Styling Great-Grandmother's Hair

Chloe loves to comb other peoples hair and style it the way that she wants to do it.

She likes to get out the gel at our house and try to get me to wear the spike hairs style when we go somewhere, and I always tell her that this is for young kids not old Poppy's. She always laughs and tries to see if she can get me to wear it outside. I always make her comb it into a regular hair style for me.

G-Grandmother sitting at the table in her wheelchair.

When we go to Pop and Great-Grandmothers she likes to comb their hair as well and style it.

Chloe sitting in her chair behind G-Grandmother getting her things together to do her hair.

The other day when we got there, Emily had just washed G-Grandmother's hair and Chloe was wanting to see if she could come it and style it. Grandmother said to ask her if she minded you combing her hair. G-Grandmother told Chloe that she would love to have her hair combed and styled.

Chloe is gently combing G-Grandmothers hair as she nods off to sleep.

Chloe pulls up a chair to stand on and gets her brush and comb and hair clips to do her thing. She combs and combs and G-Grandmother is falling asleep with each brush stroke. Chloe pipes up and said,  "see how relaxed my client is."

She leans over G-Grandmother's shoulder and asks her if everything is alright and does she need anything.

Soon after combing it she starts to part the hair as she combs so as to make two pig tails. She combs, takes it out, re-combs and takes it out again. The she reply's, "Her hair is just not wanting to cooperate with me today." Finally she get it finished to her satisfaction and ask G-Grandmother how it feels. G-Grandmother said, " I believe you did another great job Chloe."

"A job done well is a well done job," Don't you thinks so?
To this she said, "Thank You, it was a pleasure doing your hair."

Playing In The Mud And Getting Wet With The Sprinkler

It has taken a long time to get Chloe to play in the mud. She is such a squeaky clean kid that she usually doesn't like to get dirty.

Trying to adjust to the coldness of the water before getting into the trench. Hey,! my hair is getting wet.

I told her that many years ago when I was a kid that we had red mud in the ditches beside the road in front of our house growing up, until the ditched were filled in with concrete culverts and doing away with the ditch.

It doesn't feel as cold anymore did you turn on some warm water too.

Yes it made the homes look better, but what about the children that loved to play in the mud.

Well here in Tennessee we don't have the red mud, thank goodness, we just have good brown dirt but yes it still feels good when it is wet and runs through your toes.

 It starting to feel real good and I see now how much fun you can have.

One day we were at Pop's house and he has plenty of places to get in some mud or barnyard, Chloe said that she would get in the mud if she didn't have to go to far from the house. In other words, she doesn't mind getting a little dirty maybe if she can get cleaned back up just as fast.

 

Look!! Poppy, I'm standing in the mud and like you said it feels good between your toes.

We were out on the patio and Pop has a drain cut out around the concrete so that when it rains the water will run off. This is where Chloe decided that she would venture off into the mud, but close enough to the hose and the concrete where she could get clean again.

She said, "I had to get out of the mud to get my feet clean again."

Approaching the sprinkler cautiously to just get a little wet and see if she likes it.

Once she got past the coldness of the water on the sunny day she decided that she would try the mud. The more that she walked in it the more that she liked it until she saw an ant on the concrete and then she was ready to get out.

Slowly building up her trust of the sprinkler, not sure enough to walk in the wet grass yet.

I asked her if she wanted to water the flowers that were on the patio and she said sure. The she started watering the flowers. I told her to turn left and get those over there and she laughed and turned right and, yes she gave me a good soaking right across my stomach. When I asked her to turn around again she did and filled my shoes in the process.

Just getting a little braver to get a drink of water.

Then she asked me was I upset! And to her surprise I said it feels better than the hot sun.

Aunt Emily brought out a round sprinkler to attach to the end of the hose and it took a lot of convincing to get Chloe to get wet under the sprinkler.

Do you think I look like a peacock? Why yes I believe you do.

Again, after she got over the initial shock of the cold water, she was playing like a "pig in the mud."

Oh Man, this really does feel great! Now I know what your talking about Poppy. When can we do it again?

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

 It doesn't seem that long ago that she had her 1st Birthday

Last spring when Chloe turned six, she asked me how long was it going to be until she turned seven. I told her that she had almost a whole year of waiting. She told me that in school, she learned that a year was 365 days or 12 months. But Poppy just how long is that! I told her that it would be after the 4th of July, Labor Day, Back To School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. She stopped me and said that is to long to have to wait for a birthday. I hated to burst her little bubble when I told her that I wasn't through. Its past Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, April Fools Day, Mother's Day and Memorial Day then it is about two weeks until your birthday.

Daddy (David) and Chloe after riding the go-carts in a race.

She wanted to know if us older guy's looked forward to our birthdays. I said we are glad that we have them because it means were still here but we don't look forward to getting older.

I explained to her that when you are younger you can wait to be older and some days you want to push the years by more than on but when you get in your mid twenties you start to want to hold onto the nines. Like I'm twenty-nine for a few years then I'm thirty nine and so on.

 L. to R. Mimi, Mommy, Chloe, Lilli, Daddy.

Then when you get to be fifty- five plus you start to enjoy your birthday's again as you get closer to the golden years.

 Chloe telling everyone what she just unwrapped.

On Sunday Chloe asked me now how many days until my birthday. I said you only have four more days of waiting. Well how many hours is that? I told her and then I said it will be here before you know it. Then I'll be seven going on eight right! "Yes," I replied.
 

Chloe opening a card, she told everyone that she needed to concentrate while doing this so she didn't tear the card..

Yesterday morning was June 11th Chloe's birthday and she called me and asked me did I know what day it was. I said sure I do it's Wednesday, June 11th. There was silence, then I started singing, Happy Birthday to her over the phone and she laughed and said, "Poppy you remembered it." "Did you get me a present?" I said, "I don't think that you would let me come to you party if I didn't have a present."

 

Her Princess Birthday Cake

She had her Birthday Party at Incredible Pizza. She went there before with some of her cousins and they had a blast and so this is where she wanted it this year.

 She is so excited to blow out the candle and get her some icing.

As soon as she got there she wanted to ride the rides and she said blow off her frustrations. I told her she didn't know what that meant and she said are you trying to frustrate me to, Poppy! I know one thing and that is she is far smarter than I was at seven.

 

Ok, I'm ready are your camera's ready!!

Daddy, gets to take her on all of the rides, the ones where she isn't tall enough he has to ride with her but by the big grin on his face I just don't think he minded it at all. I think Daddy turned back into a young boy for just a little while and a little girl soaked up some "special moments," with her daddy.

Mommy, asked her did she make a wish when she blew the candle out and she said her wish had already came true, her family and friends were at her party. And if I tell you the one I just made it won't come true.
 She rode the go-carts many times racing, the bumper cars, laser tag, bowling, miniature black-light golf, big top rides and video games galore.

L. to R. Mike, Papaw Dad (Plaid Shirt), Pop(striped shirt), Marcie and her friends.

Everyone had arrived and they all came to the room so that they could eat and she could open her presents. She was so excited to open the presents that she couldn't hardly eat. We took pictures of the cake and  opening of her presents. As she opened each present she would read each card. Someone asked her a question while she was opening a card and she replied that couldn't they see that she was needing to concentrate while she was opening up the cars so that the card didn't get torn.

( The Grandmothers), Gramaw (Joyce), (Grandmother) Debby, (Mimi) Jan.

She had asked Grandmother to get her some art supplies for her birthday. All afternoon she kept coming up to me and thanking me for her present. I said that present was from grandmother, that she would get mine when she comes over on Friday. Immediately she wanted to know what it was because I didn't bring it with me and I told her it was a surprise and it was for her at our house. "Ok, Poppy but I know that you went to the store and bought all of the things in the present bag." How do you know it was me? Did grandmother tell you that? No, because everything you got me was just what I have been wanting. You got me finger paints, paint brushes, oil paints, stickers, glitter, glue, colored pens, colored pencils, tape, washable magic markers, construction paper, crayons just like I have at your house that I can now use at my house. Poppy do you know that I love you and grandmother. Yes, sweetie I know that you do and we love you as much or more in return.

 Mmmm....this icing is so good, sorry Lilli I didn't get your face.

It was a great "Birthday Party," and one little girl got plenty of presents that she will enjoy form may days and years to come.

 Marcie (Mommy) and Chloe

 "Happy Birthday Chloe, Happy Birthday"

Schools Out, Schools Out,

Well she made it thru a year of Kindergarten, Woo Hoo!! It has been a busy year for Chloe learning phonics, syllables, nouns, adjectives, verbs, pronouns and proper nouns. She also learned fifty two Bible verses and many songs that she will remember for the rest of her life. She has learned site words, and she can count to one hundred and count backwards from twenty. She learned to count by twos and by fives and how to add numbers.

She is looking forward to her twelve weeks off for Summer. Then in late Summer she will start thinking about first grade.

On the last day of school she could get out early if we picked her up at 11:15 a.m. and sign her out, which I was glad to do. The principal called to her room to let them know that she had been signed out and that I was waiting for her up front.

If you look to the left of the wall where the pictures are she will be coming up that hall. Her class room is almost at the end of that hall. I just stood and waited know that she would want to get everything together for the last day of school.

While I was waiting I took a few pictures since next year she will be in the other building. On the shelf on the right are the school mascot (Lions) and school colors (red, white and blue).

On this wall is a picture of the school mascot (Lion), Mission Statement of Harding Academy and A bible verse.

"Poppy! I'm here, we sure had a lot of fun this morning. We had a clown come in and do a magic show for us. We had some yummy cup cakes and some chocolate milk." It sure sounds like you had a great day for the last day of Kindergarten. You must have played outside as well because you have a sun glow. She just gave me a big smile and said let's go Poppy.

 

I said, before we leave let take a couple of pictures up front here as this will be the last year in this building, next year you will be in the other building.

Poppy!, before we leave I want to tell Mrs. Debbie by, she is our principal. So we went and told them goodbye and walked to the car.

Can you guess where I want to go now? 

I laughed and told her that the car knows that every time we pick you up from school that it's next stop is McDonald's.