Tag Archives: kids

number 2

chase

The sharp contrast between the Ohio and Pennsylvania legs of our annual trip is dramatic. Despite adoring the West clan – my love of leisure makes this my favorite part of the trip.

There’s NOTHING to do here.. and… it’s wonderful. I try to pick up chores here and there but mother Grimm generally shoos me out of the kitchen.

The dairy where Chad’s mom worked went under so she has become a full-time Grandma… Although this is her first grandchild – she acts like an old pro.

Days are filled with hanging out with Grandma, Great Grandma and little Chase, Chad’s sister’s toddler.

They’re in the throws of potty training Chase and have put a bell in the bathroom… and a roll of stickers…. He hasn’t done number-two in the pot yet, but to encourage him along we’ve started ringing the bell when we all use the facilities.

There’s a primal gratification about announcing one’s bowel movement to the house with a loud bell..

I meant to ask when will the training cover the “try to take a dump as discretely as possible and then search under the vanity for air freshener” technique that we’ve all perfected as adults.

Took a ride down to Uniontown yesterday and went to a discount store called Gabes. I found a shirt for a dollar and a pair of man clogs.

Sorry – can’t blog – The coffee must be kicking in… Gotta go ring the bell.

waiting for AAA

only the dog bothered to notice

I’m sitting in the front of the house waiting for AAA to come… I ran out to plug my camera into the aux jack in the trunk to charge and left my key in there with it..

Odd.. I’ve NEVER locked myself out of a VW before…. I always used to think it was impossible. well.. apparently if you keep the car “armed” and only unlock the trunk – it will re-lock everything when you close the lid.

Meanwhile I’m just poking through more pics from last night and one of Kevin’s brother’s new(ish) born struck me…

If I had a blog I’d offer my DEEPEST apologies for boring you with the onslaught of baby photos… Of all people – I used to be the one who’d roll their eyes as soon as someone would fish their wallet out and start talking about children.

Odd how times change.

Even odder how this resembles a blog.

waking up

playing dress up

It’s sort of a running joke… Kevin’s family thinks I’m narcoleptic. Without fail, whenever we come to visit I’m scarce for the first couple of days either sleeping or wandering around with a 1000 yard stare.

It’s not Akron.. It’s not Ohio… It’s not my in-laws… It’s me.. of course I couldn’t figure this one out until very recently: It’s the 48-hour window of wind-down I require… The very same phenomena that made me feel like the long weekend in Cincinnati wasn’t a break… by the time I “woke up”, it was time to go.

We piled into the SUV the size of our house and hit the stores for some last minute stuff for the woods. I picked up a new air mattress and Sedaris’ new book.

Upon returning I stuffed myself with mom West’s chili and went to sleep.

When I woke – that was it… We may as well just had arrived and I felt like I was just saying hi for the first time to all the folks here.

Hoss arrived and the guys spent most of the evening out in the woods.

Little Jessie is at that super-cute animated, curious and communicative stage of her development.

We played dress up and I got tutored on the finer points of princesshood and jewelry.

She likes her weird big furry uncles. Especially the sleepy one with the camera who says he doesn’t have a blog.