granmolly

The weeks slip by and pictures get taken but not posted. Earlier this month Kristina and I took Noah and Julia to the Children’s Museum in Portland. It was great fun to watch them explore and play and having us both their allowed them to explore areas independently.

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The twins both look forward to Jason’s arrival home from work and time to play or read with Dad.

Later the same week, I took Sophie and Lillie to the Science Factory, the kids science museum in Eugene. I didn’t recharge my camera battery so I didn’t get many photos, but Lillie had a great time in the “little kids” area. Sophie was good about playing with Lillie and even put on a puppet show for her before we moved on to the big kid exhibits.

Last weekend was cool with occasional showers, but this week felt like summer. The 80-degree days brought the first local strawberries of the season, and prompted us to get out wading pools. Yesterday, Shad, Becky, Sophie, Lillie, and I went out to u-pick strawberries. Sophie really picked berries this year, but Lillie just loved eating them.

On Wednesday, Lillie and I took the bus to get Sophie. Shad had left the stroller at her school so we could walk home (stopping for ice-cream on the way). Sophie pushed the stroller a lot of the way home, but when Lillie got tired of the heat and the walk, Sophie climbed in the stroller with her and sang her to sleep.

The pool was filled and ready, and both girls loved it.

Lillie crawled around and didn’t want to get out, even when her lips were turning blue and her little chin was quivering from the cool water.

Noah and Julia are water babies, too. I filled their pool late Tuesday afternoon with solar heated water from their long garden hose. I blew bubbles that were an extra source of fascination when they landed on the water and didn’t pop.

But mostly is was a splashing good time.

Noah has been walking short distances for a while, but on Tuesday he had a breakthrough moment when he realized he could do more than just walk from one object to another. It was very exciting to watch the light go on and see him delight in walking just for the sake of being able to do it. He and Julia walked round and round the island in the center of the kitchen, often going opposite directions so they had the fun of the surprising encounters when they met with a “peek-a-boo” moment as they rounded a corner and could see each other again. After dinner when we turned on a CD they “danced” (but not together). Noah walked in little circles until he fell down. Julia waved her arms and bounced her body, but pictures don’t do it justice. It was a really good day to be Granmolly on duty.

The UO daycare center that Sophie attends held their annual “Duck Waddle” jog-a-thon on Saturday to raise funds for additional playground equipment. Sophie called neighbors, friends and family and collected a whole page of sponsors, with pledges ranging from 1 cent to a dollar a lap. The morning of the event Shad, Becky, and the girls showed up at our house with their new double stroller. We all walked over to the university and took turns running with Sophie. The duck mascot was there giving high fives to all the kids. There were balloons, bubbles, and snacks and “field events” as runners took frequent breaks. Sophie complete 10 laps and earned more than $50 for her school. Lillie did her laps in the stroller.

The weeks since Easter have flown. We have spent a lot of time with grandkids and taken too few pictures. I have also been working in the yard and planting the garden, so the blog has taken low priority.

Noah and Julia Jon and I spent the weekend of April 28th with Noah and Julia so Jason and Kristina could get away for a couple of days. It was fun watching Jon get down on the floor and play with the twins. We went to the park, went out for ice-cream, and had a lot of fun.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to watch a baby learn how to talk. Every week Julia and Noah have more words they can say. Noah and Julia both love books and we play games seeing how many objects they can point to when I name then, and how many they can name when I point at the picture. They are also spending a lot of time practicing their walking skills.

Walker races on the deck in the late afternoon are a favorite activity.

Sophie and Lillian Lillie is still nursing so she can’t spend the night with us, but Sophie came last Friday. Sophie and I made peanut butter cookies in the afternoon, played dollies, and read stories. After dinner we watched Cinderella until Sophie got too sleepy and asked that we wait until morning to finish. When Shad and Becky came to get Sophie about 11am, she told them to go away, she wasn’t ready to go home yet. We had a very good time. No pictures last weekend, but this was taken May 7th.

Lillie is usually at our house for a couple of hours on Wednesdays so Jon gets to follow her progress more than he sees Noah and Julia. Lillie always has a big smile for him. Lillian is trying hard to catch up with Noah, Julia, and Sophie. Her crawling speed is increasing rapidly and she now pulls herself up and moves along furniture.