Cheerleading Wunchie!

Our community has had monthly picnics at a downtown park, and some of the ladies got into the school spirit. Miranda was intrigued with their antics, and so was able to join them at their top of their pyramid. You go girl!!

Bringing them up right....

Maria and I were happy this week to have an opportunity to teach our daughter firsthand about the time honored Christian tradition of snake handling. As you can see, she is a natural at it and we're expecting great things from her...ha,ha,ha...seriously, we really love our home and the rich landscape of plants, insects and animals that the orginal owners of our home created. We've tried to continue adding to the richness of our little ecosystem and doing this with Miranda has been a real treat. She absolutley delights in snakes, praying mantis's, squirrel's, spiders and the various other creatures that we find. Occassionally she will step on or otherwise disable or antagonize them....but she loves most all of them and that has been really neat to see and experience (make sure you click on the picture to enlarge it-unless snakes make you uneasy).

Birthday narrative.....

Yikes....it has been way too long since I've posted anything on my dear Wunchie's blog. But I guess the week following her 4th birthday is not a bad time to make a belated entry. Here are a couple of pictures from events surrounding her 4th B-day. The one picture is pretty self-explanatory, a picture of Miranda getting ready to dig into the stack of strawberry and whipped cream topped pancakes that daddy cooked for her on her birthday. The other picture is the one that needs a little more explanation. In this picture Miranda is making the biggest deposit of her short life into the piggy bank. I was at McDonald's earlier that day visiting on the patio outside with one of my friends. My friends name is Leo and he is a wonderful older guy who was formerly homeless and is now living in his own apartment and gettting along fine. Leo is a guy that I've known for years and is someone, ably assisted by MANY others, that I've walked with and helped to find stability. So, I'm sitting there talking to Leo at McDonald's and he asks me how old Miranda is. I told him that actually her birthday was today and that she was 4. Leo asks me if she has a piggy bank, and after I reply yes, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out a 20 dollar bill, and tells me to give it to her to put in her piggy bank. I was really astonished and reminded again of the beauty and justice that is always present whenever we give to others. So, that is the story of the second picture...worth a lot more than $20....will tell to her one day, hopefully with interest!

Overheard

• "I've had a very active day, Mommy."
• (as she struggles to get her wet self into some clothes), "Mommy, a little help here."
• (Mommy) "Wow, it's hot out here." (Munchie) "Wow, Mommy, hace calor. It's hot out here."

Dive!!!

On their last day of swim lessons, they learned how to jump off the diving board. My girl cannot be stopped!

Exuberance!!! (aka the city pool)

Miranda began swim lessons this week. As a parent, it seems like you're constantly trying to discern what your child is ready to do -- gymnastics, swimming, art, music, etc etc. So when we purchased a family pool pass this summer, we decided to enroll her in lessons. Today was her second day, and she's loving it.

Hanging out on the side, waiting for her turn

"Mommy, I love this!"

Kicking her feet

Reports her instructor, "She has no fear." (Hmmm...)

Either she's exhausted, or she's imitating the nearby teenagers

Don't go unless you can go in style

We had the best time with our friend Hailey -- laughing, splashing, and making about 37 trips down the spiral slide. My favorite part was watching numerous bigger kids pull Miranda out of line and make her stand against the "You Must Be This Tall to Use This Slide" sign. (She is, just barely.) It was awesome.

Miranda hearts the Psalters

Overheard

On our way to Texas this past week for our annual family vacation, we connected in Atlanta and ate at the food court. Terribly upset that I failed to get an egg roll with our lunch, she pitched a mini-fit in line & I got very grumpy.

So on the way back from Texas, in line at the same Mandarin Express in the same Atlanta concourse, Miranda said, "Oh good, I like this food. But Mommy," she says very seriously, "make sure and get the little roll this time. I don't want to go through all that again."

Hyperbole, thy name is Wunchie

Miranda is developing quite a flair for conversational rhetoric. Here are a few of her latest quips:

• (After wrapping me in a jumprope) "Mommy, I'm putting you in jail, and you have to stay there for a really long time." "How long, honey?" "For at least a million years, or maybe longer. Let's just see."
• (After entering the home of a preschool friend, Tyler) "Tyler's mommy, you have a wonderful kitchen. I mean, it's just wonderful."
• (Upon reaching for the measuring spoons to eat her cereal, and being refused) "But Mommy, I've been eating with those spoons for about... 36 years."

Outdoors in the Springtime

We've been trying to get outdoors as much as possible, especially on the days without rain. From our new house, it's only half a mile to the Kroger, so sometimes we just walk. Miranda wanted to ride her little tricycle, and since we only had a few items to purchase, she graciously toted them home in the tricycle's trunk. And we're off! Grocery delivery at its finest.

Helping Mommy water the spring flowers.

The finished product.