BOY Version 3.11

BOY V.3.11
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

This is Zack on a Saturday morning. You can't see the SpiderMan boots in this picture, but trust me, he's wearing 'em. The little black guy in his left hand is none other than Darth Vader.

Zack is standing here as I write this and has asked me to spell STAR WARS. He's never seen the movie, but really wants to. Not gonna happen for awhile. He does love "SuperFriends --" (and Space, he reminds me.)

Zack has computer work he needs to do -- saving the planet and all that stuff. So I need to relinquish the computer. Ta ta for now.

Icicle Works

Icicle Works
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

We spent a very snowy long weekend at Jay's house in Sunriver. (Thanks again, Uncle Jay!) We awoke each morning to eight inches of fresh powder in the driveway. Zack and his buddy Ames had a ball sledding down the pile of snow left on the front lawn by the snowplow.

Today Zack informed me that his teeth are teasing each other. Not sure how that works.

Lego My Eggo

IMG_4868.JPG
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

Zack is a big fan of tiny Legos. (Thanks, Uncle Jay!) Here are some Sunday morning creations. Mom is a fan too, though now she knows why they're called "Legos." It's because your LEG GOES to sleep if you spend too much time sitting on the floor building with them.

Go, Speed Racer!

Go, Speed Racer!
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

This is another old photo, taken during a September trip to San Francisco. Jim has most of the current pictures on his laptop which is, unfortunately, in his lap most of the time. I promise I will wrestle it from his grasp long enough to upload some newer pix soon.

Today on our way home from school Zack and I drove through a sunlit rainstorm -- not all that uncommon here in Portland. Since Zack is such a scientific guy, I pointed it out to him.

"Yeah!" he said, "That's what makes a rainbow!"
"That's right," I said. "Rainbows happen when the sun is reflected by water droplets in the air."
"No mom," he said. "That's how you make glass."

Piloting a 737!

Piloting a 737!
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

This is actually a photo from this summer, taken (on the ground! whew!) as we were about to fly home from Jackson Hole. The pilots were great, and Zack was over the moon to sit in the captain's chair and wear his hat.

Tonight Zack inadvertently turned a copy of Portland's daily rag, "The Oregonian" upside down. All of the sections spilled out all over the floor. "See!" he said, "This is why I don't like LOOSEpapers." (He thought that was the word, instead of "NEWSpapers." Very cute.

Our little princess

Our little princess
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

Here is Zack with his friend Maddie and her baby brother, Luke. Zack's favorite color is pink right now, so he was thrilled at the chance to try on some of Maddie's finer gown-wear. Please notice that the grey tunic underneath the princess gown is actually the top from his Batman pajamas. In other words, he swings both ways.

Last night Zack hiked up his undies a little too vigorously when he was getting dressed after his bath. I suggested he adjust them for comfort, to which he replied, "Mom, don't you worry about my private stuff!" Well, OK then.

A boy and a beach

A boy and a beach
Originally uploaded by littlekidd.

Good morning and Happy New Year! The rest of the family is asleep, so this is my chance to catch up on my woefully slow attempts to stay in e-touch.

We had such a busy fall, with trips to San Francisco, Chicago and then a weekend at Cannon Beach, where this picture was taken. As soon as I'm done writing I'll post some more pictures on www.littlekidd.com

The last half of age three has brought both triumphs and tribulations. Hopping on one foot, tuneless whistling and learning both big and small letters come to mind among the triumphs. The tribulations can be lumped together under the category of "short but daily bursts of utterly intolerable behavior."

Zack is definitely in a "let's see what I can get away with" phase. His mischief is not so much deliberate as provoked by his own insatiable curiosity. I foolishly became complacent about watching his every move once I was sure he had good enough judgment not to flush whole rolls of TP, or put coffee beans up his nose. Though I certainly think we're past that stage, we're not beyond spilling large pools of Elmer's glue on the bedroom rug, or trying to ride the dog, or creating any number of afternoon diversions involving running water.

Zack will argue the motivations for his misbehavior nobly and pragmatically, as well. A few weeks befoere Christmas a large box arrived from out of town. We unpacked the presents and put them under the tree, and I asked Zack to leave the box intact, as I wanted to use it to ship our gifts to others.

Ten minutes later, the box was in pieces, rendered unusable unless you had a pressing need for a cardboard rocketship. I complained that 'Santa probably wouldn't be very impressed with the way you tore up that box right after I asked you not to." Zack's reply was, "Well... I think Santa has tape."