Nothing New

So Mike got out of jail to be an attendee of SAC court.  Yup.  There were six days between his getting out and  his first real SAC court day.  He went on a binge of some sort and then didn't go to court.  Sounds like he is hiding out in Cascade Locks again as I'm sure there is a warrant in Clark County for him.  Some things just don't seem to change.

Play Doh

Audrie and I took advantage of Connor being contained in his highchair with a snack.  We got out the play doh and played.  We made snakes and shapes and pancakes.  Then we got out the pop maker and made all the shapes on it.  Audrie loved it.  What I found funny is how much she likes the smell of play doh.  So do I. The difference is going to be I don't eat it and eventually she will.
Remember that we made homemade play doh a few months back and she wasn't really interested at that time.  I think she has grown a lot since then and uses her imagination now. We had fun this time and I'm sure we will get a lot of use out of the play doh.  Thanks again Jodi for the gift.

Forklift

I'm bad.  I don't check my work email every day.  I don't feel the need to do that.  So I finally got around to checking it on Sat only to find out I was scheduled for forklift training  for today.  Yeah right.  No one said a word about it to me.  No one asked my opinion or if I wanted to do this. It isn't part of my job description.  So I opted not to take the training.  Can't share that with the big boss until next week because she is on vacation this week.  That was another thing I discovered in my emails.
So today I am asked why I'm uncomfortable with it.  It is just like driving a car.  Uhh.  No it is not. I think that just being uncomfortable is enough of a reason.  I do not want the responsibility of driving it and toting around pallets with thousands of dollars worth of books and merchandise.  I don't think I should have to explain how driving backwards (which you do when the pallet is big enough) makes me sick. I don't think I should have to explain that I have a bad sense of depth perception because of the scarring in my eye.  I don't even want to think about the two of those elements combined.  I have an aversion to driving something that isn't protecting me around other moving vehicles and I am much more jumpy since my accident.  I think I should just be able to say I am uncomfortable and that should be enough.  I really should not have to justify because if I am uncomfortable, why would someone want to make me do it?
The flip side of that is I feel like I let someone down.  And that is a crappy feeling.  But sometimes you have to go with your gut and say no.

Park Afternoon

The weather broke and it stayed dry for the day.  After naps I took the little kids to the park.  Set them both free to run, play and explore.  Audrie's little friend was there and this time they ran and ran and ran. Connor just had a good time crawling and walking all over the barkdust.  He walked through leaves and he climbed on the structure.  I just let him do his thing, only picking him up when this other little boy kept throwing barkdust on him.  I don't think that kid understood English because he just looked at me everytime I told him to stop throwing barkdust.  When his mother finally came and got him she didn't speak to him in English.  Connor didn't seem to care nearly as much as I did.
I'm glad we had a nice day that we could fit another park day in.  Always good exercise for the little kids.

"Don't Talk To Strangers"

While waiting for our pizza the other night Audrie was engaging with the other customers.  Smiling, talking, sitting next to and just being cute.  They were a tad busy so there had been three or four people who sat next to us on the bench.  The last lady looked at her funny and I commented about her being friendly.  She piped up with she did not want to encourage her talking to strangers.
That is not me or how I parent.  I don't want the little kids living in a world of fear of people they don't know.  If you never talk to people you don't know then how do you meet anyone new?  How do you ask anyone for help?  How do you learn things from others.  I think we can teach caution without fear.
Statistics show that stranger danger isn't the bigger deal.  You are more likely to be hurt by someone you know, most likely in your family.  So hopefully I can instill a sense of the world that is great because of all the people in it, but with a healthy dose of reality that not everyone is great.  And we will keep talking about situations that might warrant caution and Nana will keep her eyes open.

Another Dinner With David

The little kids and I ventured over to La Sirenita in Portland to have dinner with David.  His new beau works there.  We had delicious burritos and Audrie had french fries that she shared with Connor.  Driving down Alberta St is a treat in itself.  There are so many wonderful looking little shops for blocks and blocks.  David said they do a thing called "Last Thursday" where they block off the street and it is just for shopping.  We made a plan to do that when the weather turns back nice next spring.  It was a lovely outing.  Thanks for the invite David.

Friday

It is already November.  The sun is shining and I am so enjoying it.  It is calm and soothing.  We are having a mostly quiet day at home.  Audrie and I did have plans, but they fell through.  We'll just plan again another day.  Connor got another tooth in today.  So we are on a roll again with two in two days.  The count is at ten.
Now that Audrie is 3, Papa lets her have some Papa pop.  Too funny.  She actually drinks it all because it is pop.  It is tonic water that Papa drinks to help keep leg cramps at bay.  I think he thought she would not like it and therefore not bug us for pop.  Rarely works that way.  :p