Something About That Girl

There is something special about our granddaughter, Cordelia. I know, you are surprised that I think that, aren't you? Well, actually, there is something special about our other granddaughter, Elise, as well. However, this post is about Cordelia.

I totally believe that there is something special about every child. I hope no one is upset or thinks of this as bragging. I just think every child should have their good qualities mentioned frequently. I'm happy to do that!

Our daughter, Maria, recently mentioned Cordelia's repeated remarks that she was born to make the whole world smile. Isn't that just the sweetest thing? I've seen her do just that over and over. One example this week-end was when she gave a lady at a store a hug because she thought she was sad. She also asked the lady if she had any little children to make her smile.

When Cordelia was really little, maybe 2, she was able to verbalize that she felt shy in certain situations. One day, though, she told Maria that she wasn't going to be shy anymore. That was a life-changing day for her! She has been trying to make the whole world smile ever since! Sometimes it is simply running over to another child and saying, "Do you want to be my friend?"

Saturday I got to take both granddaughters to a park for a bit of fun. There was a little boy there, younger and rather intimidated, and Cordelia instantly set to work to make him smile. She showed him all around the park. He was a two year old and not yet too verbal. She didn't mind a bit! She just did the talking for both of them!  He ended up smiling a lot!

Yesterday we had a group from Youth Encounter, New Vision, at our church to lead worship. Cordelia LOVED them! From their first song she was enchanted. She got right into the clapping and dancing. When I complimented her clapping and such she turned to me and said, "Yes. I'm going to have to be in a band."

Later, the group had the children come up for a close-up view of a puppet show. At the end of it, Cordelia stood up and opened her arms wide stating, "I love you guys!"

After the worship service Cordelia ran over to them and was quite generous with her hugs. I heard her asking one of the team members if she could go with them. The girl asked Cordelia if she could play any musical instruments. Cordelia did not hesitate. She proclaimed, "I am very good on the drums so I'll just take the drums.

Later Sunday, when Sam and I stopped by their house, Cordelia gave us each some stones and sea shells from her little collection. She told us she wanted to give us something because we are very precious to her.

Yes, there is something special about that girl!

My Life of Crime and the Strangest Cat I Know

When Sam was little he used to call himself "Catman". He really loved cats. When we first moved to Wyoming, we brought with us two cats, Smokey and Jaws. They were old already, older than Sam. Sam had never had a kitten and he really, really wanted one. He bugged us all the time, telling us the only thing he wanted for his birthday was a kitten. Since we already had a dog, Grady, and the two old lady cats, I was quite reluctant. Mike went soft on me, though.

For Sam's 11th birthday we presented him with cat toys. Yes, that is how we did it. THEN, we told him we were taking him to the pound to pick out not one, but two kittens. Crazy, maybe, but we did not expect the older cats to live much longer. They were already 15 years old! We felt that a single cat would be lonely and that we should have two. On a side note, it turned out that those two older cats both lived to be 20 years old! Anyway...

Not long after breakfast on Sam's birthday we headed to the local pound. Sam was so excited! He chose two little kittens and we started the adoption paperwork. One of the questions on the paperwork asked about other pets in our home. I answered it truthfully. Then, everything went downhill. The man at the pound informed me that in our new community we could not have more than 3 pets! I explained that our house was plenty large to accommodate them as we had two floors and lots of space. I also told him the other two cats were old and likely to die soon (I thought it was true at the time). I then told him it was Sam's birthday and the kittens were his only request. I promised we would take good care of them and that they would never be allowed to roam the neighborhood. My powers of persuasion were not enough. The guy didn't budge. 

We left the pound with one very sad boy in our backseat. That is when the Mama Bear in me made a decision. My boy was not going to be heartbroken for his birthday! I am not necessarily proud of my decision to break the law. It is what it is. I dropped Mike off at the church. He was a new pastor in this town; He didn't need to be a part of any illegal activity. I didn't exactly tell him what I was planning to do but he knows me well. I'm sure he knew where I was going next.

Yes, I went straight to a pet shop. In fact, Sam had been there the week before and had already met two little kittens there. He later told me they were the ones he wanted all along anyway. It didn't take us long there. I normally would want to save kittens from the pound but when they told me these two babies were saved from separate situations of abandonment, I felt better about our purchases. 

I'm really hoping there is a statue of limitations on such a crime. It has been almost 9 years so I am fairly confident my confession here will not lead to punishment. For the record, we are now totally compliant with the local limitation of pets. I am an upright citizen once again.

The "little girls" are still here, still doing well. I have introduced them both on my blog. Sam chose the names, Jane and Mindy. You can read about them here and here. Jane is the sweet little lady and Mindy is the crazy kleptomaniac. Mindy is rarely seen by others and in fact sometimes I go days and days without seeing her. She spends a lot of time with Sam, though. She is just really, really shy. I don't think Maria has seen her in YEARS, even though she usually visits at least once a week!

Mindy looks calm in this photo but she is really, really crazy. She steals things. She hides them in her secret places. She climbs up the wall/furnace in our basement in an area with an unfinished ceiling. She gets between the basement ceiling and the upstairs floor and hides there often. When I've used the ladder to peek up there I sometimes find things we didn't even know we were missing. She used to often hide things under our bed as well. The weirdest was the time I found a bag of about 7 pounds of birdseed under our bed. I had left it near our back door and she'd managed to drag it down the hall and under the bed!

She is also a great athlete! Mike can play games with her (she really prefers the guys) such as flicking small things into the air. She will then jump high and bat them down. She'd be great at volleyball. Sometimes she will also play fetch with him. It is pretty funny to watch. However, she is rather leery of me. It is likely because I made the mistake of trying to hold her and pet her. I really kind of wanted a lap cat. She is most definitely never going to be a lap cat.

This morning, though, I was up early and she was brave enough to greet me. It helped that Bode was still in his kennel. I sat on the floor so she didn't have to worry that I was about to pick her up as that is her worst nightmare. She came close enough for me to pet her, using only my fingertips. It wasn't very satisfying but it was more than I usually get. I even had time to get a few photos of her before she disappeared to the basement, giving me one last look back. 

I know there are cat people and there are dog people but I guess we are both. How about you? Which do you most enjoy? Anyone else want to tell about their weird pets?

Indulging the Grandmas

I am not Cordelia's only grandma but I am the only one living in the same town.  This is why I must post cute Cordy pictures a lot.   You see, it is kind of my obligation to give the other grandmas a peek at her.   Therefore, I'm not just a bragging grandmother.  I'm only being thoughtful and trying to share.  :-)

Earlier this week I went with Maria and Cordelia to story time at our local library.  Cordy used to be really timid at these events.  Besides the stories there is usually singing time with actions or dancing involved.  We all start sitting on the floor and Cordelia would tell us she was shy and then smoosh herself into either of our laps to just observe the other kids.  Those days have changed!  When we first arrived at the children's section she said she was shy but soon she announced that she wasn't going to be shy after all.  It turns out she was right. What a fun little person to observe!

I tell you what, though, that friendly stuff takes a lot out of a girl!