Another masterpiece.

Paint, paint, paint.

Mug, mug, mug.

Photo bomb.

"Careful, Mama..."

"...there's paaaaaaint on this brush!"
Hmm. Was that a threat?

Now me! Me, me, me!

"No, ME! Me, me, ME!"

Painting break.

Roughly three minutes of blessedly-quiet concentration.
Three minutes? I'm being generous.

"Done!" Another masterpiece in the bag.

Nice.

Paint! Paint on my hands! (Or as Haven would say, "Daint!")

"Off! Daint off!"

A few minutes later...

Quiet time. Two spooning sisters watching a movie, having some juice.


Sweet silence.


You would think that painting would also be quiet. If only. Good thing they're so adorable, the snuggly little snuggle bugs.

Cheese.

Sonja: "Mama, Haven's wearing my hat. It's called the Plum Hat."
Haven: "Mine! Mine!"
Me: "I see that! Let's get some pictures, OK?"

Me: "Smile!"
Haven: "Cheeeeeeese!"
Sonja: "Haha! Mama, Haven's saying 'cheese'."

Sonja: "Mama, Dora wants to be in the picture too, OK? She's smiling!"

Sonja: "Oh, Haven. That's not a doll. A phone can't smile."
Me: (laughing) "Haaaaaven... Look at Mama."

Haven: "Oh HO!"

Me: "Can you smile?"
Haven: "Cheeeeese."

Haven: "Dada?"
Me: "Aw. Is Dada on the phone?"

Haven: "Dada." 

Me: "OK, Ladies. Can you smile for Mama?"
Sonja: "Oh! I can, Mama! You too, Haven. Smile!"
Haven: "Mine! Mine!"
Me: (laughing) "Not 'mine', Haven; 'smile'!"

Haven: "CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE!"

Me: "Thanks, Babies. As you were."

Ride on.

Yes, that's a "big-girl bike". 


Sonja has graduated from her little wooden run bike to a bonafide pedal bike, complete with strawberry basket and handlebar streamers. We were hoping to avoid the training wheels, but she can't actually touch the ground when she rides this bike, so safety first.

The bike's name is Li'l Missy; it's painted right on the top tube. 


Sonja is in love. She rides her bike in the park, she rides it in the house (so much for the white paint on the base boards around those tight corners - yikes) and she even sits on it if she's watching something on TV. ...and then rides in tight circles in the living room while still watching. 

I watch Sonja with her bike and think that there's an awfully good chance that she will have loving memories of Li'l Missy that will last a lifetime. Everyone remembers their first real bike. 


I have memories of being very young (three- and four-years old), which means that when Sonja is an adult she will likely remember some of the things she is experiencing right now. She is more than just my child, she is a fellow traveller writing her own story. For some reason I hadn't thought of Sonja in exactly this way and once I did I felt a shift somewhere between us. I'm trying not to say outright that the realization is the reason she hugs me more lately, but it is a rather large coincidence.


Ride on, Li'l Missy.

Four years.

Four years. Four years! Sonja was born four years ago today and she is more beautiful every day. And brighter. And cheekier. And increasingly skilled at pushing all my buttons.

February 24th, 2011.
Breakfast shenanigans.

March 18th, 2011.
Chinatown.

April 28th, 2011.
Lunchtime shenanigans.

May 27th, 2011.
Snacktime shenanigans.

Sonja is sensitive, intelligent, imaginative, observant and loving. Full disclosure: she's also defiant, contrary and maddeningly particular. Basically, she reminds me of the child I was, which explains why my buttons are so easy for her to find.

June 11th, 2011.
Bike ride in Saxe Point park.

July 22nd, 2011.
Beacon Hill park.

August 13th, 2011.
Carnarvon water park.

September 8th, 2011.
First day of preschool.

And I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't point out how crazy-gorgeous Sonja is. I still find myself staring openly at her until she gets uncomfortable beneath my gaze and I have to explain that I'm just distracted by her beauty. She hates that and tells me I'm wrong, but lately I'm wrong about all kinds of things, so I usually just tickle her into submission.

October 27th, 2011.
Painting.

November 9th, 2011.
Dog walk at Highrock park.

December 11th, 2011.
Return of the pink tree.

January 14th, 2012.
First day of ballet classes.

Happy Birthday, my precious, precocious, stunning and talented girl. I love you bigger than the whole entire world. And contrary to your insistent objections, that's actually a lot.

Twelve kids, two instructors, one gym.

Sonja's birthday is Tuesday (February 21st) and we had her party today at Victoria Gymnastics. She invited some friends from preschool and some friends that she's had since way before preschool. 

Everyone bounced and ran and tumbled and jumped. There was laughter and squealing and even apprehension turned slowly to smiles. Some of the kids were old hat to gymnastics and some were trying it for the first time. It was a tonne of fun; I'm sure we parents had almost as much fun watching as the kids did participating.

Twelve kids, two instructors, one gym, a gaggle of parents, a couple dozen cupcakes, some goody bags and a bunch of helium-filled balloons. 

In and out in under two hours. 

Worth every penny.

The falling wall of fun.

Let's do it again!

Listening to instruction on how to jump safely on the trampoline.

Haven and Peter exploring the foam pit.

"Wheeeeee!"

Stella.

Rylee.

Phifer.

More foam-pit fun.

"OK, what's next?"

Arne, finding another use for the blocks in the foam pit.

Ana, pulling herself out of the pit.

Waiting for instruction.

Cupcake time!

Moments away from goody-bag/helium-balloon mayhem.

Huge, huge success. 


I hope we have a lot more fun birthday parties like this one. Sonja was pretty amped the rest of the day and we had a couple incidents, but it was still worth it to see her out on that gymnastics floor having the time of her life. I love you, Baby Girl.