Out of the Mouths of Babes

I don't feel in the least embarrassed or sad that haven't kept up on my blog. I live in the real world and that world doesn't have even a smidge of extra time in it right now. However, I do miss keeping up on the reading of my favorite blogs. I'm optimistic that summer will bring sunshine, vacations, and extra time.

Of course, it would be Bailey who is the subject of my first...and probably only...post for awhile. I have to share some of her outrageous language to document just what can come out of her little 2-year-old mouth. So, here's a list of some of her latest:

1. She got in trouble (not an unusual thing for her) the other day and was put in her room. She called out, "Mom....MOM.....MOM!!!" for a minute or so. When Kelly didn't answer, she said, "Fine! I go shopping with Melly (Lindsay)!!"

2. Kelly and Lindsay got her ice-cream tonight, which she enhaled. When she got home, she started hitting up PaPa (Mark) for his ice-cream. He said, "Ok, just one bite." She answered, "Two bites, Papa!" When he came back with, "Only one", she said, "Just a tiny one??????"

3. I bought her a "Princess Dress" in New York. When I gave it to her, she immediately had to put it on. Then she slapped her hands on her cheeks and said,"Oh my goodness!! It's adorable!"

4. Every night when she gets ready for bed, I ask her, "What does Nanna love about you?". Her reply (and I'm not kidding) is, "My mitochondria!" (I use to tell her I loved all of her cells, including her mitochrondria).

5. She was begging for attention the other night. When she was ignored (for only a minute, mind you) she said, "Fine! I'll just go to sleep!" Then, proceeded to flop herself down on the sofa.

6. This was our conversation at bathtime last night:

Me: What are you doing with your shovel, Bailey?
Bailey: I'm making birthday cake. (She was "mixing" the water.)
Me: What kind of cake are you making? Chocolate or vanilla?
Bailey: It's "trawberry".
Me: What will be on top your cake?
Bailey: Mater(Cars)and presents
Me: What kind of presents do you want?
Bailey: Princess dresses and toys
Then she picked up her doll and started washing it.
Bailey: I wash da baby's ears, eyes, mouth and bum-bum.

7. She is OBSESSED with shoes. Last week Kelly was in Limited trying on some shirts. In the dressing room next to her was a lady with red, patent leather spiked heels. Bailey looked under the door and said, "Shoes.....I try em on!!"

8. At dinner the other night she told Papa, "I need money....in my hand."

9. Every morning she climbs into bed with me and says,"Under the cover, Nana. Read me a book."

10. Tonight I was finishing up some preparation on a salad and didn't hear the call for prayer. Bailey, ever-so-sweetly, said, "Nana, it's prayer. Fold arms."

As you can tell, she keeps us in stitches. I ordered a girl...and boy did I get one. She insists on wearing bows, high heels, and a tutu or princess dress every day. She attended her first dance class on Tuesday. She's only two and the class is for 2 1/2year-olds, but she was a star. As we left, she cried out, "Nooooo...don't want to go. I'm a princess/ballerina!!!" Finally, I got a girly-girl and I'm loving every minute of it.

A Tale (Tail) to Remember

Everyday we get a call, or two, from Lindsay with some outrageous story. Most are about her interesting customers, but some are random sightings. Yesterday's story may have topped them all.

Kelly got the first call. I would love to have been in on that one. So here's the story, paraphrased. Lindsay stopped at AM/PM for a nutritious dinner of Doritos and sour cream on her way home from work. She notices an extremely thin girl looking at the beverage cooler. Her thinness caught Lindsay's eye first, but when she bent over she got the shock of her life. The girl had a tail! Yes, a real tail coming out the top of her jeans. Lindsay, being the cool chick she is, almost started heaving. But, she couldn't stop staring. As luck would have it, she got behind Lindsay at the checkout counter. Lindsay hadn't had quite enough, so she invited the girl to go ahead of her so she could check it out again. Yep, there is was! She almost broke her neck getting to the car so she could call Kelly. Her only regret was that she had left her phone in the car....so we have no photo.

Just another day in Warnerville. We'll store it right beside the story of Kelly seeing a goat in a car in the Nordstrom's parking lot. And life goes on.



Photo posted by Kelly. I refused to be a part of it.

What I Learned (and Learned Again) This Summer

1. I'm a terrible blogger.



2. I never do the projects I plan to do in the summer.



3. The beach always sounds nicer than it is.

4. Babies take up lots of room.

5. There's nothing nicer than waking up every morning to the sweet sound of
Bailey saying, "Hi, Nanna!"



6. Kelly and I are addicted to Bannagrams.



7. Saturday lunch at Cafe Coyote in Old Town with the fam is a tradition worth
keeping - except we need Lindsay there....she works every Saturday.



8. I won't die if my house isn't clean.

9. A groomed yard without toys is overrated.

10. Everything tastes better when eaten on a patio.

11. Grilled anything tastes better.



12. It is possible for two families to live together and not kill each other.

13. No matter how many times I tell myself I'll work out in the summer, I never do.
Too hot!!

14. Flowers in my yard make me happy.

15. I still consider Pat Conroy my favorite author.



16. Summer TV is a joke.

17. No problem, Bailey. I don't need 8 dinner plates. 7 will work fine.

18. Nothing lights up a home like a child's laughter.

19. I haven't forgotten the moves to Hokey Pokey or The Ants Go Marching One by One.



20. There's a reason 56 year-olds don't have babies.

21. I never imagined I'd have a 17 month-old grandaughter who smacks her booty and
says, "What??? What???" Thanks Kelly and Lindz.



22. I always look forward to returning to teaching in the Fall.

23. I start looking forward to Halloween in July



24. Playing Ping-Pong with the family is a great way to spend summer afternoons.

25. MY HOUSE IS TOO SMALL!!!!

Randomisms

My brain has been cooked by Summer, so connecting thoughts and paragraphs is way beyond my capacity. The following are some very random half-thoughts I've glimpsed as they've flown in one ear and out the other. Dare not try to make sense of them.

Random Thought #1: What happened to quality???

Several months ago Lindsay mentioned that while shopping at DI with her friend, Nick, she discovered a piece of vintage luggage. She loved it, but Nick laughed at her, so she didn't get it. She later found out that he went back and bought it himself (little sneak). Anyway that got my wheels turning because I happen to have an old set of Samsonite luggage that I received when I graduated high school. Don't count....it was a long time ago. I thought it would make a great birthday present for her July 17th birthday, so I had it cleaned up and gave it to her. I think she really liked it. The photo below shows what it looked like in 1971. My thought is that I can't think of another thing I've owned that long. After all those years that Samsonite still looks pretty good. The inside isn't torn and all the locks work. To compare, the luggage I bought about five years ago looks like Jane Goodall shared it with her apes. It seems that everything I buy today has to be replaced often. Washing machines don't last very long. Furniture wears out more quickly. Even purses and clothes are short-lived. Is it just me or does anyone else miss quality?




Random Thought #2: I made it too easy for my kids, but I got lucky.

I was the only girl and oldest child in my family. Because of that revered position, I did lots of babysitting and lots of housework. I've wondered if my childhood wasn't cut a bit short by all the responsibility I was given. When I had kids of my own, I promised myself that I wouldn't overdo the chores. I didn't. As a matter of fact, I may have overshot my plan. They all had to clean their rooms and help with dishes and trash, but I don't remember them doing yard work or cleaning out the garage or scrubbing bathrooms. I've worried about this. But, somehow they all turned out to be fairly responsible and capable of taking care of themselves and functioning in the world. I think there's a fine line between too much and too little. Childhood is a precious time that cannot be relived so I don't believe there should be too much adult-like responsibility. And, I believe it is in the home that children are taught to be responsible. Hummmmmmm. I think I just got lucky.



Random Thought #3: Never Give Up

I have been the only active member of the church in my family for most of my life. My two brothers were baptized, but were never really involved. My oldest brother, Rick, will turn 50 soon and my younger brother, Rob, is 42. Several months ago Rick had a heart attack and was forced to spend quite a bit of time at home recuperating. As many do when they come face to face with mortality, he started evaluating his life. That led him to read the Book of Mormon. That led to the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. Soon, he had read them all including the Old and New Testaments, The Miracle of Forgiveness and Jesus the Christ. Now he's reading the BOM for the second or third time and he's half-way through the biography of President Ezra T. Benson. His conversion is far too personal for me to share, but I can say that angels have intervened. He has experienced miracles and I have had years of prayers answered. I'm glad I never gave up.



Final Random Thought: A weekend with the "girls" is just what the doctor ordered.

I've always had good friends. It's a great blessing....and it saves a lot of time on a psychiatrist's couch. Husbands are great, but women need women in their lives. A few days aways with a bunch of crazy women can cure about anything that ails you. It's the best, least expensive therapy I know.

Such was the case last week. Three of my friends and I left right after church and headed to Newport Beach for a couple days. Equipped with games, Diet Coke, a navigator, and a great driver, we managed to crawl our way to Orange County in about 4 hours. Thanks to the son of my friend, Christina, we stayed in connecting suites at the Marriott for $59 a night! We ate, went to Crystal Cove (a must), played games, went to Balboa Island, ate, went to Fashion Island, ate, played games, and laughed like a bunch of fools. It was just what the doctor ordered and plans are in the making for our next adventure. Thanks, Girlfriends!!!!

Bailey Goes to Utah

Last week Kelly and I took Bailey to Utah to visit Grandma and Grandpa Warner and to attend Angel Sadie's viewing. It's one of the first trips to Utah that did not end in someone being sick - ooops - that's not right. Bailey got an ear infection two days after we got home. Anyway, the weather was great. There were a couple great thunder storms (which I crave) and all our visits were great. We indulged twice in a Caramel Cashew Concrete. I'm so happy we don't have those here. They are truly the treat of the gods.

Here's how Bailey fared in Utah.



Finding some serious TP entertainment five minutes after entering hotel room



Taking a foot bath - a daily routine!



A princess poses on her throne.




Taking a dip into the icy water at Sugarhouse Park




Hanging around at the park




Lunch at Training Table with Balmforth cousins, Jaxson and Lydia




Cousin Ryan and Bailey - two of the cutest kids ever!




Seriously taking notes on Ryan's escape techniques!!




So happy to see Grandma and Grandpa Warner! Bailey, showing off her goofy grin.




Bailey - still with goofy grin - loving Nanna's lap.




Looking a little shy on handsome Grandpa's lap.




Getting a love from Grandma.




Playing Grandma's piano. Goofy grin alive and well.


Such visits really make us miss our family in Utah. The invite is always open for visits to San Diego. Please come!!

A Prayer for the Huish Family

We just received word that our sweet little friend, Sadie Huish, is in her last hours. She has fought long and hard and is now ready to go Home. We love you, Sadie, and will miss you terribly.

Please remember Sadie, her parents, Zach and Tiffany, and her little sisters, Sam and Olivia, in your prayers.

For more information about Sadie and to learn about DIPG log on to her blog at sadiehuish@blogspot.com.

We will never forget you, Sadie.

Note: Precious little Sadie passed away at 7:11 am Thursday morning. She went peacefully in the arms of her loving parents. Our hearts are broken.

Check It Out

I rarely recommend movies, but I couldn't resist this time. My friend Shelley and I saw The Proposal yesterday and loved it. It's a little more than your typical chick-flick (I am not knocking chick-flicks) and I laughed hysterically at some scenes.

Combined with popcorn and a Diet Coke (no Pepsi at my theater) it was a great afternoon escape. I highly recommend such diversions.