Vacation Documentation

For those of you that are having a hard time believing that we really ARE taking a vacation, here's some visual proof. Mike has already committed to taking a week-and-a-half off from work (!) and is planning on actually taking TWO FULL WEEKS off. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll actually do it!

Lots of new things happening this week. Here's a recap of a few of them.

A tired Violet, hugging her Kora Dog and Orange Kitty on the way through Oregon.

Violet contemplates a dip into the Columbia River.

Getting ready.

Let's go!

On our way to Howard Amon Park.

Violet got to meet Del and Judy Brown (our old neighbors in Kennewick) this evening. Although we sadly did not get any pictures of them, we did get this picture of Violet meeting Brownie, the llama that Del rescued when we lived there.

The rainbow we were greeted with on our way to dinner with Del and Judy tonight. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

We are having a splendid time visiting old friends and relaxing (a bit) in the Tri-Cities. The statement "You have to leave something to appreciate it more" (or something like that...) has come to both of our minds in the past few days. We really like it here, and if the right opportunities present themselves some day, we would certainly consider coming back. But for now, we are simply enjoying our time visiting!

Recent Happenings

We had our good friends, Maegan and Ryan, over for dinner tonight. Well, they were actually here to help plant some trees, but we fed them dinner as a thank you. Violet helped by picking the beautiful yellow flowers that grow in our yard :-)

Violet has a couple of dolls that she has recently shown interest in. In the first picture, she is looking for this doll's diaper (yes, she does really have one on). This was after Vi looked to make sure that the doll's belly button was still in place. In the second picture, Vi is checking out the baby's ribbon. She also likes to make sure that this doll's belly button is in the right place, too. The baby, however odd it may seem, does not in fact wear a diaper though.

Whiling Away the Hours

So I'm stuck at Starbucks in Layton, UT. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but I can certainly think of other things I'd rather be doing and places I'd rather be. But when the VW is in the shop (at Cutrubus), there just aren't a lot of other options. So Starbucks it is. At least they have good oatmeal for breakfast, and I even remembered my NPR/Utah Public Radio travel mug.

What's new with Violet....let's see. She is now saying something resembling "apple" and "applesauce". That's pretty cool for Mike and I, particularly because she started saying this in response to my (almost) daily questions about whether or not she'd like some homemade apple sauce with her meals. I am pretty excited that she likes my home-canned, unsweetened apple and apple/pear sauces from last summer/fall. A) she is getting healthy food, and B) she is getting it straight from the source! Although we don't have any auditory proof just yet, rest assured that we'll have audio and/or video to post soon!

Vi is also feeling better since her last antibiotic course started, thankfully. Her cough is almost gone and she has a lot more energy. The Roses (at the Sunshine Academy) say she is "back to being Violet", which is a great thing, as we all love little Violet:-)

Update

No time for much commentary tonight. The videos took so very, very long to load that I think I'll just let them, and the pictures, do the talking for me. Enjoy!

Vi decided that getting into Kokanee's dog crate, and then shutting the door behind herself, is a great game.

Oh, but no videos or pictures to update you on the illness front. Mike and I are still trying to fight off whatever has had a hold of us for the last two weeks. Violet went to the pediatrician's office again this morning. Her ear infection seems to have cleared up, but now she has some kind of unnamed (read: minor) eye infection and a prescription for another (the fourth or fifth) kind of antibiotic that we should fill on Saturday if her cough has not improved. We're hoping that we'll all be feeling better soon!

The News You've All (at least Julie) Been Waiting For!

OK, so I mentioned something about Violet's 18-month checkup the other day. That prompted some interest in her current stats, so I thought I'd do a quick post to update all of you dedicated readers. Drumroll please.....

At age 18.2 months, little Violet Ray Zattiero Wojcik was a modest 22.31 pounds (20th centile) and a slightly more robust 31.0 inches tall (29th centile). Her head circumference, which should appease any concerns (ahem...), was 17.9 inches (21st centile). The overall trends are all tracking well, she is proportional and growing steadily. She just happens to be on the little side. But man is she smart as all get-out. I'd have to say she is well over the 99th centile in intelligence;-)

Although she was perfectly healthy at that appt., shortly thereafter little Violet picked up some kind of virus and has been sick ever since. She was only mildly sick for a few days, but then developed an ear infection and quite a high fever. It has been running (on average) between 102 and 104 for a few days now, but she is on a new antibiotic (for the ear infection) and after the second trip to the pediatrician's office this week, she appears to be beating the infection. We anticipate that she'll be getting over the virus in the next day or so, which hopefully will mean we all get a bit more sleep. Getting up at 2:30 am with an upset little one running a fever of 103.8 just isn't any fun any more...especially when Mike and I have both been quite sick as well. Here's to family-wide health!

Jaidyn think that Violet is the perfect height.

Riley thinks that Violet is the perfect weight.

Angelo thinks that Violet's head is the perfect size.

Other news:

Tomorrow the kittens will be relocated to their new temporary home, the Cache Humane Society. We vaccinated them a few days ago and their eye infections seem to be clearing up nicely, so they will be off to find wonderful new homes. They are quite nice little kitties, so if you are in the market for a kitten, you know where to look!

On Saturday we are all heading up to Pocatello, ID, for our friend Phyllis's graduation from Idaho State University. She was super-supportive of me moving back to the University of Idaho to finish my M.A., and attended my graduation when that was wrapping up. The least we can do is head up for HER graduation now....we are so proud of her! After the ceremony, we will be headed on to Rigby, ID, for her graduation party. There's nothing like celebrating a friend's accomplishments. Way to go, Phyllis!

Bonus Picture: Violet on her first watercolor painting attempt. Perfection!

Oh, If only I knew how to automatically embed sound into this post

Supa' Dope Violet Soundtrack

Jump Jump
You should know, you should know that ahhh
Vi is not having anything today
As we stand there totally crossed out
We commence to make you

Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
Vi-let will make you Jump Jump

Don't try to compare me to another bad little fad
I'm the Vi and I'm bad give you something that you never had
I'll make ya Jump Jump wiggle and shake your rump
Cause I'll be kicking the flavor that makes you wanna Jump
How high? Real high
Cause I'm just so fly
A young loveable, hugable type of girl
And everything is the back with a little slack
And inside-out is wiggida wiggida wack
I come stompin' with somethi' to keep you jumpin
R&B abd bullcrap is what I'm dumpin'
And ain't something about Vi-let we all that
So when they ask to the rocks they believe that


Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
I will make you Jump Jump
uh huh uh huh
Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
Vi will make you Jump Jump


I let myself knockin' knockin'
I love it when a girl is play jockin' jockin'
The D-A-double D-Y-M-A-C
Ya you know me
I got you jumpin' an' pumpin' an' movin' all around G
In the mix I make ya take a step back
They try to step to the Mac then they got jacked
To the back you'll be sportin' the gear that's coincidental
And like you knowit so don't be claiming that it's mental

Two lil' kids with a flow you ain't ever heard
And none faking you can understyand every word
As you listen to my cool school melody
The Daddy makes you J-U-M-P

Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
Vi will make you Jump Jump
uh huh uh huh
Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
I will make you Jump Jump

Now, the formalities of this and that
Is that lil' Vi ain't comin' off wack
And for all ya'll sucks that don't know
Check it out


Some of them try to rhyme but they can't rhyme like this Go Go
Some of them try to rhyme but they can't rhyme like this Go Go
Some of them try to rhyme but they can't rhyme like this Go Go
Some of them try to rhyme but they can't Go Go
Cause I'm the miggida miggida miggida Mac Daddy
Miggida miggida miggida Mac
Cause I'm the miggida miggida miggida Mac Daddy

I make you wanna
Jump Jump
The Mac Dad will make you Jump Jump
The Daddy Mac will make you Jump Jump
Vi-let will make you Jump Jump
uh huh uh huh
uh huh uh huh
uh huh uh huh
uh huh uh huh


Believe dat