Being Gwendolyn!

Watching Canada play...

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

We are fortunate to have the CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualifying tournament in our neck of the woods, and with the stadium only a few minutes away, it really was a "no-brainer" to attend at least one game. So, on Friday evening, Gwendolyn and Daddy watched Canada play Cuba. What a great opportunity to see women playing sports at a high level! (In case you're not familiar with women's soccer, Canada is currently ranked #7 in the world and has arguably the best all-round player in Christine Sinclair.)

It was a real treat for Gwendolyn, who would normally be getting ready for bed at kick-off time. We nearly made it through the whole game, missing only the last five minutes due to an urgent pee break.

Waiting patiently for the game to start, wearing her Canada colours and clutching her ticket

A view of the pitch just before the players appeared and the national anthems were sung. Singing "Oh Canada" along with 12,000 fellow fans was probably the highlight of Gwendolyn's evening!

Upon returning home, Gwendolyn drew a picture of Canada's best player. Note the maple leaf on the jersey and Sinclair's number 12 (albeit backwards)

By the way, does anyone out there remember Gwendolyn's first women's soccer experience?

Busy, busy morning!

2012-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

Most mornings, Gwendolyn is raring to go upon waking -- much to the chagrin of her parents, who need to ease themselves into the day (with the help of Mr. Coffee).

Yesterday morning, she was bouncing from activity to activity, and all before eating much of a breakfast:

Plenty of painting

Crushing eggshells: a favourite "work" of the first year Montessori crowd

Mixing her "batter": a bowl full of the snow she stored in the freezer overnight

After breakfast, she danced her version of "The Nutcracker":

Then it was off to Arts Umbrella for Creative Dance class. And finally, it was time for school...

Phew!

January 16th: the first snowfall of 2012...

2012-01-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

...and Daddy and Gwendolyn were out early for a walk around the neighbourhood:

Card shark

2012-01-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn learned the good old card game of "Go Fish" over the holidays. She often likes to play a game or two with Mama, particularly on rainy Sundays like today. The rules are still a bit flexible, and she's not the best at keeping her cards hidden, but overall she's getting the hang of it quite nicely.

There is one silly variation at our house: instead of saying "go fish," we sometimes substitute the name of an actual fish:

Gwendolyn: "Mama, do you have a queen?"

Mama: "Salmon" (or "Clownfish" or "Guppy" or "Trout...")

VanDusen Festival of Lights: photo gallery

2012-01-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

Yikes - it's Bumble!

Getting a close look at those nifty lights

A garden aglow

Santa seems to have abandoned his sleigh...

Daddy's favourites: the funky flower trees in the reflecting pond

Post Christmas round-up

2012-01-02T20:42:00.001-08:00

A happy and peaceful new year to you all! Here is some of what Gwendolyn has been up to the past week or so:

Grandpa came to visit, and brought some modeling clay to play with

Brrrrrrr -- a brisk, late afternoon stroll along the seawall

Now this was a BIG EVENT: Gwendolyn's first trip to the ballet. Mama and G. enjoyed Alberta Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

Some New Year's Eve painting fun with Zoey. This year, Gwendolyn managed to stay up past the stroke of midnight -- likely the result of the day's excitement (the ballet, Zoey's visit). It was also the first time Mama and Daddy made it past midnight in many a new year. We all paid for it the next day, though...

Visiting VanDusen Gardens' Festival of Lights (more photos to come in another post)

How the holidays have flown by! We have one more day away from school, then back to see Ms. Cindy, Ms. Chris and Gwendolyn's pals at Family Montessori.

Surprise hit of Christmas

2011-12-27T22:24:00.001-08:00

Gwendolyn has already played with and enjoyed all of her new toys, but one in particular has captured her interest. It's a very simple board game with a twist: it's cooperative, not competitive. And it's made in Canada! Highly recommended for the 4 to 7 set... Thanks, Family Pastimes!

Christmas Day photos

2011-12-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn has been dealing with a cold for the past few days, which made Christmas Day a rather low key celebration. There were multiple naps, although the being tired part was likely equal parts the cold and a lack of sleep due to pre-Christmas excitement. Nevertheless, it was a fun day:

Checking out her stocking loot, courtesy of Santa

I wonder what could be in this big box?

Playing with her new Playmobil set: a pony riding school (complete with horse poop!)

Reading her new story book with Daddy

Christmas dinner: Cheers, Mama!

Gwendolyn's official Christmas message

2011-12-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

This originally appeared in a card addressed to Mama and Daddy, but they're more than happy to share the love:

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:57:00.001-08:00

What does one do with an excited four year old on the day before Christmas? Well, we spent a good part of the day making cookies and visiting the Christmas displays at various venues downtown.

The stockings are now hung, Santa's snack is ready, and the little one is in bed -- hopefully sleeping soundly. It's time for Mama and Daddy to settle down for that long winter's nap...

A peaceful and joyful Christmas to you all.

It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas...

2011-12-19T21:03:00.001-08:00

We wait until after Gwendolyn's birthday to begin our preparations for Christmas, the most important of which is decorating the tree. We finally got to that pleasant task this past Saturday morning, and for the first time Gwendolyn was a very active participant.

Don't worry -- the star/angel was straightened out eventually

Carefully choosing just the right branch for her ornament

The next morning, Gwendolyn serenaded our lovely little tree with a verse from her favourite carol:

Note that she prefers the modern "stable of wood" lyric which is heard on her favourite recording of children's carols, rather than the traditional "stable rude." Daddy likes it better, too.

Out with the threes, in with the fours

2011-12-11T22:31:00.001-08:00

This was a busy birthday weekend for Gwendolyn. On Saturday, she hosted a gang of her friends at a local swimming pool for her official birthday party. Today was her true birthday, and she celebrated quietly at home, opening gifts, connecting with family, and playing with Grandma Ronaghan who came over for a visit. And it's not done yet: tomorrow, Gwendolyn will enjoy another celebration at school.

A birthday well celebrated? You better believe it! Happy, happy birthday, Gwendolyn.

Enjoying some pre-swimming sticker fun at her birthday party

Splashing good fun!

The birthday girl wearing her new, official birthday crown

Now a birthday princess, and reading poems with Grandma R.

After a lovely birthday dinner, it was pumpkin pie for dessert!
(She had her cake with the kids on Saturday.)

Making music, Gwendolyn-style

2011-12-04T20:56:00.001-08:00

We recently hooked up headphones to our keyboard -- a welcome sanity saver when little hands want to bang away on the keys -- and Gwendolyn has taken right to them. (Don't worry -- we're careful she doesn't turn up the volume too much.)

Here's a video of one of her latest performances. It's too bad we can only hear Gwendolyn's singing accompaniment (along with the somewhat distracting chant music in the background -- sorry folks). Sounds like it's a love song, yes?

Watching this video reminds Daddy of this gem from nearly three years ago...

Recent artwork

2011-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

We're sure you won't be surprised to learn that Gwendolyn is still drawing and painting up a storm:

Birds singing about love

A girl and her blue and green violin. This might be Gwendolyn, as she has stated recently that the violin is her favourite instrument.

A snail playing with his ball in the sunshine

Flowers in the -- what else? -- sunshine

Pretty self-explanatory, no? By the way, forming letters and numbers is a very important activity these days, especially when we play school. Which is often. Very, very often.

Our Lady of the Trades

2011-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

We're not sure where this came from, but a few nights ago at dinner Gwendolyn announced:

"When I grow up I'm going to be a plumber. And I'm not changing my mind."

A few minutes later, she informed us:

"I've changed my mind. I'm going to be a builder."

Now Daddy has visions of a family company -- Gwendolyn and Dad Construction -- that will design and build small, fantastically plumbed houses.

'tis the season...

2011-12-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, and this year Daddy has introduced a Christmas tradition from his childhood -- the Advent wreath. In our house, the four white candles represent Peace, Joy, Hope and Love. Each one will be lit on a Sunday leading up to Christmas Day. The centre candle will be lit on December 25th in celebration of the birth of the baby Jesus, which is what this Christmas thing is all about, yes?

We started one week late on account of Daddy's poor calendar reading skills, but are on track with two candles lit this evening: Peace and Love. (Or was it Joy and Hope...?)

Happy Advent, everyone.

Lighting candle #1

Gwendolyn striking an appropriately beatific pose for the occasion

2011 Hallowe'en costume reveal

2011-10-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please... Presenting Gwendolyn the penguin!

(To be specific, it's a male Emperor penguin -- note the egg resting on "his" foot.)

Once again, thank goodness for Mama and her sewing talents!

Oh Cana... huh?

2011-10-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Gwendolyn still loves singing our national anthem. Recently, she made a wee change to the lyrics, namely:

Official version: "...in all thy sons' command"

G version: "...and our sons will always come in"

Perhaps we should let Canadian Heritage know. Given Gwendolyn's powers of persuasion, we might see her version surge in popularity among the "3 and 3/4" set.

...and a few more photos

2011-10-23T22:03:00.001-07:00

Playing with Cedrine on the tractor at Van Dusen Gardens

Rainy day fun with Zoey

Getting the hang of this bicycle thing. This afternoon witnessed a huge breakthrough for Gwendolyn as far as riding the bike is concerned. Daddy can't wait to post a video of G. speeding along the neighbourhood sidewalks!

Helping Mama put away the cutlery. Giving Gwendolyn little household jobs like this contributes to her growing independence and desire to help, and are a nice complement to her activities at Montessori pre-school.

Two more videos...

2011-10-23T21:40:00.001-07:00

First up -- and as promised in a recent posting -- is a video of Gwendolyn travelling along the rings at our local playground. Learning this skill became Gwendolyn's summer project, with a little progress made with each visit to the playground. First, she hung from two rings; next was learning to transfer from ring one to ring two; then we managed three in a row, then four, then all the way across, then all the way across and back. This little girl is strong and determined, that's for sure.

Now, if you happen to be a spectator at the playground, Gwendolyn will introduce herself and ask, "Do you want to see my great ring work?"

And just for fun, here's a little dance to celebrate the arrival of some recent rainy weather:

Whoopsie-Daisy!

2011-10-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's more fun from our morning at Jericho Beach. When at first you don't succeed...

A month in photos

2011-10-10T21:40:00.001-07:00

All right -- no more excuses from Daddy to explain the lack of posts here. Instead, how about some nifty photos from the last month?

Hanging out with Zoey at the Southlands Country Fair

ANOTHER pony ride???

A morning at Jericho Beach

Preparing a needle for some button sewing

Making friends with Ms. Ladybug

And what else are we doing now? Well. aside from school, there's Arts Umbrella (another round of Dress Up Drama) and Jump Gymnastics. Oh yes, and lots of playground time -- all the better to perfect our "ring work." (More details on that later.)

First day of school: year two

2011-09-06T19:47:00.001-07:00

Someone was very excited about getting back to school today. And why not, with old friends and favourite teachers to catch up with -- and new outfits to wear? Happy times...

Hip new duds!

2011-09-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Of course, preparations for a new school year entail some updating of one's wardrobe. Here is Gwendolyn modeling one of the cool new outfits bought for her on a summer trip to visit family in the States. Looking great, and looking 6 or 7 years old, too?!?

(Those aren't jeans she's wearing, by the way -- they're "jeggings." Daddy had no idea... Thank goodness Mama is in charge of the fashion department. )

Summer holidays are over...

2011-09-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

...and we're back to blogging. We'll have to figure out how to bring you up to speed on Gwendolyn's adventures since mid-July; perhaps a "what I did on my summer vacation" report is in order? Stay tuned...

Close ups!

2011-07-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

And just for fun...

Tell me I look like Lisa Loeb in these glasses...

Not sure about this "getting wet for fun" thing -- that waterpark water is c-c-cold!

Visitors from the east

2011-07-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

That sounds a bit like the Three Wise Men, doesn't it? Well, the Ronaghan family did entertain three distinguished guests earlier this month: Gwendolyn's Meme (Grandma) Cecily, Aunt Monica and Cousin Rose.

It was a short, fun, and somewhat exhausting visit. The exhausting part was courtesy of regular jousting matches between two very strong-willed young ladies over... well, just about everything. Now we have first hand experience of how hard it could be with a second child born just 18 months after the first!

Overall, the girls seemed to enjoy each other's company, although it was clear who was the boss of the visit. (Hint: it wasn't the star of this blog.) It should be fun to see what happens when Gwendolyn and Rose renew acquaintances later this summer...

Big smiles for Aunt Monica

Rose giving Gwendolyn the evil eye (Gwendolyn doesn't look all that impressed either)

In their "boats" and busy with their cellphones

Art adventures

2011-07-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the first day of camp to begin!

Sorry folks -- we've been busy these past couple of weeks and frankly, Daddy has been too tired to post in the evenings. To start our catching up, we'll tell you about Gwendolyn's first summer camp adventure.

For two hours each morning, from Monday to Friday during the first two weeks of July, Gwendolyn headed to Arts Umbrella on Granville Island. There she honed her art skills in "Art Start" and let her imagination loose in "Dress Up Drama." She and her mates had a grand time doing everything from painting with rollers, making clay fish and drawing with pastels, to dressing up as a fairies and cats and hunting for ghosts and trolls.

Daddy is sure it won't be the last time Gwendolyn visits the fun bunch at Arts Umbrella...

Little girls and horses

2011-07-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

A neighbour in our complex is well connected to the local equestrian scene: his daughter runs a riding school in town. This afternoon, at Amelia's invitation, Gwendolyn paid a visit with Daddy. Here are a few photos, and a short video of the highlight of the afternoon: a pony ride on Duffy.

Two stable residents enjoying a relaxing afternoon

Horse's head = Gwendolyn's height!!!

Sitting tall in the saddle

Last minute instructions from Amelia

The verdict: love with a capital "L". Mama and Daddy may need to start saving their pennies for riding lessons...

Last day of school (!)

2011-06-26T08:49:00.001-07:00

The Family Montessori kids (and parents) celebrated their last day of school with a potluck party this past Friday. Here's a couple of photos of Gwendolyn working off her lunch with some vigorous playing.

Swinging on the monkey bars with all she's got

Giving Anna a good spin

The end of her first year already! Time sure flies...

Bath time treat

2011-06-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

How do you get a tired, reluctant little girl into the bathtub at the end of a long day? Try offering her a wee bit of ice cream...

'Twas the first day of summer...

2011-06-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

...and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to Granville Island on the Aquabus, with a whole wheat blueberry chocolate chip muffin to keep you company? (In the words of the muffin lady, "the whole wheat and blueberries are for your Mom and Dad, and the chocolate chips are for you!")

And yes, folks -- those a MAJOR bags under her eyes in the second photo. We had a 2:30 a.m. wake up last night, and Gwendolyn was a pooped kid for most of the day today. Hooray for an early bedtime this evening!

Hockey art

2011-06-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Despite her Canucks losing the Stanley Cup, Gwendolyn continues to be an enthusiastic fan of hockey. Witness her latest artwork: Zoey and Gwendolyn playing a game of hockey, with Daddy refereeing:

Note the logos on the jerseys (Canucks, of course) and the skates on the girls' feet. As for the puck -- well, Daddy seems to recall Gwendolyn telling him it's the large object underneath skater #1. Look out, goaltender!

Daddy's turn to shine

2011-06-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

You may remember the beautiful Mother's Day memento Gwendolyn made at school last month. This week, it was Daddy's turn to be celebrated:

Under the handprint is written:

This is the hand you used to hold

when I was only 3 years old.

And here's what Gwendolyn had to say about fatherhood and her Dad in particular:

What is a Dad?

A man who takes care of people and kids when their mums are at work.

Why do you love your Dad?

Because he's nice and he loves me and he takes care of me and he's nice.

What does your Daddy do best?

He reads books to me and he takes care of me.

To Mama's Dad, Daddy's Dad, and all the other Dads out there: Happy Father's Day!

Another photo shoot

2011-06-11T14:37:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the folks at Groupon, Daddy recently received a skookum deal on a session with a local professional photographer. Here are a few of the resulting photos, taken in April in a park near our home.

Shhhhh! It's a secret!

2011-06-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ms. Chris, the senior teacher in Gwendolyn's classroom, is celebrating her 15th year with Family Montessori School. To commemorate the occasion, the children have each created a page for a scrapbook that will be given to Ms. Chris at the end of year picnic.

We're pretty sure Ms. Chris isn't a regular visitor to this blog, so we're offering this sneak peak at Gwendolyn's page (click on the photo for a closer look):

Gwendolyn's description of the drawing is as follows:

"It's about my Grandma, my Grandpa and me. And there's a flower and a little bud. And there's a sun shining in my eyes. And there's a firework sparkling, and a rat coming out of the spinning thing."

A note about the printing: Gwendolyn is confident in making her letter forms, but asks Daddy or Mama to slowly spell out the word as she prints. There are a couple of erasure marks where she realized she made a mistake (putting a "n" where an "m" belonged) or where her "fancy printing" -- adding curlicues in between the letters -- made it difficult to read the words. (you can see one of the fancy bits under the "d" in her name.)

Recent school activities

2011-06-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

School may be close to winding up for the summer, but that doesn't mean the teachers and children are winding down! This past week, we enjoyed two school events: a tour of the trails of Stanley Park with guides from the Stanley Park Ecological Society, and an evening at the classroom for children to show their parents what they'd been working on throughout the year.

Gathering food for the trees in Stanley Park.

Looking at a (dead) little brown bat with Graham, Natalie and our guide, Brian.

Working with the knobless cylinders in her classroom. (Sorry about the fuzzy quality of this and the following photo; they were taken with Daddy's ancient camera phone.)

Mama and Gwendolyn working with a "trizzle" (triazzle?) puzzle.

Game ON!

2011-06-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Lo and behold: the unthinkable has come to pass. Starting with Game One this evening, Daddy's team and Gwendolyn's team will battle it out for the Stanley Cup.

Daddy knows his Bruins are in tough against the Canucks, but he's OK with that. Wouldn't it be great to be able to take your daughter to a Stanley Cup parade in her hometown?

Let the games begin.

Festival time

2011-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver International Children's Festival is in full swing at Granville Island, and Gwendolyn and Daddy popped over to take in some of the fun.

It was a bit overwhelming at first...

All these people! All that noise!!

...but Gwendolyn soon got into the swing of things.

Hangin' with Salty, the Port Metro Vancouver mascot

She also got a chance to be creative (with a little help from Daddy):

Does anyone else remember the "Mad Artist" booth at the PNE?

This one was bicycle powered, and used spray instead of squeeze bottles.

The final product is the same, though, and brought back memories for Daddy.

Sooper dooper pooper!

2011-05-31T22:17:00.001-07:00

Today was a very big day in the Ronaghan household -- one that Daddy and Mama have been hoping would arrive for months now. It all started innocently enough with a mid-day trip to the bathroom for a pee. Near the end of her bathroom break, Gwendolyn gave Daddy a surprised look and exclaimed, "I pooped in the toilet!" (Finally...!)

Of course, Daddy made a big fuss, as did Mama when she heard the news upon arriving home from work. And just to prove it wasn't a fluke, Gwendolyn gave Mama an encore performance before bath time this evening.

Gwendolyn is very happy with her accomplishment (as well she should be!) and Daddy and Mama are relieved that the end of diaper changes are in sight. Hurrah!

File under: kids say the darndest things

2011-05-16T21:07:00.001-07:00

The following is a transcript of a recent conversation between Daddy and Gwendolyn, on the subject of her having just, well... farted.

Daddy: What do you say, Gwendolyn?

Gwendolyn: Who cut the cheese?

Daddy: I think you mean "excuse me," Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn: Excuse me -- who cut the cheese?

What a kid.

Pyjama Day!

2011-05-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

This past Friday was Pyjama Day at Gwendolyn's school -- a fundraiser for the BC/Yukon Make A Wish Foundation. Gwendolyn was so excited, you might have expected Christmas had come early this year!

Here she is, wearing her favourite cozy PJ's and getting in a little playtime before school. (Her classmate Pacific joins her in the last photo.)

Bowling, anyone?

2011-05-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Waiting patiently with her slippy shoes on

Bowler #3 on Lane 8: Gwendoly...

Nice form; too bad about the foot fault!

Gwendolyn had her first taste of 5 pin bowling at a birthday party today. It seems that birthday parties on Mothers' Day are not uncommon -- ours was the first of two at the lanes today. Neither is taking your Mom out to bowl a few frames as a Mothers' Day treat; there looked to be two or three families doing just that. At any rate, the kids had a grand time rolling the balls sloooooooooooowly down the alleys, and the gutters claimed more than their fair share of errant shots.

As it turns out, Gwendolyn looks to have a bit of a knack for the game:

Based on this evidence, Daddy sees the possibility of some YBC time in Gwendolyn's future...

What Mama means to me, by Gwendolyn

2011-05-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Gwendolyn came home from pre-school Friday afternoon with a lovely Mothers' Day surprise: a laminated drawing of her Mama, framed by a few of her thoughts on motherhood, namely:

What is a Mum?

A lady and she takes care of little kids so they don't run away.

What does your Mummy do best?

She takes care of us, me and just me.

What does your Mummy do?

She goes to work every day -- a special day where she gets paid money so we can eat food and stuff.

Why do you love your Mum?

'Cause I like to cuddle with her.

Gwendolyn and her Mama wish all the other Mamas a happy and restful Mothers' Day.

Gwendolyn's garden

2011-05-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

The weather has been quite iffy for gardening so far this Spring -- pouring rain and pea sized hail today -- but we've been busy planting seeds nonetheless. Gwendolyn's windowsill is currently home to:

a peat pot chock full of carrot seedlings (originally planted at school)
a pot of wildflower seedlings (thanks, Meme!)
an egg carton containing yet more wildflower seedlings, and
a wet paper towel lined Mason jar of pea and bean seeds

Oh yes -- we have some yet-to-sprout marigold and sunflower seeds planted in Jiffy peat pots on the other side of the window.

The jar is our second effort at sprouting beans; the first time through was quite successful, as the second photo shows. We're not sure if the peas will also sprout using this method, but why not experiment?

Oh, Canada!

2011-05-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's because of the recent Federal election, or perhaps it's a result of hearing the national anthem being sung at so many Canucks playoff hockey games. At any rate, Gwendolyn has been singing and humming "Oh, Canada" for several weeks now.

Here's a video of her serenading our townhouse complex today -- for the third or fourth time in a row:

She needs to work on memorizing the last stanza, but we think she's pretty well prepared for celebrations on July 1st.

More Easter weekend photos

2011-05-05T21:28:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post, Gwendolyn, Zoey and their parental entourage spent most of the Easter long weekend on the Sunshine Coast. The weather wasn't great, but that didn't seem to bother the girls, who generally loved each other's 24/7 company. The parents had fun too: good food, wine and conversation, and some competitive backgammon and Scrabble to boot.

Here are a few more pictures:

Going for a wee walk up the road with Papa Kevin

More reading, this time with Mama Lissy. Both girls are avid book lovers, much to the delight of their parents.

A cold afternoon of sand castling in Porpoise Bay Provincial Park. That's Mama Sheri in the foreground, looking a tad sinister in her black, hooded jacket...

Post bath cuddles with Papa Mike

Catching up: photos from the past two weeks

2011-05-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

The Briggs family joined the Ronaghans for a visit to Sechelt over the Easter weekend. Here are the two girls enjoying a bit of reading on the Red Feather's patio.

The same Sunshine Coast trip: Gwendolyn running in the rainforest

Thank goodness for the PVR! Watching the Royal Wedding is much more civilized after Saturday morning pancakes and while having your hair done...

A little al fresco art on a recent sunny afternoon

Reading Daddy's UBC alumni magazine over a clothing optional breakfast

Sun Run Fun

2011-04-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

It has become tradition for Gwendolyn to cheer on the runners during the annual Sun Run. For this, her third year, she threw her jacket over her pyjamas, put her running shoes and cap on and grabbed a tambourine before heading out the door with Daddy. The perfect vantage point was found at 6th Avenue and Willow Street -- just a block away from home.

Here's a little clip of our "Super Cheerer" (as one grateful runner dubbed her), watching some of early runners fly by:

Did you see the fellow wearing the party hat? For the record, we also saw the Easter Bunny, a banana, a Green Man and a Pikachu. At least Daddy thinks it was a Pikachu... Whatever it was, it ran over to give Gwendolyn a high-five, which she though was pretty cool.

Gwendolyn's first commission

2011-04-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last week, Auntie Deborah requested a bit of artwork from Gwendolyn for her office. The blank canvas arrived in the mail a few days ago and yesterday, Gwendolyn created the masterpiece you see here:

Let's see: there's a happy sun, some birds getting hot from the sun, a blue bee and a girl looking out her window at her garden of flowers... and oh yes: some "pink dust" and some rain (from a tiny grey cloud) to wash the dust away.

The project got Daddy thinking: would anyone else out there like to have a Gwendolyn original? If you do, send her a canvas and we'll send you the completed work of art by return mail.

Out and about with Mama

2011-04-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Mama and Gwendolyn went on an adventure today while Daddy did some chores at home. Gwendolyn returned sporting some lovely butterfly face paint, some funky new sandals and crazy balloon headgear. Looks like it was a great day...

Forget sleepwalking...

2011-04-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever witnessed someone sleep-eating? Gwendolyn is happy to give you a demonstration:

Some of you may know this isn't the first time we've shown Gwendolyn's unique talent for falling asleep at the dinner table. Miraculously, G. found her second wind and lasted another two hours before finally going to bed.

Fun with P.J.'s

2011-04-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ever the adventurous one, Gwendolyn decided today to wear her pyjama top on her bottom half. Of course, that means the bottoms went on her head. It was quite a fashion statement:

And this second photo is simply gratuitous cuteness...

Play dough window art? Why not?

2011-03-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

This morning, Gwendolyn decided it would be fun to create some window art with her play dough. Daddy's first response to the idea was an emphatic NO. Then came the age old toddler question: Why? Daddy thought about it for a moment, and realized he didn't have good reason not to allow it. Too messy? Not really. Too noisy? Nope. A little out of the ordinary? Sure.

So, Gwendolyn got her wish, and the result is what you see in the photos above. As you can see, she was pretty pleased with the result.

The play dough is now safely tucked away, waiting for its next adventure. We'll clean the window tomorrow...

Self Portrait

2011-03-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Gwendolyn tells us this is a picture of her and her friend, Little Mouse:

And here's a closer look at Gwendolyn's favourite imaginary rodent:

If you see Little Mouse around your parts, please say hello and offer her a piece of cheese. Gwendolyn thanks you...

Gwendolyn's crocuses

2011-03-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here's another sign that Spring is fully in swing here on the West Coast:

The ornamental cherry blossoms are coming out, too...

A weekend visitor

2011-03-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

The Ronaghans hosted a four legged friend this weekend: Charlie, a very well-mannered and incredibly docile retriever. Charlie's regular pre-schooler, Sophie, was away with her parents on an overnight trip.

Having Charlie around was lots of fun, and brought Daddy fond memories of his childhood days with Snuggles, the Ronaghan family dog (a retriever/??? cross). Gwendolyn was also quite smitten with our rental pooch; in her words: "I love Charlie because he has very soft fur and a tail that wags."

Thanks for coming over, Charlie! You're a wonderful dog, despite your habit of constantly patrolling for accidentally dropped people food. (Do you really think all that work was worth it for half a bagel and a tortilla chip?) Next time, however, we hope you'll avoid rolling in dog poop at the beach...

Is it bikini weather yet?

2011-03-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Maybe if we all follow Gwendolyn's lead and jump into our bathing suits, we can encourage the warm (and dry) weather to come just a little bit faster...?

"I am an artist."

2011-03-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Thus spoke Gwendolyn today, and we couldn't agree more.

Here is one of today's creations: the singing girl. (Can you see the musical notes cascading from her mouth?)

And here she is in action:

Ready for the NHL playoffs

2011-03-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Do you think someone is pleased with her new Canucks t-shirt?

Pleased as pink lemonade punch, we think. Too bad she's not quite clear about who gave it to her. (Canucks -- no. Daddy -- yes.)

Dogpile!

2011-03-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last evening, the Ronaghans hosted a gathering of friends from Mama's prenatal class. The girls had lots of fun playing in Gwendolyn's bedroom, including an impromptu game of "dogpile" on G's bed. At three years old, they are finally capable of making their own fun without too much parental help, which means time for the Moms and Dads to enjoy each other's company.

This weekend is a busy one for Gwendolyn: yesterday was swim lessons and the prenatal party, and today it's a visit to Zoey in the afternoon and dinner with Sophie (a school chum) and her parents. Phew!

Spring flowers

2011-03-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

We have a couple of weeks before it officially arrives, but here's hoping spring is beginning to appear in your neck of the woods. We have flowers blooming here -- real (planted by Daddy) and virtual ("planted" by Gwendolyn):

A snowy day

2011-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Vancouver has decided to show its solidarity with the rest of the country with an end of February snowfall:

Unlike the rest of the country, though, our snow will likely be gone by tomorrow.

And what does a cooped up three year old do on a snowy, late winter morning? Why, play "Go Fish" with Mama, of course!

The latest referee costume

2011-02-27T08:02:00.001-08:00

Mama was away last evening at a quilting retreat, so Gwendolyn and Daddy took the opportunity for some quality time with Hockey Night in Canada.

G. continues her fascination with the referees, or "refs" as she now calls them. The photos show the latest incarnation of her referee costume. The number is a new addition (it had to be 23), and this time, the armbands are fashioned out of construction paper instead of safety reflector bands. (The squiggles were an inspired add-on.)

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), Gwendolyn's team lost to Daddy's team last night...

New drawings

2011-02-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn really got down to some serious drawing today while home from school. Here are a couple of her more inspired efforts:

Two queens and their dog. (Gwendolyn stamped the crowns on herself.)

A girl at a table with a (very small) birthday cake.

From right to left: Gwendolyn skating on a rink (note the skate blades on the bottoms

of her feet), an owl sitting in a hole in a tree, a dragon lounging in a hammock in

the same tree, and a dog.

"Paging Dr. Gwendolyn..."

2011-02-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn woke up this morning feeling out of sorts and with a moderate fever. A visit to the doctor in the afternoon confirmed that once again, she's "brewing something viral" in that little body of hers. Please, can we catch a break around here?

While the news wasn't great, Gwendolyn showed that she could be a terrific patient: brave and helpful, and "better than some of my adult patients" according to the doctor. The visit seemed to inspire her; once home, she broke out her doctor's kit, a craft stick and a small flashlight, and gave Mama the once-over. ("Say ahhh... Good. No infection.")

So: a few more days away from the petri dish that is her pre-school, and hopefully Gwendolyn can get fully healthy again. We're really looking forward to the end of cold season around here!

Sunshine Coast getaway

2011-02-22T13:45:00.002-08:00

As is typical for us in February, the Ronaghan family enjoyed a wee getaway this past weekend, this time to the Sunshine Coast. While Daddy inexplicably took no photos of family members relaxing at the Red Feather Chalet, he did capture this video of a quiet morning snowfall. Enjoy your tranquility moment for the week...

Autograph session

2011-02-13T18:44:00.001-08:00

As seems to be tradition in youngster's classrooms around town, Gwendolyn will arrive at school tomorrow with Valentines for all her classmates. While she wanted to sign her full name to each of the 20+ cards, doing so that many times would have been a bit too much for her still developing printing skills. Instead, she graced each card with her initials. (Mama and Daddy will add a "Love, Gwendolyn" later.)

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

Cold update

2011-02-05T20:52:00.001-08:00

It was a tough week. Gwendolyn stayed home from school for the duration with the previously mentioned cold and a recurring fever. Daddy finally took her to see Dr. Art on Friday afternoon and discovered that she has the beginnings of an infection in her ears and throat. Now we're on an antibiotic regimen, and the cold is still hanging on...

While there was much more resting and cuddling than normal, some good playing was had:

What the next generation of NHL referees will be wearing.

You've gotta love the recorder-turned-whistle!

Building a creative sculpture with the nesting "pointy rainbow." Daddy thinks Frank Gehry might have a protege to consider! Should we also mention that this photo was taken at 4:30 (or so) in the morning?!? For several mornings in a row, Gwendolyn was wide awake at 4 a.m. on the dot. I guess it wasn't that fun trying to sleep with a cold/infection...

And some really interesting artwork was created:

Pretty self-explanatory, no?

A girl and two dragonflies, each with "two sets of powerful wings" (a direct quote from a current favourite book: Insect Detective). Note the round object beneath the dragonfly on the left: its bum, according to Gwendolyn.

Now this one is very interesting. The girl on top has a match; the girl laying down is practicing her "stop, drop and roll" technique -- for putting out the pending fire, we expect. Gwendolyn has obviously been paying attention during the school's fire drills...

Let's hope Monday sees a return to school for Gwendolyn. We're sure she misses her friends and teachers.

Under the weather

2011-01-31T20:31:00.001-08:00

We've finally had a look at what Gwendolyn is like when she is truly not feeling well. Usually, her cold symptoms are accompanied by "business as usual": running, playing, laughing, eating heartily -- in other words, being Gwendolyn. This cold has been different. Today she was quiet, off her food, very cuddly and asleep for a good portion of the day. We knew something was coming, as her behaviour the two days previous was abominable, to say the least.

It helped that Mama was also home with a cold; the two of them had a fine time snuggled on the couch under a blanket. Daddy is still clear of the bug so far... Let's hope it stays that way.

Words, words, words

2011-01-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn has lately become very interested in practicing her printing. Here are a few words she wrote during a recent play session with Mama. We're sure you'd be able to identify them without our help, but just in case, we've captioned each photo with the word in question.

"monkey"

"Little Mouse"

"penalty" (Guess who's been watching a bit of hockey with Daddy lately?)

"tiger"

We've included this one because we think it's Gwendolyn's first attempt at sounding out a word on her own. The word in question? "Cough."

Some recent drawings

2011-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

All captions approved by Gwendolyn, naturally...

Girl walking by a statue

Two girls together

"Moosey" being kind

A girl and her dog

Birdie (Daddy loves that he looks a little pigeon-toed!)

Little Mouse

2011-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

We have a mouse living with us. She's been with us for several months, in fact. Before you begin e-mailing us with recommendations for exterminators, however, let us assure you: she's harmless. In fact, she's an imaginary mouse -- a product of Gwendolyn's wonderfully active mind.

Little Mouse, as she is called, does everything with Gwendolyn. We are told she eats with us, plays with us, naps with us, accompanies us to school... wherever Gwendolyn happens to be, Little Mouse is sure to be close at hand.

She is a very talented mouse. She can drive, quilt, garden, cook and paint. On the rare occasion she is not with Gwendolyn, she can be found at Gwendolyn's other house, "in the United States, where they say zee instead of zed. "

Daddy has thought about finding a small stuffed mouse to give to Gwendolyn, but he's afraid it would change the richness of Little Mouse's imaginary world for the worse. Better to leave her in Gwendolyn's mind, where she can be and do absolutely anything.

Fueling up for the day ahead

2011-01-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

And how does Gwendolyn like to start her busy days, food-wise? Most often it's with a nice big bowl of cooked cereal and milk -- on this morning, with the addition of raisins and frozen blueberries. Mmmmmm...

A well-scheduled girl

2011-01-21T19:52:00.001-08:00

We have a family calendar posted on our fridge, marked with all the "don't forget" activities: swim lessons, days off from school, evening meetings, weekend adventures...

This week, Gwendolyn decided she needed a calendar of her own. Daddy drew her a template for February and she proceeded to mark important dates with stickers. Some of the activities on those dates were inserted by Daddy, but most were written by Gwendolyn -- we'll leave it to you to guess which is which. At the end of it all, Gwendolyn announced, "I can't put anything else in my calendar. I'm SWAMPED." What a kid...

Note the important activity on the 23rd: a movie date to see "Smitty's, I Love You." We believe she's referring to the restaurant chain, which she's visited exactly three times -- the last time nearly a year ago.

Dare we say it again: what a kid.

Our resident Fairy

2011-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Take a cute little girl in her pyjamas. Add a tutu, a play silk and a set of bee's wings, mix them together and... Voila!

The month in photos (so far)

2011-01-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

We're back in the swing of things after the Christmas holiday. While we've been fairly busy (a new school term, a new set of swim lessons), we haven't been taking many photos. Here are just a few from the past week or so:

Doing some serious perusing of the Nova Natural Toys catalogue.

(Note the snack close at hand...)

Birthday party with the stuffies! The Melissa and Doug cupcake set was clearly

THE hit of Christmas -- thanks, Papa John and Meme!

Rudolph and Dancer (a.k.a. Gwendolyn) doing some post-holiday

pulling of "Santa's sleigh."

Last night's snowfall lasted long enough for Daddy to create a snow girl for

Gwendolyn -- one of several snow-based activities that were part of this

afternoon's walk home from pre-school.

2011 family portrait

2011-01-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

Each year, the Ronaghan family has an informal portrait taken on January 1st. Here's this year's photo; thanks go to Rod Hicks for his photography assistance.

Don't you love Mama's new glasses?

Happy New Year to you all.

Last pizza (and dance) for 2010

2010-12-31T20:03:00.000-08:00

As has become habit in the Ronaghan household, Friday night is pizza night. Why change things for New Year's Eve?

We hope you all have (or had, as the case may be) a safe and joyful New Year's celebration. For 2011, we recommend dressing things up with some home-made paper head gear and an impromptu dance or two...

Love,

G., F. and K.

Play date!

2010-12-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn and Benjamin had plans to get together a few times over the Christmas break, but sickness in both households intervened. Happily, a sunny day and healthy kids meant a play date at the playground this afternoon. Hurrah!

Christmas morning

2010-12-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a bunch of excitement wrapped up with more than just a wee bit of impatience. Hurry up, Mom!

A whole lot of Christmas

2010-12-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas, all! Daddy has finally found a moment to post some photos of Gwendolyn's 2010 Christmas adventure:

Digging into her stocking

What might be in here?

The gift of the year: Piggy Paint. Finally, some real nail polish for those tootsies!

Dancing up a storm with her new tutu and play silk

A Boxing Day gift from Grandpa Ronaghan: finger paints!

First Christmas concert

2010-12-18T22:21:00.001-08:00

While we're talking about Gwendolyn's school Christmas party, we mustn't forget that it was also the occasion of her first school concert. Here's a film of one of the songs the children sang; look for the striped toque and you'll find our Gwendolyn.

A visit with Santa

2010-12-18T22:03:00.001-08:00

Old St. Nicholas made a surprise visit to Gwendolyn's school Christmas party this week. So here, dear readers, is the official Santa Claus photo. (We're not sure why Santa is gesturing, or who the little fellow at his feet might be...)

Birthday recap

2010-12-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been exciting ones for Gwendolyn. It started with Thursday's birthday celebration at her pre-school -- a lovely ritual that unfolds as follows (the description is borrowed from a recent school newsletter):

The children sit in a circle. The Directress lights a candle in the centre of the circle to represent the sun. The birthday child holds the globe and completes one cycle around the sun for each year they are old. While the child walks carefully around the circle, the children sing the birthday song:

The Earth goes 'round the sun

The Earth goes 'round the sun, and Gwendolyn turns ____ (one, two three, four, etc.;

repeated until we reach the birthday age)

(Sung to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell")

If parents send photos of the child on the day, the Directress will show them to the class to demonstrate how much the child has grown and changed each year.

On Friday, Gwendolyn and her classmates attended a performance of "Suessical: The Musical" at Carousel Theatre. Daddy came along as a parent helper. Though not an official part of Gwendolyn's birthday festivities, it was a perfect fit for the occasion. It was also a VERY long sit for an almost three year old -- 75 minutes without an intermission -- but for the most part, Gwendolyn managed to keep still and enjoy the many songs, dances, and rhymes.

And Saturday, of course, was Gwendolyn's birthday. There were gifts to be opened, a surprise delivery of a bouquet of balloons, and in the afternoon, Gwendolyn's birthday party. All the usual suspects were there: Zoey, Benjamin and a nearly all of Gwendolyn's other pre-school classmates. There was a bit of crafting, an hour of songs and play with Jessica, our Kindermusic guest, and... chocolate cupcakes! Gwendolyn clearly loved having her friends around her to play and laugh together.

Now we're hurtling toward Christmas at an alarming speed...

Yup -- she's THREE!

2010-12-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

We can't believe it, and perhaps some of you can't believe it either. But it's true -- it's been three years since Gwendolyn arrived in our midst. Here's a brief photo tour to show you how much she's changed and grown:

December 12, 2007: one precious day old

December 11, 2008: not too sure about this birthday business...

December 11, 2009: princess for the day

December 11, 2010: someone is just a teensy bit excited about her birthday...

Give a girl a camera, part 2: the abstract series

2010-12-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Daddy was downloading images from our camera this evening and came across these very interesting abstract images, taken by our resident three year old photographer.

And how do we know it was Gwendolyn? Here's your evidence:

Quick note: added November post!

2010-12-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

A video that Daddy has tried to post since late November has finally agreed to upload properly. Check out the post here, and don't forget your dancing slippers...

(Lots) more art

2010-12-09T14:39:00.001-08:00

Tired of photos of Gwendolyn's artwork? No? Good. (Yes? Too bad.) Here are a few more:

Trace Mama's drawing, then make one of your own! (Note the similarity in noses; Gwendolyn has adopted Mama's method pretty consistently since this drawing.)

The two images above are done on waste paper from Mama's printer.

We love the (deliberate?) relationship Gwendolyn has created

between the printed images and her own drawings.

If Daddy remembers correctly, this is a robot skating party. We think you can guess which figure is the robot... (The torso and head of the second figure from the right are by Mama.)

Rainbow haired girl

Now, if Daddy could only find the drawing entitled Mary and Jesus' Daddy Dancing...

Braids!

2010-12-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn has been wearing pony- and pigtails on and off for quite a while now. Recently, she gave braids a try, with lovely results. They're small, but they're cute!

It's now a most mornings ritual to have Mama put Gwendolyn's hair in "ponies" (her name for either a ponytail or pigtails) or braids before she leaves for work. Daddy won't go near either of them... yet. He needs some training first.

Benjamin

2010-12-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

Benjamin is one of Gwendolyn's pre-school classmates, and clearly her favourite of all the kids at school. Just mention his name, and her face lights up! They love to pal around together in the playground: holding hands, chasing each other and always laughing. If Benjamin had his way, he'd host Gwendolyn at his home for a play date every day after school.

Ben is a sweet, happy and very funny boy. He and Gwendolyn make a great pair, and we're so pleased that they've chosen each other as friends.

Here they are, waiting for the train at the Stanley Park Christmas lights exhibit. Can you say excited?

A Christmas Story

2010-12-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

Or is it a poem? At any rate, here it is, dictated by Gwendolyn and transcribed (with punctuation added) by Daddy:

Christmas Ball

All about the house, not even a mouse.

Santa Claus is coming to our town.

Would you show, oh?

If you know, oh, would you show?

Naturally, these girls come to Santa Claus.

All about the house, the mouse, oh, oh, oh.

Would you show?

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

These are most of the words Gwendolyn said. The dictation was quite fast and furious, and Daddy had to stop and summarize each line with our author. She seemed pretty pleased with the final result when it was read back to her, so we guess the essence of her story was captured.

Note the rhymes; Gwendolyn absolutely loves saying and identifying rhyming words.

Gwendolyn does ballet

2010-11-25T21:46:00.001-08:00

This is a long (60 second) video, but it's fun: Gwendolyn performing her ballet moves to Annie Lennox's "Little Bird." There's lots of prancing back and forth, some nifty posing, and a ton of joy expressed in movement.

(BTW, the ballet slippers are actually Gwendolyn's most recent pair of Robeez.)

Another snow day

2010-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

This was more like it: a good 10 cm of snow fell on Vancouver today. It being a day off from pre-school (for reasons other than the snowfall), Gwendolyn made the best of her second snow day of the season.

The tongue is out to catch snowflakes; the grouchy face in the snow angel photo is due to snow falling in her eyes. And yes, she does have gloves and mitts, but our little oven generally prefers not to wear them.

Too bad the snow will be washed away by a ton of rain tomorrow...

New artwork

2010-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

To keep you up to date with our wee artist's development, here are photos of two of Gwendolyn's recent drawings:

Self portrait

Singing bird (the marks below the bird's beak are musical notes)

The bird in particular is pretty fantastic, in the humble opinions of Mama and Daddy. We can't get over the detail she's put into it! A little context: singing birds are often a theme of Daddy's drawings, and Mama has used birds several times as cute quilt motifs.

Give the girl a camera...

2010-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyn went on a shooting spree with one of our digital cameras a few days back; here are some of her more interesting images.

Snow Day

2010-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Vancouver woke up to a smallish accumulation of snow this morning, and Gwendolyn wasted no time enjoying it. First was some time spent on our upper deck, making footprints and a couple of small snowmen with Mama. After breakfast, Daddy and Gwendolyn headed out to the postage stamp sized park near our home to make snow angels, throw snowballs, build a "snow duck" and visit with a few of the neighbourhood dogs. After an hour or so, Mama traded places with Daddy and took Gwendolyn back to the park for some more snow angels and some tumbling down the park's small hill.

All in all, more than two hours were spent outside with the 5 cm or so of white stuff that was on the ground. Just imagine what it will be like if we get a real snowfall!

A sad time

2010-11-11T09:37:00.001-08:00

We haven't been posting recently because our lives were suddenly turned upside down last week. One of Gwendolyn's cousins, brave little Benjamin, passed away. He was just 3 1/2 years old. We miss him dearly, and continue to send our love to his Mom, Dad, brother and sister.

Mama travelled back east to be with family, and Gwendolyn and Daddy held down the fort here at home. It was the first time Gwendolyn had been without Mama for an extended length of time, and she managed quite well. There was preschool, of course, and swimming lessons, plus an overnight visit to Grandma's place and the addition of a cozy play tent to have fun with at home.

Mama has since returned and we trying to get back to our routines. It's a little harder, though, knowing that Benjamin is no longer here.

A beautiful poem was included in the program for Benjamin's Resurrection Mass. We hope that when you read it, you will think of this wonderful little boy and the love and joy he gave to everyone who knew him during his short time with us.

The "reveal"

2010-10-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, we've heard you asking yourself, "I wonder what Gwendolyn's Hallowe'en costume will look like this year?" Wait no longer, loyal blog followers: may we present (drum roll, please...) the Bumble Bee!

Thank goodness Mama is a whiz with the sewing machine. And thanks to Dressew Supply (a Vancouver institution and costumer's paradise) for carrying the wings and headgear.

Happy Hallowe'en, all.

Crafty Kid

2010-10-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Being crafty has become a big deal in our home. Pay us a visit and you'll find a large drawer in our living room dedicated to craft supplies: construction paper, Popsicle sticks, glue sticks, safety scissors, felt pens... Now that the rainy days of fall are here, we'll be digging into that drawer often.

Along with raptly observing Mama's quilting work -- and perhaps being inspired by it -- Gwendolyn creates her own craft items. Some are adapted from patterns in a book; most are from her imagination. Here are a few recent examples (all names by Gwendolyn, except for the bunny):

Starcraft

Strawcraft and Pumpkin (spice jar shaker lid with "shaky eyes")

Sunshine Light (made for Mama)

Toilet roll bunny (built from a pattern by Daddy, with supervision -- and ears -- by G.)