July was a long busy month...

So long and busy, I'm adding a few days of August onto there because we were just too busy to realize it had overflown the calendar. Esme is potty trained. She understands, and we haven't used a diaper in many days. She is also happy about it, too. The garden is overgrown with grass, and I pulled a lot of it today. I found carrots - and brought them in. The field peas are all starting to put on two to three inch long pods that stick straight up on the vines, unlike the green beans, which hang down from the vines. The pole green beans are starting to produce, as well. There are pumpkins and squashes developing and new vines and leaves everywhere in that section. I have still been making 'garden soup' every few days and eating it at work. I've lost enough weight to really see it in the mirror, have been feeling it in the belt for a month.

The other night the lights went out and we were without power for seven hours. It was a very hard night for Mark. There was lightning everywhere, loud and bright through the large glass windows on all sides of the house. Esme and I were scared - her mostly because I was, but when all the lights went out she wanted me to put them back on. Earlier that night I had cut an ankle and she was scared of the blood - she thought 'mama dead' and then was very scared to let me anywhere near her for a bit until I showed her a band-aid is like 'duct tape' she plays doctor with her toys to 'make all better'. I think she thought I was a zombie because the more I came after her to show her it was alright the more she cried and tried to run... 'Walking Dead' is to blame, she saw some of at least one of those episodes months and months ago. Grandpa had to go to the emergency room for his eye, and Esme was further scared with Daddy out in the storm and 'Grandpa need fix, help Grandma fix him' and being alone with Mama with the lights out and Mama could not fix them. She pretended she was playing computer and sang the ABC song, then said 'click' 'ABC song' just like Starfall says it, then sang the song again. She tried to get me to read a book by candlelight.. and was very mad at me when I blew the candle out at midnight. She cuddled close against my back in the bed hugging Daddy's pillow and finally went to sleep. Daddy didn't get back with Grandpa until after 2 am, and the power didn't come back on until after 5 in the morning. Then Mark tried to use the chainsaw to remove some trees out of the road and it would not start. Trying to start the tractor, which was also being persnickety, he found some hornets which did not like him. Today has been much better for him, with lots of rest and relaxation. Grandpa is doing much better and he is ready to have his patch taken off his eye (cataract surgery) so everything has turned out good! We are all very happy about that.

Esme is dragging me outside to push her on the swing again...she wants to play ball, and air hockey table, and foam noodle swords and swinging and watering plants... keeping up with her lately is just a whirlwind of activity. I am still amazed when she slows down and uses her computer for a while.. keep looking over there and wondering when she is going to whirl into action again and drag me all over the house! She is just full of little surprises - like when she tucked her cookie rabbit toy into her pillow and blanket this morning after she got up (cookie rabbit needs to stay there, sometimes she even shoves her under the mattress to make sure she is there for bedtime), and the way she says she is 'exercising' and 'I a big and strong I brush teeth' etc... She is keeping her toothbrush in a little cup by the sink and pretending to use it ... may be making some progress... She is also watching the new Sims game Mark got for me to test out the graphics on the other computer -- the animations are such (or Esme is such) that Esme can recognize what they are supposed to be doing even when it is zoomed far out - 'He eat cupcake, she is making foods, he plays game' etc... sometimes I didn't even know what they were doing. She pointed out the kitchen of a restaurant in a 'downtown' area and said they were cooking... and I hadn't even noticed there WAS a kitchen in that corner of the screen!