Play dough window art? Why not?

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

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

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

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?

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."

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

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!

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

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):