Sasha's world

Every time I download pictures from the camera to my computer I end up with some, OK dozens, of photos taken by Sasha. They have their own unique perspective and composition. I've begun saving them in their own folder to record his view of the world as a 3-4 year old. I have not included any of the many close-ups of my nostrils. You're welcome.

First Grader

So, Josephine is a first grader. She had a great first week full of excitement and fun. I think I was more nervous than she. The first day was hard FOR ME! There was something about seeing her sit at her very own desk that just got to me. It's very different from pre-school. She has been brave and excited the whole week. Her BFF Aine is in her class. They held hands as they walked in the first day. It was adorable.

15 books

This can be a quick one. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Pride & Prejudice- I re-read it every few years.
2. Little Women- My daughter's name is Josephine. Enough said.
3. Dune- Best Science Fiction ever.
4. Interview with a Vampire- I was a little obsessed with it.
5. Are you there God, it's me Margaret- Judy Blume rocks.
6. The Hobbit- Dragons and Hobbits and Elves, oh my.
7. The Secret Garden- I tried to make my own garden down by the river.
8. Watership Down- This book is so good.
9. Jacob Have I Loved- Junior High reading assignment. I really related to the narrator.
10. Ender's Game- Reading this the first time was so exciting.
11. Wuthering Heights- So dark, so romantic.
12. Jane Eyre- What can I say, I'm a sucker for a dark romance.
13. Desert Solitaire-awakened my environmental views.
14. Wicked- such a great retelling of Oz.
15. The Power of Myth- Reshaped how I thought of the world.

Something's missing

Yep, that's right, my little girl lost her first tooth. It came out while we were having dinner at a sushi restaurant. There was a minute or two where I thought she was going to completely lose it. She was a little freaked out. But, she pulled it together and became excited over the impending visit of a fairy. I'm a little sad, it's one of those milestones. She's not a baby anymore.

Let's go fly a kite...

We flew kites with Howard & Amy while they were here for a visit. It was a perfect day for kite flying. The kids loved it and would have stayed all day. We had to drag them home. Oh, in case you're wondering about the helmets, flying kites can be a very dangerous outing.

Chihully exhibit

We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihully glass sculpture exhibit a few weeks ago. I liked it much more than I thought I would. The shapes of the glass sculptures placed among the desert plants were really fantastic.

Making the outing even more exciting, we had a superhero with us. Captain Underpants. Josephine's class is reading this book. She finds it very amusing. I'm not so sure I do. The stories she tells are all of kids playing mean tricks on other kids. Maybe I should read the book before I judge.
The sculptures and the plants were lovely. I'm hoping to get back to see them lit up at night before the exhibit ends.

OK. I'm just getting used to this blog stuff. Josie got a new bike (with no training wheels) for her birthday. Since her birthday is in June and it is about 140 degrees in Phoenix in June she didn't get much chance to ride it right away. She's working on mastering it now. She's doing a great job and is very proud of the bike and her fancy new helmet.