The Adventures of Roxi & Gib

Clearly

2011-11-07T22:29:00.001-07:00

Spooky!

2011-11-07T22:26:00.003-07:00

First Snow

2011-11-07T22:09:00.003-07:00

The official count was 9 inches of the white stuff. Rob had to employ a hacksaw to get the cars out of the alley; trees were down everywhere. School administrators, however, were unfazed. Several snowmen were built at school that day.

This Is Really Corny

2011-11-07T22:04:00.002-07:00

First Day of School

2011-11-07T21:58:00.003-07:00

Second Grade Big Girl (pictured with her aptly named principal Mr. Schooler – really) and Pre-K Tough Guy (pictured with best friend and equally tough-as-nails Luca)

Autobiography

2011-11-07T21:35:00.002-07:00

Fashion

2011-07-30T22:09:00.002-06:00

Just Beachy

2011-07-12T21:58:00.002-06:00

Snore No More

2011-04-29T13:54:00.003-06:00

Gib is larger than life in many ways, but one of those ways had us concerned – his snoring. Several months of guidance from an ENT later, and it was apparent that his adenoids needed to go. Today was the big day.

Gib was a model patient:

The operation went perfectly. Afterwards, the doctor reported that Gib's adenoids were enormous. Perhaps our boy will stop snoring like a 50-year-old grizzly bear now ...

Gib took the whole procedure in stride and was very happy to get his post-op popsicle:

Gib was hungry when we got home: yogurt, jello, applesauce, oatmeal, pudding, mandarin oranges and a hard-boiled egg (which he dipped in the pudding, naturally):

Hooray for happy endings, and hooray for adenoid-free Gib.

Bunny Love

2011-04-24T08:32:00.003-06:00

King Gib IV

2011-04-13T12:02:00.003-06:00

Rob and I had our parent-teacher conference at Gib's school this morning. We were given a rave review – soaring academically and socially, a delight to have in class, a leader to his peers, everything a parent could want to hear. We are super proud of our little man, not least of which because he seems to have finally mastered the art of getting to the bathroom in a timely fashion.

Outside of preschool charm and restroom excellence, here are a few of Gib's latest accomplishments: moving to the older group in his music and gymnastics classes, advanced tape distribution (it is sticky around here), expert splashing during swim lessons, nap dropping (so much to do, so little time), enthusiasm for whatever new activities are thrown at him, nude running (some things never change) and reading. He surprised us with that last one just a couple of weeks after his 4th birthday.

Speaking of his birthday, here is the Gibster at his school celebration last month, soaking in the majesty of finally being 4:

No Surprise

2011-04-13T11:59:00.003-06:00

"I've decided I want to be either the president or a principal," said Roxi. She paused to think for a moment. "It doesn't really matter as long as I'm the ruler of something."

Honest Assessment

2011-04-04T20:33:00.002-06:00

While putting Roxi to bed:
Roxi: What are you going to do now?
Me: I have some work to do.
Roxi: What kind of work?
Me: Well, I have an article to write tonight ...
Roxi: BORING. You should do something fun with Roxi instead.
Me: You crack me up.
Roxi: Whatever.

Fancy Sunday

2010-12-05T10:03:00.002-07:00

And yes, those are new glasses.

Thanksgiving Sentiments

2010-12-03T21:10:00.001-07:00

Halloween, Part Two

2010-10-31T22:08:00.002-06:00

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

2010-10-29T20:40:00.002-06:00

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

Watch Out for the Stampede

2010-10-29T20:29:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-29T19:53:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-27T10:25:00.004-06:00

Go Rockies!

2010-09-24T21:03:00.002-06:00

A Portrait of Tired

2010-09-20T20:27:00.001-06:00

See also: Exhausted, Worn Out, Beat and Filthy

My New Favorite Phrase

2010-08-17T14:01:00.001-06:00

Courtesy of Gib:
That is crazy in my mind!

Fairy Pass

2010-07-19T20:04:00.004-06:00

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

2010-06-07T21:18:00.003-06:00

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

2010-06-03T21:27:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-06-02T09:40:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-06-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

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

Conversations between 3-year-olds are funny.

2010-05-18T13:26:00.002-06:00

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

Happy Birthday Crazy Boy

2010-03-17T22:08:00.001-06:00

3 looks good on you, as do those shades.

Don't Be Ridiculous

2010-03-02T21:04:00.003-07:00

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

Preparing for Impact

2010-02-26T13:19:00.003-07:00

Swingers

2010-02-24T14:47:00.002-07:00

From the Heart

2010-02-24T14:28:00.003-07:00

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

2010-02-10T15:14:00.003-07:00

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

Roxi & Roxi

2010-01-13T09:19:00.003-07:00

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

2010-01-11T14:42:00.002-07:00

The Little Things

2010-01-11T14:41:00.002-07:00

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

Ho Ho Ho

2010-01-03T13:52:00.002-07:00

Super Girl and Super Princess

2009-11-04T20:17:00.003-07:00

Oh how the kiddos LOVED Halloween. They were practically swooning from happiness (or maybe it was just all that sugar). As it turned out, Super Girl Roxi's super power was running really fast between stops to maximize candy acquisition. Super Princess Gib's super power was correcting everyone who understandably mistook him for Superman. "No," he would repeat patiently. "I am Super PRINCESS."

The Super duo went trick or treating Friday night at Rob's work and Saturday night around the neighborhood. There is now enough candy in the house to choke a rhino.

When the weather outside is frightful ...

2009-11-04T13:01:00.005-07:00

Never mind, we consider it delightful. Here are Roxi and Gib frolicking in 15 inches of pure fun.

Vitamin-fortified Boogie

2009-10-21T14:37:00.002-06:00

Roxi, while dancing to a rockin' tune by The Cars: "This song is about bran flakes."

Princess is in the eye of the beholder.

2009-10-21T14:28:00.002-06:00

Roxi has been talking incessantly about being a princess for Halloween. Rob offered to build her a state-of-the-art robot costume, but no dice. It was princess, princess, ONLY princess. However when we got to the costume store, she immediately fell in love with the Supergirl outfit. I think the shiny cape clinched it.

Gib, for his part, has heard Roxi talk about being a princess so much that he desperately wants to dress up as a princess himself. I got him a Superman costume thinking it would change his mind - getting to match Roxi, wearing a cape, etc. Not so much. He loves the costume but insists that he is NOT Superman when he wears it, he is Super Princess.

How to Wrangle a Llama in Style

2009-10-11T14:21:00.003-06:00

The Patented Grumpy Face

2009-10-11T14:18:00.001-06:00

Captain Underpants

2009-10-11T14:14:00.002-06:00

The potty training is slow going with the Gib-man. He does, however, look fabulous in his skivvies.

Big Man on Campus

2009-09-17T22:00:00.003-06:00

Gib has been wanting to go to school ever since Roxi started kindergarten in August. The day finally arrived - today is his half birthday, making him officially 2.5 and therefore officially old enough for preschool at CSU - and I think it was everything he hoped it would be ... 3 hours of bliss. Toys! Snack! More toys! Look at this happy camper:

While Waiting for Lunch to Arrive

2009-08-31T08:49:00.002-06:00

Roxi: Let's pretend we were just married. And I am the wife and you are the husband.

Carter: Oh my goodness no, I do NOT want to play that.

Wow, That Was Fast

2009-08-20T10:46:00.002-06:00

Since our last post was Roxi's preschool graduation, it seems only fitting that our return to the blog after a summer hiatus is her first day of kindergarten. What a big kid.

Roxi walked in there this morning like she already owned the place, which was no surprise to us. She had small tastes of school earlier this week, with a picnic Monday night and open house Tuesday night, and everything has been to her extreme liking. That's a good thing since she'll be spending every day there from 8:50 a.m. to 3:28 p.m.

Her new school is Bennett Elementary, and her teacher is the adorable, energetic Mrs. Lowndes. One of Roxi's classmates (out of 23) has been a friend for years - a fellow CSU preschool alum - and she knows several other kids at the school - some of whom are also preschool buddies in different kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms, and some of whom she met at summer camp. Knowing Roxi, I'm sure she'll have a slew of new friends by the time I pick her up this afternoon.

Good times for our social butterfly of a girl.

Class of 2009

2009-05-08T21:00:00.007-06:00

Roxi graduated from preschool on Thursday, tra la la-ing the whole way. Kindergarten, here she comes!

Down to Earth?

2009-04-29T15:15:00.002-06:00

Roxi has decided that she would like to be an astronaut when she grows up instead of a fairy.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman

2009-04-29T15:07:00.003-06:00

I traced the kiddos' bodies on the sidewalk, and Roxi did the rest. Note the particular care she took to match outfits.

Self Aware

2009-04-29T15:00:00.002-06:00

From Gib this afternoon: I got a name for ya.
Me: A name? What is it?
Gib: G. I. B.
Me, laughing: Yep, that spells Gib.
Gib: Yeah. G. I. B. Gib. Yeah.

Doll Faces

2009-04-10T20:34:00.002-06:00

Tarheel Born, Tarheel Bred

2009-04-10T20:29:00.003-06:00

Roxi and Gib got fired up for the big game, and their enthusiasm (as well as some fine basketball from the UNC boys) resulted in a national championship. Go Heels!

Spring Snow, Part 2

2009-04-10T20:18:00.003-06:00

Spring Snow, Part 1

2009-04-10T20:08:00.003-06:00

I wanted to name him Freezypants Arbuckle, but my girl was having none of it. Meet Frosty - built and named by Roxi and used as an excuse for an extra snack by Gib -

Unconventional Waders

2009-04-10T20:05:00.001-06:00

Birthday Boy

2009-04-10T19:48:00.004-06:00

The Gibster turned 2 on March 17, and boy howdy, he's hugging those growth curves:
• 30.7 pounds – in the 80th percentile
• 36 inches tall – in the 88th percentile
• 20.2 inches head circumference – in the 99th percentile

What is less quantifiable is his wild personality, complete with wacky sense of humor and hair-trigger temper. It's like he's been taking lessons from Roxi or something. Hmmmm. Anyway, our little man isn't so little anymore. Gib is a climbing, running, jumping, guzzling, chatting, giggling, wailing, mischief-making, tail-pulling, sister-following, happy-go-lucky delight.

As is the custom in Fort Collins, everyone wore green the Saturday closest to his birthday and threw him a parade. Here's a brief review of how Gib and his dad spent the last three parades in his honor:

Sunshine Girl

2009-03-20T15:34:00.001-06:00

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

2009-03-19T15:33:00.003-06:00

The difference between preschool humor and 2-year-old humor, after being told the classic banana/orange joke, is as follows:

Roxi:
Knock knock! (Who's there?)
Grape! (Grape who?)
Knock knock! (Who's there?)
Grape! (Grape who?)
Knock knock! (Who's there?)
Grape! (Grape who?)
Knock knock! (Who's there?)
Bowl! (Bowl who?)
Bowl you glad I didn't say grape? (pause) Get it!?

Gib:
Knock knock! (Who's there?)
Banana! (Banana who?)
Banana said banana! (pause) HAHAHAHAHA!

Obviously Up To No Good

2009-03-19T15:26:00.002-06:00

Yes, He's Really That Big

2009-01-29T13:30:00.002-07:00

This is what I get for naming a kitten Teton.

Ball Pit, Ball Pit, Ball Pit!

2009-01-23T15:11:00.001-07:00

In the Park, With Hats

2009-01-23T14:57:00.001-07:00

Snuggle Bugs

2009-01-23T14:56:00.002-07:00

New Specs

2009-01-12T15:41:00.002-07:00

Wrap It Up - I'll Take It

2009-01-12T15:21:00.002-07:00

The holidays were, well, a massive barrel of laughs.

Human Beat Boxes

2008-12-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2008-12-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

Once More With Feeling

2008-12-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

Body Parts

2008-12-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

One Track Mind

2008-12-02T15:14:00.004-07:00

At the pet store:
Me: And there's a bunny and those are ferrets.
Gib: Carrots!
Me: No, not carrots. Fuh-Fuh-Ferrets.
Gib: Fuh-Fuh-Carrots!

Balls of Goof

2008-12-01T08:59:00.003-07:00

Fine Art

2008-12-01T08:54:00.001-07:00

At the Doctor's Office

2008-12-01T08:44:00.002-07:00

Nurse Rhonda (who answers my ridiculous, sometimes paranoid questions without ever laughing in my face and who insists on hugs from the kids before, after and during every visit - I adore this woman) is chatting with Roxi while Gib bravely endures a flu shot.

Rhonda, pointing to a chart of the skeletal system on the wall: Roxi, what is this?
Roxi: That's a femur!
Rhonda, looking at me somewhat surprised: I was expecting "knee."
Roxi: And there's the rib cage and the lumbar vertebrae!

Witchy Woman and Snacky Samurai

2008-10-31T21:16:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween!

Firing Up the Crowd

2008-10-27T11:00:00.003-06:00

Roxi, Gib, Rob and I joined Roxi's best friend from preschool, Carter, and his dad – as well as 50,000 others – at the Barack Obama rally in Fort Collins on Sunday. We didn't arrive soon enough to see Obama (people started lining up at 4:30 a.m. for his 3:30 p.m. appearance), but we were able to hear most of the speech from afar.

More importantly, we provided an important boost to campaign morale. Roxi and Carter were delighted to find a pile of signs on the ground, instantly picked one up and, without any prompting from us or campaign officials, starting marching past the long line of people waiting to get into the rally, waving their signs and screaming, "Barack Obama!" in perfect tandem. (Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit that the democratic candidate's name is awfully fun to say.) Their enthusiasm was well-received, to say the least.

Roxi and Carter are quite the team. Below are two exchanges they had at the rally:

Carter: Let's do running!
Roxi: Now let's do roaring!
Carter: Now let's do running and roaring!
Roxi: Now let's do rock and roll!
At which point, both of them broke into a truly outstanding dance session.

Roxi: You're my best friend, huh? We're always going to be best friends.
Carter: Yeah, there's never going to be a time that we're not friends.

Sweet Ride

2008-10-20T13:13:00.002-06:00

At the Reservoir

2008-10-20T13:06:00.001-06:00

Incognito

2008-09-26T13:49:00.004-06:00

It's important to note that there was no adult intervention here:

Talking the Chalk

2008-09-19T12:52:00.007-06:00

Gib's vocabulary is exploding. We thought he might be the quiet one, what with his expressive, insistent, verbose big sister and all. Quite the contrary. He's not quite matching Roxi word-for-word, but it's not from lack of effort. It takes a trained ear and good timing to understand what he's saying most of the time. Though some words are clear as a bell – like meow, cheese, again, eat and no (naturally). Gib has started forming basic sentences, too. "Give that Roxi" was a new one this morning, when I was getting Roxi's clothes out (Gib likes to bring her each piece of clothing ... and then attempt to put it on himself).

The talking at this age, it is so cute. My current favorite phrase of Gib's is illustrated in the video below. This is followed closely by his pronunciation of our black cat's name, Teton, which sounds like someone doing a very exaggerated French accent. Often this is the first word out of his mouth when he wakes up in the morning. I walk into his room, and he looks up with a huge grin and says, "Tetaaawn!"

Release the Hounds

2008-09-19T12:52:00.003-06:00

Clearly in the midst of hatching a brilliant, evil scheme:

Big Foot

2008-09-09T21:50:00.003-06:00

And so the madness begins: Roxi is playing soccer. She's had two practices thus far and had her first game last Saturday. All the other kids on her team have played before, which is great. Her coach is all about having fun, which is better still. And even though she hasn't really sorted out the purpose of the game yet (see video #1), she's getting there (see video #2). More importantly, she's having a BLAST.

Gratuitous Gib

2008-09-09T21:39:00.004-06:00

Missing Summer Already

2008-09-09T21:35:00.001-06:00

Bumper Crop

2008-08-01T15:14:00.002-06:00

Little Dude

2008-08-01T15:01:00.002-06:00

People to See, Things to Do

2008-08-01T15:00:00.001-06:00

Nice Hair

2008-08-01T14:57:00.001-06:00

Sand in the Toes

2008-07-31T11:05:00.002-06:00

Snip Snip Here, Snip Snip There

2008-07-17T10:14:00.003-06:00

Gib had his first proper haircut last month ... somewhat willingly. He went in looking like a baby and came out a little dude.

Swingers

2008-07-02T15:59:00.003-06:00

We've been having some technical difficulties here at the Tusselwupper Ranch, so there is much to catch up on ... Roxi's birthday, vacation, doctor visits, haircuts and general mayhem. For now though, here are Roxi and Gib goofing off in the back yard today.

In the Basket

2008-05-05T14:43:00.002-06:00

Gotta Sing

2008-05-05T11:29:00.001-06:00

Gotta Dance

2008-05-05T10:04:00.001-06:00

Breakthroughs

2008-05-04T21:32:00.002-06:00

Fair Warning: Some of this post may fall squarely in the category of More Than You Wanted To Know. But what the heck, it's been a banner month at Casa de Tusselwupper and I'm going to share.

Señor Gib:

Got his bottom left incisor on March 29 and top left incisor on April 5.
Says "kah-kuh," which can mean sock, duck (quack, get it?) or cracker, depending on the context. Cracker was Roxi's very first word, so Rob and I are wondering if nature or nurture is responsible for our children's early addiction to flat breads.
Calls cats "aaah!" and dogs "ooo!" and is genuinely smitten with animals. He blows kisses to the neighbor's dogs - these are the only unsolicited kisses he gives.
Throws balls. With gusto.
Throws fits. With tornado force.
Tries to keep up with Roxi by dancing with wild abandon.
Likes to play in toilet water and climb on furniture/boxes/people/anything. Once a danger boy, always a danger boy.
Carries books over to Rob and I for us to read to him.
Tolerates being watched by our lovely babysitter.
Is no longer nursing, and as a result, or maybe just because the stars have aligned, he ...
Is finally, finally sleeping through the night. THE WHOLE NIGHT. And ...
Waking up at 6:30. A REASONABLE HOUR.

Señorita Roxi:

Is constantly pretending to be someone or something else, particularly characters from The Muppet Movie, Finding Nemo, Sesame Street and The Wizard of Oz, as well as Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, Rudolf Nureyev, Brett Favre and Tyler Hansbrough.
Puts on "entertainment shows" for her preschool teachers almost daily. These shows often feature Roxi as Linda Ronstadt and her friend Carter as Fred the Mosquito.
Elaborates on the truth. Not to achieve selfish aims (though the child will do whatever it takes to get a glass of juice), but because it's more fun. For example, the other day Roxi was telling me about how the groundskeeping crew at her school was trimming the grass and also the peppermint and chocolate plants.
Tells Rob and I that she's "really disappointed in our behavior" when she's upset with us.
Knows no strangers. She confidently introduces herself to people she's never met, asks their names and remembers them ... even weeks or months later. She greets people she knows with, "Did you miss me?"
Plays with - and not just next to - her friends, of which there are many.
Is as patient as one could expect with Gib, who naturally wants to be doing whatever she's doing whenever she's doing it.
Has developed a fantastic independent streak. She picks out her own clothes, dresses herself and ...
Poops in the potty. You know, WHERE POOP BELONGS.

So you want to know how we're doing? We're all sleeping and pooping properly. What could be better?

Gourmands

2008-04-22T21:15:00.004-06:00

The Cuteness

2008-04-14T21:44:00.002-06:00

Confused But Interested

2008-04-03T09:31:00.002-06:00