Snow and Talking

Update: It is now 52, and my impatiens apparently made it through our record cold June weekend. Yeah!

It was SNOWING earlier today! Naturally, it was just a few flakes, but, come on now, it is JUNE. Otherwise known as Summer, one of the very few months when we do not have snow on the ground in Alaska. I'm sure my flowers will all be dead. I spent a few minutes complaining to Allen before the snow about the cold temperatures this weekend. I called Laura while it was snowing to complain again. I want to live where people sweat, on a regular basis. Where I can take Ashlyn swimming in an outdoor pool or to the lake or the river or the sprinkler outside. Of course, we have pools here, but they are all indoor, so swimming in June is the same experience as swimming in January. Being her positive self, Laura pointed out that, usually, summers here are much nicer than summers in our home states of Texas or Arkansas. She is right, of course, but, feeling cranky from watching the snow fall, I pointed out that in the South, we have the nice summer temperatures here all through the spring, fall, and some parts of the winter. We are moving to Germany, which isn't a super hot place, either. I've always wanted to live there, so I guess I will deal with the weather. Hey, it won't be as cold as here. Ok, so, according to the forecast, the weather is supposed to improve by Monday afternoon. Hopefully, my attitude will follow.

Pat, pat

On a more positive note, Ashlyn is definitely saying words. I had my doubts. She just wasn't consistent, and I didn't want to say it was true. Now, it is official. She has changed "Dad" to "Daddy." "Dat" has become the more definite "kitty" or sometimes "catty." Every time she sees the cat, she squeals and says "kitty." I finally got that on video this morning. She also says "Daddy" constantly, whenever she sees a photo, painting, or video of him. She also says it when I am on the computer, but, hey, that's where he lives, anyway. Though she is saying these words, she hasn't been saying dog or mama. While she still gives Ranger food, she has pretty much lost interest in him. I don't know why she doesn't say mama. How fair is that? Allen isn't even here, and she says "daddy." I've never been away from the child for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. He's thrilled, of course. Somehow Ashlyn has become a daddy's girl, even while he is on the other side of the world.

Big girl

As to other new things, Ashlyn is hugging her babies and patting them. She is also drinking out of a cup and can hold it herself, even though she would prefer that I do it for her. She has also learned to remove her pants. I'm sure that her shirts and diaper won't be far behind.