May Days

I don't want to come inside!

May has just about come and gone - Mother's Day seems like months ago and Memorial Day is tomorrow. We endured temperature swings of 90s-100 for a few days (while Mama was fighting a gastrointestinal thing, coincidentally) followed by a drop of 30-40 degrees with temps in the 60s. Ahh, weather in the Northwest. Could be worse, I suppose. Sydney doesn't seem to care if it is hot, cold or warm, wet or dry. She just plugs right along, facing each day with all the energy you'd expect of an almost-28-month-old. Pants optional, of course.

These days she is testing both her limits and our patience! We have realized that her reach is greater than ever and she now uses her climbing ability to get to places and things she shouldn't. We are having to keep more doors closed and pry things from her little mitts frequently. "No nap" is a term she often uses. She has also gotten into trouble several times for telling us to STOP talking while we are trying to have a conversation, either with each other or with other adults.

On the positive side, Sydney is using her potty seat every day at least once or twice! Her new motivation is a bite of chocolate. She is also ready to go for a walk when it's time to take Ellie out - she would rather walk than ride!

Sydney received a nice tea set from Grandma and Grandpa Joe last Christmas, and she has only broken one piece so far. We haven't put any real liquid in yet, just O's cereal. Here she is playing tea set with her duck and her elephant.

Pouring the O's.

Here you go, Elephant.

I'll help you with your trunk.

Brian planted some tomatoes and peppers yesterday, and Sydney was there to oversee the operation. She helped remove some rocks and spotted bees for us ("bees" being an all-encompassing term for any bug except for ladybugs).

Sydney using her gloves and visor from Aunt Marlys.

Moving the dirt for Baba.

Excavation and rock removal. (And is that a great squat or what?)

Don't forget to mark what you planted.

And finally, here's Mama using a hand massage roller thingy on Sydney. It's the simple things in life that make us happy, yeah?

My Fu Sister Zanna

The Fu's Duet!

Sydney got to visit Zanna last Sunday for brunch and play. It is always great to see another Fu family, and we inevitably compare how the girls are doing. Sydney and Zanna are only two days apart in age, and it was humbling to see how much Zanna is talking. Her parents tell us that she has a lot to say. For instance, Zanna said something like "I make room on my plate for eggs," while Sydney points to the eggs and says "Eggs." They are both going through the selfish stage, but the sharing got better as the morning went on. They are also both going through potty-training, with some successes here and there. And they both hurt themselves on the tire swing at the local school playground.

Hanging out in Zanna's room. Sydney felt comfortable enough to take off her pants.

Nothing happened here, but they tried!

Heading to the playground.



Here Zanna and Sydney go down the slide. This was Sydney's first time going down by herself, with no help from us, and we credit peer pressure for taking over here. She just marched up after Zanna and then went for it!


The dreaded tire swing. Zanna got a bit dizzy and stopped it herself, which was a little scary and caused a bit of pain. Sydney decided midway through swinging that she was all done and let go, flipping over and falling on her back and head. Both girls displayed the toughness and moxie that we have come to expect from the Fu girls, barely shedding any tears.


Here's Ama taking the girls on a bumpy ride down the stairs. (Photo courtesy Vivian, Zanna's exchange student from Taiwan.)


And finally, you might remember how I love to see little kids squatting. Here's Sydney, our 27-month-old, watching the soapy carwash water going towards the drain.