Cornelia is in the middle of her first summer camp
experience. It’s even “sleep-away” camp,
as they say. She’s spending four weeks
with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Roy in Port Angeles while I work out of the
Seattle office for four weeks and Ken works in Los Angeles on HomeMade Simple
for six weeks (and possibly more). While
it’s tough to be away from her so much, at least I get to see her on the
weekends. Ken won’t get to see her until
he’s back in San Francisco in mid-August.
But Cornelia is having a spectacular time, even if Ken and I are missing
her a lot.
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| Dressed and ready to go to the airport. |
Cornelia and I flew to Seattle on Saturday, July 13th, and
stayed with Aunt Kathy until Mom and Dad arrived on Sunday night after
finishing the Seattle to Portland bike ride.
(Yes, Cornelia’s grandparents finished a 200-mile bike ride for about
the 12th year in a row before they came to pick up their granddaughter! I think Coco’s gonna be sporty. It’s inevitable.) Cornelia was still up at 9:30 p.m. when they
arrived - which in hindsight I realize was an indicator of the “up past her
bedtime” pattern which was to follow.
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| "I'll just make myself at home, like Daddy does." |
Her first week in Port Angeles was quite busy and much
like her stay last September.
Of course
she helped around the house; she carried the newspaper and mail in to Grandma
every day, she helped Grandpa fill the birdfeeder and sweep the deck and the
driveway, and she even supervised Grandpa washing the cars.
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| "That way to the playground, Grandpa! That way!" |
After all the chores were done, she kept busy
splashing in her wading pool on the deck, riding bikes with Grandma and Grandpa,
testing out the new playground at Shane Park, and even taking swimming lessons
with Grandma.
Coco loves her swimming lessons.
And, why not?
It’s a combination of two of her favorite things:
water and other kids.
Grandma was a bit concerned about whether or
not Coco would do well when it came to sharing some of the pool toys.
She didn’t want Coco to be expelled on her
first day of swim class.
But Coco did
well; sharing when she was supposed to.
She liked jumping into the pool with Grandma catching her.
And there was another one of her favorite
things too:
a slide into the pool!
Grandma thought it was for the bigger kids (the four-year-olds) but she
was wrong.
At the end class, all the
kids could slide into the pool and of course: “Coco do it!” “Coco do it!” “Coco
need it!”
As you might imagine, Coco had
a hard time being patient but she did manage to get four turns on the slide
(with Grandma catching her of course).
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| Trying on jewelry for the dinner party. |
Uncle Ned and
Aunt Stephanie visited for a few days and their first night included a dinner at
the house with friends Dan and Wendy.
Coco dressed up of course. Cornelia had just one dinner party during her first week
at Grandma and Grandpa’s.
Coco’s second week in Port Angeles included a trip to
Hurricane Ridge to see the deer and to play in the snow, followed by a trip the
next day to the Hoh Rain Forest. She is
learning her wildlife and she knows what a moose looks like - at least a moose on
a sticker.
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| "I found the deer!" |
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| "Where are my skis?" |
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| "Where are the fish?" |
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| "Where's the bear?" |
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| Grandpa, Coco, Grandma, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Ned |
I started Skyping with Coco at bedtime from the office and
one evening we even had a little puppet show (with thanks to my colleagues who have
various stuffed toys on their desks at work).
Last weekend we all went to Yakima to see the Walsh family
(and for Dad’s high school reunion). It
was a typical weekend in Moxee: congregating at the Pitt’s house, wading in the
pool, barbecuing and eating ice cream.
Coco got to spend time with her cousins Donovan (“he who opens doors”),
Bella and Dylan. My cousins Erin,
Stephanie, Tracy and Mathew were there as well, which was great.
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| Splashing with cousins Bella and Donovan. |
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| Daddy, Great Grandma Betty, and Coco |
We even visited Coco’s great grandmother
Betty, which was really quite wonderful for all of us. And we even got a chance to see four of the
six Wingenbach kids - Kay, Dot, John and Jim who happened to be in Yakima as
well.
Coco loves her swimming lessons. And, why not?
It’s a combination of two of her favorite things: water and other kids. Grandma was a bit concerned about whether or
not Coco would do well when it came to sharing some of the pool toys. She didn’t want Coco to be expelled on her
first day of swim class. But Coco did
well; sharing when she was supposed to.
She liked jumping into the pool with Grandma catching her. And there was another one of her favorite
things too: a slide into the pool!
Grandma thought it was for the bigger kids (the four-year-olds) but she
was wrong. At the end class, all the
kids could slide into the pool and of course: “Coco do it!” “Coco do it!” “Coco
need it!” As you might imagine, Coco had
a hard time being patient but she did manage to get four turns on the slide
(with Grandma catching her of course).
