Daddy Montage

He wrestles

He loudly sings Jingle Bells on Santa Trains
He even goes to Elmo Extravaganza!
He cracks up at her jokes
He encourages Clementine to try new things
He is theatrical
He teaches her to explore her world
He is the best Daddy I could have dreamed up. Clementine is one lucky little girl.
Happy Father's Day Cam!

Cuppy

Whenever we drive past a Starbucks, Clementine asks me "Cuppy mama?" (She's combining "cup" and "coffee" adorably). And really, who am I to say no. I don't want to crush her little spirit. So I stop and get my daily cuppy.

Now she has started playing Barista. In the backyard she picks up a rock, pretends to pour into from my tea kettle potted plant then brings the rock to me. "Cuppy!" she tells me.
"Is hot," she warns.

Daisy May

Last summer we met an eight week old Basset Hound puppy while on a family adventure down in Mt. Vernon. We were instantly smitten and Cameron has been talking of getting another dog ever since then.

We have been looking and looking for the perfect dog to fit our little family. I think we finally found her.

Cam found the Basset Hound Rescue group in Spokane about a week ago. About the same time, they took in 17 Basset Hounds. Cam called (see the dramatic reenactment Clementine is showing you?) and said we'd take one.
We decided to make a little family vacation out of it. We left early Saturday morning, stopped for lunch in the mountains and got to Spokane Saturday evening (it's a 5 hour drive!!!). Clementine did amazingly well on the drive. I was truly stunned she could entertain herself (and nap) that long. She is such an amazing girl.

We went straight to the rescue and met Daisy. Daisy was immediately drawn to Clementine and gave her big Basset kisses.

The rescue kept Daisy for us overnight since we were in a hotel room. We went swimming and shopping and jumped on the hotel beds. It was a super fun mini-vacation.
We got up early the next morning, picked up Daisy and drove on home.

Here are Clementine and Daisy discussing what they have in common:

"I like to pretend not to hear directions."

"Really? Me, too! Do you have huge feet, too?"

"YES! Wow! What's your stance on cuddling?"

"Love it!"

Then they kissed the whole way home.
We made a quick stop in Kirkland for fresh bagels and headed on home to introduce Jack to Daisy.
So far everyone is doing really well. Daisy knows how to use the dog door and we're hoping that rubs off on Jack. They get along really well, although Daisy likes to be the star of the show and gets a little jealous. We're working that out.

Las Vegas

Last week I had a business trip to Las Vegas.

Having been there before with my partner in crime, Emma, I can say this was a VERY different experience. Traveling to Las Vegas with my teaching partners and principal wasn't even close to my first time there.

And furthermore, it was much much hotter. When we landed Sunday evening, it was 112. When we walked down the strip at 10:00pm looking for a place to eat, it was 105. We did a lot of walking, learning and sweating. That pretty much sums up my trip!

This was my second business trip away from Cam and Clementine and much, much harder. This was a business trip that took me several states away from them. I cried. A whole bunch. It was really difficult to be away.

But I realized that Cameron and Clementine need me a whole lot less than I think they do. Dinner (with vegetables!), bath time and school drop off were all just fine without me orchestrating anything (ok, I did pick out all of Clem's outfits for while I was away, but that's only because I'm pretty sure Cam is a little color blind). I'm learning to let go (a little). And Cam did a great job playing Dad & Mom for a few days.

I thought about them the entire time I was there. Especially while I walked around the flower gardens in the Bellagio. I think Clem would have gotten such a kick out of the oversized flower bed made of fresh flowers. It was really amazing!

Bean Sprout

Where has the time gone? Clementine has sprouted into a little girl right before our eyes! There is nothing baby-ish about her anymore (except maybe the night-time binky routine). She is tall and lean, she speaks far more clearly and is totally insulted by baby-ish things. She is not down with highchairs, strollers or baby cups. She wants whatever the big kids have.

During dinner, we noticed that not once did Clementine hum during the meal. Neither Cam or I could remember the last time she did it. It was such a small quirky thing she did but it was such a reminder that she *loved* her meal intensely. And now it's gone. I miss it.

Gone is her obsession over certain vegetables. I used to have to distract her with keys and post it notes in the produce aisle--she would grab red peppers and start crunching into them immediately. Peppers are out. Sliced cucumbers are in. She still loves her Elmo but there is a new man in her life: his name is Buzz Lightyear. "Buthz?" she starts saying as soon as we get home from pre-school. "Where's Buthz?"

Tonight after school we played in the backyard for awhile. She held up two bottles of bubbles and handed one to me "Mama your pink," and handed me the pink bottle of bubbles. "Mine yellow." She's such a genius. She finished up playtime in the backyard by putting on my gardening gloves and digging in the vegetable beds--then she came in and put on my heels, grabbed her purse and took her dog for a walk. She is a perfect mimic.

She is the happiest person I've ever met and she lives to make us laugh. I had no idea two and a half would be so much fun. For the millionth time in the last 31 months, I wish I could freeze time and keep us all just as we are right now.

Slam Dunk!

She could do this all day!

Random Pictures

May has been an extremely busy month for us, but I can't say exactly what we've been busy doing.

Cam's birthday was last week and I had absolutely no idea what to get for him. He is extremely difficult to shop for.

So I made him a cupcake psyche-out. When it's his turn to make dinner, he will often make fried chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies. So I made him his own creation out of cupcakes! I'd wanted to try this idea out for ages. It was so much fun and so realistic looking, we kept it on the counter for a few days!

We celebrated May Day by making our own flowers out of toilet paper rolls. Clem got to use big girl markers for the first time to decorate this lovelies.

Now that the weather is nicer, we're encouraging our animals to spend more time outdoors. We started by getting them a pet door insert...that neither of them will use.

Jack is such a weenie, he freaks out and will only come in if we hold the flap open for him. Penny just doesn't get the idea. Good thing Clementine's here to show them how it's done!