Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

I laughed and laughed when I opened up the envelop addressed "to mom and dad, love Helen" today after picking her up. Inside was this picture and with the picture, was a wrapped up gift of her handprint (see below). Both are so classic. And this picture seriously too funny. That puss on her face - I can't imagine what the other takes looked like if this was the best one!! "I do not like wearing a hat and having to stand still for more than 3 seconds, no I don't. Not one bit.". I love her to bits!


Here is a pic of H smiling - she does smile a lot! ;-)

Ladybug picnic - I've got joy like a fountain in my soul (blither blather blog post w/ a couple pics!)

We recently bought a 40-year Sesame Street highlight DVD set from Target and haven't gotten much past the first 20 seasons DVD yet (1969-1989). I was so happy to see in season 7 the song that I often sing to myself when I think about SS: "1-2-3-4-FIVE-6-7-8-9-10... eleven, twelve... dooodoooododododododo...". It's the crayon-type animation of the pinball hitting all the numbers - I love it! I've always wondered - do I remember it correctly? And I do! I LOVE sesame street and all things muppety. Having a kid in 2009 is very awesome because you get to re-live all these wonderful things thanks to modern technology. And Helen loves it too - Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, even (grudingly, me) Elmo (not sure when he was introduced - we haven't made it that far yet) - the characters and the skits transend time. What lucky people who work for Sesame Street. Here are my top 3 jobs, should I ever decide to break away from the fun-filled, fast-paced environmental industry:

1) Sesame Street - puppeteer? writer? sewer of costumes? I wouldn't care - just give me a job!
2) Bill Nye, the Science Guy - is that show still even on? If it is, I would answer phones gladly and get Bill a cup of fair trade, environmentally friendly coffee (although would probably need to simulatenously win the lottery).
3) NPR - anything. I envision myself starting out in the mailroom in DC and "working my way up". Someday I would report similarly as Michelle Norris did from earthquake torn China last year. Again, I may need to win the lottery for this one to pan out.

So you see a theme here, maybe - I LOVE public television and radio! I guess that comes from my closet leftwinger parents (come on, dad - the Smothers brothers? the Kingston Trio? - I'm onto you!). I appreciate the fact that you didn't cram it all down our throats - it took me many years to figure out.

Anyway, back to the 40 year Sesame Street retrospective - I don't remember the ditty "Ladybug picnic", from season 3 of SS, but it's very catchy and I find myself singing it all day long lately to Helen. I bought a few songs from artist Elizabeth Mitchell from itunes a couple months ago, and for some reason went to her website today (I have not figured out if she is the same person as the actress Elizabeth Mitchell from the TV show Lost, which I don't watch. I figured this out today when I did a search on her name, that apparently Elizabeth Mitchell is a fairly commen name, go figure).

Anyway, on one of her albums she has a rendition of the "ladybug picnic" - how fun! Her website is: http://www.youaremyflower.org/home.html should you like to check it out and hear some full length tunes (and you've actually read this far). If you enjoy slightly melancholy, folky kids music, I highly recommend her! I've downloaded "You are my sunshine" (which can make me cry on a good, bad or any day), "peace like a river" and "this little light of mine" (the last two inspired by my catholic school memories of singing similarly at school).

The song "Ladybug Picnic" is located within the website above at (full song!): Sunshine->listen->ladybug picnic.

The song "You are my sunshine" is located within the website above at (full song!): Sunshine->listen->you are my sunshine.

I think you can find the other two if you really try here or on amazon or whatever.

Anyway - this was a long blah blah blah to get through to get to the pics of H - here they are! XO

She is getting harder to photograph face on (unless she is eating!). :-)

yes. she had three odd barrettes in her hair. dealing with her hair of late seems to be a full time job in and of itself (these barrettes you see here are one of my few and only attempt thus far.).

The H/T Family headed by Aunt Judy sent a wonderful, and much appreciated Christmas package to the G family. Here are a pair of reindeer slippers sent to H. So cute! Everything else is set up on the "chistmas table", which is located next to the "christmas bookshelf" (we do not have a christmas tree - too much work right now). See "christmas shelf" below:

Said slippers.
Here are just some random pics of H playing.
She likes to lay on her belly and look at things. I like the Versace perfume pull out in the upper left corner - that is SOOooooo us.

Hi there

Not too much going on lately, except of course, work work work. Did an overnight trip to MI for work this week which really threw it off, but we're getting back to normal (my first night ever away from H too). I got to have lunch with my mom, dad AND Judy while I was there - it was so nice. They surprised me with Judy (she was sitting at the restaurant when I got there, totally unsuspecting), which was so much fun!

This picture is from last weekend. Here Helen would like to be picked up. She is going through a hold me/snuggly phase. The past couple days she has been asking for ibuprofen, insisting on it really, which has me scratching my head - should I give it to her? Or is she just bored and want something sweet? The only reason I question it is we had to hold her down - legs, arms and head, and force her to take it when she was burning up with fever 2 weeks ago... One of her molars is on it's way in (partially breaking through as we speak) - could she already know what it's for???
Here she is this morning, our little sleepy head. She has been a big crank so far today - I miss my happy-go-lucky H, but I'm sure she will be back soon. I guess I would be cranky too if i had molars coming in. One more to go after this one, then 4 eye teeth, then the other 4 molars. Fun fun.

Happy Belated Turkey Day

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! The weekend went by far too quickly... We had a nice, but quiet, turkey day. It was on the cool side of life (for ATL) and really windy, so we only opted to take a hike around Stone Mountain park, not up up up it where we would freeze our tooshies off at the top. The wind was so strong it knocked over a big tree in the park that blocked a main road. We got to drive most of the way around the mountain going the wrong way up a one-way road - probably won't ever get that chance again! Then we met up with a friend there, came home, and had a nice surf and turf dinner together (no turkey, but had some yummy, homemade roasted garlic smashed potatoes - the extent of any crazy t-day preparations for me!).

The next day was kinda chilly too, so we chilled most of the time at home. Helen wasn't all that into going outside and playing at the park (although we took her and got a few pics). When we got home, she ran to the front door, no picking up leaves, no picking up acorns, just get inside ASAP! I think it was the first time she voluntarily walked through the door on her own (normally have to carry her or we would never make it inside due to the plethora of things to pick up and examine on the way in!).

Then yesterday she had a mild fever in the morning that escalated quickly into a raging fever by late afternoon and really scarey fit of unconsolable crying. We then spent a few rough hours at an after hours clinic - another ear infection, another round of antibiotics... this one is different though as she is pretty out of it sometimes and is sleeping like crazy... I had a feeling we weren't going to escape November without something hitting! Anyway.... needless to say, we didn't do anything very exciting or get out and do much (so many plans for a 4 day weekend!). Oh well!

Friday, still a happy girl.

She put her head down a lot this weekend on various things - guess a precursor to feeling worse.
NOT happy that mom didn't immediately get her a cracker from the kitchen! :-)
She adores all her stuffed animals. They are all over the place (note 2 in background).
Swing at park. It was chilly. Can we go home?
Sweet little elf.

Nah Nah

Helen recently added "night night" or as she says, "nah nah", to her vocabulary and I melt every time I hear her little voice say it. I ask her often to say it, which probably confuses the heck out of her (but it's worth it!). ;-)

So, "nah nah" to the Pumpkin-Palooza III gang of 2009. Wish we were there as usual!! XOXO (p.s. TJ's has a pumpkin pancake mix that is really good right now - you could run over there and cheat for Sunday's breakfast!). Here's a thought - mix in some pumpkin mush into your bircher muesli. Hmm. Possibly ew. I can't tell you how many times in the past 20 minutes I've thought - maybe we can catch a plane up there for the weekend! We might just have to do that next year!

Welcome to the world, Sebastian John!

Here is Helen's new cousin, Sebastian John, born November 3, 2009, 8lbs, 13 oz. and 20 inches long (I think!) to a very happy Naomi and Toby. Congratulations to you and hooray!! He's finally here!

Little Yellow/Gray Riding Hood

We ventured out on a couple of hikes this weekend - one on Saturday to an old, easy fave around a lake at Stone Mountain, and then another more strenuous along the Panther Creek trail in N. GA on Sunday. It was a wonderfully, marvelously gorgeous weekend here. Seriously couldn't be any nicer! A good stopping point along the creek trail is a wide area next to the creek that felt like we were in the middle of little red riding hood's forest, hence Little Yellow/Gray Riding Hood. Next time around (if I am brave enough, there was a really scary and tricky part where I feared for all our lives), we will have to dress her in red for sure.
This isn't the scary, tricky part. Just a pic of the trail and the creek below.
Doggie alert! Running ensued.
I think Helen spied the big, bad wolf.

More from G&G-a-palooza last weekend

Tons of pics below! We are giving our camera a break this weekend, so here are more pictures of the fun times had with G&G.
Grandpa reading to Helen. So sweet!
Cool shot.
Grandma, Helen and I went to the botanical gardens on Sunday.
So much fun running through the labyrinth.
So silly.



Gourdy, one of the scarecrows on exhibit, fascinated Helen.
Lovin' life slidin' down the slide.
And picking up gourd after gourd.
Helen enjoyed a lovely park visit sans mom (was at home taking a nap! yeah! but was sick with a cold - booh.). I have no idea who that dude is sitting next to them.
Grandpa took the park pics - here's the evidence. :-)
Loves to climb.
Loves to swing.
LOVES to slide. Just the weekend before, we were at this same park and I was wondering at what age kids start to go down the slide by themselves. Sometime in the space of a week, she got it down pat (they have a small slide at school too).
:-)

Grandma and Grandpa Pics, Saturday

Grandma and grandpa arrived for a visit on Friday afternoon and Helen has been in heaven ever since. She LOOOOOOVVVVEEEESSSS her G&G. Her first bull-blown tantrum, including crazy hickup crying occurred last night because we put her to bed before she was ready to say goodnight. Note content book reading episode with both below after we let her come back out with us. So cute.

We celebrated grandpa's birthday with some goodies. Here's H coveting grandpa's. Mmm.
G&G brought H a present. So cute squatting down to see what's in the bag (fun book and pumpkin teddy bear!!)

Helen is my favorite poacher. She always has to try whatever you're eating. She likes leftover eggplant parm - mmm!

Garden Pics

Grandma and Grandpa are coming for a visit this coming weekend (yeah!!), so thought I'd post some new pics from late last Sunday since I likely won't post this weekend (will be having too much fun with G&G!).

Helen and I went to the botanical gardens on Sunday and met up with my friend Marcy and her daughter Daniella. We had so much fun running around and seeing the sites - they had it all decked out for Halloween and the fall. Helen giggled with delight at so many things and was in heaven running around (see video below).
Run run run to see the Henry Moore sculptures. They will be gone by November. :-(


Helen and Daniella with the pumpkins.

This is one example of a scarecrow on exhibit in honor of Halloween. Most exhibits were of more typical scarecrows and some were off-the-wall like this one. This one reminded me of Aunt Jane's Halloween costume circa 1999 that she told us about (didn't you go as a Y2K disaster that year, Jane?) :-)
All the sudden, Helen's hair is crazy again. Here she is, freshly awoken Monday morning with the windswept, Farrah Fawcett look.