Silly Weekend Rehash

 Chloe has become a good model!

 She has been most excellent!

 We worked in the backyard and she had fun.

 I think I like that we were together the most.

Another Boring Monday

Today began early.  It's my day off of course.  At five AM my alarm went off.  Cora needed to go to work early.  I got up with her and made the coffee.  Let me tell you it was like leaving a loved one when I got out of the bed this morning.  Yeah, sure, my mate goes to work for 8 to 10 hours each day and I see her at the end, but it is a whole different thing when you bid your bed goodbye for that long and you sorely want to curl up inside it.  I have been back to it several times since, to fold laundry, or to pick up dishes, each time knowing that I will not be able to sleep upon that lovely cushiony rectangle until late tonight...that hurts.

One facet of Cora's job includes visiting a cold room from time to time.  Not just a cold room, though, this place is somewhere around 18 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.  She got all her stuff: coat, gloves, scarf, hat, etc., put into a duffle and ready to go.  She turned to me and said that one of her coworkers had forgotten her clothes and had to go back home for them.  Cora and I chuckled over that.

Chloe and I were standing in the window waving Cora goodbye!  Cora was waving when her dear sweet daughter totally stopped paying attention and ignored her.  What Cora did not know was that "Elmo's World" had just come on the TV, which was playing in the background, and her daughter has priorities!  I mouthed "Elmo's World" to Cora and she understood.  She then drove off while I contended with a toddler who has specific tastes in TV.

Cora called a short time later noting that she had forgotten HER cold weather clothing.  Talk about karma.  I told her I would take it to her.  Chloe had yet to meet Cora's boss.

I hurt my back somehow last Thursday and it has been worse or better depending on the day.  Today it was worse.  I was determined to see the Chiropractor and I needed a haircut.  So, I dropped the child off for an hour while I got my back cracked and stretched and rotated and got some hair removed.  I got back while she was eating.  Grandma does not hesitate to spoil her granddaughter at all.

I brought said kid home.  She had been yawning since I had dropped her off.  I let her play in the front room until she started throwing things...I asked her if she wanted to go night night and she marched into her bedroom and stood at the crib waiting for me...she was in bed for less than five minutes before silence enveloped the room.

I heard a plane outside and noticing it sounded...different...I stepped out to investigate.  What I saw hearkened back to World War II.  The droning sound of four Pratt and Whitney R-1830s overhead made me think of what it must have been like to live in the Great Basin during World War II when there were several bomber training bases at Walla Walla, Moses Lake, Ephrata, and Spokane.  Must've been an awesome sight to behold!

 The Wings of Freedom Tour is flying around the Western States this summer, as usual.  Yakima was NOT on the list, but the Tri-Cities is.  They fly a B-17 and a B-24 around, offer tours and rides.  It is a great way to get kids interested in aviation and history.  It's something that I am sure others saw, but did not register the importance or significance of like someone like me would.  That bomber has a wingspan of 110 feet and is about 68 feet long.  Together with the B-17 and the British bombers, they helped bring the Axis to their knees three generations ago...or is it four?!

She awoke an hour later, crying softly.  I walked in and asked if she needed a diaper change.  She just looked at me.  ASKING the girl what she wanted two months ago would have been silly, but she has such a grasp of the language now and is so smart that she says "Yeah," and nods when she wants something.

I looked and noted that her lovey was down by her feet.  I returned that and she began "clicking," a sort of self-soothing action that means she is about to sleep.  I covered her with a blanket and began to step out.  She started to cry, I told her I would be back but it was time to sleep.  I closed the door, expecting her to work up a full head of steam and burst into a full-fledged scream.  I waited, thinking she had gone into stealth mode (a state where she is crying silently and mostly gathering breath for a full scale, all out someone-stabbed-me-in-the-heart-I-am-dying-and-I-want-the-world-to-know scream), but she had just rolled over and gone to sleep.  Ah, the mixed pleasures of being a parent.

Tonight we have Gymkids...which will be a another mixed pleasure, especially as I have hurt my back and the thing require a parent to be out there...maybe I can convince Cora to do it again...I'll have to promise her something extra good, though...maybe a movie?  Maybe a foot massage.

Right now I am waiting for the next load of laundry to come out so I can hang it on the line.  I started lunch while writing this...now it's cold and I have dishes to do.  I hope the rest of you have a good day!

Last night I took some pictures of Chloe digging in the bark.  She was so sweet.  She likes using a shovel like the big kids at daycare!

...AND she's a ham for the cam!

Wet and Wild

 We had some work in the backyard to do yesterday.  We faced a dilemma, though:  INSUFFICIENT BACKYARD TOYS to keep Chloe from getting into trouble.  Cora's mom helped with that by letting us borrow her Little Tykes slide and we bought a small chair and pool...you would have thought we had found a small part of heaven in the backyard!  She utterly loves water!

 Splashing. Pouring. Drinking...she isn't picky.

 She was particular that her outside chair be IN the pool.  Every time we pulled it out so she could have more room to splash she got out and put it back in.

 And like her parents, she really likes to read in the tub...so why should pool time be any different?

 After nap she got changed and helped Dad get the grill going.  We found she likes to dig, so we are trying to accommodate her.  Sand box?  Not yet.  Right now she has some bark in the flower garden and she loves walking around with a shovel in her hands.

 But, picking up a book is good too.

We managed to clean the yard up pretty good.  Still looks like a group of hobos picked up and left, but the worst of the construction mess has been picked up and made kid friendlier.  I also managed to pull weeds and spray those I did not pull.  Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable day.

Mainly, because after we did all the work, we both relaxed in the shade during nap time and read our books drinking cool liquids and enjoying each others' company.

An Old Friend

 Kathy stopped by today to see Chloe.  She has been a friend since high school.  She has always been a bright light in an otherwise dismal sea of faces.  She also managed to single-handedly help us with some cash for our trip to China.  She is one awesome woman!  We met her at the park and boy did Chloe enjoy herself!

Kathy brought gifts: a sure way into my daughter's heart. ( Especially if it's a cool gift.  )  She brought an automatic bubble blower thingy...and that thing is going to get use this summer!

Chloe likes...make that LOVES bubbles.

 She even had this to say to Kathy as we parted! (that is her blowing a kiss)

 I also noted the jewelry that Kathy wore...made for a fun picture!

What We Do When Dad Is Taking Care Of Us.

 Watching Blue's Clues.

And hamming it up for the camera.

You know, folks, if you ever get tired of pictures of Chloe, please let me know.  I am worried about your exposure to cuteness...surely with cuteness levels such as this, we are in serious trouble.

Friday Night Sights

 I don't remember if i showed my sidewalk.  I meant to.  It's been so busy though, it has become a sidewalk to no where...That block on the side is something that Cora and I did back in 2002! It has our hand prints and Toby's and Sully's paw prints.  And it looks like I have a lot of lawn work to do!

Chloe is such a card!  She is becoming quite a ham for the camera!

 I took a picture of Cora's car tonight...what d'ya think?  Looks like it needs to be washed.

Finally a Chance to Read Potter Electronically!

Cora and I have been fans of the Harry Potter series for quite some time.  It began with Cora learning of the series and buying a book.  Then she read the second chapter to me and I've been hooked ever since.  We have gone so far as to buy two books when they came out and spend a weekend reading and enjoying sharing the experience.

The newest and final movie comes out in 21 days, so the count on my Facebook page says.  I am certain we will have to find a baby sitter for that night.

The past few days have been busy.  I have been working ten hour days and boy, those sure take up a large part of the day.  And after yesterday, I'm a bit sore.  We have been putting up whiteboards for a local school.  That in itself would not be horrible, but the things have to go on two floors and they are HEAVY!!!  That in itself would not be horrible, but there are absolutely no handholds!  And you have to be careful with them, since they do break rather easily, or so the packaging says.

Oh, did I mention that the old ones were attacked to the very foundations of the building?  They glued, screwed and nailed the things on...I guess they were afraid they'd be stolen.  So, it has been a slow, but painful process.  Still, I am in a better position than most subs.  So, don't consider this complaining, just acknowledgement that physical labor gets physical!  On the bright side, I get to work with one of my favorite coworkers.  Even when we are tired, we keep each other chuckling.  I like this job.  How many people actually LIKE going to work?

Below, we see Chloe doing as her mother asked: Smile!  (note:  That is Blue's Clues she is watching in the background...

 Then she relaxed and gave me a real one...but the whole process of tensing up, baring teeth, and squinting was wholly comical!

 My mouse usually rests there on the arm of my chair.  Chloe, however, deems that a bad place for a mouse and relocates it several times a day.  She is so helpful.

 She USED to try to STOP Gypsy's tail from wagging, but last night it wasn't wagging ENOUGH, so she decided to help.

If we get up, our chair is fair game, and anything within reach is therefore in imminent danger of becoming toddler domain.  She is NOT supposed to lean so far out from the chair, we have had long discussions, but she continues to try to prove that she can do it without getting hurt...MOST of the time...I love being able to say, "I told you so," but having to hold it back because that's immature.

 She is full of energy at all times and could probably power a small city with just her wiggles.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chloe's strep test came back negative and the Doctor told me they could not treat it, whatever it was, except to treat the symptoms...so we did, waiting for the strep test and losing many hour's sleep and feeling horrible because we could do little to make her feel better.  The 24 hour strep test turning into a 48 hour test.  Finally she began to get her appetite back and sleep better, and then they called and said that she was strep negative, but was there anything else they could do for us?  I withheld some comebacks and general observations on the way they handle patients and choked out a, "thank you, no," through gritted teeth.

Father's Day Reprise

 This little girl is so fantastic!  Can I even begin to describe her?  I don't think so, but I will try.

 Here are six words that describe her:

1. Absolutely Fearless
2. Smart
3. Sweet
4. Fun Loving
5. Adventurous
6. Absolutely Adorable

Another Monday

I am proud to say I am a dad.  Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water, though, because I have yet to see the instruction manual!

Chloe is amazing, but sometimes I just want to know what's making her tick.  Could it be that that is where our missing alarm clock went?

Chloe wasn't feeling well last night.  So she was up and fussing every hour or so, sometimes more.  Well, at about three I was unable to shut my brain back off and get a few more minutes of sleep.  I tried and tossed and turned until a little before four, when I decided enough was enough, and I might as well stay awake and check her so Cora could sleep.  This summer I am taking Mondays off and working four tens, so Cora needs the sleep more than me, since I may just take a nap when Chloe does.  I am also going to make a Dr. appointment just so we can see what's been motivating our little girl to not feel well.  I'll keep you posted.

Cora and Chloe humored me and did what I wanted to do yesterday, which was go for a drive into the mountains, find some wild flowers and take pictures of the girl there...We took about 30 changes of clothes, but two was all we got through.  We also took a picnic lunch and did a little walking.  It was a beautiful, if windy, day.  I think we all enjoyed it and it was good to get away from the house for awhile.

 I was somewhat disappointed with how the wind kept Chloe from hearing me when I attempted to get her to look at the camera.  Several good photos were made mediocre because she wasn't looking at the camera.  And Cora was kept busy keeping Chloe on her feet on the uneven ground.  Oh, well, on the up side, I have ample opportunities to take photos of this model, since she lives with us!