Girls, Guys and Tea

This weekend Mary Jane and Betsy wanted to have some early morning tea.  Along with them were Paul the Panda, Phone Wolf (always known for his love of iced tea), and Lyle the Crocodile.  They all sat there and enjoyed their tea and scones for the morning.  Cheerio!

The Sea and the Sand

 Mary Jane and Betsy went to the beach on Friday afternoon for a brief sojourn while Daddy talked to some of his old UCLA work friends.  Initially, they were both hesitant of the sand as it can just get into everything.  Yes, nothing like raisin dropped in sand (ew, more fiber?).

But they had quite the time there.  The most difficult thing about the beach has always been just getting there.  Luckily it was a weekday afternoon and Daddy has always been quite keen about finding parking spaces adjacent to the ocean.  Hopefully they'll be back to the beach again soon.

Paul wanted to go but stayed in the car.  He was afraid of sharks. He refused any further comments about it.  I guess every week is shark week.  That's what Sharkey says.

Raisins... before the Sand

Flopped on the Sand

The Best Laid Schemes o' Pandas and Giraffes...

Mary Jane and Betsy Jo with their animal backpacks

What, me a British lit teacher?  Never.

Anyway, I had this great idea yesterday to see if I could take a walk around the block with Mary Jane and Betsy Jo wearing their animal packs with the "leashes" that would be tucked on each arm of mine.  I knew it would be difficult: the girls do walk at different speeds, have varying walking interests, and don't necessary listen to commands.  Then again, that could also be my sophomores.

I wore Mary Jane's "leash" with my left hand and Betsy's was on my right.  The first 50 feet worked splendidly.   They both giggled and ran intermittently.  Mary Jane tried to escape the gravitational pull of Daddy but was unable to extend more than the 3-4 feet in front of me.  She'd slow down, wait for my long stride to catch up to her, and then take off again.  That worked well for a few houses.  But that was not the problem.

Alas, poor Betsy, she didn't feel like walking.  She was in her Ferdinand the Bull mode.  Betsy wasn't necessarily smelling the flowers -- well, it is spring so it would be as good of a time as any -- but she did want to see all the sites of Dewey.  Never mind that she had to keep pace with Daddy who trying to slow down Mary Jane.  Being tugged at both ends wasn't too helpful... it did make me think about the gravitational pull of the sun and moon upon the Earth.  Seriously!  It did.  That's what I get for spending too much time covering the Space Race and other extraterrestrial (ouch!) things for AD this fall.

Betsy before the fall

Finally, the flop occurred.  Betsy Jo could take no more and fell down with a thud.  Mary Jane kept trying to tug me forward which would then drag Betsy on the sidewalk.  Not a good idea... so I made my executive decision and turned for home.  Mary Jane was not too happy about it as she wanted to get some bamboo for Paul, her stuffed panda.  He's quite the needy panda.

Of course the drama didn't end yet with these excessively cute animal backpacks.  Mary Jane realized that if she stepped on the "tail" of the backpack, Betsy would... yes... THWACK.  Right on the paved driveway.  I should have seen that coming but then again, I think I was annoyed at my shoe lace becoming untied a few seconds previous.

This anecdote was not to criticize the producer of those animal backpacks.  They seem to serve quite a good purpose.  But one dad, two girls, two arms... as Jesus once said, ain't happenin'.  OK, maybe he didn't say that... but maybe he did.  Once.  In Aramaic.

Teamwork

Nothing quite like Mary Jane and Betsy Jo both taking turns on their wagon ride around the block.  It's about a 1/3 of a walk but they sometimes rotate the riding and pulling.  Or even the pulling and pushing as seen here.  Usually it's Daddy pulling, Betsy Jo riding, and Mary Jane tagging along.

Do note in this video, Mary Jane has some extra old bamboo leaves for Paul the Panda upon their return.  He's been quite happy with her bamboo collections as of late.  The DudeManBro has been singing a lot more recently and not knocking over supermarket carts.  But more on that later...

Shocking Secret Revealed: Sequestration Is Starving the Bunnies!!!

Phillip Feeling a Bit Thinner

Betsy (Head Down) Avoiding Comment

 The government stalemate which has created automatic spending cuts has greatly hurt the Mar Vista rabbits, most importantly the four belonging to Mister John and Miss Jill.  According to the new cuts, all expenditures have been sliced by 10%.  This means that across-the-board munching by the bunnies is now down more than it was previously.  According to media representatives of Phillip, his water and food has declined greatly over the last few weeks.  He also says this directly relates to having Ruby Jane forced into his cage.  While he does welcome the warm comfort of the "Brown Bear" in his cage, he does state the food in the bowl is less than it used to be.

Spokespeople from Mister John and Miss Jill vehemently deny these accusations that less food has been going to the rabbits.  "There are almost no oranges left on the tree," said Mister John last Sunday from his luxurious couch in the living room.  "They've eaten almost all of them."  However, the spokesperson for Phillip also added that Miss Jill thought he was "too plump" and "needed to lose some weight."  More denials from the Miss Jill camp.

The children have oddly been very quiet about the supposed rabbit food cuts.  Betsy, as seen in the picture to the left, closed the door to the "Pa Car House" and only requested "Up" after being confronted with the allegations.  Later on that day she took an extra serving of applesauce... this information later was leaked to the rabbits via Paul the Panda.

Mary Jane Cut in Budget Battle

Cookie Sue and Heidi Protest Together

Mary Jane has also been oddly quiet through this crisis.  According to some sources, the rabbits threw a carrot at her and cut her face.  While Mary Jane does deny this -- "Bunny outside" was all she could say about this -- it was seen by many bunnies that the carrots which were to go to the rabbits were ultimately stolen and eaten by Mary Jane and Betsy Jo.

The cruel irony of this whole mess is that Rabbit Liberation Day is on the horizon.  While many humans refer to this day as "Easter Sunday," the rabbits all know this is the day that rabbits will gain their independence from humans by their repeated acts of thumping.  The revolution may be brewing while Miss Jill and Mister John deny all potential revolts.

Mary Jane was finally quoted as saying about this situation, "One, two, three, four... five!"  Indeed.

Paul Getting Ready to Hang Ten

Showing a bit of profile

No one is more serious about their surfing than Paul the Panda.  He was chilling on his board out in Arizona this weekend.  Why Arizona?  Long story.  He's got a love/hate relationship with that state.  (Recall he was exiled there and left stranded in a children's hospital until an ill Mary Jane rescued him on Christmas Day.)

Getting serious with his board

But this weekend, the Panda was ready to go.  While the other members of the family were tooling around with motorcycles, he snuck off and knocked down some waves.  Yes, waves can be found in Arizona.  You just have to go by one of the canals and have some foolish person ride a boat next to you and create a large enough wake to make you hang ten.  Or in Paul's case... who knows.

Mary Jane was not there to see much of this as she is not allowed that close to too much open water.  In the picture to the right, she was looking quite festive.  Maybe in a few years she and the Panda will go surfing together.  But not until Miss Jill and Mister John approve.

Reading with Daddy

Ah, nothing says it's almost time to go to sleep for the night more than sitting beside Daddy and letting him read a book.  Paul also sit between Daddy and Mary Jane while they all figured out who the "monster" was in the book.  Hopefully it wasn't created by some college student named Victor who later abandoned it and then discovered it went on a murderous rampage.

Daddy will have to watch what Mary Jane reads...

Dudemanbro Needs a Cleaning

Unfortunately for the Dudemanbro, Paul the Panda, he smells a whole lot like coffee these past few days.  So much so that even Mary Jane holds him at a distance.  He doesn't have much to add to the comments saying it's all just speculation, "Dude, it's not like it's me.  I'm telling you, it's that Miss Jill that's the problem.  It ain't me, man."  But no one seems to be buying his excuses.


The next time the clothing goes through the wash, so might the Dudemanbro.

The DudeManBro

Standing Tall

Nothing gives a little girl more of a calming influence than a favorite stuffed animal.  In Mary Jane's case, it's Paul the Panda.  He also goes by P2theP.  Don't ask, we're all just players in his theatrical production.

Paul originally came to our family via the Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Ever since then he has jumped to the top of Mary Jane's animal list.  We often thought it might be TV Turtle or Clifford but no, it's definitely the panda.  He has a hankering for "bambuu" as he spells it.  He loves to surf and spends most of his free time chilling in the back yard and working on his tan.

During the evenings though, he is primarily in the arms of Mary Jane.  If Betsy somehow comes across the soft furry panda, Mary Jane elicits a rare bit of jealousy and takes Paul away with a frenzied grab.

Dinner with P2theP

Paul also makes his way to the dinner table.  There's no way he's not getting in on some of the food.  He's lucky though.  Mary Jane often feeds him the rest of the bottle when she's done.  He doesn't complain much although at first he thought it was a bit awkward.  There's some sort of pride one feels when they are the most wanted.  And for the DudeManBro, that's what it's all about.

End of Another Week

Daddy and Betsy are relaxed after she finished her first week of being SIX months old.  Goodness look at those grey hairs.  Wait, those are on Daddy.  Betsy has the beaming smile though.

Mary Jane was a little cranky this afternoon as she decided not to nap much.  Oh, who needs napping anyway?  Not that young girl!  Of course she was a bit feisty before she fell asleep.  What did she need for her final snooze?  Paul the Panda of course.  P to the P, as some in the household call him, immediately put her at ease and she went back to sleep.  Now if only some extra bamboo can be found for him.

Hanging with Paul

Mary Jane was a bit cranky this morning so Daddy knew what would improve her demeanor: some panda time! Her favorite stuffed animal is Paul the Panda. He was originally a Christmas present given to the family by the Phoenix Children's Hospital while Mary Jane was suffering from RSV. She received many gifts over those few days (poor girl was in there on Christmas Eve through the 27th). Paul the Panda has quickly elevated to the favorite animal status. She tackles him every time he is introduced. Sometimes it looks like she's even trying to suck on his nose.

"Dude, she tackles me so hard I, like, hurt my neck, man," said Paul this morning. He's quite a chill panda; not your average high-strung panda. He does crave bamboo like all pandas but Mary Jane doesn't know any dietary concerns of animals. Considering pandas are endangered species, I shouldn't even mention that we have a panda at home right now. But Paul is a good soul and gets along with the other animals. He does have conflicts with Max the Monkey because Paul loses his patience with the monkey from time to time.

Mary Jane actually napped in her parents' bed this morning. She laid down beside her dear ol' dad during "panda time" and then she was out for about 40 minutes. Good for you, Mary Jane! Everyone needs their "panda time" to get to sleep.

Panda Attack!

Paul the Panda attacked Mary Jane a few days back as he was looking for some bamboo to munch on. Alas, he found none but Mary Jane was stunned to find him there. Paul is a fairly polite panda and he moved on after discovering she lacked the bamboo he needed.