Vivian's Bycicle Triumph

Vivian announced on a Sunday that she wanted to learn how to ride her bike without her training wheels. I told her we had to wait til the next day to work on it, but Daniel took the training wheels off that same day on a quick break home from the ER. By the time I heard anything about it on Monday, it was to come see Vivian ride her bike! She learned very quickly with very little help, and we rode, and rode, and rode around the neighborhood together to celebrate.





Our three-year-old neighbor, Brielle Jolly rounded up her dad when she saw all the excitement and they worked on her balance for a while as Vivian paraded around the street.

Vivian and Levi Around the House

Viv's Last Day

Vivian Loved PreSchool with Miss Dana in Jonesboro.
Her last day was a game day, and Elora got to skip school to come.

Miss Dana is putting Viv's Champion Badge on

And here's one for Ellie.

In this game you have to soak a sponge in a bucket of water and run to an empty bucket and squeeze your sponge into it. Then you relay to your team mate and try to fill up the empty bucket before the other team fills theirs.

Little Dipper

Next is Tug-a-War


What a great game day and a happy preschool year for Vivian!

The Fun Forest

On Wednesdays there's a play date for Vivian and Levi in the mall at the "Fun Forest". Levi has recently graduated from climbing around my legs while I chat with friends to exploring in the woods. His most eager pursuit is the tunnel. He likes to crawl through at turbo speed and then look back and see if mom or Viv has followed him.

Here's Levi giving the sick snake some feel-better pats. The play area is sponsored by Saint Bernard's hospital, so some of the animals are portrayed with some kind of ailment (notice the thermometer in the snake's mouth). I think if I were surrounded by a snake that size I'd feel a lot better if it were very, very sick, in spite of its wide, shiny smile.

This time Vivian is in hot pursuit with a horsey gallop so vigorous I worry that she'll wear out both her knees and the carpet. Levi senses that the game is afoot.

I don't know for sure if Levi is kissing Viv's feet, but I do know that Viv is sitting on a very pink armadillo.

And now jumping.

The toys are kind of soft and sticky, so they're fun to climb in bare feet.

More Vivian:
While eating our picnic lunch she said, "This is tasty indeed!"

While crying sleepily about anything she could think of at bedtime she said, "I'll be sad when I die because there won't be any jewels." I said "There will be jewels in heaven that are the most sparkley, pretty jewels ever." She protested "But we won't know where they are." I explained "They will be all over--in the streets and in the walls." She cried "But cars will run over them!"

Kid Quotes

Vivian is many times a source of creative phrases. While looking in the party isle at the store today she picked up a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey product and said
"Look! Tape the rooster!!"

Naomi likes to be in control. I asked her to change out of her swim suit into clothes yesterday and she said, in an FYI kind of tone, "I'm not obeying you. I was about to take off my swimming suit."

Elora just says unexpected things sometimes. The other day she wanted to be emphatic in getting my attention and she said, "Mommy Lynn Smith!"

Recently the children were fighting in the car, so I said, "Girls, let's all take a turn telling what kind of mother you will be when you grow up. How many kids do you want to have?"

Viv: I would have four kids and name them Heart, Love Flower, and Cristal. And if I had a boy it would be Eric.

Naomi: I want six kids. Three girls and three boys.

Elora: I want only two boys named James and Ryan. I would be embarrassed to have girls.

After I drop the big girls off at school each day Viv and Levi and me go home and snuggle on the floor for a while. This morning while we were playing Viv said "I love being in this family". It was a great Valentine's gift for me.

Vivi's World

Here's Vivian's picnic. Often when I ask her to clean up these "set-ups" she says she has to keep it out to be a "purise" for the sisters when they come home from school. I usually give in. Who would want to destroy such a sweet display of imagination?

Saturday Skating

Viv kept saying "I want to go fast like that lady".

Vivian's 4th Birthday

Daniel and I can't stand the pizza at Chuckie Cheese, so we ate at Taco Bell/KFC and went to Chuckie's just for the games. Everybody zipped around in a panic of happiness. Daniel had fun driving 140 mph with his race car. He convinced me to give it a try and in addition to being lousey at it, it made me really dizzy. I did have fun taking pictures, though.