Sandbox with Chris

This week we have had a few more dry days. I say dry, but it is still 94% humidity and overcast most of the time. I just mean it isn't raining. Here are some great A pictures that Chris took at the park this week. A and Chris love the park, and she never seems to go and play as much with me. They go several times a week if we get dinner done in time and there are several other families they have met and play with at the park. As you can see in the pictures -- A has decided that the sandbox rocks. We're working on building stuff with sand, but she seems to enjoy just shoveling and stomping it too. With it being so wet this summer it has been difficult to get in the sandbox to play, so these are some rare pictures.

Fingerpainting

A has decided she likes to paint. It is a fun evening activity that can take 15 minutes to an hour. Tonight it was about half an hour or so and we got some masterpieces. If you'd like one for your fridge please let me know and I will snail mail it to you.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Well, since the beginning of July we have had a grand total of six or seven days with no rain. A's favorite song has become "Rain, Rain, Go Away! Come again another day!" She says it as we drive to work/school, drive home, or want to go to the park. We have decided to keep a towel in the car to dry slides, swings, etc at the park for the times when the sun pops out from behind the clouds and we make a mad dash to the park with everyone else in town. Thankfully town isn't that large so it isn't a huge deal and we still get to play. All of the rain has drowned our garden and what few herbs have grown are overrun with pests. I should be able to bring some plants inside soon though since our basement renter finally moved all of his junk out!

A is really starting to talk and most of the words are understandable by everyone, not just mom and dad. She can count to ten and say parts of her ABCs. I suppose it was Thursday night, Chris and I were doing dishes and A decided to join us. So she brought her step stool to the middle of the sink, helped "wash" after Chris before I rinsed and we sang the ABCs. I'm working on teaching her to count and the ABCs in German as well. She seems to be developing a slight drawl, so we really need to move from NC.

Chris starts term this week. There will be night classes on Monday and Tuesday, so we will see how the term goes. It should be rather exciting as A has also become a daddy's girl to a fault. She wouldn't let me drive her home from church today since daddy was available. Chris is starting to burn out a bit with the tech crew at church, but that's mainly because there aren't really enough people helping out.

Work for me brings a media fill this week, so it should be interesting. We are supposed to work 12 hour days and such, but since Chris can't stay home with A and NC has a rule about a max of 50 hours of daycare a week... I won't be doing 12 hour days. It is a blessing that A couldn't get into dayschool around the university so that I have to pick her up and leave since our insurance says no children allowed in our building. I can't even go back and sign paperwork that may need a signature these days. We will get a lot of stuff done this week though as not everyone can be in the cleanrooms the entire time. I actually imagine the schedule will be easier than our regular weekly schedule since at least we know what each day holds.

Anyway, it is bedtime for the chipmunk (one of A's nicknames since she loves to stuff her cheeks with food) and me as days start early here. Hopefully we will get some dry weather, but it doesn't really look like it will be this week. Hope all is well with you.

New Table

Edit: well this is our new table. We got it from Costco and it has six chairs with it. There is a leaf folded up into the middle of the table so it expands well. Chris and A put the legs on it while I went out for a bit one day. Now to find suitable tablecloth/placemats. 

Balloons!!

A has decided that balloons are among the coolest things ever. Since it was my birthday yesterday the ladies at work had balloons for me today and were curious what to do with them. I told them that I knew what to do! A loves that they go up to the ceiling and she can "jump" (with daddy's help) to get them back down again. A few minutes ago he even helped her climb the wall to do it. He worked with her climbing between two walls, and told her she needed to be just a bit bigger. He then volunteered to take her outside to let her climb the brick wall...

Anyway, this is a short video of her counting as she prepares to let go of her balloons! 

Overall the past few weeks have been super busy. We made it safely to OK and back for the week of the 4th. We played with Chris's family at their lake house and then around Tulsa for the rest of the time. We managed to see most everyone at least, if not for a very long visit with everyone. Here are some pictures we took since a picture is always worth a thousand words!

We had a special harness for A, she's ready for our first flight out of Charlotte!

Grandma Sehorn was ready with a fantastic lifejacket for A. She liked the wave runners and kept wanting to, "Go fast, Daddy! Go Fast!"

A and Chris also spent a lot of time out playing with the four wheelers. She is trying to get it started all by herself here.

Because everyone loves Legos! They kept building towers to see how tall they could make it.

Playing Barbies with Greatgrandmother!

Outside of the Disney Store in Tulsa where she got her puppy and kitty (which is poking out with her)

In my mom's new kitchen with my niece. I made icing for a cake and she decided to lick the beater.

At the Tulsa Zoo with a penguin

On the train getting ready to go back to the front after a long walk around the zoo.

2nd row of people on the train

A rode the elephant and Chris rode the tiger. However, she wanted a picture on daddy's animal.

Touching the plane! She had to touch each plane that we got on and off of.

Where did June go?

As we wrap up June we wonder where this year has gone. It really has flown by and it will be the holidays before we know it. We have settled back into a fairly familiar routine here, though A always hates sleeping on the weekends and loves sleeping during the weeks. This makes it difficult for Chris and me as our lives are reversed.

This past week A got one of her last shots before she goes back for boosters closer to starting school. We held back on the varicella vaccine simply because we'd almost rather her have chicken pox than the vaccine. Chris had a horrid case of them and I never had them. She also got to stay home on Friday with Chris and they did fun stuff as the weather has finally become summery and not rainy. She got a fantastic chair in the mail that is just her size. When I came home Friday she greeted me from it and refused to get out of it to meet me at the door. On Saturday when I came home she opened the door for me, took my hand so she could go sit in her chair and watch Mulan (which even beats out the puppy and kitty movies apparently.)

The rain and bugs have pretty much destroyed what bit of garden we had going. The squash plants still look like they could take off, and we have some buds on our green beans. Hopefully the sun the next week will help them take off and we remember to water them. We replanted some herbs in pots and actually have some butternut squash in a window box as an experiment. That squash is doing fantastic, as most of the pots are. Maybe it is location, but they don't seem to have as many creatures eating them. We will have to try again next year and maybe work at taking out more underbrush to get more sun. We will have to see.

Work for both Chris and me is going. It is kind of boring for Chris as he is between summer terms. He only has some much prep work that can be done. He has managed to get a lot of work done for the church. Hopefully it is put to good use. The church av team has kind of become his new thing. The church has needed the help desperately and he has the ability, so he's volunteering there a lot. He both runs sound and also works the stream. If you ever want to watch click here. It only streams during service (Sundays at 10 and Wednesdays at 7, both times eastern), but know that Chris is one of the people putting it all together.

Work continues to baffle me. I'm amazed by the lack of foresight and planning. I understand that the company has had to modify and adjust as different problems and situations present themselves, however, the lack of simple common sense mystifies me. We really need a person of clout in the company willing to say "no" when the owner or a VP or a researcher gets a hairbrained idea. As a company we are truly shooting for the moon and hoping to land among the stars. It will be nice if we get off of earth first though.

Anyway, I had a quick minute before I leave for church so I thought I'd post a little bit about what is going on here in NC. I hope all is well with you and that you aren't wondering as much about where the year has gone.

Music Fest

Last night we had the opportunity to go out to a music festival near us. We met a couple of other families there that have girls under 4. It was a blanket and picnic festival that they hold every Friday during the summer. We had a lot of fun and discovered a great new park to go play at this summer. This is a picture of A in her hippo chair. The chair was a big hit and all the girls wanted to sit in it. Chris managed to get a good shot with fun lighting as the sun was going down.