When we went to Claire’s check up in April, they gave us all of this literature about car seats, safety, and what to do or not do. The car seat she was in at the time was made to supposedly work until she’s like 100 pounds and a few years older than she is now. We’re all a little too eager for our child to grow up (walk already, wait for me, come back! OR say “mamamamamama”, shhhhh, will you just stop talking for a minute!?), so I was ready for a booster. A real booster without a back, that I can just prop her into and go. Something smaller that I didn’t have to clean as much; something she wouldn’t spill her damn milk on to stink up the car in the desert summers. Of course the pediatrician assured me that if her current seat still fit her shoulders, then stay with the 5-point harness. So I did. We lasted another two months and then she went to Pittsburgh for June.

The car seats in the grandparents’ cars were older, from when she was smaller. They had both bought her boosters, like the ones I wanted to get her. Damnit, they beat me to it. No going to Target to pick them out, choose cool colors, take photos of her with the thing, and then buying it. They beat me to it. Oh well.

So we came home, back to Arizona in July. Her car seat in Mama’s car was a little tight and not quite as tight in my car. Last week, Donna picked her up and took her out for the evening so I could write. I get home, there is a new car seat. Sitting in the back of my wife’s car is a purple flowered straight from Target booster seat. Pretty. No pictures, no Dada there to enjoy it with them.

Then I went into the truck and in all it’s glory was a brand new booster seat is bright orange and muted grey. All mine! For my truck! Woohoo. Claire’s been in it a week now. It’s easy to get her in and out, she can move a little more, but she’s learning to be careful in it, and it just feels like she’s growing up. She loves it, but now she’s demanding I put the headrest back on the seat that I took off in April 2005. I guess we’re never quite pleased.

Before going to Pittsburgh Claire was eager to get another tip on her karate belt. For young children, tips come before belt changes. They have several levels of white/color belts that are tipped before they move onto full yellow, etc… When we returned from Pittsburgh, Claire was really excited because they were tip testing the next week but I was worried because she’d missed a month of classes. I asked her instructor to show her how to do the moves she needed to know while I watched, and she and I practiced every day for a week.

The following week she did tip test the first day of the week, and she immediately did the entire series of blocks. She was really excited to pass the test so quickly, and after class the instructors told us she had enough tips and experience to belt test that weekend. Saturday afternoon Donna and I took her into the dojo and they were packed. Parents lined the place with cameras waiting for their child to perform. They were testing all levels from white/yellow all the way through brown. It was really a cool event, and Claire went along with it very well even though we had no idea what half the process was like.

Eventually it was Claire’s turn. She listened, performed, and passed! We were really excited, and we could tell she was terribly happy as well.

Not only has Claire picked up a wonderfully elaborate vocabulary from her parents, she has now begun to invent her own words to add to Webster’s Dictionary: Clairious. As in, that’s so funny it’s clairious!

Back in high school I’d miss school because I was sick and then feel further and further behind and would feel like I could never catch up. I never really did, and I feel like this now. Mostly because I’ve not updated in 42 days. I have a good excuse though. I was in Europe. I don’t really blog that kinda thing before I go because there are freaks around who’d try to scope the ole homestead. Of course they’d run into my ex-covert ops Army still-have-his-rifle-and-will-use-it neighbor who is watching my house when I leave. I of course watch his (with my steak knife in hand). Anyway, Donna and I spent two weeks in London, Paris, Switzerland (Bern & Lucerne) and Italy (Verona, Lido, Venice, Assisi, Florence and Rome). I then flew to Pittsburgh where my parents finally moved into their new house. That was a chore because I ended up painting for hours on end, but I really enjoyed it. I left feeling glad to be going home after 3 weeks of not being here in AZ but feeling like I missed doing stuff in PA I would’ve liked to do (but we did make it to Kennywood and the Zoo).

We made it back for the 4th of July, and then we’ve been here mostly. Last weekend Donna and I flew to Vegas with another couple for a long weekend. I lost all the money I took on craps and slots and Donna broke even. Nice trip with a good couple. Now I am back for sure. Some doctor’s appointments, swim/gym makeups, and prep for work on Tuesday.

Yes, Tuesday. I go back to Basha. Kids come in another week. We were suppose to go to San Diego with a group before school began but someone decided to make that not happen. We’re not happy but that’s how things go. So I suppose this post is more of a really brief recap of the summer. If you want more on Europe, you can click on the tab at the top of this blog about travel which is an aggregated feed of the tour blog or go to flickr.com/nooccar and search “lpi2009″. For. Now. Bye.