Friday's playdate photos

 

 

 

 

Freedom!

Last week I was laid off from my job. I'm supposed to be sad about that, eh? Not yet.
Word is there are Java development positions around, and I'm eminently qualified and experienced. Nothing has cropped up in the first week, but I've spent most of it getting my resume in order. Next week I'll send it around to more than just my friends and recruiters.

Meantime, the time off is fantastic. We went to a playdate on Friday -- when I find the camera, I'll put up some of the excellent pictures. Next week is pretty open, so who wants a visit?

Sisters in the morning

This morning Evelyn and Lindita woke up (both in my bed) and hugged each other. Evelyn said, "I love you, Linda."
Then: "Do you want to come play with me? Say yes!" "yeth." "Then come on!"

Lindita always answers "No," whether she means it or not, but if you ask her to say "yes," then she will. Evelyn cleverly helped her out on that one.

Quote of the Day:

Oh mighty American guru, what is the core of manliness?

Fatherhood Jorge, fatherhood. Any male who can get down on the floor and play cars with his son or dolls with his daughter, who will give up his own time and money, who will clean up puke, shit and other bodily fluids, who will delay selfish pleasures so his children can go to Chuckie Cheese.... that's a man. It also helps if he's got enough confidence to dance.

Minutiae

Last night Evelyn dreamed that trash trucks and cars could go on the sidewalk and grass. They chased her. They kind of caught her a little bit. She made a mud ball out of clay and threw it at them.

This morning, when the trash truck was heard, Lindita had to get down from breakfast and both girls ran to the window to see and discuss the trash truck.

At parent-teacher conference this morning, Evelyn's teacher reported that Evelyn is growing in her group-work skills. She is more inclined to join in with a group activity, whereas early in the year she preferred to choose an activity of her own. Of course her verbal skills are tremendous, and she shows loads of imagination.

A great weekend

This weekend Rachel and Tyler came to visit. Wow, we had a great time! We played some games. Tyler chased Evelyn around the house, inside and out.

Saturday was a big day: Eric went to a lifting clinic, Evelyn visited Jorge, Lindita stayed with Uncle Seth, and Eva and Nana and I painted with Mama Cat. It was a long day trip, but we all had a great time. Evelyn learned to play several board games. She's really getting interested in them. Hurray!

On Sunday, the teenagers and I saw Spring Awakening at the Fox. Great show! My favorite part was hearing Rach and Tyler sing "A Whole New World" in the car. Tyler played the piano and sang, back at our house, which Evelyn thought was way too loud. She has sensitive ears.

Evelyn convinced Rachel and Tyler to swing her back and forth, flip her upside down, wrestle her, etc etc. Through twenty minutes of this horseplay, Lindita laid on the floor and played with a doll, looking at it and talking to it.

Everybody has to be somebody

Saturday, Evelyn was Lightning Boy. Lightning Boy, whoever that is, wears a blue shirt and jeans. Half an hour later, she's taking off her pants and undies: "Lightning Boy doesn't wear Dora panties."

Five minutes later, despair: "I can't find any boy panties!"

Yeah, Evelyn, that's because boys don't wear panties. I forced her to settle for a blue Tinkerbell pair. Guess we should get some solid colors in the next size.

Where are my ears?

 

Christmas with Lindita

We had the most relaxing Christmas ever. Lindita was teething, and all morning she sat on my lap and let Daddy and me play her new game, Wii Music.

First thing in the morning, Lindita climbed down and ran for Evelyn's room. She was disappointed that Evelyn's bed was empty. She did the same thing this morning. Seven more days, Deet-deet, until your sister is home.

Big Christmas

On Saturday we opened presents with my family and Jorge and Eva.

Lindita's favorite gift: Eva bought her a soft Diego that's about her height. "Day-go!" she cries, and hugs him, and carries him around. He's her new boyfriend.

Evelyn's favorite gifts: Rachel bought her a Rescue Pack. Mom's friend Pat bought her one of those toys where you press your face into the blunt-tipped nails to make a 3-D impression. Nana and Pa-pa bought her princess dresses.

Eric's favorite gift: that would be the cheat card for Nintendo DS, which allows him to modify his Pokemon.

Jorge's favorite gift: Evelyn gave him a Mario mushroom, so that he can get even bigger.

Lindita's favorite gift of Evelyn's: a Pokemon dice game from Eva and Jorge. Lindita spent at least half an hour putting the dice in the cup and dumping or shaking them out.

Both girls' favorite gift of Nana's: a rocket ship with astronauts. Evelyn picked this out.

Lindita's First Sentence

"Play Diego"

Yes, her first sentence is about a video game based on a cartoon character.

The parking spot color obsession

Nana's update:

I don't like grandmas anymore cried Evelyn when she found out I parked on a red parking square. Boo-hoo. I said but Evie, they all looked white to me today.

Her school has alternating colors in the parking lot: one spot red, one spot white. Lately Evelyn insists on a white parking spot for drop-off and pickup. Woe unto Nana, who chose the wrong color today in the snow.

Mohawk

 

My day at work

We had some fun at work today.
The stores called the helpdesk because sales weren't saving. Why aren't sales saving? They're taking forever! Like twenty minutes -- how is that even possible?
By increasing log levels, we identified that sales were hanging inserting into a particular table. They hang getting the next available ID, all because one particular sale has a lock on that. What is that particular sale waiting for? Ah-ha, someone has a discount coupon locked in an unrelated process, and that sale wants to use the coupon. Let's call them! They need to close that window.
I try to call the offending store from my work phone. It doesn't work. I try from my cell phone. It doesn't work. Somebody in Kansas City is holding up sales at all stores nationwide, and we can't call them!

In the end, I called the district manager, who called the store manager, who called the manager on duty that day, who called me back. The lock was released, sales started flowing again, and now he knows that their phone is broken. ("That's why no one has called us all day!")

Stuff like this is my favorite part of working IT.

post-Thanksgiving updates

The family had a lovely Thanksgiving. Mama Cat, Aunt Bunny, Uncle Seth, Cousin Liz, and Uncle Gene came to visit. Our two favorite Spaniards joined us for dinner. Later, the girls and I followed Mama Cat to Hannibal. (except our minivan arrived a few seconds before hers did - that's important if you're Evelyn.)

Evelyn's favorite: Going Bonkers, with all of us and Uncle Josh. Lindita enjoyed that too, despite being napless.

Lindita's favorite: Uncle Seth.

Food drive

This morning Evelyn and I went downstairs to the pantry to choose food for the food drive. I told her about the families who don't have enough food to eat. She decided to give them some of her favorite beans, a container of bread crumbs, some jelly for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and chocolate milk for them to drink.

Lindita is both organized and incredibly messy at the same time. She likes to put things back, put things on shelves, put lids on things, and put things away. But she's 1. She can't help being messy. Yesterday morning at breakfast, we gave her blueberries (thawed from frozen). After eating a few, she lined up the remaining ones on the counter, in a neat row -- neat except for the blueberry juice oozing into puddles on the counter and down to the floor, and except for the blueberries she dropped on the floor.
This evening she found a strawberry in a plastic bowl. She took the strawberry out, pulled it apart, ate some, and put the remaining bits back in the bowl. Then she set the bowl down on the air. Maybe she meant the counter, but she missed totally, and plonk, bowl and strawberry bits all over the floor.

Evelyn is interested in road signs, especially the ones with a circle and a line. The other day we sat at a stoplight in front of "No left turn." She knows that one. A car went straight through the light across the street. "That's a bad car! Turning left is not acceptable!" I tried to explain to her that it's okay to go that way if you're going straight, but not from the direction we were coming from. She didn't get it. "No right turn on red" is another tricky one.

Tonight while getting Lindita ready for bed, I couldn't find any pants for her. Her drawer was full of shorts. Nana looked through the clean clothes pile but didn't find any. Then out of the bathroom wanders Lindita, holding out... pants! She found the pants she wore before the bath and brought them to me. Wow! Coincidence? She tried to put the pants on by herself by pulling them over her head. She tries to put all clothing on her head, including socks.
Smart about the pants, right? ... but what was she doing in the bathroom before she brought out the pants? Throwing her favorite book in the bathtub. The book is "Pajama Time," not "Bath Time," silly Deeter Doo.

and now it is Kitchen Time.

Revenge

Lindita dunked Dora in the toilet for a while and then threw her into the garbage can.

new rug

 

A different child

Last night, after Lindita's bath, she sat naked on Evelyn's bed playing with a toy. I approached with a diaper and pajamas. Lindita saw me coming with the diaper and ... laid down. She laid down on the bed and let me put on her diaper and pants! She continued playing with the toy. No rolling away, no fleeing, no squirming, just sweet cooperation. Wow. She is not a clone of her sister, that's for sure.

pictures

Dancing with Daddy:

 

Wrestling sisters:

 

Evelyn at the zoo:

 

Lindita is a power star for Halloween:

 

Evelyn had costumes ready for Mario, Luigi, King Boo, Princess Peach, and Rosalina. At the last minute, she insists she's Yoshi. She can be Yoshi by wearing any green pants and green shirt. Okay, Evelyn, if you declare that you're Yoshi, then you are.

 

At Gymnastics, she wore Mario: