Budding sculptor

On a creative roll, tonight Amalia created a mashed- and sweet-potato Totoro on a steak and tomato platform.

Budding poet

Amalia has begun to write poems. Above are two that she read to Lily and me tonight. I have typed a transcript below (and corrected some of the phonetic spelling): 

Poem #1

I give Valentines all around the world but this time I am giving Valentines to the birds. But I cannot write my name because they are bird seeds!

Poem #2

I give pieces of my heart to the world, but I am not giving any more because I only have some left more. But I am making more of it so I can give more to the world. But I have to give it to my dad and my mom, too!

Nationals debut

 This weekend, we took Lily back to Tulare to compete in the national indoor championships.

She was a bit nervous, but held her own. Check out all the parents with their high-powered binoculars to track their kids' every shot. Meanwhile, Andy and I were asking each other, "Which end is this? How many more to go?"

Unlike last month when she was separated with the rest of the kids, this time Lily was in the main building with everyone else. 

On the first day, she started off a bit rough, but she finished well. 

In fact, she ended up with about 100 points more than she had the month prior after the first day of competition. A remarkable improvement.  

Meanwhile, Amalia, not to be tortured with tedious archery viewing, spent the day with my Aunt Barbara and Greg making sugar cookies, complete with bright pink frosting and sprinkles. 

 After we got back from the shoot, Amalia relaxed with some homework on the iPad with Andy.

 And Lily helped set the table for dinner. 

Lily didn't have quite as good a day on her second day of shooting (Sunday), but she still ended up with a score about 100 points higher than the same shoot last month. Above shows Amalia waiting (in the rain) for Lily and Andy to return from the shoot so we could all go to Bravo Farms together.

I didn't repeat the photos from when Lily went last time, but rest assured Amalia saw everything Lily had told her about, plus some. Above, Lily is in one of the play houses they have for sale.

 Lily: "So this is how they used to do it?"

 This place does not suffer from a shortage of signs. 

 Checking out the mini-gas station. 

Lily: "So, what's the happiest place on earth?" (Amy, clearly we have failed in our Disneyland indoctrination.)

 The gorgeous sunset in Los Banos on our drive back to San Jose this evening. 

Made lovelier with the addition of Lily. 

Cookie drive-thu

It's Girl Scout cookie season at the Pierce house...and everywhere else. 

 Our house is ideally situated on a visible and active street corner.

The customers don't even have to get out of their cars. We deliver! (Including a cup of free, fresh-squeezed lemonade.)

Driveway marketing. 

Lily is trying to convince Amalia's cookie customers to buy handmade Totoro clay figures that she made to raise money to help her elementary school conserve water (by installing dual-valve toilet flushers). The cause is compelling, especially in our continuing drought, but who can compete with Thin Mints?

Or this adorable Chipmunk?

Taking flight

Today, Andy took Lily down to do some competitive archery shooting in Gilroy, so Amalia and I headed up to the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. 

 Here she's in a Hiller H-12 helicopter, which included a flight simulator. (We crashed.)

 In front of a Boeing 747 jet engine. 

 The restoration workshop. Amalia thought it looked a lot like Grandpa Dave's garage.

 Reliving her youth playing on toys meant for younger children. 

We also got to see a sky show inside this blow up "starlab." We learned all about the constellations and the night sky (Western hemisphere). 

 On the observation deck, watching planes take off and land. 

Galentine's Day

The girls ready for their big day of hearts and sugar at school. Thanks to Grandma Carol for the outfits!

I hope she never loses this feeling. We all deserve Valentine's to ourselves.