The Yellow Submarine

One of the things that I can't get enough of is how this Goose can find joy and amazement in just the little everyday things. Her happiness when she sees an animal (real or fake) and is compelled to say 'Hi!', ask for a 'Hug?' and then blow an air kiss, the excitement when the 'doot doot' truck comes by on Wednesday mornings to pick up trash, or how it is physically impossible for her not to dance when music Raffi's Yellow Submarine comes on (ok, so for a hot minute in college I can relate to that last one - Nelly anyone?).   Either way our nightly ritual now includes a  strictly scheduled and attendance mandatory dance party every night in the VIP room (hers) at 7 pm.  If you'd happen to be a fly on the wall at this hour chances are you'd witness a variety of dress (business attire, a diaper, and whatever happened to be clean that day) and an even wider array of dance styles (I can discern Dubbie's Irish folk dance but the others. . . jury is still out).

Aside from the Soul Train happening upstairs, there has been a LOT of lap running around our house. And by a LOT I mean hours, of running, in circles, a lot.  Sometimes it involves pulling a doggy, pushing a toy or kicking a ball while we chase her around the pool table for HOURS, and sometimes it simply requires that we run in endless circles in the backyard. I don't have a picture only because if you're present, you're required to run, but on multiple occasions I've taken a mental picture of the shenanigans and it looked exactly like this:

Either way, I can tell you that she is a happy, active, talkative little person who keeps us on our toes!

Ohio!

A few weeks months back we made our annual trek back to Ohio for a week of sun, water and wakeboarding.  We were a little apprehensive about making a cross country trip + drive with an active Goose we all survived and the only potentially traumatizing event came when they took her beloved fox and sent him through the x-ray machine - oh the humanity! The tears were instant and the loss devastating, but all was right in the world again when he came out the other side and we were on our way.  Many passengers came up to us after the flights and mentioned how great she was and how she must love flying, which she was and did, its the layovers she could probably do without but I just said 'thanks' and all in all it was a very successful trip.



While she seemed pretty fond of the boat as a 3 month old last year, we were happy to see that she was in love with it this year, and all things water. Every time she noticed that the lake was there she'd yell 'Wa-woo!' and 'Whoosh!' cause that's obviously what you do on a wakeboard. She loved to go fast, she loved to watch us ski and wakeboard and she was STOKED to get a little time in the tube herself. While just riding the boat chop by the dock she kept yelling 'More! More!' to our chagrin.  Water baby status confirmed!

ASLEEP!!!

Boat monkey

She also got to spend some quality time with her cousins out on the farm. A midst the chaos of house full of kidlets while the boys partook in some bachelor party chaos of their own, she logged some good time on the porch swing and loved watching the cousins catch fireflies to show their California cousin.

One new adventure came courtesy of Mark's aunt who has a friend in the alpaca business (yes, there is a business) so we got to visit the farm and have some up close and personal time with the alpacas. Not sure what she would think of the fuzzy headed pick-pocketing creatures, we were happy she got a kick out of the 'baa's and liked petting them and even tried to engage them in a game of peek-a-boo or two.

While the weather was much colder than it usually is on trips back and the water a little less inviting, some of my most precious moments and memories will always be reading to her at bedtime on the porch watching the fireflies surround us overlooking the quiet lake.