And that's how you eat a burrito.

Nuestra bandita.

We are still alive, just too lazy to post.

Back to school.

Fever free and sporting her first Halloween top of the season. SS was sneezing this morning, crossing our fingers. Last night we had a thunderstorm and P spent over an hour outside watching the lighting. SS joined him for a while. Good thing I'm used to a husband who bonds with his kids over death and destruction.

She is still camping.

Looks like SS really enjoyed her first camping trip, despite the lousy weather, fever and not spending enough time with JJ. This is the one thing where SS & JJ are polar opposites. Our son loathes camping. 

Feeling better.

SS was asleep by 5:30 p.m and woke up around 6:00 a.m. She is feeling better, building camps, playing super hero, and has had two servings each of milk and juice. Guava juice is her favorite now. We are hoping there are no more fevers.

Sick again.

The school director called around 1:00 pm yesterday because SS was running a fever. Once again I'm grateful P is barely two minutes away and his work is flexible. P stayed with SS until I arrived home, then returned to work at 5:30 pm. He came home for about an hour, then returned to work at 11:30 pm, and should be home soon. SS must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. She is having a Baba and SS day and returns next Tuesday. Hopefully she'll be OK by then.

Goodbyes are sad.

We had breakfast with JJ and are on our way home. SS's nap was actually her shutting down on us. As excited as she was about camping and spending time with JJ, something about this place messed with her mind. We are not the Jolie-Pitts, but we have traveled with SS and know her behavior was not the away from home norm. She slept from yesterday at 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 this morning. We seriously worried when JJ's presence at breakfast did not brighten her mood. She asked me to hold her, and when we suggested she get a last snuggle with JJ she said no. We talked her into hugging the love of her life goodbye. She is now medicated and hopefully better by the time we arrive home.

Remembering Grandpa.

Sorry about the pictures without blogging. Life has a way of getting in the way of posting. We planned on taking SS on her first camping adventure last year, but between Chicago and Maui we lost steam. SS's separations from JJ are becoming increasingly difficult. We prepare her the best we can. We count how many sleeps before JJ comes home AND how many sleeps JJ will spend home. No matter how much time we spend preparing SS, she falls apart when JJ leaves.

One thing we did not post about is that during JJ's last visit SS began to refer to him as "my brother" or "my big brother." That is not a new concept for SS since we introduced JJ and brother to her when we met, and have reinforced the sibling relationship since. But this was the first time that SS articulated her understanding. It was funny to hear "where did my big brother go Mama?" or "I love my big brother."

Knowing that summer is almost over, we knew we wanted SS to have that first camping experience. What better way to blend SS's need to see JJ and her first camping experience. We left yesterday evening for a quick visit. We arrived at around 9:20, and JJ came to help us set up. On weekends he goes to work at 5:00 a.m., so he could not stay long. Thankfully SS was so excited about camping that she let go of JJ without the drama we feared.

Sadly for SS she went from 100 degrees to 48, not exactly summer weather. It quickly reminded us why we were so eager to leave this hell hole. While SS had her Buzz heavy fleece blanket, P and I had our summer sleeping bag. I was shivering all night, while P did what he could to keep me warm to no avail. We have camped at this temperatures before without incident, but it seems that four years at 100+ degree weather turned me into a wimp.

JJ came by after work and we had lunch at a Hawaiian joint. Funny how this economically depressed, lily white place we desperately fled now has a Hawaiian restaurant. We had an amazing time reminiscing about Maui. At this time last year we were returning home from our amazing trip to Maui. Grandpa spoiled us with free lodging, free car service, and an awful lot of Hawaiian and seafood. It is the best time we have had as a family. So much that although we have a strict rule that Holidays are spent home, P really would like to spend a Christmas in Maui. Of all holidays, Christmas is the one I thought I'd never waver on, no matter the reason. But as we had lunch I had a change of heart. Listening to how easily all four of us talked about Maui I realized that as long as the four of us are in agreement and present, it would be a great experience. Now the witch is coordinating our schedules.

P had fish tacos, and SS, JJ and I had chicken katsu for the first time since Maui. It was yummy and a good time was had by all. We picked up a big fleece blanket since in this town without milk heaters are "seasonal items and won't be available for a while." Really? 46 freaking degrees is balmy weather to you freaks? No wonder we left...

This post is via iPhone since we are too far away from the office to get a signal. I apologize for any spelling errors and run on sentences. Pictures when we get home. SS is napping, a big no no at 5:00 p.m., we sent JJ home to get some rest. We are having dinner here and we say goodbye tomorrow before JJ goes to work at noon.

JJ!

What's Baba doing?

Retrieving the filter of the percolator he accidentally threw over the fence.

She slept well.

Snug as a bug in a Buzz rug.

Always prepared.

Who knew Baba would find an SS sized Buzz flashlight.

Another first.

Raging River

Last Monday we returned to the water park for some more fun. JJ's favorite ride is the Raging River and it was not working the day before. Much to our delight it was up and raging and we got to go quite a few times, further annoying our daughter. I have seen many kids SS's size on that ride, and we had a three seater inner tube. Not my wisest move but I asked P is we could try it, since SS really wants to join in the big ride fun. P immediately nixed the idea, his main concern was not drowning, it would be a wipe out and the damage it could cause if one or both of us rolled over SS. Sorry my 30-pounder, Maybe next year. We did bribe reward SS with a cherry Icee. I think we are temporarily forgiven. Michelle, good job noticing SS's teed off mug, our girl needs to come out of her shell and tell us how she really feels.



We really thought we were going to take that poor kid out.






SS is the ultimate drama queen, she has the gall to complain about water in her eyes, while wearing well fitted goggles. Her teenage years are going to be a painful time for us.



JJ taught SS how to push off the wall, and SS spent the next 10 minutes "practicing," while JJ and Baba were at the RR.

We enjoyed being in the toilet bowl, then decided to ride an avalanche.

We had a very low start this morning, as you can see below. It is the only picture you are going to get because SS is the only one who looks stunning even when disheveled. We need for Grandpa to send SS another T-shirt in her current size, because she is big trouble and the world deserves a warning.

Yes, SS is wearing C@rs pull ups and yes, they are for boys. Thankfully for her, we do not care where the extra padding is located. SS usually wakes up dry.

We finally made it out by 1:00 p.m., quite an accomplishment since I did not go to sleep until 8:00 a.m. Poor SS was fixated on tonight's dessert and we had to get her out of here before she had a major meltdown.

We can't get SS to do this, it is too uncomfortable for her and she becomes a whining mess. Not only did she spend a reasonable amount of time on the tube, but she wanted nothing to do with us. Whenever we tried to hold her hand she would whine that she only wanted to be with JJ.





Happy to be leading her brother by the finger all day long. Since SS had no use for us, we decided to amuse ourselves by trying some of the rides.

We started with the toilet bowl, and had the brilliant idea to record our descent into the giant tidy bowl. Since it gets pretty hectic I held the camera secure by using my watch strap. And the camera is allegedly shock proof (SS proof to us), so it should have been able to take the beating.

SS's least favorite part of the day was watching us do things where she could not participate. That is when her over the top drama queen behavior reared its ugly head.

P and I were first and it went rather well taking in consideration that I am a certified coward. My big mistake was hopping off the double tube, because the riptide in the pool is unbelievably strong. The lifeguard had to use the rescue pad to drag me out. Classy.



P and JJ had the coolest wipeout and you can tell by the number of revolutions the camera did. It was cooler from my point of view. I saw a body rapidly expelled from the exit sans tube. I recalled thinking "crazy dude without an inner tube." Upon closer examination the crazy dude was my son. Wait, he was in a double with P, where's the tube? Where the heck is P? I did not see P come out, I only saw him surface from the water. It was fun.



Then it was time to ride Avalanche. This time we did the bird's view with P and I, and I filmed P and JJ's descent.






All that fun required a re-hydration break with water, juice, sodas and chilled watermelon.

P bought this bathing suit for Sula in Maui last year. The top and rash guard fit perfectly (SS refused to wear the rash guard), but I had to really take the bottoms in to make it work.

Our Maui trip came up a lot throughout the day. We had an amazing time and look forward to a return trip in the future. We all agree that snorkeling at Chicken Beach is at the top of our to do lists. All that reminiscing led to a lot of talking about the amount of sea food we scarfed down while there. JJ treated us to dinner and we settled on a fish and chips restaurant.

The restaurant has several neat murals and a nautical theme.

SS's first hush puppy and she was instantly hooked. She managed to polish half the order. I am looking for a good hush puppies recipe.

SS almost finished all her fish as well.

We finally were able to reward SS's patience with two slices of ice cream cake. We had a blast and are watching Bre@king B@d, and drinking Blue Hawaiis. Good times.

Best birthday gift ever,

A girl and her Cars.

Three weeks ago we took SS to see C@rs 2. The D*sney Channel had been playing the original movie in an annoying consecutive loop prior to the release of the sequel, so SS was well versed in the magic of Lighting McQueen. On her second viewing SS declared her love for LM, as I silently watched even more of our money make its way into D*sney coffers. Big Icee and popcorn in hand, our tiny cinematic enthusiast settled to enjoy the movie. I was a bit disappointed with the level of violence in the G rated movie, and worried that SS would be afraid leading to a quick exit. We were well aware of the plot and did not have an issue with it, however, the whole thing about shoot outs, kill him, and cars dying deserved a PG rating (IMHO).

But as she is known to do, SS blew us away with her attention span, and not a single tear was shed. This is the same child who last year wept when her beloved Buzz was in trouble, much to the amusement of the adults around us. SS never took her eyes of the screen and during the final minutes she stood up and cheered her tiny hiney off urging M@ter and LM to win the good fight. Guess who are SS's new BFFs.



SS is holding a H@ppy Meal toy, the poor young lady behind the counter almost lost her head when she gave SS a "girl" toy. Our self assured girl demanded a light saber. Why is that considered a boy toy eludes me. And what is it with the gender categorization of toys? What bothers me is that SS has picked up of this and to cut to the chase simply asks for a boy toy or sticker. Ugh.

A very long, well deserved and very needed break.

We have not posted in a while, life has been beyond crazy and we are not only juggling but adapting. P mentioned that it's telling that our last post was on July 4th, such a milestone to be succeeded by seventeen days of milestones. while we did not post during those significant days, it was not because we are "over it." Our lives have changed, P and I are home together only one day per week, and we opted to celebrate those milestones and defer posting for a later time.

SS is keeping us busy cranking up her stubborn level, something we thought was an impossibility. Not a day goes by when she does not manage to keep us in awe, shock, falling deeper in love with her, marveling at how something so small can be so bossy, and even plain scared. Second best roller coaster ride we have been on, and we love roller coasters. As usual, SS has her daily moments...

About a week ago, P properly reacted to the silence around him by asking SS what she was doing. SS calmly and firmly answered.... "I'm breaking bad.!" UGH. P is hooked on that show, and the last thing we need is our daughter saying that at preschool. Is it naive to think no one at school knows what it means?

Yesterday we took SS swimming and on the drive home a song I like played on the radio. Much to our surprise SS belted the song in the backseat. Nothing funnier than 30 pounds of solid love singing “I‘m falling to PIECES!!!.”

This afternoon our area reached 106 degrees. I came home with my Halloween Haunt super mug containing ice cold water. As P and I were catching up on our day SS reached for my mug and greedily sucked on the very cold water. I jokingly said to P "good thing I do not have vodka in that thing." P replied "she would love that," SS happily piped up " I LOVE vodka." We can't wait for her to share that gem at preschool.

This afternoon I was informed that SS is being transitioned to the senior room. The same child who began her preschool days with a much younger group because we chose to focus on attachment rather than forcing potty training. I was torn when P shared that information. Just recently the school's director stated that there was no way SS could enter kindergarten with her chronological age peers. The senior class is graduating in September and the juniors will take their place. I immediately thought that it was a pity promotion, but P informed me that not all juniors are moving on, only those who can handle it academically and emotionally. Some of SS's peers, born and raised in this country will remain as juniors. I am still a bit skeptical because I believe in slow and methodical, rather than follow the crowd when it comes to post institutionalized children. But apparently SS and her peers who are moving on have spent a few days in the senior class and she is doing very well. Our baby is growing and I am not sure we can handle it.

SS began her preschool career in the sophomore room not only due to our refusal to force potty training, but because we felt that even if she was, her size, development and history warranted that restraint. They fought us something fierce when we made the decision that she was ready for the junior class. We are incredibly flabbergasted that SS, in nine months has come such a long way. We are proud and undeservedly blessed.

Rocky gave the experience two thumbs up.