Goofball!

"Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo..."

With apologies to Fogarty, I've never eaten crawfish pie and therefore never made it either.  My file (sorry can't find an accent key on this keyboard) so what I mean is "fil-ay" spice turned bad a while ago, so I couldn't make any gumbo.  Here's the jambalaya....

organic smart chicken

bell pepper and celery

less fat content, same taste??

sauted onion, garlic and chicken in olive oil

added bell pepper and celery

broth and tomatoes (should've been diced, but whatever...)

simmered

with these ingredients, plus cajun spice which i forgot to photo

cooked brown rice added to pot with shrimp

Lucia walks - short video

Still a bit wobbly, but her progress is amazing to watch.

Our baby is walking!

Hello? kitty???

Maybe I'm shopping at all the wrong stores.  Girly stores.  Toy stores.  School-supply stores stores.  Big-box stores.  Boutique stores.  Online stores.  Even grocery stores.  (is that like EVERY store?!)

Or maybe I'm just more aware of that little white chubby-cheeked cat more little girls exist in my life now.  In any case, I have been amazed by the number of Hello Kitty items available!  In fact, I can't think of anything that couldn't have a character stamp on it.  Almost makes me want a logo-ed item too....

East coast earth shake

Yesterday afternoon, the windows rattled, the floors shook, the dishes clattered and I was stunned into inactivity.  The thought that this feels like an earthquake crossed my brain but doubted that one would hit the east coast.  A strange feeling, for sure!

Grayson and Lucia sitting on a slide, K-I-S-S-I-N-G....

This morning at our local park, Lucia squealed as she saw her friend, Grayson, who is just a couple months older than she.  They played and wandered around separately, but they definitely watched each other from afar.  Just before we left, she slid down the slide and sat at the bottom playing with the mulch and pine straw, and he was standing beside it holding his mom's hand.  The next thing I knew, she leaned forward with her mouth open, and he leaned toward her and they kissed!   Imagine!

First time to see the ocean - the video

Lucia wanted to walk further and further into the waves. If you skip to the 5:00 mark (only grandparents would watch that far!), you'll see her playing in the sand.

Youngin said I had an extra set of clothes before we did this. Turns out after the fact that the 'set' was composed of a ratty white t-shirt and swim shorts. Perfect for a romantic dinner on the way home.

Aquarium, Part II

On the way home, we decided to pull into a public beach access parking lot and let the little girl dip her toes in water.   Even though we actually had her swimsuit with us, we decided that since the clouds were rolling in and thunder boomed in the distance we wouldn't spend more than a couple minutes, and so kept her in regular clothes.  We should've known she was going to love the water, despite initially clinging onto Daddy.  She (and he) became totally soaked, and then wanted to scoot in the sand afterward.  Oh my!  What a delightful mess!  And no trip to the beach is complete without some yummy seafood....

Aquarium, Part I

We enjoyed a day trip this weekend.   The best part was the huge, two-story aquarium which showcased divers in it, with lots of big fish swimming up, down and all around.

Judge not....

is my lesson this week.  I won't go into details except to say that I've met some wonderful moms at the playground recently.  And I've learned that my first judgment of people based on their things or lack thereof is very faulty because talking and sharing experiences with them has opened my eyes to my own prejudices. 

Learning to climb, share and not fall off slides

Miss Cautious loves her local park and is more adventurous than usual, maybe from watching and chasing all the other kids?

And more patients

Last night, we went out for another walk and a woman standing in her driveway talking to some relatives, came bounding out to the street, calling my name.  Huh?  I turned and figured out that our neighbors on the next street are also my patients.  How fun!  We chatted and I got to catch up on their health.  Especially nice since I'm not working full-time, and do miss my wonderful panel of patients.

Outside, upside

We enjoyed being outside yesterday and today.  Finallllly!  With the heat and humidity turned down some, we've walked all around town, swung on the swing in the backyard, and played at the library and park.  We love our neighborhood for its easy walking distance to all things interesting.  And love our stroller for making walking so fun.  This morning, we saw the art classes underway at the new art center, with kids up with their elbows in clay and paint.  A few more years and Munchkin will be ready to join in on that excitement.  We also ran into one of my patients at the park and got to catch up.   The simple, happy pleasures of life....

Car seat?

Our girl is maxing out the length limit of her infant car seat, but is wayyy shy in the weight category.  Regardless, it's now time to graduate into a larger one.  The choices are ridiculously endless and vary vastly in price.  I've quizzed friends, neighbors, patients, colleagues, sales people, our pediatrician, and read a gazillion reviews on various websites.  Everyone has an opinion, but no one really feels sure about any one choice.  If we lived in India we wouldn't worry.   We would just strap her on our backs and walk.  For that matter, if we lived in Korea, we'd just hold her in our laps in the car.  But we live in the U.S. where litigation seems to be the number reason for purchasing, doing, making, thinking, and/or choosing anything.   And, since we live in the U.S. where even the cereal choices cover entire aisles at the grocery store, we perused the many options at Buy Buy Baby.   We bought one, and we hope she will enjoy the comforts of her new cocoon for the next five years....  or until she reaches 70 pounds, whichever comes first. 

"Where, oh where....

can my mommy be?"   You can imagine my heart thumped when Troy sent me this photo yesterday while I was at work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cary Arts Center Grand Opening

We visited the Cary Arts Center this morning. It's the old elementary school which has been restored beautifully. Modern amenities and spaces that still pay homage to the historical site. There's a news story here.

Now, with that lead-in, we hope you aren't too disappointed by the photos (holding Lucia, only had a camera phone)!

In the parking lot...could this be an accident waiting to happen?!

Dr. Gary Grabow, from the BAE Dept at NCSU, on trombone

Lucia also got to watch pottery making, traditional Scottish dance, young people performing ballet and the Cary Band. I'm sure we'll be visiting again soon, so we'll post some architectural photos next time!

Then...home for a nap. 

The first time Lucia has fallen asleep with a stuffed animal in her arms

More Louisville...

Steamboat on Ohio River

Beautiful sunset

What do you mean I can't crawl on concrete???

Of course we need to measure water!

Third fire alarm in 15 hours in our fancy hotel.... got really old, fast!

Eating yogurt during fire alarm wait

Me and my shadows

Downtown "swimming pool"

with questionable water, apparently!

Calistoga Splash Park : Photo Essay