Come and GONE

I really really really cannot believe summer has already come and blown by us.  So, to catch up before I blink and Christmas has come, I'll quickly capture the stand-out events and moments of our lazy days (that I just don't remember as being all that lazy).

One of our summer highlights was definitely the morning we spent blueberry picking together.  Of course, despite going over the "rules" that pretty much entailed not eating the blueberries until after we paid for them - and only picking blue berries (not green, not magenta, just deep blue) - one of us kept ending up berry-less every 10 minutes or so.  In fact, Ellie tried snitching on Adam after seeing him "sample" a few, however she had so many blueberries in her cheeks that all we heard was "THATHY'th EATHING BTHUEBETHIETH!"

Abby, of course, found the biggest, the best, the most hidden, the... and then requested we share our spoils so she ended up with the most.  But good times were had by all.  And boy are freshly picked blueberries (and blueberry pancakes and blueberry milkshakes and blueberry muffins...) GOOD!!!

(more pictures of our day can be seen by clicking here)

Our next fun times were had when Grammy came to visit!  Since we had so much fun blueberry picking the first time we had to take Grammy to pick too.  An then, we played and ate at Wegmans and went to the Strong museum and Palmyra and ate at Dinosaur BBQ and went to "the beach" and ate at Bill Grey's and visited Aunt Gina's cats (oh, and Gina and Tom) and ate scrumptious Paella and many antipasti and yep, pretty much just played and ate! 

Fun times in the backyard.

Thanks for coming Grammy!! WE MISS YOU!!!

For our last hoorah of summer, Daddy actually took a WEEK off of work (sort of, but hey - a valiant effort) and we hit the road to Bah-Jinya!!  Of course I forgot the camera, but Abby reassured me while on our way to catch a frog at the local park that it was okay - she would be bringing the frog home for a pet and I could take its picture then.  Sadly, the only thing she caught with her butterfly net was a dead fish - which she insisted that I carry in a bucket of water during our nature hike through the hills.  I thought I had distracted her by pointing out various fungi growing in and around decomposing logs, but she caught me as I (very discretely) sent that fish and its pond water sailing through the trees.  Not good.  Luckily the fish's soul in the form of a beautiful yellow butterfly (or, bat...?) flitted through the woods soon thereafter and - things were fine.  

So, good times playing Simon Says and Red Rover in the park with Nana and Granddad and Uncle Dave.  Good eats.  Really good relaxation.  Thanks to Nana and Granddad, as always, for their superb Southern hospitality.

As for Ellie updates as promised in the former post, first and foremost, Ellie suddenly started prrrronouncing her Rrrrrrs.  To the point that I really want to get the Italian and Spanish going with her while the girl can rrrrrrroll those Rrrrrrrs.  Sad, though, that my little guhl is gwoing up.

And, apparently at our house part of the gwoing up process involves exploring one's propensity to create.  Messes.  While Grammy was visiting, Ellie decided to paint her arms purple.  Apparently my reprimands (and confiscating the offending materials) are good for nothing these days since the following day, she did it again! (Only, just hands and a partial arm.)  When she did it AGAIN, the third day, I wasn't much feeling like a photo shoot.  Okay, so I asked for it.

 

But I did NOT ask for this (really):

Ironic that she's playing with a stuffed dog?  Oh this was ALL Ellie.  Don't ask me what came over the dear child. My mom asked how I reprimanded her, but I have to admit that after happening upon this scene, all I could do was think how grateful I was that she had gone and done what I have felt like doing for a good couple of years now.  Not good, I know.  This couch served us well.  But I think we're done.  (Sad that my Salvation Army $20 love seat is in better shape?)  So, yes, Ellie is alive.  Very alive.

                                                                                                              A quick update to my last post about Abby: tooth #2 quickly found it's way out of her mouth (like a couple days after the first one) and I suspect all those quarters had something to do with it.  It'thss kinda fun lissthening to her ssthpeak.  But hard to believe she can be this old.  Kindergarten here we come!!!

And so, we bid summer adieu and are grateful we can look back upon it with smiles.

QFTD

Consoling Abby over a couple of spider bites, I tried to explain how/why some spiders bite.  Abby: "I know what spiders don't hurt people!  Big Daddy Arm Legs!  They're friendly bugs!  And we can pick them up and play with them!"  Ellie: "Yes! Big Arm...Daddy Legs love us and we love them.  They love different people." 

I scrambled to get the girls in the car, get buckles on and make it to Ellie's 7:50 am derm appointment.  Abby: "Mom, why do we have to go to the doctor for Ellie?"  Me: "Because he needs to check her skin."  A: "But why?"  "Because he needs to make sure it's healing."  "But why?"  "So her nubbin doesn't grow back on her chin."  "Why?"  "Just because, Abby."  "Why because?" "Abby, that's just how it is and I don't have answers to all the 'why' questions - so don't ask me anymore."  "Why?"

Ellie, to Grammy:  "My daddy's at work making some new money to spend."

Grammy to Abby: "Can I come to Kindergarten with you?"  A: "No!  You're too big!"  G:  "I could just hide on the school bus...and walk on my knees so I'm short." A, thinking it over:  "Ok.  But you have to get those pimples off your face."

While the car was being serviced (at the QuickyLube while we stayed inside the car), a mechanic opened the glove box to get to the air filter.  Abby:  "Why's the garbage man getting in there?"

Abby to me, on a particularly difficult day: "I'm not listening to you.  No one is going to be your child."

Ellie, showing Adam a picture she'd drawn of him in church: "This is a picture of you, Dad. And you're not funny."