Blackberries and . . . ketchup

Olivia just requested ketchup with her huge, organic blackberries. Preston balked. I hooked her up. No "ew" moment followed. Au contraire: she relished the combo. So much so, in fact, that words failed her. My questions appeared to annoy her a bit. Of course, with this unique ketchup scenario, I had to invoke Uncle Todd, King Ketchup himself . . .

Adjectives

Olivia, yard swinging: "Why did Grandpa make this swing for me?"
Mama: "Because he loves you."
O: "Why?"
M: "Because you're awesome."
O: "Why? Why am I awesome?"
M: "Because you're silly and fun and nice."
O makes silly face to confirm above. Mama: "Are grandma and grandpa awesome?"
O: "No."
M: "What?"
O: "They're beautiful."

Driveway Car Wash

I think that Grandpa has been saving up a whole bunch of activities that Olivia couldn't do in SoMa, San Francisco. Like driveway big wheeling. And driveway lawn-chair sitting. And now, as featured here, driveway car washing. You'll see that Olivia, in spite of the raging Delaware humidity, brings her characteristic flair to the task. She also declares dirty cars to be "dangerous." Luckily, all Nissan-related danger has since been removed from the driveway.

The Big Wheel

Grandma and Grandpa bought Olivia this awesome Big Wheel. The first video shows Session Two of assembly, which followed an initial solo attempt by Grandpa, a trip to the hardware store, intensive consultation from both Preston and Olivia . . . but which ultimately culminated in a ride-able plastic vehicle. Which you will see in all of its thrilling glory in the second video.

Magical. I should add that Olivia ALWAYS wants to go faster. I promise not to record the inevitable collision. Preston thought I moved far too slowly (not at all, in fact), when Olivia steered into the bushes today and did something akin to a stunt from The Dukes of Hazard. If my girl wants to be a stunt double in a popular, thinly-narrated television series though, who am I to stand in her way?

Backyard pool, Hockessin, Delaware

Yesterday was our first full day in Hockessin. Luckily, Grandma was there to help us navigate it. When she went to the dentist, Olivia and I hit the pool. It was a huge hit.

Train station, headed to Fairyland

Before leaving San Francisco, Marion, Noëma, Preston, Olivia and I headed over to Fairyland. (Preston had sold the car, so we took BART.)

Not the MOST riveting, but a cute interaction between Olivia and the girl she calls Sister. (Vous nous manquez, Noëma et Marion!)

Varsity Muddling

If you haven't heard about the sport known as "muddling," you soon will. (Post-game videos below.)

Olivia is a varsity muddler. What I appreciate most about her particular skill set, however, is that she is not one of those one-track-mind superathletes, but instead a kind of "scholar-athlete," or "renaissance player." What I mean by this is that she is able to simultaneously pursue her sport while also recognizing the art and opportunity all around her. And that's no JV skill, my friends. That's varsity.

So when first a dog, and then a a vagabond imp-man made their way onto Olivia's muddling terrains the other day, she was 100% non-plussed. Observe the skill, alongside the delight. I, for one, think it's really amazing to see this level of play at so young an age.