Birthday Party!

Favorite thing AM did this week

We have had a busy week--lots of visitors, birthday greetings, and finally the 2-year birthday bash yesterday, complete with a Mo Willems Pigeon theme. AM had a great time, and considering we had a lot of toddlers in the house, there were a very limited amount of tantrums from both the kids and the grown-ups Here are some highlights from my camera. My mother-in-law took a lot more pictures, so I hope she has some of the children I missed getting photos of...
Pigeon Party

Favorite thing I read this week

My mom and I poured over the Mini Boden fall/winter catalogue this morning. They are always having great sales (i.e. "Buy 4, Get 1 for $1"), and their clothes are fantastic for little ones--cute, durable, AND easy to take care of. They also have clothes for grown-ups! http://www.bodenusa.com/

Favorite thing I saw this week

I saw (500) Days of Summer last Sunday, and it was great. It's a love story of sorts, but told out of order over the course of 500 days. I loved how it unfolded, and teased you with things to come, and i also thought it was pretty realistic. Plus, the soundtrack was excellent--lots of mopey British '80s stuff, with a little bit of upbeat Hall & Oates thrown in for good measure. Here's a link to my favorite scene (Note: The movie is NOT a musical, this is just Tom's reaction the morning after sleeping with Summer, the object of his affection). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2seAJsrtIbQ

Happy Birthday, AM!

Favorite thing AM did this week

It's a big week for AM...she turns 2 today, and it's the first week of school. This year AM goes to school three days a week, instead of last year's two days. And since I only teach two days a week, everyone wins!

We've been talking about her birthday for a little while now. Anytime we say the word, "birthday," AM responds with either "cake!" or "I want cake!" Apparently in all of the birthday parties we have been to in the last few months, the only thing AM remembers about them is that cake was served! We have ordered a Mo Willems' Pigeon-inspired cake for her party next weekend. It's coming from Edgar's, the best bakery in town. I can't wait to see (and taste) it. http://www.edgarsbakery.com/

In other AM news, she LOVES socks. Not her own of course. In fact, she loves Matthew's the most. I was folding laundry the other day, and she pulled 2 of his socks out of the pile and pulled them on. Here is the result...

Favorite thing I read this week

I can't believe it took me so long to start Kathryn Stockett's The Help. I kept hearing friends talk about it, and reading rave reviews, but I had, for some unknown reason, put it off. Well, shame on me, because it is incredible. I read it in about four days. And it's Stockett's first novel, which makes it even better--think about all of the wonderful Southern literature still to come from this UA grad. http://www.amazon.com/Help-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/0399155341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250798453&sr=8-1

Favorite thing I saw this week

Instead of something I watched on the TV this week (which was pretty much limited to sports and reruns), I'll show you some shots of Asheville, NC's Biltmore, where Matthew and I visted last weekend. It was a nice long weekend trip for us. Not too long of a drive, and really beautiful scenery. Plus, it was not 90+ degrees, which is always a welcome relief after spending a summer in Birmingham!

Hula hoops! Need I say more....

Favorite thing AM did this week
I have had a hula hoop for years, for the purpose of exercising. AM has recently taken an interest in it. She calls it her "lulaloop!" She doesn't QUITE have the skills of "lulalooping" down yet, but she's trying. Observe...

Favorite thing I have read this week

I finished The Art of Mending last week--a fabulous read. Elizabeth Berg's books are always good, but sometimes a little heavy. In other words, I have to take a long time in between her books, because they're a bit emotionally draining. Mending is no different. There are, however, two things that truly stood out to me about this book, 1) I was an English major, and I suppose, will always be one. Therefore the repetitive presence of Kleenex, handkerchiefs, etc. in this book was a lovely symbol for so much of what the book was about on a deeper level. Because of the wonderful professors I had in college (ahem, Dr. Ulrich, Dr. Casey, etc.), I am constantly looking for great symbolism in books I read. Thanks, Eliz. Berg, for keeping this search for symbolism alive within us English majors. 2) In the interview section at the end The Art of Mending, both the writer and interviewer repeatedly referred to the main character/ narrator as "unlikable." Crap. I really liked that character. AND identified with her. AND sympathized with her. Ack, I guess I'll just worry about my own "unlikable" qualities for a bit now.

Favorite thing I watched this week

Thank goodness I have "Weeds" and "Entourage" to get me through these bleak summer months. These are two shows I had pretty much given up on (based on last season's antics), but I kept both in the DVR rotation, just for kicks. Thankfully, neither have disappoionted lately, giving me something to look forward to during these dark days of summer televsion...P.S. Thank goodness once again for "Cheers" reruns--"Weeds" and "Entourage" alone cannot sustain a TV-junkie such as myself.

Hula hoops, old men, and Fraggles (what a combo!)

Favorite thing AM did this week

It's quiet around here since AM has gone to spend a few days with my parents at the beach. Before she left she was thrilled to constantly remind me that Grandmommy and Grandado were in Alaska, seeing whales. I think that might be all she ever associates with the state of Alaska.

In unrelated rambling, AM thinks she has mastered the hula hoop. At the tender age of 23 months, no less. Her version of "hula hooping," however, is holding the hoop up to her waist and spinning herself, rather than the hoop around. It's quite funny, but I have been very slack, and do not have this "skill" on video yet.

Favorite thing I read this week

I love this brief article from today's Birmingham News (originally printed in the Decatur Daily). What an adorable group of old men!

http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/39741.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=moulton+street&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=stories&town_id=

Favorite thing I saw this week

I let AM rent a video from the library last week, and she chose (okay, I chose for her) Fraggle Rock, Season One (Disc 1). I loved this show as a kid, and watching it 25 (or so) years later, it did not disappoint. AM was less amused by the Fraggles, and more amused by the puppet dog, Sprokit, but that's alright. We'll get Disc 2 next week, and I know she will grow to love the Fraggles themselves, just as much as I did.

Knuffle Bunny and then some...

Favorite thing AM did this week

Lately anytime AM says "thank you," she adds a "so much" at the end. I've tried to capture it on video but she usually says it so low that it doesn't turn up on the audio very well. I'll keep trying!

On a totally unrelated topic, AM's giant set of Lego blocks came with one little man figure. We named this guy George many months ago. I cannot remember why. Last month a family friend gave AM a set of 20 (!) little Lego figures. They represent everything from a doctor, a zookeeper, and, I kid you not, a prisoner. Anyway, in response to the original George, AM has named all of these extraneous Lego figures "not-George." Here's a picture of a few of the not-Georges, including prisoner # 62019.

Favorite thing I read this week

AM and I both love reading Mo Willems' books. We started out with his Pigeon series, and then moved to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Last week we checked out Knuffle Bunny Too: A Tale of Mistaken Identity. It is hilarious, and all kids (and mommies, daddies, etc.) should read it. Here's a link to all things Mo Willems, including his funny blog. He's a genius of a kids writer, and there may be a Mo Willems-themed birthday party on the horizon! http://www.mowillems.com/

Favorite thing I watched this week

Summer TV is the pits since I hate reality-television. I have, however, rediscovered the glory of "Cheers," whose reruns play super late on the Hallmark Channel. I DVR them, and they are the perfect show to fall asleep to (with visions of Sam, Diane, and Carla dancing in my head).

Two Faffies!

Favorite thing AM did this week

I tell myself that we are truly trying to break the pacifier (a.k.a. the "faffie") habit, but AM is only growing more attached. She is only allowed to have a faffie in bed, but has lately insisted on "Two faffies!" when she goes to bed. Matthew went to get her from her nap the other day, and discovered she has even invented a way in which she can "hold on" to both faffies while sleeping...

Basically, she hooks the ring of one around the sucky-part of the other. The result looks a little like a pacifier-rhinocerus.

Favorite thing I read this week

Not much reading time this week, but I did manage to make it through an entire Real Simple magazine while on the bike at the gym this morning. I love that magazine, and this month it featured a cute article about a group of 7 friends who take turns planning a "surprise" trip for themselves each year. I love this idea, mostly because I like the idea of making sure you get together with your best girl friends on a regular basis, despite geographical obstacles. The surprise element would make me a little nervous, not because I'm a control freak, but because I love to plan! On the other hand, maybe it would be relaxing to know all details are taken care of (by someone else) ahead of time.

Favorite thing I saw this week

Kristi, my loyal movie-going friend, and I saw The Proposal this week. I'm not always in the mood for a rom-com, but this one was actually very cute. I did not regret splurging on the $9.25 ticket one bit. And Sandra Bullock's clothes in it were great!

We had a fun 4th weekend at the lake, and then came back in time for me to get some sort of bug. Feeling better now!

Favorite thing AM did this week

We are lucky to have numerous friends who love AM, and whom she loves back. Here's a picture of her doing "flips" with our friend Nicole at the lake. Poor Nicole was probably sore the next day because AM made her do so many of them.

As an aside, my least favorite thing AM did this week was figure out how to crawl out of her crib! And land face first on the floor. No damage done, just a little rugburn to the forehead. I didn't think it was time for a toddler bed yet, but perhaps it is...

Favorite thing I watched this week

From my Sunday morning sickbed I loved watching Federer vs. Roddick at the Wimbledon final. I always cheer for Federer, but I wouldn't have hated it if Roddick had won. I felt bad for him after he played so well for 70+ games. I wish he hadn't cried though.

Favorite thing I read this week

I finished Whistling in the Dark (see last post), and its ending was just as good as I had hoped it would be. Sometimes when I read a book I truly love, I have a hard time starting a new book. I'm trying to fight that by already starting my next read, Lake Wobegon Days. I was craving another small-town, down home, eccentric character-driven story. So far, it's not as good, but I'm hoping it picks up. (P.S. I know that Milwaukee, where Whistling in the Dark took place, is not a small town, but the neighborhood in the story felt like one)