Trying to Get Betsy Jo to Wave

While Daddy was at the pediatrician's office last week, he realized through their typical update questions that he and Mommy had not taught Betsy Jo how to wave.  Oops... must have been that intolerable UCLA basketball season that kept Daddy from imparting such wisdom unto his little girl like waving and clapping.  (Meanwhile Mary Jane is a waving maniac and a clapping fiend... especially when singing the lyrics of "Who's Going to School Today?")

Here Betsy looks agog at Daddy thinking there is no way that she will wave for the camera.  Daddy tries his best and Mary Jane also obliges but to no avail.

Do notice how well Mary Jane has moved on in utensil usage.  Sorry, no chopsticks yet.  Not until Mommy and Daddy have mastered that.  And don't listen to those who say Daddy doesn't hold a fork properly.  That's just nonesense.

Officer Mary Jane Is on the Beat



Pull Over, You Are Under Arrest!

Daddy crashed the Mommy and Me class last week and got to watch Mary Jane play with the others in her class.  While one would expect lots of interaction between the children, that was not truly the case.  Every child did their own respective thing and occasionally played with one another.  The only real interaction was when one child tried to steal a toy from another.

Anyway, Mary Jane kept jumping into the miniature cars.  The police car was the one of choice for her.  Watch out, here comes Officer Erb!  If she says "Highchair," you're under arrest!

The Local Teams

Kings and Dodgers

Long may they both win.  As for the Lakers... let them play golf.

Slide...

I'm ready, Mommy

Mary Jane spent some time at a local park and she was ready to go down the slide.  But no, she pauses at first, to wave at the camera.  Then she goes down the slide for a fun journey.  Naturally she then replies, "Up?" and the cycle starts all over again.

The Cup

Kings win!

Go, Kings, go!

Girls Visit Aunt Pat and Grampa Erb

Mary Jane and Betsy Jo went out to visit Aunt Pat and Grampa yesterday.  Well, Daddy drove them out there technically.  The two girls don't quite have the savvy yet to take the Expo Line to the Gold Line yet.  Maybe some day... but not yet.

Clearly Aunt Pat put Mary Jane to hard work as she's collecting weeds in the picture to the left.  What she really did was get some weeds and put them in the bucket and them pull them back out only to them back in again.  Good repetitive work!

 Mary Jane also tried to use Garrett or Trevor's old tricycle.  It didn't work out so well for her as her legs are still a bit short but she does have the right idea.  She drove it Flintstones-like before just giving up on and asking Daddy, "Up?"  This time it truly meant, "Pick me up from this bike which doesn't work, Daddy."

Betsy Jo frolicked in the backyard grass, just running her fingers through the grass.  No leaves to eat so she was content with mere idling.  Grampa came over to keep an eye on her.  Ah, good ol' Grampa. 

Afterward the girls were both tired from their ride out to Monterey Park and briefly napped on their ride home.

At an Angel's Game

 On Tuesday night, Daddy... aka Mr. Erb, went to an Angels game with three fellow teachers.  They all chipped in on a bid at the Mary Star auction and won front row tickets to an Angels/Mariners game.  Yes, they were quite the front row seats.  So much so that Albert Pujols was blocking some of the action when El Hombre was standing in the on-deck circle.  In the next picture is Ichiro Suzuki, another certain Hall-of-Famer. 
Oh, to be so close...

Ichiro!

Good thing no foul balls came our way.  That would have been quite a "think fast" sort of moment.

Jinx

I finally post about the Kings... and they lose.  And so it goes.

Anyway, the rabbits are well and it's time to start grading more papers.  Only one week left of school. 

Our movie today is Mary Jane wandering through the desert.  Where art thou going, o little one?

15 Down, One to Go

While I by no means would ever claim that I am a die-hard Kings fan (the Dodgers and UCLA basketball are the top two for me), I do admit that watching this run to the Cup is quite amazing.  The veritable road warriors have won TEN straight on the road.  Heck, even the 5-2 home record right now is quite impressive.  Every game the Kings weather the early storm and then summarily close out their opponents in the final two periods. 

Mad props to all my friends who are clearly more ardent Kings fans than me.  It's been quite a long time... since... well, ever!  And I assuredly am not trying to jinx anyone but I might as well give the team mad props when I can.  I couldn't tell you where Anze Kopitar is from, or who actually played NCAA hockey (I'd leave that Jeff), but hey, I know good sport when I watch it.  And team play is much more interesting than that one-on-one garbage those Lakers play.  How can team ball be so effective at the college level and then it's completely forgotten by the time these guys get to the pros?  Anyway, I digress...

I rarely get to watch the games as they now start at five so the girls aren't even down and asleep until the third period.  And the geniuses at NBC have decided to play the games on there new sports channel which we really don't feel like paying extra for.  I'll save that rant for another day... but for now, Kings win!  One more, guys.

Every Afternoon Is a Walking Afternoon

This caption has nothing to do with the story!

Mary Jane and Betsy need to go on their afternoon stroll with Daddy.  Hopefully today they will pass Mommy as she drives home from work.  She'll stop and wave and they'll have large, precious smiles.  But Daddy cannot swap cars with Mommy because he cannot drive stick.