Amusement Park Day

Dev wanted to do something special with the kids for the long weekend, and since we're going on three camping trips this summer already, we thought we'd do something different. So we yesterday we took the kids on a surprise trip to Knott's Berry Farm. (We took Beatrice to Knott's once before with my parents when she was almost three. Amusingly I was wearing the same shirt then that I wore yesterday.)

Camp Snoopy

The kids loved it - including William, who clapped for joy on all the rides and said, "Go! Go!"

Not for William, it wasn't.

William doing admirably on the self-propelled toddler railway

Arthur drives a big rig.

Tiny big rig selfie

On the Ferris wheel

 

Even waiting in line was fun for William.

 

His favorite was the balloon ride.

Thoughtfully looking at scenes of the Peanuts characters camping

 

Click to enlarge and see the delirious looks on the kids' faces

Flying a plane with Snoopy

Surprisingly, both Beatrice and Arthur are totally unafraid of roller coasters. In fact, they were disappointed they weren't tall enough for the scariest rides.

 

 

We stayed for the 10pm fireworks show - during which we learned that William is terrified of fireworks - and then on the way out, we got the kids their first cotton candy. Naturally, it blew their minds. Beatrice grabbed Arthur by the collar and shouted, "It's just sugar, Arthur! We're eating sugar!"

Sleeping through the last few minutes of fun

An exciting day indeed.

Happy Birthday, Cromwell!

Cromwell is (probably?) 12 years old now.  We got him 10 years ago today, in a complicated and farcical scheme involving my sister and multiple fake identities.  Cromwell, it was worth it.

Birthday hug

Beatrice's Yearbook

Beatrice only has three more days of school before she says goodbye to kindergarten.  This was a hard year for her in a lot of ways, but I'm proud of how much she's learned and how hard she's tried, and especially about how kind and hopeful she remains even in the face of challenges.

There's a group of boys that have been bullying Beatrice at school - let's call the ringleader John. A few weeks ago she had another run-in with John and I told her, "Don't worry about what John thinks of you, John's an idiot" - which probably wasn't very good parenting, though it is true.

A few days later, Beatrice said to me, "You know, I don't think John is an idiot. I think he just has a hard time being around people who are different, and I am very different."

So again, Beatrice proves that's wiser and more mature than I am.

Her elementary school yearbook just arrived - here's her class page (click to enlarge):

On to first grade!*

*Tonight Beatrice said, "I can't wait for first grade. First grade is going to be a whole new chance!"

Voltus Launches This Week!

Our good friend Cedric Bosch just launched his newest venture, Voltus, with Dev as co-founder.

Voltus is a powerful external battery and also a high-speed USB hub that lets you use your existing devices with the new MacBook.

TechCrunch gave us a great review and Time magazine called Voltus "the ultimate MacBook accessory."

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter - and if you are a MacBook owner, consider buying one here!

(As you can see, I'm helping out with their marketing and media stuff, too.)

Mother's Day at the Renaissance Faire

Believe it or not*, I'd never been to a Renaissance fair, so we decided to give it a try this year for Mother's Day. And the fair here in Los Angeles is actually the first and largest in the country.  Even the weather cooperated - it was chilly and damp, perfect for wearing many layers of clothing.

I wore this beautiful five-piece, hand-made Renaissance costume my mother made me years ago for a school event.  My mother also sewed the tunic Dev wore.

Costume selfie

 

 

Arthur already had an adorable knight costume Mina gave him for Christmas, and I bought Beatrice a dress at our local year-round Halloween store, Halloweentown. 

 

For William, I cut up a man's brown t-shirt to make him a tunic. I was initially going for Robin Hood but he wound up looking more like a little wood sprite. Pretty cute either way.

Arthur's favorite part of the fair was the joust (or "horse battle," as he called it) - and our knight won.  Beatrice was absorbed in the crafts and spent more than an hour making a fairy house. 

 

This man-powered ride was surprisingly fast.

Beatrice and I making dolls

 

The kids also enjoyed the various performances, including acrobats, folk singers, and a "wizard" (that is, a magic show).

 

Corn is a New World food.

Dev loves eating meat with his hands, and I loved seeing the many elaborate costumes on display as well as planning future costumes of my own.  Unfortunately my phone battery died before I could take any photos of the best ones - we'll have to wait for next year.

We had so much fun, I think we'll make this a new Mother's Day tradition.

* In the week leading up the fair, I told probably two dozen people I was going for the first time and every single one of them said they assumed I went every year.

Arthur's Fourth Birthday Interview

It's time for Arthur's fourth birthday interview! (Click here to see his interview last year, or here to see Beatrice's interview at the same age.

1. Summer: What is your favorite food?
Arthur: Macaroni and cheese. And hot dogs.

2. S: What is your favorite animals?
A: I like gorillas.

3. S: What is your favorite movie?
A: Frozen.

4. S: What is your favorite thing to do at school?
A: I like playing in the giant sandbox.

5. S: What makes you the happiest?
A: When I get too much love.

6. S: What makes you sad?
A: When I don't get enough love. And when Beatrice criticizes Boo.

7. S: What makes you scared?
A: Tigers that are right close to me. I'd be frightened if I punched a gorilla at the zoo.

8. S:What is one new thing you learned to do this year?
A: I learned to spell my name, A-R-T-U-H-R.

9. S: What is one new thing you want to learn next year?
A: Reading!

10. S: What would you like to be when you grow up?
A:  A dad.

11. S: What is your favorite holiday?
A: Christmas.

12. S: What is your favorite color?
A: Green, like Daddy.

13. S: What is your favorite song?
A: "For the First Time in Forever" [From Frozen]

14. S: What is your favorite toy?
A: Boo. Boo's a stuffed animal toy.

15. S: What is your favorite book?
A: The BOB books I'm going to read to learn to read.

16. S: Who is your favorite character?
A: Anna [From Frozen] I also like Elsa. I don't like Hans. I like Princess Leia, she's my favorite Jedi, and Luke Skywalker is my second-favorite Jedi.

17. S: What is your favorite thing to do?
A: Exercise. I do tai chi.

18. S: What do you like learning about?
A: Fall and the other seasons.

19. S: Where is your favorite place to go?
A: The beach. I'm getting tired, I'm done.
S: There are only two more questions.

20. S: Can you name some of your friends?
A: James and Maeve, Ivy, Henry Harper, the other Ivy. [To me] You're my best friend.

21. S: What is your birthday wish?
A: I wish I were a mermaid and I wish that unicorns were alive so I could ride them.

Happy Birthday, Arthur!

Today Arthur turned 4!

Morning message on the bathroom mirror

His joint party with Beatrice won't be until next week, but we had a nice day of quiet celebrations at home. 

Arthur demonstrating that he is now 4 - for breakfast his chair was decorated with balloons and streamers and a parade of dinosaurs wearing party hats.

He got to choose what he wanted for dinner - macaroni and cheese at Islands - and I baked him a cake that Beatrice decorated for him. 

Sharing macaroni and cheese with Beatrice

Beatrice working on Arthur's cake

Then he opened presents from us and from Mina and James.

Beatrice's card for Arthur: "We where [sic] born best friends."

 

Arthur, you are so witty, so charming, and so totally original (and yes, you're also beautiful). I'm in awe of your charisma, your sense of drama, and your unshakable level of confidence. I don't think I've met anyone at any age with a more fully developed sense of self. You are so utterly you, and we're all glad for it.  Happy Birthday!