Boyd's Nest

Trying to get back in the groove

2011-10-27T13:01:00.001-06:00

Today was the Harvest Party at Ella's school and parents were allowed to come attend. Her little PreK class did crafts, got treats, special snacks, and El felt pretty important having Mom AND Dad there. It was fun to see the little ones so "independent". :-) After dropping her off, Hubband and I ran some errands and ended up back at the Rebecca house with some materials for the contractor who's completing our renovation projects to convert the house to a rental. He had inadvertantly put the cabinet moldings on as crown moldings (attached to wall not cabinets) so Andrew had to show him what needed doing there. All in all though its looking good, with final walk thru looking to be around Thursday next week! I would love it if we could have this thing up for rent by November 7th.

The new house is coming along slowly. The kitchen right now looks like it has come down with some sort of fungus, with patches of different green paints all over the place while I test for the color I want. Sherwin Williams is doing a sale next week, so I'm hoping I can narrow it down and get the paint color on before the holiday. Even if the cabinets and woodwork aren't painted, getting rid of the nasty pukey yellow will be a huge improvement! Hubband has been putting in several hours each evening working on the Studio and the place is starting to come together! He is hoping to begin construction on the custom CD shelving and the recording booth tomorrow.

In other news, we've made the tough decision to give Titania a new home, away from toddlers and puppies. She has been increasingly unhappy with dogs/babies/moves and we finally decided that she will be more happy in a home where she can be the queen again. This decision was NOT made lightly and would not have been made at all had she not had a HUGE fan who has jokingly said she'd take Titai for years, and then became more serious when we mentioned in passing the thoughts we were having. Krissa will take good care of our girl, and I know I can check on her through photos and visits and even skype. I have a hard time imagining our home without her. She has been my kitty kid for 13 years and will leave a huge hole in our hearts. However, our love for her is not enough if she isn't happy....She'll be going home to Boston with Kristy on November 7th.

Ella-isms from 2011 -- Gathered for posterity

2011-10-21T18:08:00.004-06:00

"Daddy, what flavor is my lollipop?" "Concord Grape" >shocked silence for a moment< "BUT DADDY! IT doesn't TASTE like the Concord!"

Ella says that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved because an Angel came to school (in the song, the Angel "kept them cool", but she insists otherwise)

Upon reaching the restroom of Wendy's, after a prolonged time at the park, Ella hopped up onto the potty, started to pee, and let a huge sigh, saying "That's DELIGHTFUL".

Ella insists that the opening of The Lion King helps her booboos feel better and sings "Hakuna Matata --- its a PWOBLEM FWEE ... FUR LOSSSSS OFEEEEE!" at the top of her lungs at least once a day. Even better is when she tries to howl the opening call of Circle of Life.

"it makes me laugh so hard I almost crack myself out!"

"It was so funny I ALMOST laughed!"

"Oh GOD is bidder than da FOLEYMAN...he's bidder than Dogzilla or the monsters on TV... oh GOD is bidder than da FOLEYMAN and hes watching out for you and meeee". I dont know that her Dad appreciates the conversion of "bogey" to "Foley", considering its a sound effects technique....

Ella: "Look!!!! It's IHOP!! My favorite restaurant in the UNiVErSe!!!"

Ella told me one morning that she had dreamed God and his angels came to talk to her and when the angels were there she was afraid at first, but then God told her he would always be with her and she didn't need to be afraid....

One night at the table, speaking Miss Stacy Magsipoc, Ella said "My mommy is the best Chef ever" ... if only I could use that as an official credential....

Ella (in a conspiratorial whisper): Mama! You know what the bestest part is? SABBATH!

At lunch, Ella..."my going down throat isn't working, Mommy!" (We made sure the "coming up" throat wasn't working either)

Ella just came bouncing into my office and found a ski cap that she loved last winter in a box of miscellaneous (and I do mean that) ... stuff in my office. The box is overflowing with paper, books, fabric (who knows what it is), cords, etc. Upon finding the cap, she plucked it free, pulled it over her head and announced "MY HAT! Mama, is this the LOST AND FOUND?!"

Ella-isms of the night: On going over railroad tracks at a decent speed "Mama! That tickled my noggins!"

On being gently told that the lightning (which was intense) couldn't "get" us in Jeeves as long as we "obeyed the rules" .. "MAMA! I won't be afraid of lightning now because you TAUGHT ME"

Her prayer over dinner "Dear Jesus, Thank for this food and for this day but NOT FOR THIS STORM!"

Ella: once upon a time there were three bugs, Huey, Dooey, and Woody. And they saw a plant that looked like a circle. They were really dood men. But for a minute, the butterfly saw a square. The end.

"but Mama! It's not a show, it's a BIDEO!"

While playing ball with Ella ... "Ella, do you want to be a professional basketball player when you grow up?" Ella: "No, I want to be a REAL basketball player!"

Ella: >coughing< Daddy: Ella! Did you swallow your tongue?! Ella: (in a southern drawl) No daddy! Ah didn' swalla mah tunge!

Was a little sad the morning that Ella stopped saying "PlayPround" and is now saying "Playground".

From Kristy Hodson: When talking with Christina Plantier Boyd about O'Malley her 3 year old piped up "But she won't be sick anymore when God comes. Then she can play." Leave it to Ella to make me bawl.

Ella: But, MAMA! I WANT to take some of my toys to Heaven to play with when Jesus comes back!

Ella has just expressed a desire to go to Chocolate World in PA for dinner. Because Hershey is her favorite kind of food....

Daddy, after wrapping a banana to keep it good: "Ella! (aiming banana) BANG BANG!" Ella (shrieking): DONT BANG ME WITH THAT BANANA, DADA!

Ella: Mama, I wish we had a longer family, so we could all fill up the car. Right now there is only FREE of us.
>pause<
Oh, BRUVVER. >sigh<
Mama: (choking back giggles)

Before our move: Ella just promised me she won't throw up in our new house. I told her it was a nice thought....

Ella: Mama, I want to go to Connetitick again so I can go on a SEE SAW. Me: Well, we might be able to find one here. Ella: No, because I WANT to go on the seesaw in CONNETITICK.

Ella: Mama, my ear hurts. Me: Did you bump it? Ella: No. I just didn't have much much much much MUCH food to eat. That's why it hurts.

The alphabet according to Ella: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,ELLA,IMO,P,TWUE,R,S,T,U,V,W,ECKS,Y,Z

Ella asked me last night about a sibling. I told her I didn't have a baby in my tummy yet--she asked if it was in my legs, I told her no, they only grow in mama's tummies. Then she asked... "How do they get out, Mama? Through your toes?" >giggle< I told her they come out of a mama's privates and she patted her own and said "Here? Wow". Out of the mouths of babes...

As Ella was dropping into sleep on March 2nd, 2011 -- "Mama?" "Yes Ella" "Can I pretend to be only 2 tomorrow?" .....

Overheard: "Daddy, I love you! I'm so glad you're not a dinosaur!"

Is amused by her daughter, who is currently wearing a green plastic picnic basket on her head, with the handles under her chin, and running around in circles with a football under her arm saying "LETS PLAY FOOTSBALL!"

Overheard: Daddy: Ella, are you growing again?! You're very hungry this morning! Ella: Yep! I need lots of injury to grow up!

Learning to Play

2011-06-20T22:22:00.004-06:00

I am sitting here at nearly midnight trying to find my creativity under the piles of responsibility. I have found it in cakes, or on a nature walk with my BabyBoyd, but in these last weeks I feel its drowning. Along with my ability to relax and PLAY. I never thought of myself as someone who couldn't play, but it is one of the hardest things I've ever done to put down the boxes that need unpacking, the work that needs doing, the laundry that needs folding, or the food that needs making for the most important job I have -- being with my daughter. Tonight, I'm working, and writing, in the hopes that tomorrow I can look back and say "I did enough. Its time to play" and mean it. And then to pull my creativity out of its black hole and put it to work on something more than just the same old games....something like a breakfast picnic upstairs in the playroom. Just me and my girl, pretending to be on a far off world that is reached simply by going up the stairs.

The Second Day.

2010-08-18T11:14:00.003-06:00

So, I didn't get a picture of her today because she spent most of the morning hurrying me out the door so she could get to SKOOL, MAMA! Once there, however, she had a moment of bashful-clinging-to-Mama-ness that cracked my resolve. Luckily, there was a train table available to distract her and by the time I said goodbye, she didn't even care enough to look up from the trains to wave.

In other news, I've officially done it again. Overloaded myself in a few ways. This time, its because I gave in to the temptation and desire for CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! experience and agreed to deliver a cake on a Thursday when I am planning to be gone for the weekend, can't start it until Thursday, and originally was going to LEAVE on Thursday. We're now leaving on Friday, so hopefully I can get everything done in time. My goal for the long weekend... LEAVE THE LAPTOP BEHIND. I figure they can get along without me for Friday and half of Monday.

Crud. Reminds me I need to talk to the Skool about letting El come in on a different day next week.....

First day of school

2010-08-16T08:05:00.003-06:00

Toddler Princess started "School" today. A 2-day a week program called "Parent's Day Out" at a local church. She was thrilled, Mama was trepidatious. We got to the school about 20 minutes early, but I wasn't concerned. They have early dropoff available and I figured I would take at LEAST those 20 minutes to ease away so she wouldn't be upset or feel scared. We walked in the doors and there was her classroom! Covered with kittens on the door and with her two teachers and few of her classmates already inside. I signed her in and we went inside to find her cubby. By the time her teacher had introduced herself and I'd hung up her backpack and stowed her lunch and nap mat, the Princess was playing with toys on the other side of the room. I called her over for a bye bye hug and reminded her to obey her teacher. I went across the hall to pay her fees and figured I'd hear her calling for me. Nope, she just wanted Beau and Dadoh. Her teacher leaned over the door and asked quietly if she could have them when she asked and I said that's fine, whenever! I stayed and listened a few more minutes, but she was obviously not upset. She'd not progressed to laughing and chatter yet, so I know she was feeling a little insecure, but I have a feeling the lure of the toys overcame her shyness fairly quickly. I left the school and by the time I'd taken 3 steps I was sobbing. I cried all the way home. >sigh<

My baby is growing up too fast!

Putting a positive spin on life

2010-08-13T07:05:00.006-06:00

A Beautiful Mess has a challenge/idea on her blog to set yourself Four Simple Goals to achieve before the end of the year.

choose simple goals that will make your life richer and happier on a daily basis. choose things you may not otherwise get done, but that are not difficult to accomplish.
do not choose result oriented goals, choose activity oriented goals. for example…. instead of “lose 10 pounds”, choose something like “eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day”. get what i’m saying? positive actions instead of just the end result!
choose goals that are personal that you believe will truly make your life richer just by doing them! they can be daily, weekly or one time experiences.

I found this through Zoot's site this morning, and decided to jump on the bandwagon myself. In a way, I'll be following Zoot a touch more than Beautiful Mess, because I'm going to try and keep these goals to things that aren't usually on my list of "to do by X day". If I did the usuals, it would be modifying the "lose weight" "better mom" "cleaner house" goals, and as they are everpresent, there is no need to rehash.

Write for ME at least 1 hour each week. This includes blogging, poetry, lyrics, and my novel.
Organize one area of the house each week. This doesn't mean a full room, which could get overwhelming, but simply an area. This week, I'm going to organize my desk. Next week, perhaps the bookshelves or the entry way. Eventually, I'll find the pretty, organized house languishing beneath the clutter.
Cook for fun each week. I make meals every day, but its been quite a while since I was able to just pick a random new recipe and set a day to make it. My new goal is to gather all of those recipes I keep wanting to try and just do one each week. It won't overwhelm my shopping budget if I stick to only one specialty buy menu item, and if the Toddler Princess doesn't want to eat it, it's only one meal lost.
Look for the positive in each stressor. I have a bad habit of allowing stressors to get to me. I end up with tense shoulders, headaches, bad sleep, fatigue, and a generally grumpy self who then doesn't present the best of herself to the people who matter most (Toddler Princess and Hubband). I'm aiming not to eliminate stress (which would be kind of like eliminating all crime at one fell swoop--impossible), just to take each stressor of my life and find the positive. Like... a side project I've taken on that was to be done by the end of June and is still lingering on taking far more of my time than advisable. Well, the positive? I'm getting a good bit of extra money in August that I never expected! There. :-) One goal done!

Actually, just in writing this post, I have accomplished 2 of my goals. And that's a positive spin on the loss of an hour of work time!

See you soon...

Ella taking pictures....

2009-12-21T19:25:00.000-06:00

Adoration

2009-10-25T08:21:00.000-06:00

Can you tell they adore each other? I love this picture.....

Pumpkin patch time!

2009-10-24T20:29:00.000-06:00

We went to a local pumpkin stand and corn maze this afternoon. At first, she was more interested in the gravel on the driveway of the orchard than in the pumpkins, but once she realized she could take one HOME, she was thrilled. The maze itself was extremely muddy, but we'd come prepared and all of us had boots to wear. El got a big kick out of stomping through the mud in her froggies and splatting water and mud all over Mama and Dada's jeans!

Froggy boots like deep squishy mud.

It's fun to tromp through the mud with Mama and Daddy!

Can you tell she was excited to go to the Bouncy Castle? It was her favorite part of the day, and she sobbed when we took her away from it.

Living large

2009-09-05T23:40:00.002-06:00

I actually took 24 hours off. I don't like to think of myself as a work-a-holic, but there are occasions where my overly developed sense of responsibility kicks in and I work myself to the bone. The last few weeks have been more on the overwork side of things. My husband made the comment today that he was proud of me for actually leaving dirty dishes in the sink for 2 full days. I watched The Ugly Truth this evening with my college roomie, who is visiting for the holiday weekend, and have been giggling to myself ever since.

Playing catch-up

2009-09-03T22:37:00.003-06:00

Unfortunately, playing catch-up is not near as much fun as Ella playing in ketchup. It sounds similar. But not as much fun. In fact, I feel almost like I'm writing our Christmas card letter because it's been so long since I blogged!

Our trip drained our energies, and we came home to be thrust back into the fray of life far too quickly for my taste. Work is insane for me right now, as we are getting close to our launch date and preparing all the final materials as well as doing QA/QC runs on the entire site. Because the site is dynamic, I also continue to work on developing materials for the refresh schedule after launch. I'm putting together a basket of goodies and a carrot cake as a thank you to our friends who cared for Priscilla while we were away, catching up on clerkwork (I'm the church clerk), sorting through bills, trying to keep the house clean and the inmates of the house fed and clothed in clean garments... and spending at least a couple hours of each day this week relaxing with Ronnie, my college roommate, who is visiting us until Labor Day. We girls also went to Julie & Julia this week and the story, if not necessarily or specifically the people involved, renewed my resolve to build/write a family recipes cookbook. I'm even contemplating setting myself a specific time in the weekly calendar in which to work on it! (Note: I haven't said I SET a time yet... but Im THINKING about it!)

Hubband started school on Monday, and his 18-credit class load is intense. Even more intense than that was the feeling in the pit of our stomachs when he went to update his VA status and found a note on his file stating that he'd never been accepted to his degree program! None of his degree path advisors could figure out what was going on until they'd reviewed all of his paperwork. He's been taking degree classes for 2 years so there was a lot of confusion! Once they figured out where things had fallen apart (communication, mostly), he was able to enroll without incident. His classes are, for the most part, fun and interesting and will keep him busy! Of course, on top of that, he continues to help me with the housework, repair what breaks, and try to get ahead on the renovation projects that remain. He also cares for the cars and yard, and is in the process of building a computer (from scratch, so to speak!).

Ella has been growing and developing in leaps and bounds. She is learning and using regularly approximately 5-6 new words each week. Today alone, she added "bright" ("STACE! bight. bight!" when the light was in her eyes) and "water" (wuhwer). We also had another huge milestone this week....Ella PEED IN THE POTTY! She's shown interest in what we are doing and wants to "sits" with us when are using the restroom, so we decided to put the little potty Grandma CMom gave her in our bathroom. For the last couple of weeks, she would sit on it a couple of times a day, most usually when she was waiting for the tub to finish filling for her bath. Yesterday, we undressed her and let her do the naked baby run from her room to the bathroom (its a blast to dash naked around the house giggling, you should try it sometime!). She arrived in time to see me using the restroom and immediately sat on her potty. She then kind of smiled and patted my leg and I looked over at her to see that she had peed! We were VERY excited and praised her mightily, which got HER excited and she leapt off the potty.... and finished her peeing on the floor. BUT! It was still a big fun first for us that signals potty training for real may very well begin within the next few months. She also has started trying to get out of her crib in the morning, and I think the day is near when we will need to convert it to a "big girl" bed. This evening, she experienced another first and used fingerpaints (while wearing daddy's tshirt)! I'll post some shots once I get them uploaded. It was VERY cute.

For now, I am off to bed. Leaving you all with this very long post to contemplate---and the idea that in just one more week I am being flown to an entirely different state to bake a pair of birthday cakes (it sounds so awesome to say that... the rest of the story is that I'm thrilled because the cake is for my niece and I will be able to see her, all the other Eastern nieces and nephews, and attend her Dedication service as well!)

Good night all... photos... will come someday.

Sabbath joy

2009-08-25T12:44:00.000-06:00

We went for a hike on Sabbath afternoon with some friends. It was really Ella's first actual HIKE, and she did really well! She hiked on her own legs for about a mile and then used Daddy's for the rest of the trail. We'd thought we were doing a 3-mile trail, but missed a signpost and ended up doing a little over 5. Needless to say, after a 20 hour drive that ended at 4 am on Friday morning and then the hike? We were TIRED. Sunday was a lot of little house chores, laundry, and playing with the baby while Daddy mowed the lawn.

HIS name is...

2009-08-15T21:50:00.001-06:00

Jeeves.

Because he takes care of us and everything we need is available at the push of a button....

Except a bank within 200 miles that will accept deposits from us.

The Newest Member of the Family

2009-08-02T22:36:00.000-06:00

Isn't she purty? We haven't named her yet.... any suggestions?

She is a 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring Edition. :-)

Pain...and such

2009-07-09T12:39:00.002-06:00

I posted a little status on Facebook about how I was looking forward to my chiropractor consult today and hoped that he would be able to help with my pain issues... Boy, did a storm of comments come out of that one! Here is the skinny:

I've had neck issues for years, and actually went to a chiropractor in the 90s to help alleviate the literally blinding headaches I would get occasionally. I continued to have occasional pain and headaches over the years, but when I became pregnant with Eleanor the situation got a lot worse. By the time she was born I had severe pain and daily muscle spasms in my back. I hoped that after delivery things would go back to "normal", but they did not. I have pretty bad pain, fairly consistent in nature, in my lower back as well as some pain in my neck. I don't get the spasms as regularly, but lately with Ella getting bigger I've had some problems getting her in and out of her carseat. It has gotten to the point where I wake up several times in the night with discomfort and pain, and sometimes can't stand straight in the morning until I've had a chance to do some light stretching because the pain and stiffness are so bad.

Today, I saw Dr. M and we did an initial assessment. He could tell I was significantly out of alignment just by looking at me as my right shoulder was nearly an inch lower than my left! After reviewing some older xrays I'd taken in for him and doing a comprehensive exam, he thinks that I have scoliosis as well as some potential disc and probably fused vertebrae issues. We took more x-rays today, and I'll meet with him in the morning to go over them and get a really accurate read on what's going on so he can customize a treatment plan. He is a holistic care provider, in that he believes in not just adjusting your back and sending you on your way. He incorporates nutrition counseling, physical therapy, exercise, and some inferential therapies as well. He gave me some tips on how to lift Ella and how to put her into her carseat to alleviate the strain on my back, which I also hope will be a big help!

Because he said my shoulders and lower back were "as hard as a rock", he hooked me up to the machine for some inferential work today. It felt very strange, but did the job of loosening up the muscles a little bit! My insurance does not cover this kind of treatment, but Dr. M is working out payment plans and giving me some "deals" on treatments. I was referred to him by a good friend who sees him regularly and he also gave us both a discount for the referral.

I'm excited in that I think it will be a big help in my daily life to get some of the pain out of here...We'll see!

A hodge podge

2009-06-30T07:52:00.004-06:00

I can hardly remember the days when a summer meant sleeping in, relaxing by a pool, eating potato chips and hot dogs, and reading copious amounts of books from the library. This summer has been a haze of heat and work and illness in the Boyd household. We seem to be recycling the germs, Ella will get sick, just as she gets well I will come down with it, and a few days later Hubband will be down for the count. What with all of the house projects (including the broken AC which at least is limping along these days) and my full time job and my sideline job (which will be ending soon), we've barely been able to take a deep breath before plunging into the next big thing.

Ella is just as busy as we are, learning learning learning! Her words and phrases expand practically by the hour, though her pronunciation is not really clear yet. My current favorite is "breakpoot" which is actually "breakfast". Yesterday she patted my arm as I changed her diaper and said "breakpoot, mama. Atta dooce!" She did indeed receive breakfast with apple juice.....after Mama stopped laughing!

This weekend, we're going to be driving across the state to spend the 4th with DangerElf and her family. An actual vacation! Complete with swimming pools and cousins!

I'm off now, leaving this hodge podge entry to fend for itself while I go prancy dance with my daughter to Barenaked Ladies "7-8-9". Bye!

Tired and Sickish Sabbath

2009-06-20T16:36:00.000-06:00

She's not feeling very well, but will be better soon....

Ice Cream during the Blackout of '09

2009-06-20T11:34:00.000-06:00

The lack of AC in 100 degree heat was making us all a little cranky, so Mama ran down to Sonic and got us an ice cream to share. Its yummy!

Today's New Words/Phrases

2009-06-06T20:20:00.002-06:00

"WOW!"

and our favorite to date...upon tripping on the tile she said--

"Whoa. I TIPPED. Uh Ohhhhhh"

Similarly, yesterday morning when Miss Stacy brought her to Mama for after-nap snuggles, I noticed that one of her socks was missing. I said "Ella! Did you lose a sock?" and she looked down at her bare toes, wiggled them, and said very solemnly "Uh Oh". She then proceeded to look around the office to see if that wayward sock would magically appear. She and Miss Stacy had to go on an expedition to rescue it from the wild world of Crib After Nap.

Shockingly, with all the words she DOES know, more than half of what comes out of her mouth is still gibberish. Even to us.

Like her Mama

2009-06-05T08:39:00.001-06:00

Reading in the bathroom starts at a very young age, apparently. She likes nothing better than to have a book or her Sabbath School paper to read while you change her diaper... Couldn't resist this pose. She carefully examined every page and then turned to the next.

Round and Round We Go!

2009-06-05T08:38:00.000-06:00

Krissa was kind enough to have a birthday a few days back, and her request for "party" was to hit the zoo on Sabbath afternoon and then gather at Amerigos for cheese fritters... and dinner. El had a blast at the zoo, and had her first ever ride on a carousel! You can tell how much she enjoyed it...

Oberon Bagheera Plantier Boyd: 1/20/1999 - 6/3/2009

2009-06-02T18:10:00.006-06:00

This morning we had the very difficult task of saying goodbye to a member of our family. For the last 10 years, Oberon (aka Obie, Obi-wan Kenobi cat, Bubba, Boo, Boopy, and Oobers) has been the Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde of our home. Loving and imperious, crotchety and misbehaving, snappish and purring, he was a very definite personality from the start. He had paws the size of salad plates (polydactyl, he had 7 toes on one paw and 6 on the other) and learned fairly quickly that he could open doorknobs, grab the edge of a coffee cup to sneak a sip, or push on your cheek to wake you up when he wanted scritches. He adored coffee, and was discriminating enough to know which mug was fresh and which was "stale". Tuna was his favorite food, but he was ever curious as to what the rest of the world was eating.

For the past 2 years or so, he has steadily been going downhill, becoming sicker and more frail as time passed. Just before Eleanor was born, he underwent surgery for bladder disease and severe urinary tract stones. He seemed to rebound a little after that, and was almost "himself" again for a couple of months. However, for the last year he has steadily declined and with his hip problems had reached the stage where he could hardly walk a single step without falling over. He's been turrning his nose up at food, not using his litter box, and in the last week or so had even stopped enjoying scritches. He would actually try to avoid your hands most of the time rather than lean into them.

From his glory days of preening on the television for his "Goddess" at 19-21 lbs, when we said goodbye this morning he was 10 lbs and 6 oz, literally a shadow of himself. The vet put in an iv catheter and brought him to us to hold. He laid on the table, nose to nose with me, and as I softly petted his ears and told him how much I loved him he looked at me and purred...and then was gone. We have loved him and been annoyed with him, cooed at him and scolded him, and we will never stop missing him.

Here is our Obie....

Oberon

He pads to me quietly

on big black feet with

furry thumbs.

Green eyes glow as he

coming into the light from

shadow tells

me of his displeasure.

His boredom.

No bugs here, mom.

No new toys here, mom.

No more books to pull from the shelves, mom.

None of my leather MICE, mom.

That reminds me-

I look my good-luck in the face and

purr with him.

I'll stop at the pet store-

tomorrow.

Feb. 12, 2001

Sentences... Already?

2009-05-19T09:07:00.002-06:00

I didn't think that this would happen so soon, and we've kind of laughed off a few other times but the last 2 days we have truly had sentences. REAL sentences! Yesterday morning she did something adorable (there are so many things I don't recall exactly what it was) and I said "Eleanor, you are too cute!" and she nodded and said "I TOoooooo COot". Which shocked us to the core. This morning, she got a ball stuck in a bowl and she held it out to Stacy and said "I need Hep".

Isn't she too young for sentences? Please?

The latest cake...

2009-05-15T18:08:00.000-06:00

I'm rather proud of this one. I think it turned out quite cute. I was given the expectant mother's fabric for the colors, and I ended up replicating parts of it on the umbrella. Turned out cute! The fabric is here if you're interested.

Viking Cooking School: A Night in Italy

2009-05-13T18:36:00.000-06:00

We all chipped in and got Erin (and ourselves!) tickets to a "Night in Italy" cooking class at the Viking Cooking School. The menu was herbed flan (savory, not sweet), grilled portobellos with herb butter, veal chops with a white wine, fennel, and tomato pan sauce, angel hair with olive oil and fresh herbs, and almond cake with orange liqueur whipped cream (did I forget anything girls?). The flan was delicious, the cake and whipped cream sinful, and the rest just sort of "meh" in my opinion. I loved the sauce for the veal, but am not a big fan of the whole CHOP aspect of the dish. It would be better with just a veal steak, grilled, in my opinion. We had a lot of fun, though we really could have TAUGHT the class, we discovered! It was nice to be out of the ordinary and in something new and fresh. I think Erin had a great 30th birthday! She needs to have another one next year so we can do this again. :-)

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:35:00.004-06:00

What a great day my baby and my Baby gave me! Hubband woke up promptly when El squeaked (a feat, for him, particularly since she squeaked at 545 am!) and turned off the baby monitor before he went to get her. After changing her diaper and feeding her breakfast he realized I was probably waking up (around 645) and made breakfast. He and El put together a pretty tray with scrambled eggs (dill and sour cream), veggie links, and some whole wheat waffles with real maple syrup. There was a pretty mug with pumpkin spice coffee, a glass of apple juice... and the new Nora Roberts book (from Ella! See above photo). They gave me my tray (the first time in my life I've had breakfast in bed) and tiptoed out to play in the living room. I ate, and read, and ate and read some more. It was bliss. We took our time getting ready and then headed out to Lowes where I got to pick out the paint for the master bedroom and found some pretty throw pillows on sale to match the new walls (which won't be actually painted with my pretty new paint for another few weeks probably). After that it was off to lunch/brunch/2nd breakfast at Brother Juniper's. Technically it was lunch, but we all got breakfast food. Back home, where El napped, I read my new book, and Hubband worked on his desk for the office/studio. After a good long nap (during which I finished my new book!), we took off for the mall and the indoor playground there. El had a blast. Its been so rainy lately that she doesn't get much outside or playground time. Then we drove through baskin robbins on the way home. It was a great mother's day!

The Boyd Zoo

2009-05-01T06:52:00.003-06:00

Ella has taken to playing the ABC Zoo Game on Fisher-Price.com lately. Its a great little game for infants (push any button and the game will advance to the next letter and animal), and she asks to play it at least once every day. After only a few times we noticed that she was making the animal sound BEFORE the animal even was completely introduced. The game would say "M." and she would start making monkey sounds. The computer then says "MONKEY starts with M" and the cartoon monkey makes the monkey sound. Beyond knowing at least 10-12 of the animal sounds on her game, she also knows what the kitty says (maow maow, very highpitched) and the sheep (bahhhh bahhhh; accompanied always by a sage nod of the head), and the ducky (wak ak--although not yet consistent with this one). She will sometimes remember that dogs Woof and cows Moo, but we're not quite to the pig stage. Suffice it to say, however, that on any given day if you walk into the Boyd house you may do a double take and start looking for the critters....

Updates... again. When will I write a REAL blog post again?

2009-04-28T06:46:00.003-06:00

I know I say this fairly regularly, but Hubband and I are truly amazed at how quickly El grows and learns and changes. She has gotten at least 4 new words this week already, and it is only Tuesday! I have to laugh when she tries to say "down" as it always comes out "Noun". I figure this is an appropriate word for the daughter of a writer/editor. Similarly, "done" is "nun" (I wonder if she has my sense of humor....). A friend at church gave Ella a set of nesting bowls that also are a shape sorter. When she first tried to put the bowls back together she was getting very frustrated because she'd try to put the big one in the small one. Within about an hour, however, she was using trial and error and successfully building the entire tower and then nesting the bowls back down. This has become her favorite toy, and it will keep her interest for nearly 10 full minutes. As I type, she's sitting on the couch next to me with her Haiku Baby book "reading" to me. I took a break to read to her, too.

In other family news, we're in the process (hopefully) of buying a Honda Odyssey! It is far from new (a 2000, with 138000 miles on it), but its in good shape and the price couldn't be beat. Hopefully this morning we'll get final approval from the bank and go pick up MY car! I am trying to not get my hopes up too much that this will actually happen until we drive the thing home. Too much scope for disappointment, to paraphrase Miss Anne Shirley.

El has progressed to unfolding all the laundry, so I'd best get going. Also need to get ready so I can hit the library when it opens. I have some "deep thinking required" work that needs doing today and while I can sort of type a blog entry while doubling as a climbing tree for a toddler, work just isn't as easy to accomplish in such a setting!

Advancing in leaps and bounds

2009-04-15T11:34:00.002-06:00

This week seems to be one of change and advancements on the part of the youngest member of our family. She has decided that one nap is MORE than enough for a big girl of 14 months (although she hasn't quite decided how long it will be... 1 hour? 3 hours? 30 minutes?). She also is learning and mastering more and more words and concepts. She knows her nose and eyes and ears and mouth and will say "NOoooeeee" and point at Mama's nose and then her own. She is learning what the animals say, and last night when Mama was reading her worship story, she listened to Mama say that the little lamb says "baaa". A couple of pages later, the lamb was again pictured and El pointed to the lamb in the book and said "BAAA". She also is starting to pare down her verbage when it comes to Duckies. No longer are they consistently "DUTDUT" (duckduck), as of this week they usually are just plain "DUT" or "DUTTIE" (ducky). She adores storytime at the library and has made a few new friends...and now recognizes so many things that it just amazes us on a daily basis. Anywho, that's the most exciting updates... there were cakes this weekend, and work is taking off for me (freelance contract through December!), and Hubband is in the middle of studio times and recording projects and final exams and prepping for training in St Louis (that he is GIVING, not RECEIVING) for his Navy time, and church meetings, and friends gathering and friends moving... you know, NORMAL life. >grin<

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T18:23:00.000-06:00

The Dark Lord

2009-03-21T21:12:00.001-06:00

The Dark Lord lives! In cake, anyway... I was asked to do a Darth Vader birthday cake for a church member's son. Here is a brief overview of his creation and what he looks like now, sleeping quietly in the refrigerator until morning....

(not too Darth looking, eh?)

(OH! there is some Darth-ness)

Templates for fondant cutting.

The finished product....

Happy Sabbath!

2009-03-21T21:07:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Hubband's birthday today in a noncelebration of a nonbirthday way since he has requested that we not DO anything for his birthday... So we went out to eat as a family and no one sang or gave him presents or anything. His actual birthday isn't until next week, but next Sabbath is YAS so we'll literally probably be at the church for, oh, an eternity or so. Ella wore her "Laura Ingalls" dress to church today, as her Daddy calls it. I thought it warranted a photo. She is becoming eternally more cute. Its hazardous to the health!

Springtime Outings: Part 2

2009-03-18T17:17:00.004-06:00

Catherine and I have been trying to get together for a couple of weeks but schedules and weather keep preventing it. Finally today we made it to the zoo with all the kids! Even Claressa, who I'd not met before, is here visiting her mom and sister and brother and was able to join us. Here is the gang, excited to get going! David and Ella are trying to go opposite directions though. He appears to be fascinated with something behind us...

The orangutan was playing with his ropes and eating animal crackers. He was Ella's favorite of the day.

Although the Ducks and Flamingos weren't far behind.
At the bear enclosure, we find a nice cave. :-) Well, sort of a cave. It was big enough to fit Claressa, Emma, David, and Ella though!

David and Ella were happy about the sunshine. And both of them fell asleep about 10 minutes after this shot.

I got home and realized I'd not taken any pictures of the RESIDENTS of the zoo. Oops. Maybe next time! Thanks again to the Spencer, Sims, and Hodson clans who gave us our membership as a Christmas gift! WOW!

Springtime Outings: Part 1

2009-03-18T17:06:00.003-06:00

The other day we had gorgeous sunshine and an hour or so with the car before we had to pick up Hubband at the school. We decided to go to the park.

We had lots of fun.

Except for the swings. I don't think I like the swings.
But I like everything else! The park is fun. :-)

The answer...

2009-03-17T10:23:00.002-06:00

...was to send me on my job-hunting way again. Im trying to look on the bright side--I won't need to get childcare for Ella right now, and...well, that's the only one I can think of right now. Please pray that other opportunities come up, I'm running out of unemployment benefits...

Slow Sunday

2009-03-15T17:56:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling more than a little anxious the last couple of days--on pins and needles over the job (will I get an offer? will they send me on my job-hunting way again?), worrying about the baby (she had a fever last night of near 103 after a full day of high fevers no matter what we did...thankfully today, no fever!), worrying about Hubband (he's been sick), fretting over the house not being PERFECT (I'm supposed to have a perfect house, doncha know), etc. Finally it all came to a head today I think and I was pretty blissfully lazy! It was very nice to have a slow Sunday...Hubband may not agree that it WAS a slow Sunday, as he's been out in the backyard building a custom desk and rack for his new studio computer (which he is also in the process of building). However, Ella took 2 naps of >2 hours today, which means that I got a nap and some computer time and some straightening time and dishes time and reading time and...it felt like 6 days all rolled into one! Amazing what naptime can do. Between naps, El and I played with her toys and listened to music, watched Daddy work on his desk, and took an excursion to the library. Now just to get through tomorrow (Monday's are horrible for us this semester AND its the day of the final interview for the position that I'm still under consideration for GNASH GNASH GRIND TEETH.

>deep breath<

Ok. Back to my zen state. I think I'll watch me some food network and read a book this evening while Hubband is outside working on his desk and such. And even though my new pills are giving me stomachaches and I should probably eat mild food, I'm going to splurge myself and have a big plate of nachos with veggie beef and homemade salsa. Adios!

(the obligatory overdose of cuteness!)

The Great Outdoors

2009-03-09T17:35:00.003-06:00

Our backyard is a mess. I mean that literally (fallen tree from a winter storm, leaves, debris from the exploding pool [the tree fell on the pool], etc.). Because of said mess we have been quite leery of letting Ella play out there. Today, since we both were home and Hubband was working on the clearing of the yard, I took El and the camera out to play. Here are a couple of my favorites.

A 7-Up Soup Moment

2009-03-03T19:47:00.003-06:00

I had another of those moments today. You know the ones, they make you blush, shudder, and/or cringe in memory. Any long-time reader of mine knows the saga of the 7-Up Soup...well, today's episode can't be placed at someone else's kitchen, thank goodness, but it IS a clear indication of the state of my brain lately.

A few weeks back my friend Kristy gave me some Friendship bread starter. I made a batch and was quite impressed with the yummy stuff. Yesterday, my starter was due for a bake off again, but I forgot about it. This morning I attacked it first thing, measuring and stirring and feeding the baby and making coffee (those other things are my excuse for what happened). I got it into the oven, set the timer, and went blithely on my merry way. The timer duly went off and I went to check the bread. Lo and behold, it hadn't risen! Hmm, thought I, perhaps it needs to cook longer! 20 more minutes went on the clock and when I checked again.... nope. Still the consistency of a... well, baked pudding is the best comparison I can give!

Disgusted, and wondering if it were the fault of my baking powder, or perhaps the starter being a day late for bake? I wrote to several friends expressing my frustration with the stupid stuff (WHY WOULDNT IT RAISE!) As I went through the kitchen to put away a few things on the counter I noticed the bag of flour sitting there. I had opened it to use for the bread and when I put in the amount needed for the starter I'd set it aside for use in the bread. Wait. Did I use it in the ....Oh. Crap.

Yes. It was one of THOSE moments.

Sabbath Birthday Girl

2009-03-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

I'm ready Mama, what's taking you so long?

Happy Birthday, Ella!

2009-03-01T20:14:00.005-06:00

A quick overview of the party in photos. Documentation will continue after we've all gotten some sleep. For now, enjoy!

12-Month Stats

2009-02-25T08:03:00.002-06:00

We took Ella to the new pediatrician yesterday for her 12-month visit and shots. We were happy enough with our old pediatrician, but after my lay-off we were forced to look for a new one because they did not accept TriCare. I'm so so glad we did! Her new doc is young and energetic and knowledgeable and personable, the office has a totally separate well-waiting room (which I wanted and was told didn't exist in Memphis. HA!), the staff all are friendly and helpful (even on the phone...). El's nurse played peek a boo with her using the door of the exam room for about 3 minutes, both of them giggling (although El was a little shy at first, and I think felt quite betrayed when the same lady stabbed her in the legs just a few minutes later).

The doctor did his exam and asked a few questions. Here is the rundown!

She is 21 pounds 9 ounces (50th-75th percentile) and 30.75 inches tall (95th percentile). Her head circumference is 46.5 cm and in the 75th percentile. She is advanced for her age on verbal and motor skills (he was very impressed with the number of words she uses regularly) and right with her age for pretty much everything else.

Bubba

2009-02-18T11:19:00.002-06:00

I had my back to the living room, taking photos of Ella eating, when she pointed to the front room and said "BUBBA". I glanced behind me and saw a cat and said "oh, is that Titai-kitty?" thinking she was only babbling. She gave me a dirty look, said "BUBBA" and pointed again. Sure enough, I turned fully around to look and it was OBIE she was pointing at. We call him bubba sometimes and I didn't realize her babble was not babble but another word in her vocabulary!

Ella's Accomplishments

2009-02-18T10:00:00.005-06:00

I've been inspired by the Pooleyatici to document El's achievements to date:

Mobility:
Running -- yes
Walking -- yes
Dancing -- yes
Tripping -- yes, occasionally (after all, she is my daughter)
Nodding
Shaking head no
Shrugging shoulders

Dexterity:
Pinching/picking up small items -- yes

Words:
Beh Beh -- dolly and bear, interchangably
Dut -- duck
oggah -- doggy
dada -- daddy
mama -- mama
dun -- done
dut -- what
dat -- that (usually said in a questioning tone while pointing. dat? dut? dat?)
bah -- bath
beanbe -- binks/blankie usually said at naptime
Titai -- Titai
Bod dull -- bottle ("ba ba bod bod dull bod dull" while prancing/pointing at bottle)
Czihczuh -- Scilla (Priscilla)
Bubba -- Bubba! (Obie) This one is new, just happened yesterday!

Playtime!

2009-02-02T12:15:00.001-06:00

Mickey Mouse birthday cake

2009-01-16T14:07:00.001-06:00

The first of 2 cakes today, I'm very pleased with how he came out! I was asked early this week to make a Mickey cake for MB's 4th birthday. This is totally freehand with the carving and such, He is made from 2 round cakes and bit of extra cake for his nose. Hubband traced the mouth for me before I piped it, but otherwise this one was all me. I'm actually preening a little as when M saw it she said "MICKEY MOUSE!". If you pass the test of recognition by a 4-year-old, you've definitely achieved greatness.

Better Representation

2009-01-12T15:17:00.003-06:00

Beechcraft Musketeer Cake

2009-01-10T22:11:00.001-06:00

This is the real plane...This is the one I did...

Leaps and Bounds

2009-01-10T07:38:00.002-06:00

Last Sabbath she started staggering from one to the other in step groups of about 3-4. By Thursday night, she was much more balanced and would voluntarily walk from the couch to her friend Annah, or to me, or a toy. Yesterday, coming from her room with "Miss Stacy" (thanks again for helping out while I was working on cake, Stace!), she walked a whopping 13 steps before plunking down on her padded little butt.

In addition to still having a case of the sniffles, El is also working very hard on the production of teeth 5 and 6. She has discovered that 4 teeth make a wonderful clicking sound when chomped together, too....

This week also has been a big one in that we introduced her to our own personal downfall in the Memphis metro area: Amerigos Italian Restaurant. Luckily, since funds have been so tight, we've not been here for months. Some friends gave us a gift certificate for Christmas and while we vowed to save it for a special occasion we had such a stressful week that Wednesday evening we packed up the baby and headed out to drown our sorrows in cheese fritters. And we did. And it was good. And Eleanor LOVES them. And pasta. And bread with olive oil. She is her parents child.

Today is Navy weekend. We thought it was last weekend, which means it has actually now been 2 Sabbath's that I haven't been to church or even gotten El to Sabbath School, but it was nice last weekend to rest after we found out that the drill had been moved. This weekend, drill is on so Hubband is away, and I'm blogging while my frosting softens a little so I can finish up the airplane cakes that I'm making for Annah's big first birthday party this evening at the Spencer's house. Pictures, of course, will be posted when the cake is done.

My coffee maker beeped, and the clock reminds me that El has been napping for 20 minutes now and I'd better get going if I want to accomplish anything before she wakes up. My friend Anca will be stopping by later for baby kisses and pumpkin spice coffee (see, Queenie, its the gift that keeps on giving! Wish YOU could stop by for some. I bet the girls would adore each other. At least, they would if they know what's good for them, eh?!) . Should be a nice restful morning for the most part!

Breaking News!! First Steps!

2009-01-04T12:09:00.003-06:00

We've seen Ella take a step here and there, but haven't reported it because it seemed to be just an anomaly. Throwing herself forward and keeping her legs under her long enough for one step just didn't seem like WALKING. Yesterday, however, she took 4 steps from Daddy to Mama. We tried to catch it on camera, and she refused to comply and do it again. Last night I dreamed she was racing everywhere this am, and got out the camera just in case. While I wouldn't call it RACING, the little vid here shows that she is, indeed, taking her first steps! Daddy kept a hand in part of the time, just to make sure she didn't fall far, but she was doing the moving and balancing on her own!

Counting My Blessings

2009-01-02T09:57:00.007-06:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I sat down at the blog and actually wrote something.

This winter has been a struggle for me, emotionally. There are highs and lows and the feeling inadequate because I'm not supporting the family and not able to do the things for my friends and family that I wanted to do... then there has been the guilt because so many of our friends and family were/are so amazingly generous. Because of all this mish mash of feelings, I decided instead of a traditional new year list of resolutions, I would make a list of blessings.

Our Christmas tree was overflowing with gifts this year, and we feel so very blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives. I only wish that I could win the lottery or something and do exactly what I want to do for EACH of you, as well the little gag funny gifts that I see all year round (Diva Pig cooky jar, Queenie!).
Every day with Eleanor. Even when I'm tired and she is cranky and pulling at me and whining and breaking things or WHATEVER... she just has to look at me and I melt inside. She's becoming such a little individual, with all the best parts of both of us and some of the bad parts too (she has my patience level...).
Unemployment benefits and Severance pay. I was thinking the other day how much worse this would be for us if the government hadn't created unemployment benefits and if my company hadn't seen fit to provide some severance pay. In a way, for the next couple of weeks, we are actually going to be receiving MORE income than before I was laid off. Of course, only for those couple of weeks... then its dropping precipitously. BUT, this is about the blessing of being able to pay down some debt before the cliff edge is reached!
Family. Always there for us, an ear to laugh or cry into...advice when needed (and sometimes not)...We just are so lucky that not only do we LOVE our family, we LIKE them too!
Friends. When I left NY I worried that I would find no friends and I found the B's and the Garbers. When I left Oak Harbor, I worried I would find no friends and I ended up with renewed friendships from years ago as well as new friendships. We also have a great church family who provides support when we need it.
Our pets. Sometimes I don't feel blessed by them, I must admit, but Priscilla and the Kids do bring a healthy dose of laughter and cuddles into our house.
Hubband. I'm lucky to be loved by him.

What's been keeping me busy?

2008-12-05T19:25:00.003-06:00

While I have yet to find a new job, a freelance project has been taking an inordinate amount of my time lately. Inordinate because of the amount of time I've had to put in for the amount of money that will be returned. Granted, I think if I took another of these projects I would do much better timewise, but its getting harder and harder to work with Ella...and I'm burned out I think. So other than the freelance job, I've actually procrastinated on doing anything about my job situation this week. Instead, I've done laundry:

Induced smiles:
And made an iPod cake for a church member's 13th birthday. I forgot to take pictures until we'd already taped it into the box and the client was here picking it up, so this is all I have for now. I think it turned out great though. What do you think?

Hubband is currently at a choir rehearsal with the church choir. Their Christmas program is next SAbbath, so these last few rehearsals are quite important. Last night, I put up the Christmas tree here at home, and Hubband got the decorations and ornaments down for me this evening. I'm trying to find the energy to go decorate it. Someone wanna shoot some coffee my way or something?

Oh, wait, someone did! THANK YOU, Queenie, for the pumpkin spice and beautiful mug and book of insights for moms. JUST what I needed this week and I'm off to snuggle into a chair, look at my undecorated tree, and read with my pretty mug steaming beside me.

Happy Sabbath everyone!

For Your Enjoyment

2008-12-01T23:31:00.001-06:00

I'm too tired to say much, but thought a toothy grin might enchant ya'll into thinking I'd actually been verbose. Did it work?

There are a few more on Picasa in a folder called Month 9...

The latest victim of the economy...

2008-11-18T12:35:00.003-06:00

As of today, I have joined the ranks of the unemployed. Due to downturns in the economy, my position was eliminated. Thankfully, I have a freelance project in progress and was granted a severance package that will help tide us over at least until I can find something a little more permanent/lucrative. Please keep us in your prayers! And if you have any freelance needs for an editor/writer, please keep me in mind!

Getting Tips on How to Talk to the Big Man

2008-11-12T08:50:00.004-06:00

My friends and I took our Moms to the Holiday Open House in Hernando. I got to sit down and have a chat with Mrs. Claus and Puppy Claus about what to do when I meet the Big Guy in Red next month. I think I've got a good handle on it.
Reece wasn't sure he liked being away from his Mama.

Annah didn't want to sit still.

But we all finally agreed, just so the adult types would stop pestering us.

Some of Ella's Cousins

2008-11-04T12:38:00.003-06:00

Our little LadyBug

2008-11-01T15:23:00.000-06:00

Sabbath Afternoon at Central Park Zoo

2008-11-01T14:29:00.001-06:00

What She Learned Next...

2008-10-24T14:06:00.002-06:00

Clapping of hands! And I don't just mean all you folks out there in the blogosphere to reward her accomplishment because that IS her accomplishment. She sort of unconsciously clapped Weds night when she saw her bottle and blankie at bedtime, but by Thursday it was full-blown "Holy-cow-look-what-I-can-do-and-it-makes-NOISE" clapping. Today we were listening to Glenn Miller and she started clapping in time to Chattanooga Choo Choo. That's Grandpa's girl, eh? Either that, or she is just following in the footsteps of her mother, who had a crush on Tex Beneke at around age 5. I must admit though, by the time I was 6 he had been replaced by Davy Crockett. I mean, who can resist the King of the Wild Frontier?

Growth

2008-10-23T07:59:00.002-06:00

I love to sit and watch Ella as she plays. It is so easy to see the wonder at new things and the amazing learning capacity she has. We often marvel that just a few short months ago she couldn't even lift her head. Now she is on the verge of walking, she "talks" and plays, and amuses herself for long periods of time. She currently is sitting on her play mat pulling toys carefully out of the toy box when she wants them. A few minutes ago, she reached in, dug around, found a book, pulled it out and sat back to look at it. She adores magazines and newspapers, plays her LeapFrog drum, tries to stand up on her own without something to pull up on, and carefully sorts her coasters. I can't wait to see what she learns next...

Beyond Tired

2008-10-22T07:33:00.003-06:00

Teething, stuffed up nose, and exciting happenings have led to a tired baby. Tired baby? Means beyond tired parents. >yawn< It's been a busy and hectic week so far, too, which probably hasn't helped. Last night was the culmination of the week (I know, I know, it was only Tuesday) when we had the Praise Team for this Sabbath over to practice. Hubband forgot to tell me about it until around 130 pm but we were able to pull together the house and he watched the baby while I roasted some sweet potatoes, mixed up some cajun mayo, and did a quick parmesan and fresh rosemary breading and pan fry on some chicken. While the gang was singing after dinner I threw together some cinnamon chip cookies and cleaned the kitchen. Not too bad an effort, I felt, with only 4 hours notice! Stacy ran a few errands with me and helped get things prepped, which also was a big help.

Today is another long day at work with Andrew gone to class for the bulk of the day. I'm praying for nap. Lots and lots of nap.

Four Years (minus a few hours....)

2008-10-17T07:05:00.006-06:00

At approximately 4:20 pm this afternoon Hubband and I will officially have been husband and wife for 4 years. As I type this, our daughter is racing around in her "car" and shrieking at the dog. Right there is a lot to show for our 4 years! I think back to the first time I met him, dressed in our 90's grunge finery, me barefoot, he with bright green contact lenses...me with waist-length blond hair, he with a short skater cut. That night, I told my roommate he was the kind of guy I would marry one day.

In the 13 years that I've known him he has been my confidant, friend, lover, shoulder to cry on, and comic relief. We have laughed long, cried hard, loved intensely. Thank you for the wonderful years, my Love. I look forward to all of the years and experiences yet to come.

Happy Anniversary!

(Do you think he knew what he was getting into when he proposed?)

A Weekend Video of Nothing Much

2008-10-10T21:00:00.001-06:00

Just to make ya'll smile. Cheerios, funny faces, and then it is bath time...

Stress, a Leaky Roof, and the Gnat Frat Party at Our House,

2008-10-08T11:32:00.006-06:00

I've made it a point over the years that I have been cataloging our daily (ok, so lately more like monthly) lives to not speak overmuch about work. Partly because how many of you REALLY care about my work life, and partly in an effort not get dooced. Im breaking my silence because right now our stresses over my work ARE our life, mostly. My company (name withheld to protect the innocent, namely, ME) creates a product that has recently sort of been made obsolete by new guidelines distributed by an industry group (not official, legal, etc, just a group of industry leaders trying to lead the industry). In discussions with various folks it has been revealed that there may be lay offs (sorry to be so vague folks, see above re: doocing). This morning that "maybe" became a "trying to avoid" which says to me "imminent". I have no idea if I would be one of those laid off (although there really are only 3 of us who are potentials), what if any kind of severance package I would receive, etc., but the fact that we live off of my income is making me quite quite worried about the whole thing. Please pray for us?

In other news, we came home from running errands in a downpour last night and found that the downpour was in the kitchen, too. Apparently one of the branches that fell during the wind storms over the last couple of months has gouged a hole in the shingles and/or leaf buildup has wedged them. We can't tell until it stops raining enough for Hubband to get up on the roof without worrying about sliding off in the mud. For the moment, there is a bucket in the attic that is collecting drips and a section of drywall in the kitchen ceiling that needs to be replaced.

Further kitchen news that just made my day... apparently there was a gnat frat party last night. They seem to have gotten drunk on the red wine in my red wine vinegar (who knows HOW they got in the bottle) and then drowned in the vinegar while they were unconcious. So far, the gnat police haven't charged me with anything (willful distribution of red wine vinegar to buggy minors?)--I'll keep you posted.

And now, the queen of the 40 minute nap has struck again and I need to go and get her majesty out of jail. Farewell.

Retrospective Tuesday

2008-10-04T13:27:00.004-06:00

This last week we had an opportunity, thanks to Krissa (who got free tickets for us) and Stacy and Brian (who babysat for us) to go on our 2nd post-baby, baby-free outing. Krissa's radio station had some extra comp seats to the opening night of Avenue Q at the Orpheum here in Memphis and the 3 of us went. It was a blast! I wasn't sure what to expect, as my only exposure to the show had been through an Ace of Cakes episode where Duff and the gang made a replica of the stage in cake. I was pleasantly surprised not just at the show for entertainment quality, but of the number of messages that were presented and concepts put "out there" to get the audience thinking. We laughed pretty darn hard during the show, but I think we laughed even harder in the car on the way home. Krissa felt pretty good about the fact that she got me laughing so hard I snorted, and Hubband was on a rare roll of teasing me with full support from the peanut gallery.

And then there were TWO....

2008-10-03T19:22:00.001-06:00

Teeth, that is. What did you THINK I meant?

Our girl was really grumpy this morning, and her left bottom tooth has popped through so I wasn't sure what the attitude was for until she hollered at me while I was changing her diaper and I noticed that instead of ONE white peak, there were TWO. Above photo was snapped when we were trying to convince her that food was not what was causing her mouth to hurt. You can see both little "toofs" front and center! Go on, look hard. I promise that's what they are....I've been bitten by them in many different places!

We have TOOTH!

2008-09-24T11:05:00.003-06:00

That same tooth that we all saw looming under her gums around 4 months ago has finally made its appearance! Well, mostly. She chomped on my finger this am and nearly cut me... Still not terribly easy to SEE the little sucker, but you sure can feel that sharp edge! Photographic evidence to follow as soon as possible. I must run now, she's crawled into a corner and gotten herself stuck...

UPDATE

Here is that photographic evidence... at least, as much evidence as she will allow. The bottom middle tooth on the left is the one that is in, you can see it there just peeking out between her tongue and gums.

Ella's 7th Month

2008-09-22T18:53:00.002-06:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Vocabulary of a New Parent

2008-09-22T13:32:00.008-06:00

In the midst of an email exchange with my lovely mother-in-law I realized that the vocabulary of a new parent does not necessarily include new words and phrases, but that the MEANING of those words and phrases changes drastically.

For example:
sleeping in

To a nonparent, this implies continous sleep from the time one enters bed until a time to be determined solely by the body and brain as they figure out they are rested and/or hungry the following day.
To a new parent, this is any time past 5 am that the baby allows you to sleep, regardless of how many times you have woken up already in the night; the secondary definition also includes the opportunity to go back to bed at any time before 9 am and obtain at least 1 hour of sleep.

cleaning house

To a nonparent this is the simple task of dusting, vacuuming, and picking up ones abode
To the new parent this is a herculean task that requires teamwork and several consecutive days, at least if both are working. In our case, we pick up 2x a week, vacuum and dust on Friday, alternate the cleaning of bathrooms, etc. and the house is never entirely CLEAN AND NEAT from top to bottom on a single day. We manage to stave of the onslaught of dirt and destruction, but I'd hate for a white glove inspection...

going out

To a nonparent this implies a date or otherwise interesting outing away from home and the rigors of one's job for a purely entertaining reason.
To a new parent this is any time that one actually exits the premises of the house. For example, yesterday I went out and bought diapers. It was exciting. Today? I shall "go out" and get the mail.

tired

To a nonparent this is when you feel mildly sleepy and/or have overdone things a little at work and play
To a new parent the former is a standard state of being and "tired" actually implies something akin to sleepwalking where "tired" reaches out and slaps you in the face repeatedly merely to keep you from walking into walls.

wet

To a nonparent this is when it has rained outside, or one has freshly exited the shower or pool
To a new parent this is a state of being that travels from the baby's own person (diaper/drool/spit) to oneself (pee, drool, spitup)

I'm sure others will occur to me shortly, but I am tired as I was unable to sleep in this morning, El is wet, and we really should clean the house before going out....

2008-09-21T07:11:00.001-06:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Admirable

2008-09-17T06:48:00.004-06:00

(this is the chairs before cleansing)

Im very impressed with myself today. I've been surfing craigslist for months looking for specific things; sometimes I find them, sometimes I dont. This week I came across several promising ads for bar stools, which we've been needing. We had lots of mismatched and uncomfortable chairs, but nothing that was... RIGHT. I finally made an offer on two wood counter height barstools that said they needed recovering. I picked them up last night and they were a bit scratched looking and the fabric looked stained. Got them home and Hubband washed the seats and Pledged the wood and they are in PERFECT condition. These things were just FILTHY. Our sink was literally brown with dirt. Now? I have two beautiful barstools and I only paid 15 dollars each. Woot!

Our Becca!

2008-09-15T08:03:00.000-06:00

Another shot of our new girl in the family. ;-)

Bell Bottom Trousers?

2008-09-11T07:22:00.000-06:00

Is she destined to wear the "Coat of Navy Blue"?

Rebecca Lillian

2008-09-10T14:15:00.003-06:00

Our newest niece joined the family at 12:35 pm today, weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz. She and DangerElf are both doing good. Welcome to the family, Rebecca!!

Cousins

2008-09-09T13:03:00.001-06:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Exhaustion

2008-09-08T07:04:00.002-06:00

I think the body gets used to lack of sleep in a way that when you do actually achieve rest it has no idea what to do with itself and tries to shut down. BabyBee has been waking up several times each night again of late and I prepared for it last night by turning out my light by 10 pm. She woke briefly at 5 or so, whimpered and fussed for about 15 minutes and then just as we were getting up to get her she fell asleep again... until 6. I had a 7 hour stretch, straight. So the only way I can explain how dreadfully tired and sleepy I am is that my body is confused by all the sleep and has decided that it needs more. To fake it out even more, I think I will drink 2 cups of coffee instead of just one. Or maybe I'll do it just because I love coffee...

Communication

2008-09-05T07:46:00.002-06:00

It really is amazing the things we take for granted in each other, and how quickly our views may be forced to change. In the last 6 months and 1 week, we have gone from being the frightened parents of a newborn to being parents of a little girl. From talking to each other about the baby, to talking to HER...and she responds.

If she is in her walker and you say "Come with me, Eleanor", she will trot along happily behind you to wherever you're going. I've found that if I tell her what I'm doing once or twice, she recognizes the action later. For example, I make coffee every morning, and the grinder used to scare her a little. I started telling her that I was making the coffee and the grinder would start before pushing the button, and now, as long as I tell her? She's fine. She'll even trot over to the coffee maker in her walker and wait for me in the morning as she knows that's my first destination.

I know to anyone who isn't a first time parent, these musings are probably a bit "old hat", but it just is so awesome to me to see my little girl understanding, and even trying to communicate back. Last Sabbath, as I was changing her diaper, she put her hand on my arm, waited until I looked at her, and said "Mama"; she then patted my arm twice and went back to chewing her duck.

And now to brag, because that whole stream of consciousness thing above was not bragging...really! But this morning, when she heard a toy squeak like her ducky? She said "BUCKY" and when Hubband tried to put her down after a diaper change without some liquid refreshment, she said "MAMA!"...and when she sees Priscilla? "UPPAH"

We joke that we're going to be like the mom in that cell phone commercial who has the chatterbox daughter and finally at 12 gives the kid a cell phone in self defense...except that I can't imagine ever not being interested in what she has to say. I can't imagine not wanting to hear about her views of life and the world. I may get tired of the WAY she says it, or if she says the same thing 20 times in a row, but I doubt it. Talking and communicating is such an amazing thing, after all (don't you like how I went from commentary to bragging and back to commentary so neatly? It wasn't planned, I promise). And could a writer and editor ever REALLY be tired of words? Especially those spoken by a miracle.

Bedtime Giggles

2008-09-05T06:21:00.000-06:00

Mini Reunion

2008-08-28T10:24:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Facebook spit out a plethora of my old high school buddies and instructed to "ADD NOW!", so I did. I always do what I'm told (Hubband read that statement and fell to the floor with laughter, holding his sides, and shrieking). One of those buddies was Tammy, and it turned out that she and her husband were on their way to Denmark--not to visit, but to live! Her folks live only a few hours from us, so on their drive from California to Tennessee, they stopped off for the weekend. It was a lot of fun to catch up, and with Krissa here in town, we had a mini reunion of sorts. Good food, laughter, and baby drool. Can't beat that when you've not seen someone for 13 years!

Do you think we've changed at all?

Get Ready... Get Set... GO!

2008-08-22T12:19:00.000-06:00

Sweet Potato Pie

2008-08-18T09:35:00.002-06:00

This one is for you, C-Mom!

All Girls Love Weddings

2008-08-14T08:01:00.001-06:00

These are the only shots we really got before our camera died at Ronnie and Jessica's wedding. I'm hoping to steal some off Dalena and Stacy, as we got some cute ones with Ella and Annah together. El loved the wedding though! Even with no naps really all day long, she lasted until after the cake was cut at the reception before melting into a pile of unhappiness. She was in bed for the night at 530!

Connections

2008-08-05T10:57:00.005-06:00

It was very nice while we were traveling for Ella to meet many of her relatives who had not been able in this economic climate to see her live and in person.

These included:
Grace, Uncle Steven, Jaime, Jackson, Jacob, Uncle Jason, Uncle Peter, "Grandma and Grandpa" Sikora, Uncle Bob, Alyssa, Austin, Sarah, Travis, "GG" (her great-grandmother), Great-Grandpa, Grandpa Tony, and Grandma Lori.

Here are a few of those introductions in pictorial format. Enjoy!

(the firstborn!)

Milestones

2008-08-02T10:44:00.004-06:00

As inferred in the last post... new solids! She's now on rice cereal, oatmeal, or carrots once each day.
Rolled over back to front once yesterday and 3x so far today
1 tooth, that has been visible under the gums for weeks, is finally crowning
New word! "BA-BUH" over and over
Don't know if it qualifies as a milestone, but she also seems to have forgotten how to roll from her front to her back. If she isn't thinking about it, over she goes. If she realizes she's on her tummy? Screams. Grunts. Wailing. Despair. Planting of face in the blanket/play mat...
Scooting! She can scoot several inches around on the floor both on her tummy or on her back.
She's also finally on a fairly straightforward sleep schedule, with 3 naps of 1+ hours and 1 short evening nap before she goes to bed at about 7 and sleeps until 4-5 am. Its amazing how good we can feel after a 5 hour stretch of sleep! Seems like riches...

I think she likes her carrots....

2008-07-31T16:53:00.000-06:00

Harriet Irene Schlais 9/21/1925 to 7/22/2008

2008-07-30T11:38:00.002-06:00

Harriet was born on September 21, 1925, to Elmer and Nora Austin. Along with her brothers Hugh and Harold,and her sister Velda, Harriet grew up in sunny Riverside, California. In 1943, she graduated from Riverside Poly High School. That same year, Harriet and her boyfriend attended a cadet dance in Santa Monica where she met a young airman named LeRoy Schlais (a.k.a Roy). By the end of the dance, Roy had convinced her boyfriend to escort his (Roy’s) sister home so that he could escort Harriet! In 1944, during Roy’s overseas deployment, Harriet went to Oakland, California, to complete a nurse’s training course. Midway through the course, she became so homesick that she cancelled out and returned home to be with her family. Roy and Harriet were married on February 7, 1946, shortly after his honorable discharge from the Army Air Corps.

Harriet became a mother for the first time on March 29, 1949, when Cheryl Ann (my mama) joined the family. In the next 4 years, the family expanded to include LeRoy, Jr. and Harriet Irene. In 1962, Roy built a home on top of a hill overlooking Reche Canyon; designed in the shape of an “H”, it was a tribute to his wife. They lived in the home until 1996, when they relocated to Cathedral City to be closer to their daughter, Harriet, and her family.

Harriet worked as a microfilmer at Loma Linda Medical Center for 13 years and retired in 1982. Since that time, she and Roy have traveled extensively both internationally and within the United States. Their wanderings took them to Spain, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, the Panama Canal, St. Thomas island, Venezuela, Australia, Alaska, Germany, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, New Mexico, Kansas, Michigan, Colorado, and Oklahoma, to name a few.

Harriet was an avid sports fan, actively following her favorite teams throughout the season; the Dodgers, USC Trojans, and the Rams games were a priority for her, regardless of what else was going on in the world! When a sports question arose, the chorus of “Ask Harriet” resounded; she always knew the answers! Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett were among her favorites. Harriet loved to bowl and was on several teams before starting work outside the home. She and Roy spent their early retirement years on bowling leagues both in San Bernardino and Palm Springs.

Harriet always was the biggest kid at the table, but was able to join in the fun without ever sacrificing her role as Mother and advisor. Harriet rarely turned down the opportunity for an adventure; she went parasailing and chose a henna tattoo in 2003, got matching toe-rings with her daughter, daughter-in-law, and 3 grand-daughters in 2000, and always joined in the practical jokes (if not actually instigating them) at family gatherings. She was an avid fisherwoman, more for the entertainment of her family than for actually catching a fish. The stories that came out of watching her engage in this pastime have amused the family for generations.

Harriet also was an exceptional cook, with family favorites including her homemade pomegranate jelly, divinity, and peanut butter fudge; on the savory side, her fried eggs were second-to-none. In fact, one of her granddaughters refused for years to eat any egg that wasn’t prepared by Grandma! Harriet even roasted a turkey over the phone once, for two granddaughters (Ladyboyd and WoodsideSprite) who had a giant bird and absolutely no idea how to prepare it!

Harriet made a point of always staying connected with the family, attending all of the family weddings, and welcoming the new arrivals as each family unit grew. She had 5 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. She met the two youngest of her great-grandchildren on July 21, 2008 (Ella and Griffin); only one of her great-grandchildren was not able to be welcomed in person by her before her death. She was more than wife, mother, grandmother, and friend; she was a genuinely wonderful woman with a heart full of love for God and her family. Harriet was a continually happy and loving influence on all who came in contact with her; she will always occupy a special place in our memories and our hearts.

My Grandmother

2008-07-24T18:43:00.002-06:00

Harriet Irene Schlais, 82, of Indio, CA, passed away July 22nd, 2008 in Cathedral City, CA. She was born September 21, 1925 to Elmer and Nora Austin in Riverside, CA. She married Leroy Schlais on February 7, 1946 in Riverside, CA. She was a microfilmer at Loma Linda Medical Center for 13 years. She is survived by her husband Leroy Schlais of Indio, CA, a daughter Harriet Pierce, of Palm Springs, CA, a son Lee Schlais of Canon City, CO, and a sister, Velda Reay, of Riverside, CA as well as 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Cheryl Plantier. A memorial service will be held on August 1, 2008 at The Bridge church in Cathedral City, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org.

Good Intentions

2008-07-11T08:51:00.004-06:00

It was one of those weeks where I vowed to write "real" blog posts, call Queenie during naptime so there was no shrieking offspring interrupting the phone call (at least on our end), cook "real" meals, clean the house from top to bottom, organize the closets, banish dust bunnies, and go to bed early. This "real" post? Is the first of that list that I have actually accomplished...and it's Friday.

>sigh<

I have accomplished a lot of things this week though:
1. Caught up at work, finally, for what feels like the first time since I came back from maternity leave
2. Cuddled my daughter
3. Played with my daughter
4. Took pictures of my daughter smearing rice cereal all over her face
5. Caught up on laundry (if you'd seen the before pile, you would know how big of an achievement this was)
6. Spent quality time with Hubband

Looking over my list I realize that my good intentions were all perfectly logical, reasonable, and in the case of the phone call to Queenie, FUN tasks. But none of them were as GOOD as numbers 2, 3, and 6 of the list of things that I actually accomplished. So while most would say that my good intentions hadn't been realized? I would say that the Best Intentions were filed neatly away into the "DONE" drawer.

Milestones

2008-07-05T18:38:00.001-06:00

Our little girl has hit yet another milestone--she has had her first "solid" food! Rice cereal is yummy in the morning, in small doses, if we allow her to feed herself. >laughing< She seriously tries to manipulate the spoon herself and gets angry if we take it away from her or hold her hands down. Silly little miss!

Much rather play on her elephant quilt. Supermodel is a such a fun game!

Shots and a Haircut...

2008-07-01T19:29:00.002-06:00

In one of the many outfits her Auntie Ronnie brought her....

Eleanor had her 4 month checkup and innoculations today. The checkup went great! She's 15 lbs 13 oz, 25.5 inches long, and her head circumference was (I think) 43 cm. This puts her in the 90th percentile for all 3! A nicely proportionate baby. :-) I asked Dr. Bubba about the rash we'd seen popping up all over her body and he said it looked like a "type of eczema" and he recommended that I cut all milk from my diet for 5 days and see if it improves. During that time, I also am to cut back on cheese, yogurt, eggs, etc. and we are to refrain from giving El any formula. He also recommended the use of a couple of different creams and switch from our current soap to a "non soap cleanser". Yup, it appears that she has inherited her mother's skin. Poor thing.

I didn't get much sleep last night and woke this morning feeling out of sorts. What does a girl do when out of sorts? Picks up a pair of scissors after her shower and hacks 4-6 inches off her hair, of course! I think Hubband was more surprised than he's been in a long time when I walked into the nursery in my robe (he was reading to El) and whacked up hair and said "can you even up the back, please?".

Ronnie is visiting this week and we've been having fun. ES gave us a platinum pass to Graceland so we're finishing off the tour there tomorrow. We've also played dominos, watched tv, laughed, chatted, looked at photos, walked the neighborhood, done church and a picnic, and even found a little time for being lazy with laptops and/or books. Tonight, she took us to dinner at a place called RP Tracks down by the University. It was delicious! They have a blend of vegan, vegetarian, and carnivorous options and all of the above were delicious. The BBQ tofu is really something!

El enjoys playing dominos with us...

Crowning Achievement

2008-06-26T07:19:00.001-06:00

I think it adds to the whole appearance of the house, don't you? Hubband moved the mailbox (now we know when the mailwoman has come!) as well as creating the handrails themselves. Mayn't look like a huge change, but when you take it as a whole? We've put up the porch light (there was none before), replaced the broken windows, redone the patio (the boards were upside down so the water pooled instead of running off), built the rail, and fixed the security door. Anyway, we now have a beautiful railing and the patio is safe and all that's left is to decide on a color for the shutters and trim....

Tooth Watch 2008

2008-06-25T07:35:00.002-06:00

We are in the phase of teething where to all appearances the tooth (teeth, she has 3 visible) will erupt at any moment... and a week later we still are waiting. There are pronounced ridges in her gums, she sometimes pulls off with a grimace while nursing, she wakes up in the night or from her nap howling in pain--all the signs and symptoms! Every morning we ask her to show us her gums and see if those pesky guys have popped out in the night. To date, we're still waiting. Apparently her teeth are as stubborn as her parents. They may stay in hiding for weeks at this rate, but you never know, they may also just pop up when least expected so for the moment? Tooth Watch 2008 continues. We will update you as further information becomes available.

I Dare You Not to Laugh....

2008-06-19T08:13:00.003-06:00

I've Got Rhythm.... I've Got Music.... I've Got My Gal, Who Could Ask for Anything More?

2008-06-19T07:58:00.002-06:00

Eleanor has hit the stage of her development where not only does she adore music, try to "sing" with us, etc., but she also has perfect rhythm. On Sabbath during her Dedication Day BBQ Brian and Dan were jamming on their guitars and Hubband was vocalizing with them and we noticed El was bouncing and stomping one foot in perfect rhythm. To determine if she was doing so as a fluke, the guys changed rhythm suddenly and she paused, waved her arms, laughed, and started in again in perfect rhythm with the new song!

On Monday, Hubband noticed her tapping out a rhythm on her carseat while she waited for us to carry her to the car. He started tapping a rhythm and she listened carefully, then mimicked back to him! They went through several rhythms before she got bored and responded by hollering AAAAHHHH GAHHHHHHH!

Another Milestone

2008-06-15T13:14:00.003-06:00

This has been a big weekend for Ella-Belle! We had a host of other firsts as well, including... she petted the dog, played with Obie, watched Titai, recognized mommy across a room without mommy speaking first, turned to listen/watch Daddy when she heard his voice. Fun eh?

Please excuse the spit up in the video... kind of disgusting, but we didn't realize it was more than a mere "ptooey" until she'd rolled over. hehe.

Ella's Dedication

2008-06-14T20:51:00.001-06:00

I Spy...Do You?

2008-06-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

She Takes After Her Dad.....

2008-06-10T10:15:00.001-06:00

Chattanooga weekend

2008-06-10T07:57:00.002-06:00

On Thursday, my "adopted" uncle, Bill Clemons, passed away suddenly at his home in Collegedale, TN. We were able to drive over for his memorial service and spend some time with the family. My "2nd" parents came down for the service from MI (Uncle Bill was 2nd Dad's Brother-in-law) and were able to meet Ella for the first time...She also met her "Nana" Leola and was passed around to other family members like a little hot potato. We really felt that God had maneuvered the world so we could go for the service, and I hope we were able to help ease things for the family. Hubband ended up singing a hymn for the service and felt really honored to be a part of the memorial.

Telling Tales...

2008-06-01T14:00:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a small bee. Her name was Very Small Bee and she was no bigger than my fist. See?

Very Small Bee was looking for flowers to press in her encyclopedia to make the pages more interesting. It was a beautiful day, and soon she forgot to look for flowers and started pretending she was a bumblebee, whizzing around and darting suddenly in different directions, giggling at the reactions of everyone she passed.
As she zipped around the corner of the Bigbee House on Man Lane, she nearly caromed into Very Tall Tree. The collision was avoided only by the quick flinch of Tall Tree and the breath of Mr Storm that pushed Very Small Bee off course. Very Tall Tree shuddered a little, thinking of the barely averted accident.
Very Small Bee laughed and laughed because her flight had been fast, and her approach sudden, but she was a Very Small Bee, after all, and the tree was a Very Tall Tree and she had scared him! Very Small Bee felt powerful and strong and strutted a little on Tall Tree's leaves.
"Shame on you Very Small Bee" said the Very Tall Tree. "Did your mother never tell you how you should think of others and be kind and thoughtful? You frightened the acorns off of me, now all of my squirrels will have to go all the way to Ground Level to gather their nuts and be in danger of being caught by Large Brown Dog or Schizoid Black Cat. I know you were having fun, but you must remember that all that you do affects others you come in contact with."
"I'm sorry, Very Tall Tree." Said Very Small Bee in a quiet voice. "I did not realize that I was being so unkind. Will you forgive me?"
Very Tall Tree smiled down at her. "Of course, Small Bee! I'm not telling you you cannot have fun, just be careful, ok? I do not want you to get hurt any more than I want to save myself and my friends from pain!"
Very Small Bee hugged Very Tall Tree and set off again, looking for a nice blue flower to add to her collection. And as she flew she was a much calmer, humble, and thoughtful bee.

Once in a while...

2008-06-01T13:58:00.002-06:00

The perfect picture only happens once in a while, and it is NEVER planned. I snapped this shot "off the cuff" as she was having tummy time in her crib yesterday morning and it couldn't have turned out better! I think this has become one of my all time favorites...