Saturday, August 25, 2012

cheers

Cheers.  To Grandma's house.  To my man coming home.  To family.  To love.  
As promised: Grandma's house: 
My first time flying alone with two chickens required some logistical forethought--how do I get from the car to the check-in counter with two kids, luggage and two car seats without leaving anything or anyone unattended AND park my car in economy?  Yet despite staying up until 2:00am the night before (getting zucchini and broccoli in the freezer) and pretty much everything going wrong the next morning, the whole flying with two kids bit was easy peasy.  All thanks to my beautifully behaved two year old.  Funny how those three-foot tall people hold all the power.  (She's wearing earphones in this photo, but the player was broken.)
Upon landing, Juniper ran straight into Grandma's arms.  At home, Grandma had a surprise.  
At least once a day after my man left Juniper would say, "I lost my daddy."  And I would  reassure her that no, he wasn't lost, he was in California (or is that the same thing?).  Anyway.  Juniper was in search of a father figure and from the instant he walked in the door, J bugs attached herself to Uncle D.  Within minutes they were off doing their thing:  picking blueberries in grandma's veggie garden.  
Meanwhile, Hazel developed tooth-envy.  She gets way excited about food--blueberries and cherry tomatoes--but the girl still has a gummy smile.  
She's particularly fond of the tooth brush.  If we don't give her one of her own, she gazes at us with desperate longing.  
:: I'd mentioned we wanted to hit the beach, so Grandma treated us all to an oceanfront stay.
Juniper's first ocean-beach sand castles:
Hazel's biggest reprieve: Juniper transferred her "affections" to Bailey for the full ten days.  
Like Hazel, one minute J bugs gives her hugs and soft pets, the next minute she says, "I wanna SNAP on Bailey!"  ("Snap" is Juniper's catch-all verb that includes breaking, bending, pushing, putting a lid on, stepping on, and actually snapping snaps or buttons.)  Having Bailey around was like having two Hazels: constant mitigation was necessary.  And just like Hazel, Bailey adored Juniper despite her urge to "snap".   
:: We stopped at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  Way cool.  We will definitely return.  
  ^Hazel in the shark tunnel.^

:: We went to the Scandinavian festival.  J bugs had to try them all...
:: And to the farmer's market where Juniper fell in love with blackberries...
:: But most importantly, we saw family.  And friends.  And friends who are like family.  
^Hazel fell in love with great Uncle D.^    
^My nearly 70 year old great Aunt J scooped Juniper up for a piggyback ride!^
^Juniper and Grandma.  Hazel and my teenhood best friend: we had not seen each other in ten years yet she is the same smart, witty, beautiful, successful woman I've always known.  I have never been able to replace her.^    
^My mom and her best friend.  They wanted a photo together but Hazel was hungry and Juniper was chewing on a leash.^  
Thanks, mom.  

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