Lily's Creation - The Rapunzel Zombie

You may have to squint slightly, but check out what Lily has called, "The Rapunzel Zombie"

Also, you can see below how Lily was imitating her mother's entering dates on a big calender. Lily made her own chart, including someone apparently hanging out on one of the dates of her calender.

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And I helped! - 10/15-07

My 30th Birthday Cake!

No Candy Corn Jokes Allowed!

Lily helped mix, bake, wait for it to cool, attempt to frost, wait to cool some more, finally frost and decorate this cake, which she then declined to eat.

Lily Draws a Yellow Monster, and She Writes Her Name

After writing her name the first time (see 1st pic below), Lily said writing was too hard. I told her about "practice." After a few minutes, she handed me the notebook, which had a second picture (2nd pic below), and said, "I practiced."

Lily Gets Her Hair Curled + New Lily Artwork

News From August - 8/14/07

In case you missed it





We do indeed have two ten week old kittens. We also have a new metaphor, as in "the poor wee thing was as defenseless as an Eisenberg." But they are very sweet and Lily drags the wand with fleece strip cat toy around with chasing kittens in tow and just laughs, which is very nice.

Summer Good Times

Guest blogger again -- we need to post pictures, so here we have:
Lulu's visit











Lily's first painting of a figure - This is Wilt from the cartoon Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends




















The cardboard castle (under construction)















New Kitties - Andre (White) and Big Boi (Stripey)

Hot fun in the summer!

Pictures All Around!

Here we are in all our finery for our attempt at the first annual Mother's Day Family Portrait. We learned how to use the timer on our digital camera and posed it conveniently on that cinderblock column you see to Jeremy's left (right, whatever) in the foreground. The fountain picture was the last we took (not in our backyard, but nearby) as the heat was getting to our photographic subject.

Recently as Jeremy and I were discussing Lily in the front seat, a disgruntled voice from the back piped up, "I'm right here."


Work continues to go well. I am one store in the complex over from Trader Joe's and that store in between us? Michael's. It'd be a lot better if they sold Lamb's Pride, but I can console my self with cotton ease for a little while.

Jeremy is just about to pitch his dissertation to his advisors and, I believe, Gutenberg's people. His lead line about Sidney and the coterie is killer.

The garden is (basically) finished. All the spots I

wanted to fill have been filled, and once I figure out why some plants are thriving and some not I may want more. But at the moment, all I have left to do is buy a small bag of cactus mix and a pot and repot the last two succulents. Yay!!

This week we shall attempt to put together a tricycle. We may be overconfident from the camera timer escapade.

Wha?

Hi. Been a while. I'm better. I have a job now that's pretty cool. I'm in training to manage one of those ebay franchise stores. The guy that's training me is the Phoenix area B movie superstar. I will be replacing him (as if) when he moves on. I spend a lot of the day explaining to people how ebay (and ebay by proxy) works. Other tasks include researching the value of items, informing owners that their grandmother's priceless china (or what have you) is in ebay terms "crap," photographing and posting ads. I am also on occasion called upon to shoo crowds of middle schoolers who have wandered down form the local pizza game. I have learned to be humorless with them, as they do not cotton to my repartee. I have yet to learn shipping (oh boy). In the 2+ weeks I have been there we have processed (among other things) a 1966 Monster calendar (awesome!), depression glass (pretty, did not sell), many recent gadgets electronic in nature, a complete set of Sailor Moon dolls and a human skull (for medical study). It's always different. But I like it and I am learning to do it and I think it could be a good place for me.

In other news, Lily is grand (do I always say that?). She has taken up potty training at daycare and she has definitively moved into the "What's that?" phase (saints preserve us). We have not yet reached the follow up "Why?, but we're bracing for it. She talks a lot. Her favorite subject is birthplace ("I born in Georgia."). She is also conversant on Care Bears, Spider-Man and her favorite youtube video.

Jeremy is out of school for the summer and excited at the prospect of leisure time. Meaning reading things school related but not directly assigned. But it is a much free-er schedule and we are all very glad. He mentions road trips with increasing frequency. This should be an interesting summer.

We have blooms in the garden from plants that we bought and were already blooming and from plants we planted as seeds. We are proud on both counts. Pictures to come.

Easter Eggs, Boston Creme, and Watering Cans

Lily was trying very very hard to be good

Lily knows the hose...

...but we can't bear to tell her some places aren't meant for planting.

my soapbox

Everyone I meet in Arizona, upon finding out that I am from Alabama says the same thing. "you don't sound like you're from Alabama." Which could be read a number of ways.
- you don't sound barefoot and illiterate
- you don't have an enormous southern accent that I think is funny.
- and on along those lines. there may also be positive spins on this, but I haven't discovered them yet.

And thus my soapbox.
- Could it be possible that not everyone in Alabama sounds like Gomer Pyle? And even if they do, they could still be way smarter than you?
- Could it be possible that there are other people in Alabama who sound like me? Thus, I would sound like I was from Alabama.

But it is progress, from being blamed for all the racism in the world. (that's another blogpost)

Lily Takes Pics and Hostages

When the garden comes in, we'll put pics of those up. Until then, here's Lily's camerawork and demonstrated interest in blindfolding friends and family.

Also included: Lily's excitement from the stroller as Daddy hits baseballs off-camera; Rob, practically a family member, is Lily's favorite person in Arizona; Mommy n Lily feigning sleep.

Play-Doh Chairs and Baby Toes

Lily has designed her own chairs in Play-Doh

She is also becoming a desert gardener.

Some Recent Pics

We haven't posted pics recently. Here are a few of Lily and Jenny at the Fishers' place. The first pic is of when we were running around with Earl, Herb, and Clay in the backyard, blowing bubbles. The second includes Lily's drawing--though you can't see it, she has drawn her first face. The last is of Lily and Jenny making a gingerbread house. You'd be surprised how much delicious frosting it takes to hold together pieces of gingerbread.

The botttom two pics are of Lily on Daddy's birthday and one of Daddy by Lily.

The Straight Poop

-I am currently work as the receptionist in an accountant's office. This position should last til/thru May. I have ideas on what may come next.
-I am in the process of getting my Alabama college credit transferred to my community college. Any thoughts on a program of study are welcome.
-Lily turns three next month and I do not have any ultra current photos. We can't find the camera battery charger at the moment, and while there are other scenarios that would work (i.e. new batteries), this is just the way we are. Deal with it.
-I have been dealing with these weird symptoms (fatigue, lack of attention span) and I was web-searching what they could possibly be (mono, lead poisoning, chronic fatigue syndrome). I should mention that I can be slightly hypochondriacal. But my search for fatigue brought up something with a symptomology of fatigue, lack of attention span, loss of interest in things you once enjoyed and I was 3 for 3. (have not knitted since christmas, more or less) It was depression. I'm bipolar and I have been on medication for more than ten years, but it's all been manic, manic, manic lately, so when the depression hit (as it would when I was changing antidepressants) I never considered that. Talk about forest for the trees. I admit, it's not all that interesting, but it's what I got.

Naming things

Lily has this collection of six kittens that her grandma Kathy gave to her last year. We spent some time with cat owners over the break, and when we got back, Lily took notice of them. There were a gray tabby and an orange tabby and they were right away named "Desi and Buckley" in honor of our host's cats. These two are also referred to as Kelli's kittycats. The orange kitten with white markings is named "Orangie." The black kitten is named "Blackie." The Persian Blue (or gray, if you are not a cat person) is named "Brownie." And the white one is called "White One."

More holiday recap and pictures to come. Someday.