Summer has predictably flown by. Earlier this summer Lady Kitty was playing in my bed making me laugh with her unique and charming personality, tossing around gems like “tummy button” right and left.

Most of these precious moments slipped by savored but unrecorded. A recent Lady Kittyism preserved in time long enough to transcribe and to share:

“‘Every eyebrow is in a line of mine’… It rhymes!’” she declared with a laugh and a twinkle in her eye.

Then came unexpected house troubles…

Cat 3 took on a whole new meaning at the end of June when we discovered the wax ring from our upstairs toilet had failed. As much as we’d like cat 3 to mean we got a third (very cute) cat, this meant we were dealing with a Catagory 3 Loss- read raw sewage inside the walls subsequently destroyed by water, mold, and stripped down to the studs.

As if that wouldn’t have been quite enough of a challenge for one season, a wayward dehumidifier hose drained onto the countertop instead of into the sink one night and half the kitchen floor was damaged by water.

You really don’t want to see pictures from this phase, but it explains why the blogger went on hiatus.

Life entered a time warp.

Blessedly the kids took turns having ~three week summer camp style holidays with the ever-generous Nana and Baba at Newman Lake.

First Lady Kitty was there on her own whilst Lake took four weeks of Summer School, and then she came down with a high fever. So instead of joining her, Lake gave her a big hug at the airport.

Then he took a turn at enjoying the lake lifestyle whilst Lady Kitty came home to convalesce and so we could try to figure out what was ailing her.

“You have two children, but one of them is at Newman Lake. It’s not me! Puz I’m sick. But I’m not really sick.”

Since the beginning of August the stalwart dear has had a relapsing remitting fever of unknown origin and a constellation of non-specific symptoms fatigue, malaise, chills all preceded by some arthropod assaults, swims in the lake, and a trip to the County Fair. She’s stoic enough but nonetheless it’s painfully clear how hard her body is working to fight off whatever foreign assailant gained access to her strong self.

Today I asked her, “Do you know what comes after 99?”

“Ninety-ten?” she ventured.

Life has skewed so sideways it does feel like what next? Pretty soon ninety-ten will come after 99. Well, and Lady Kitty will be prepared and unfazed!

I’m going to have to call this an imperfect summer. Nevertheless I’m evermore so especially glad I spent it with you.

Vivi is back for a visit to Seattle! The kids are overjoyed. We all are. It’s always wonderful to reconnect with our au pair family— like no time has passed. Except the kids keep growing up! Vivi was here when Lady Kitty was born and brought Lake to the hospital to meet her. She was also with us when Covid-19 emerged. We went through a lot together during the 11 month year she lived with us!

So it’s wonderful to have her visiting and so fun to re-visit all the favorite places.

Vivi is visiting and she took the kids to the Pride Festival on Capitol Hill Saturday. Linnéa was in Disneyland, so she asked Lady Kitty to tell her all about it while they we’re having breakfast together this morning.

“I don’t know *all* about it, but I know *some* of it,” Lady Kitty said.

Then she proceeded to show off her new “eye glasses. “

“Cool-ing!” Linnéa said when Lady Kitty put on her sunnies.

The sunset just kept going and going on the ferry ride home from a long and lovely day visiting Grandma Julie and Auntie Kendra and the Ketchikan cousins on Bainbridge Island. In response to the sunset that just wouldn’t quit, Lady kitty asked, “why is there more sunset?”

Then she answered her own question: “Oh, maybe puz it knows you like sunsets so it just keeps going more and more and more and more every time.”

A perfect end to a perfect day. I’m glad I spent it with you!

It’s always special when Daddy is the principal point person for the kids all day. They love it and have action packed adventures.

This one was fit to bursting with Spring sunshine!

I believe there were parks visited, high school track meets attended, and films (cartoons) screened at a local independent theater.

A perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with Daddy!

The kids like to ask me if we can play this game they invented that they call “Yes, Baby.”

They love it when I agree to play “Yes, baby.” (Which is every time they’ve ever asked.) The rules of the game are they ask me questions and I agree to them by saying “Yes, baby,” in a really sweet, high sing-song voice and then I have to do what they are asking me —it is imperative that I follow through with their request. It’s usually starting when we’re eating an afterschool snack around the kitchen table and Michael is working one of his evening-shift days.

One of their first questions is typically regarding can they watch a certain Hayao Miyazaki film or another, and one of their final questions is almost always, “Will you make us a cake?“

And then they praise me for being “such a nice mama; such a kind mama.”

The whole thing is very funny to me and speaks to how often they’re being asked to say “Yes, mama,” such as me last weekend, “let’s get dressed up and go down to see the cherry blossoms!”

I’ve even heard Lady Kitty ask Lake if they could play “Yes, baby,” and she would be the mama and he could be the baby. And then he immediately asked her if he could do some thing with guns, and she said sweetly “Yes.”

Apparently Lady Kitty also occasionally asks Linnéa to play “Yes, baby” and sometimes she’ll want to be the mama and sometimes she’ll want Linnéa to be the mama. And this is also a bit funny, because Lake actually made up the game, and Lady Kitty constantly insists that she’s not Baby if anyone refers to her that way. She’s “Big Girl!” Lake will even catch himself calling her “Baby” by habit sometimes and then he will correct himself, to call her “Big Girl.”

Lady Kitty is so funny so I have to close by sharing an anecdote from last night.

We were having one of our weekly family fun night activities with our out of town guests from Sweden, as well, Linnea’s best friend who is visiting for the week.

Michael made a lovely dinner and then afterwards we were sitting around the table, playing a version of Monopoly, where it’s set in the Olympic Peninsula, and all the properties and landmarks are from the Olympics (who knew such a game existed?!).

It started getting late and nearing bedtime and Lady Kitty starts sundowning —running around the table, running on the chairs on the table and the like— Finally, she pauses and asks the question:

“What can I do to help?!” and then she makes this funny laugh p’shaw noise literally cracking herself up. “Tsee tsee tsee…”

A perfect day! I’m glad I could spend it with these funny kiddos!

We went to see the family oriented student PNB production of Snow White Sunday for the matinée. (Michael and I like to feed Lake’s love of dance and theater and keep him inspired, so social pressures for boys not to dance don’t artificially bring him down.)

Lady Kitty was thrilled to be included in the ballet this time! Since it was the student production it was tailored for littles as well.

Everyone had a great time and the kids were at rapt attention during the entire ballet. We let our wiggles out before and afterwards for sure!

Speaking of colours— (eg Snow White), Lady Kitty was wearing a turquoise puffer from Nana this morning and I said, that is going to be one of your colours. She answered back with big serious eyes, “it is one of my colours right now.”

A perfect day… I’m glad I could share it with you!

Both these cutie kiddos love it when I make for them “Hot Tea— then Warm” as Lady Kitty clarifies in her requests.

Lady Kitty asks of her stevia sweetened peppermint tea, “But why it so tasty?”

She inquires to me with such seriousness. We know how to have some fun in the kitchen too! We made an almond cake together for UK Mothering Sunday yesterday.

These kids know the joy of the real sugar too! Licking the bowl— always the best part of baking the cake. Lady Kitty was ready for a ‘nother birthday. She asked why we didn’t sing the whole song? So we sang all together the whole song for her. Then she asked why there no candles? Okay, we’ll back a ‘nother cake soon!

Lake decorated the cake whilst Lady Kitty napped. Thank you especially to Luisa Jehle for the fun and pretty cake toppers!

Happy Spring, loves! May it be sweet and tasty!

Lady Kitty had been looking forward to celebrating her happy birthday at Baba House for quite some time. The time finally arrived, and they went off to have a splendid half-term holiday.

Lady Kitty said, “Good bye-bye! A big hug and a big tiss [kiss]?? Another hug!”

They had a great time with their NanaBaba : Team Extraordinaire.

Lady Kitty asked me, “Do you have some kind of suit like this?” No, unfortunately I don’t I told her. “Maybe you can wear this one… when you get three!” she answered with a laugh and a twinkle in both eyes.

She’s becoming her own person. She knows her preferences.

“I don’t like sriracha. I don’t like psice [spice].”

And if these photos are any indication, she might prefer firefighter to pretty dresses.

Although, Lake zoomed in, looked really closely at the photos, though and proclaimed “naw, she was just cold. Look pimples! [goosebumps]!”

She is getting bigger day by day.

She celebrates it: “I’m three-girl. I’m on three! I’m three but I need a mamas to come with me when I do anything. But when I’m bigger…”

Linnéa shared this sweet anecdote …

“I can’t be at two places at once” Linnéa told Lady Kitty
“Why” she asked
“Because I’m only one person,” Linnéa answered.
“I thought you were two persons!” She said with the biggest smile that made it obvious that she was joking. Linnéa reflected, “I can tell she’s growing up as she’s been joking with me more and more! So sweet☺️”

And I’ll leave you with some kids comedy:

“What do you call this kind of melon?” Lady Kitty asked, as both of the kids delightedly gobbled it up.

“Cantaloupe,” I said

“That’s an animal too,” explained Lake to his little sister, in teacher voice.

“That’s not an antelope. It’s a cat a lope,” refuted Lady Kitty with worldly wisdom and seriousness. 😂 She holds her own.

Where you going Lady Kitty? “To the twerium. How bout you do dis? How bout dat?”

“I like you Mama. Don’t die Mama.” Lady Kitty says this often.

“I love you too Lady Kitty,” I say.

“Do you want me to don’t die?” She asks.

“Well, we all die someday, Lady Kitty. I hope that day is a long time from now for both of us,” I say.

“Mama you’re cute. You’re a cutie pie. Mama your first name is cutie pie. Then your nother name is Tolle.”

Regarding seeing Michael and my wedding photos, “Was I there? I want to be there next time. I wanna be mewied [married] to you. Can I please be mewied to you?”

Lady Kitty likes to race into my home office and lock the door and scuttle under my standing desk, racing away from Linnéa any chance she gets. She gets comfortable and reflective on growing. “I’m going [growing]. When I get big I can’ [can’t] fit in hew [here]. I wanna get big like my Mama.”

“It’s nice to have a happy mama and a done with work mama.”

“N-O-P,” Lady Kitty is singing over and over like a loud lullaby to Mr. Cat. She’s heard Lake call her nap time. N-O-P [N-A-P] As in we’re spelling it so she won’t catch on and Lakes picked up on it as well, and has added his own twist on the spelling of ‘nap’. Except it sounds like the cats out of the bag. She seems to know exactly what a N-O-P is! And it’s N-O-P time for Mr. Cat.

“Mama, am I going right now in Baba house? When I get my clothes on? For my happy birthday? Can I please go in Baba house right now?”

Then she gets reflective … “Mama— I don’t know how to have a birthday.”

“Maybe you could ask Lake and Linnéa. They’ve had a lot of birthdays…”

Lady Kitty said, “I’m gonna ask only Bro Bro.”

He’s her other big love.

“I’m a big girl and a tiny girl at the same time. Can can I be a little girl, a big girl and a baby the same time? And a baby? Puz Michael call me Baby. Peez mama”

Yes, darling girl.

“Dank you Mama!”