How delightful!

What a wonderful Memorial Day!  Lexie and I slept in, then goofed around until 9:00am, watching cartoons, tickle fights, story time, and apples and peanut butter breakfast.  Then we decided we should do something fun and it had to be out of the house.  Since it's Memorial Day, we picked visiting our Air Force Vet GrampaDad.  We went to Freddy's and got cat toys, cat nip, 85% dark chocolate, and a Cinabon collection.  We drove out past Yamhill and sortasurprised Mom and Dad.  I got to meet the new kitty, Shadow, and GrampaDad whipped up some cheesy eggs for Lex.  How could we have picked any better!  Mom made me some spaghetti, trimmed my hair, and we soaked in the wonderful rain forest.  I do love Capper Hill, but I still think Yamhill Thicket is my favorite place.  I had a carmel machiato on the way there (Starbucks) and an orange green tea on the way home (Dad).  Now Lexie is sleeping, and I'm going to read another chapter, then watch a movie.  No one could as for a better weekend. My Dad is the best, and I'm also giving thanks and thoughts as memorial to Grandy, Mark, Lexie's grandad Keller, Lloyd, John, and Karina.

 

tata.

Like riding a bike...

My brain must have missed the meeting with my joints and muscles.  I always think I can walk fast from here to there, the bathroom, the basement of the clinic, pediatrics reception.  I can hurry, but I guess I have no endurance.  I did a 5K Saturday, and it was wonderful, but my legs weren't up to par.  I really need to get them back into shape soon.   Lexie ran a mile race!  It was so great, I almost cried.  I should have trotted along side her, but  thankfully others took her into their care for the race.  The most wonderful girl, I only know her as number 102, took Lexie on the course.  I had thought of the fact she might be scared, but I really should have thought it through more.  I'm not sure I could even jog a mile right now, let alone trot behind Lexie as she did.  I felt really concerned as she ran off into the distance. Thank God 102 kept her with her.  Lexie did wonderful!

 

Capper Hill is wonderful!  It's one thing to look at the pictures, but another entirely to actually be there!  The tree damage from winter storms is so amazing, but still this place is alive and wonderful.  My favorite is the pond.  Second is the house and foilage.  What a special place.  I sincerely hope I have something like that someday.

 

I have to get back to bed now.  Don't know why I woke up at one am, but typing has restored my sleepiness...  I hope Lexie and I will get to do tons more fun stuff this year...I know we will.

 

 

Backyard

Golden chain

Covered deck

Our back yard.

We all keep talking about our yards at work, so I thought I'd post Lexie and mine.

The Clematis

The work in progress rock-way, and the lattice.

Lexie made a basket with her counselor

Last week Lexie and Amy made spider web baskets using yarn, glue, and a balloon. They popped the balloon last night to get the web. This is always fun for me, since I'm not in the room, I always get a suprise. This web was a physical thing to represent an emotional boundary of things she did not like. Kind of like the concept of a dream catcher. As soon as we brought it home last night, it became a nest.

Meanwhile back at the ranch.

Still the hottest weekend, Crystal back in her cage. Lexie had Sam and Alex over to play. She fell asleep on the living room couch while Sam and Alex...

Watched a movie in my room.

Hot summer day, tortoise takes a walk.

Crystal finally gets to check out the yard on one of the hottest weekends this year.

She's actually quite fast.

Look at those feet cruising.

Day one, two, and three of the Ant farm

And they're off!

Really slow start day two...

Day three, they pick up the pace. I'll have to take a current picture and post it.

iRachel

Check out my new iTunes widget at the bottom of the blog!

iFad

I've got an iPod...and iTunes.  I love them both with the most materialistic respect anyone could muster up!  So, I've noticed, that other capalistic enteties are absorbing the mini-"i" for their products and services too.  i, Myself, now have an iShark.  My iShark!  My orange tabby, now in his teens, saved from abandonment, and lovey in a way only a ankle high creature with really sharp teeth can be.  To activate my iShark, I need only to be in the driveway or the kitchen.  In either of these locations iShark works well.  When I stand still my iShark circles my ankles.  My adreanline surges (especially if the weather is warm enough for shorts) as I feel iShark's fur brush past.  Only very rarely, but this morning being a rare occasion, does iShark actually bite.  iBitten.

 

Lexie is still at the neighbors having a camp sleepover in their backyard.  I left them last night close to ten, while Corky was still getting the air mattresses ready in the tent.  I'm waiting for Soinja to call or knock to let me know my iGirl is up.  I actually slept till 9:41am, and woke up to the phone instead of an alarm (weekdays) or iGirl (Sat-Sun)

 

Good day to get an iTan.  I'm going out back to read until someone stops me.

 

 

The best 19.99 in a long time!

Yesterday I stopped in a new Grocery Outlet that just moved in two blocks from work.  I happened across a cd/am/fm radio with headsets that Lexie can actually keep on her head.  I got it for her, and last night we had a blast with it.  It is her first walkman, and she loves it.  She kept trying out different stations, having me listen to songs, and dancing around on the deck.  It was such pure joy!  Then I noticed that it even has external speakers too.  Pretty neat.

Tomorrow night is Lucas' birthday party, and Lexie is excited.  She hasn't seen him in a long time.  

It's supposed to be 90 degrees today, so Lex is in a pretty new blue and white summer dress her Grammy got her.

Weekend hope list:

Move bedroom plant out back

mow

plant raspberry

plant wisteria

Today I'm grateful for Lexie, Mom and Dad, weekends, summer, books, iPod, Scrubs, Audible, Walkman, friends, and life.

ANSIEDAD

What a ride.  Mother's day was great, especially the company and the three mile hike.  Dinner was awesome too.  The only down side was on the way to Chris' front door after the hike, I twisted my ankle and fell.  Big problem with this fall, was the element that has been one of my biggest fears for the last five years.  I had a sleeping Lexie in my arms.  I kept hold of her, but she smacked her tailbone on the cement, and then her head.  I can still hear the sound of her noggin knocking the walkway.  I woke her up every half hour during her next nap.  No concussion, she's fine now.  Later, much later that night, Lex finally decided that she wanted to talk to her dad on the phone.  Lexie's dad has no respect for her (or anyone else's for that matter) boundaries.  I'm not sure what his situation was, but he wouldn't let her off the phone.  He babbled to her for an hour and a half while sitting in his car listening to the radio.  She kept trying to interrupt him and tell him she had to get off the phone and go to bed, but he wouldn't let her.  Now she doesn't ever want to talk to him on the phone again.  I know now that I should have taken the phone away sooner, but hind site being what it is, doesn't really change the past.  

Saturday Lexie and I took Griffen and Chance (our charge for Friday night 'till Sunday) to waterfront park.  The dry-land Iditarod.  Griffen leashed on the left side of the baby jogger, and Chance tied on the right.  After a nice stroll up the river, Lexie played in the fountain.  She had a blast and now she has a cold.

Today I'm grateful for: Lexie, Mom and Dad, my job and friends, pets, weekends, Lexapro, iPod, life.

Springtime afternoon

Yesterday afternoon I cleaned out Crystal's cage.  Then Sam and Alex came over and we watched the tortoise walk around the kitchen.  Lexie and Sam went over to play at Sam's house while Alex and I threw a ball for Griffen.  They all wanted to play in the RV and stay for dinner.  So, we all pilled into my car and went shopping at Safeway for hotdogs, buns, and drinks.  Sam and Alex have tedious little arguments about who's going to sit in front each time they go anywhere with Lex and I.  I had to remind Alex that she sat in front both ways to the cat show and on the way home from the dog park.  Sam won.  Three hyper girls, like a little bubble of energy around me, as we walked through the store.  They were constantly in motion in front of and behind me; moving back and forth like a wave.  We got home, I grilled up the dogs, and they ate in the camper.  Each one takes their hotdog differently; Lexie-ketchup and mayonnaise, Alex-ketchup only, Sam-ketchup mustard and mayo.  Lexie ate all her corn, most of the bun, none of the dog.  Sam ate all the bread and half the dog, no corn.  Alex ate all the dog, half the bread, no corn.  While I found  this interesting is truly beyond me.  A pleasant springtime afternoon.

I brought Lexie's ant farm into work today for show and tell.

Scratch and sniff

When I picked Lexie up from school Wednesday, she had made a little spring book.  She handed to me and asked me to smell the stickers.  Wow!  I haven't seen scratch and sniff for a long time.  I was excited.  The top one had an apple on it, so I'm thinking, "mmm, apple" as Lexie and Ms. Amy watch with great anticipation.  I scratch, I sniff, I furrow my brow, and wrinkle my nose.  I say, "That...is not apple."  And then as I notice the apple has a worm squiggling through it, Lexie and I both say in unison, "Dirt!"  Lexie and Ms. Amy peel with laughter.  Ooohh, you funny girl.

My idea of the perfect lunch/dinner on a chilly day:  A grilled cheese sandwich from Tilly's with a the creamy tomato soup with Asiago croutons from Panera.  Nummy.

My idea of an unforgettable experience, watching Lexie get an ear lavage at the doctors the last visit.  She had pronounced hearing loss post ear infection.  She produces so much wax, that they couldn't see into her ears enough to see if there was fluid.  Wow, what an experience.  First Lexie got all dolled up in a dressing gown with a couple towels padded around her neck.  Next the nurse used a plastic syringe to put some softening stuff in both ears; Lexie did not enjoy this at all.  Lot's of cold, wet stuff being squished into your ear.  Then she sat for ten minutes with cotton balls in her ears.  The, I held her head sideways against my chest and held a curved plastic bowl under her ear as the nurse used a special syringe to force warm water hastily into her ear to push out the wax.  This really didn't go well with Lex.  She squirmed and squealed, and begged us to stop.  I tried to distract her by counting the goldfish that the nurse was coaxing out of her ears.  She became interested and at each "break" from the flushing, wanted to look into the bowl.  A week or so later, out of the blue, she asked me if I remembered when we were at the doctor and the got all the wax out of her ears.  It was a very impressive amount.  She did have fluid and the doctor said it could take quit awhile to go down.  He also said that cold wind wouldn't have any impact on ear health, and that swimming is one of the best things she can do to combat her ear wax production.

Today I'm grateful for; Lexie, my animals, Mom and Dad, swimming, my new PCP, science projects, weekends, nummy lunches, and life.

Brief note

Who new filling out registration forms for Kindergarten could be complicated!?

This weekend, Mom and Dad are helping me with Lexie's doll house.  Lexie will stay with Mom while Dad and I drive to Lafayette and get the house.  We'll store in his shop wrapped in garbage bags.  

I have a new PCP that I already think is wonderful.

I'm frustrated with how much work I'm missing with appointments and court stuff!  Filing a order to show cause to change parenting time is about as pleasant as untangling a huge mess of embroidery thread.  I have to pick up papers the Judge forgot to sign, have Lexie's Dad served with the whole mess (expecting a call shortly after from Grandma Betty asking about it), paying filing fees, filing order requesting removal of divorce attorney, worrying about going to court the thirteenth, etc. etc.  This is tiresome.  Finally CSD and Lexie's counselor are communicating, but it seems that she will be out all week.

Lexie's ant farm is awesome!  I will have to post pictures soon.