2005 - WINTER

IT'S WINTER AND IT'S COLD!








Sophia's third birthday was celebrated with a small group of children her age.  Although the day was warm enough to require only light jackets, the day also signaled the unofficial beginning of winter for the family.































Fall was glorious with relatively warm days and chilly nights.  The arrival of rains that usually come with the change in weather was delayed and we had several weeks to enjoy changing leaf color.  Sophia and Brandon had a great time frolicing in the pile of leaves raked from in front of the garage door.

Sophia in the leaves
Toothless Brandon



With the fall of the last leaf, Thanksgiving was here and with it came frigid temperatures and ice on nearby ponds.  Weather doesn't necessitate a change in tradition, however.  For over thirty years when Dawn and Brett were growing up, and for the last seven at the kids' house, a turkey is cooked on the kettle grill.  Crank up the kerosene heater in the garage and leave the garage door ajar. There is no turkey that tastes as good as one cooked over charcoal peppered with hickory chips!


Matt at the grill



Nearly six years old, Brandon was at last not only willing to sit on Santa's lap but anxious to tell the jolly fellow what he wanted for Christmas.  To be as helpful as possible, before the visit Brandon asked Dawn to help him write a letter to leave with Santa, listing his requests.  As for Sophia, she wanted everything she saw advertised on TV.  And some things that weren't ... like pink hair.   For Sophia shopping was easy, if it was pink, she'd be sure to like it.









It's become a custom that I overnight at the Valentine's home Christmas Eve so that I'm already there when Brandon and Sophia wake up Christmas morning. This year Brandon was willing to go to bed once the cookies and milk were left beside the fireplace for Santa.  Sophia, on the other hand, wanted to be awake to welcome him.  Daddy elf gave up early and went to bed; elves Mommy and Grandma were hard-pressed to stay awake until Sophia finally relented and climbed into her bed.  A little after midnight the house was finally quiet.

The guest bedroom is on the ground level, and a little after 7:00 Christmas morning, I heard light, rapid footsteps above me followed immediately by excited little voices.  The day had begun.  Brandon had asked Santa for Batman and Star Wars items.  Santa had listened.  Santa did quite well for Sophia as well.




If it's pink, Sophia likes it!


Just like Mommy

Batman!






~~ Merry Christmas, Everyone! ~~




Copyright ©2005  Kitty Park

BRANDON AND SOPHIA - 2005

January

It's Brandon's birthday.  He's 5 and his party theme is The Hulk.  Sophia was 2 in November.



February





March





April





May





June





 




July

























August










September






October




 

November




December


2005 - FALL




IT WAS NEVER BORING!

 

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Sherry and I kept each other company outdoors while the boys, dressing the part when possible, were active as indians on the warpath or good guys in search of robbers.

Two braves
The Good Guys

Kelsi and Sophia are affectionately known to us grandmas as Pete and Repeat.  Whether it was the boys or the girls, however, where you found one, you found both.


In mid-August, Brett flew in from San Diego planning to rest, play with the kids and ride his bike.  There was little relaxation for him, however, since, as anyone with children knows, when they are awake, so are the grownups.

One day was spent visiting the Akron Zoo.  School was back in session, so crowds were gone and it was as though we had the Zoo to ourselves.

























Brandon and Sophia were invited to a birthday celebration for one of Sherry's granddaughters.  A nearby amusement park offered bumper boats, miniature golf and go-carts in the list of activities.  The weather was ideal and the day was thoroughly enjoyed by kids and adults.


Kelsi and Sophia

Bumper boats - Terry and Brandon




Brandon began kindergarten the end of August and adjusted quickly.  He's already encountered a bully on the school bus.  Brandon and his dad talked about how to handle the situation and Matt told him to stand up to the boy.  And sure enough, when the bully hassled him again, Brandon did as Matt told him: He literally stood up and the bully backed down.















Sophia is short for her age: she and Kelsi who is a year younger are the same height.  Sophia's about six inches shorter than a playmate who is the same age.  You could say she's doll size.















Fall arrived slowly and made visits to the park inviting.









I've belonged to an internet writers' list since its inception over five years ago.  We have evolved into a neighborhood of friends who, instead of chatting over backyard fences as our parents did, chat via our computers.  Periodically members meet.  The latest get together was in mid-October and was the first I've attended.  Dubbed the P1 'Rama, it was held in honor of Peter (aka P1), a list member from Sydney, Australia, who was visiting various cities in the US.  One of his stops was in Bloomington, Indiana.  Those of us who could met there at the home of Julie, yet another list member.



Changing color of fall
The weekend was like every family reunion should be.  Each arriving person was welcomed with bear hugs and broad smiles.  We talked and laughed from arising in the mornings to late in the evenings.  Saturday brunch was at Bloomington's Runcible Spoon, the namesake of our parent list.  Then it was off to visit the local farmers' market followed by an afternoon hike into the woods near Julie's home.  I realized on the drive back to Massillon that although I've belonged to the list since its inception, there'd been a gap in the circle.  That space closed as I spent time with this group of witty, charming, accepting folks.  Now I look forward to a time when all of us can be together to celebrate the amazing relationship that makes us closer than many families related by blood.




Pam; Sachet; Gloria; Mike; Julie, our hostess for the weekend; Al, Gloria's husband; Andy, Julie's son; and (center front) Peter.











Al; Sachet; Gloria; Pam; Andy; Julie' Mike; Matt, Laura's/Wolfie's son; and Laura













Copyright ©2005  Kitty Park

2005 - SUMMER





IT'S A NEW WORLD

 

Summer was a long time coming this year.  There were a few days after I moved in that were sunny and brought thoughts of balmy temperatures, but a weekend of snow followed and then several weeks of damp, chilly-breeze days.  When weather was miserable, Brandon and Sophia played in the sunroom; when warm, they played outdoors.


One evening toward the end of May, Brandon was on the treadmill at their home and Sophia put her hand between the moving belt and housing.  The result was a third degree friction burn about three inches long and one-half inch wide extending from just above her wrist toward her elbow.  She was seen by a burn specialist at Akron Children's Hospital the day after the accident and Dawn received detailed instructions on caring for the wound.  Sophia, the little trooper, has been an excellent patient and was stoic every evening as Dawn cleaned and redressed her arm.  Short of putting her in "time out", nothing has slowed Sophia down.  It hasn't particularly bothered her, but the adults in her life have suffered major cases of angst.


Sophia was not allowed to get her arm wet, so was diligent about playing in water with only her left hand or wearing a plastic bag over the bandage when running through the lawn sprinkler or participating in throwing water balloons with my neighbors' grandchildren Christian and Kelsi.
On the climbing wall
On the slide




















Finally, a little under two weeks after the mishap, the doctor recommended skin grafting, saying that her arm would heal faster and with less scarring with intervention.  And so it was done.




Sophia came home from surgery the same day it was performed.  She spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch with her arm elevated.










The morning following her surgery, Sophia was back to being her regular self. Wearing the gold medal awarded to her by Brandon, she rode her blue big wheel and explored ways to accommodate her Michelin-Man forearm.







The summer's been filled with busy-ness. Christian and Brandon, although a year apart in age, are very similar in interests and spend their days here in the complex in each other's company.  Sophia is a year older than Kelsi and is intent on coordinating their time together.  One July morning Grandma Sherry and I took the four on a walk along a nearby towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal.  While we pushed the girls in strollers, the boys pedaled their bikes.








Summer heat was overcome with frequent visits to the wading pool or the sprinkler.





























On a mid-July Saturday, Dawn and I visited the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with Brandon and Sophia.  Sophia didn't like riding the camel and cried as the animal slowly made a circuit of the ring.  Later, tears gone, Sophia declared, "I not like that camel," but she also had a look of pride on her face.  Fortunately her fright had been overcome by her spirit of adventure.


Copyright ©2005  Kitty Park




2005 - SPRING

THE CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE









Riding on the coattails of Christmas and New Years was Brandon's fifth birthday which we celebrated on January 8.  Instead of a houseful of family friends and countless children, there were only a few of his classmates from preschool and neighborhood friends.  HULK was the theme, and Brandon wore the costume. 











After playing "Stick the Party Hat on Hulk" (a version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey), the partygoers moved to the garage to take turns hitting the Hulk pinata.













Last fall I decided that I was ready to move away from the lake.  I enjoyed lake living, especially sitting on the deck in the shade and reading a book.  But the solitude was vanishing.  Pam, a nearby neighbor, announced her plans to move to a condo complex which is nearer Dawn and her family.  I visited the models and suddenly I, too, was "gangbusters" to move.

I ran a "For Sale by Owner" ad in the local newspaper in early October, and then realized if the condo didn't sell before the cold and snow set in, there would be little interest from potential buyers until after the holidays.  Our winter was a long and hard one.  No one wanted to be outside, let alone looking for a place to live.



After the holidays, life returned to normal ... or as normal as it could be when the lake condo needed to be ready to show to potential buyers on short notice.  The anticipated move had little impact on Sophia and Brandon.  Every day when I picked up Brandon after preschool, he'd ask, "Are we going to your new house today?"  And I'd reply that we had to sell the old one first.
As we moved from February to March, the snow melted and sun warmed the air.  Finally we could get outdoors and again take walks across the island.  Lacking sand to play in, Sophia and Brandon played in the pea-size stone of the walkway.
Finally in early March I had a buyer, one who was anxious to move within a month.  Suddenly I needed to proceed quickly to complete purchase arrangements of my new unit so that once the sale closed on the lake condo, I could move into the new one.  The closing on the lake unit was on March 29 and I signed the paperwork on the new unit April 1.  Moving day was April 7.


There were an amazing number of boxes that had to be unpacked.  Dawn ramrodded me to stick with the task of putting things away and within a week, the condo began to feel like home.  By the end of April, the walls were painted and the pictures hung.  The new condo was not just feeling like home, it was home!  I am so happy to be living here.  It's quiet and I have great neighbors.  And when Brandon and Sophia are here, there's plenty of space outdoors - including broad driveways to pedal their bikes in - to keep them occupied.
Grandparents' Day in mid-April is an occasion both Brandon and I look forward to.  I think the reason it is popular with him is because he anticipates the unlimited number of cookies from which he can choose during the celebration.

SIGNS OF SPRING



Snack time
Playing in the sandbox

Two wheeling
Tow truck driver



Copyright ©2005  Kitty Park