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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
 The monkey enjoys another round of treats and dressing up - this time for toddler gym class on Monday. In addition to his "Greaser" leather jacket and aerodynamic hair, the monkey was proud to wear his "Who YOU callin' Macaca" t-shirt, designed by his own Uncle O.For those of you non-political types wanting the back story on this, see here. Although the monkey won't likely be trick or treating tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing what passes for costume creativity this year in my 'hood. I'm also looking forward to getting rid of all this Halloween candy that has been crying out to me from the kitchen cabinet. Monkey has been helping me eat it. The kid can go for days without nourishment, but say the word "chocolate" anywhere in the house and he will come running. He is my child, after all.
 
Friday, October 27, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
 Drinky the Drunk.  Drinky the Drunk with "Buddy."  The truth behind obtaining the group shot. Never underestimate the power of Baby Einstein and a portable DVD player. Go Brandon!  Grace at work.
Monday, October 23, 2006
I love Halloween. It ranks right up there among my all-time favorite holidays of the year. This year, my monkeys hosted their first ever Halloween themed play date. I had a blast. I think they did too.  Jordan dressed up as a "Greaser," complete with black leather jacket and slicked up hair. Cookie optional.  Here's the back view. Nothing like Ebay and some white fabric paint to create a costume.  Once again, I take immense joy in dressing up my children to maximize their humiliation. May I present my daughter, Miss Mina, as a red, hot chili pepper?  No play date is complete without food ... and I think the kids may have eaten too.  Good food can only get you so far. You also need entertainment. And for that, we have Kristen and her world famous bouncy-ride, complete with sound effects. You know it's gotta be a good ride if it produces a windblown hairdo like Charlotte's.  The surprise hit of the afternoon was Monkey's chalk board/easel. It really brought out the artists in all of them.  They were a great bunch of munchkins - and even cooperated for a group photo. I can't say it was easy to get them to line up so nicely. How we did that is a story for another day. Happy Halloween everyone; and thanks so much for coming to visit us!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
 She's holding her head up now, at three months. She goes to bed by 6:30, and doesn't make a fuss for at least seven hours. She rarely cries, and likes to smile. She has chunky little thighs that jiggle when I dress her. Her hand-me-down mobile (she'll be the third baby now who's gotten use of this thing!) fascinates her. There is one particular pair of pajamas she must hate because she's crapped it three times now - while her other outfits are rarely so soiled. Although she fights her swaddle, once secured, she quickly falls asleep. If you hold her just right, she'll love you unconditionally. She is so soft, with big dark blue eyes that look as celestial as the day she was born. And she laughs - a little gurgling laugh that makes me look twice to make sure it really just happened. I love my little girl.
Monday, October 16, 2006
We had such a fun weekend. I love this season. A perfect Fall day starts out crisp, with a chill that makes you long for a cup of steaming coffee to go with your flannel pajamas. A weekend like this was made for hitting the orchards. And so we did. A year ago, the little monkey reigned supreme in his field of orange gourds. This year, he walked proudly and even dared to venture further along - far into the apple fields. And though our trip started out as a chance to pick pumpkins, we learned once again, that when you have a toddling monkey in tow, it's best to just go with the flow.      
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
 I will wait by her side, through thick and thin... though the sun may scorch my fur into a matted forest of hay...though the industrial strength chalk may last all afternoon...  She may love those pink shoes right now, but what can they offer her that I can't? Can they ever truly return her affection? Can they whisper endearments in her ear?  Can they retrieve a long pass the way I can?  It only took a week, but she is mine, all mine!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
 Maybe I'm just feeling warm and fuzzy in the wake of the new season of Gilmore Girls (finally) starting. I don't know. But this picture of Kristen and Grace just makes me want to cry. Whether it's the Mona Lisa smile Kristen is wearing, or the solemn look of trust in Grace's hug- this was one of my favorite shots of the trip. Grace looks so content and so wistful at the same time. It's as though she's dreaming big dreams from the safety of her mother's arms.  My monkey, on the other hand, is clearly dying for her first big adventure solo. She's practically jumping out of my arms in her quest to observe as much as possible from her limited position. Will she grow to trust me? Will her grand adventures leave her time to run back into her mother's arms for a quick hug? We shall see.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
A little rain must fall on every parade, I guess. We were not immune from bad weather down South either. There was one overcast day, some drizzle, some grey skies. However, we lucked out. We had Kristen - the diva of creativity and culinary skill. Her solution to rainy day blues? Bake cupcakes, of course! 
Chef Kristen puts us to work right away. Here, we experiment with colors for frosting. That furry mound on the floor there is Oscar. As always, he will never be far when there's food to be had.
The monkeys confer. Beach day? Are those storm clouds on the horizon? Shall we make a break for it, or stay inside and eat cupcakes?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. If only all decisions were as easy. Here, Jordan models the results of mommy's frosting efforts. The sartorialists among you will note the varying shades of green - the green on the face is slightly more of a sage/ sea foam color. While the stripes in the polo shirt are clearly a Kelly green. My attempt to match the frosting to the stripes was not the success I had hoped.
Brandon samples the cupcakes with traditional chocolate frosting.
Grace's very pretty pink cupcake with purple glitter sprinkles, which, by the way, coordinated perfectly with Grace's pink top. See above.
Miss Mina eyes the cupcakes from afar, longing for the day when she, too, can indulge in solid foods.
Monday, October 02, 2006
 I'm not a morning person. I'm more of a late afternoon-evening, sorta gal. I don't really hit my stride till about 7:00 pm, which conveniently, is about the time the monkeys go to bed. Thankfully though, Monkey, Sr. and Kristen both managed to awaken early enough to capture the beauty of the morning sunrise.  Vacationing with a barrel full of monkeys is best done by preserving as much open space as possible. Lots of rooms means lots of places for the crew to explore, lots of doors to open and shut, lots of stairs to climb, lots of windows bang on. Here's the rental house we stayed in. Did I mention it was right on the beach? Oh yeah. Life is good down South.  When I start to wonder why my child is the skinny toothpick that he is, I only have to look at this picture. The monkey, like many other primates, prefers healthy, fresh fruit as his morning meal. On the other hand, blimpies like myself, who see vacation as an opportunity to consume as many calories as possible, prefer their breakfast to come in a rectangular box with the word "Entemann's" on it. I won't bore you all with the details of my weight loss saga. Suffice it to say, this week, I went down in a blaze of glory people.  I loved that the house had decks. Little monkey enjoyed them too, especially in the early morning hours before we hit the beach. Still in pajamas, he manages to get more done before 9:00 am than most people (myself included) do all day. Be all that you can be, little monkey.  Wanted: Single female to share passion for crimson-colored furry animals, creating expressionist art al fresco, and exploring all objects, people, places and things henceforth known as "no-touch!" Late risers need not apply. I think the monkey may have found a true partner in crime.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
But, boy...did we have fun. This vacation rocked!  Thanks to Kristen, Brandon and Grace for making this such a memorable time. Apart from all the planning, reserving, and organizing, Kristen took several thousand pictures to document each moment of the trip. I can't begin to describe what an amazing vacation this was. So, those pictures will be doing most of the talking for me as I post them this week. For a sneak peek, check out Grace's site over here. For now, I just wanted to say we're back home, well rested, and already thinking about next year's adventures in the sand. Thanks again Perkins' for being such fun.  Outer Banks, North Carolina, September 2006
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