Just some more thoughts I wanted to record that happened while we were away on our trip a couple of weeks ago.
This one is something Little Princess has been doing for some time now. Don't know exactly how long its happened but to me, it's cute:
When we give her food, she instantly thinks it's hot and she runs her hand over the top of it in voo doo style, circle wise. You have to see it for it to be so funny, I'm sure, but it is so cute. And, of course, she informs us it's hot whether it is or not!
Speaking of using her hands, I've noticed she is a bit Italian...she speaks so much with her hands. That mouth runs and those hands express whatever she's trying to say. Have you noticed that, too, Mommy? If not, watch her sometimes. She's very expressive.
Also, while we were riding along probably on the way back home from our trip, I can't remember exactly, I heard a little, "oof, oof", coming from the carseat next to me. I thought Annabelle had seen a dog outside, but I didn't see one, so I looked at her and she was pointing up to the sky. It was covered with the most beautiful puffy clouds! She kept saying "Oof, oof!" I asked her did she see some doggies in those clouds? She smiled so big and said, "Yah!"
Apparently her creativity is beginning to shine through. I can remember days of lying on the ground looking up and seeing all kinds of magical creatures in the clouds around me as well. It certainly wasn't at 20-21 months old,I don't think, but we'll document this for her just in case she doesn't remember her first experience with "seeing things" in those clouds!
And, this isn't all that big a deal, but it was funny to me anyway...while we were playing on the porch the other day she had assigned a little yellow tea cup for me. She would pour the tea into my cup and I would drink out of it. Somehow I got side tracked and put the cup down while searching for something else. I forgot to pick it up again, but she wouldn't let me forget for long. She immediately went over and got my little yellow cup for us to continue our tea. This happened on several different occasions. She just couldn't let me get away with putting my cup down. I was to have it in my possession at all times while we were having our tea party!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
She is filled with so many new things...
I am so far behind on my blogging I'll never get caught up, but just because it's something I don't want to forget I'll add this...
For some reason Annabelle wasn't very cooperative with her mommy today and they were closer to afternoon getting over here so she could stay with us so Mommy could work. Well, really at least it was very close to lunch time!
We did our usual...eat, play, sleep, eat, play, etc.
While she was having her snack of peaches later in the afternoon, she looked on my refrigerator and saw a picture of my other daughter's (in reality, the little girl who lived across the street, who grew up to be a mommy, herself and one of my daughter's best friends) baby girl. She kept pointing at it and saying..."Bebe, At-tie". She had finally spoken her words that she has known forever and let me know she recognized baby Adie. She has spoken of her brother before but this was the first time I had heard her put a name to Adie.
Before lunch she had wanted to play out on the screened in porch because she remembered we had played out there a few times before. It's a good place to play even though it's hot outside. (It was only 92 in the shade.) There are no mosquitos to annoy us; I don't have to worry about a car hitting her; and it's just plain pleasant to hear the birds singing out there. Did I mention, though, it's hot out there, but it would have been hot in the front yard, too.
We did have to make a couple of runs into the house to grab a couple of bears...namely Teddy and Carebear. Later she had to have a bapkin (that's her word for napkin.) She didn't want to go back in to play for any length of time even though the air conditioning felt awfully good. She was perfectly happy being "outside". That may present a problem when the hot weather turns into winter weather, but we'll take that day when it comes.
Another thought...When Mommy left her with us this morning she hugged and kissed her and then stood at the door and watched her as she left. She would tell her "Bye!" and close the kitchen door, open it slightly, peek out, tell her bye again and close it again and again until Mommy finally left.
Little Princess would mention Mommy during the day, frequently. Even though she was quite content with us, Mommy was never far away in her thoughts. I would tell her Mommy would be back later and ask her if she knew where Mommy was. She smiled and said, "Bye". I would tell her Mommy went to work, and asked her again where her Mommy was. She would say, "Burk." That was her word for work. She gets a few first letters crossed at times, but nothing that's that crucial, I don't think, once you understand her own little version of the word.
She has really come out with her words over the last few weeks. It's amazing how they hold those words in and then suddenly let them loose. She said several other things that were new to me, but I can't remember all of them now. This is such a wonderful age to be around a little one!
After she and I had played for a while on the porch, she looked toward the door and smiled and said, "Mama!", but she continued to play. I turned around and surely enough there stood her mommy watching her play. When the door pulled opened, she immediately started to move her her little table where she was sitting playing with her little teaset and said, "No, no! MINE! My chair, my chair!" She headed toward the glider chair she claims as her own when anyone else comes near. She only allows her teddy and/or Carebear to sit there when she isn't using it. They negotiated, and Mommy won. This time.
She's really not being obnoxiously hateful; she's just trying to establiish her boundaries, too, since it appears that lately she's finding more established for her!
Someday I'll catch up on my previous posts. I'm still recovering for now, and there are just too many pictures to choose that are so cute, it's tiring just thinking about it.
For some reason Annabelle wasn't very cooperative with her mommy today and they were closer to afternoon getting over here so she could stay with us so Mommy could work. Well, really at least it was very close to lunch time!
We did our usual...eat, play, sleep, eat, play, etc.
While she was having her snack of peaches later in the afternoon, she looked on my refrigerator and saw a picture of my other daughter's (in reality, the little girl who lived across the street, who grew up to be a mommy, herself and one of my daughter's best friends) baby girl. She kept pointing at it and saying..."Bebe, At-tie". She had finally spoken her words that she has known forever and let me know she recognized baby Adie. She has spoken of her brother before but this was the first time I had heard her put a name to Adie.
Before lunch she had wanted to play out on the screened in porch because she remembered we had played out there a few times before. It's a good place to play even though it's hot outside. (It was only 92 in the shade.) There are no mosquitos to annoy us; I don't have to worry about a car hitting her; and it's just plain pleasant to hear the birds singing out there. Did I mention, though, it's hot out there, but it would have been hot in the front yard, too.
We did have to make a couple of runs into the house to grab a couple of bears...namely Teddy and Carebear. Later she had to have a bapkin (that's her word for napkin.) She didn't want to go back in to play for any length of time even though the air conditioning felt awfully good. She was perfectly happy being "outside". That may present a problem when the hot weather turns into winter weather, but we'll take that day when it comes.
Another thought...When Mommy left her with us this morning she hugged and kissed her and then stood at the door and watched her as she left. She would tell her "Bye!" and close the kitchen door, open it slightly, peek out, tell her bye again and close it again and again until Mommy finally left.
Little Princess would mention Mommy during the day, frequently. Even though she was quite content with us, Mommy was never far away in her thoughts. I would tell her Mommy would be back later and ask her if she knew where Mommy was. She smiled and said, "Bye". I would tell her Mommy went to work, and asked her again where her Mommy was. She would say, "Burk." That was her word for work. She gets a few first letters crossed at times, but nothing that's that crucial, I don't think, once you understand her own little version of the word.
She has really come out with her words over the last few weeks. It's amazing how they hold those words in and then suddenly let them loose. She said several other things that were new to me, but I can't remember all of them now. This is such a wonderful age to be around a little one!
After she and I had played for a while on the porch, she looked toward the door and smiled and said, "Mama!", but she continued to play. I turned around and surely enough there stood her mommy watching her play. When the door pulled opened, she immediately started to move her her little table where she was sitting playing with her little teaset and said, "No, no! MINE! My chair, my chair!" She headed toward the glider chair she claims as her own when anyone else comes near. She only allows her teddy and/or Carebear to sit there when she isn't using it. They negotiated, and Mommy won. This time.
She's really not being obnoxiously hateful; she's just trying to establiish her boundaries, too, since it appears that lately she's finding more established for her!
Someday I'll catch up on my previous posts. I'm still recovering for now, and there are just too many pictures to choose that are so cute, it's tiring just thinking about it.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
He'd take it if he had to
We have had the idea in the back of our minds since going to the Medieval Times with our daughter and son-in-law on Father's Day. It would be fun to take the boys to enjoy the dinner program one day before long. It didn't work out when we first talked about it; Little Free Spirit was away visiting another aunt for the week and we really wanted both of the boys to go. We weren't really all that excited about paying out another $101.00 plus tip to take each boy at a time. We love them both, dearly, but we could arrange our time better so they could go at the same time, maybe.
Unfortunately they had gotten wind of the plans to go sometime and immediately that was the first question out of both their mouths as well as their other grandparents. Mom had told them about our hopes and had given them their own hopes to go when they came back to visit with us for the next couple of days.
However, we had no more tickets for the kids to get in free and adding another $40 or more each didn't seem like something we were really excited to do. We planned to just wait until we had freebies even if it meant later on in the summer.
We could tell they were a little disappointed even though they tried to keep it to themselves and not complain, so when we got back to our house I decided to check out their website and see if they had a new promotion on. And they did! Yea! Thru September...but why wait until September when we could maybe get reservations tonight. Shouldn't be a problem since it's the middle of the week.
Just before we decided to leave the rain poured from the skies. Heavy, heavy, heavy. We've learned not to complain too much, though since we've been in a drought for the last few years and this year doesn't promise much more.
We decided to continue on with our plans, and by the time we got there the rain had slowed to sprinkles so we were back on track.
The boys and I went ahead and got the tickets while Granddaddy found a place to park, a ways away from the place the program was held. We had about an hour to kill inside. They are smart people. They lure you in with the kids and then you spend more on the kiddos than you would have on the meals for them. Very smart, indeed!
And, of course, as soon as you enter your picture is made. Who can refuse a picture of you and your cuties for the price of $10. This time it didn't have a frame. They've gotten a little cheaper in the last few weeks.
The first thing Little Free Spirit wanted to do was check out the 'real swords'. He held each one carefully, caressing each one and longing for each one more than the last. He fell completely in love with these pieces of metal.
Then he decided he wanted to make a purchase. With our money. He had left his behind. We tried to help him decide which one he would rather have -- a dagger that expanded, a wooden one, a plastic one or what. Suddenly tears fell down onto his little cheeks as he exclaimed, "Alright, if you're just gonna force me to take that one, I will, but it's not the one I really wanted." To which I replied, "What did you really want, Little Free Spirit." Still totally frustrated, he sobbed, "I wanted the metal one." Well, the metal one he had loved so much was only $100.00. I tried to explain to him why he couldn't have the metal one. First because $100.00 was completely out of the question for something for him to play with (not really) and the metal ones were not for little six year old boys to play with. He wasn't tall enough yet for a metal sword.
After he finally accepted my reasoning he chose the wooden one like his brother's and was content the rest of the evening, beating his brother's sword with his, punching everybody within standing distance as he carried it in his little belt loop, and just generally ignoring Grandmother and Granddaddy's warning he had to be careful. But he was happy. And so were we.
Inside the dinner show we were treated to a bowl of vegetable soup, piece of garlic bread, a generous serving of half chicken, spare rib, potato wedge, choice of tea, Pepsi, water or coffee. I couldn't believe they served a half chicken to children even those who were very small, even younger than ours.
The kids enjoyed eating their meal even though it was dark most of the time. The excitement on those two little faces made it worth the effort to get tickets tonight to get into the show. They were so thrilled and screamed and raised their arms in victory for those chosen knight. They didn't miss a beat as they watched in complete awe whether it was when the horses pranced or the knights jousted. However, being little boys I think they enjoyed the jousting much better than anything else they saw the entire show.
They also remembered to tell us several times they appreciated us taking them. Nice little well-mannered kids, don't you think?
And, Little Princess, guess what? You're not the only one who caught the eye of a Knight and enjoyed a flower kissed and thrown by him, so did your Grandmother. Yep, I loved my flower almost as much as you did yours.
This turned out to be a great night to go. There was no large waiting line inside or out. The house wasn't full and we were able to get seats on the second row from the bottom. Our Knight this time wore clothes of Red and yellow. He didn't win final competition this time. Our previous Knight in Blue won tonight, so we didn't mind pulling for him.
At one point the oldest turned to me and said, "It's 8:30 and I'm not even tired yet." His bedtime is around 8:00. (When we got home around 10:00 he still wasn't sleepy. I had left them both in the bed playing the Ninetendo DS game, Little Analyzer's sword at the foot of the bed where he sneaked it in earlier to beat his little brother to the draw in the morning.)
So the cost of two adult tickets and two children's free (ha, ha) tickets: $101.00
Price of two wood swords for two little boys: $20.00 plus tax
Price of picture of two smiling boys and two proud grandparents: $10.00
Tip of the night (I won't embarass him by telling you how much he didn't leave: ?
Watching two sweet brothers re-act to the show: PRICELESS
Keep looking, I'll try to find some time to work on posting pictures later. I just wanted to get the thoughts down before I forgot them.
Unfortunately they had gotten wind of the plans to go sometime and immediately that was the first question out of both their mouths as well as their other grandparents. Mom had told them about our hopes and had given them their own hopes to go when they came back to visit with us for the next couple of days.
However, we had no more tickets for the kids to get in free and adding another $40 or more each didn't seem like something we were really excited to do. We planned to just wait until we had freebies even if it meant later on in the summer.
We could tell they were a little disappointed even though they tried to keep it to themselves and not complain, so when we got back to our house I decided to check out their website and see if they had a new promotion on. And they did! Yea! Thru September...but why wait until September when we could maybe get reservations tonight. Shouldn't be a problem since it's the middle of the week.
Just before we decided to leave the rain poured from the skies. Heavy, heavy, heavy. We've learned not to complain too much, though since we've been in a drought for the last few years and this year doesn't promise much more.
We decided to continue on with our plans, and by the time we got there the rain had slowed to sprinkles so we were back on track.
The boys and I went ahead and got the tickets while Granddaddy found a place to park, a ways away from the place the program was held. We had about an hour to kill inside. They are smart people. They lure you in with the kids and then you spend more on the kiddos than you would have on the meals for them. Very smart, indeed!
And, of course, as soon as you enter your picture is made. Who can refuse a picture of you and your cuties for the price of $10. This time it didn't have a frame. They've gotten a little cheaper in the last few weeks.
The first thing Little Free Spirit wanted to do was check out the 'real swords'. He held each one carefully, caressing each one and longing for each one more than the last. He fell completely in love with these pieces of metal.
Then he decided he wanted to make a purchase. With our money. He had left his behind. We tried to help him decide which one he would rather have -- a dagger that expanded, a wooden one, a plastic one or what. Suddenly tears fell down onto his little cheeks as he exclaimed, "Alright, if you're just gonna force me to take that one, I will, but it's not the one I really wanted." To which I replied, "What did you really want, Little Free Spirit." Still totally frustrated, he sobbed, "I wanted the metal one." Well, the metal one he had loved so much was only $100.00. I tried to explain to him why he couldn't have the metal one. First because $100.00 was completely out of the question for something for him to play with (not really) and the metal ones were not for little six year old boys to play with. He wasn't tall enough yet for a metal sword.
After he finally accepted my reasoning he chose the wooden one like his brother's and was content the rest of the evening, beating his brother's sword with his, punching everybody within standing distance as he carried it in his little belt loop, and just generally ignoring Grandmother and Granddaddy's warning he had to be careful. But he was happy. And so were we.
Inside the dinner show we were treated to a bowl of vegetable soup, piece of garlic bread, a generous serving of half chicken, spare rib, potato wedge, choice of tea, Pepsi, water or coffee. I couldn't believe they served a half chicken to children even those who were very small, even younger than ours.
The kids enjoyed eating their meal even though it was dark most of the time. The excitement on those two little faces made it worth the effort to get tickets tonight to get into the show. They were so thrilled and screamed and raised their arms in victory for those chosen knight. They didn't miss a beat as they watched in complete awe whether it was when the horses pranced or the knights jousted. However, being little boys I think they enjoyed the jousting much better than anything else they saw the entire show.
They also remembered to tell us several times they appreciated us taking them. Nice little well-mannered kids, don't you think?
And, Little Princess, guess what? You're not the only one who caught the eye of a Knight and enjoyed a flower kissed and thrown by him, so did your Grandmother. Yep, I loved my flower almost as much as you did yours.
This turned out to be a great night to go. There was no large waiting line inside or out. The house wasn't full and we were able to get seats on the second row from the bottom. Our Knight this time wore clothes of Red and yellow. He didn't win final competition this time. Our previous Knight in Blue won tonight, so we didn't mind pulling for him.
At one point the oldest turned to me and said, "It's 8:30 and I'm not even tired yet." His bedtime is around 8:00. (When we got home around 10:00 he still wasn't sleepy. I had left them both in the bed playing the Ninetendo DS game, Little Analyzer's sword at the foot of the bed where he sneaked it in earlier to beat his little brother to the draw in the morning.)
So the cost of two adult tickets and two children's free (ha, ha) tickets: $101.00
Price of two wood swords for two little boys: $20.00 plus tax
Price of picture of two smiling boys and two proud grandparents: $10.00
Tip of the night (I won't embarass him by telling you how much he didn't leave: ?
Watching two sweet brothers re-act to the show: PRICELESS
Keep looking, I'll try to find some time to work on posting pictures later. I just wanted to get the thoughts down before I forgot them.
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Whiskey Run
I was reading a blog earlier today about a Grandmother who would use whiskey in her cough medicines, but she would never allow her daughters to buy the whiskey. That job fell upon the shoulders of the men in the family. This brought about memories of an earlier experience with my own mother and me.
As my parents aged, my mother found herself in the position of being the sole care-giver of my father who had since become bedridden and was suffering from pain that we had no way of knowing whether was real or contrived in an effort to keep my mother by his side every minute of every day.
The doctor really wasn't much help as to what was the cause of his pain, but he had a remedy for it, or at least a suggestion for us to try. We were to get a bottle of whiskey and Mother was to give him a teaspoon a day, or maybe several times a day, to calm him.
I suspect the doctor didn't recommend a larger dose because he knew we came from a family that was teetotallers, and he guessed she would never go along with anything stronger. But desperate times call for desperate measures as the old saying goes, and we found ourselves desperate after a while, and I reminded Mama of the solution to our problem.
There was a solution to the one problem, but we had an even bigger problem lurking. Where would we get our booze? We lived in a town that was dry at that time and our only experience with real-live bootleggers had dwindled over the years. (No, we didn't use them at anytime, but the boot-legging family name was well-known throughout the community. I guess by the time we could have used them they had gone underground or died. I don't think they ever went to jail. Just had their business whacked up by the feds. They would just take a short vacation and then they would re-established.)
Where would we find our whiskey? The doctor hadn't given any addresses so we were on our own for creative ways. Of course, my sister would never allow her name or face to be a part of our endeavor, so Mama and I were in this thing alone.
Every trip down to see my parents, I would pass a little hole-in-the-wall building which, based on the muddy tire tracks surrounding the building, was obviously pretty popular with some of the residents, and I suspect people from the surrounding "dry" counties more during the night time than daylight hours. This had to be the place we could find our "gold". I suggested she and I make a trip by that little business and find that whiskey we needed.
She was desperate and since she was couped up in the house most of the week, alone with someone who needed her constantly, she was more than ready for a little adventure in her life, so off we went to find our "medicine". Now that I think about it, I guess my sister did contribute to our sneakiness because someone had to stay with Daddy while we were gone. We just had the "dirty job".
We did indeed park my car in the back of the little tavern so no one would see us (not that they would have known who we were or that it was my car, but it just made for a little more fun in our devilment of the day.) You know how kids are...they like to flirt with danger and that was our danger. She did not sit in the car hiding away; she joined me as I went inside that establishment, explained our situation, and bought our whiskey. She was always one for any added excitement, and I was most likely the one who would provide it for her.
We must have been quite a sight for that lone employee. He must have snickered for days seeing one little old lady and her daughter explaining away why they were buying that liquor. He may even have suspected we had a recently emptied bottle hidden away in the car and were looking for a full bottle so we could finish it off.
We made our purchased, hid it away and giggled all the way home about how we had bought our first bottle of whiskey. Partners in crime once again. Enjoying a renewed childhood we had both been deprived of before.
She did give Daddy that bottle of whiskey a teaspoon at a time until the bottle was empty. We never bought a second bottle. I don't know if she thought it didn't work or if she was afraid she and I would be busted and our reputations shattered if we attempted another buy. After all, I did have two small children and maybe she was protecting them as well. We just never bought another bottle that I remember. We would never pass that little Tavern across the county line and up the road without thinking about our fun run that day.
I wonder sometimes if the doctor didn't think maybe if he suggested the whiskey, my Mama would have used it instead of giving it to my Daddy. She definitely was the one who could have used it with all the responsibility she had taking care of him. She almost never complained, never even entertained the thoughts of putting him in a nursing home and outlived him by quite a few years. Still, always ready for a little fun whenever I could think up something for us to do.
As a footnote: In my childhood the only alcohol I ever saw in our house was a bottle of whiskey that my parents kept tucked away in the back of the old chiffarobe in their bedroom. The level never went down on that bottle from where it was the first time I ever remember seeing it. It was kept there only for medicinal purposes. Probably the last time it was opened was at my birth--at home where and when that was probably the only option for pain.
And no, I was never, ever tempted to taste it. What kid who is raised to know that medicine is only used in extreme circumstances would ever, ever want to sample the big bottle of medicine. If it tasted anything like that gosh-awful castor oil, why would you want to? Castor oil cured everything...even a desire to even taste that whiskey!
As my parents aged, my mother found herself in the position of being the sole care-giver of my father who had since become bedridden and was suffering from pain that we had no way of knowing whether was real or contrived in an effort to keep my mother by his side every minute of every day.
The doctor really wasn't much help as to what was the cause of his pain, but he had a remedy for it, or at least a suggestion for us to try. We were to get a bottle of whiskey and Mother was to give him a teaspoon a day, or maybe several times a day, to calm him.
I suspect the doctor didn't recommend a larger dose because he knew we came from a family that was teetotallers, and he guessed she would never go along with anything stronger. But desperate times call for desperate measures as the old saying goes, and we found ourselves desperate after a while, and I reminded Mama of the solution to our problem.
There was a solution to the one problem, but we had an even bigger problem lurking. Where would we get our booze? We lived in a town that was dry at that time and our only experience with real-live bootleggers had dwindled over the years. (No, we didn't use them at anytime, but the boot-legging family name was well-known throughout the community. I guess by the time we could have used them they had gone underground or died. I don't think they ever went to jail. Just had their business whacked up by the feds. They would just take a short vacation and then they would re-established.)
Where would we find our whiskey? The doctor hadn't given any addresses so we were on our own for creative ways. Of course, my sister would never allow her name or face to be a part of our endeavor, so Mama and I were in this thing alone.
Every trip down to see my parents, I would pass a little hole-in-the-wall building which, based on the muddy tire tracks surrounding the building, was obviously pretty popular with some of the residents, and I suspect people from the surrounding "dry" counties more during the night time than daylight hours. This had to be the place we could find our "gold". I suggested she and I make a trip by that little business and find that whiskey we needed.
She was desperate and since she was couped up in the house most of the week, alone with someone who needed her constantly, she was more than ready for a little adventure in her life, so off we went to find our "medicine". Now that I think about it, I guess my sister did contribute to our sneakiness because someone had to stay with Daddy while we were gone. We just had the "dirty job".
We did indeed park my car in the back of the little tavern so no one would see us (not that they would have known who we were or that it was my car, but it just made for a little more fun in our devilment of the day.) You know how kids are...they like to flirt with danger and that was our danger. She did not sit in the car hiding away; she joined me as I went inside that establishment, explained our situation, and bought our whiskey. She was always one for any added excitement, and I was most likely the one who would provide it for her.
We must have been quite a sight for that lone employee. He must have snickered for days seeing one little old lady and her daughter explaining away why they were buying that liquor. He may even have suspected we had a recently emptied bottle hidden away in the car and were looking for a full bottle so we could finish it off.
We made our purchased, hid it away and giggled all the way home about how we had bought our first bottle of whiskey. Partners in crime once again. Enjoying a renewed childhood we had both been deprived of before.
She did give Daddy that bottle of whiskey a teaspoon at a time until the bottle was empty. We never bought a second bottle. I don't know if she thought it didn't work or if she was afraid she and I would be busted and our reputations shattered if we attempted another buy. After all, I did have two small children and maybe she was protecting them as well. We just never bought another bottle that I remember. We would never pass that little Tavern across the county line and up the road without thinking about our fun run that day.
I wonder sometimes if the doctor didn't think maybe if he suggested the whiskey, my Mama would have used it instead of giving it to my Daddy. She definitely was the one who could have used it with all the responsibility she had taking care of him. She almost never complained, never even entertained the thoughts of putting him in a nursing home and outlived him by quite a few years. Still, always ready for a little fun whenever I could think up something for us to do.
As a footnote: In my childhood the only alcohol I ever saw in our house was a bottle of whiskey that my parents kept tucked away in the back of the old chiffarobe in their bedroom. The level never went down on that bottle from where it was the first time I ever remember seeing it. It was kept there only for medicinal purposes. Probably the last time it was opened was at my birth--at home where and when that was probably the only option for pain.
And no, I was never, ever tempted to taste it. What kid who is raised to know that medicine is only used in extreme circumstances would ever, ever want to sample the big bottle of medicine. If it tasted anything like that gosh-awful castor oil, why would you want to? Castor oil cured everything...even a desire to even taste that whiskey!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A date with an eight-year old
After a few mix-ups this morning we finally accomplished our intended mission today of getting together with our eight-year old grandson, Little Analyzer. Granddaddy made a trip a distance away to get a much-needed oil change and time was not on our side. Apparently everybody else and their brother decided today, the day before the holiday would be a great time for an oil change. So we ended up being a good hour later than we had intended to meet with our young grandson, along with a few other unexpected things that got in the way and threatened to ruin the day.
We met him, his mother and his little bare-foot brother at the Varsity for swap-out and a meal with just the three of us before we began our outting.
Little Analyzer had been feeling a little lonely the last few days because his next-in-line brother was enjoying a week away from the other two boys by visiting his other aunt in North Carolina. This was his week, his year. Big brother got a chance to have lots of fun experiences last year, but he was beginning to feel the pangs of not having brother around, as annoying as he finds him at times. Some of his feelings also may have come from being a bit jealous because he was missing out on all those fun times this year.
He was treated yesterday to "Mom and me only" time at a movie. Littlest brother stayed with their other grandmother, but still he was needing a little extra attention, so we had made plans last week to spend time with him today.
So, in spite of a few problems to begin with we finally were able to begin our time together. Of course, the Varsity always means great, plump greasy onion rings along with our naked dogs and lemonade/Cokes.
He's hamming for the camera, just like he usually does.
He chattered like a little magpie the entire time, speaking again in his earlier learned language of "Greek" to me as he tried to explain his newest Nintendo DSL game card or something or the other that he had bought yesterday to go with another one he had saved for weeks or months ago.
Why can't he just talk about articulated dump trucks like he once did when he was very, very young, maybe before he was 18-19 months old. (I guess I should try to find the records to document that age before I get reprimanded for it, but he was very young!)
Of course, I didn't know what an articulated dump truck was at that time, either, but at least he could explain that well enough for me to understand it. Not like these games he loves to play so much now. And Webster never anticipated the need to explain what a Nintendo DSL was. He did anticipate a dumb grandmother who wouldn't understand an "articulated" dump truck.
Anyway, I told him to be sure to remember to pack the whole game as well as his cards when he comes to visit us with Little Free Spirit for a couple of days next week. Maybe he can make me understand it better with hands on experience, if I can see the game enough. It's kinda small. It has a stylus with it. That's about all I know for sure about that game.
After downing two naked dogs, an order of onion rings and two cups of lemonade, Little Analyzer was ready to take on two old people for a few hours.
I had called my daughter earlier in the day for some suggestions of what to do with an eight-year old. She has a twenty-month old, but she's still pretty good at thinking up things. You can only guess from reading my earlier paragraphs I needed something I could do and understand it, so she had gotten on the internet and came up with some ideas. My favorite turned out to be going out and playing putt-putt.
It has been years since I had a putt-putt club in my hands, so I didn't expect too much from myself, but I had always enjoyed it when my husband and I played years ago. He reminded me we had paid every penny of $.50 a game. I think it eventually went up to $1.00 a game and those prices were ridiculous, considering what we didn't make at that time. Whew! Am I dating myself, just a little bit?
I threw out that idea to the eight-year old and he jumped at the chance to play and beat the old folks. The prices have gone up from that original $.50 or $1.00 a game to $5.50 at that particular course, which considering the prices for a lot of other entertainment ideas was pretty cheap! That was for an 18 round course.
That was all we needed. It turned out to be a very hot day and considering Little Analyzer is a very pale little boy whose grandmother didn't even think about packing sunscreen for either him or herself, some of us turned out pretty much baked. And sweaty. And stinky. And exhausted.
He never complained for one moment. He acted like he was just happy to be with us and enjoying the competition. I have to say he was a pretty good little player. He played by the rules, didn't complain about the heat and just in general acted like he loved being there.
We had played 16 holes before he managed to sink his ball into the nearby water hole.
This was indeed a bad shot!
He had resigned himself to having finished his game with that move, but Granddaddy and I took turns and let him use our balls so we could finish the game, until of course, we came to the final ball which goes away forever. I gave up my final shot so he could sink it for me. (Later, he was polite enough to remember to thank me for letting him sink the last ball!)
He liked to say he beat the old folks, but I was the only one who sank a hole in one. He could hardly believe it! I could hardly believe it! But he was happy for me.
Who knows what the score was! After a while we were only playing just for the fun of it, not to see who was the best. We were all pretty lousy at times.
The game finally ended and we headed for the inside to cool off and to take a couple more pictures of him making monkey faces each time I aimed the camera at him. I warned him I was dragging those horrible pictures of him out a few years from now when he finds a cute little girl to date. He asked, "So you can show her how I acted as a kid?" Yep,that's about it.
And that's exactly what he is. He's still a kid. It's hard to always look at him like that because he's growing so tall and acts so mature, most of the time, except when he's posing for my camera!
After a bit of cooling off we made our way over to a Chick-fil-a which was right in the same parking lot. His order was for an ice cream cone and a large, large cup of water. He was completely dry. Why didn't I think about maybe needing a bottle of water! In the hot sun, no less. I'm just out of practice is all I can say.
His plans for the rest of the afternoon, probably after dinner was to relax at the pool with his Daddy. Then his day would be complete.
Again he reminded me he's a kid when, in the middle of Chick-fil-a, he leaned over, hugged me around the neck and said, "You guys just spoil me to death!" And, yes, he had reminded me again earlier, he's still just a kid, as he grabbed my hand and his Granddaddy's hand and walked between us as he held them as we went to find the putt-putt course. (At the Varsity earlier he was going to tell us how to get to the place, but he put his hands to his head and said his GPS wasn't working for some reason. It never did work right, but we found the place anyway.)
I suspect those days of open affection will end within the year or two. I so hate to see them end! I hate to see the day when he's no longer happy being seen with the old folks much less hugging them and holding their hands.
In his sweet innocence he made our day. It ended up being a much better day than it had promised earlier. As a matter of fact, it was a down-right great day. Some of his out-loud thoughts included comments about how his brother was going to be so jealous when he heard how much fun he had! And I'm sure little brother will share his fun with him, too.
Now what in the world can we do next week...with two little boys?
We met him, his mother and his little bare-foot brother at the Varsity for swap-out and a meal with just the three of us before we began our outting.
Little Analyzer had been feeling a little lonely the last few days because his next-in-line brother was enjoying a week away from the other two boys by visiting his other aunt in North Carolina. This was his week, his year. Big brother got a chance to have lots of fun experiences last year, but he was beginning to feel the pangs of not having brother around, as annoying as he finds him at times. Some of his feelings also may have come from being a bit jealous because he was missing out on all those fun times this year.
He was treated yesterday to "Mom and me only" time at a movie. Littlest brother stayed with their other grandmother, but still he was needing a little extra attention, so we had made plans last week to spend time with him today.
So, in spite of a few problems to begin with we finally were able to begin our time together. Of course, the Varsity always means great, plump greasy onion rings along with our naked dogs and lemonade/Cokes.
He's hamming for the camera, just like he usually does.He chattered like a little magpie the entire time, speaking again in his earlier learned language of "Greek" to me as he tried to explain his newest Nintendo DSL game card or something or the other that he had bought yesterday to go with another one he had saved for weeks or months ago.
Why can't he just talk about articulated dump trucks like he once did when he was very, very young, maybe before he was 18-19 months old. (I guess I should try to find the records to document that age before I get reprimanded for it, but he was very young!)
Of course, I didn't know what an articulated dump truck was at that time, either, but at least he could explain that well enough for me to understand it. Not like these games he loves to play so much now. And Webster never anticipated the need to explain what a Nintendo DSL was. He did anticipate a dumb grandmother who wouldn't understand an "articulated" dump truck.
Anyway, I told him to be sure to remember to pack the whole game as well as his cards when he comes to visit us with Little Free Spirit for a couple of days next week. Maybe he can make me understand it better with hands on experience, if I can see the game enough. It's kinda small. It has a stylus with it. That's about all I know for sure about that game.
After downing two naked dogs, an order of onion rings and two cups of lemonade, Little Analyzer was ready to take on two old people for a few hours.
I had called my daughter earlier in the day for some suggestions of what to do with an eight-year old. She has a twenty-month old, but she's still pretty good at thinking up things. You can only guess from reading my earlier paragraphs I needed something I could do and understand it, so she had gotten on the internet and came up with some ideas. My favorite turned out to be going out and playing putt-putt.
It has been years since I had a putt-putt club in my hands, so I didn't expect too much from myself, but I had always enjoyed it when my husband and I played years ago. He reminded me we had paid every penny of $.50 a game. I think it eventually went up to $1.00 a game and those prices were ridiculous, considering what we didn't make at that time. Whew! Am I dating myself, just a little bit?
I threw out that idea to the eight-year old and he jumped at the chance to play and beat the old folks. The prices have gone up from that original $.50 or $1.00 a game to $5.50 at that particular course, which considering the prices for a lot of other entertainment ideas was pretty cheap! That was for an 18 round course.
That was all we needed. It turned out to be a very hot day and considering Little Analyzer is a very pale little boy whose grandmother didn't even think about packing sunscreen for either him or herself, some of us turned out pretty much baked. And sweaty. And stinky. And exhausted.
He never complained for one moment. He acted like he was just happy to be with us and enjoying the competition. I have to say he was a pretty good little player. He played by the rules, didn't complain about the heat and just in general acted like he loved being there.
We had played 16 holes before he managed to sink his ball into the nearby water hole.
This was indeed a bad shot!He had resigned himself to having finished his game with that move, but Granddaddy and I took turns and let him use our balls so we could finish the game, until of course, we came to the final ball which goes away forever. I gave up my final shot so he could sink it for me. (Later, he was polite enough to remember to thank me for letting him sink the last ball!)
He liked to say he beat the old folks, but I was the only one who sank a hole in one. He could hardly believe it! I could hardly believe it! But he was happy for me.
Who knows what the score was! After a while we were only playing just for the fun of it, not to see who was the best. We were all pretty lousy at times.
The game finally ended and we headed for the inside to cool off and to take a couple more pictures of him making monkey faces each time I aimed the camera at him. I warned him I was dragging those horrible pictures of him out a few years from now when he finds a cute little girl to date. He asked, "So you can show her how I acted as a kid?" Yep,that's about it.
And that's exactly what he is. He's still a kid. It's hard to always look at him like that because he's growing so tall and acts so mature, most of the time, except when he's posing for my camera!
After a bit of cooling off we made our way over to a Chick-fil-a which was right in the same parking lot. His order was for an ice cream cone and a large, large cup of water. He was completely dry. Why didn't I think about maybe needing a bottle of water! In the hot sun, no less. I'm just out of practice is all I can say.
His plans for the rest of the afternoon, probably after dinner was to relax at the pool with his Daddy. Then his day would be complete.
Again he reminded me he's a kid when, in the middle of Chick-fil-a, he leaned over, hugged me around the neck and said, "You guys just spoil me to death!" And, yes, he had reminded me again earlier, he's still just a kid, as he grabbed my hand and his Granddaddy's hand and walked between us as he held them as we went to find the putt-putt course. (At the Varsity earlier he was going to tell us how to get to the place, but he put his hands to his head and said his GPS wasn't working for some reason. It never did work right, but we found the place anyway.)
I suspect those days of open affection will end within the year or two. I so hate to see them end! I hate to see the day when he's no longer happy being seen with the old folks much less hugging them and holding their hands.
In his sweet innocence he made our day. It ended up being a much better day than it had promised earlier. As a matter of fact, it was a down-right great day. Some of his out-loud thoughts included comments about how his brother was going to be so jealous when he heard how much fun he had! And I'm sure little brother will share his fun with him, too.
Now what in the world can we do next week...with two little boys?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
What did you do today, my Lady Fair?
One of the first things Little Princesses' mother wants to know soon after she comes in the door is, "What did you do today, Annabelle?" So that Mommy won't feel she's missed out on her day completely here are a few pictures made of her depicting her busy day at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house.
Are you asking me what I did today? Come along for a trip and I'll show you.
I set the table with my pretty tea set.
I sampled the tea to make sure it was just right.
I accidently poured the tea from the teapot down the sink! Ut Oh!
I used my best manners and looked so proper and prim. See how prissy I look!
I had crumpets on my plate and tea in my cup.
I rearranged my tea set just to make sure it was right, and because I could.
Another picture of me enjoying my tea set. Grandmomma even poured some real water in my teacups and let me drink from them. I spilled some on the table, but Grandmomma didn't fuss at me and besides mostly I was a neat little girl.
I practiced drinking properly from my teacup, see how dainty I am?
How could you have thought I had nothing to do all day, Mommy. I'm a busy little homemaker on the run all the time I am at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house.
And what did you do today, Mommy? Do you have some pictures to share of your day? I don't think you could have had more fun than I did! I love playing at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house. Do you love playing at your job?
Are you asking me what I did today? Come along for a trip and I'll show you.
I set the table with my pretty tea set.
I sampled the tea to make sure it was just right.
I accidently poured the tea from the teapot down the sink! Ut Oh!
I used my best manners and looked so proper and prim. See how prissy I look!
I had crumpets on my plate and tea in my cup.
I rearranged my tea set just to make sure it was right, and because I could.
Another picture of me enjoying my tea set. Grandmomma even poured some real water in my teacups and let me drink from them. I spilled some on the table, but Grandmomma didn't fuss at me and besides mostly I was a neat little girl.
I practiced drinking properly from my teacup, see how dainty I am?
How could you have thought I had nothing to do all day, Mommy. I'm a busy little homemaker on the run all the time I am at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house.
And what did you do today, Mommy? Do you have some pictures to share of your day? I don't think you could have had more fun than I did! I love playing at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house. Do you love playing at your job?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Some experiment results
My banana experiment has gone as follows: The banana on the counter inside the cereal cover has retained its yellow color more; however, it has become riper and is less firm. The banana I took out of the bag as of yesterday per my daughter's suggestion is much the same as the banana in the bag on the counter.
The banana in the cereal bag inside the refrigerator has gained a few brown freckles over the last couple of days, but the banana feels firmer than the ones sitting on the counter. Refrigeration has apparently kept both the ripening process and I think the bag has helped maintain the coloring better than putting into a brown bag or just in the refrigerator.
Maybe my next batch will include putting some in a bag with holes punched in the bag. I think I will use a hatpin with a mouse pad underneath for punch the holes when I try this experiment.
Still letting these bananas work for a little longer, however.
The banana in the cereal bag inside the refrigerator has gained a few brown freckles over the last couple of days, but the banana feels firmer than the ones sitting on the counter. Refrigeration has apparently kept both the ripening process and I think the bag has helped maintain the coloring better than putting into a brown bag or just in the refrigerator.
Maybe my next batch will include putting some in a bag with holes punched in the bag. I think I will use a hatpin with a mouse pad underneath for punch the holes when I try this experiment.
Still letting these bananas work for a little longer, however.
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