Fancy Sunday

And yes, those are new glasses.

Thanksgiving Sentiments

Halloween, Part Two

Wherein Roxi the Clown and Gib the Perpetual Pumpkin go door-to-door with neighborhood chums.

Wherein I learn that face paint seems like a good idea on the front side, but ends up smeared everywhere but the appropriate faces within a half hour.

Wherein Roxi shouts things like "Let's go, peeps!" and "It's all about the candy, girls!" ... and Gib gets really excited about scoring two small bags of pretzels.

Halloween, Part One

Wherein Princess Roxi and Pumpkin Gib haunt the offices of AMD and leave with buckets full of candy.

Watch Out for the Stampede

The Bennett Elementary Bronco Stampede was today. It's the big fundraiser for Roxi's school ... kids get pledges for running around the property as many times as they can in 35 minutes. Last year, Roxi ran 4 laps and vowed that this year she would do more. True to her word, she has been training at the CSU track and at Bennett's running club Thursday mornings for the past several months. Also true to her word, she bested her output by 2 laps this year. Six laps (nearly 2 miles!) equals a medal, so she was quite the happy camper at the finish line.

As If

Rob, questioning why Roxi isn't interested in reading Little House in the Big Woods: "I don't understand why you're resisting this."

Roxi: "Dad, I have things to do."

Well Prepared for Halloween

Go Rockies!

A Portrait of Tired

See also: Exhausted, Worn Out, Beat and Filthy

My New Favorite Phrase

Courtesy of Gib:
That is crazy in my mind!

Fairy Pass

It was a big day here at Tusselwupper Manor. We arrived home from our North Carolina vacation at about 1 a.m. Rob started his new job at 8 a.m. And at approximately 2:30 p.m., Roxi lost her first tooth. She was really excited about the Tooth Fairy until the rubber hit the road this evening and she realized that she would never see her tooth again. After many tears and intense deliberation, she decided she'd rather hit up the Fairy for a treasure another day.

"Maybe I'll give the Tooth Fairy a tooth I don't like very much instead," she mused, adding: "Later." So Roxi is keeping her first tooth, thank you very much.

Below is a video from the plane yesterday, when her tooth was hanging on by a thread, as well as some photos of her new smile.

Six

It's hard to believe that our girl is 6, but there you have it. She is every bit of 6, and she is as outspoken, creative, dramatic, silly, observant and quick-witted as ever.

Roxi celebrated her big day in fine style, first with best buds Josie and Hailey at the pool, followed by a present opening session at home and capped off by a free-for-all with lots of friends at a BBQ held by a family friend. There was cotton candy at the pool, a vanilla steamer with her dad prior to the present frenzy, and birthday cake and ice cream sandwiches at the BBQ. Good times for our beautiful birthday girl.

Shorn

Gib has gone from Shaggy to Marine. We had instant clipper regret, but he's a happier boy now that summer is upon us. Plus, no amount of hair cut can defeat The Cute.

Gotta Dance!

Roxi has been taking a dance class since January that culminated in a performance last week. To say that she was excited about being on stage at the Lincoln Center (a big venue for Fort Collins) is the understatement of the century. The costumes were pink, the tiaras were fluffy ... who could ask for anything more?

Gotta Sing!

Here are a few gems from Roxi's Kindergarten music program:

Conversations between 3-year-olds are funny.

Gib: Guess what!? I am going to gymnastics today!
Simone: I have a Hello Kitty lunch box!

Happy Birthday Crazy Boy

3 looks good on you, as do those shades.

Don't Be Ridiculous

Me: Wow, you were hungry! You're eating up a storm.
Gib: I'm not eating storm; I am eating lunch!

Preparing for Impact

Swingers

From the Heart

I had the pleasure of attending two Valentine's Day parties this year, one of the preschool variety and one kindergarten style. They were both full of giggles and dancing and sugar and LOUD, and I wanted to share my three favorite parts:

Gib introducing me to the "cuties" in his class - he routinely calls children "cuties" instead of "kids".

Roxi shepherding Gib around her classroom like an overprotective parent. "And THIS is how you sit and listen! And THIS is how you walk like a robot!"

Roxi's Valentine project, which read: I love you like a dragon loves lunch!

As Advertised

One of Gib's most frequent sentences is: "I'm a silly guy."

Roxi & Roxi

Roxi got a look-alike doll for Christmas and is having no end of fun with her. She named her Roxi, which makes for some confusing conversations but is also pretty darn cute. They make a stylish couple, don't you think?

Snuggle Muffins

The Little Things

Gib, on his morning at preschool: "I had a great time. I ate yogurt!"

Ho Ho Ho