Sunday Wayne decided to be helpful and feed Penelope.
Getting pretty messy...
Then it was "Look mom! She's feeding herself!"
Which quickly turned into "Help, she's just a big mess....I can't help, I've got a white shirt on!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Hodge Podge of Pics
Penelope crawling...
We checked out the solar eclipse...
When I was a kid, if you wore "Lucky Brand" stuff, you had pretty much made it in the world. Penelope has already made it in the world.
Penelope & her favorite toy.
Saturday Hike....Penelope slept most of the way.
So comfy...
These next ones are bad phone pics, sorry. But we went to our little play class and they set up a tunnel! When I taught gymnastics we had a tunnel like this, and it was sooo hard to get the little ones to go through it. They never wanted to. Penelope just followed her little friend in and crawled through the tunnel! I was so impressed. But I am impressed with small things. This pic was taken as the bigger girl pushed Penelope over inside the tunnel....oops.
Smiling as she made it to the end!
Her and her little friend. Penelope is impressed with her because she walks and has hair!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Secret of Life
Wayne mentioned something the other day that he had read about happiness. I thought it was very interesting and am sharing. These are the three 'keys' that have been found to happiness.
1. Doing things for others.
2. Meditating at least 30 seconds a day on what you are thankful for.
3. Doing something that you are good at and challenges you.
So, three things that everyone is capable of doing, regardless of circumstance. And just 30 seconds a day is all it takes for number 2!
1. Doing things for others.
2. Meditating at least 30 seconds a day on what you are thankful for.
3. Doing something that you are good at and challenges you.
So, three things that everyone is capable of doing, regardless of circumstance. And just 30 seconds a day is all it takes for number 2!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Castles
Wayne's latest obsession is castles.
Wayne: "If we ever hit it big, do you realize we will live a very eccentric lifestyle?"
Me: **dying laughing**
Wayne: "I'm serious! We will live in a castle in Ireland. I wonder what you have to do to get a title, like 'Count and Lady Douglas.'"
Wayne: "If we ever hit it big, do you realize we will live a very eccentric lifestyle?"
Me: **dying laughing**
Wayne: "I'm serious! We will live in a castle in Ireland. I wonder what you have to do to get a title, like 'Count and Lady Douglas.'"
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Indian Food & Culture
The other night we had dinner with one of Wayne's work colleagues, hosted by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Bhakta. Mr. & Mrs. Bhakta are Indian, and have lived here for many years, owning and running a motel. They live in part of the hotel, a modest kitchen and living room, and their bedroom is a partition of the motel lobby. They are hard working, cheerful people with strong accents. Mrs. Bhakta made us a delicious chicken curry, and we learned a bit about the Indian culture.
The meal, like I mentioned, was chicken curry. Whole chicken drumsticks, smothered in a delicious curry gravy. Mrs. Bhakta was even kind enough to make me an 'unspicy' version, although I had a bite of Wayne's and it wasn't outrageously spicy. There was rice and coleslaw, along with a cheesecake for dessert. I'm assuming the coleslaw and cheesecake are not Indian, and it shows that they are a bit 'Americanized.' After dinner Mr. Bhakta offered us some anise seed and some 'mukwas' an Indian after dinner spice mix. Sort of like an after dinner mint. I tried some, you take a small pinch of the mixture, which looks like a tiny trail mix, and nibble on it. It was quite good. Interestingly, Mr. and Mrs. Bhakta never ate, they only served us.
Mr. Bhakta told us that 'ka-ka' was the word for uncle, and so for the rest of the night Wayne's colleague was 'ka-ka Saj.' We also learned that Indians calculate age to be one year more than Americans. So all of you that are 29, time to give in: You are 30.
Our hosts loved Penelope. There was nothing Penelope could do wrong. If she ate their cell phone - no big deal. Tear up papers? That's fine. Mr. Bhakta was on the floor playing with Penelope most of the evening. He really liked her, and she gave him lots of smiles.
The meal, like I mentioned, was chicken curry. Whole chicken drumsticks, smothered in a delicious curry gravy. Mrs. Bhakta was even kind enough to make me an 'unspicy' version, although I had a bite of Wayne's and it wasn't outrageously spicy. There was rice and coleslaw, along with a cheesecake for dessert. I'm assuming the coleslaw and cheesecake are not Indian, and it shows that they are a bit 'Americanized.' After dinner Mr. Bhakta offered us some anise seed and some 'mukwas' an Indian after dinner spice mix. Sort of like an after dinner mint. I tried some, you take a small pinch of the mixture, which looks like a tiny trail mix, and nibble on it. It was quite good. Interestingly, Mr. and Mrs. Bhakta never ate, they only served us.
Mr. Bhakta told us that 'ka-ka' was the word for uncle, and so for the rest of the night Wayne's colleague was 'ka-ka Saj.' We also learned that Indians calculate age to be one year more than Americans. So all of you that are 29, time to give in: You are 30.
Our hosts loved Penelope. There was nothing Penelope could do wrong. If she ate their cell phone - no big deal. Tear up papers? That's fine. Mr. Bhakta was on the floor playing with Penelope most of the evening. He really liked her, and she gave him lots of smiles.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Spring Update
Watch your step
The cats have been bringing home lots of dead things lately. I am one of those people who jump five feet in the air when they see a mouse, so I am glad to see the cats catch them. This past week has been a bit of a rodent extermination around here. We have had a large vole and several other large rodents. I have noticed the mice around hear are rather large, however, the last few have been exceptionally large with a fluffy tail. I wanted to know what kind of mouse had a fluffy tail. Yesterday Ruby the cat came to the yard and set down her latest kill. I went over to look at what was not a mouse, but a baby squirrel! After a few days and several more of them, I realized they weren't squirrels, but baby groundhogs. She must have a knack for catching them, because she has her taste set on baby groundhogs. We are glad to see them go - they dig up the yard and have even broken our sprinkler system.
We now must watch where we are walking in the yard, and be careful when letting the cats in the house. Upon coming home late from our last trip, we stepped up to the dark house and unlocked the door. As I stepped in, I felt a lovely squish under my foot. "UUgghhhh!" I said, "I think the cats left a mouse on the step for us." "Yep," Wayne said. "I stepped on it too."
Penelope
Penelope is enjoying spring. She seems to like going outside and watching mom and dad do yard work. I had been putting her on a blanket on the grass, but now I am petrified she will find a dead rodent to play with. She loves animals - including the neighbor's dog, who often gets loose and comes over to visit. Once we had just gotten home, and I was getting Penelope unbuckled. The golden retriever came from nowhere, was into the car and practically on top of the carseat within seconds. She continues to be enthralled with the cats, and I am amazed she hasn't gotten scratched yet. She is rather violent with them, pulling and squeezing if she gets ahold of them. The cats must sense what I would do with them if they were naughty!
Running
My career as a professional runner has been on hiatus, but was revived again when Wayne drug me out for a run last week. The weather has been perfect lately, and it feels good to get out in the evenings with the stroller. And, I am actually 'running.' I used to define 'running' as putting on cute work-out clothes, attempting to run half of a block, and walking for the remainder of the way. I remember being 'in shape' and 'running' a 5K, of which I ran about 2K and walked about 3K. However, somewhere between getting pregnant and taking care of a seven-month-old, I found something inside that either wasn't there before, or I didn't know I had. Maybe it was morning-sickness. Maybe it was childbirth. Maybe it is the fact that for 20 minutes I don't have to hold, feed or change a baby. Whatever it is, last night I ran a mile and a half without stopping. This may not seem like much, but it is a lifetime achievement for me, and I am not exactly 'in shape.'
Lilacs
We have lovely lilac bushes in front of our house. They normally look magnificent every spring, almost ready to bloom, when we get a hard frost, and the buds all droop and die. This year we have not had much for cold cold weather, so we have gorgeous lilacs!
Lawn Mowing
Wayne is still enjoying his old-fashioned mower. However, our backyard was only mowed once let year, so is overgrown again with weeds and sagebrush-a job too big for the manual mower. Our waiting to buy a mower paid off, last weekend Wayne found an excellent mower in the classifieds for 80 bucks. Just watch out for dead carcasses!
Above: Penelope uses her feet instead of her knees to crawl or pull up sometimes.
Below: Pestering the cats.
Lilacs!
The cats have been bringing home lots of dead things lately. I am one of those people who jump five feet in the air when they see a mouse, so I am glad to see the cats catch them. This past week has been a bit of a rodent extermination around here. We have had a large vole and several other large rodents. I have noticed the mice around hear are rather large, however, the last few have been exceptionally large with a fluffy tail. I wanted to know what kind of mouse had a fluffy tail. Yesterday Ruby the cat came to the yard and set down her latest kill. I went over to look at what was not a mouse, but a baby squirrel! After a few days and several more of them, I realized they weren't squirrels, but baby groundhogs. She must have a knack for catching them, because she has her taste set on baby groundhogs. We are glad to see them go - they dig up the yard and have even broken our sprinkler system.
We now must watch where we are walking in the yard, and be careful when letting the cats in the house. Upon coming home late from our last trip, we stepped up to the dark house and unlocked the door. As I stepped in, I felt a lovely squish under my foot. "UUgghhhh!" I said, "I think the cats left a mouse on the step for us." "Yep," Wayne said. "I stepped on it too."
Penelope
Penelope is enjoying spring. She seems to like going outside and watching mom and dad do yard work. I had been putting her on a blanket on the grass, but now I am petrified she will find a dead rodent to play with. She loves animals - including the neighbor's dog, who often gets loose and comes over to visit. Once we had just gotten home, and I was getting Penelope unbuckled. The golden retriever came from nowhere, was into the car and practically on top of the carseat within seconds. She continues to be enthralled with the cats, and I am amazed she hasn't gotten scratched yet. She is rather violent with them, pulling and squeezing if she gets ahold of them. The cats must sense what I would do with them if they were naughty!
Running
My career as a professional runner has been on hiatus, but was revived again when Wayne drug me out for a run last week. The weather has been perfect lately, and it feels good to get out in the evenings with the stroller. And, I am actually 'running.' I used to define 'running' as putting on cute work-out clothes, attempting to run half of a block, and walking for the remainder of the way. I remember being 'in shape' and 'running' a 5K, of which I ran about 2K and walked about 3K. However, somewhere between getting pregnant and taking care of a seven-month-old, I found something inside that either wasn't there before, or I didn't know I had. Maybe it was morning-sickness. Maybe it was childbirth. Maybe it is the fact that for 20 minutes I don't have to hold, feed or change a baby. Whatever it is, last night I ran a mile and a half without stopping. This may not seem like much, but it is a lifetime achievement for me, and I am not exactly 'in shape.'
Lilacs
We have lovely lilac bushes in front of our house. They normally look magnificent every spring, almost ready to bloom, when we get a hard frost, and the buds all droop and die. This year we have not had much for cold cold weather, so we have gorgeous lilacs!
Lawn Mowing
Wayne is still enjoying his old-fashioned mower. However, our backyard was only mowed once let year, so is overgrown again with weeds and sagebrush-a job too big for the manual mower. Our waiting to buy a mower paid off, last weekend Wayne found an excellent mower in the classifieds for 80 bucks. Just watch out for dead carcasses!
Below: Pestering the cats.
Lilacs!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Elixir of Life
As I was cleaning the house yesterday, the smell of Clorox brought me back to the many visits from Grandma & Grandpa Cloyd. We kids knew the visit was soon when where were made to help do an extensive cleaning on the house. Then Grandma arrived, and it was out with huge pails of Clorox water and rags to scrub every nook and cranny of the house because it was 'SO dirty!' We probably never told her we had spent the last week cleaning, anticipating her arrival. Clorox was used for everything - an elixir of sorts. Cleaning, disinfecting, foot soaks, laundry, etc. Needless to say, by the time Grandma & Grandpa's visit was through, the house (and maybe yard) smelled like bleach.
My Grandma Cassens, however, must have leaned toward the more natural side of life. Anything could be fixed by one thing: Honey. Honey was so versatile, that you could not only clean and disinfect with it, but it also healed practically everything: A cold or the hiccups for instance. I can remember her wrapping up a boo-boo of mine with a bandaid and a drop of honey. Honey was eaten with everything and kept by the caseload in the basement.
Now Baby-Girl is teething, and I'm wondering what I should do to sooth those tiny gums. I think I'll pass on the Clorox, but maybe a dab of honey would cheer her a little. Who knows, maybe it will cause all her teeth to painlessly come in, cure any future colds, and potty train her too!
My Grandma Cassens, however, must have leaned toward the more natural side of life. Anything could be fixed by one thing: Honey. Honey was so versatile, that you could not only clean and disinfect with it, but it also healed practically everything: A cold or the hiccups for instance. I can remember her wrapping up a boo-boo of mine with a bandaid and a drop of honey. Honey was eaten with everything and kept by the caseload in the basement.
Now Baby-Girl is teething, and I'm wondering what I should do to sooth those tiny gums. I think I'll pass on the Clorox, but maybe a dab of honey would cheer her a little. Who knows, maybe it will cause all her teeth to painlessly come in, cure any future colds, and potty train her too!
Monday, May 7, 2012
South Dakota Grandparents
Here are the few pictures I have from when we visited Grandma & Grandpa Cassens in March. I was waiting to post this until I got more pictures from mom.... so this is also a hint to her to remember to send me the pictures she has on her camera!!! I think there are some good ones on her camera.
Penelope was just starting to eat cereal:
We went for a walk with Grandma, the weather was nice.
Mom with her dogs.
Grandpa helping 'Big-toe' drink from a cup using her feet:
Penelope was just starting to eat cereal:
We went for a walk with Grandma, the weather was nice.
Mom with her dogs.
Grandpa helping 'Big-toe' drink from a cup using her feet:
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo. Today Penelope and I went to town and did a little shopping with Jenny. Here is Jenny letting Penelope ride her rock turtle.
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