california!

Here we are in california. I am posting this on Mary Pat's blackberry...a cool device but a little alien...not used to typing with my thumbs. Today it feels like California...no humidity, blue skies, palm trees and beautiful vistas marked by junior sized mountains. More like ambitious hills. We are near the town of Perris, which is about ninety miles out of San Diego. The reunion is at a great camp-rv park place called Wilderness Lakes Resort--swimming pools, game rooms and the works.

Yesterday was a full travel day. At one point Cora said to me "Is George Bush still our President?"
"Yes."
"We don't want him to win. I want Ham Lincoln to win". The trip itself went as well as could be expected, considering it takes all day to get to california, and traveling with a four year old is like carrying a wet monkey in a sack. A little unpredictable and scary with some potential for entertainment.

Enough of the alien keyboard for now.

bed bouncers

bed bouncers
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We're off to California tomorrow for the 5-year Meyer family reunion. Cora's so excited she can hardly stand it. Airplanes and Cousin Elise are the main reasons for her enthusiasm.

She worked out some energy this morning with a vigorous bed bouncing session. Oliver was enchanted; he squealed and squawked at her the whole time and lunged back and forth on his chunky legs. His admiration for her is growing daily. He still has a smile ready for the big people, but he reserves the biggest belly laughs for Cora. She has been great with him lately now that it's obvious that he's such a big fan.

God's sedative and G'ma birthdays

Summertime has arrived, and with it comes the blessed arrival of God's finest sedative for children--the swimming pool. Cora and Kate swam for hours yesterday at Cumberland Retreat, the apartment complex we lived in before we moved into our house. An advantage of having cute and articulate offspring is lifetime swimming passes granted by the property managers who can't stand to see them go.

Cora napped hard in the car on the way home and at the end of the day actually requested bedtime last night. That almost never happens. Then this morning she broke all records by sleeping in until 8:00am. We were getting worried that she might have expired in the night. Needless to say, we're taking her swimming again today.

Last night was family dinner at the Wingate G'parents house, this week celebrating Sally's birthday. Happy birthday Mom! Cora helped Aunt Sarah decorate the cake and managed to resist eating it along the way. Some chocolate icing did mysteriously appear around her mouth though. An accident no doubt....

G'ma Carol to the rescue

G'ma Carol to the rescue
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Father's Day was nice and all, but the deciding factor this weekend was the grandparents. Gma Carol flew in for the weekend and rescued us from the spiral of sickness stress that has marked the past month. She cooked, cleaned the house, cleaned babies (see photo),shopped, and everything else in between.

We lounged on Father's Day at G'ma Sally's and Granddad Mark's. What started as a brunch turned into an all-day affair enjoying the covered porch and wraparound deck. What a day.

dust bustin

dust bustin
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

There hasn't been much to report this past week as much of our time was marked by numbing sameness--coughing, coughing, more coughing, with occasional episodes of spitting, some retching, and gasping for breath after any or all of the above. Cora was the main victim with Oliver and Kate getting some coughs in there as well. The mood is lighter now--Cora is getting her energy back and we are able to go outside again. Her eyes are both completely bloodshot from the force of coughing, which will take a while to heal. This morning she donned sunglasses and proceeded to clean her room. We know she's feeling good when she cleans.

grinnin' in the rain

grinnin' in the rain
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Oliver has to have his walks you know, so Aunt Anne strapped him on even in the rain, complete with umbrella for protection. He's a lucky guy, and we're lucky to have Anne living with us right now.

In other news, this sickness thing has got to stop. Cora has been steamrolled by whatever Oliver had. She woke up yesterday morning with one eye completely bloodshot and growing black eyes on both sides from so much coughing. It is a brutal bug. We'll be happy when it passes.

Clean Baby!

Clean Baby!
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

It's amazing how quickly a baby gets stinky...lots of nooks and crannies for cheese to settle. Oliver has now mastered the Art of Rolling Over, which he was practicing diligently after his bath this morning. Now he's starting to arch his belly up off the floor, working those abs in preparation for crawling. He also truly recognizes his hands as a part of his body, although he's still a bit clumsy with them.

Dynamic Duo

Dynamic Duo
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Tired of ruffians ruling your neighborhood? Petty crime out of control? Help is only a call away with this new generation of crime fighting superheroes. Agent-C stuns her foes with her intellect (note the smirk) and affable sidekick (complete with sidecar) Ollie kills 'em with kindness (note the friendly wave).

Sibling sharing and other notes

Cora has contracted Oliver's cough...he is improving but she is now experiencing racking nighttime coughing fits. No fun...we've all gotten whatever bug this is, but it has definitely hit the kids much harder.

On a lighter note, Sarah and Sally were in the video shoot for Alison Krauss' new single, Goodbye is All We Have, which happens to be Sarah's cut on the album. Look for the video to start popping up in a few weeks! They should be visible as "low-key" extras.

garden dress-up

garden dress-up
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora has indulged two abiding joys lately--gardening and dress-up. Recently she combined her interests to create a style all her own. Note the stylish white high heels that nicely complement the oversized "junior miss" garden gloves.

ollie supersmile

ollie supersmile
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Ollie obviously loved having Aunt Sarah over for dinner last night!

b'ballin

bballin
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Oliver and I have developed somewhat of a nightly basketball ritual now that the days are getting longer. After about twenty minutes of my astounding b'ball skills he falls fast asleep every time.

Bedtime

We just got Cora in bed after a big visit from an old Omega friend of ours who has a child of her own. Paige came down from Louisville with her husband Eric and daughter Eveline and they hung out with us for a few hours. Cora was already exhausted when they got here and spent most of the evening bouncing off the walls. Oliver, of course, spent most of the evening as he always does-- fat and happy.

The offspring

The offspring
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

looking into the future...

sidewalk art

sidewalk art
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora's random bedtime questions

Cora has been stalling at bedtime lately with random questions. Tonight
Cora came out of her room and Kate guided her back to the bed.
Cora: "Mom, do they have any more beaver puppets?"
Kate: "What kind of puppets?'
C: "you know, beaver hand puppets. At the store."
K: "What store?"
C: "Krogers."

The next time she came out:
"Mom, can you kiss me on the leg?"

Purpose Statement...of sorts.

We are now slowly entering the 21st century and also owning up to the fact that we are not always the best at keeping in touch with our extended network of friends and family. So....now that Kate and I can hardly keep up with the daily antics of our children, let alone remember them long enough to pass along, we thought this page might serve as a net to catch a few memorable moments.