Oregon Vaughns

Well, I know I have promised so many blog posts and updates that have just not happened.

Trust me… I have a few blog posts in the works: reviews on Las Vegas trips with pictures of delicious foods! and a few others… But, for some reason, I have not had the time to post.

This summer has been an endless list of visits to Corvallis, visitors in Bend, and just busy go-go-go. We have loved every minute of it but have rarely had any moments to ourselves (and this means no computer time for me). It is August? Where has summer gone? I go back to work August 29th!

I will promise again. Blog posts, photos, and summer updates are coming. Just keep checking in.

Some quotes to leave you with.

Andy says: “Now I know the disadvantages to this sleek, aerodynamic hair style.”

Lily says: “Mama, can you call Shauna to ask her if Winter has 2 or 3 legs? Lily can’t remember.”

I am way behind on updates and posts. There are many coming soon, promise. One day you will check this blog and there will be 30 new posts of what has been going on.

In the meantime, here is a video of Lily that I made a few months back. She is obsessed with her babies. She has three: Stripes Baby, Pink Baby and her latest, Heart Baby with Milk.

Only two babies are featured in this video (this was before Heart Baby came along). She puts the babies nigh nigh routinely. They need plenty of blankets.

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YouTube Direkt- Babies Going Nigh Nigh

Andy was playing poker last night and Lily took a late nap.  So, we she awakened at 7:30pm, we decided to go out for a late dinner (just Lily and I).  She said she needed to go to a restaurant to eat some mum-mums.  When I asked her which restaurant, she replied “Tomo’s” (a sushi/bento place).  Tomo’s is on the opposite end of town, so I decided to take her elsewhere.

We ended up at Izzy’s.  A good move because Lily eats free there.  And, after I had got all of our food, Lily turned to me and said:

“Thank you Mama for taking Lily to the restaurant with pizza,” and then she gave me a kiss.

What a sweet girl.

Then, we (I) left her jacket there.  We called to make sure they found it, but we were already almost home and told the manager we would pick it up tomorrow.  After I got off the phone, Lily said: “Lily no needs to go get jacky, man mail it to Lily.”

On a side note, but also about Lily… In the past month or so, she has started drawing things.  Not just scribbling on a page, but drawing with purpose.  Good thing she is still able to interpret her art to me   She draws airplanes, houses, flowers, “LILY”, the number 2, robots, etc…. Yes, they all look the same, but her imagination makes all that drawing possible.

Lily has been waking up around 3/4am every night.  She no longer sleeps gated in to her room, so she is free to roam the house when she wakes…. However, when she wakes at 3am she walks straight into our bedroom (don’t worry, we aren’t worried that she will actually roam the house).  So anyway, she will climb into bed with us and finish her sleep until around 7 or 8am.

Well, let me preface this story by saying that Lily has never been lost (yet).  She has never been lost in a store or left behind or been in a situation where mom and dad have disappeared….

Continuing:  Around 4am, while in bed with Andy and I, Lily began to cry in her sleep.  I comforted her and she awakened a little.

Lily:  “Mama?”

Me:  “Yes honey, Mama’s here.”

Lily:  “Lily can’t find you in the store.  Lily cried.”

So there was her bad dream.  It is amazing to me that this is something she could create a fear for when it is something she hasn’t experienced.

We snuggled and she went back to sleep.

Here is an email that I received from Andy today:

“According to Lily, Shauna says that Lily is going to have a new baby soon. I asked her if it would be a new baby like “Stripes Baby,” and she said that it would be a new baby like Winter.

Also, Lily asked today if Shauna was an aunt. I replied yes. She then said, “Shauna is a little bug.”

Funny girl.”

Me:  “Lily, would you like to drink some hot milk and watch Modern Family?”

Lily:  “Yes indeed.”

I am not sure how this happened… but Lily’s new favorite movie????

I thought Spring Break would never come… It looks like I will actually survive my first year as a high school teacher.  Who knew?

We are spending the first few days of Spring Break in Corvallis visiting my parents.  This has consisted of: lots of speed chess matches between Andy, my dad and myself, some poker, and not enough sleep (#3 due to #2).  Tomorrow, we will head back to Bend to spend the rest of Spring Break relaxing and hopefully organizing the garage and getting “more moved in.”  I am sure there will be more chess and poker involved too.

I have a bunch of stuff I need to sell either or craigslist or on eBay.  I have never sold stuff on eBay, but my cousin says it is very easy.  Feedback?  Who has done what?  What would you recommend?

Shauna and Winter came out for a visit last week.  Lily loved having both of them around — we all did, but Lily especially.  She talks about them often.  I will post some photos and videos of their visit soon.

I have lots of things on my “To Do” list for this break.  One of these items, which I can now cross off, was to update our blog.  If you look below, you will see many new blog posts, photos and videos.  Enjoy!

Andy and I are getting back into Chess.  I have started a lunch time chess club once a week at the high school as well.  We hope to start a chess club, eventually, at the elementary school close to our house.

Lily loves “playing” chess.  She also loves the chess clock.  It won’t be long (a month?) before she will be able to successfully set up the chess board with no help.  Here is a photo, with a few short video clips:

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YouTube Direkt- Chess 1

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YouTube Direkt- Chess 2

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YouTube Direkt- Chess 3

We may have already mentioned this, but Stripes Baby is #1 in our house.  Not Pink Baby.  Lily takes Stripes Baby everywhere.  This include wearing Stripes Baby in her shirt (with the baby zipped into her jacket, like she is in a carrier).  No one else can really touch Stripes Baby.  Lily must bring Stripes Baby’s pillow(s) and blankets.  Notice that the “s” on the back of pillow is optional, but the”s” on the back of blankets is not.  Stripes Baby must have at least 1 pillow, but just 1 is OK.  However, Stripes Baby often has 10+ blankets for when she goes “Nigh Nigh.”  The other day, Stripes Baby was sleeping and I counted 14 blankets on her.  These blankets are bandannas, towels, burp rags, anything that can pass as a blanket for Stripes Baby.

Here is Lily “sleeping” with Stripes Baby during a trip to Target: