lofty aspirations

We went to the park the other night, mostly because the girls were running up and down the hallway stomping and screaming like banshees. Estella practiced riding her bike, I tried to get Madeleine to have a bowel movement, and Brendan pushed Eva on the swing. I usually only push her lightly, because it makes me sick to my stomach, so she gets especially excited when Daddy does the pushing. She became so exhilarated with the great heights that she shouted, "Daddy! I'm a star way up in the sky!"


Estella went with Melissa and Kathy to visit with Kathy's sister Julie, who recently moved here from California to be closer to Kathy after suffering a mild stroke. Estella had a wonderful time, and spread her joy to all. She came home with several paint pamphlets to show me all the new colors she thought we could use in the house. She also informed me that the house that Julie was buying "would work out just right for us, as long as we got the one with the bonus room". Julie is buying a house in a brand-new subdivision. She informed me that there was also enough room for horses and goats.

While Estella was thus occupied, Brendan and I decided to go for a walk, since we could do it safely without someone wondering what terrible fate had befallen Estella, who is prone to running down the sidewalk screaming during the course of an evening stroll. (Someone actually asked me one time if she was alright.) Eva was riding on Brendan's shoulders, blabbering on about something, and he told her, "You have a good vocabulary." She replied, "Yes." When asked if she could say "I have a good vocabulary", she replied confidently, "Yes. I have a good vocalculator."