Family Resemblance

Do you remember the book, Are You My Mother? It was published in 1960 as part of Random House's Beginner Books series.

I remember checking this book out of the Pratt Public Library as a child. When I took Jill and Brent to the library, I loved pulling my favorite childhood books from the shelves and packing them in our book bag.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman is the story about a mother bird who knows her egg will be in her nest where she left it, so she leaves him alone to go and get something for him to eat. The baby chick hatches. He does not understand where his mother is, so he goes to look for her. In his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother. They each say, "No."

Spoiler alert:  He eventually finds his mother.

During a weekend trip to Topeka, I was reminded that there's not a question about who Kinley's mother is. There's plenty of Daddy characteristics, too, as I watched the engineer and meticulous first-born daughter build together at the Discovery Center.

And, as Brooke transforms from toddler into little girl, now 18 months old, there is definitely some family resemblance there, too. (Actually, Brooke wasn't a toddler for long. She's more a "runner." I was reminded of that as Randy and I were chasing her around the Topeka Zoo!)

There might even be a few characteristics that come from an older generation.

It wasn't easy to get everyone standing in one place and looking the same direction.

 

We also see bloodlines reflected on the County Line. There's no question that this little calf and mother are a pair. Even their facial markings are virtually the same. 

While these aren't exactly a matched pair, the splotch on their face makes it easy to see they are related, too. 

We have lots of little all-black babies and mamas running around the pasture.

But when it's time to eat, mother and baby are sure to find one another!

Family resemblance: It's fun to see, whether human or bovine!

***

A note:  I wrote this last week and intended to post it on Thursday or Friday. But I went with Randy to a Kanza Co-op board retreat in Kansas City and was too cheap to pay the $9.95 it took to use the internet in my room. Plus, I spent most of the time in KC in the hotel room sick. I hated missing the group activities. As I told a couple of people, if I missed a dinner theater, you know I didn't feel well. On a positive note, I read three books and watched more NCAA basketball than I figured I'd be able to. See? You can find positives in anything.  And that may be easier, since I'm feeling a whole lot better today.

Scrapbook Snapshots

Doesn't it look like Brooke is holding onto the sides of the slide because she knows Kinley might chuck her off at any moment?

I have always documented life through photos. But, as I've said before, I'm not good about getting the pictures into beautifully-appointed scrapbooks. I've told my kids, "You'll have to dig through plastic tubs for the story of your life. It's there: You'll just have to work for it."

The blog has given me a vehicle for chronicling our family's life. So, today, here's a scrapbook of snapshots from last weekend. Because of the rain, Randy and I took a quick trip to Topeka to see the granddaughters ... and, of course, Jill and Eric, too. Randy hadn't seen Brooke since she got so mobile. And, even in just a two-week span since I'd seen her, she had more "tricks."

 She's not quite 9 months old, but she was walking behind a push toy at the Discovery Center.

Her Mommy walked early, so Miss Brooke may follow in her footsteps - literally.

She doesn't seem to have any fear either. She is a climber like her Mommy. (I once plucked Jill off the dining room table.) Brooke wants to be a big girl like Kinley.

She isn't the only one with new skills. Kinley is trying to master the art of bike riding. Remembering to steer is the challenge at the moment.

But even with new skills, Kinley's favorite outdoor activity continues to be swinging. We dodged the raindrops and got some swinging time in.

Brooke appears to be a fan of swinging, too. 

Here it looks like she's telling me, "Hey! My turn! Don't forget about me!

We asked Kinley whether she'd rather go to the zoo or the Discovery Center. Since Grandpa hadn't been to the Discovery Center, he was glad she chose that option. 

He helped her paint.

We all took our turn telling a story at the puppet theater.

Only one of us played dress-up though!

What fun!

Career Exploration by Kinley Marie

"To infinity and beyond!"

Hi! Kinley Marie here. Now that I'm 3 and a big sister, it's not too early to explore possible career options.

Grandma Kim may have thought we were just playing during our trip to the Topeka Discovery Center and the Topeka Zoo. But, like my Mommy, I'm a planner, so I decided to do a little career exploration while we were there. One job was out of this world - literally. I could be an astronaut and fly to the International Space Station. However, I heard on the news that an American astronaut just left to spend a year in outer space.That's a really long time, and people might miss me. Plus, I'm not too fond of the dark.

So maybe I'll be an engineer like my Daddy. I really liked all the gears and pulleys on this contraption.

I could be an architect ...

... or a builder. Grandma was impressed when I stacked so many blocks without them falling over. My sister, Brooke, is much more interested in knocking down blocks. We're a good team, I guess. What do you think of K & B Design? (Brooke will probably campaign for B & K Design. That will have to be part of the business negotiations, I suppose.)

I could be a mechanic. Or maybe I could be a race car driver like Danica Patrick. Maybe I'll keep that career option to myself. I wouldn't want the parents to be afraid of sharing the car keys some day. As fast as my first 3 years went, I'll be turning 16 before you know it!

I've thought about being a kitty, but I'm not sure that's going to work out for me (though I do a great meow). So maybe I could be a small animal veterinarian and work with kitties. My Grandpa Randy and my Grandma Christy could help keep me in business. They like kitties, too.

Horses need doctoring, too, so maybe I'll go for a large animal practice. My Grandpa Randy says there could be a job opening working cattle on the farm in a few years. Move over, Dr. Harder and Dr. Dick! What's wrong with a little nepotism?

Since I'm always saying, "Shoo fly" to any wandering insects, I'm not sure entomology is the job for me.

But maybe a herpetologist? I do love turtles, and snakes don't really bother me. See? I'm standing right by a snake and smiling. Of course, he is in a cage.

Maybe I could lead safaris to see elephants. I really like visiting Sunda and Tembo at the zoo.

I like animals, but maybe a career treating human patients would be good. After seeing how long a small intestine is, I think I could choose a career in gastroenterology. It certainly seems to cover a lot of territory - and that's just for one person. Just think about treating that much "real estate" in a whole medical practice!

 

Maybe a career in the arts would be more to my liking. I took this picture of Grandma. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Grandma says it's in focus, which is more than she can say for most of Grandpa's photos.Grandma says I could be a reporter because I have lots of questions.

And Grandma thought my painting rivaled Picasso. I decided to start my own blue (and red) period pieces.

Interior decorating could be my calling. Holiday decorating is my forte.

I could become a famous chef or a dietitian like my Mommy. 

What's a girl to do? There are just so many paths to take.

I wonder if there's a career counselor in kindergarten. The Class of 2030 wants to know.

Until next time,
Kinley Marie