Saturday, July 7, 2012
Lainey discovers Elizabeth Island.
My daughter Lainey is six year old, and I love her. She has seen Spy Pond so many times, and now she has finally conquered it. A new program from Arlington Recreation, offers kayak and canoe rentals, available beside Spy Pond Playground, from Friday to Monday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., all summer. Lainey and I saw their sign on the Minuteman Trail, and jumped at the opportunity. I paid the attendant $15 for an hour on a canoe, signed a release form, and picked out our lifejackets. The attendant helped me carry the canoe down the launch, and Lainey boarded the vessel like a pro, even though it was her first canoe ride. We pushed off and fought the wind, paddling my hardest. “What do you think, Lainey?” I yelled. “Great,” Lainey said. “I was scared …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Lainey parties with science.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. Scratch that— she’s six now! And we threw her a big party to celebrate. After tossing around a few ideas, Lainey chose a mad science party. We hired a scientist, and he arrived 30 minutes early to set up his act. On a large table in the backyard, he laid out beakers and vials, and a blanket on the lawn so the kids could sit down. Then he waited quietly while the guests trickled in. “Welcome to Lainey’s birthday party!” the scientist announced with gusto. “My name is Buoyancy Ben.” Ben introduced a hardboiled egg, named Egbert, that wouldn’t fit into a flask. He lit a fire in the glass and the egg magically fell through. With the help of some petroleum jelly, Ben stuck a needle through a …
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Lainey celebrates kindergarten.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. She graduated kindergarten, and we couldn’t be prouder. On her last day of school, my wife and I pushed Joey in the stroller and entered the school cafeteria. The room was filled with bright rainbow decorations, chairs and a stage, tables, doughnuts and coffee. We found a seat and the graduates marched in. Lainey shined, smiling ear-to-ear in her fancy flowered dress. Nearly all of her classmates were dressed to the nines—one boy even wore a tuxedo! Lainey found her spot atop the onstage bleachers, and a piano played in the background. Once every student was in place the piano began "You’re a Grand Old Flag," and the kids sang. After a few more songs, one of the kindergarten teachers …
Monday, June 18, 2012
Lainey manages her strawberry harvest.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. She considers herself quite the gardener and keeps a close eye on her strawberry patch. Many berries have recently turned red, and Lainey capitalized. “Strawberries for sale! Who wants strawberries?” she yelled. “How much?” I asked. “Two pennies each. Pretty good price, huh?” she grinned. Business ran smoothly until a saboteur arrived. “What is this, Lainey?” I asked, inspecting the patch and finding a half-eaten strawberry. “Did you do this?” “No,” Lainey said, and thought for a second. “A bunny!” Lately rabbits have infested the neighborhood. We saw three of them chase each other across the neighbor’s driveway. One bunny likes to hang out under Lainey’s swingset — and he’s not shy. The …
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Lainey dances to Mozart.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. After rehearsing for months, she finally performed in her ballet recital. The Ballet Academy is the real deal. From day one, Lainey learned about the history of ballet, heard classical music, wore the standard black leotard and never strayed from traditional method. Lainey took the discipline in stride, and happily pointed her toes all year long. “Check out these moves!” she said after each class. As the recital approached we purchased an elaborate kitten costume with sequins and pink feathers. Numerous alterations, like sewing—not pinning the tail, were dutifully completed. “We don’t want them touching their costume,” the teacher announced at the dress rehearsal, “We want them dancing! …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Lainey takes after her scientist mother.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. If there is anything that involves slime or sugar—she’s on it. When the grandparents were in town, Lainey convinced them to visit Henry Bear’s Park and buy her a toy. She led them straight to the expensive stuff and picked out a science kit. “Mad science!” Lainey exclaimed in her spooky Dr. Frankenstein voice. Soon Lainey split cornstarch across the dining room table, mixed it with a packet from the kit, and made glow in the dark slime. She dragged family members one-by-one into her closet to show how brightly the goop glowed. Later, Lainey dove into her kit again, this time discovering how to make rock candy. “We have to read the constructions!” she directed. (That's no typo.) The recipe …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Lainey controls her journal.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. The kindergartener has grown leaps and bounds in her reading skills, and recently we bought her a diary. “Don’t even think about reading my diary, Dad!” Lainey said one morning. The Hello Kitty diary was complete with a padlock to keep out unwanted readers. Lainey sat on her bed and locked and unlocked the journal several times while writing. “Time me!” Lainey ordered, before she whipped out the key and opened the pages. “How fast?” she asked. “Ten seconds,” I said. “You try,” Lainey smiled, “but don’t read it!” “OK,” I agreed. I grabbed the little key, turned the lock, and quickly scanned a page. The kid can read, but she can’t exactly spell—"everyone" was spelled with an "F," "with" had …
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Lainey surrenders candy duty.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. She enjoyed this past Patriots’ Day, until the parade showed up. My wife pushed Joey in the stroller, and I pulled Lainey in her wagon to Mass Ave for Arlington’s Patriots’ Day Parade, which salutes town involvement in the first day of the Revolutionary War. Crowds of families arrived around 2 p.m. and waited curbside for the festivities. Venders lugged grocery carts overstuffed with inflatable toys, horns and bubble-shooters. An ice-cream truck thrived in the hot sunshine, and Lainey enjoyed a popsicle. Two of Lainey’s school friends passed by and squirmed with anticipation. “Where is it?” a girl complained. “I can’t see the parade yet.” “Don’t worry,” the mom smiled. “You’ll hear it …
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Lainey likes her brother -- for now.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. Lately she’s made several advancements: she tied her shoes, received her first report card, improved her reading skills, swam in the deep end at the pool and, perhaps most impressively, embraced the role of big sister. Lainey wasn’t so nurturing at first. She whined constantly and was starved for attention. Then little Joey gave her that first big smile, and like the rest of the family, she was smitten. Lainey soon morphed Joseph Standley into several affectionate pet names. First was "Joey," then "Jo-Jo," followed by "Yo-Yo," which turned into "Yo-Who-Yo," and "Yo-Who-He-Ha-Who." Other names like "Young" and "Cute-Toot" are also used. But if a stranger asks what the baby’s name is, Lainey…
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Lainey learns with carnival games.
My daughter Lainey is 5 years old, and I love her. Looking to break the routine recently, the family visited the Chuck E. Cheese in Everett. Lainey burst through the doors, got her hand stamped and explored the revelry. Everything from classic carnival games like skee-ball, to sophisticated touch-screen devices were on hand. Above the arcade, an immense playland of crawl-through plastic tubes hung from the ceiling. And the expansive dining area was complete with party balloons, bland pizza, and an animatronic Chuck, who sang and appeared just a bit creepy. After eating, Lainey and I bought some tokens and entered the playroom. First, Lainey rode the grocery-store carousel, but wasn’t too impressed. So she kicked off her shoes and crawled …
Ryan P. Standley
4:22 pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thanks for the comment, Lana. Some folks are uptight about kids and sugar, but you are right-- the bigger picture here is learning, and encouraging an interest in science. And the kids had a blast! more ›