Recovering/ed

It's almost been two full weeks since Pyper and I started feeling sick. Yesterday finally felt like a different day with a lingering cough. Today even better.  Since we haven't done much since returning home, there's nothing new to report other than the strange wildlife sighting in the house.

  An octopus out of water trying to stay moist in the house. 

Monkey business is the best business!

School Picture?

So the official school picture day happened and didn't happen at the same time. We went and were completely uncomfortable, me included, of the in your face, sparkly wand holding, portrait lady. The space was too small for the intended activity and she was taking portraits as if it was a studio, not a school picture. Pyper watched an older kid, five year old, take her pictures and even she looked nervous of the baby cooing photographer. After watching one session, Pyper was not going to partake. So what we settled on was some pictures outside her school, using the phone. No we don't attend preschool anymore, but pictures were prepaid at the beginning of the year. 

Back Over the River and Through the Woods

She's fallen asleep in the middle seat next to me. We are sitting in the last row of the plane; Pyper's second choice after picking an exit row, which she cannot legally sit in. We are headed West. 

She still has a lingering cough that started four days ago. At least the fever is gone. 

It's been exactly one and a half hours since I wrote the above. I took a break because two minutes into her sleep, she woke up. She's a combination of things right now. First off she's tired. It's 12:10am Eastern Time, and the only nap she had maybe lasted 10 minutes right before we landed from our first flight. The second part of the equation is that four days ago she got a cough that is still with us. The third, I'm pretty sure she's not liking the way her ears feel as every now and then she produces a very uncharacteristic shrilly shriek that makes everyone wince around her. I know it's not comfortable. 

She's asleep at my side once more. 

The same day Pyper's cough presented itself, I woke up with a scratchy throat. It manifested into full chills and body aches during the last quarter of the Championship Game for the Seahawks. I was completely useless for the rest of the night. I know I needed my rest, but I couldn't get warm enough or it was too hot. And between the thrashing, Pyper was belting out songs from the Sound of Music. After waking up early and Pyper playing with Gramma, I fell back asleep and my fever finally hit high enough to break. I started to feel much better after that. So we'll call mine a 24 hour bug.  It's been a long time since I've been hit that hard so fast. I have a lingering sore throat, but it's more of an annoyance than anything. 

So we might have that same bug, or not, but have completely different symptoms. Very strange in my book. 

So the main phrases of the flight have been, "I can't do this," "I want Daddy," "help me calm down," and "Mama." 

So our visits with friends in Greenville were cut short or out completely, but I guess that just gives us another reason to return.

While we were healthy, we played with our cousin and romped around town a little as the weather warmed up nicely for us. 

Visit with walking cousin Ronin. 

Auntie Grace serving us at our favorite restaurant with Pyper trying the spiff cake. 

Beautiful day for a play in the park. 

Happy with the grandparents. 

Headed home as a happy Seahawks fan, she's chanting "go hawks" at the terminal. Also she's singing without actually listening to anything on her headphones. 

Blast into the Recent Past

The change in time zones should have allowed plenty of sleep-in time, but for some reason we woke up early even for East-coast standards. So we got up, ate breakfast and played, and went out into the world. Having only been away half a year, it's enough time to still remember most things, but long enough to forget little things. My GPS is coming in handy as a backup navigator to my "I'm pretty sure this is the way" memory for how to get around. First, with directional aid, a stop at the gym to get the blood flowing, for both of us. 

Tap lesson at the gym with her favorite instructor. 

Heading out of town we stopped to say hello to Ms. Karen at the Children's Museum. But before heading inside we ran into some friends. Coincidently enough, this same day last year we went to the museum to celebrate Pyper's friend Ellie's 2nd birthday, today was her third. It was good running into them since we hadn't seen them in a while. Today Ellie looked radiant in pink, but became shy when the cameras came out so there was no birthday picture. But here's the fun we had last year:

This day last year was also the day Pyper decided that finger painting was not for her. Nothing like a friendly "pick-off" while we are at it.   

If I was a shape sculpture...that's the museum logo. 

We hit up our favorite cafe on the way out of town. We didn't manage to capture a picture of the goodness as we devoured the goods quickly. Don't worry, we will be back. Onward Ho! Pyper crashed out immediately on the drive North and woke up upon arriving at the grandparents with the excitement of Christmas morning when she saw her favorite little yellow house in the mountains. 

Made it to the grandparents house. 

East Coast Time

Thumbs up getting ready for our day of traveling, it's 5am at the terminal. 

Sitting by the window on a 737 Boeing jet and my right butt cheek is numb, my left arm is pinned down by a bowling ball of an almost three year old head, my joints ache in that "I haven't moved in two hours" kinda way, I'm uncomfortable. We are headed East. 

It was an early morning with a surprisingly delightful Pyper, that is until she wasn't. For 10 minutes, shortly after take-off, which felt like an eternity, she was screaming to a full plane, "I want off the plane" and "I want to go home!" I got a little worried when phrases like "I don't want to see gramma," came out. She was hysterically tired. It wasn't till she said "please help me calm down," that I was able to have any helpful impact on the situation. Shortly after much coaxing, she fell asleep. 

When she woke up, it was like most of the past traveling we had done, pretty uneventful. Upon arriving in Chicago, she declares, "we should check out Chicago." Yes we should, but not now, we have another plane to catch. 

A beautiful sunrise and a quiet sleeping beauty, unfortunately for the guy next to us, her feet were not so quiet. 

The connecting flight was without incident. In fact, it was a great leg of playing and eating a lot of snacks. It was great finally getting to our destination. 

Lining up to board the connecting flight, we are much happier on this second flight. 

We made it! Now where is that shuttle?

After getting our rental car, we battled rush hour to get to the gym. Our friends were teaching classes, and we hopped in on a much needed Pilates class. So good to stretch out after a long day of being cramped up. We made it to "camp" where hot chili, corn bread, and a glass of white awaited us. Pyper was greeted with lots of toys! We are happy to be here. 

Our Backyard

Amazingly enough, our "backyard" is quite extensive since no one has developed the last remaining acreage of the neighborhood. One day they will, but the for sale signs remain for now. We enjoy exploring through sun, frost, mud, and all that nature brings. Pyper likes picking the route since the trail just loops in all directions and of course there are splendid things to greet us along the way. She is particularly fond of a Western red cedar on the path that overhangs and acts like a trail guardian. Of some trees she will ask if fairies live there. I immensely enjoy these short outings with her. 

Frosted fallen leaves along the trail 

Large lone dandilion along our fence line. 

P.S. GO HAWKS!!!!

2015: New Year Tea

We started the year off with a sibling tea party. I've never given tea. Luckily we had gone to one of Pyper's and were ready. Pyper had a great time devouring the goodies in front of her. 

Well the Chinese figured out a lot of stuff before the Western world, one was tea. It was an accidental discovery like many finds in history. 

Who knows if this story is true or not, but upon searching google, the earliest date I came accross was 2737 BC. Emperor Shen Nong was traveling and the court stopped to rest. The servants were boiling water and by chance, dried leaves from nearby fell into the boiling water and created a brownish liquid. It made the water have an interesting, refreshing flavor, so they made more. Ah, the beginning of tea. 

Tea didn't come to England intil the mid 1600's when trade routes were established. 

So tea time is pretty much in my whole being. But I also like to call it snack time. 

Tea for five

Nothing like a great tea spread, is it proper to stuff your face like that?

A couple days before New Year, Kathy treated us to sushi, a walk down the Hyatt gingerbread lane made by local architects, and an amazing Christmas Carol performance downtown. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the year. 

In front of the candy Seattlescape, you can't see the bottom five feet, there's an under waterscape as well. 

Gingerbread people are the sweetest ones I know. 

Ready gor a Christmas Carol.