Gladis Got Married

Gladis got married today.  She and her new husband, Julio, held their wedding and reception at the Old Country Buffet in Woodbridge.  They minimized cost so that they can have a big wedding with their parents in El Salvador sometime in the future.  Cassie was the ring bearer, or as she says, the "ring barrier."  It was a very happy celebration and we look forward to sharing many happy occasions with Gladis and Julio.

Cassie and Lacey dressed and ready to go

Gladis wanted to arrive fashionably late.  So, she made Les sit in the car with her for 30 minutes before she was ready to be escorted inside.

Exchanging vows

Gladis was finally getting over her nerves

Finally!

Betsy and Lacey

The rings

The family plus Julio!

Cassie looked very grown up!

Oops!  It's hard to keep white clean.

Cassie and Les

Gladis, Julio and Cassie

The ring barrier at work

To Boulder and Back

Well, our flight to Colorado made me love the airlines even more than before. The girls and I flew Delta and had to transfer in Atlanta. Our assigned seats were in three different rows. I got to the airport early in order to correct this problem. After seeking help from three different people, I was finally able to get us seats together on the first leg of the trip. We landed in Atlanta at Concourse “A.” Our next flight, which was about to begin boarding, was at Concourse “E.” I didn’t even bother to ask myself why the same airlines has to use multiple concourses. We arrived breathless and I explained our dilemma to the Delta representative. He looked at me and the girls and said, “You should have gotten here earlier. I can’t help you.” I looked right back at him and said, “In the past 10 minutes, I got off one plane and dragged my children across five concourses. I’m not sure how I could have gotten here any earlier.” He actually replied, “I’m sorry.” But, he didn’t help me.



I explained my problem to the first stewardess I found and seated the girls, Lacey in the row in front of me and Cassie in the row behind me. The stewardess announced over the intercom that there was a “young mother” traveling with young children who needed someone to trade seats so they could be together. I announced to all passengers within hearing distance, “Yes. That would be the young mother wearing reading glasses. And by the way, one of the children doesn’t speak English.”


I hadn’t yet sat down because I was leaning over the seat in front of me trying to keep Lacey under control. The woman seated to Lacey’s right offered to help watch her. But she had two small children of her own who had not been seated with her! The woman seated to my left was fairly bright. After about 10 minutes, she realized that she didn’t want to have my butt in her face the entire time and volunteered to change seats with Lacey. One down, one to go. Cassie was crying, so the stewardess tried to help us. The guy to my right didn’t want to trade his aisle seat for the middle and did his best to ignore our pleas. So, Cassie had to sit by herself.


Midway through the flight, Lacey got mad when I made her stop kicking the seat in front of her. She launched into a pretty good tantrum that lasted for about 20 minutes. The guy next to me kept cranking up the volume on his IPOD. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Hey, Dude, bet that middle seat’s looking pretty good right now, isn’t it?” (Sadly, I didn’t really have the nerve to say that.) Anyway, we landed safely and were very happy to be met at the airport by Susan and Ken.


On Thursday, we visited Mt. Hope Lutheran Church. Pastor Hesse had invited us to hear a demonstration of the new sound system that was purchased with memorial contributions for my Dad. Pastor Hesse has the ability to make any occasion joyful. He selected some music from Vacation Bible School for the girls to listen to and he sang and danced as he demonstrated the new speakers and microphone. He let the girls play the keyboard. I think we all left believing that the music had reached Dad’s ears. Next, we visited Dad’s grave at the Green Mountain Cemetery. The setting is very peaceful and there’s a spectacular view of the Flatirons that lends strength to viewers. We planted flags on Dad’s grave.


Mom gave Lacey the American Girl “Bitty Baby” doll that she and Dad had selected. Lacey was a little overwhelmed with her new baby. So, Mom saved the doll accessories for a couple days. Lacey named her baby, “Joy” and carries her everywhere.


Jordan, Pam and KatyAnn came to visit on Friday. It’s hard to believe that KatyAnn is almost a year old. We all went for a walk and visited some horses down the block. We discovered that Lacey loves real babies as well as dolls.


Cassie and Lacey had a lot of fun getting to know Aunt Susan and Uncle Ken. Lacey was introduced to the game of “Doll Hide and Seek,” which Uncle Ken has taken to new levels. We managed to squeeze in a trip to our favorite yarn shop. We were sorry to say goodbye to Susan and Ken on Saturday.


Saturday afternoon we went to the Peach Festival in Lafayette with Nicola and Erik. There were many different vendors and we saw some lovely crafts. That was probably our hottest day in Colorado!


On Sunday, Cassie played her violin in church. That was a meaningful way for her to remember her Grandfather.


Lacey got to visit some of Cassie’s favorite places in Colorado. We dropped off aluminum cans at the grocery store and the girls rode the ponies that still only cost 1 cent. We also went to the used book store in Louisville and the girls spent time in the children’s room.


Mom had surgery on her left arm on Tuesday. She still manages to do more with one hand than most people accomplish with two.


On Wednesday, Mom and I cooked a huge pot of green bean soup. Cassie helped make peach cobbler with fresh peaches. Mary Lee, Haley, Jayden, Ed, and Bronwyn joined us for dinner. Lacey really enjoyed playing with Jayden. I realized how fast her English was growing when she said to Haley, “Baby’s Mommy – Baby go outside? Shoes, please.” She can definitely make herself understood now.


We flew home on Thursday. Once again, our seat assignments had us in different rows. I approached the Delta clerk and very calmly told him that if we weren’t able to get seats together, I was going to seat the girls next to each other and myself in the back of the plane. Guess what? We got three seats together on both flights. Les met us at the airport and we are getting settled in at home.


Thank you, Beth, for continuing to send my Mom hard copy of the blogs!

Opening the Bitty Baby

 
 

Aunt Susan and the girls

Testng the sound system

Placing flags on Dad's grave

Visiting the horses

 

 

Oma reading American Girl stories to the girls

Cassie and Nicola

Playing with KatyAnn

Riding the horses at the grocery store

Lacey and Jayden

Lots of Photos

In a few hours, we will be on the road again.  We are headed to Colorado to spend time with Oma and meet some more family members.  Thanks in advance to Sue and Ken for meeting us at the airport and we hope that your car is big enough to hold all our luggage.  We tried to minimize, but at the last minute a few more dolls and stuffed animals asked to come along.

Last week I forgot to mention that while Cassie was at art camp, I took Lacey to McDonalds for the first time.  Years ago, Cassie somehow became convinced that fast food is unhealthy.  Unfortunately, Lacey doesn't share this belief.  Her favorite foods are French fries and chicken fingers.  I decided that one trip to McDonalds wouldn't cause irreversible harm.  I don't know what I was thinking when I asked Lacey if she wanted to sit outside by the playground to eat.  I was stunned to hear the words, "Go play.  You can eat in the car," coming out of my mouth.  Hey, it was a rental car!

We had a much quieter week and I have a lot of photos to share.  I let the girls relax and sleep in.  Here's a photo I took of them shortly after they woke up one morning. They're nice and quiet when they're half asleep!

We finally made it to the pottery painting shop in Manassas.  Lacey finished painting a light switch plate in record time.  Cassie was working on a figurine and informed me that, "You can't rush art."   Seeming to understand, Lacey proceeded to add about three topcoats of paint to her project.  I'm sure that once it's fired, the switch plate will probably be black!

The artists at work.

One evening, I introduced Lacey to a sprinkler.  She actually screamed with fear.  Before long, I had her walking in a puddle.  We advanced to playing with a bucket.  By the time Cassie showed up, we had the hose turned up full force.  This turned into a battle - two girls with super soaker squirtguns, and Mom with the hose.  Guess who won!  A few days later, we were blessed with a torrential downpour.  Cassie and Sydney showed Lacey how much fun a storm can be.  Lacey is no longer afraid of getting wet or dirty.

Exploring with the hose

Lacey decided that mud doesn't hurt!

Exploring a puddle

Cassie has been working hard at Tae Kwon Do and graduated from a yellow belt to an orange belt.  We were proud of her ability to break a piece of 3/4 inch wood with her foot!  Les insists that all this practice will improve her ballet.

Cassie demonstrating her form.

Cassie getting her orange belt.

On Friday, we visited Washington D.C ., and the National History Museum.  Cassie really wanted to make this trip.  I was a little nervous about site-seeing with Lacey.  The drive, metro ride, and touring can make for a long day.  But, she really enjoyed it.  We spent about 1.5  hours visiting the Presidents' Wives' Gowns, the Ruby Slippers, the huge dollhouse and a few other highlights.  Lacey was especially enchanted with the automatic hand dryer in the restroom!

The girls outside the museum.

Washington D.C.

We visited the elementary school a couple tiimes.  We introduced Lacey to the playground and Cassie spent time trying to teach her to stay on the sidewalk and to walk, not run!  I sense that the playground will be Lacey's favorite part of school.

The school playground.

We spent an evening at the county fair.  Cassie and I were knitting demonstrators for the second year in a row.  It's fun and it earns us free passes to the fair.  Lacey wasn't afraid of any of the rides.  But, she was afraid of the animals in the petting zoo.  Cassie wasn't afraid to touch the animals.  But, she got scared while we were riding the ferris wheel.  I reminded her that she had been riding it with me since she was three years old.  She replied, "Yes, but now that I'm older I'm more observant.  I can see how dangerous this thing really is."

The petting zoo

Knitting!

Finally, Cassie had her friend Lydia over to play yesterday.  We turned the playhouse into the "Weeping Willow Tea House."  I served high tea to the girls and their dolls.  They got all dressed up and Casie was in brown velvet, which I thought was pretty appropriate for the 90 degree heat.  Well,  I'm off to finish packing.  By the way - an upgrade to this program has made formatting the pictures difficulty.  I apologize for the haphazard way they're pasted around, but hope that you enjoy them anyway.

Our Week in Review

Our past week has been really busy. First, we were deeply saddened by the death of Les’ Mom. She will be greatly missed and we are sorry that Lacey never had the chance to meet her.

"Mammer," Les and Baby Cassie

 The rest of our week has been an interesting mix of good and bad. Last Friday, I had the girls and a friend in the back seat and we were off to do some pottery painting. About two miles from home, as I was passing through an intersection, another driver decided to make a left hand turn right in front of me. sI couldn’t avoid hitting him. He was headed for the high school parking lot. I had to continue down the road, turn around, and wait for a traffic light before I could join him in the parking lot. I really expected him to flee. However, he waited and acknowledged responsibility for the accident. After letting the driver use my phone to call his parents, I called the police, settled the girls under a shade tree and sat down to wait. The driver, “Jose,” joined me and began talking about himself. Many times in my life I have asked myself why people choose to unburden themselves on me. It’s not that I mind. But, it doesn’t always feel appropriate. Sometimes, there’s just nothing that I can do to help.


So, there Jose and I were, sitting on a large painted rock in front of the high school, getting acquainted. It turns out that Jose was 19 and from Guatemala. His mother had left for the U.S. when he was 9 months old and he had only been reunited with her and his stepfather two years ago. He was at the school to pick up his younger sister from summer school. Jose was nervous because he had damaged his stepfather’s truck. He told me that he was driving on a learner’s permit and asked what I thought would happen to him. I reassured Jose that everyone makes mistakes and I was sure his stepfather would forgive him. Some of you can probably tell where this is going. Jose then decided to tell me that he was undocumented. I honestly didn’t know what to say and was saved by the arrival of the police officer.


To summarize, the officer asked Jose for identification and immediately called another officer to come and arrest him. As though the accident hadn’t been enough stress, he was cuffed in front of the three little girls, and just as Jose’s younger sister was arriving. I asked the officer what would happen and he said Jose would be taken to an INS detention center, would be given a court date, and would probably decide not to make an appearance in court. I felt horrible about all this, especially as I tried to comfort Jose’s hysterical sister. I later learned that Jose had been previously cited for driving without a license. A taxi ride home gave the girls another exciting topic to discuss and ice cream bars took care of any remaining trauma. Estimated damage to my car is $9800.


The weekend was quiet. Lacey and I were home alone while Les and Cassie were attending his Mom’s funeral in Ohio. They arrived home Tuesday afternoon.


Wednesday brought a little more excitement. Cassie was going to attend art camp at the Candy Factory in Manassas. This was a five-day camp. But, I had talked to the manager on Monday and explained why Cassie was out of town and we worked everything out. Cassie had slept over at Sydney’s and I was packing her lunch box. Everything was calm and quiet. Suddenly, there was a noise like a jack hammer and the family room started vibrating. I knew it wasn’t the Quantico firing range, and there wasn’t any construction going on next door. So, I ran down to the basement and discovered the sump pump shaking like crazy and smoking. I unplugged every cord I could find but the smoke didn’t stop. I called 911 and tried to explain that I just need a little help. Three fire trucks and an ambulance responded. This was around 8 a.m. Now, if you ever want to get back at your neighbors for late night parties or barking dogs, this is the way to go.


About a dozen firemen descended on the house, sweating in all their gear and swinging axes. I had grabbed Lacey out of bed and she was pretty stunned. It turned out that the sump pump had caused an electrical fire. The investigating fireman told me repeated times that if I hadn’t been home, half the house would have burned. I guess that was reassuring.


I put the girls in the car, stopped for a fast food breakfast, and took Cassie to camp. We were greeted by the instructor and manager, who stared at me open-mouthed. Well, I had one kid in pajamas and another with maple syrup running down her shirt. My hair was uncombed and I had bits of mud and cut grass pasted to my legs. I felt like somebody off a very bad and very sad TV reality show. I said, “Well, we had a little excitement at our house this morning.” Then, I just shut up because I figured they wouldn’t believe me.

The gleaming red fire truck parked in front of our house!

 Sadly, we had to have our 16 year-old dog, Kawasaki, put to sleep the same day. She has been a wonderful and loving companion. We will miss her. Sydney and Cameron loaned us a book about dog heaven, and Cassie and Sydney are planning a funeral. Cassie told me that she believes as kids grow up and outgrow their “childish spirits,” their spirits go up to heaven and become young angels to keep the pets company. I thanked her for this sage advice and later asked her to not let her whole childish spirit go because it’s okay to have a little when you’re an adult.


Mommy told everybody she wasn’t ready for another dog yet. Then, we read in the paper about the shelter being overcrowded because 77 cats and dogs were confiscated from a townhouse. Some mournful country western song asking, “Why me, God?” started playing in my head.


We had been taking the dog to the vet on a daily basis. I took Lacey along once and she was intrigued by the whole experience. As she studied the exam room, she noticed that the air conditioner was on. She pointed to the vent in the floor and asked me in Chinese if that was a toilet for dogs. Given that squatty potties are her frame of reference, this really made perfect sense!


The past couple days have been quieter. We had an electrician and plumber here to fix all the problems in the basement. The plumber is returning tomorrow because the master bath is leaking into the kitchen. No biggie.


So, every day with Lacey is just better and better. She has spoken her first two complete sentences. They were, “I like Cassie,” and, “Cassie, I love you.” I guess that’s fair! She continues to sort of flit from toy to toy, becoming intensely interested in something new for a couple days and then moving on to something else. She does love dolls. She also enjoys playing cards, doing puzzles and building. We have pretty much transitioned to calling her "Lacey" fulltime now.  She kept asking us to call her "Cassie," so she is happy being called "Lacey."  We had her physical this week – that took 3 appointments. She is very healthy and is now registered for kindergarten. We have been visiting the Chinese restaurant every week to get some help with translation. Imagine what this child must be thinking about life in America. Car crashes, real life arrests, fire trucks at the house and indoor dog toilets!

The girls wrestling

Lacey helping me organize cabinets

I make an effort to spend a little time alone with Cassie.  Her two picks for our time together this week were participating in a reenactment of a suffragette parade, and watching a TV special on the homeless children in Orange County.  That's my girl!

Cassie wearing her suffragette banner

Everyone knows I’m an optimist. So, here’s the glass more than half full for the week. Bryan, Rachel, Cooper and Maddie all got to meet Lacey as they were en route to Grandma’s funeral. Nobody was hurt in the car accident and I was grateful that the driver wasn’t one of my students. The fire caused minimal damage and during the fire, I got to sit and have a cup of coffee with my wonderful neighbor, Mickey. We did enjoy 16 years with our wonderful dog.

Finally, I was lucky to recognize the therapeutic value of writing at a young age! And, those 77 cats and dogs at the shelter won’t be released for adoption until the end of September.

Cassie's "Georgia O'Keefe" artwork at the art show in Manasss