So many playgrounds, so little time

Erin and Mike took their Spanish exchange student on a quick trip to New York City this past weekend so we had the two granddaughters with us for some non-stop fun. Here's our weekend in pictures.

Never Gets Old

J: I forgot my hearing aids.
C: What?
rim shot
C: Never gets old.

C: Can you feed the dogs?
J: No, they must be around in the back yard.
C: Do you have your hearing aids in?
J: No, why?
distant rim shot
C: Never gets old.

J: I gotta go get my hearing aids.
C: What?
yet another rim shot
C: Never gets old.

J: Uh oh.
C: What's the matter.
J: My hearing aid battery in my left ear just died.
C: What?
you guessed it
C: Never gets old.

Johnnie has had hearing aids for almost two years and we must go through variations of these conversations at least five times a day. His hearing aids aren't like the old style flesh colored ones that blocked the entire ear opening and squeal loudly when you hug him. These are blue-tooth enabled little jobbies that perch almost invisibly behind his ears with clear tubes that hold little domes inside his ear canal. Since he's a tech-weinie kind of guy, we knew the ones with all the buttons and custom settings would be fine for him. He was going to mess and fiddle around with them anyway so he might as well have the technology working for him.

But I tease him especially when they're not in. Usually I can tell almost immediately since he just won't hear me when I'm talking. It's like the old joke about the two old guys.

Guy 1: What time is it?
Guy 2: Two thirty.
Guy 1: Yeah, I could go for a cold one too.

It just never gets old.

Moments in time

Conversation with Emily

Scenario: I've been with the little girls a lot this week because of doctor appointments and lots of scheduling challenges for Erin and Manuel, their exchange student. I had taken the kids to Big Lots and while there, bought them pretend cameras -- Emily's is a princess (what else) camera and Lucy's is a Mickey Mouse. Emily's camera clicks and then says positive phrases such as "you're as pretty as a picture!" Lucy's camera just clicks but she doesn't care or even much notice.

Once we came back to our house, both girls were wandering around and Lucy somehow picked up Emily's camera. Emily came into the office to tell me that Lucy had her camera. Lucy was in with Grandpa in the new slowly evolving bathroom.

Emily: Wucy has my camewa, gwamma.
Me: Oh? That's OK, she'll give it back.
Emily: I know but it takes away my poweh when I don't have contwol. I want my camewa back!

Seriously. I was thinking How the heck old are you? And where did that line come from? Holy cow!

Lucy's bouncing balls

Lucy's language skills are coming along but many words are still only intelligible if you have been around her for a while. She loves balls and sees them everywhere: in globes, balls, on cards and so on. She calls all balls "bouncy balls" which sounds mostly like "bocce balls" to me.

We were at Home Depot with Grandpa this morning and I was pushing the cart while Johnnie was selecting a can of stain for a piece of wood. Lucy and I were goofing around -- she was pushing my away from the cart handle with both hands and I'd swoop in to sneak a kiss on her forehead or nose. More than once her hands pushed on my breasts as I got closer to claim my kiss.

Pretty soon, she's leaning out toward me yelling "Bouncy balls! Bouncy balls!" and grabbing for my breasts as though I was a radio and she was tuning in Hong Kong. Repeatedly.

Johnnie figured out what she was doing and started laughing. Later this afternoon he (predictably) reached for me, saying "bouncy balls!" Great.

Thanks, Luce.