February
March
June
July
September
October
November
December
2007 - SUMMER
SUMMER FUN
Several days through the summer, Sophia and Kelsi entertained themselves by putting on make up and nail polish. Once the immediate goal was achieved, sometimes Sophia moved on to applying body art.
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Dawn's friend Inga and her two children, Hayden and Lydia, came up
the end of July to spend a few days visiting Dawn's family. Carolyn,
Inga's mom, came along and stayed with me. One afternoon the eight of
us visited the locks on the nearby Erie Canal and took a ride on a canal
boat which is towed by horses.
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| Ready for a ride on the canal boat |
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| The moms - Dawn and Inga |
This summer I took a couple short trips out of town. Grandma Sherry
and I drove to Pittsburgh to see the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit at the
Phipps Conservatory. On the following day we toured Fallingwater, a
Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. We
had a good time sharing the experience and being free of our
grandparenting responsibilities.
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| Fallingwater - a corner window with no mullion |
In September Teresa, a friend I met on a cruise several years ago,
came to town for a visit. We have always enjoyed traveling together and
as a result, have become sisters of the heart. She, like Sherry and I,
loves glass, so we went to Pittsburgh for a tour of glass exhibits
including Chihuly, and then we drove up to Niagara Falls, a new
experience for Texan Teresa.
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| Chihuly glass exhibit |
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| Niagara Falls - The three falls from our hotel room |
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| Mutt and Jeff - Taken by Teresa |
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| At the butterfly conservatory |
As the weather turned to fall, the kids found new activities to
enter-tain themselves in- doors. I was their customer and Bran- don and
Sophia took turns being the waiter, waitress or chef.
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Halloween signaled the beginning of a fall and winter festivities.
Brandon and Sophia joined neighbor friends Nicholas and Genevieve on a
comfortable, gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon to go trick or treating.
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| A princess, ghoul #1, ghoul #2 and a kitten |
Dawn and Sophia were born on November 3 and 4. This year Sophia was 5. She invited four friends to a make-up and dress-up party. While one mom applied their blush and eye makeup, the other did their nail polish. Once the embellishment was completed, the moms went to prepare for cake and ice cream. While in the kitchen, Dawn heard the girls laughing and squealing and went to see what they were doing. Each girl was taking a turn, running across the living room and diving face first into the chair, leaving their over-the-top make up on the chair cushions.
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| Birthday girls with Brandon |
Just what part of "Don't jump on the bed!" don't kids understand?! How many times must a child be reminded? Evidently one more than Sophia was. She fell and her right front tooth met the bedside table an instant before her nose grazed the corner. The result was a tooth knocked loose as well as a cut lip and nose boo-boo. It was nearly two weeks before Sophia would eat solid food. The tooth is still there, hanging about 1/8-inch below its mate. And just short of two weeks after the accident, she was caught bouncing on the bed again.
Copyright ©2003-2008 Kitty Park
2007 - SPRING
SLOW COMING, SLOWER GOING
Winter weather summary: Beginning in November, the days should get cold and stay
cold. As it was, ponds didn't ice over until the third week of
January. The second week of February wind chills dropped to below -20°
and school was closed so the children wouldn't have to stand in the cold
waiting for buses. We had a heavy snowfall the following week and it
took the condominium's snow removal crew three trips to complete their
job of plowing the streets and driveways and shoveling sidewalks. That
was also the week my yard light bulb had to be replaced. For more on
this read
Sparky. Once the snow was plowed, the big thaw set in and the third week of February, temperatures reached into the 40's. The way I
look at it, winter was three weeks long, but the weather leading to it
and the weather following it just made for a long six months.
Brandon's birthday was in early January. There was no theme as in
the past. It was just time for gifts, games, cake and ice cream.
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Grandmothers get cabin fever, too, just like their charges. By February, we were asking each other, "Is it April yet?" In other words, can the kids go outdoors to play. One snowy no-school day, Sherry and I took the four grandkids to a nearby indoor game room so that they could work off some of that energy outside the condos' walls.
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| Brandon and Christian playing golf |
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| Sophia and Kelsi on the slide |
 Sophia was given an Easy Bake oven which she brought to the condo to use. Several days we baked a "double batch" -- 3 one-inch cookies to a pan, a total of six cookies. |
 Sophia's preschool celebrates Easter with a parade. The girls wear hats and the boys, ties. Sophia insisted on wearing a hat and tie. |
The days of March and April took turns being sunny and windy or
overcast and temperate. On the best days, sunny and warm, Brandon and
Sophia relished playing outdoors again.
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Brett changed employers in March, leaving San Diego and moving to San
Francisco. His one-bedroom apartment is in a new building in which
units eventually will be sold as condominiums. He has a view of SBC
baseball stadium and San Francisco Bay and he's within walking distance
of Union Square downtown. His office is just west of Pier 39. He's
very pleased with his decision to move -- the job is challenging and
rewarding, his workmates, accommodating and the city, friendly. He's
invested in a mountain bike and has made a couple trips north to pedal
through wine country.
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| Brett and Pier 39 |
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| SBC baseball stadium from Brett's apartment |
I've done little traveling in last several months. However, when an internet friend announced her plans to marry in May, several of us who belong to that writers' list made the sojourn to Portland, Oregon, to attend. While the bride was involved in preparations for her big day, some of us took the opportunity to visit sights in the area.
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Copyright ©2003-2007 Kitty Park
2006 - WINTER
WINTER HOLIDAYS
Fall weather was unusually mild. That was a good
thing since Matt gave away his portable Weber grill after he completed
his summer project - enlarging the patio, building a fireplace and
creating a wet bar which also houses a grill. No longer could he cook
the Thanksgiving turkey in the protection of the garage. But as you can
see, the bird was perfectly cooked and it tasted marvelous.
Following dinner, Brandon and Sophia worked off energy riding their bikes outdoors.
When Brandon was still a baby and could be carried,
that would be about six years ago, the Valentines would visit a tree farm, search for and then cut down a Christmas tree. Now Brandon and
Sophia are too big to carry and dragging a 12-foot tree through the
forest no longer excites Matt in a positive way. Fortunately there's a
nursery less than a mile from their home where the family can still
enjoy the hunt for a tree without the labor to get it to the car.
Gifts for Brandon and Sophia began arriving in mid-December. There were packages from Nana and Pappap which were put under the tree to be opened on Christmas Day. But gifts from Uncle Brett and Patricia were opened immediately. For Sophia were the twin dolls, a boy and a girl, and a matching dress for her. Brandon received communication accessories for use during his James Bond play.
Brett flew in from San Diego on Thursday evening. A storm in the Denver area created havoc throughout the U.S. and hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed, but fortunately Brett was only an hour late arriving. We didn't tell Brandon or Sophia that he was coming because we'd hear, "Is Uncle Brett coming today?" ["No, not for three days."] "Is it three days/two days yet?" ["No, not yet. He'll be here Friday."] "Is today Friday?" ["No, one more day."] You get the idea.
Dawn brought them over Friday morning and Brett laid in bed waiting
for them to discover his presence. Brandon immediately spied Brett's
backpack and asked, "Isn't that Uncle Brett's backpack?" I responded it
was very much like it. I asked Brandon to go in the bedroom and bring
something from the closet. He went in, turned on the overhead light,
walked into the closet and was on his way back when he spied the big
lump in the bed. And the weekend officially began.
Brett enjoys playing with Brandon and he got a double dose Friday
since Christian was visiting next door for the day. The boys like to
have Brett drive the car around the circle while they play their spy
games. Note that it was a rainy day, but that didn't deter the outdoor
activity. When they tired of espionage, they tossed a football around.
Getting ready for the Big Day is chaotic. There were presents to buy, gifts to wrap, letters to be written to Santa, and parties to host or attend. But finally it was Christmas morning. Brett and I arrived at the Valentines just after Brandon and Sophia found the plate with bits of cookies left by Santa and traces of carrot and apple the reindeer had not eaten. Stockings were emptied and then serious gift unwrapping began. I marvel that Santa is able to get gifts for all the children in his sleigh when he brings so much for Sophia and Brandon.
There was a BIG present for Brandon in the garage. Fortunately his dad has long legs, because Brandon's aren't long enough to reach the pedals.
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| Big guy and little guy |
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| Brandon and Brett in go-cart |
Brett left late Christmas morning to fly back to San Diego. But the fun continued as Brandon and Sophia opened boxes and played with their gifts. A week later we welcomed 2007. A new year with new experiences awaits!
The Valentine Family
January 1, 2007
Copyright ©2003-2007 Kitty Park
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