Sherwood, Oregon

Evelynd took her nap pretty early today (she slept through the night again, which means 9 - 5).  So, instead of making her sit in her car seat while she was awake, we headed up to lessons early.  I decided to explore old town Sherwood.

We found a restaurant called "Fat Milo's" and decided to try it.  It was delicious!  I got the strawberry pancakes and Evelynd had the omelet and potatoes:

Not only was the food good, but they had a bunch of toys and coloring books to keep her entertained.   And then.  I saw the bathroom.  There was a padded changing table with ... diapers and wipes!  Are you kidding me?  Awesome!

After that, we tried the Sherwood Library.  It made me appreciate how awesome Salem's is for kids, so we quickly moved on to a park.  Evelynd had fun swinging, sliding, watching the big kids, and trying out her walking skills.  Look at my big girl:

After lessons, we went home and Evelynd finally went to sleep at 10.  If we ever have another child, I hope the next one sleeps!

Miami, Oregon?

A couple of weeks back, I was asked to bid on a wedding from a website I advertise on.  It was supposed to take place on June 9 in South Beach, Oregon, a town near Newport where I have played before.  I bid and was told that they had accepted my bid.  Great!

The restaurant had requested my bid and passed my info on to the bride.  She called my (early) one morning.  I called her back.  She called back about five days later (today) and said, "Hi Bethany.  This is Lauren.  You're playing for my wedding on June 9 down in Miami ..."  Wait!  What?  Rewind.  "...down in Miami...."  I think we have a problem.

I immediately called the bride back to clarify that she said Miami Florida.  She did.  I said, "I'm in Oregon.  I bid on a wedding in South Beach, Oregon."

Long pause.

Bride: "What do we do now?"

I thought for a minute and then offered to refund her money from the website and try to find an available harpist in Miami.  How awful!  A week and a half before her wedding and she suddenly has no harpist.  When I got home, I called the website and they agreed to give her a refund.  Then, I got out the American Harp Society directory and looked up Miami harpists.  I found five and one was available!  Yay!  I was able to call the bride back and tell her she had a harpist.

She was so grateful and kept saying, "This is so nice of you!  I can't believe how helpful you're being or tell you how grateful I am."  I'm just glad it seems to have all worked out.

My question: how did the restaurant mess up Florida and Oregon?

Not a Baby Anymore

We have a real toddler!

She hasn't acted much like a baby for a while, but did not meet the definition of a toddler until today.
We started the day with a trip to the Kids Club where a mom kept commenting on how coordinated and mobile Evelynd was.  I agreed, but added, "Although she doesn't walk yet."  Evelynd must have heard that because she decided to start walking today.

First, at GG'ma and GG'pa's house she took a few steps on her own, but spent most of the time playing with their wheelchair.

Then, at Isa and Ally's (as it is known to Evelynd), she just kept going.

Memorial Day

First some pictures from earlier this weekend:

 We've been spending a lot of time pushing the lion around.  I hope this means independent walking is coming soon!

Today started with lessons for me, but after teaching and Evelynd's nap, we all headed to the cemetery with some flags.  Last year, Evelynd just sat in her stroller, but this year she helped carry the flags and tried to put some in (the ground wasn't quite soft enough for her to do it without help).

 (I should have taken the tag off the flag first.  Oops.  At least it was Made in the USA.)

 Ev loves to kiss her daddy.

 Waving the flag (too quickly) for the camera.

 We liked this lady's name: Evelyn Evans.

 We gave Wilson Phillips a flag.

 Smelling the flowers.

For dinner, we had Greek turkey burgers with cucumber sauce.  We hadn't had them in a while and it was Dassow Daddy's first time making them and Evelynd's first time eating them -- they were yummy!

P.S. A very happy birthday to Evelynd's Cousin Tyler and Aunt Paige!

David and Annabelle Hyde

We got to see David and Annabelle briefly today and I didn't get a picture again, but here are two from their visit this past summer.

I have known them for two decades now (we all met when we were in high school together) and they are truly some of the best people in the world.  They are both so kind, creative, patient, loving, funny, and wonderful.  They want to start a family of their own and have recently completed their adoption application process.  You can view their profile here.  I hope they will get to be parents soon and that a lucky child will get to have them as parents.  We love you guys!

Iva Turner Awards and Kale Sale

This morning, Peter finally got to cash in his birthday present and golf 18 holes with his friend, Steve.  They had good weather and a good time.

In the afternoon, I was in charge of the Iva Turner Piano Scholarship Competition, so Dassow Daddy got to take Evelynd to the park.

The good news was that my student, Natalie Seale, was one of the winners at the competition!  Yay, Natalie!  I was so proud of your playing today!

For dinner, we had our spinach-berry smoothies, broccoli cheese soup, and my first attempt at kale chips.  Kale was on sale at the store, so I thought I'd try some.  They were alright -- we may have them again.

Retired

I was tired yesterday
and I'm tired again today.

(From a bumper sticker I saw today.)

Evelynd and I got to have lunch with Annabelle, as she is visiting from Kuwait.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so there are no pictures.

This evening, as usual, we went for a walk to find cats.

 And as I write this, there is thunder and lightning.  Quite a rarity in Oregon.

Animals

I think I've said before how much Evelynd loves animals, but let me reiterate.  She loves animals.  At every student's house, she wants to spend the whole time with their pets rather than their toys.

Evelynd with the Murrell's cat, Hiro.

She now can imitate the following animals: dog, cat, cow, bird, sheep, chicken, donkey, fish (kissy face), pig, monkey, snake, giraffe (sticks her tongue out), owl, bee, butterfly/ladybug (she waves her hands like flying), deer (rubs her cheek against yours), bear, lion, tiger, and skunk (fans her nose).

She doesn't care much for eating animals, which is alright with me (I would gladly be a vegetarian), although she enjoyed her chicken today.

Slidin'

Awake at 5 a.m. again.  Dassow Mommy real tired.

So, I'll keep it brief.  It was rainy today, so we spent the morning at the Kids Club where Evelynd started sliding all by herself while sitting up.

(Her entire outfit was $5 at the Baby Bottom Dollar Sale on Saturday!)

Sittin'

Ever since Evelynd was a newborn, you could almost always make her stop crying by stepping outside.  It was amazing how immediate her change would be -- as soon as you stepped over the threshold, she would be quiet and as soon as you stepped back in, she would start crying again.  Well, it still works.

She slept through the night again last night, which meant she was ready and raring to go by 5 a.m.  So, around dinner time tonight she was starting to get a little fussy.  We went outside and she was happy.

   (She was also happy to see Dassow Daddy when he got back from his National Guard weekend.)

Girl Time

We started today with our annual harp movie/pizza party with my harp students.  We watched "Once More, With Feeling!"  It is a movie from 1960 starring Yul Brenner and Kay Kendall.  There is a lot of harp in it so it was pretty fun.  After Evelynd's nap, thank to the tip from Christy Lowry, we went shopping at Baby's Bottom Dollar sale, which is a travelling consignment sale.  Evelynd had lots of toys to play with while Dassow Mommy shopped and got some new books, toys, and clothes.  After shopping, we went to the park to swing, slide, and pick the flowers.

Evelynd's First Korean Food

The Korean restaurant that was here in Salem closed over the winter, but there's now new management and a much larger menu.  We went to try it out tonight and Evelynd loved the bean sprouts, tofu, and bibimbap.

Earlier in the day we went to the Kids Club where she spent the whole time riding the cars.

 Finally, the video today is of Evelynd during Henry's lesson.  He plays a Sonatina by Kuhlau that she loves.

Done With Finals

I finished grading the final exams last night and my students in Portland today were sick, so Evelynd and I got to rest and run some errands (and pick up dog doo).  For fun, we went to the Carousel where Evelynd chose to ride the little horse that didn't go up and down.  Then we got some FroYo, which she enjoyed, and visited a grooming salon to see the dogs.  After dinner, we went for a walk and played with a two-year-old neighbor girl.  Evelynd rode in a wagon with her and loved going up and down the hill.  I see lots of playdates in our future.

Happy 14 Month Birthday, Baby Girl!

It's amazing how fast she has grown and how much she has learned!  She always surprises me at how much she understands.  For example, today at lunch she was eating on her princess plate from the Jippings.  She pointed to one and said, "That?"  I said, "Ariel."  She pointed to another and said, "That?"  I said, "Belle."  She said, "Diiiing," and shook her hand back and forth.  Yes, bell.

She's still not walking, although she loves to have us walk her around.  She likes to climb in and out of her chair and crawl up the stairs.  She loves her dolls, books, toys, swing, lion riding toy, apple juice, milk (yes, she's still nursing), balloons, and chocolate.  She doesn't seem to like any sweets besides chocolate very much.  She's so happy and loving.  She kisses all stuffed animals, books, and her dad about 100 times before he leaves every morning.

We spent today at library storytime, playing outside, and teaching.  Here are some pictures (from after dinner, so her shirt is dirty):

P.S. A very happy birthday to Evelynd's Nana Evans!