Category: she said

I won some more Mariners tickets from the office and as you may recall from 2008, this is the second time I’ve had the honor of treating a Mermaid to a baseball game.

Unlike last time, TWO had some sort of a preconceived notion of what was to come.
She likely heard a bit about it from her sister but TWO didn’t want any cotton candy (shocker?)

It’s too sticky.

She wanted ice cream instead – and a foam finger.

All night she reveled in her cuteness. Every grandfatherly and grandmotherly seat host(ess) made sure that her cuteness-ego was pumped to it’s maximum PSI.

You are soooo cute…Want a card?
You remind me of my grand-daughter…Want a card?
—
I love your outfit.
Thanks.
It’s really cute.
Yep – and I get cards for it.
Ohhhh – would you like some more? Here have two.

She was pretty much a smile machine for everybody that passed.

Oh, and did I mention that a pitchers duel was occurring to our left?…all night long.
The score in the bottom of the 9th was 2-1 Rays – and the Mariners had done pretty much bubkus all night – great seats right on the 3rd base line.

A sharp single to lead off, a throwing error on an infield bunt moved em around and a sac-fly to right scored the runner at 3rd. Tie game.
Strikeout makes it two outs with a man on 3rd.
With a low pitch count the batter stabs at a low-and-away pitch and pokes a can-a-corn over the second baseman’s head, Mariners win.

TheWeeOne remarked

I cheered…just like a cheerleader!

We went home happy.

Somehow we have managed a yearly outing to Dash Point for a number of years.
Some choice moments from this year, in no particular order:
Playing Survivor in a small island of sand built to withstand the advancing tide (lasting only marginally longer than the surrounding sand),

A perennial favorite, playing in the hammock is also referred to as “scaring TheMommy and TheDaddy repeatedly with teetering on the edge of flipsmanship in a way that appears to mere mortals as if a broken neck is imminent”.
In fact, LaGrande flipped only once this time and she held on with her feet bound up in the hammock, her hands holding on behind her (talking Gumby doll now) and her face only inches from the ground. Somehow TWO managed to ride that one out, perfectly upright, at the other end of the bronco.

Another emerging game is, of all things, checkers. TWO holds her own but the game itself doesn’t hold up to the likes of digging in the dirt and visiting the frog pond.

And yes, we had some sun on Sunday (pun not intended) that kept us at the beach long enough to A) waltz around in our bikinis (mermaids only)

…and to devolve into burying mermaids in fully in sand.
Rinsing off later, in the snow-melt, proved to be the parenting lowlight of the weekend,

Since my header image came from last years Dash Point trip…methinks it’s time to update it with a new one. Coming soon.

Oh, and a parting shot, much like Random (a.k.a. TWO) likes to do:
Talking to a ranger volunteer late on Saturday we asked several questions about sand dollars and racoons etc, TWO finally asked me to carry her and as I picked her and began to walk away she got the final word with the ranger;

Sometimes, I like to pretend ketchup is BLOOD.

I bet I could start an entire category on this blog dedicated purely to the seemingly random and oddly-timed quotes from that one.

Note: Yesterday TWO and I had some free time in the early morning and so we took what turned out to be a four-overpass tour around the corner of Spring Mountain Rd and Las Vegas Blvd. No easy feat probably a couple miles round trip.
We began and ended the tour at The Mirage hotel and I told TWO that we would take pictures of whatever we wanted and she could dictate this blog post to me afterwards while reviewing the pictures – telling you, the reader, what she has seen.
So, without further ado.

I was gonna draw all of these.
Yeah, I know, but there’s a lot of them so…you just want to tell me about them?
Ok.

I’m sitting in the letter.

I’m standing by the flowers.

I’m standing by the flowers again.

The monarch butterfly.

The purple flowers and the yellow flowers.

The big leaves.

The red flowers.

I’m standing by the mermaid – the back.

I’m not in the picture Daddy, what do you want me to say?
Whatever you want – and I’ll just write down what you say.
Ok – The front of the mermaid.

The yellow rose has yellow petals. And it’s really out in bloom.

I’m standing by the purple flowers and the white ones and I’m really happy.

Here comes the lizard dragon thingie!
This dragon is wearing armor and it has a shield.

I’m standing by the big tree and it’s really REALLY big.
How big?

IT’s really super duper duper duper duper duper duper DOOOPER tall.

Those flowers are so pretty that they are white, orange, and red…and….and…and nothing.

And I’m standing with my dad next to the big dolphin statues.

The dolphin statue is really blue and it has waves and I can see the tail.

The baby duck is really super duper cute and she’s brown.

The momma duck is just like the baby duck.
And she has one black feather and she has two white ones…I mean three.

And the gold lion and the gold people are standing next to the big rock with all the jewels in it.

And the big mermaid has tentacles coming out of her hair and she’s really pretty and she’s on the front of a boat.

And this is me standing next to the big frog giving him a high four.

These are blue people and I’m standing next to them. They are really really big and they have black suits and black boots.
The camera is meant to be a flashlight but it’s actually a camera that we can see ourselves in.

This flag is standing next to some pretty chandeliers that are pink, white, blue, and red and this is the flag of the pledge of allegience.
And it has…how much states are there?
50
Daddy! I wasn’t saying…I mean writing…all thaaaat!! (pointing to my writing out her questions)
50 states. (just trying to keep her moving)
There are 50 states stars.

I’m standing in a circle and I don’t know where I am.    See!!!
Why because you look confused?
Yeah! 🙂

The End.

Well, it’ official – LaGrande is at Nationals.
I’ve spent too many hours now goofing around with photographs** to spend much time on the backstory but the quick and the short of it is – these two dances that I DID get shots of took 2nd place with 4 or 5 stars in pre-qualifying (amongst a small group of pre-qualifying numbers) and the other one, King of New York, received 4 stars (I think, and they were the only one in their category too I believe).

She is sleeping pretty contentedly right now as I type, storing up energy to do it again tomorrow – this time against 30 or so other teams.

Enjoy.

And before I go…I mustn’t forget her little sister, TheWeeOne – who was so excited to come to “Vegas” that she sang about it most of the way here:

People on Vegas!
People on Vegas!

…And if you sing it sorta like a 6 year old Tiny Elvis – you might hear those words too!

——
** I took over 1100 shots in about 3 hours before the convention folks got ticked off and told me to stop.

I know I keep saying this…she’s not so Wee anymore, and today she’s six.
In fact, at the age of six, LaGrande was a full 1.5″ shorter than Wee.

Today we have plans for a little indoor skydiving and then a special dinner engagement.
More to come here I’m sure.

Before I forget this lovely piece of logic she pulled on Easter:
I caught her checking out her candy basket after we’d cut off sugar for the rest of the day.

WHAT are you doing?
I’m just looking!
Are you sure?
Yeahhhh! I’m just looking.
Are you REALLY sure?
Daaaad! 🙂 If I’m smiling then I’m just looking!

Impeccable logic.