India Chapter 2

Nomadic shepherds

Cows wandering the city
LOTS of traffic and crazy driving
This year Greg has also been to Europe, South America, and Mexico. He says India gave him the most culture shock, BY FAR.

Some things he noticed:

-men peeing on the street... everywhere

-cows walking down city streets

-busy intersections with aggressive drivers and absolutely no rules

-you had to argue about cab/rickshaw prices, otherwise you get ripped off

-delicious food (curry, Tangier chicken, etc.)

-Men holding hands- its a cultural thing

-one motorcycle carrying a family of four

-the scaffolding on construction sites was made of bamboo tied together with rope
-a sign that said "no spitting: it causes diseases"
-the power goes off hourly

-Indians seem to be a very happy, helpful people
BACK AT HOME:

There was a huge rainstorm and our entire basement flooded... AHHH! Greg was half a world a way and feeling pretty helpless. THANK YOU to our heroes, Ben and Jeremy, who helped me move heavy stuff and get all of the water out and also to Erika, who played with Clara while we worked. We were very lucky that the damage and expense was minimal. Most of our neighbors fared much worse.

We are so happy that Greg made it home safe and sound, and just a little sick. :) Hooray for Labor Day and a long weekend so we can make up for the time we didn't get together last week.

India Chapter 1

Greg was in India last week and, boy, did we miss him. He visited the cities of Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore.

Here is a view from his hotel window in Mumbai

Here is a lady carrying stuff on her head, and the cool rickshaws (made famous on The Amazing Race)

Lots of garbage, everywhere

Clara's funny book, Chapter 2

Some more funny Clara moments...

"Heeewwo?" (Hello, for all of you that don't speak Clara's language)

3/08- (This one is old, but funny, so when I remembered it I had to include it). At Kindermusik, we all sit in a circle...moms with their babies in their laps. Clara has started making the rounds, taking turns sitting on each and every mom's lap. She stops about 5 feet in front of them, turns around, and walks balkwards wtih her bum out until she reaches the chosen lap.

7/5/08- While on vacation in Vancouver, Clara figured out how to climb out of her pack-n-play. I was on the other side of the wall (I think she forgot I was there). She was so excited to be free that she ran around to my side of the room, saw me... pretended she didn't see me... hoped that I didn't see her... and ran right back to her side, giggling all the while.

7/11/08- Clara loves to pick tomatoes out of our garden. One time I told her "no" because she was picking green tomatoes, so she said "back" and tried to put the tomato back on the plant. I have given up trying to stop her. Now she proudly brings me handfuls of green tomatoes (she calls them apples -or her version of tomato "ah-be-do") and mini green peppers. I also find them stashed in her favorite places around the backyard.

The harvester at work

Green tomatoes in the trunk of her car

... in the drink holder of a lawn chair

...and green peppers on the ledge of our porch.

7/20/08: Clara likes to sing... she makes up songs and the syllables are always "baaa-dooo-wa" or some combination like that.

7/23/08: Clara talks in her sleep. Today, Greg was leaving for a business trip at 3am and heard her softly and sweetly saying, "Mommmmy, Da-Da, Mommmmy, Da-da" while fully asleep.

7/25/08- Clara has started calling me "Mommina"- I have no idea why... doesn't it mean "little mother" in Italian? Maybe she picked up a few words in utero while we were in Italy.

7/29/08: She is getting more mischevious as she gets older. Today she found a loose piece of molding in our dining room and played with it. I asked her not to and I put it back. Fast forward 5 minutes... Clara noticed I was busy doing something, so she sneakily ran back to the dining room and pulled it down, again. When I followed her, she dropped the molding and ran. When I picked it up she shrugged her shoulders and said "Oh No"- (How did that happen, Mom?!?)

8/4/08: Clara LOVES to jump. Today when I left the room after putting her down for a nap she was jumping in her crib... she loves that bouncy mattress. I peaked in and she was so tired that her eyes were halfway closed, but she was saying "jump, jump, jump" and jumping as fast as she could (probably to keep herself awake). She would dive down face first to lie down and take a little break, then jump up and start over again... "jump, jump, jump."

8/7/08: She loves talking to her Daddy on the phone... here is their typical conversation.

8/15/08: We've been watching the women's gymnastics on the Olympics. Clara tried to copy some of their moves, and would hold her arms up like they do at the end of a routine. She even tried going down into the splits.

I am glad Tim Dagget is not my dad

I have been watching the Olympics this week and there is one thing that really bugs me. That thing is Tim Dagget. He is the announcer in gymnastics, and he is a gymnastic divo (male form of diva). Whenever there is something good going on or someone is having a olympic moment, there is Tim "Debbie Downer" Dagget to tell everyone what is wrong with the performance and how it could have been better.

Here is a perfect example:

Nastia Liukin just finished a great uneven bars.

2 other commentators: "Brilliant", "You will not see a higher score this Olympics"

Tim Dagget: "But it is not enough"

Thanks Tim.

Hey Tim, if I wanted to hear about the details of gymnastics, and how one should have .02 points deducted from their score because they did not point their pinky in the right place, then I would watch gymnastics more than just once every four years.

I would hate to be this guys son. Imagine coming home from school in first grade:

Son: "Dad, Dad, I just got A in my History test, the teacher has never given an A before."

Tim "I would have never won a gold in the team event had the Russians not boycotted the 84 games" Dagget: WHAT, YOU MISSED A QUESTION?!? HOW COULD YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO WAS THE LAST CREDITABLE FEDERALIST CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT IN 1816 (answer is Rufus King)???

Here are a couple of Dagget moments from the olympics:

• The Romanian women are struggling and their coach is trying to comfort them. Tim Dagget says: "The old coach would never hug the girls after such a horrible performance."


• When a guy was doing a move that he was almost paralized doing a couple weeks before, Tim Dagget says: "He is not going to do it, He is not going to do it. (He does the move) I can't believe he did it, he has not been able to do that move for a long time. He has either messed up or chickened out the last couple times."

It makes me wish John Tesh was still doing the olympics.

Summer of Sports

This summer I played on a YMCA soccer team with some friends. The league was supposed to be "co-ed," but most teams had zero girls on the field. I found myself running in circles and not being able to keep up with the stronger and faster men on the opposing teams. Since I wasn't contributing with my playing, at the end of the season I decided to contribute my husband, Greg, who scored 3 goals in the first game he played. Way to redeem our family, honey. Clara liked watching the games and by the end of the season had learned to say "soccer ball."

But... my other summer sport has been SO MUCH FUN!!!

I have been taking Tennis clinics... they are a blast and I hope to start playing in some beginner leagues this fall.

P.S. I am loving the Beijing Olympics... wasn't the opening ceremony awesome? Greg had to drag me away from the TV at midnight last night, while I was saying, "But they are about to talk about the US gymnasts with Bela Karolyi."