Visit to Katy

While I was in the hospital, in June, Chris, Kelsey and the kids made a move to Katy, TX, so that Chris could have a much shorter commute each day. Now that I'm comfortable traveling for longer distances, we decided it was time to go see them in their new home. We drove over on Thursday morning, arriving at lunch time, and drove back home today.

One of our objectives in this trip was to take the children to see Disney's Planes, which we did on Friday. It's fun getting to do special outings with them whenever we can. Robert has been a HUGE fan of the Cars characters, so we thought this would be a hit for him. He did seem to enjoy it, and sat through the entire movie like a little gentleman. A kids' popcorn, fruit snack and drink helped, of course. He did have a bit of a meltdown as we were leaving the theater, but we can't expect perfection, right?

Clara is about ready to start second grade. In fact, she went with her Mommy to register while we were there. It will be an adventure, going to a new school and making new friends, but she is very social, and I have no doubt that she'll have some new best friends within a day or two.

Before we left home, I made sure to charge a fresh battery for my camera and pack it, along with a couple lenses, in my camera bag so that I could get some good photos of the kids. But when I pulled it out and got ready to take pictures of the kids playing outside on Thursday evening, I discovered that I had not put my SD Card in the camera (or in the bag), so couldn't take ANY pictures. Luckily I had my iPhone, so I took a few snapshots with it, but without a faster lens, I got quite a collection of blurred images. I've posted a few of the better ones here.

As you can see, the theme of the visit was Go, Go, Go! In fact, Robert's activity level was such that I hardly got any pictures of him. Since their move, Clara has learned to ride her bike without the training wheels, and is enjoying a new-found freedom - getting to ride to the end of the block and back all on her own. She doesn't quite have jumping rope mastered, but is giving it her all. She also has lost her first tooth this summer, and has another wiggly one that will be coming out soon.

A ROBERT STORY

While we were outside watching the kids play, Clara picked up her Mommy's cold drink and sucked on the straw. Kelsey saw her and took the drink away, and said, "Clara, what have I told you about drinking from other people's drinks. What if I had just eaten some nuts?" [Clara is highly allergic to nuts.] Clara looked at Kelsey with big, contrite eyes.

Then Chris chimed in. "Or what if Mommy had been sick?" [She actually was fighting a sinus infection and was on antibiotics for it, as Clara well knew.] Clara looked even more sorry.

Not to miss out on his turn to scold Clara, Robert, looking at her very sternly, said, "Or what if Mommy didn't have any feet?!" It broke the serious mood, and we all had a good laugh.

On Friday morning we went to a park with a playground. The kids both gravitated to the giant spider web. We didn't stay long, since it was hot and humid, and because we were meeting Chris for lunch before the movie.

A CLARA STORY
Friday evening Chris grilled some burgers and brats for dinner. No one in their house likes tomatoes, but Dan and I both do, so Kelsey bought one just for us, and we sliced it up and put it on the table. At the end of the meal, there were three slices of tomato left on the plate. "We might as well finish these up," I said to Dan, "because they'll just go to waste." I ate one. Dan ate one. And there was the little end slice of the tomato still sitting on the plate.

"I don't like tomatoes," Clara said. 

"Have you tried them?" I asked? 

"No."

So I went on and on about how good they were, and how they're one of my favorite things. Finally Clara said, "I want to try one." So I cut a little wedge-shaped piece from the remaining slice, and told her that I especially like tomato with a little bit of salt on it. Kelsey obliged by setting the salt shaker on the table. I put a few sprinkles on Clara's bite. I didn't think she'd ever actually try it. She kept holding it, bringing it near her mouth, then making a face and pulling it away. I told her she didn't have to try it, but she was determined. She asked for some water to have nearby, so she could wash it down if need be. I gave her my glass, with the last of my iced tea in it. (Not to worry . . . I hadn't eaten any nuts, I wasn't sick, and my feet hadn't fallen off.) I even told her she could spit it out if she didn't like it. It was Kelsey who started the chant, and we all joined in: "CLA-RA, CLA-RA, CLA-RA!" Finally she put it in her mouth, with trepidation, bit down, and . . . her eyes lit up. "I LOVE it!" she exclaimed. She eagerly devoured the remaining two bites, each with a sprinkling of salt. I have a convert!