We got Berit one of those Razor Scooters for Christmas. I was pretty sure she wanted one. All the older kids had them. But when she got it, she wouldn't ride it. I think she felt scared, unsure of herself on it.

Two days ago, she just started riding it... just like that. Now she won't stop.

I think her success on the bike has opened up an entirely new physical dimension for her. She's wicked good with the hula-hoop, as well.

Rowan while looking at her eyes in the mirror: "I have dark eyes daddy? Do I have black eyes?"

Berit took a bike spill on the open space trail and road-rashed her right cheek up pretty good. That was no fun. Then an hour later, Griffin impales his face on the corner of the kids' table in the dining room. Ouch.

Rowan is looking peculiarly unscathed these days.

Yesterday, I took the girls to Kath's pool. Berit just had to try out the little mermaid goggles, fins, and swim gloves that Rowan gave her for her birthday. She LOVED them! You never know what's going to do it for the kids, but she sure loved this present. She must have thanked Rowan 6 times while we were at the pool.

Then I took them down to Denver where the Gyudmed Tibetan Monks were doing another Sand Mandala. There girls really enjoyed watching, and I tried to explain to them how the monks painted with sand. The young one motioned for the girls to come in close. He took his tools and off to the side so that they could see, he made a mouse, an elephant, and a butterfly. He took the girls' hands in turn (Berit first, otherwise Rowan never would have done it) and pressed them on the caricatures, giving them each sand tatoos. They thought that was pretty cool.

Yesterday was Berit's birthday. It's hard to believe that my baby is 6. I remember when she was 0. Now she rides a two-wheeler bike (no training wheels), she'll be in 1st grade in a month, and she tells me things like, "Girls rule, Boys drool. Except you and Griffin, Daddy. You don't drool."

Up at Mary's Lake campground in Estes Park with friends. On Saturday morning we hiked over to the actual lake. Berit was a big swimmer, diving from the shoreside rocks with abandon into the cold water and swimming out to me. When we went to the pool, Rowan was very impressive also. Her swimming skills seemed to have doubled overnight as she did twists and turns and movements that even resembled swimming while throwing herself under water. Griffin just really likes it when I throw him up into the air over the water. "Den!" ("Again"), he tells me.

I really enjoy camping with the kids.

Rowan had fallen asleep and Griffin was being resonably mellow, so Pam and I went into the leasing office with Berit supervising in the car. Really, it was just a few paces away, and we could see her from the window. Please don't call social services.

What was funny was that, when I walked back out to check on her, she had found the package of rice cakes and opened them up for Griffin and her.

"Griffin wanted a snack," she told me.

The next time I came out, she told me that Peter, our Realtor had called. "He's on his way here, and says he'll be here in 5 minutes. I think you should call him back, Daddy."

Berit is so helpful. Peter comments when he arrives how well she handled playing phone secretary for us.

Today, Griffin handed me a bottle of Bubbles and said, "Daddy open." A two word sentence! Genius.

Both girls are very creative when it comes to reasons why they are out of their bedroom after bedtime. Last night, Rowan stood at the threshold and whispered to me across the living room where I was reading my book.

"Daddy..."

"Dadddy..."

"Yes, Rowan," I flipped my head backwards over the couch's arm to respond.

"Daddy... can I give you a kiss?"

Wow. What a saint I must have been in a previous life to deserve such sweet children.

Last night was from hell. We had just finished watching “The Good Girl,” when i heard someone moaning upstairs. There, I found Griffin in his crib, feverish and unhappy. I immediately got him up, got him some fluids, and brought him into bed with me. I thought he might go directly to sleep, but instead he rolled around feverishly for some time, until it struck me to give him some fever reducer. This was probably after midnight, and within an hour he was sleeping. I brought him back into his crib, and was finally able to grab a few z’s, myself.

It wasn't until around 2:30 or 3 that the coughing twins appeared in my bed. As my kids know, Daddy awakened in the middle of the night closely resembles one of the seven dwarves, and it's not Happy. I gruffly admonished the girls to “stop all that coughing,” before realizing that this was a harsh, insensitive and unreasonable thing to say to your 3 and 5 year old daughters, who are probably just suffering because you forgot to change out the furnace filter. So I got them both some organic (honey-based) cough syrup, told them I love them, and went back to sleep.

Fortunately, Pam took Griffin in the morning, and I slept until I was late for work.

Pam says that Griffin is "imperious." Is that a word? If it is, then he certainly is... tyrannically imperious. He's found his voice and a number of words that go with it. If he's feeling cross, he'll throw me a sideways scowl and reprimand me: "No." He'll do that repeatedly, until he feels I've gotten a clear message. He's learned the word, "juice." Now he won't even drink milk anymore. All of a sudden, he'll come up to one of us and shout at the top of his lungs, "DA DA!" JUICE!"

I don't want to put Griffin in a negative light. He can be awfully cute and endearing at times. He laid on a blanket between Pam and I, hours past his bedtime, out on the golf course while we watched the July 4 fireworks. While awaiting the show, he took turns kissing Pam and then kissing me. He's awfully sweet.

I think Rowan had already decided that the fireworks were going to be too scary. Even though she assured me, "I'll try it, Daddy. I'll calm down." Moments after they started though, Grammy was escorting her back to the house.

She was a kick at the block party. Our friend, Betsy asked if I was a middle child because I'm so protective of her. Not overly protective I don't think. I just always am very consoling when she breaks down over something or another. I think I feel responsible for her sensitive nature. I think perhaps I caused it by being too fierce at times, and for that I feel guilty. Anyway, she broke down over not having the football to herself at the block party. She really liked that little football, and I'm going to get her one. I'm also shopping for red converse hi-tops to match hers.

Berit had a good time at the block party also. Ate lots of sugar, rode her bike around. By the time the fireworks were over, she was a mess. She broke down upon seeing that there were pictures of Griffin and Rowan both as babies, both painting, on our refrigerator (they've been there for a year). Suddenly, it seemed very unjust to her that there were no pictures of her as a baby painting. Ok, Berit, time for bed.

When I come home from work, all three of my kids rush to greet me with a hug. It's just about the coolest thing on the planet. Berit reaches me first, as usual, and I want to give her a big squeeze but I have to save an arm for Rowan, too. Don't want to leaver her out. I squeeze my two girls as generously as I can, before I have to scoop Mr. Griffin up into my arms.

Looks like Griffin's had a particularly nasty encounter with the concrete, today. The right side of his face beneath his eye is a big red abrasion. Apparently, he was doing his "Look at me - I'm Anti-Gravity Man!" impression on top of the picnic table and took a big woofer straight into the porch. What doesn't kill him will only make him stronger.

This is, of course, the wrong Daddy attitude, as I later learn from Pam's scowling when I don't give Griffin enough sympathy for another face plant later on this evening.

I lounge in the front yard, while Berit and Rowan perform a circus for me. Berit is doing tricks on her bike: riding one-handed, riding side-saddle, riding with no feet, etc... while Rowan is swooping about and menacing with a Samurai sword on the sidewalk.

"Wiya! Wiya! Wiya!" She swings the sword through the air, killing imaginary bad guys.

For books tonight, Berit read four of the beginning reader books I got her just brilliantly!! And Rowan is doing great at recognizing letters.