconut oil.

I took this while standing on the lift bridge, not while standing on water.

But yours is cooler

Elise has a crush on Murray.
He has been hanging around our house more often lately. He is older than her, but she doesn't seem to mind. He puts up with her constant touching and petting.
Elise just likes to spend time with Murray, especially when they both are in the backyard.
Oh, did I mention Murray is our lawnmower?
Yeah, Elise is 14 months old and has a special affection for lawnmowers. It probably could be any lawnmower, but she really likes Murray, which, in a burst of creativity, we named after the manufacturer.
Whenever I mow the lawn, Elise likes to watch. Anni will walk her around the yard, following me from the boulevard to the front yard, the side yard to the backyard. The whole time Elise just stares, then points and blabs, and then stares again.
If they go inside, Elise goes to the window to watch.
I'll admit, it's pretty cute.
Anni thought that Elise might like her own lawnmower. She saw a reasonably priced toy mower (blade sold separately) at Target and picked it up. Well, Elise likes to push it into the yard, pull the plastic gas tank from its cradle and pour "gas" into the tank, but she undoubtedly will turn her attention back to Murray.
Tonight we were outside and Elise was wandering around in the yard. Then, she pointed.
"She wants to go in the garage," Anni said, uttering words that make dads melt.
I opened the garage door. Elise and Murray were reunited.
So do you suppose her fascination with Murray will last until she is old enough to mow the yard?

Say what?

"Don't play with the fertilizer."

It's about time

Elise turned 1 more than two months ago, but I'm finally getting around to posting some 1-year photos we took weeks ago. She wasn't much for portrait photography that day, but we tricked her into sitting for a little while.
Here's a few of what we got that afternoon.






(The stuffed rabbit in the photos? That is Jelly, so named because that's the stuffed animal company and we didn't feel like coming up with a better name. She loves that thing. I didn't understand a child's developmental need for and connection with a comforting object until I watched Elise with Jelly. And don't even think of getting between the two of them.)

Say what?

Kids may say the darnedest things, but parents say some interesting things, too.
It occurred to me recently that Anni and I say some odd and funny stuff related to Elise, especially when taken out of context. And if it's not odd, it likely demonstrates how little I know about parenting.
This blog is not on life support yet, but I thought it needed something new. So I'm going to offer the occasional oddball quote. I'll stop when Anni and I realize that we've stopped saying things knowing they could end up on the blog, prompting either embarrassment or a call from social services.
Since this was my crummy idea, I might as well start with a glimpse at my own naivete.
Yesterday morning Elise was in the midst of a minor toddler meltdown -- for no obvious reason -- on our way out the door for work/school.:
Me: "How many months does this last?"
Anni: "Ha! It's not months. It's years."

Digging for news

Unprovoked, she went right for the notebook.
So you think that's good news, an early indication she may follow in her dad's footsteps?
Here's the good news: I've still got a few years to steer her away from such a seedy, withering profession -- even if I can't stay away.

Simple, good news

One of our summertime pleasures is grilling rainbow trout that we buy at the farmers' market. Nothing fancy -- a little olive oil, pepper and lemon. Great stuff.
And tonight we learned that the lady shares the same pleasure: She loves grilled fish.
So, bring on summer and bring on the rainbow trout.

Geddes? Really? (Sigh)

We've got a bountiful book supply for Elise.
That is thanks to Anni's impressive and valued collection of children's lit that she has accumulated over the years, gifts from family and friends and the generous gift of darn near a full kid's library from the Jelke family.
So there are many choices for Elise.
Of all those choices, her favorite is an eight-page Anne Geddes book called "Colors."
Yeah, Geddes. Ugh.
"Colors" includes photos of a "pink" baby sitting atop a flower blossom, "orange" babies plopped on flower pots and "blue" babies asleep in some type of cocoon on the forest floor.
In the past, Elise has had a favorite book for a week or two.
This fondness for Geddes, too, shall pass. Soon, we hope.

Happy Mother's Day

Spring conditioning

Our lawn-mowing practices have moved outdoors. Pretty soon, she'll be pushing the real thing.
And as you can see in the background, she's got some work to do.



By the way, Anni said I should explain what Elise is pushing.
"Isn't it kind of obvious?" I asked.
"Hmm, not to (----) and (----)," Anni said, naming two blog readers who will go nameless to spare them the embarrassment of not knowing what a trailer dolly is.