Note To Self

Note to self: When checking on your almost-three-year-old, bring your camera. Because if you don't, you won't get the uh-oh I'm caught look she has on her face when you do find her.

No Fear

This little boy. He's full of life this one. Smiled for the first time at two months old, screams as loud as a siren, warms every heart he meets. I call him my social one. This is usually stated as Genny shrinks behind my legs or whatever she's standing next to. Then the stranger and I glance at her, and as just as the stranger is thinking it, I say, "She's my shy one."

That brings us to vacuuming. Since Genny could sit she's been afraid of the vacuum. When she was able to walk I had her sit on the couch while I vacuumed, since, apparently the couch is not only the safe-zone from lava [like you and I used to pretend] but also the safe-zone from the vacuum. After Glenn was born, I treated him as I did Genny; I held him as I vacuumed (with Genny safely on the couch), but this boy is a squirmer. He stretches and arches his back, trying to find enough footing to launch himself into the world that he just knows is waiting to be explored. One day I set him down on the opposite side of the room, afraid he'd find his footing and jump out of my arms. He speedily scampered across the floor to the vacuum, and sat there for a minute, as if in awe, trying to decide what to touch first. I started vacuuming and he chased the vacuum, trying to catch it so he could play with it.

Today I thought I'd post a few pictures of how vacuuming goes in my house. Genny on the couch and Glenn on the floor.


Genny wanted her ice cream cones and horse with her on the couch.

Climbing and licking. That's my boy!

Vista Sports Park

Today we [as a family!!!!] went to the Vista Sports Park. The day had started with my cancellation of our participation in our mom's group weekly outing. I was a little sad, we were to go to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. I've gone once before, and I think Genny would get more out of it this time than she did last time. But the kids are sick, and I just came down with it, so I didn't want to get anyone in the mom's group sick.

Something that I've been wanting to do for a while [but keep forgetting when I have a 'free' day] is go to the cities surrounding us and just walk the streets, checking out the shops and acting like a visitor. Carlsbad was my first city of choice to do this with, so today we headed out [ignoring the electronics surrounding our every day actions which would have given me more direction or at least an idea of where I should go to get the most from the excursion]. I decided to turn down Carlsbad Village Drive, which is the street I turn down to get to my massage therapy sessions. I made it to the ocean and drove down until we hit the power plant. After not seeing any parks for a good lunch stopping-point, I turned around and parked on a street that would lead us to the ocean. We walked down to the beach, Genny exclaiming, "HI OCEAN!!" when we got there. She also found every tiny puddle to splash in along our walk, causing a rule of splashing until mommy said 'jump' then jumping out of the puddle.

On our way back up to the street Thomas called, saying there was a problem with his orders and he had the day off. I told him to meet me at the Vista Sports Park playground for lunch. We ate. We played. Thomas was quite impressed with the park. I told him, "wait until you see Sunset Park."

I took several pictures of the park for anyone wanting to go and curious of what they have there.














Glenn kept climbing up the slides! So I took him in my arms and we slid down the slide. He LOVED it! There was even a time where I looked over and all of us Alfords were taking up all three slides. It's no wonder Glenn and I took a snooze when we got home while Genny watched a program and Thomas played video games.

The Past Five Days

The past five days have been a whirlwind of events. Friday was the most busy with devastation not only in Japan, but also in a little town called Griffith, IN. The best woman anyone will ever know passed away. The matriarch to the Powers family (my mother's mother) and as one said, 'the reason we are all here'. She was, and will always be the best grandmother/great grandmother/mother that anyone could have. She joined my grandfather in heaven, where I'm sure she is so happy and will greet us when we leave this earth. I can't picture a better ambassador to eternal happiness.

[I wish I had a picture of my grandma, but my memory card with pictures from Thanksgiving is at my sister's house in MI, I'll post a picture when I get it back]

Above is Thomas and Glenn at my grandma's house (that's where we stayed). Below is Genny and Aaralynne.


On a happy note, my husband came home Friday also. It was hard to jump for joy with the knowledge that my grandmother had just passed, but oh that little Genevieve. I had told Thomas not to get his hopes up, that Genny may take some time to get used to him. Nope. She was stuck to him like glue for the next four days. Anywhere he was, she wanted to be. After our greeting, we got Thomas's bags and took them and the kids out to the car. He had one bag he wasn't able to carry (who brings two sea bags, a computer bag, and two giant back packs on a deployment?!) so he had to go back to get it. The world as Genny knew it was ending as he started walking back to the terminal. In an effort to get everyone home quickly and avoid a melt down, I asked him to take her with. Yup, she's daddy's girl.

This is my friend Michelle who came to welcome Thomas home as well. She works with him at Balboa Naval Hospital.

Unfortunately the setting of the camera was one that tinges everything blue. Oh well, we'll have lots of pictures in the coming weeks, months and years.


After we arrived home, it was time to make dinner, a Greek stuffed chicken recipe that I got from Rachel Ray's website. You can get it here. After that it was bed time, and in the morning I cooked a nice big breakfast, one of the things I missed while he was gone. After breakfast it was time to focus on getting all of us to IN for the funeral.

Now we're home and the normalcy begins.

I twisted my ankle at the park the night before we left IN. It was a little more challenging to get around the airport and getting unpacked today has been pretty interesting, but I'm just glad it's not anything serious.

Horses!!

y mom's group wanted to do pony rides, so we met up and went to the base stables. Alas, they stopped the pony ride program in January. :( However we were able to feed the horses our carrots and apple slices and stand and talk for a while. One other mom showed up with her two little ones, so it was pretty laid back. Except for Genny. She was over the moon for these horses. This was the best part of her week so far.

Genny is PSYCHED to feed the horses carrots!

Mister Man is pretty amazed at these giant dogs.




Top the day off with Kate watching the kids so I could get a mani/pedi (if memory serves me right, my first since Thomas has been gone) and it was a pretty good day.

March In San Diego

I keep sayin' it. And I'll keep on sayin' it: San Diego is a great place to live. The climate here is wonderful, a fact we proved yesterday by getting the kiddy pool and water table out. Glenn was loving this water play. He kept going from pool to water table and back again. He wore himself out pretty well and nurse/napped while Genny continued to play outside.

Genny was her typical self and watered everything and anything, including Gus.

This Morning

This morning Glenn climbed into a drawer while I was folding laundry.

And Genny unmade my bed. (Do you see her hair under the pillows?)

Play Date

Dillon came over yesterday for a few hours sans his mother. The last time we did this he was three months old and was quite upset the whole time. So we [his mother and I] weren't sure just what to expect this time around. I had high hopes and tried to pretend I wasn't worried about him crying, but there was this little corner of my mind that was worried that he'd cry the whole time. Turns out, he did great!!

Glenn loved having Dillon over and even cut his lunch short so he could play with him. He kept looking at Dillon with adoration in his eyes and giggling. It was so sweet to watch... He's my little hospitable boy!






Genny got to craft with some new stuff we bought the other day at the crafting store. Nothing like brand new crafting supplies to keep you busy for a while while mama watches the babies!

San Diego Zoo Safari Park Take Three

Guess where we went today? :)

It's pretty amazing that we've been to the Zoo Safari Park three times now and this was the first time we went to the Discovery Station. With a two [almost three] year old and a crawling baby, it's the perfect spot out of the sun and into the fun. There is a coloring table, plenty of puzzles to put together, a dress-up area, bug hand puppets, a table for little rubber bugs, and a giant magnetic board with plenty of magnets.








We also had a near-tragedy. Genny has been obsessed with pigs and Charlotte's Web. She received two plastic pigs for Christmas and has been in love with them. The larger one wound up on the chewing end of Gus's boredom one evening, so I threw it away because it looked a little disturbed. The little one was thought to have been lost outside, but found in the extra bathroom the next day. We've since replaced the big pig and it's been deemed the best toy ever for the past few days. Wilbur [as he's so named] has gone everywhere with us and has slept with Genny every night. But alas. Wilbur came up missing when we tried to show him the elephants today. We trudged back to the playground where he was last seen, and a woman told us that he had been turned into the lost and found. Kate was a trouper, allowing Wilbur's rescue mission to take precedence over everything else.





Genny was able to show Wilbur the elephants after all!

What's your child's favorite toy right now?