Monday, October 15, 2007

I'm Back

Goodness, somehow my unintended break turned into an actual hiatus! Well, I'm back, and hopefully to get a bit caught up.
The last time I posted we were still in short sleeves, shorts even, and summer-like weather. Now the leaves are turning gold and my wool socks feel cozy in the mornings.

Katya's latest fascination is a sturdy kitchen stool that was left here by the previous owners. B and I don't use it very often--being tall, we can pretty much reach everything we need in even the highest cabinets, but K has discovered that it opens whole new worlds to her. She has become very fast at moving it around and climbing up on it to see what is happening on the different counters. Whenever I begin preparing a meal or a dish, over comes the stool (watch out feet and toes!) and a little head appears at my elbow. She wants to know all about what I'm doing and if stirring is involved, I have an instant volunteer. (Katya spur!) She has learned that if I'm working at the stove, she must stand at a further spot and always reminds me that things are hot as she watches.
Since discovering the magical world of the counter, she has further discovered the joys of the kitchen sink. It is endlessly fascinating to fill her plastic play dishes with the water that happens to be in any dishes in the sink and pour it into her little bowls and cups that she has lined up on the counter. She hasn't figured out that a cup can only hold so much. She keeps pouring and filling even as the water overflows.

Recently, Grandpa and Grandma K came to visit. As you can see in the picture, they had a helper for doing the dishes. She wanted to help with many of the jobs they tackled while visiting, and they tackled a lot of jobs!
K is also talking nonstop now. With many words she has a bit of a mysterious accent: "chay-yah" (chair), "stoo-ul" (stool). Like a little Texan, the more syllables, the better. I enjoy her observations--when we are in the car backing out of the driveway, she cries "Oh! Car is walking backward!"

And finally, we also recently had a wonderful time going to the birthday party of a dear little friend who is K's age. It was a couple hours drive to get there, but it was a beautiful day. The day went very well until we got a flat tire about 40 miles from home on our way back. I was a little nervous as B changed the tire while cars and trucks roared by only a few feet from us. (Don't people ever pull into the farther lane when possible?) But unlike the last time we got a flat (frigid, rainy winter night), this time the weather was much more pleasant and we were in a place of interesting hills rather than flat with endless sagebrush, as it easily could have been. I took a couple pictures of the view out my window. This train was chugging along backwards.

Unfortunately, the tire will have to be replaced rather than patched like the last traveling mishap, but I'm just grateful that we stayed safe. As we pulled back onto the interstate after B had changed the tire, K proclaimed "It's all fixed!"
Postscript: I have been informed that K was an African queen in the last post. The costume was from Liberia. It is made of waxed cotton, which is used for special occasions.







2 comments:

Unknown said...

K's accent is darling! Nice to have you back in blog world!

Anonymous said...

I know Katya is standing on a stool, but she is so tall! I never really looked at Audrey and Katya side by side at the party. She must be quite taller. It was great to see you, btw!