Her First Big Snow At Poppy's House

She had to wait seven long years before she got a big snow weekend at Poppy's House.

Every winter, Chloe would always ask when was it going to show, and would we get enough to go sledding on and could we build a big snow person.

We have had a few winters where there just enough snow to make a very small snowman about six inches tall when she has been at out house but never enough to really play in.

Well this year worked out perfectly, we got two good snows back to back and one was over the weekend while she was here with Poppy and Grandmother.

There was so much excitement in the air when she came over on Friday morning, first she was out of school for snow and she was here at her grandparents.

Over the years she has heard her dad talk to her about sledding on the sled. She has seen the sled in the attic and set on it dreaming all about the ride she would have on it.

The day before coming over to our house, her mother and her had thrown snowballs out in the yard at each other and she had made snow angles in the yard. She had caught snow in some plastic containers to store in the freezer for later use.

She had wanted to make some snow cream, but neither her mother or Mimi knew how to make it like Grandmother could. She said her Grandmother was the,"bomb," whenever it came to cooking. Grandmother say's, "She cooks from scratch. It doesn't look like scratch to me but I'll let her call it whatever she want's to call it. (That is another journal entry for later.)

Well, we took grandmother to work, and I knew that I had my Poppy all to myself and I could get him to do what I needed him to do for me. I could hardly wait until we got back home.

Poppy wanted to drive around the neighborhood and take snow pictures before we went home, so I let him because I knew he would be busy once we got home.

We pulled in to the parking lot of the Preforming Arts Building that is across the lake from Poppy's house. Poppy asked me, Do you want to make a circle in the snow? I didn't know exactly what he meant but I was ready to get out of the car to play in the snow. I started to open the door when he stopped me and said we are going to do it with the car. So we got in the middle of the parking lot and he went around three times and when we pulled away we had four tire prints in the snow in perfect circles. See, I already knew that my Poppy could do anything!

We finally get home, I tell Poppy to stay in the garage and I run to the restroom. Poppy, "Let me show you how i make snow angles." I watch as she lies down in the snow and make snow angles in our front yard. Our complete yard up to this point was smooth with snow until Chloe got started and she had a whole yard to play in and do whatever she could imagine with the snow. She spelled her name in the snow by walking each letter out with her feet.

I got a few snowball hits before I knew that she had been working quietly making a pile to throw at me. She has a perfect aim and everyone that she threw his their target, me.

Poppy, remember when we got the last snow and it was on the ground for more than three days I told you it was going to snow again. I asked her where had she learned that. Oh I learned it from this old lady at my school. When she told me her name I knew that she was younger than me and I asked her, "Who do you think is older me or her?" Oh Poppy,"Why do you have to ask? You know that she is way older than you. I asked her, "How is that, Well, she only talks about stuff, but you get right in there and act just like me, so that is how I know that your younger.

Poppy, "Will you show me how to make a big snow girl?" Sure, you know I will. First make you a big snowball as round as you can. Now roll the snowball across the yard and back until we get it big enough for the bottom if the snow girl. When you have it as big as you want it roll it over her to the shade so it want melt as fast. But Poppy, "I want it closer to the street so everyone can see her." "OK, just stop where you want to put it." She put it by the drive and the sidewalk where everyone could see this masterpiece. Now what you need to do is pack some snow all around the base to keep it from rolling over when you ad the next roll on top of your base roll. Make another snowball like you did with the first one and roll it in another part of the yard. Make this one a little smaller than the first one. This will be its body to hold the head. Now put it on top of the base and pack some snow all around to hold both rolls together. Now do the same thing again, make a snowball and make it smaller than the last one and bring it to me before you attach it to the body. Once the head was rolled she brought it to me and I shaped it into a round shape. We took a green bottle cap and she put it on the snow girls face, then she took some snow and packed it around the nose to hold the cap in place and then she took some snow and made some lips and we added two nails for braces over the teeth. And the last thing that she did was insert two nuts for eyes. She took the head and attached it to the body securing it. She stood back and admired what she had accomplished. Poppy she is just about ready except for clothes and a hat to keep her from melting as fast. she found two sticks for the arms, while I went and got the shirt for her snow girl. She put on the shirt and then ran into the house for a knit hat for her head.

She played and played until she was ready to go inside and get something dry on and to warm up.

Poppy, Do You Remember This...,

The other day we had to take our newer computer to the shop because it had a problem and I had gotten out the old one to use.

Chloe had come for the weekend and we usually play Barbie Makeover's on the computer and look at the pictures that were added from the previous week.

She said, "I bet there are some old pictures that I haven't seen in a while on this computer, you thinks so." Your probably right about that.

Poppy, I remember this one, we had been playing outside and grandmother had gone to the store and brought back some watermelons and I was playing with them.

Poppy, I don't remember wearing this green dress! I know it hang in the closet but I don't remember wearing it, but it looks good on me.

I remember this one was taken on the slide in my backyard.

How old was I in this picture Poppy? About 9 months old.

Lookie here, I still love pasta and Alfreda sauce, but not so much peas and carrots.

I look cute in this brown dress. What happened to this dress? Grandmother gave it to your little cousin Scarlett. But Poppy, I wanted to keep it for my little girl. OK, we will get it back from Scarlett when she can't wear it anymore. Tell her to not get it dirty!!

I remember this time at Pops on his back porch!

Poppy, This was one of my favorite outfits, it had a red skirt and some red pants that I later wore as shorts.

I remember this day feeding the ducks and wanting you to take me for a run around the lake when my daddy surprised me and he took me for a walk and run around the lake and to the store for an ice cream.

These two pictures were taken when we went to the park with Grandmother and we had a picnic. Do you remember that Poppy?

I was cute and tan when I was a little girl, right Poppy. I loved to play outside and still do.

I remember trying on these shoes at the show store and want them because they had heels but they were to big.

Poppy, Look at my smile in this one, hehe

Hey this one was not to long ago when I lost my two front teeth!

Hey!!, In this one I've got my mama in my mouth and the dolls hat on my head, that's so funny.

Look!! Poppy Grandmother and I look just alike! Cool!

Why do I look so serious in this one Poppy? Probably because you were watching the ducks in the yard or on the lake.

Poppy And Chloe

On the weekends she like to do things that we have done over seven years growing up.

She loves to play with her Barbie dolls and since we don't have as much doll clothes and furniture and doll houses and doll cars as she does at home we have learned to improvise whenever we play at our house. Chloe is the director and designer and Poppy is the builder and follow up. If she needs a bed I set out to make the prop that she need for that moment. If she decides to have a part for what ever the occasion may be I am to do the artwork and make the mask and light sets for the dolls.

Sometimes she just wants to color, Pumpkins and witches for Halloween, Trees, Santa's, sleds, gifts, tree ropes for the tree for Christmas, Snow Flakes and snow people for January, Valentines for February and so on. Sometime we just freehand color or other times we color in a coloring book.

We may spend time watching a movie that she has brought from home.

We play hide-n-seek, read books, play in her room like she has a restaurant or a school room and I'm her student.

For that weekend or that day I transform back to a little lad and become her playmate and friend. It has to be hard growing up as the only child of an only child mom and dad.

I just glad that I'm able to do these thing with her and that she can enjoy a childhood filled with memories that will last her a lifetime. I don't know for sure who enjoys it more, her or me.

Chloe, The Little Photographer

There are two thing that Chloe has always loved since she was a baby. That is a camera and a telephone, I guess we were always taking her picture either with the camera or the phone is the reason why.

Whenever she is taking pictures of things around the house most of her subjects are things that are her height. This makes things much different than pictures that adults take.

The centerpiece on the Breakfast table that is off center because Debby and I were playing a game of Phase10 and had pushed it back for more table room.

My bowl of Clementines sitting on the table while I went to the refrigerator to get me some bottled water.

How about a selfie while eating a Christmas sucker.

This one was taken with her daddy's phone.

A picture of the quilt on her bed.

 Pictures on her desk and the dollies that she said she rescued out of the closet. She has an old soul and loves homemade things, like the pictures on her wall, the dollies and the quilts.

I asked her why she took this one and she said she wanted to show how the light reflected off of the shade onto the desk.

A picture of Clarence beside her bed. He look so real to be a stuffed animal. He was originally David's dog and now she has claimed him as her own.

Spending A Weekend With Poppy And Grandmother

Well I know that grown-ups love to sleep in and so does Chloe on the Saturday. She is usually up around 9:00 and ready to get her morning started.

She like to either drink a glass of chocolate milk or a glass of Cherry Coke while she is waiting on her bacon to cook. Today she has already been coloring and gotten herself some Cherry Coke and is waiting patiently for the bacon.

She has already informed me that she wants to go to McDonald's not just for the Happy Meal with a surprise but the wonderful indoor playground where she meets old and new friends every time she goes there.

As we leave home to go to McDonald's we make a quick stop at Sonic for their morning "special." If you get there before 10:00 am you can get a large drink for 99 cents and she wants a Slush this morning.

When we get to McDonald's it to early to order lunch so she plays on the indoor playground until 11:30 a.m. to eat her lunch, which of course is a Happy Meal. There must be a new movie coming out called Flutterbye because all of the girl toys are Magic Fairies.

All of the kids love to see if they can climb these poles to the top and hang on. I have told Chloe that just because other kids are climbing on top of the playground it is not ok to do it. I get her to read me the rules of the playground whenever she wants to take off her socks so that she can climb of the slide backwards. Then she tells me that everyone else is doing it so why can't she. That is why McDonald's have rules, they are for your safety as well as for McDonald's.

She is enjoying her Sonic Slush down to the last drop, and then she will drink her milk that she got with her Happy Meal.

We are heading home after several hours of playing with friends at McDonald's. "Poppy, Can we read and play some more Barbies and maybe play Hide-N-Seek, or ride my scooter or my bike. Is it two cold at 33 degrees to ride my bike around the lake?" I'm afraid so Chloe, we will have to stay inside today when we get home.

When we got home she found some books to read in her room and she played with her toys until sh got tired of playing and reading. She came looking for me to play hide-n-seek. I am hiding in the closet under the stairs so maybe she won't find me for awhile. Oops, she just opened the door, now it's my turn to count and then find her....,

Christmas and New Year Break

Maybe you can remember when you were in grade school and when each new year would start you couldn't wait to see the list of holidays and school breaks for that year.

Well, This is what Chloe did again at the start of her school year. She was glad to have a free day off here and there but what she wanted to see were the week long and two week long holidays. The first four days came at Thanksgiving, but the one that she was most interested in was before Christmas until after New Years.

[Spending some of Christmas Break at Poppy and Grandmother's in her room reading her books.]

Oh Boy!, Did she have a big grin from seeing those two weeks off on her schedule.

Yes, she loves school and she loves learning new things, but a holiday that she can spend with all of the family is pretty special. Christmas with Mommy and Mimi. Christmas at Daddy's, and at Pop's and Great-Grandmothers. Christmas with Papaw and Mamaw's in Mississippi and Christmas with Poppy and Grandmother.             

 ["Poppy, I bet you can't guess this riddle"]

                                                                                                                                                          
After Thanksgiving her mother put up Christmas decorations and the slow anticipation began as she had to wait almost a month until Christmas. List had to be made, allowances had to be saved and any little jobs that she could do for extra money helped.

 ["How about this Poppy, they have a flower named after you, it says so right here."]

The perfect little child was around during this time because Santa or one of his elves may be watching and she wanted to stay off of the naughty list. Not that she is ever bad at Poppy and Grandmother's house.

[Christmas at Mommy's and with Mimi]

I knew one thing that would be on her want list were Barbie Dolls. Here Mimi and her Mommy were both into Barbie Dolls and this doll was passed on to her. They have two and one half generations of Barbie Dolls, houses and cars, clothes and accessories. We have a few barbie Dolls for Chloe to play with but nothing to compare with what she has at home.

 ["All the presents are opened, now to see what all we have gotten."]

Each time that I pick up Chloe from school she has her list of things that we are going to do for the evening or weekend. We must go to the toy stores and check out what is new this year? Chloe said, "I know that I will probably get clothes and other stuff but let's not waste our time looking at those things they will take care of themselves. " "That's what grown-ups like to do."

 ["Christmas at Daddy's, just making sure I have opened all of my presents."]

So we visit, Walmart, Toy's R Us, Target and any other store that I will take her to. You see she has me wrapped around her little finger.

Well it is less than a week to Christmas and one little girl is so excited and tomorrow is the last day of school until the new year.

 ["Wow, did I say Wow, Look at all of the colors that i have to work with. I have pens, markers, pencils, crayons and water paints. Where do I began?"]

When I picked Chloe up today she had a small bag with cards that she had made for Grandmother and I for Christmas. They were so precious and she had spent some time on them. She is always thinking of others. She asked me to help her make a card for her mommy and I knew that if anyone could help me make it special it would be you Poppy. She mainly wanted me to be there to make sure she spelled all of her words correctly, which she had already done.

Chloe came to our home the Saturday after Christmas and was a little disappointed to not find the doll that she had wanted from Kroger's. I explained to her that I needed to go to the Grocery Store and I needed her to help me when we got there. She asked me if I had gotten around to buying the doll that she wanted to late and they were all gone and that she would never find that doll again. She looked up at me and she said, "Poppy, you can't be so frugal on everything that you buy because you will miss out on somethings."
I guess you could be right on that Chloe. I got a smile of understanding but it wasn't a happy smile.

When we got to the Grocery Store (Krogers) she wanted to go immediately to where the Christmas items were to see if maybe a doll was still there. Maybe the $24.95 doll was still there because other parents had decided to wait until the price dropped after Christmas. The dolls were still there lined up like statues in a doll factory. She was so excited to find that the doll that she wanted was still there. She said can I get it, can I get it. I said sure get the one that you wanted and if you want to you can get her sister as well. Sure I said, "You don't want her to be lonesome do you." Chloe said, "No, but are you sure that I can have both of them today!" She took one box in one arm and the other box in the other arm and proudly walked up to the register. She told the cashier, "Look what my Poppy and Grandmother got me for Christmas, he is so frugal sometimes I was afraid that they wouldn't be here and I would never see these dolls again. Did he get a great deal for me?" The cashier said, "He sure got a great deal on these dolls he only paid $13.90 before tax for both dolls." Chloe looked at the cashier with a beaming smile when she said, "Wow that's a savings of over thirty five dollars." I couldn't help but smile at her quick little mind, she is just like her Daddy when it comes to math an anything to do with memory.

[She could hardly wait until she got home to open the boxes very carefully to save her boxes.]

She played with the with the dolls for quite a while and then decided to play with her other Christmas gifts. It is funny how minds think alike. David got her an art set and so did I. They were much the same but different in some ways. She was glad to be able to keep one at her Daddy's and have the other one here.

 [The artist set that we got her for Christmas, pastel paints, water colors, markers, colored pencils, crayons.]

Well it's back to the drawing board, and time to color, but she didn't want to use her new crayons in fear that she would have one break so we used the older crayons but she loved the color markers and made a beautiful rainbow.

 [Taking a little time-out to play with a last years Christmas present; Nabi Junior, to make a video of her Christmas at Poppy and Grandmothers.]

The day is coming to a close and she is settling in her bed ready for a night of sweet dreams. Just when you think that you can leave the room, "Poppy, can you tell me one of your stories while you scratch my back." Sure, I'll be glad to do just that," and before the story is finished she is fast asleep.