Grandpa's 80th
The biggest news is that last weekend we celebrated my Grandpa's 80th birthday. My Dad rented a cabin that his Grandfather had build (so Grandpa's dad) which has been added on to extensively, but the basic cabin remains. We call it "the cabin up junction creek". They call it "The Ranch". The cabin you see on the front of the first photo is what my Great Grandaddy built. His wife built two fireplaces.
As you can see, a good time has been had by all. It was so much fun that my teenaged nephew asked if we could do this every year! It was only a weekend, but no hard-core schedule, just fishing, basketball, walks, story telling, and some incredible food. It was really wonderful.
In other miracles, Ryan is off swimming and Clementine and Calliope are both asleep right now. I don't think this has ever happened before. Ryan is not home and I have both hands available!!
Clementine is getting more and more precocious. Ryan was telling her yesterday that something or other was not a good idea and she looked at him and said, "Yes it is!" I know I'm not supposed to laugh, but... She loves climbing things, but fails to think through climbing down. I found her the other day at the top of the ~8' back fence yelling for help. Yikes. We have been working on potty training (learning, for the P.C.), but not making very good progress. She did, however, drink medicine for the first time because it will make her feel better (as opposed to hiding it in juice and then trying to cajole her into drinking the whole thing). Living with her is like living with a midget performance artist. You walk into a room and you never know what's going to be going on below knee level. Maybe she's naked except for rainboots, dancing to "Welcome to the Jungle" by walking in tiny circles, one arm stiff against her side, the other shoulder pressed to her ear, arm sticking straight out, while she sings along, "La la la la Jungle la la la," perhaps. The other day I found her rocking chair centered perfectly in the door to the bathroom, and a small saucepan sitting on the toilet lid. That's it, no other toys or disarray. In an art museum, I could take this seriously. A pun on the word "pot"? A commentary on the cycle of life and death, eating and voiding? And why the rocking chair? Her, as an artist, in the position of observer? The comedy and humility of life?
Calliope had her 2 month appointment and is now 10 pounds! I can't believe I have friends who've given birth to babies that size. Ye gads. She is very smiley and starting to coo and gurgle a lot, and even laugh (though evidently we aren't very funny... all we warrant are spare "Heh"s). She always has shots right now, which is horrible. I really hate it. On the plus side, she likes her swing so much we're putting her down to sleep in it now. Last night she slept more than 6 hours in it!!
I am up to 4 hours/day at work. It is not easy to go back, but harder I think for Ryan who is somehow going to start handling two lilttle girls by himself. I can't imagine, frankly. We are still looking for child care and are on 3 waiting lists now I think. In the near-term, though, we're looking forward to a 2 day business trip to San Francisco, which I've tacked a few days on for a little vacation before I'm really back at work. I CAN'T WAIT to go back, and am trying to remember to look forward to spring when we get back (must have something to look forward to).
Better not push my luck. Off to do dishes...
