Kyra turns 4

On the same day that I nearly ran over an enormous black bear bounding across Hiland Rd, a lynx snacked on a rabbit on our driveway. It kept an eye on Kyra and I as we snapped photos on our deck. Took his sweet time. Even licked his paws clean, before nonchalantly padding off (Have you ever seen the paws of a lynx? They seem disproportionately large).
Our summer is passing in this spontaneous manner. The Driskills arrived a few days before my birthday. Thomas threw a Brazilian barbeque for me at our house and the Fricksons filled my belly with strawberry diaquiris until it is no longer my favorite drink. The next morning, we had to make it to Seward in half the normal driving time in order to make a noon cruise departure to Fox Island. Kyra insisted on riding at the brow of the ship where we both got seasick. Ethan loved the spray of the ocean.

For dinner, we ate at the only crepe place in Alaska. The cook is a fascinating man whose daughter is on the Olympic swim team.

Michelle took these incredible photos for us:

By the time, Kyra's bday rolled around, Mommy and Daddy were exhausted. Thomas actually had to leave for Vegas for Al's bachelor party that night. So, we promised Kyra we would officially celebrate her bday in DC where we will be spending two months of our summer. However, we did manage to get her a strawberry ice cream cake decorated with a hotwheel (they didn't have Lightening McQueen).

It is not without a bit of sadness that I see my baby girl turning four. Everyday, as she sips on her milk, she tells me, "Mommy, Look I'm growing!"

And she is growing, more and more like my mother. Fiercely independent and brave beyond her years, she shocks even my own fairly lose reins on what she can and can't do (afterall, I'm still hoping she will become a professional snowboarder...this is not apparently what Thomas prefers). Just yesterday, she insisted on riding the craziest rollercoaster at the Bear Paw Festival, alone. She kept standing at the foot of the entrance, giving her best puppy look (which she learned from the movie Bolt) to the ride administrator. As I bounced Ethan in my arms and tried my best to entice her in other more age-appropriate rides, the ride administrater told us that she couldn't ride without an adult. I managed to get her on a carousol and Kyra just looked so depressed. She said, "Mommy, I don't like this" meaning..."OMG, this is so boring."

The more I tried to dissuade her. The more she appealed to my emotions. "Mommy, I want the dragon," she said.

What could I say to that? Yes. Mommy does too. I felt partially responsible for her partiality to dragons.

Eventually when nothing could get this girl to smile, the ride adminstrator finally agreed to allow her to board with another adult....yes, a stranger. I asked Kyra, "Are you sure you want to ride this without Mommy?"

She nodded excitedly.

"Are you sure, you won't be scared?"

She said, "I not scared, Mommy. I won't cry."

So, I let her go . The ride looked pretty scary from my vantage point. It repeated itself 5 times. I could barely see her little head poking out from behind the protection bars. The first time around, Kyra had the biggest smile spread across her face, hair flying madly about. The rest of the times, she looked bored. After the ride, she said, "Mommy, see. I not scared."

I said, "You're crazy."

She said, "Mommy, I not crazy. I'm happy."