Clara's Blog

Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:10:00 +0000

I would like to thank the Mautners for the three bananas I ate at their house yesterday. Mommy says, "No ill health effects yet."

School days

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:49:00 +0000

Sorry, I haven't updated in so long! If you haven't heard, I started school. I go to a really great school with nice teachers. I do work like painting, washing a pumpkins, spooning grains or stringing beads. I also really like to hang out in the reading corner. I wash my own dishes and clean my place after lunch. We sing songs every day and I've learned some songs that Mommy and Daddy don't know. (Don't worry I still make up my own songs all the time.) We go outside EVERY day no matter what the weather is doing. I'm making new friends and one of my favorite new friends loves to dress up even more than me. Can you believe it? How cool.

I'm still taking swimming lessons. I'm a Penguin now and I jump in and go underwater all the time and I can float for a little while all on my own. I'm working on my front glide...I just need to perfect my kicks and then I'll be an Otter. I like all the animal names they have for our classes.

We've gone on some great hikes this fall - just today I went with Daddy and the dogs up to Dry Creek Falls. I hiked or ran for about 1.5 hours! Daddy did carry me some too. It was a lot of fun. When the weather was a little nicer, the whole family went up to Mirror Lake. It's really pretty up there! I guess there's a reason that the parking lot there is almost always full.

For Halloween, I dressed up as a ballerina and went to see our favorite neighbors. I also got my picture taken someplace fancy with a cool white backdrop. I thought it was a stage and really didn't want to stand still at all for the lady with the camera. Mommy had fun watching that!

On Thanksgiving, Uncle Todd came over and we had yummy food. I made the cranberry relish and everyone thought it was really good. I also helped Mommy make rolls from scratch. (I call them roll-ups. I don't know why.)

I promise to try to update my site more often. I think we'll be off to pick out Christmas trees soon and other fun things. I'm hoping to share some of my artwork from school soon, too!

Fire and Water

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Lots of fun stuff going on lately. We had a sad goodbye to Beckham and his family - they're off to Germany! It wasn't so sad, actually, it was lots of fun. I got to play with some rowdy boys which is pretty rare for me. But fun! I hugged them and encouraged them even while they were being loud and rough. I'm funny that way I guess.

I also talked with the Slingsbys - Rich, Cyn and Stella. I'm not sure if I've ever met Stella. She's really cute. I think I'll share some of my clothes with her (she's only one). Of course, Mommy didn't think to tell me before that party that Cyn is a firefighter! A REAL firefighter! Cyn is super nice and invited me to come by the station. We did that a few days later and it was really great. I even got some homemade zucchini bread. I guess I haven't told you but I'm going through a little bit of a firefighter fascination stage. Every time I hear sirens I say, "There goes Cyn! Cyn's on a call!"

The other big thing that has been going on is....SWIM LESSONS! I have been going every weekday for about three weeks (one to go). Mommy decided that the pools are mostly open when I'm napping so swim lessons would be the best way for me to get a lot of practice in the water. There were a couple of days that I was overtired or something and didn't feel like cooperating but, mostly, they're really great. I even went underwater all on my own the other day! My teacher was very impressed. We kick and blow bubbles and sing songs. Good stuff!

Silver Star

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Daddy, Scout and I did another hike. Mommy stayed home with New Dog. Reika is on strict rest: maybe she doesn't have a torn ligament after all, so rest might fix her up. It's sad. I think Mommy and Reika would have liked this hike. Oh, by the way, Reika is over her kennel cough, but I sill have it.

I hiked by myself for a little bit, but it was steep and slippy and just got worse! Mostly, I rode in the backpack, and Daddy said that I got a silver star! I wasn't fussy at all, not even after a long, bumpy car ride, and a long hike in the sun.

There were like a million butterflies and two million wildflowers and four snow-capped volcanoes. What species of flies are butterflies? I really wanted a butterfly to land on my hand, and I clutched a wildflower for forever to entice them, but no luck.

Daddy and I went up Ed's Trail. It's very scenic, but we had to scramble up some loose, steep stuff above big drop-offs, and that was scary. Especially with Scout doing his best Rockhopper Penguin. I didn't freak out, and I held on tight to the backpack handles, but later I told Daddy that I was scared.

We met lots of people on the trail. Another Daddy shared cherries with me, and a nice lady shared her trail mix. Later, she found my hat on the trail! Thanks, nice lady!

When we got home, I even pooped in the potty instead of my pants and fell asleep before 9:00 pm, so it was an all-round miraculous day.

East Lake "Resort"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:46:00 +0000

Do you sometimes say, "No!" just because you feel like it? Do you then say, "No!" to any alternatives? Yes! Me, too. Know what? If you do it all the time, Mommy and Daddy get really agitated. Ha ha.

I had plenty of practice on our Fourth of July vacation. I might call it our Car Driving Vacation because we were in the car forever. (We went to East Lake Resort on the Newberry Caldera.) We fled the fireworks. Scout and I bark at fireworks.

So, I was pretty good in the car on the way there. We stayed in a cabin right on the lake, and I wanted to swim all the time. Lakes are also good for rock throwing.

I tried fishing, but you have to sit and wait for at least two or three minutes, and I don't have the patience for that.

I also did not want to sleep, ever. And I wasn't going to hang out alone in my bedroom, that's for sure.

Oh, do you know how to learn the rules? The secret: be naughty. When you're naughty: a) you learn the rules; b) you get attention. Scout is a good teacher.

I am doing more and more hiking on my own. Until I get tired. I am a good hiker.

The New Dog is funny. In every picture Mommy takes, Reika looks crazy.

So, actually, she has some problems. She got kennel cough from the shelter, and it got worse on vacation. (Pop caught it, too.) She coughed so hard that she vomited, and it was so bad that no one could sleep. Mommy drove her to Bend for medicine. Eighty mile round-trip. and the Bend vet thinks that Reika has a torn cranial cruciate ligament.

I think that the excitement, attention focused on Reika, and lack of sleep caught up with me at the end. I was, maybe, a bit evil. I cried when we left: I live here! Don't take me away from my home!

It was a long car ride home.

Though we did stop in Sisters, and Daddy shared his scone with me.

Deutsch Drahthaar

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:54:00 +0000

Hey, I've got news for you! Lots happening since I was practicing being brave.

First off, we hiked Dog Mountain. Can you guess why Scout and I like it? I was very patient, waiting to hike around at the top, but it was too windy and too cold! I did not like that and I did not like not hiking. Finally, after a post-summit napping session, I got to hike some of the trail back down. I am a very good hiker. I had Daddy lift me over the rocky parts.

Next, we went backpacking for the very first time. We drove in our new Subaru Outback to Herman Creek—we sold our Honda Accord. I like to use full car names. I also like to call the Honda Accord, "the stinky car." I was told that we got the Subaru Outback (also known as "the blue car") because two dogs would not fit in our Honda Accord ….

Anyways, back to backpacking. We went up the Herman Creek Trail to Casey Camp near Casey Creek. Mommy carried me (I wanted to hike myself), Daddy carried all of our stuff (he looked pretty funny!), and Scout even carried his kibble.

I said I had a great time, but maybe I did complain a little about, er, everything. Nothing was OK—I always wanted the other thing. I was so fussy and tired that I went into the tent at 6PM, and then I was wide awake at 8PM. After my rest, I was done sleeping, but staying up all night seemed to make everyone else crabby. Sheesh. Go with the flow, people.

I took like three naps the day we got back. Oh, we heard owls at night. I liked that. And water filtration is interesting.

Summer time is Mt Tabor time. Daddy did the bike race and I played on the playground. I also cheered. Aren't cheerleaders cool?

I've been running with Mommy. I like to run, though sometimes I get tired. I think my record is like a mile or so, which is a lot, don't you think? Afterwards, I am a very professional stretcher. Can you believe that Mommy doesn't let me run with Scout by myself? No, me either.

And the we went to Glenn's house. It's too bad we don't have more pictures, because he has a "spread" up on the hill above Washougal. Mommy and Daddy like the view of the Columbia River Gorge, and Glenn's orchard, and his new house. But did you know he has a kiddy pool? and that his kids have toys? We had watermelon after lunch. So cool.

You would think that Glenn's house would be enough excitement, but later that day we adopted a German Wirehaired Pointer.

Yes! You read that right: we have a new dog. Her name is Reika (RAY-ka), she is one-year old, and we got her from a shelter. She is full of beans, but eager to please. I think she is very interesting, and I give her commands to train her. Hopefully, her leg boo-boo will heal soon so that we can all go running.

Don't worry, we still have Scout (a.k.a Pooper, Scooter, Scouter McGouter). He is pretty funny. He is now the model obedience dog while Raika is around. He comes when he's called, doesn't steal food, and doesn't even freak out too much. We'll see how long that lasts!

Being Brave

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:15:00 +0000

So, sometimes I am really brave for other people and not so brave for Mommy. Sometimes I am brave for Daddy - sometimes I'm not. But, with Mommy, most of the time I act scared.

This mostly applies to the playground. With other people, I go up and down the slide all by myself. I did this a lot with Grandma and Grandpa in Cazenovia. Anyway, Mommy and I went to the playground today and I went up and down the slides like I was never afraid. I went down by myself, I went down head first (penguin-style), and I went down lying down on my back. Mommy's not sure what to make of it but she's not complaining.

Mommy note here: Clara goes down head first at a VERY modest speed. Don't worry!

Hiking is good

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:46:00 +0000

The day after my birthday, I went hiking with Mommy, Daddy and Scout up on Route 35 near Mt Hood on a hike to Tamanawas Falls. It was a lot of fun. Daddy carried me a lot of the way but I also did some hiking on my own. I kept saying "This is a good hike." That made Mommy and Daddy laugh, I don't know why. Scout liked the hike too.

I also went hiking with Connie up in Forest Park. It was pretty muddy! I didn't want to walk in the mud but I walked on the edges and Mommy gave me a ride for some of the time too. Scout and I were really excited to hang out with Connie. We even had fun when we were just playing in the grass field near the parking lot.

Happy #3 to me!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:11:00 +0000

I had a really great birthday. Some of my friends came over with their parents and we had pizza and mini-cupcakes and everyone played with my toys. Thanks, everyone, for making it a fun day!

Central Park

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 24 May 2008 02:17:00 +0000

Grandma in Central Park around 1945. Me in Central Park in 2008.

We didn't know where the eagles were but we stumbled on them so we snapped a quick photo!

Balto and more!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:22:00 +0000

When we were away, we also took a small side trip to New York City and we went to see the statue of Balto! It was a surprise and I was really excited. I have been asking a lot when I would get to visit Balto. If you don't know about Balto, you should - he's a famous sled dog. I love to read about him and Togo.

It was also fun to take the train, visit the Central Park Zoo (that's the one in one of my favorite Paul Simon songs), visit with Uncle Matt, play on the playground there and to dance with a jazz band playing in the park. The band leader even asked everyone to clap for me! Oh, and best of all, I got to eat a big pretzel and a hot dog from a cart there too.

No, really, Balto was best. The rest is second best.

Visiting Grandma & Grandpa Myers

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:59:00 +0000

After we visited in New York, we drove down to Connecticut to see Grandma & Grandpa Myers (they're Mommy's parents). Anyway, Mommy and Daddy told me the last time we did this drive it was in a terrible thunderstorm. We were all pretty excited that the weather was nice and that we manage to avoid the worst of rush hour traffic into Fairfield.

Anyway, I had a great time in Fairfield too. I found all sorts of dress up stuff around Grandma's house, we went to a playground by the beach and we played with cousins and neighborhood girls. We also had an early birthday party for me which was really cool! The mini-cupcakes ended up not being mini so there were plenty of leftovers. I also probably got a bit more than I would have. I don't think that half a big cupcake is as small as a mini-cupcake. Hee-hee. Lucky me!

Uncle Brian and Cousin Nick came down from Vermont for the day and that was a special treat. We're really sorry that Aunt Lisa, Cousin Mike and little canine Cousin Dottie didn't come too. I think Dottie would be a lot of fun! Roo the kitty would be good too but I don't want to subject a cat to a car trip.

Grandma & Grandpa also have a bunny or two in their yard (we saw one one the trail at Grandma & Grandpa McCullough's too). Anyway, there was one that I kept chasing - he'd run away but then he'd come back and then I'd chase him and he'd run away and then he'd come back and.... Anyway, that kept us all giggling.

By the end of our trip, though, I was really really tired from all the excitement so I was glad when it was time to head home.

Visiting the Willsons

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:45:00 +0000

While we were in upstate New York, we met up with a bunch of Willsons. We saw Grandpa Paul, Great Grandma & Grandpa, Aunt Sony & Uncle Dave, Uncle Jim & Aunt Mandy, Uncle Mike, Uncle Doug and some cousins too! Did I forget anyone? We went up to the farm that Uncle Jim works on and I got to see lots and lots of cows. My favorite parts, though, were the tiny kitty we met (and her mama) , Lambeau (Lambo?) and a bunch of young calves including one that was about an hour old! That's really young!

At Uncle Jim's house, we had lots of yummy food like hot dogs and olives. I got to meet Daddy's aunts and uncles and hang out with them. It was fun because I never met them before. I also got to play with Cousin Annabella and her toys. It was really fun. She was really good at sharing. We also had an early birthday party and both of us got presents! It was a big surprise. Too bad I didn't get that farm kitty to take home too! Hee-hee-hee.

Visiting Grandma & Grandpa McCullough

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:54:00 +0000

The first day of our trip we flew to Grandma and Grandpa McCullough's house in Cazenovia. Actually, we landed in Syracuse (really late!) and drove to Cazenovia. (A side note here - I was a REALLY good girl on the plane.) I fell asleep in the car and then woke up as Mommy tried to put me in bed. Uh-oh.

Anyway, I had a great time visiting. They have great playgrounds and I went to the one up on the hill behind their house again and again and again. I loved it. I went on the slides over and over again unless Mommy or Daddy was there and then I acted scared.

We also took a great canoe ride in the lake and then Grandpa showed me how to fish in the creek by his house. We had a nice Mother's Day dinner with Great Grandma Kate. I'm still talking about her! She's very interesting. When we left to go see Grandma and Grandpa Myers, I wondered if Great Grandma Kate would be there.

Uncle Jeff lives in Cazenovia too so I got to see him again. He and I have a lot in common. We like to hang out and throw rocks. He's cool. I thought he was cool even before I discovered our common interests but now, well, he's super cool.

I also had a great time playing with Grandma's dollhouse and other cool things Grandma has around the house - cat picture frames, cat pillows, yoga ball, mini-tramp, playdough, old games, books, fancy quilts - you name it! I'm hoping we'll go back really soon.

Very Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:51:00 +0000

I've been so busy that I haven't had time to post. So sorry! I took a trip on an airplane to see a lot of grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles. I did so much I can't write about it in one post so I'm going to write a few posts to catch you up.

Hike!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:35:00 +0000

QuickTime Movie (9 MB)

More updates later ...

Easter: My New Favorite Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:04:00 +0000

Thanks for the Easter baskets, all you Easter Beagles! I had a lot of fun with all the festivities. I dyed eggs and I was much better at it than anyone expected. It was a lot of fun, and I liked banging open the eggs later and eating them.

We saw the Easter Bunny in person at "Easter Park." It is a very cool park with Easter Bunnies, geese, ducks, sea gulls, pigeons, seesaws, swings, bridges, and chocolate eggs in the grass. I want to go back there as a potty training treat.

Oh, and Uncle Todd came over for Easter dinner. We ate ham. The next weekend we watched the Tour of Flanders and ate pomme frites and sausage. Why don't we eat sausage more?

Artsy Fartsy

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:59:00 +0000

I did a lot of painting today. I like to paint on my hands and make "paw prints" best. Mommy encourages me to keep coming up with new approaches. So, I do one handprint. Then I do a fast handprint. Then I do just my thumb then I do a whole hand and smear it around. Then I do all my fingertips close together. I know I do some crazy things too but I can't think of them all.

Mommy and I also learned about monoprints. We made some by painting on the top of a plastic salad box and then pressing it on paper. I did a bunch and Mommy did a few too. Don't worry, I still tell her how to do it when it's her turn to try. I even made her paint a hula dancer and a swimming dog. Good stuff!

Anyway, we'll try it again soon - I'm sure.

Mama's Sari

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:49:00 +0000

Mommy picked out a library book for me, "Mama's Sari." I really really like it. I really really want my own sari too. For now, we find what we can to make me saris to wear.

Bit o' Country in the City

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:02:00 +0000

We went to Pistils Nursery again this week and this time the chicks were in! I'm not sure if I like the chicks or the hens better. I kept running inside to see the chicks and outside to see the chickens. I really liked feeding the chickens the first time I visited there. It's a cool place to visit and run around.

This time we also got worms for our new worm bin! We have been composting our veggie waste but Mommy doesn't always turn the compost (and the buggies appreciate this) and we don't have a lot of extra soil to contribute. Anyway, we thought it would be fun to have some worms to eat up our "kitchen scraps" as I like to say. I'm sure we'll have fun with our new pets/science project. We'll keep you updated! By the way, we're keeping the worms outside but lots of people keep them under the kitchen sink!

Sled Dogs Run

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:03:00 +0000

I love sled dogs. I love reading about sled dogs. I have been reading a lot about sled dogs and talking a lot about sled dogs. So....Mommy and Daddy took me to a sled dog race up at Frog Lake. It was really cool. There were a ton of dogs! The skiijoring was also really cool. Maybe Scout would like to do that?

Our friend Dave was nice enough to give us a tour of his really cool trailer (well, it seems like it belongs to the dogs more than him). I can't believe how lucky he is to have all those dogs!

By the way, here are some books about sled dogs that I've read: "Sled Dogs Run", "Togo", "The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto" and "Wind Wild Dog". Some of them are for older kids. Well, maybe all of them are for older kids but I like them. If you're in the pre-K crowd, you might like "Sled Dogs Run" and "Wind Wild Dog" best.

Check out the gallery for photos of my new sunglasses, ballet in the kitchen, a trip to the zoo and more sled dogs! For the record Mommy took hundreds of photos of the sled dogs but we didn't put them all in my gallery. Send her a note if you NEED to see more.

Pirates and Ninjas, oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:05:00 +0000

Mommy and I stopped to watch some grown-ups on tiny bikes play Capture the Flag in Ladd's Addition. Mommy had no idea how much fun I was going to have watching - she was sorry she didn't bring a ninja costume for me. There were a a couple of kids and one about my size (though a little older) so that was cool too. We hid in the bushes and talked about kid stuff. It was fun.

Scout's New Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:00:00 +0000

Is comfy enough for both of us!

Old News is Good News

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Maybe it isn't really news! Anyway, Grandma sent these photos a while back and I thought you'd like to see Mommy's childhood pet, Tigger. I think, technically, he was Uncle Brian's pet or everyone's pet or something. All I know is Mommy loved him a lot even though he used to bite and scratch. I can understand that. What I can't understand is why Grandma and Grandpa didn't get her the monkey she wanted too. There are a couple more in the gallery too.

Can someone tell me why these photos have round edges? That's weird.

Very Agile

noreply@blogger.com (Clara Jean Willson) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:48:00 +0000

I like to do agility (I say en-gility) like a doggie. Well, not LIKE a doggie. Sometimes, I AM a doggie and I'm a doggie that does agility. I also like to train my dogs to do it.

We find stuff around the house to make a course. I like to run along the side of the weave poles rather than weaving. Mommy laughs. I also like to sit on the "stay table" until Mommy tells me okay. It's lots of fun!