character story

If there was one moment today that epitomized the entire day it was during snack time.

I got up out of my chair to get the raisins (because what is snack time without them?) then tripped over(trying not to smash), and subsequently smashed, a small paper cup shaped like a cheetah that I had saved in case Anna wanted to play with it. I felt bad for about an instant, then realized that Anna had showed no interest whatsoever for this cup that claimed to be an animal but did not make a recognizable animal sound (to her). Then I felt much stupider that I was willing to fall over to keep from smashing a paper cup.
I then realized the futility of my efforts to give her a piece of garbage to play with. She's much too clever for that. If she wanted to play with garbage, she would get it out of the trash can, like a respectable baby.
So as I returned the raisins to their shelf, I tossed the cheetahCup, hopefully it has taught me a lesson...I'll let you know what it is when I figure it out.

So far it has only given me fodder for a new blog post.

New Segment

Now that we've given up on WAYD/HDYDT, we are moving on Stuff Anna Fell Off of Recently (SAFOR, that's easier to remember)
In the last 16 hours Anna has

• fallen off of a couch at our friends house, I think she was mostly scared but she might have hit her face on an empty glass.
• fallen off of our bed, gravity, however was foiled as her face hit the night table and all downward motion was halted. Resulting in a scar on her chin
• gotten pushed down cement stairs in nursery by a boy who had only minutes before been giving her kisses. (some of us are still a little traumatized by this one.)
  

When we were in Cedar, Anna fell down in a parking lot and got some scratches on one side of her face. It's that time that my mother-in-law declares that children would die if given half a chance.

Soda

I wish I had her metabolism.

Best Vacation Ever

When I say that I went on the best/most relaxing vacation ever, that doesn't mean that I didn't like any vacations I've taken with you personally. Except for some. But the point is that I never knew how nice it was to take a vacation by yourself. Anna and I road tripped down to Cedar City on Wednesday morning, stayed with family and played/hiked/swam and partied in such a pleasant, unhurried, well-paced manner as to maximize enjoyment and minimize frustration - despite the very relevant fact that I had forgotten my toothbrush, pajamas and reading materials.

We stayed with my Aunt, the greatest of hostesses, who entreated me to feel at home so convincingly, that it wasn't long before Anna walked around like she owned the place. They kept us well fed and rested and even rescheduled a 4 year-old granddaughters birthday party so that we could attend.
We were basically an autonomous little unit, Anna and I, though we spent time with various cousins and such - changing company several times a day even - we were always productive and happy. Whatever scheduled events (most of which were conveniently pre-determined and kept us from having to entertain ourselves) we did have never overlapped or suffered from miscommunication. Anna napped in the car and slept through the night. I didn't take pictures, nor did I feel like I needed to, we were in such a natural state of calm distraction.

I think my favorite aspect (aside from the food and family which were both excellent) was the autonomy - I didn't have to consult with others in my party about where we should go, what we should do/eat/buy, I don't think I have ever done that, it was liberating not having to make decisions in general. Unfortunately, i can't really share that joy with anyone because that would obviously ruin it. But if you need a good trip, go somewhere familiar with lots of wholesome recreational activity, and see what it can do for you.