T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Heard the dishes tinkling in the kitchen......Bull in a china shop??

A Walk in the Woods

Since I was occupied most of yesterday in the woods, Levi and I had "man-time" today. We spent the afternoon playing around the yard, went for a drive, and took a nice long walk in the woods. The weather has been beautiful, which makes it pretty hard for Daddy to stay inside....Little Munchie didn't fall far from the tree.

Dead leaves are the coolest stuff ever.

Daddy and his little woodsman

Take that, Camera Girl!!

Daddy Longlegs

O Daddy
Daddy O
How'd you get those legs to grow
So very long
And lean in size?
From spiderobic
Exercise?
Did you drink milk?
Or chew on cheese?
And by the way,
Where are your knees?
O Daddy
Daddy O
Howd you get
Those legs to grow?

Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

Morning Alone

Sneaking some pictures of a content child playing alone - Saturday morning quiet time while Joe & I sip coffee.

There are children's faces in this book that he looks at over & over.

Flying carpet

It has been so beautiful outside, I made a little "magic carpet" room outside under the pines. We're spending a few hours out here each day. Levi samples the pine straw (delicious, however a bit difficult to get in ones mouth) and tries to eat the pine cones (occasionally I have to rescue him from a particularly prickly one). The dogs lick him to death & we'll kick back & watch the pines sway... amazing how long this actually holds his attention.

Kitchen action

Strange meeting.

Late night & I'm turning out the kitchen lights & this little guy in the sink catches my eye. First scorpion I've ever seen in our house & of all places it's trapped walking circles in the kitchen sink. I would love some insight on its journey & how in the world it got itself in this predicament. After taking a couple pics I scooped it up in a cup & tossed it out the back door.

I'm not much on killing anything that gets into the house - I routinely rescue wayward spiders & welcome the colony of tiny ants that live in my plants on the kitchen windowsill (it's fun to see what crumbs they're attracted to on the counter). But, ever since finding this scorpion I feel like I'm watching the floor a little more carefully.

Hanging out in the kitchen while I unload the dishwasher.

Grady and Levi visiting a couple weeks back.

Where are we?

Almost a full week has passed & no posts... what's up you say? It's been a whirlwind week. Tonight I feel exhausted, disoriented, ready for bed. I'm battling a sore throat that just won't go away.

Levi's keeping us on our toes; he's crawling full force. He's in a constant state of curiosity.

Here's a pic from a play date with Grady last Friday. Nicole took some video too but I'm having some trouble getting blogspot to cooperate & complete the uploading. If you wanna check it out go to http://allthingsgrady.wordpress.com/

Tuesday pondering

I heard a really awesome story while listening to yesterday's All Things Considered on NPR (my favorite source of news). To hear what Alaska scientist Katey Walter is up to, follow the link, and click the listen icon under the title.



It's quiet here this Tuesday afternoon. The wee one is asleep & Joe is at school. It's windy outside - looks like a front is moving in - maybe a little rain with it?

Sunlight Creek, Wyoming... last summer. Seems to fit the mood today.

On the Move

We're in trouble... Levi's mobility has exploded in the last few days. Everything is getting set up on tables and shelves - away from exploring little hands.

We've got a crawler!

Just a quick note....Levi is officially crawling now. Slowly and with deliberation, but he's definately mobile! So the fun begins....

He's also cutting his third tooth, it's on top...which combined with the bottom teeth makes a nice chomping surface for unsuspecting parents. And dogs, etc.

-JB

Of stars and dirt

"Their world, my world. This boy, my son. I so wanted him to be a child of stars and dirt, not jiggering images of aliens and laser guns. Town life was enticing, with its toy stores and theaters and malls. Among those: four-lane highways, intense development, crime, high rent, traffic, people moving fast. To think in terms of city versus country, pitting lifestyles rather than social mores, is illogical, but I have a childhood mapped out for Silas that doesn't revolve around electronic entertainment and a culture hyped on sex and money. Still, I know child rearing is more complex than that."

from Wild Card Quilt by Janisse Ray

-MNB

Catching up

We just spent the long Labor Day weekend in Wildwood, GA (with the Neely's) for their 6th annual pig roast. A great gathering of folks as always! We're home this Monday night exhausted from the day's journey back to Watkinsville; we've been out-of-town four of the last five weekends.

I'm running a little behind posting pics... these are actually from our South GA trip a few weekends ago.

Aunt Belinda with the massive fig tree in her backyard.

Pretty pears... we brought a mountain of these home, much to Levi's delight :)

Joe's cousin, Sam, & his wife Eleise

Okay, this one's actually from our home, an orb weaver that's taken up residence on our back porch. Sexy spider! While we were away this last weekend she moved her web & I walked right through it this evening... oops. I see tonight she's moved it down a little ways near the kitchen window, so I turned on the overhead light to attract some grub.