Here is it, and above it, her actual silhouette.
The lady who cut the silhouette did it freehand with a pair of surgical scissors. Pretty amazing!

Next time we’re at Disneyland we will be sure to get another.

“That was exciting!”
— the kid, as we leave Disneyland’s “Soarin’ Over California”

“Nice one, Dad!”
— the kid comments on her dad’s use of a hair dryer on his shoes after a rainy day at Disneyland

Here’s another video with pics from our Disneyland trip.

Music Used:

• “It’s A Small World“, “The Aristocats“, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious“, and “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers“, from the Sherman Brothers Songbook performed by various artists and written by the Sherman Brothers

“It’s a hotel after all.”
— the kid, when asked to name her favorite Disneyland ride

We just spent four days at Disneyland and I’m actually quite surprised to say that we happily would’ve spent even more time there.

I’m sure we’ll be posting lots of words and pictures. For now, here’s a video of our time there.

Dad: “You’re, uh…”
Kid: “…THE BEST KID IN THE WHOLE WORLD. THE END!”
— the kid finishes her dad’s sentence for him

Here’s the latest chapter of “Life with the Kid”. In this ongoing series I post a video collage of pics and videos from the past half year.

This latest installment contains approximately 180 photos and 20 video clips and clocks in at 9 minutes and 37 seconds.

Previous installments:

1. 2007: Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
2. 2008: Part 1 | Part 2
3. 2009: Part 1 | Part 2
4. 2010: Part 1 | Part 2
5. 2011: Part 1 | Part 2

All pics and short videos used in this collage were taken from July through December, 2011.

Music used:

• “Feel Good Inc.” from Demon Days by Gorrilaz
• “Coffee & TV” from 13 by Blur
• “Porno Music” from the Freaks & Geeks Soundtrack by Michael Andrews

Yesterday we wanted to get in a little outdoors wandering before the rain started up again.  It was a bit late in the day for Filoli so we went to the lovely Elizabeth Gamble garden instead. It feels a bit like a mini Filoli.

The main difference that is completely unlike Filoli is the traffic noise…it is surrounded on all sides by busy streets. I would guess it hasn’t always been so, and it must have been a most tranquil spot when Elizabeth Gamble first lived here.

The grounds have a vegetable garden area where elementary school kids have been allowed to plant,  gorgeous rows of flowers, and several secret nooks with water fountains in them. By far madame’s favorite part of this garden is the rabbit topiary.

Afterwards we stopped at a local patisserie for a macaron and next door got a really giant balloon…alas it popped as soon as it got home.
Today it’s expected to rain all day, so we will stay indoors and dry…and probably make chicken soup and pumpkin bread. Fall is here!

“I don’t like my cantaloupe, it looks too orange-ish!”
— The Kid

So, a short while back the kid visited five states she’d never before experienced. All in one week. Not bad for a four and a half year old; I bet there’s a fair amount of Americans who haven’t visited five states in their entire lives.

Here’s how it worked out:

1. We got on a plane that stopped off in Phoenix, Arizona.
2. From there we took a plane to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
3. From there we drove a car through West Virginia.
4. From there we continued driving to to Sugarcreek, Ohio.
5. Once our vacation was over, we took a plane that stopped of in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

I think all together the kid has been to eight different states (the above plus, CA, HI, and OR) so far. That’s a pretty good start for our little traveler.

Yesterday was pretty hot so we went to the beach to cool off. (p.s. madame picks her own outfits…I don’t know anyone else who would wear a long dress to the beach!)

We had a walk downtown while we were waiting for the tide to go out…

First beach we went to was the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in search of a red octopus…but we were blocked by the sea lions on vacation. (Look closely at the second pic and you will see about 50 of them.)

Here is a great video of the red octopus we were looking for:

At the next beach we did see a purple starfish (aka sea star for you sticklers!)

Here are L’s new color changing sandals…they turn blue in the sun. We lost half of her favorite pair of skipping shoes in the airport last week, so had to get new ones. These are pretty neato!

We always find bits of shells that look like letters…it is pretty easy to spell her name.

Daddy: ”Why are you tripping, is it your shoes?”
The Kid: (silent)
Daddy: ”Oh well, let’s play balloon-ball.”
The Kid: “Yes, we’ll understand the problem later.”

The Farm at Walnut Creek from Mike C on Vimeo.

While in Ohio last week we visited the Farm at Walnut Creek. Here’s a video featuring some critters we encountered there.

“And now they’re outside on roller skates, singing about the refrigerator!”
— The kid talking about dust bunnies

Recently I read a book called “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything” by Joshua Foer. I started reading it partly because it looked interesting, and partly because my memory needs all the help it can get!

From Wikipedia:

In 2006, Foer won the U.S.A. Memory Championship, and set a new record in the “speed cards” event by memorizing a deck of 52 cards in 1 minute and 40 seconds. Moonwalking with Einstein describes Foer’s journey as a participatory journalist to becoming a national champion mnemonist, under the tutelage of British Grand Master of Memory, Ed Cooke.

The book had some interesting concepts about improving one’s memory. One idea involved using visual imagery to help remember abstract data. The graphic below is an example on how I put this to use.

Jill, the kid, and I just got back from a great week in Ohio visiting with Jill’s extended family. In the weeks leading up to the trip I kept asking Jill for reminders of the trip’s details (where we were going, when, etc.)

After reading the book, I no longer had to bother Jill with this question. Instead, I just created a memorable mental image that helped me remember the trip’s details. Here’s the image I conjured up to help me remember, along with some details:

What I wanted to remember:

• We were flying to Pittsburgh on July 4th
• We would be traveling from Pittsburgh to Sugarcreek, Ohio
• We’d be seeing Amish country

How my mental image helped:

• I pictured Harrison Ford from the movie Witness (takes place in Amish country) standing with Sugar Ray Leonard and Drew Carey (whose old TV show was based in Ohio)
• All three stood in a creek (for good measure, I imagined sugar packets floating in the water)
• Ford held a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet
• Fireworks filled the sky above them (as if it were the 4th of July)

This worked out pretty well for me, and I’m sure I’ll be using this trick again in the future to help remember a few things (if I remember.)

BTW, this is post number 600. Our first post went out on Dec 29, 2006, about 236 weeks (or 1655 days) ago. Past ‘milestone’ posts:

• Family History Project (500th Post)
• Garage Days Revisited (400th Post)
• Visiting Gma Vita (300th Post)
• Easter Egg Hunt 2008 (200th Post)
• Rhe Kid’s Top 10 (100th Post)
• Tidying Up (1st Post)

“What a party night! Listen to my song, it’s a lovely little song! Oh boy, playing with cousins tomorrow! I’m so excited my hair bands might pop off!”
— Tke kid, while simultaneously watching 5 fireworks displays, airplanes taking off, and waiting for room service from our room on the tenth floor of the Hyatt Regency at Pittsburgh Int’l Airport.

Here are a few pics from our trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio. The kid’s been having lots of fun getting to know her brand new (to her) cousins. Additional pics can be found here and we’ll definitely be posting a lot more very soon.

A kid-sized town.

Our kid-sized rental car, a Fiat 500.

The kid and her cousins take a swim. Spending time in an Amish buggy.

The kid’s dreamhouse, in her favorite color of course.

The kid and Gpa.