Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The weeds have taken over

(This was my first thought upon arriving home.)

Well, we made it through another very long 19-hour trip! This time I was solo with the babe, but it was just fine -- except the incident with the baggage cart at the very, very end. Thankfully my husband was there to save me.

So much has happened, I don't know where to start. The biggest news is that Bo Bella does in fact seem to be potty trained. It feels a little bit like cheating, actually. I'm pretty sure the karmic dial just clicked over to "You are so screwed for the teenage years," not that I had very much to do with the fact she's trained. She's had very few accidents so far and the trend seems to be continuing here in France, though I think she really prefers Granny's comfy bathroom to our water closet. I have some work to do in figuring out how to handle excursions, what with the famous lack of available public restrooms around.

Virginia was wonderful, with mostly wonderful weather. We were able to hang with friends and family, I did a little shopping, and caught the newest Harry Potter with my sister. Bo Bella saw her first fireworks, had her first haircut, swam in the lake, had her first horse and pony ride, went down to the creek just about every day, and did lots and lots of swinging and playing with friends. She also displayed a fondness for cars, just like my dad, so the legacy lives on.

Oh, and we did do some fancy dancing to bluegrass music. Originally we were just sitting in the grass and watching, but before long Bo Bella had marched up to the dancing platform, managed to climb up on it, and demanded, "HEY, MOMMA. Get on up here! Come on up here and DANCE TOGETHER!" The person next to me turned and said, 'Yeah, Momma...get on up there and dance." There is nothing to do except comply in this circumstance, what with the cuteness on the stage and all those people sitting in lawn chairs looking at you. She did just fine, moved her feet and kicked her legs and everything.

Personally, I really needed that trip home and if I can swing it, I'd spend every single summer there. It's good to be back here, even with some serious work to do. I'm off to try to salvage my garden -- though good news! I've got green tomatoes!! And we've eaten our first carrots, shrimpy though they were. RIP to my rhubarb...

4 comments:

Vivi said...

We're on our way to NC on thursday and I can't wait!! So glad y'all had such a great trip. Are you gonna fry your green tomatoes? Yum!!!

Michelle said...

Welcome back! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip that will soothe your soul for months to come. Congrats on the potty training! It's a life-changing event not to have to carry a diaper bag everywhere. So - what did you think of the new HP movie?

Pardon My French said...

Vivi -- Still hoping those 'maters will ripen before too long! Have a great trip home and give us all the details! I'm kicking myself for not blogging about it more regularly.

Michelle -- Thanks! It was great. The HP movie was obviously very different in tone but I liked it; didn't get a chance to reread it so that helps with not getting frustrated at any missing details. Have to say that I don't get out to see movies in the theater very often, so I'm pretty much positively inclined to have a good time no matter what. I thought the trick Horcrux scene with Dumbledore and Harry was great, the guy who plays Draco did a good job, and I love Alan Rickman more than ever!

Beth said...

Sounds like a wonderful vacation!

And hey- at least the weeds didn't invade the house. Comfort yourself with that thought.