sorry for my absence here last week. our granddaughter, Amelie (who'll be 2 on the 19th), came to visit us with her Grandma Theresa (her mom's mom) from Portland. they arrived early Tuesday morning and left Sunday afternoon. we had a lot of fun with her. she's smart, funny, quick, sweet, determined and for a 2-year-old, sort of...well...centered. she seems rather like an old soul to me. i've been around plenty of toddlers, but she really didn't fuss much for a 2-year old. hardly at all, really. see that photo in the bottom row where she has her hands over her ears? that's her technique for when she's on overload. unlike a lot of toddlers this age, she doesn't pitch a fit or start throwing a tantrum. she just stops, stands perfectly still, puts her hands over her ears and gives you that look. i actually sort of admire that technique. it's like she's giving herself a time-out. :)
we discovered she likes mardis gras beads, coloring, bubbles, ducks, sliding doors, sprinklers, bubble baths, the 'corn bath' at the pumpkin patch, and William Wegman's brilliant children's video "Alphabet Soup."
her Papa (J) is totally smitten. he played beads with her, gave her a foot massage, came home from a museum gig and immediately sat down to draw and color with her without even taking off his suit. he also repaired a doggy flashlight we found at the thrift store and she had loads of fun shining it in the dark. we celebrated her birthday a few days early and i think her favorite birthday gift was the snazzy pink and black sneakers Papa picked out for her. they have hearts on the side that light up when she runs, and she quickly learned to step into the darkened hallway and stamp her feet to make them work without having to run. ;)
we walked to the UC Davis arboretum and fed the ducks. we went to the farmers market and she got a heart painted on her arm. we shopped at the thrift store on 2 for 1 day and found a cute wooden cart, the doggy flashlight, several videos and that jack-o-lantern costume you see in the photos. we went to the pumpkin patch and spent a lot of time playing in the corn bath. we drew and colored many, many sheets of recycled paper. it made me laugh every time she patted the floor next to her...that was my cue to come take a seat, it was time to color. ;) she liked sitting at my desk and leaving me copious notes on the yellow legal pad there.
all in all, we had a swell time. when she was born, we decided she would call me Moo Moo (which is what my nieces and nephew have always called me). her other grandma is Mimi. in one tiny meltdown moment, she suddenly cried out "Mi-Moo!"...which made us laugh.
Amelie is a very special girl and we're so blessed that she's graced our lives with her presence. we loved having her here and look forward to many, many more special times together.





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