Corporate Takeover

The tiniest stockbroker recommends that you buy low and sell high.

Duck Slippers

Tillie used to hate her little duck slippers because they were deceptively friendly-looking versions of, horror of horrors, the evil shoe. Now that Tillie associates wearing shoes with getting to play on the playground, she doesn't mind wearing shoes so much and she has discovered that they can come in friendly shapes. Did I tell you that Tillie can now identify a few new species of animals? Adding to dog, cat, duck, fish, and “moo" - she now can say "baa" and will grunt like a pig and trumpet like an elephant when faced with images of these creatures.


Also, she says "bobble" when she wants her bottle. To hear it in person is either incredibly cute or devastatingly pitiful, depending on whether or not I have a bottle of milk warmed up and on hand.

On a side note, why am I so proud of these lego/duplo sculptures that I made?

Ho Ho Ho Made

Tillie received some seriously darling homemade gifties this past christmas. It has taken me a while to finally getting around to documenting their delightfulness. I wish I could say that I am the type of free-swinging, relaxed person who would let her child play with these gifts while she ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a dog or two poised to "clean things up" afterward. However, I would like them to last a few minutes longer than that. Now that they have been cataloged I can finally let her have them. I know they will be favorites.

These two were made by Tillie's tias Chovy and Ines. They are "Kitty" and "Little Crackers."

A month ago I wrote about the elephant toys that were a joint project by Scott and me. He designed them (thank goodness) and I crafted them. I made 7 to give away and still have 3 more to finish sewing for Tillie herself. We call them "Elephant in Pudding Pants" which is a reference to a story that is hard to explain and even harder to remember exactly how it came about. Suffice to say, there is an elephant in pudding pants in all of us. Here's one of them:

Tiger Tamer

Tillie went to a party this last weekend and she met a large tiger.

What is she saying to the tiger?

The Gripping Life of T. Pearl

Lemme Out!

Day Out with Grandparents

Grandpa explains the physics of drinking straws.

Stay Puff enjoys some slide fun with Dada and Bubbe.

Future Librarian...

...or book burner? Either way, it's time to bolt down the book shelves!

Zoo Antics

We took a little road trip, and Tillie went to the Houston zoo with her dad, her friend Wolf, and his dad, Paul. Meanwhile Wolf's mom, Ledia, and I visited our friend who is getting a bone marrow transplant. I think the little tykes had some fun, as you can see here. They offered the ducks a bottle of milk, shared some snacks while Paul got frisked by an exotic bird, called the giraffe a "moo," pet a bronze buffalo, and gawked at some flamingos. Also, Ledia got a little snuggle in on Tillie.

Eyelashes

Clean as a Whistle

We had hired cleaners to come once a week during Tillie's first year, but now that the family is settled, I've started cleaning again myself. Cleaning is kind of lame--but not because the actual act of cleaning is lame. My real beef with it is that the house does not stay clean for very long, so there is very little satisfaction at the end of it. Muddy paw prints appear on things, hair balls pile up, crumbs collect--all within minutes of a solid few hours of cleaning. It does feel good to save money though. And, I've finally perfected my regime of products that are easy to use and smell good.

When I clean I think about other people cleaning, mostly movie stars. Who does and who doesn't? Did they do it when they made their first big blockbuster and then not after that? Or did they continue for a while because they are down-to-Earth types? Does Meg Ryan scrub her bath tiles? Did Nicolas Cage ever lift a mop? I also think about wealthy politicians and their wives. I'm pretty sure that Laura Bush hasn't had to clean a house in a while. I can't tell about Michelle Obama. She seems like she has been kind of busy for a while now, but they are the people's choice, so who knows? The Bush's are more traditional, too, which can often mean that the lady of the house has to scrub grout. Funny, our household is not at all traditional in many ways, but I'm embarrassed to say that the "lady" does most of the cleaning. I will have to liberate Tillie of this age-old and sexist tradition somehow.

Holiday Recap

What a fun holiday! We had all my siblings and all of Tillie's cousins in town for a fun-filled week. I'm taking down the christmas tree and posting pictures of all the fun...leaves me a little sad because I miss sharing yummy food and good conversation with people I love every single night.

The big brothers and sisters of Honus and Violet:

Cousin Mads takes on Zilker:

Penny and Wyley are so lovable:

Tillie gets maracas from Great Aunt Mary:

Grandpa with an armload of cute:

Jammie time with Madz and Tills:

This is how I party on New Year's Eve now that I'm a grownup (with sparkling cider)...still seems to get me "loaded":

Grandma's Grrrrls:

PS. Please scroll back up and see how handsome my younger brother is now that he is cancer-free, growing back his hair, and recovered from chemo! A 2009 resolution is to keep him and everyone else healthy!

Shutter Bugs

How do you take a picture of one 5-year-old and 3 one-year-olds?

Maybe if you put them on a comfortable blanket, they might all sit still...

Hmmm...that didn't work. What if you give the "problem child" something fun to play with like a baseball bat?

Rats, now the other one is getting away. Well, what if we pin them in a wagon, something more difficult to get out of?

Not quite perfect. Oh well, perhaps when I get some time I can photoshop all of them together, smiling, and saying, "Wow Aunt Molly, you have such a great sense of humor and I love your cooking!"

Video Posts for Auntie Camile

As requested....

Tillie can really walk now (and loves to shop at Target):


Hazel winks (and we all swoon):