christmas 2009

Christmas Day 2009: Granville Ohio

Talk aobut local, hand made and sustainable. Check out my new train set! Grandad is pretty amazing. How did he know I wanted a train set?

Here is my Papa with my Uncle Tom in the middle and my Uncle Rob on the left. Notice they all have the same exact sweater on just in different colors? Apparantly they all got one last year for Christmas. Grandad has one too. It's a little weird with everyone wearing the same thing but it is really great to be with everyone. It was so great to play with my uncles!

Mama really likes to play with my new train too and I have to keep telling her to keep her mitts off my train.

See? . . . I make a great train engineer, i've even got my coveralls and stripped sweater on! After I got my train, i couldn't really stay focused on anything else and i was too wiped out to open the rest of my presents. So some are saved for tomorrow!

Wow Grandad, you can really push it fast!

Uncle Rob and I spent some quality time reading my new Elmo Book. I had to teach him who Elmo was, but he was already well familiar with Bert, Ernie and Big Bird.

My new buddy the snowman. (My first snowman ever)

Mama and I built him two days before christmas. I didn't get what was going on until the eyes, carrot, and hat when on it and then it all made sense. We said good morning and goodnight to him every day until his head rolled off as the snow melted. I still like to visit him, but it's not the same. Fight Global Warming! I want to be able to teach MY kids how to build snowmen one day.

This is me in my future new bedroom. Papa has been working upstairs pretty much my whole life. Sometimes he lets me go up and help; like this afternoon. It's an amazing place, I hope I get to move up there before I graduate from high school. In the mean time, papa build this awesome chalk board for me and hung it on the wall in my new room. We draw out plans and learn how to spell words. Sometimes when no one is looking I like to taste the chalk.

I drew pictures while papa was busy laying the 1st floorboard.

Here you can see Papa installing the 1st floor board in the new upstairs. I'm not sure how many more he has to do before we can move upstairs, but I'm pretty sure it's more than three (which is how high I can count). But I didn't even get to use all the numbers that i know because it took him all afternoon to get this one in. But, it's a step in the right direction.

Wednesday this week was a snow day! 17 inches fell in Madison and Mama and Papa and I got to spend the whole day at home playing games and reading and eating. It was great, except when we tried going out side. Now think about it, I'm only about 31 inches tall, so if the snow is 17 inches, that's up to my armpits in snow. Explain to me why I'd want to be out in it?

However, I did get NEW BOOTS which you can see me in here. They are big boy boots. I have also discovered the benefits of mittens, they really do keep your hands warm!

This is the front of the house now. The snow is great but I'm not a big fan of the cold. What kind of parents do I have that are trying to document my misery? Can't we just go inside?

The best part about the snow storm was the neighbors skid steer that came to plow out the driveway. It moved that HUGE pile of snow into the front yard. Back and forth, back and forth . . . Papa and I watched it out the front window for a long time. It snowed again later in the week and when i got up in the morning I raced to the window to see it again, I asked it to please come back, but papa said there wasn't enough snow. How disappointing. More snow please!

In other exciting news, I'm learning how to swim. Mama and I go every week to the pool. When i first get there I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it. We play with balls, kick our feet, sing songs and jump off the side of the pool. The Grand ole Duke of York is my favorite, I go way up high, then plunge down into the water. I can blow bubbles and when i go down the slide I can hold my breath and go under water. After about 2o min or so though i start to shiver. By the end of class I'm frozen, but even on the way out I'm still saying "more pool please!" Thursdays are great!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Well I thought the day was going to be just like any other fall Saturday. You know the routine, mush at 5:30; play hard all morning; nap; play hard all afternoon; have a fussy time at bedtime. . . But no, today was different!

So Mama pulled this big round ball called a "pukin" in off the front porch and cuts the top off. I cried, not sure why. But then we pulled all the guts out with spoons and our hands, and that was just great. Then Mama went at it with the knife again but i kept a stiff upper lip this time as i was so interested.

Then all of a sudden I had this really cool looking thing to cart around the house in my cart. Pretty great. I like this halloween thing. It's not scarry at all! Or so I thought . . .

Oh the horror! I can't begin to explain. What the heck, just cause my papa works to protect little tiny butterflies that are smaller than a postage stamp DOES NOT mean I have to dress up like one. I made my case with some foot stomping, some squawking and mayby just a couple of tears.

Since it was clear I was going to have to dress up if I wanted to keep the pumpkin and go to the parade, we made a compromise.

Hey, my pumpkin bit me! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Yeah, you stay down there where I can see you.

yeah, I know, I'm cute.

Allright allready with the photos though, can we go the the PARADE or what?!

Finally! We made it to the parade. We were going to walk IN the parade, but i wouldn't let Mama help me with the wagon and we got left behind. So we stood and watched everyone else go by. It was fun, I saw lots of my friends.

And I spied out of the corner of my eye a pretty cute little girl pumpkin too. But she was stuck way up high on her mama's shoulders and no way could I make a move.

Had tried to get up a bit higher to see her, but she was gone in the parade just like that.

Yeah, all around a pretty awsome day!

been far too long since the last post, but not because Oscar hasn't been up to fun and exciting things. He is really hooked on horse riding now. And when the ride stops, he just keeps saying "more? More?" and making his hand sign for more at the same time.

And, he can do it all by himself, which seems to be a general trend for everything lately where he pushes us away and says "Oscar do" . We are clearly headed for the "two's" as he throws little temper fits and tests his indepence.

He's putting more and more little phrases together. I have two favorites. One involved my cell phone, which Oscar loves, but isn't really allowed to play with. Last week while I had it, and he wanted it he told me "Mama share . . . Oscar's turn" I caved laughing, he got the phone. I guess that's what we have been teaching him and why shouldn't it go both ways. My other favorite is how sweet he has been this past week while I've been under the weather with a nasty muscle pull in my neck. Some days I can hardly turn my head much less pick him up and swing him around. He comes up to me and gently strokes my neck and say "Mama boo-boo" then plants the sweetest kiss with a loud lip smacking on my cheek then asks "All gone?"

Grandpa Engel set up an old swing that has been around for more than a couple of decades now and Oscar thought it was the best thing ever as it swung around from the huge oak tree.

Summer Times

Oscar rode a very old horse. This horse supported his papa a few moons ago. It might not pass safety regulations, but it is well made. The big guy next to him is his YOUNGEST cousin. For now it made the move from Grandparent's attic, to living room, to basement. I think he can get a few rides out of it at his grandparent's house.

Oscar explores the prairie. He prefers his papa mule or mama lama carry him up hills and through tall grass.

Oscar had to stay home most of last week due to viral pink eye. Other than crud in his eyes he seemed happy and well. Mama took two days off to watch him followed by two days with papa. Guess who was in charge for this game? Oscar LOVES helping with laundry. Loading the washer, handing items to be hung on the clothes lines, putting them in the basket after drying on the line, and finally taking them out of the basket to be folded. If he can he even pushes the full basket around on the floor.

The kid does not eat much, but he loves water melon. So much for calorie dense foods!

Trip to England

Finally a much awaited blog update with photos from the trip to England with Oscar. We both had a fantastic trip. We went to the beach, ate ice cream, had many hikes, picnics, beers and loads of time watching the lambs.

Mama and Grandma were pretty excited to be building sand castles, Oscar wasn't too sure about the whole thing and preferred the ice cream eating.

Oscar couldn't stop playing this little drum, he was marching all over the house playing it. Huge thanks to Aunti Joyce for bringing so many toys and baby gear for Oscar to play with and use during his visit.

Picnic at the beach. These Brits are serious about their picnics!

Here we all are for (another) picnic at the stone circle (like Stone Henge but smaller and no tourists) near the house.

They have been here for more than 4000 years. Wow, that is even older than Grandad!

No hike would be complete without a walking stick. And this one of Grandad's in particular is just perfect. Oscar would go to great lenghts to trick us into letting him get this. Once he had it he would toddle off quite some distance on his own seemingly unconcerned about lack of adult companionship.

It's the Lake District, and Oscar thought this lake was fantastic with it's shallow rocky shore. Rocks are sooooo cool to pick up and bring to Mama.

Every night we went to say good night to the lambs in the fields out back. And though Oscar got really good at saying "Baaaaa" while we were there, he seems to have forgotten now. We both miss the sheep. They are delicious.

A trip to the Sea with Grandma and Aunti Rosa, meanwhile . . .

Old Man Spaul & I at the top of Old Man Coniston. Fantastic 12 mile hike.

Oscar and Grandad waiting for the rest of us to catch up on a sunday hike in the hills.

A well earned pub lunch mid way through the hike.

I acquired for Oscar the smallest raincoat and pants that REI makes. It is so sweet on him. Only needed it a couple of times though as the weather was fantastic most of the trip!

Grandma and Oscar exploring the gardens