Mike Pirnat

After some errands and lunch, I thought it might be nice to check out one of the nearby Cleveland Metroparks reservations for a half hour and enjoy the fall colors and weather. But once we got going, Claire got really excited about exploring, and the twenty or thirty minute plan turned into two hours of walking through the woods and having real, genuine, old-fashioned quality time together. I have to be honest--I loved every minute!

Here she shows her enthusiasm by trotting ahead, eagerly zipping off into the woods to see what's ahead. It was actually pretty hard to choose a shot from the set--I just love what the new lens does for her!

85 days to go.

Claire has recently fallen in love with science kits geared to the preschool/Kindergarten level and was utterly delighted to receive a new set for her birthday, unpacking and exploring each item with the purest, most burning glee. We ended up doing an experiment on two dull pennies, with one placed in a test tube of water, the other in lemon juice. We talked about how science is basically about asking a question and then figuring out how to find out the answer, about making a hypothesis and about observing results, and she absolutely ate it all up with perfect joy.

And she frankly looks smashing in safety goggles, like she was born to wear them. Look out, world, I think we've got an evil genius in training.

Claire on her bike, racing her shadow.

It's hard to believe that Claire's been with us for five years now. Of course, whether that should be qualified with "already" or "only" depends on how she's acting. Either way, I'm continually amazed by her and the adventures we get to share together.

Claire had asked for Danko's Donuts instead of cake; they were a huge hit at an already epic Lego-filled, Rocket Car-powered party. We owe huge thanks to Matt Danko and his team for accommodating our special order! Here we find an eager hand, ready to bring donut to mouth before we can even light the candles, which is pretty much Claire in a nutshell--excited to dive in and get started, whether we're ready or not.

Claire's Lego Friends-themed party was a smashing success, and with a little bit of exchange-of-duplicates magic, she ended up scoring a significant influx of new Friends kits. Which she has apparently decided that I am going to need to stay home from work and build for her, as fast as I possibly can.

In the wake of shooting two thousand photos in two days (thanks a lot, Cleveland Air Show and North Coast Challenge), I aimed a little more modestly today and only shot a handful of things. Here we find a craft project in progress--Liz's conversion of a Fat Heads box into a hot pink Lego brick piñata for Claire's birthday party. A coat of primer probably would have been a good idea...

Claire slurps up a noodle at her favorite restaurant, Noodlecat. It seemed like a logical choice for lunch after she made us all wear our Noodlecat shirts.

Here's a little peek at some work in progress: preparation for shooting a little Lego interpretation of the Rocket Car, featuring seating for three Lego Friends figures. If you know me well enough to know what time of year it is, you'll probably guess where this is heading, but I won't spoil the surprise just yet.

I'm actually pretty proud of the Rocket Car model; it's built with whatever parts were most convenient--most of it comes from my as-yet-unbuilt Death Star II kit, with a few contributions from the other big Death Star kit, my Master Builder Academy sets and our Creationary box. Making something with no plan and minimal reference material was a lot of fun, pure Lego play at its finest; hopefully Claire, who helped find pieces and provided creative feedback, will be similarly inspired for the future.

The Westlake Early Childhood PTA's membership drive was, by virtue of its timing, Olympic themed. Claire enjoyed racking up a few medals and making her own torch; I posed her here by the rings to look like a proper champ.

In her imagination, she's on a podium while her anthem (probably about cats) is playing.

Claire's new trick this week is making up elaborate dance routines to her favorite songs and then performing them for me when I get home from work. (It's just about the funniest and most adorable thing ever.) This, in turn, prompts the ethical dilemma in which I try to balance her privacy and future self-esteem with the distinct possibility that I'm living with a potential YouTube superstar.

Here she gives me a dramatic face in mid-dance in the back yard.