The end of an era -- times three

Era #1 = The school year

This past week marked the end of the school year for Derek and it's been so nice having him home a little more. Although most people assume he will be swimming in time this summer since he's a teacher, that is not the case -- nor has it ever been, unfortunately. He'll be working on master's classes as well as assisting with a couple of grants with the school district so his schedule will actually be similar to the rest of the year. Even still, we're looking forward to whatever down time we can find.
We decided to celebrate the beginning of summer break with an impromptu frozen yogurt trip with our friends the Marshalls. Mmmmm... love those summertime treats!

Lydia on her way to get a treat. She looks like a little diva! I love how girly she likes to be lately with her purse, sunglasses, phone and baby. She looks like she's out for a night on the town, even though she is in her PJs.

Enjoying Golden Spoon. One of my many yogurt favs.

Era #2 = Me and my Honda


It's been a good ride but unfortunately, my time with my Honda came to an abrupt end when I was rear ended a several weeks ago. Although I was completely innocent (I was stopped at a red light, minding my own business) I sustained quite a bit of damage when a guy ran into a woman on a mo-ped, who in turn ran into me.

Obviously the biggest tragedy is the woman on the mo-ped but as far as I know she is doing OK. The second biggest tragedy in all this is the fact that the perpetrator's insurance decided that rather than repairing my vehicle they would declare it totaled.

Here's how ignorant I am on this subject. I seriously thought to total a vehicle you had to have been in a seriously bad accident -- like be extracted with the jaws of life or something. My car was still perfectly drivable -- in fact I drove it for several weeks while the insurance company did their thing. Apparently I was wrong. You can total a vehicle by being rear-ended by someone on a mo-ped.

The damage.
See, it looks repairable, right?

After dealing with several annoyances with the insurance company and haggling about how much money they should have to give me, I got a check and they sent a tow truck.

Goodbye little Honda! It's been a good 9 years.

Next up, the hunt for a new vehicle. We're in the market for a midsize crossover type vehicle, low miles and low price :) If you hear of anything, let me know.

Era # 3 = The binky

Look closely at this picture.


Notice anything missing? Like the entire binky portion of the binky?
Apparently Lydia doesn't notice, or at least she doesn't mind.

We've been threatening to cut the binky (literally and figuratively) for months now, but something always came up to derail our plans. Usually a vacation or something.
We've had her weaned down to only using the pacifier at bedtime and naps since November, so I haven't been too worried. Its not like she's wandering around with it in her mouth all day.

Still, it was time.

She tricked us a few weeks ago by not even asking for it at bedtime two nights in a row and so we didn't give it to her. She slept fine without it. Then after two days, she was asking for it again.
Finally, last week, we did what many people (including our pediatrician) suggested: snipping off the end. Apparently by cutting off the tip of the piece that goes in their mouth it diminishes the pleasure of sucking on the binky, thereby making them no longer want to use the thing.

Lydia didn't get the memo on that one.

Oh sure, she knows its different. We talk about how it is broken and she readily agrees. She says "boke" and nods her head. But when we suggest throwing it in the trash, she grabs hold of it tightly and shakes her head.
So, we kept snipping. Every night a little more, thinking that soon it would be more annoying to try to hold in her mouth.

She is not annoyed. Although it no longer goes in her mouth. She just wants to hold it.
Am I wrong in thinking that we really HAVE left binky era, even though she still holds it in her hand? Its not like its hurting her mouth development or anything at this point. To me it seems no different than the blanket which she also likes to have in bed. So in a way I feel successful... but not quite.

I guess this is an era that is ending but not totally ended.