POST UNDER CONSTRUCTION
We love our Addie Pie Pants, and (being seriously behind on blogging, surprise surprise) I decided to do a post all about Addie during the past year.
Addie is a spunky and bright kid. She's so kind to her little brother and shares almost everything with him, including candy that she brings home from school. She's a great student (reading and spelling are her strong points), and a good problem solver. She makes smart observations, like one day she pointed out that even when the juice looks like its almost all gone in the bottle it still fills up the cup all the way. She reasoned that it must be the size of the container that changes how much juice it looks like there is. She loves art and making things, but she gets frustrated to the point of tears if something doesn't look right. Her favorite things to do are ride her scooter and watch movies.
She's funny (and sometimes frustrating) when it comes to getting dressed in that she can't stand tags, bumps, or anything too tight or too loose. Something she'll wear one day, she suddenly can't wear the next day. She can get pretty dramatic about it too, throwing herself on the floor and yanking off the offending clothing like it has wounded her beyond healing. She once tried on six different pairs of underpants, trying to find one that didn't bug her, before she could even begin to get dressed for the day. She really only likes to wear skirts, but will tolerate a select few pairs of leggings. Absolutely no denim and, until very recently, no socks. Her feet used to stink like sweaty popcorn everyday until one magical Sock Day at school. Now she will wear them, but she likes them mismatched. In short, we are both at our happiest during summer, when she can wear skirts and sandals everyday.
Yesterday I took the kids on a bike ride while Jason stayed home to get caught up on homework. Addie insisted on wearing a skirt, and so I'm certain that nearly everyone heading the opposite direction on the parkway trail got a glimpse of her underwear. She wore her favorite blue boots that she has worn nearly everyday since we bought them. I recently had to sew a portion of the zipper back on because of how much she has worn them. She had in a ponytail, her requested daily hair-do these days, with her favorite blue bobby pin on the side to keep the few too-short strands back. She rode her little purple beach cruiser bike and carried water bottles for her and Jack in her basket. She wanted to be the leader, so she rode in front and was in charge of saying, "Passing on your left!" to people we passed along the way and alerting us to approaching bikers. I rode behind her with Jack in his seat on the back of my bike. Addie has made up little games that we do every time we go for a ride. When we go downhill we yell, "freeway!", and when we ride over a crack we yell, "Crack!". When we ride through a tunnel we make animal sounds, and when we ride over freshly patched sections of trail we shout, "Black out!" If its a long section of new asphalt, then you have to hold out the phrase until you reach the end of it, so it sounds like, "Bllllllaaaaaaacccccckkkkkkk OUT!" Even Jack participates from the back of the bike. We are noisy riders. People out for a quiet afternoon stroll probably grimace when we're within earshot. But, in between all the required yelling, we get to have little conversations. Yesterday we discussed the phragmites that grow along the river banks; Addie wondered if they were a type of reed, since they grow near water. As we passed Gardner Village, Addie informed me that she knows someone who lives there. Then we talked about how Dad will be graduating from school soon, and then he won't have anymore homework. Addie said, "Cool! Then he'll get to come on bike rides. And then what's next? When does he graduate from work?" So then we had a discussion about retirement. Then I told her we were getting close to a park, and asked if she had enough energy to go further. "I am getting tired, but I'll never stop until I get to that park!" she declared. We made it to the park, played firefighters on the playground, and ran along some trails we found in the tall reeds on the riverbank and followed them as far as they could go. The trail opened up to a small sort of beach, where we rock hunted. We also discovered a fish skeleton, and Addie thought of all the possible causes of death. It was sunny, but not hot. There was a slight breeze, and the scent off the river was a bit ocean-y. It was a beautiful day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We peddled back home, Addie still the leader, and she pointed out every picnic spot along the way for future bike rides. When we made it home, we all went out into the backyard for foot races and swinging contests. It was the sort of perfect day that you wish came with a rewind button.
