Baby, books, and Grammy

I'm here in Ft. Collins with Matilda, her books and all the things she loves. I've so far read "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" almost a zillion times and every other book that she loves to hear over and over............and over. She knows how to "sign" to "read a book" and "More"..........so the rest is history.

This is such a fascinating time to observe her. In this discovery phase, they watch your mouth as you say the words and then try to say them. The minute I came in the door she started doing "patty cake" which I did with her another zillion times in December. Do you think she remembers that far back? I have now added another zillion times to it, plus adding "This little Piggy", (which makes her peal with laughter), the ABC song and a few other songs that I would NEVER sing in front of anyone other then a baby who knows no better what off key singing sounds like............. It worked with all the other grandbabies and it works like magic with her.

The weather here is magnificent - whew. The house is adorable - a tri-level with a big finished basement now known as "the man cave". Yes, the settlers are settled. I even watched my son cut the grass in their large yard last night with an old fashioned push mower. He reminded me of all the times he did this as a teenager, back in the "olden" days..........

In addition to the wonderful weather, there are all kinds of massive magnificent trees, both in their yard and to see out all their windows. Oh, and the lilacs are blooming everywhere. Aaah, I haven't smelled a lilac since I was a little girl growing up in Illinois. It's a fragrance you never forget and sigh when you smell it again. It has probably been 50 years since I have smelled one but it sure brought back memories Now if they had peonies and hollyhocks here, it would be a fragrant bliss.

We'll do some hiking this weekend, which I'm looking forward to, along with the baby, the dog and the "Gypsy Kids". Life is good!