This Just In

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Twinkle Twinkle

ABCS

All cinematography done by Mommy.

These remind me that I wasn't consciously aware that Twinkle, Twinkle and the ABCs both share the same tune. Janice had to prove it to me before I'd believe it - hopefully I'm not the only oblivious one (but I suspect I might be).

Hallloween, Part I

We've been getting ready for Halloween this month, with the house being decorated festively with jack-o-lanterns, cobwebs, a "witch forest", and a pair affectionately known as the Grampire and the Winch (vampire and witch). Last week we went to the pumpkin patch for our annual trek through the corn maze - there are a few pictures that may be posted for Halloween, Part II.

This week we carved one of the two pumpkins Anaïs planted at the Spring Fair and grew in our new raised beds. Anaïs drew the features on with a pen, and Mommy dutifully carved them out. I gave her a new phobia by startling her when she tentatively reached her hand out to touch the inside of the pumpkin (hmmm... I wonder why Tucker has so many neurosis). The result is a rather dapper looking pumpkin needing some serious dental work.

The pinnacle of the week was the Halloween party put on at the Community Center. Resembling the holiday carnivals I can remember at elementary school - I suppose they don't do them anymore - it was full of friendly older kids who manned various activities that often resulted in receiving a piece of candy to place in the loot-bag. Anaïs got to do the dry run on her cat costume, and couldn't have been happier (it went well, with the exception of her black cat nose migrating to her forehead).

Click on the picture for the full gallery.

Ana singing

From My Videos

This is Anais' favorite song. Her daddy taught her how to sing it.

Grandpa and the EMP

We had a nice visit from Grandpa all the way from Alabama. We all went to EMP. Grandpa liked the Hendrix, Mommy liked the Sci-fi museum, Ana liked playing music. I'm not sure what Daddy's favorite was, but I know he had fun.

Doin' the Puyallup

As is traditional in September, we made our annual pilgrimage down to the Fair. Because they've moved back from the Great Southern Wilds, we were able to meet the Parkers and let the Cousin Pack run wild.

For the first time, Anaïs was able to ride the kiddie rides. Her first one, the balloons, she wasn't sure of. If Auntie Sandra hadn't been in to stop her I think she might have bailed out off of the side. After a couple of rotations she picked up on the fun factor and had a blast the rest of the time.

My favorite picture is the one of Hailey riding by herself in the fire truck at top. She was not thrilled with the ride (it rotated up and down in the air rapidly). I think the picture captures her concern, peering up over the edge waiting for it to stop.

Finally, on our way out we stopped at the Jiggle Foot (or Jiggle Butt if you're sitting on the vibrating plate) for some refreshment. Click the picture at top for the full set.

Baby's First Joke

Ana made up her first joke today: It is a rewritten and much funnier version of "Humpty Dumpty"

Here it is--"Hunky Gunky had a great poopy."

Repeat several times and laugh hysterically, and you have a good idea of what our evening was like tonight.

Toy Parade

Ana has taken to making great toy "paths." As seen above, the window ledge is one of her favorite places to line up her toys in parade fashion.

In addition, she is very pleased to see her grandpa from Mississippi this week. As are we all.

Up, Up, and Away

She's finally done it! Anais has learned the fine art of climbing up a slide. She has been working on the important skill for about 6 months and is quite excited to have achieved her goal of defying gravity and avoiding pesky stairs. Congratulations Ana!

Treasure Hunting

We went out on Friday morning to "treasure hunt" - or for our non-2 year old readers geocache - in Point Defiance park.Anaïs had a blast exploring all the places we stopped along the 5 Mile Drive. For lunch we went to the Antique Sandwich Company (in the nick of time to top up the peanut butter and jelly reservoir before a meltdown occurred). Pictures are here.

Sniffles and Snuggles

Wee Annie Sniffler was on the sick side earlier this week, and was struggling to get to sleep when I arrived home at about 9:00. Offering to give Mommy a break gave rise to the following exchange:

Do you want Daddy to hold you?

Doesn't Daddy give good snuggles?

(Now feeling slightly hurt) Mommy has to use the bathroom, do you want Daddy or to lay on the couch?
Couch!
(Now really hurt) Fine, have the couch.

She ended up with me and fell asleep within a couple of minutes. I almost woke her up to ask how she could sleep with such inferior snuggling going on (but didn't want to face the wrath of Mommy)

Bye Bye Shoes

Well, she has finally outgrown her very favorite pink shoes. These sparkly gems were the first (and only) non-food item she has ever asked for. She has already moved on to mommy's heels. She has outgrown 2T sizes but is a bit small for a 3T. They really do grow a little too fast.

A Day in the Life

Inspired by Click (the camera) from Go, Diego, Go, Anais decided to document life from her view. You can find the results here. She may have a real talent...

Gym

Gym has ended and Anais learned quite a bit. She can now do pike, tuck, and straddle positions, as well the tabletop move. She loved class, but is moving on to music next week.

Little Artist

Here she is with one of her favorite art mediums. As you can see, she is quite skilled at blending and cutting.

Bathtub

A few weeks ago our sweet bird bathtub passed away at the animal emergency hospital. (We think from an infection). We miss her very much. She was a great companion.

To the Beach

The weather was nice enough a couple of weekends ago that we felt the need to get out someplace. We headed down to the Tacoma waterfront along Ruston way and just puttered around for a bit (click the picture for the full gallery of images).

I tried to help her explore the beach, which was uncovered due to low tide. Her interest was much more in throwing anything and everything into the water. "This is called seaweed" SPLOOSH "That rock has barnacle" SPLASH "Do you see the shell?" SPLOT

It would be nice to say that throwing stuff was the best part of the day, but instead Anais' highlight was the discovery of a car buried in the sand (courtesy of sharp-eyed mom). Once it was found, it was pushed along everywhere.

Mr. Footstick

At the fair, Anais and I were walking past various game booths exploring the many options. Ana saw a series of small kiddie pools with rubber duckies floating in them and tore her hand from mine. She ran over and took a duck and was directed to a prize box before I could stop her. I was then obliged to pay the two dollar fee and watched with puzzlement as Anais pulled out a yellow stick with a foot on it. Mr. Footstick (as seen above) was her toy of choice. She loves Mr. Footstick more than I ever imagined a girl could love a stick with a foot on it.

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for the Blog

Last weekend we went to the Spring Fair in Puyallup with Arean and Opal. A bit smaller than the Fall example (plus the parking is free), we had a great time despite the weather. The first hall we stumbled upon was set up with various groups offering activities for kids: creating hats, planting a pumpkin seed to take home, a lizard exhibit, etc.

Because it was the smaller edition, there was only one ride we could find for Anais - the canoe canal (alliteration is mine alone). Her first time around she hung on for dear life, and maintained a look of concentration. We came back later (actually twice more, the first time she cried) and she had a look of utter joy on her face. She got brave enough to dip her hands in the water.

Oh, and the giant leap is a full album of fair pictures located here. Let me know if you have any problems (actually don't, just imagine what great photos I must have taken).

More Birthday Photos

Huddle Round the Hearth (Warning: Very Little Baby Content Ahead)

After a brief taste of summer (on Saturday it was 76 degrees - perfect for taking dinner on the deck), we're back into showery, unstable weather. At some point last week, part of the heating system decided to take a hiatus. It only became apparent today as the house temperature settled and I couldn't ignore it any longer. So, having put a call in for service after discovering that Bathtub was willing to spend time with Anais for warmth, I decided to fire up the wood stove for the first time (using only earth friendly [?] Enviro-logs).

Not precisely what I'd envisioned for mid-April, but I suppose it's better than nothing.

Birthday photos part one

First we have a photo of Anais and her baby cart from Seth and Sandra. (Thank you!) She loves to put various babies in it and push it around.

Then is a shot of her in one of her many "pretty dress." She loves to dress up a little every day, but really enjoys her pretty dresses.

The last photo reveals her makeshift birtday cake. She, like her mommy, much prefers the icing or topping to the actual cake. She was very polite eating the whipped cream and strawberries, but refused to touch the cupcake underneath.

I will post more photos soon. Next us--The Chuck E Cheese adventure.

Here are a few pics of the angel on her birthday. The first shows Anais and her baby cart from Uncle Seth and Aunt Sandra. She loves to put various "babies" in and push them around. Next, Ana is happy because of her "pretty dress." She loves wearing pretty dresses as often as possible. Finally, I have a shot of her makeshift birthday cake. She, like her mommy, cares less for the cake and more for the icing (or whipped cream in this case).

Scientific Method

I just went upstairs to find Anais performing an experiment. She's got a shopping cart full of items from the playroom (books, dolls, stacking cups, etc), and she's taking each one and attempting to stick it to the refrigerator. She sticks it on the fridge, lets go, it falls, and on to the next one. Very deliberate, very intent, and very cute.

Happy Birthday Anais

This is a picture of our little one a year ago. Can you believe how much she's grown? Today she is two. I will be posting photos of her second birthday after our exciting dinner at IHOP this evening. She will be dining on a chocolate chip pancake with a smiley face on top. Very exciting. Thank you to all of those that gave her gifts and good wishes. She is enjoying them all and hasn't played with any of her old toys in four days. Happy Birthday to our darling girl.

More on the Wiggles

A bit more on the concert. I highly recommend those wanting to see a great show with their kids to see the Wiggles. They gave 100% in their performance and seemed to really love their jobs. When Captain Feathersword came out Anais gasped and cheered with excitement. She sang and danced and had a great time.

After the concert we had mac and cheese at TGIF and she got to sit in a booster chair next to mommy. Two thumbs up for the entire experience.

Mythology

We had the pleasure of going to see The Wiggles in concert on Friday (21-March), and I'm sure Jan will give a full report (someday...). I took Anais down to see our seats while Mom stood in line at the souvenir stand (hey, gotta have something from your first concert - ultimately a Captain Feathersword doll and hat). On our way back up the steps, we encountered a mother with kids carrying two roses. Each rose had its stem bundled up in a baggie with water (sort of like you'd expect a carnival goldfish). It seemed somehow wrong to me (not unlike my idea to throw diapers - clean only - at the stage).

The longer I contemplated it, the more wrong it seemed to have your kids throw flowers at The Wiggles, no matter how good they were. It just wouldn't be appropriate for a 2-year-old to date a Wiggle. Not even Jeff - who's clearly the cutest.

At any rate, I swallowed my concerns and upon parting with money for baubles, we took our seats. It was only after Janice explained that the roses were for Dorothy the Dinosaur that my concerns were assuaged. Apparently she's a rososaurus and loves to eat roses. Who knew...

The lesson is to learn the mythology before passing judgment.

Someday a Clotheshorse...

or how practicing the art of removing one's shirt can go horribly awry. She seemed content to wear the shirt over her head for another 15 minutes or so.

For the record, I considered covering her pot belly as well....