Quality Time With Mimi

Mimi responded when Addie's nap didn't work out...

And I'm pretty sure they both enjoyed their time together.

Do You...

"Recycle" via

If you don't, you should!

In case you haven't heard of it, this is from the description on their website:

It's ... people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. ... Membership is free.

My sister told me about this a long time ago, but it took a few years and a reminder from Chris' sister for me to join the network.

How I do it:  I started a yahoo account so that I could join our local Freecycle group (which works through yahoo groups) and generally keep my yahoo account open in a tab on our browser.  I initially signed up for the alerts/emails to come in an abbreviated journal, but I have since changed that setting so that I receive an email for each alert sent to the group.  I don't sit at the computer all day, but when I do periodically use our computer I can quickly browse the subject lines of the new emails and see if there is anything we could use.

We were able to get this lovely jogging stroller:

(Which has a small stow that is apparently large enough to hold a small child)

And these Addie-size chairs (which induced squeals of delight in our little one!):

The Source of "It"

I was preparing dinner when I heard it.  If you are a parent you've probably heard it.  If you aren't a parent you've probably heard about it.  What is it?  Silence that has lasted a smidgen too long.

So I went searching and when I found Addie I laughed.  Long.  Loud.  Hard.  Every time I see these pictures (or even think about them) I can't help but laugh again.  You're invited to join me:

Honey Bunches of Trouble

The other day I heard a weird noise, went to investigate, and this is what I found:

This wasn't the first time she's gotten into the cereal and helped herself, but it was the last time--I have moved the cereal to the top shelf of our "cabinet."

The Stages of Motherhood

On our walk to the metro from the National Zoo we were stopped by a woman who noted that we are in a perfect line of some of the stages of motherhood.  We looked at ourselves and began to laugh as we realized it was true...

Sonya, on the left, has her three year old (she's pregnant too, but you can't really tell yet), I have my 15 month old, next is Miranda with her four month old, and last is Jessica with her nine month belly.  Our strollers seem to be pretty reflective of our various stages too!

Our Laundry Lady

We currently keep our dirty laundry bin in our bathroom and when I go to do laundry I sometimes sort and pile right there in the bathroom.  That's what I did today, and I managed to record our little laundry lady helping me bring the dirty laundry from the bathroom to the laundry closet.

I imagine she'd be much more helpful in this process if she could reach the washing machine and load the dirty laundry into it rather than the dryer...  But it's still plenty of fun to see her wanting to participate and do what I'm doing.

A Little Development: Video Fixed

At fourteen months Addie weighs 23 lbs and is 29 inches tall.  She's walking/running all over the place and loves the stairs in our apartment.  She is still a pretty good eater although she seems to be getting a little more picky these days.

I enjoy taking her outside and it's even more fun as she is becoming a little more verbal.  Her favorite words or phrases are "good," "thank you," and "what's that?" Good sounds like "gud," thank you most often sounds like "tayn too," and what's that usually sounds like "wus sa." Although I think you can discern what the words are if you pay close attention, it's likely we hear them mostly because we are fluent in Addie-talk.  Our walks outside are accompanied by frequent points and utterances of "wus sa?"

Here's a little bit of Addie for your viewing enjoyment:

Mimi's Sunflower Patch

One of the things we were able to do while in Virginia Beach was give Addie some quality time with her Mimi (my mom) and cousins!

My mother is like most grandmothers and loves her grandchildren.  She likes to come up with fun ways of spending time with the grandchildren which will allow for interaction and fun.

Mimi has a little sunflower garden that she grows in the front yard where there is lots of sun.  The garden is a small raised platform with sunflowers grown to line the outside.  Some of her favorite grand-baby activities are having little tea parties in the sunflower "house."  This "tea" party included popsicles which all the children were happy to enjoy, even if there was at least one runaway. ;)