"No, I growed"

I got home today, picked Hallie up and said, "Have you gotten heavier?". "No", she said, "I just growed". I corrected her, and she asked why, and I explained that the correct word was 'grew'. "No", she said, "I growed." I will miss this someday...

If I Only Got a Dollar...

...every time Hallie asked me to look at what she's doing in the back seat of the car while I'm driving. I think I could put a noticeable dent in the mortgage.

You Know Guess What?!?

My new favorite thing that Hallie says is 'You know guess what?!?'. It's a delightful mash-up of 'You know what?' and 'Guess what!'. And she says it so quickly too. Love it!

'All the Day'

For awhile now Hallie has used the phrase 'all the day' instead of 'all the time'. It's one of my favorite incorrect things that she says. Sadly, she has correctly used 'all the time' twice tonight already. I fear that 'all the day' is behind us, and it makes me said :(

I'd like to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLARK!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

They 'Why?' Phase

We are deep into the 'why' phase with Hallie. The answer to one question only prompts the next question. I like the inquisitiveness, but my goodness, sometimes there's just no end!

Explorer Stats

The Explorer just recently rolled over 75,000 miles. I bought it in mid-January 2005, which means that it took about 87 months to get there, which means I have driven a rough average of 10,344 miles a year, 862 miles per month, or 28.7 miles per day. Really that doesn't seem too bad to me; it never has seemed like I spend lots of time in the car. And the Explorer hasn't been on too many long trips; the farthest trip I can remember is Hilton Head.

Soupy?

Hallie really thinks it's fun to call me by the wrong names (and sometimes Ashley too, but it seems that it happens to me more often). She cracks herself up. Today on the car ride home I was all of the following: Mommy, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mommy Buzz Lightyear, Soup, and Soupy. And yes, she has been into Toy Story lately. But I have no idea where Soup and Soupy came from.

Hallie Keeps it Real

Hallie doesn't like it when Leo does certain things. Namely, when he gets close to any of her food (which can happen when she eats cereal in the living room), or when he is in her room at bedtime. (I think that the latter was caused by him scaring her in the middle of the night one night. But Hallie is VERY clear that she doesn't want him in there when it is time for bed.) A few days ago, she was eating breakfast in the living room and Leo got too close to her bowl, so she called Ashley. Ashley knew what was up and tried calling Leo to coax him out of the room. Well, our cats don't usually respond to this sort of thing. And Hallie must know this, because she said "No Mommy, you have to actually come pick him up." She's just keeping it real.

Hallie the Sports Fan

I'm afraid Hallie has been watching me watch sports. Last night I had a basketball game on for a few minutes and she started yelling "Oh, come on! Get him, hit him!" at the tv. She definitely was making sure I was watching and was doing it to be funny, but it sure sounded a lot like me. (The 'get him, hit him' part obviously comes from watching football, not basketball. But we have found the 'oh come on' portion is something I say a lot.)

Different Kinds of 'Timeout'

Something funny happened at our house during the BCS Championship, and I just now thought to write about it. Every time a timeout was called, Hallie thought that the players were all in trouble. She only knows 'timeout' as a disciplinary tactic, so she jumped immediately to that. So we started saying that 'the players are resting' instead of calling it timeout. It was very cute.

Christmas Covers

Why does every artist have to cover 'Blue Christmas' on their Christmas album? I'm not sure I've ever heard a good version of it. I have always assumed that the original is the Elvis version, and that one is no good either. Has anyone ever heard a good version? Or am I the only person who doesn't like that song?

Bad Nog?

How do you know when egg nog goes bad? Does it get even thicker? It seems like it might be hard to tell. I have some nog that has the dreaded 'sell by' date on it, rather then the desired 'good until' date. The 'sell by' date is December 4th...I feel like I'm pushing the limit here, but it still tastes good, and it's not TOO thick...

Thanksgiving Leftovers

All in all I ate thanksgiving food 7 different times (thanks to leftovers). And it was great every time.

Cool Names

We are soon to get some new neighbors (whom we have met already and are very nice). The head of the family's name is Brian Wilson. He is a band director, so the Beach Boys angle is hard to ignore. Also I recently found out we have a member at church named James Bond. Such cool names...I feel like I should change my name to Han Solo so I can fit in :)

Hallie texts?

This morning on the way to work I picked up my phone and Hallie said "Mommy, you texting Daddy?" I didn't expect my two year old to know what texting was, so I said "What did you say?" "You texting Daddy?" Yes, Hallie knows what a text is.

Digital Football

Was playing NCAA 12 on the PS3 last night and found myself playing Bama in the bowl game (I am currently the OC @ Duke). You could tell it was a video game, as I was able to run up the middle at will against Bama (not likely in real life). Duke won 28-14, and I felt a little dirty about it. I hope Coach Saban doesn't find out :)

It's your turn, Daddy

Hallie is big on taking turns these days. One thing she likes to do is to tell me that it's my turn to watch football. She'll tell me this randomly; not really understanding that I only watch football on Saturday (at least that's true most weeks). And she gets really excited about it when she tells me, like she's trying to make it sound like it's a big treat. It's really cute. I wonder if she thinks that by telling me it's my turn it helps ensure that it will be her turn later when she really wants to watch something...

Thanks Kitties

We were greeted by a foul aroma in the living room when we got home last night. Ashley claimed she couldn't smell it, but believe me, it was there. I was then vindicated when we found a dead chipmunk that had been hidden from view. Ugh. Thankfully he was still in one piece, and there wasn't a real mess (like there was during the bird debacle), but still. At least we all know Ashley's sniffer is broken now. Thanks kitties.

Oh, it's important

Think high school football is not important? It is here, where 2 teams have gone to court over who should get into the playoffs. Pairings for this Friday's first-round games were changed yesterday, and may be changed back again before Friday, depending on how the courts rule. There is even talk about delaying the playoffs if the issues can't be resolved. I bet some coaches are none too pleased about all this.

No More Baby Bed

Ashley decided it was time yesterday to take the side off of Hallie's bed so that she can get in/out of it by herself. I wasn't 100% sold, but didn't disagree either, so off it came. Hallie got excited about it when she saw us doing it, but I don't think her excitement lasted past 11:00 last night. That was when she rolled out of the bed onto the floor. But she managed to stay in place the rest of the night after that :)

Puzzles, Puzzles, Puzzles

Hallie has been tearing up the puzzles lately. She can just about do 24 piece puzzles all by herself (depending on the puzzle and what the picture is). I wonder how long it will be before she's up to doing 50 piece puzzles by herself; for some reason that seems like a big jump to me, even though there is a 48 piece one she has done several times (but still needs help). As for me, I did another 1000 piece puzzle on Monday. 'Four Aces Flying School' was a good one.

Football Weather

As stated yesterday, the weather has gotten much cooler. Today was awesome; the high was probably below 75 if I had to guess. This evening driving home was what I remember as typical Friday night football weather. Overcast, and as I write this, 68 degrees. I feel like I should be driving to Ogle Stadium to 'hunt Hartselle'.

One Good Thing Lee Brought...

...is cooler temperatures. It is 30 degrees cooler than last week (which means its in the 60s instead of in the 90s). I'm not ready for real cold weather yet, but this is definitely a welcome change from the uber-hot summer we have had this year.

Ugh

Normally it takes me about 8 minutes to traverse the 2.6 miles into work. This morning's trip took 30+, and the return trip home took about 50. All of this was due to Tropical Storm Lee, which dropped trees and has causes lots of power outages in town. So the delays were understandable. Still...

I not crying

Hallie has unfortunately reached the age of whining and crying when she wants something. She tried this tactic again this morning with a long list of "I want's", and I informed her that crying was NOT the way to get what she wants. Crying stopped. We get in the car and she says "I want watch Phineas Ferb on mommy's phone" and I just look at her (we're also trying to teach her the difference between politely asking and demanding things)...she says to me "I not crying, I just talking to you." I couldn't help but laugh! :)

Bad Exercise Choices

I've just about had it. Every couple of days I see someone exercising in a bad location, and it's really driving me crazy. Don't get me wrong; I fully support exercise in whatever form you wish to do it. But please stop deciding to ride your bike or run in dense traffic or on curvy roads. I saw a biker on Hwy 280 going south last Friday at 5:00pm, when there are about 5000 cars on that road. I saw a biker on Overton Road in Mountain Brook @ 5:15pm yesterday, which is very curvy, and he was just out in the middle of the road having a big time. And the worst was a biker I saw on Acton Road (the curvy, no-shoulder section in front of the Altadena Valley Country Club), AFTER DARK. It's crazy. For one thing, I wouldn't want to breathe all that exhaust in if I were on a bike or running. So people, please get the exercise you need. But stop choosing such unsafe locations in which to do it.

Dentist

Hallie had her first visit to the dentist today. Surprisingly, she did really well! The dentist we chose has a brand new office that is ocean themed, so she was able to watch Nemo swim in his tank right in front of her. I sat in the chair and she sat in my lap, and at her request we both wore sunglasses (because Mr. Sunshine - the light - is very bright) and paper bibs. She picked bubble gum for her toothpaste flavor. It was a struggle at first to get her to open her mouth, but she eventually did and ended up loving the "tickley toothbrush"...it made her giggle. :) Then they scraped, then they flossed, and then they painted on fluoride. Her favorite part was the water squirter and Mr. Thirsty (suction). :) See you again in 6 months, Dr. Hurst!

I Want

Hallie was in quite a fussy mood on the way home today. She kept asking for anything and everything that could not be provided at the moment. "I want stickers. I want Mickey. I want gummies. I want Snow White doll. I want baby doll. I want Mommy. I want play bubbles Turbo." And I had to keep telling her no, we don't have that with us, all of this stuff is at home. Naturally, this response did make her happier. And when we got home, we did none of those things. Rather, we did puzzles. Go figure :)

This Is Annoying, Leo

Leo the cat has taken to sleeping on the desk at home. And for some reason he feels it necessary to sleep while laying on the keyboard. So random things are clicked/opened from time to time, and the screen is on way too much since he's make it stay awake. And for those of you wondering, it's a little weird to sit down at a desk and it feel strangely warm. You see where I'm going with this Leo? Please stop.

I Go Disney World

I tell Mommy and Daddy that I go Disney World. They say we are going soon. Daddy got me the 'Disney World Movie' to watch (Editor's Note: this is the free Vacation Planning DVD; we haven't gotten one in a few years and thought Hallie might like it since she asks to see pictures of Disney World all the time). When I bring Disney World up Mommy and Daddy ask me who all is going: Mommy go, Daddy go, Turbo go (Turbo is Staci's dog), Staci sometimes, EmmyJack sometimes, and usually Steben. And of course I always want all 5 cats to go. I am really excited about going to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goopy (Hallie's 'f' sound isn't quite there yet), and Pluto (she really does name them all off, it's terribly cute)!

Puzze Race, Part 2

I almost forgot to mention that Ashley and I had part 2 of our puzzle race last Saturday night. (Need a recap of part 1?) This time I did the Las Vegas puzzle, and she did Washington D.C.. I won this time, and I liked the Vegas puzzle more than the D.C. one. Ashley agreed as well; it's got better colors and is just easier overall. I think that the puzzle racing concept is a good one. I know I had fun both times we tried it out. Staci sounded interested too...maybe we'll have to buy 3 of the same puzzle and all of us can race together :)

I go time out

This was my conversation with Hallie on the ride home yesterday: A: What did you do today? H: Play with friends. A: What else did you do? H: I go time out. A: Really...why? H: Annie did it. A: What did Annie do? H: Annie push me. A: What did you do to Annie? H: Annie push me. I guess I will never know what she did...

OS X Lion

Just upgraded to Lion on the home computer. So far so good...

Hallie the Vacation Planner

Hallie announced on the way home today that she was going to Disney World. This was completely unprompted; she just decided that she wanted to go. Fortunately Ashley and I have been invited to come along :)

That's my daddy, right there!

One tidbit Clark left out about Casey's wedding... Hallie was very excited to see her daddy and made sure to say hi every time he walked past us to seat someone. So once the wedding had started and she realized Clark was standing up front, she yelled out "that's my daddy, right there!" and again and again, until I had to take her out. Luckily we were able to watch through a window and sneak back to our seat once their exit music started back up.

I Love A Clean Inbox

I have 4 emails in my work email inbox right now. Zero would be better, but 4 is much better than usual. Some of my co-workers have hundreds or thousands of emails in theirs; I don't see how they do it.

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Ryan!

We spent Friday and Saturday celebrating Holly and Casey, as they were married Saturday @ Brookwood Baptist. The ceremony was great and I can attest that everyone involved had a lot of fun too :) Thanks to the happy couple for letting us take part in their big day, and we wish them the best in all the days to come!

30DI30D: The Conclusion

Today is the last day of 30 Dews In 30 Days. I can happily report that I made it! And I don't feel like I want sodas as much anymore. Maybe I need to do '7 Dews in 14 days' next...

Band-Aid

Hallie has become somewhat bandaid obsessed lately. I think she prefers them to actual stickers. She used to hate them, but that all changed when she received a box of princess bandaids from Grandma. Everyday she finds at least one boo-boo that needs a bandaid (we don't always give her one...but that doesn't stop her from trying!). Some of her most recent bandaid requests: "I have boo-boo. (points to elbow) I need bandaid." "My head hurts. I need bandaid." "My nose is burning. I need bandaid." I'm trying to teach her that bandaids are only necessary when blood is involved. So far, it's not working.

Thank Goodness

I finally finished the Podrace Challenge Puzzle last night. That one was a doozy compared to the others I own. I'm tempted to do it again though; it's a two-sided puzzle, with a blueprint of a podracer on the other side. Every time I've done this puzzle I say I'm going to do it again based off the blueprint side but I never have. It might be easier on that side though...

Puzzle Weekend

We ended up working on 4 different jigsaw puzzles this weekend. The first one was The Disney Treasury, which is 550 piece puzzle that we only had 549 pieces to. Then late Saturday night Ashley and I had a puzzle race with 2 500 piece Dowdle Puzzles. I did Washington D.C., and Ashley did Las Vegas. Those were relatively quick 500 piece puzzles, and I won the race by only a few minutes. Then yesterday I decided to do Podrace Challenge Puzzle. It is 750 pieces and MUCH harder than the rest, and I didn't get it finished last night. All that's left is the dirt/rock sections, and those are going to take awhile...

549/550 = Ugh

We did a 550-piece jigsaw puzzle today, but came up one piece short. That irks me to no end.

Car Conversation

Here is part of Hallie and I's conversation in the car on the way home: H: "I gave Mickey Mouse my pacy." (This is sort of true, but another story altogether). C: "Yes you did. You are big girl, aren't you?" H: "No, I'm Hallie Grissom". Then, a few minutes later, I turn the radio down for more talking: H: "Daddy, are you driving?" C: "Yes baby, I'm driving. Am I doing a good job?" H: "No. Daddy, turn on music." Too funny!

I Want !

Hallie is now to the age where, if she doesn't like something one of us says, she will ask for the other parent. It's dreadfully exasperating.

Our Kitchen Smells...

...like syrup. Ashley dropped the syrup bottle last night and it cracked, with the result of the syrup covering a large portion of the floor and even one small section of a wall. I got home just as she was done cleaning it up and the smell was strong. Thank goodness syrup isn't a bad smell. And it's definitely decreased in potency by this morning.

30DI30D - 2 Weeks In

After 14 days I am basically on track. There were a few days when I had zero sodas, but I have balanced them out with an equal number of days when I had 2 sodas. The key is to not have one until as late in the day as possible, which decreases the likelihood that I will go get another one. And it's interesting; some days I don't want one as much. I am drinking more coffee though; maybe 4-5 cups/week. But that seems like a good trade since I'm taking in less sugar. I am also trying to bring in more milk with me to work to have with lunch (it's basically the only thing we don't have in our fridge at the office). We'll see if I can keep this going.

Review: Veranda Restaurant

Friday night we got a babysitter and went with Abby and Matthew to try a new place. We rarely go out for 'fine dining' unless we're on vacation, but The Veranda on Highland was VERY good. I had the filet and Ashley had the flounder, and while both were good we agreed that mine was better. Also I got to try a lump crab with corn beignet; it was more of a hush-puppy than what I think of as a beignet, but tasty nonetheless. Overall a very good meal. Sunday brunch also sounded fun; according to our waiter they have a four-piece band playing while you eat.

PSA: Driver's License

As a public service announcement, here is a reminder to check the expiration date on your driver's license. I realized today that mine is expired. I'm still with the grace period, but I hadn't even given it a thought until someone else mentioned needing to get theirs renewed. Yikes.

Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim

We finally watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Friday night, and I had almost forgotten to post a review. (Not that we generally do reviews, but this movie was so strange that I felt one was necessary.) Most people who offered an opinion before I watched it had less-than-stellar things to say. Perhaps after that I had a low expectation, but in the end I didn't think it was bad. Was it different? Absolutely. Was it too cute? Maybe. But I kind of liked it. I liked the visualization of the sounds and the pop-ups that described people. And hey, any movie that uses music from Zelda: A Link To the Past can't be all bad. But if you don't like video games, it's probably not for you. Next up from Netflix: Support Your Local Sheriff.

Hallie Makes a Clarification

Saturday morning after we got up Ashley asked Hallie, "Do you want to go to CostCo?". Hallie's reply: "No, I want to go shopping!". :)

30DI30D - First Weekend

I was good all weekend and didn't partake of any sodas. It came with a cost though; a caffeine headache. I broke down and drank some coffee Sunday to remedy that. We also made a ruling as to whether or not Coke Zero (and other 0 calorie sodas) counts towards the total for the month. We decided that even though they are zero calories, the goal of this effort is to drink less soda overall, so they do count.

30DI30D - Day 2

I am being good so far today. I made it until after lunch before caving to the pressure of the Dew. I had coffee this morning (still 90 calories less than a Dew) and LOTS of water. I'd be doing good if I could get in the habit of not having one until the afternoon; then by the time I finished that one it would be too late to get another one before I leave to go home. And I'd be better hydrated throughout the day.

30 Dews in 30 Days

I drink too much soda. I always have. The first problem is it's so good. The second problem is that they've been free at work for the vast majority of the time I've been out of college. I probably average 2 per day, and quite often that's 2 Mountain Dews (if not it's usually 1 Dew and 1 regular Coke). I think I'd be happy if I cut that in half and instead drink more water or juices. So I am going to try to drink only 30 Dews in 30 Days. Today is Day #1, and I didn't get my Dew until after 3:30am. Usually I get one at about 9:30am, so that's progress. And I feel like I drank a ton of water today, which is also good. Wish me luck...

Random Thought - 'Ocean Charge'

I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to shampoo. Any nice-smelling concoction will do. Usually the scents are supposedly something tropical; typical names are 'Island Waterfall' or 'Ocean Breeze'. Recently Ashley picked up a new one, Ocean Charge. Now don't get me wrong, I like it fine. But the name seems odd to me. 'Ocean Charge'...it's so aggressive. I'm picturing a commercial where the guy washing his hair is underwater and a destroyer floating above him is lobbing depth charges down at him to blast the funk out of his hair. Sounds weird, doesn't it?

Hallie Knows Her ABCs, and More!

She has successfully learned the ABC song, and it is super cute. And she must have learned it at daycare, because we didn't teach it to her. She just started singing it a few days ago, and we were in awe. I had been focusing on numbers, and she's been able to count to ten for awhile now. We taught her that using her inhaler (having her count while breathing), and I think the1, 2, 3 to the Zoo book was a big help as well. And she knows her last name now too. It's a little hard for her to say still, but it's obvious that she knows it and is trying to say it. I know I'm biased, but I'm impressed all the same. Next up is colors; she knows all the names of them but is struggling with identification. And I guess we can start on identifying individual letters as well...

On Partial A/C...Still

Our downstairs unit is out - has been since mid-day Thursday. Yes, it should have been fixed by now, but we got a bad a/c company that would never call us back and then we couldn't get another one during the weekend. But thanks to the rains we had the temp hasn't been awful, and we do have the upstairs unit to fall back on (which is working, and there's room to sleep upstairs). I am very thankful for those things. And hey, our power bill will be lower this month :)

'Broken Girl'

Hallie has been enjoying temporary Phineas & Ferb tattoos the last several days. Last night she had one on each hand; they had been initially applied on Sunday after lunch. (They're really quite persistent temporary tattoos, if that makes sense. I wore one to work on Monday because it hadn't washed off yet. And yes, I do regularly shower and wash my hands :) The Phineas one on her right hand was still fully intact, but the one on the left hand was half gone. That particular one was of Isabella. Basically she had been split down the middle; her whole left side was gone, but her right side was still there. Well Hallie could still tell that it was Isabella, but knew that something wasn't right about it. So she started saying she was broken. 'This girl is broken' she'd say. It was terribly cute.

I Caused Needless Crying

So I'm picking Hallie up from daycare yesterday and when it's time to go she tries to take a doll away from another girl to bring home. Naturally I tell her it's really not her doll and that the other girl gets a turn (we're not quite there on sharing yet). Well she cried and cried and cried, all the way to the car. So I decided to call Ashley and double-check and guess what? It was indeed her doll that she had brought with her. She had never brought that one before, and I didn't look take a good, close look at it the first time, but yep, that was her doll. So we had to go back in and get it, which made her nearly instantly happy. And in the end I felt bad for making her so upset!

New Neighbors

We are fortunate to have really nice neighbors all around us on our street. So recently we were sad to hear that one of our next-door neighbors would probably be moving soon. Sure enough, we were greeted by a for sale sign when we got back from Decatur yesterday. In fact, they even had an open house yesterday as well. We know the realtor selling it; he lives down the street and sold us our house as well. We told him to find us some good neighbors! :)

H-O-T

As Janie pointed out it's HOT. We reached triple-digits yesterday, and it looks like we will today as well. One of my co-workers said going outside is like walking into a wall. That's pretty accurate. Where oh where did spring go?

Fun With Water

Last night Hallie, Ashley, Staci, and Turbo (Staci's border collie) were out back playing and watering the plants. Well Hallie has recently learned how much fun it is to spray things with the hose. So I don't know why Ashley was surprised when Hallie turned the hose on Ashley, but Ashley sure was surprised! Hallie had just done this when I walked out on the deck, and after seeing me, she tried to spray me too! But fortunately the nozzle was on a setting that couldn't reach me that far away. So instead I got to watch Hallie spray Turbo and Ashley from safety. It was good times :)

Honey!

I was trying to get Ashley's attention from the kitchen the other day (Ashley was in the basement). To do so I opened the door to the basement and said 'Honey!' (very sweetly, of course). Well it didn't work; Ashley didn't hear me. But Hallie was in the kitchen with me and decided she'd try it out. So for a while she walked around saying 'Honey!' over and over. It was very cute, which she must have picked up on, because she still does it from time to time. Repeated cuteness alert!

Thank You!

I wanted to say thanks to everyone for the birthday well-wishes, cards, calls, and texts (I was hoping to get an owl, but everyone chose more traditional methods :) ). It was great to hear from everyone!

Happy Birthday, Clark!

Clark is 31 today...happy birthday!!! :)

Chocolate Bath

Last night at dinner we were eating chocolate cake (an early birthday surprise; thanks Ashley!). Hallie of course was messy and needed to go straight to her bath. So we asked her who she wanted to give her her bath: Mommy, Daddy, or Aunt Staci? Her response: "Chocolate!".

It was hilarious!

Birthday Update

Hallie got to open her birthday present when we got home yesterday. Ashley had picked out a very cute pink tricycle plus helmet, and Hallie was very excited to see her new swag. But she wasn't quite sure about what to do once she got on the tricycle. She liked sitting on it, but I don't think she liked the pedals for some reason. She also was excited about 'my hat' (the helmet), but she got upset when we tried to put it on her. So she sat on the tricycle in the living room while we watched tv. We'll just have to work on her a little bit. We also had birthday cupcakes, which Hallie only ate the icing off of. Silly girl :)

She's 2!

Happy Birthday, Hallie! I can't believe you're 2 today!

Vacation Recap

We went to L.A. and Tucson (and Mexico) week before last to visit the fam. It was so great to see everyone! First we visited Leigh in L.A. for a few days. There we went to Santa Monica and Malibu, as well as saw The Getty Museum, where Leigh works. And naturally we went to Disneyland for a day. Then we visited all the rest of the fam in Tucson, were we had fun doing everything from visiting the Sonora Desert Museum to eating at Pinnacle Peak(Ashley and Hallie's first trip!). We even made it down to Pam's house in Mexico for a day, and the construction is looking great. It was definitely a full week! Thanks so much to everyone for their hospitality!

Yep, We're Still Here

So we have fallen down on the job when it comes to blog posts. We're sorry about that. We've had illnesses, out of town trips, more illnesses, and more out of town trips. We'll try to do better. Oh, and more pictures are coming too just as soon as I get them sorted.

Free Throws Are Important

Anybody who watched last night's Alabama/Auburn game knows this. Seriously, if basketball was played this way all the time, no one would watch. In total there were 37 turnovers and 47 fouls (47! Auburn had 4 players foul out...). There were lane violations and shot clock violations and a technical foul. Alabama won 51-49, but how they got their 51 points was the most interesting part. Bama was 11-42 from the field, for a whopping 24 points. The rest of their points were from free throws; they were 27-40 from the line. They took 40 free throws! I bet the referees need new whistles. See the box score here.

Random Thought - Inside Out

Why do people say that something's 'inside-out' instead of saying it's 'outside-in'? I don't know that I've ever heard someone say 'outside-in', but it's just as valid as 'inside-out'...

Call It A 'Trot-Thru'

Some people claim to have seen people walking through a drive-thru somewhere. But would you like to see a woman riding through Starbucks on her horse? Click here.

Early Wake-up Call

Hallie woke up @ 5am today, which is a good 2 hours early. I feel like today was going to be a long day anyway, but now there is no doubt about it. Thank goodness for the quasi-mocha!

Crazy Weatherman

We'd never seen this before, but apparently our local Fox 6 weatherman once broke it down live on the air. It's pretty funny.

Well, She Knows What She Wants...

Hallie woke up early again today (this is becoming the new norm; she used to come lay in bed with us until 9am on Saturdays, but alas, that era seems to be ending). Here is a transcript of Hallie's first conversation this morning. Hallie: "Seepsack?" (This means that she want her sleep sack taken off, so Ashley did that). Then Ashley turned on cartoons. Hallie: "No no! NeeNee off?" (NeeNee is how she says 'tv'.) Ashley: "You want the tv off?" Hallie: "NeeNee off." (For the record, I think this is the first time she has ever asked us to turn the tv off.) Ashley turns the tv off. Hallie: "Breakfast. Come on Mommy." To this we both start laughing. Ashley gets up and they head towards the bedroom door. At the door Hallie stops, looks back at the bed, and says: "Come on Daddy."

Wow.

Everyday Irony

Today we had quite a bit of freezing rain (and reportedly some snow, although I didn't see any); enough to get the schools to close early. After my early exit from work, I was listening to the iPod Classic on the way to pickup Hallie. And wouldn't you know it, nothing other than ELO's 'Mr. Blue Sky' came on. Talk about ironic. I just hope Mr. Blue Sky comes back soon...

Quasi-Mocha

I like cafe mocha coffees. I tend to drink them more than I used to, but it's still not a lot (maybe 2 each month). But then recently someone at my office suggested something they had heard about which is kind of like a mocha. All you do is dump a pack of hot chocolate mix into your coffee (with a little creamer if desired). It's really pretty good. It lets you drink coffee without the strong coffee taste. And it's way cheaper than buying a mocha at any store since we get hot chocolate and coffee for free at work. I've been drinking one most days in the last few weeks; if I'm not careful I'll turn into a coffee drinker yet!

Bad Typing

My typing has been in the tanks the last day or two. I've been having to type 'ETA' a lot, but instead it usually comes out as 'EAT'. Not coincidentally I have been hungry all morning...

Tubes

Hallie got tubes in her ears yesterday. All went well! The doctors said she did great and was an excellent patient. Her recovery was quick too. She was back to her happy, spunky self within 2 hours of having the surgery. We'll go back in a few weeks for a recheck to make sure everything looks good. She caught a cold (probably my cold) over the weekend, so the tubes came just in time!

Random Thought - We Need A Voicemail Standard

These days se have standards for all kinds of mature industries. Wi-fi standards, EDI standards (that I work with every day), and the list goes on and on. But you know what we don't have a standard for? Voicemail commands. Why can't we all settle on a set of standards for how every voice mailbox will work? It's not like all these voicemail services don't do basically the same things. Me, I have 3 voicemails (work, home, cell). Let's just take the delete key as an example. At home, delete is either '3' or '7', and I can never remember which it is. On my cell it's '7'. At work it's '3' (and used to be '6'!). Why can't all these be the same? Phone companies can even market it as a feature if they want. "Our phones use 'Universal Voicemail Commands'" would let you know that you won't have to try to memorize another menu. It would make things so much easier.

It's (Almost) Too Cold To Recycle

Mommy used to say "It's too hot to go to the mailbox". After this morning I might have to start saying "It's too cold to take recyclables to the street". It was 21 degrees on the way to work this morning. It's 25 now, and 'feels like' 14. C-O-L-D!

The 'Freezing Rain' of 2011?

In the end we got very little snow last night, but plenty of moisture. So is this the 'Great Freezing Rain of 2011'? Maybe. But the temps are high enough that if they go up even a little I think it will all melt away pretty quickly. So chalk this one up as another case of where we all got worked up over not much (at least not much snow).

Is This The Blizzard of 2011?

So far the weather predictions are panning out. We have had cold temps all day (the high was about about 31 during the times I was out). We have had a lot of freezing rain, and now it is snowing. I traditionally have a hard time getting worked up over snow forecasts and the like, but this time might be the real deal.

Happy New Year!

Here's to a great 2011!

Christmas recap

I hope everyone had a great Christmas this year! We certainly did, and we had so much fun watching Hallie open her gifts. She has proven herself to be a girly girl...no tom boy in her whatsoever. She got lots of new clothes, and every outfit she opened she wanted to try on. Santa gave her some princess jewelry and a kitchen, both of which she loves. She also got lots of books, some Little People toys, mega blocks, an aquadoodle mat, kitchen accessories, a princess tent, and lots of other stuff. She is growing up so fast and saying so many words now! She's even almost mastered utensils. Hopefully soon we'll post pictures from Christmas.

Favorite Leverage Episode (So Far)

I mentioned Leverage in the last post. Turns out my favorite episode is still available online. If you haven't seen it, check it out below.

The Saga Is Over

The Cannonball Run saga came to an end Christmas Day. Santa left the DVD in my stocking :) It will forever remain as Netflix's second shortcoming...the first was removing Leverage from being available instantly while I was in the middle of season 2 (and before the DVDs of that season had been released).

I know Emily S. is glad that's over :)

One of These Things...

So the other night Ashley and I were making candy. The kitchen counters were full of chocolate, sugar, etc. Then all of a sudden I see a container of ground beef amidst the rest of the items (thawing before being made into the next night's dinner). It really looked out of place. Then all of a sudden I start to sing 'One of these things is not like the other'. But I could not remember where that song came from until Karin told me it was one of the recurring Sesame Street bits (watch Cookie Monster sing it here). Apparently I remember it from watching as a kid, because I haven't seen that in probably over 20 years. Weird.

New WWF File Extension

Saw an interesting story the other day about a new file format that has been introduced by the World Wildlife Fund (and you thought this was about wrestling, didn't you?). The idea is that files saved with the .wwf extension can never be printed, thus keeping people from printing the document unnecessarily, thus reducing the need to cut down trees for paper, thus helping animals and the environment. It's an interesting idea...let's face it, we all know someone who prints things out when they don't need to. It's for Mac users only right now...details available on the WWF website.

Is Life Boring in Boring?

Working on trucking software sometimes leads me to see some odd names of towns across the U.S.A. Some of them are pretty funny, like today's find. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Boring, Oregon. I hear not much goes on there...

The Cannonball Run - Part III

All the pieces were in place Monday. Cannonball Run was #1 in the queue (as it has been for months now). The movie was available 'Now'. I was due to get a new disk mailed to me that afternoon. So naturally, I got a different movie, and Cannonball Run is back to 'Long Wait' status. Will it never end? (Confused? Get caught up here.)

The World Is My Obstacle Course

Leo trying to trip me. A car pulling out in front of me. Mini-Bear trying to trip me. A car with no headlights on in the dark, going 25 on an interstate on-ramp. Sometimes it feels like I'm preparing for a taping of Wipeout. Am I the only one who ever feels this way?

Yummy Indeed

Tonight Ashley made the crockpot chicken tacos that Janie and Brian recently recommended. They were indeed very yummy (and VERY easy, according to Ashley). I think the only change we made from the recipe was to leave out the cream cheese; instead, we topped the tacos with shredded cheddar. Good call guys!

Random Thought - Cat's Vision

Just now I noticed that Leo was intently watching something in the kitchen. However, I can't seem to figure out what he's looking at. His head was moving back and forth slightly like he was tracking something, but I don't see anything. If you ask me, it's a little creepy when I see either of the cats do this (it's not all that rare of an occurrence). I've often joked that cats are really aliens that are spying on us. While I don't really think that's true, I do have to wonder if they can see things we cannot. Because if they can't, they just might be going CRAZY.

Unusual Alphabet

Here is Hallie's current interpretation of the alphabet: a, b, c (sounds like e), d, e, f (sounds like e), g, h (sounds like a), i, nose, eye, nose, mouth. She is getting the letter 'i' confused with her physical eye, so she thinks we are asking her where her eye is, so she points to it and then starts calling out the other features she knows. It is just too funny. Poor kid is going to think that 'nose' and 'mouth' are letters of the alphabet though.

'No Might'

Several months ago, Ashley and I happened upon a set of Golden Books that included all the classic Disney princess stories, plus Lady and the Tramp and a few others. They have sat on Hallie's bookshelf ever since (they were too old for her when we got them). That is until recently when, without any prompting from us, Hallie has started to pick out one of the Golden Books to read before bed. What's amazing is that she will go through them all until she finds the one she wants, which is almost always Snow White. (I have even reordered the books on the shelf so that she is forced to pick up the others first, but she repeatedly shuns them.) So we read Snow White before bed most nights, or as Hallie calls it, 'No Might'. It's really cute.

And in case you're wondering, Sleeping Beauty comes in second place.

Does anyone else do this?

After Halloween I turn my carved jack-o-lantern around so you can't see the carved side...it instantly becomes a Thanksgiving decoration! It's dual purpose! Is that weird?

Hallie's 18 month checkup

Hallie had her 18 month checkup last week. She is 23.5 pounds and 31.5 inches. That puts her in roughly the 35% for weight and 40% for height. She's little. :) Definitely a change from her 97% stats a year ago!

I'm sad to report...

that the Hoover Guthrie's has closed. :( I certainly didn't go often...not even once a month...but when the craving hit I could always rely on Guthrie's to satisfy. Zaxby's has officially taken over.

More Cow

2010-11-01 18:41:54

I think Hallie really liked the costume.

Moooooooo

2010-11-01 18:41:05

Hallie was a cow for Halloween. The costume was so cute (and cheap!).

Mommy Carved a Pumpkin

2010-11-01 18:40:11

Mommy carved a pumpkin for Halloween. As usual, it turned out really well.

On the Front Step

2010-11-01 18:38:58

We also tried for a few pictures on the bench out front, but Hallie wasn't feeling that too much...

Shake That Shaker

2010-11-01 18:38:16

Hallie does a good job with the shaker. I think she likes it a lot.

Roll Tide!

2010-11-01 18:37:23

We had a small photo shoot yesterday, with Hallie dressed up in one of her Alabama outfits.

Halloween

This year was Hallie's first official year to participate in Halloween (she was still mostly a blob this time last year). Of the 6 neighbors we know the best, 2 were gone, 1 was hiding in his basement (he admitted this to us beforehand), another had her lights off, and 2 were home and ready for kids. So, we visited the 2 we knew were home. Hallie was a cow this year. We went to the first house and she was given a tootsie roll pop and a Reece cup. Me: "Put them in your pumpkin..." Her: "No!" So she held on tightly to those two pieces of candy through the second house visit, and all the way back home. We finally pried the Reece cup from her little hands...Clark described it best...it felt like a ketchup packet. The sucker she held on to. Clark then took her to visit the Mauter's, sucker still in hand. On the ride home, he heard crunching. When he got her out of the car, he realized she had eaten through the sucker paper and had made her way to the candy. She was pleased with herself (and very sad when we took it away). :)

The funny things Hallie does

I don't think she's ready to be potty trained yet, but she points to her diaper every time she makes it dirty and says to us "poo poo?". It's very helpful. :) She has also changed her "bye-bye" to "bye-bye-doh". We have no idea what this means. Any ideas? Her vocabulary is expanding...instead of just pointing to the parts of her face, now she'll point and say "nose, eye, mouth". She also knows the word "bubble"...we learned that in Disney when she saw bubbles and told us what they were. She's also becoming a good little mommy to her baby doll...she strolls her, feeds her (even if she does put the bottle in baby's eye), and puts her to bed. It's cute. :) And a big surprise to us this week...no one in her class uses a sippy cup anymore! They are all using regular cups. For the sake of my floors, I'm glad they're teaching this at school first. :)

Disney World Recap

As Clark said, we had a great time in Disney World with the Irvins. I wasn't sure how well Hallie would do spending so much time in a stroller, but to our surprise she did great! Of course there were times she'd prefer to walk or be held, but we managed to keep her occupied with raisins...and when the raisins wore off, we broke out the secret weapon...Smarties. (Yes, we bribed our child with candy. But only because we were in public and would rather give her a little sugar than make a huge scene.) Hallie was a champ at the stroller nap, my other concern. I was worried she wouldn't be able to sleep in the stroller, and we'd either be heading home early each day or would be stuck with a very unhappy baby. But stroller naps were no problem (she even fell asleep in her highchair at lunch one day), and most nights she was asleep in her stroller by 9:00, allowing us time for some grown up rides. :) We visited all 4 parks on our trip and ate lots of good food. The babies were able to ride a lot of rides with us, but Hallie's favorite attraction by far was the Playhouse Disney Live stage show. This was basically a live puppet version of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I was surprised at how into it she was. She clapped and said "yay!" after each song...it was so cute! I also wasn't sure how she would do with the characters. She loved them from a distance, but once they got close to her she was scared. We were lucky to get one smiling picture with Mickey. Other highlights...Hallie got her first haircut; we went to Mickey's Halloween party and got to trick-or-treat throughout the Magic Kingdom; we spent lots of time in the best pool ever (it has a sand bottom!); and we got to see a 10-pound baby gorilla at Animal Kingdom.

Disney World Recap

As Clark said, we had a great time in Disney World with the Irvins. I wasn’t sure how well Hallie would do spending so much time in a stroller, but to our surprise she did great! Of course there were times she’d prefer to walk or be held, but we managed to keep her occupied with raisins…and when the raisins wore off, we broke out the secret weapon…Smarties. (Yes, we bribed our child with candy. But only because we were in public and would rather give her a little sugar than make a huge scene.) Hallie was a champ at the stroller nap, my other concern. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to sleep in the stroller, and we’d either be heading home early each day or would be stuck with a very unhappy baby. But stroller naps were no problem (she even fell asleep in her highchair at lunch one day), and most nights she was asleep in her stroller by 9:00, allowing us time for some grown up rides. :) We visited all 4 parks on our trip and ate lots of good food. The babies were able to ride a lot of rides with us, but Hallie’s favorite attraction by far was the Playhouse Disney Live stage show. This was basically a live puppet version of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I was surprised at how into it she was. She clapped and said “yay!” after each song…it was so cute! I also wasn’t sure how she would do with the characters. She loved them from a distance, but once they got close to her she was scared. We were lucky to get one smiling picture with Mickey. Other highlights…Hallie got her first haircut; we went to Mickey’s Halloween party and got to trick-or-treat throughout the Magic Kingdom; we spent lots of time in the best pool ever (it has a sand bottom!); and we got to see a 10-pound baby gorilla at Animal Kingdom.

Home Again...

Well as you can tell we made it back home from Disney World. As usual we had a great trip with the Irvins. I'm sure we'll post more later, but we did a lot, including getting Hallie's first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street. I've been busy today posting pictures from both Disney as well as the Tate Farms Pumpkin Patch trip from a few weeks ago, so be sure to check out the pictures page to see the new albums (there are a few new pics in the Hallie album as well!). Needless to say we are already looking forward to our next trip to Orlando!

Nearing the End...

2010-10-24 20:52:13

This was Friday, during the last full day of our trip. This is what the end of a trip generally looks like. If only we all had had comfy strollers to sleep in...

Face Painting

2010-10-24 20:49:51

Ashley and Amanda got their faces painted (I don't have a picture of Amanda's ghost on cheek, but it was nice).

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-24 20:48:38

In addition to a very good parade and great fireworks, you get to trick or treat around the Magic Kingdom during the party. Here is Hallie doing just that with her treat bag.

Woohoo!

2010-10-24 20:47:36

Just had to squeeze in a picture using the classic "kid on dad's shoulders" pose.

The Grissoms Again

2010-10-24 20:46:43

We each got our own style of shirt. Hallie had white, Ashley white with black sleeves, and myself in grey.

The Grissoms

2010-10-24 20:45:40

We were easily identifiable...

Mouseketeers

2010-10-24 20:44:54

Thursday night was Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Once again we all dressed as Mouseketeers with shirts and hats (we did the same thing back in 2007...it's just too easy of a costume!).

Pool Time!

2010-10-24 20:39:34

We enjoyed the pool at least 3 or 4 different times during the trip. The Beach Club has the absolute best pool with lots of cool features and a good slide, but the kicker is that the pool floor is sand. It feels so nice on your feet.

The Leftovers

2010-10-24 20:38:11

Between the group we did okay. I think we probably ate about 7 of the scoops of ice cream and most of the toppings. As the whip cream melted and got mixed in with the rest it got rather runny.

Hallie Eyes 'The Sink'

2010-10-24 20:35:37

Hallie did help us eat it, especially the Oreos that we were able to dig out.

The Kitchen Sink

2010-10-24 20:34:21

Thursday afternoon we had lunch at the Beaches and Cream soda shop at our hotel, the Beach Club. One of their specialties is a dessert called 'The Kitchen Sink'. It is named this because it includes everything. All in all it's 8 scoops of ice cream, every topping/cake/brownie they have, plus an entire can of whip cream on top. We have talked about getting this for about 5 years, and finally did it this trip. It even comes in a sink bowl.

Late Night at Epcot

2010-10-24 20:31:23

We had another late night at Epcot that Wednesday night. But you can almost always count on Hallie to fall asleep wherever she is :)

Coral Reef

2010-10-24 20:30:08

Wednesday night was Ashley's birthday, and we had dinner at one of her favorite spots, the Coral Reef restaurant at Epcot. It's very good and is built on one side of the aquarium at The Seas pavilion. Hallie had a very big girl meal too...mahi mahi!

Group Shot

2010-10-24 20:19:12

The Grissoms plus Knox stop for a photo in front of Mickey's Country House (which on a sad note I believe is being torn down soon).

First Haircut, Part 9

2010-10-24 20:17:46

These ears won't fit for long, but they sure are cute.

First Haircut, Part 8

2010-10-24 20:17:06

Yay Hallie!

First Haircut, Part 7

2010-10-24 20:16:20

We're all done now, and Hallie is getting her 'First Haircut' set of ears.

First Haircut, Part 6

2010-10-24 20:15:27

Another trick is that before the haircut begins, Barber Penny stuck about a dozen Mickey stickers on the front of Hallie's shirt. This both occupied Hallie while she peeled them off, and got her to look down while doing so. They even put one on her shoe so that when they need to they can say 'where is the one on your shoe?' so that she will look down farther. So so clever.

First Haircut, Part 5

2010-10-24 20:13:06

Barber Penny did a great job getting Hallie to look this way and that so that she could get the haircut done pretty quickly. Also, they save the hair for you in case you want to keep it.

First Haircut, Part 4

2010-10-24 20:11:11

And then it's back to the Minnie doll.

First Haircut, Part 3

2010-10-24 20:10:26

Another good way to pass the time is to look out the window, so we did that some.

First Haircut, Part 2

2010-10-24 20:09:30

Hallie was pretty good for the haircut. She sat still in the chair thanks to many tricks. Here, we play with a Minnie Mouse.

First Haircut

2010-10-24 20:07:57

One of the highlights of the trip was Hallie's first haircut. As some of you know, there is a working barber shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. In the Harmony Barber Shop, they have a '1st Haircut' that you can get where you get a certificate and a special set of Mickey Ears.

Hallie Didn't Make It

2010-10-24 20:05:47

Hallie of course did not last until closing time, but she was a good sport and let Mommy and Daddy take turns riding Space Mountain, and even posed for a picture in front of Cinderella Castle (although she didn't know it!).

Closing Down the Kingdom

2010-10-24 20:04:20

We shut down the Magic Kingdom on Monday night. The castle was all lit up so we stopped for a picture on our way out.

First Parade

2010-10-24 19:59:29

Hallie takes in the Main Street Electrical Parade Monday night at the Magic Kingdom.

Holding Hands

2010-10-24 19:46:33

Knox and Hallie enjoyed entertaining each other during the trip. They even held hands at times.

Then Pluto Came By...

2010-10-24 19:45:52

And Hallie was really scared, so we couldn't get a very good picture.

Minnie Mouse

2010-10-24 19:44:55

We were still able to get a decent picture though (although Hallie looks a little terrified).

Hallie, Meet Minnie

2010-10-24 19:43:20

Hallie was not so fond of Minnie as she was of Mickey. For some reason she was scared of Minnie...

Hallie, Meet Mickey

2010-10-24 19:42:09

On Monday night we had dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort, which is a character dinner. Mickey was the first visitor at our table, and thankfully Hallie was not scared of him.

Yummy

2010-10-24 18:49:16

The baby gorilla tackles his very own banana leaf. He drug that thing quite a ways before deciding to wrestle it.

On the Move

2010-10-24 18:48:26

The little guy was not shy to get up and around.

Baby Gorilla

2010-10-24 18:47:35

We spent our second morning at the Animal Kingdom, and found that the gorilla family had had a baby. This little guy is already 8 months old, but just over 10 pounds (which is a little on the light side). He was doing his best to keep up with Daddy.

We Made It!

2010-10-24 18:45:04

Here we have just entered Epcot just after arriving. We stopped to take Knox's and Hallie's picture in the International Gateway.

Bedroom 2

2010-10-24 18:44:04

Bedroom 2 is basically a normal hotel room (or a 'studio villa' for DVC resorts), connected to the rest of the suite. It does have a nice, large double vanity sink that comes in handy when two people are getting ready at the same time.

Bedroom 1

2010-10-24 18:42:22

Bedroom 1 is the 'master'. It has one big bed in it to go along with a big bathroom with whirlpool tub, pedastal sink, walk-in shower, and separate toilet room.

Our Room

2010-10-24 18:40:58

We split a 2 bedroom suite with the Irvins on this trip. Here is a shot of the living room/kitchen.

Grandma and the Kids

2010-10-24 17:29:19

Grandma poses with the kids as they show off their festive pj's.

Posing With A Pumpkin

2010-10-24 17:28:09

Back at Mom and Dad's, we had another pumpkin photo-op with one of our new acquisitions.

The Pumpkin House

2010-10-24 17:27:12

Hallie and Jack look out of the Pumpkin House.

More Corn Crib Fun

2010-10-24 17:26:22

Ashley joins Hallie in the crib while we wait for Jack to ride the corn train outside.

Pumpkins Everywhere

2010-10-24 17:25:17

Our pumpkins selected, Hallie and I take a look around while we wait on the rest of the group.

Is This A Good One?

2010-10-24 17:24:08

Hallie ponders if this could be 'the one'.

More Pumpkin Searching

2010-10-24 17:23:05

Emily and Jack search for the perfect gourd.

Scouring the Patch

2010-10-24 17:18:47

Part of the Pumpkin Locator Squad searches diligently for quality candidates for retrieval.

Out to the Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-24 17:16:20

Here we are on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our very own pumpkins.

The Corn Crib

2010-10-24 17:15:19

There were several corn cribs that were enjoyed by everyone. Here, Hallie tries to decipher what the point of this 'corn crib' is.

Lots of Pumpkins

2010-10-24 17:13:56

A quick photo-op in front of a one of the pumpkin displays.

Swing Swing Swing

2010-10-24 17:13:10

They had all manner of stuff for the kids to play on, including swings and slides (that even some of the adults enjoyed).

Hay Maze

2010-10-24 17:12:07

Hallie and I navigate the corn maze, as Aunt Emily follows Jack in the foreground

Serious Cowgirl

2010-10-24 17:10:56

Hallie was very serious about her leather-horse riding.

Leather Horses

2010-10-24 17:10:02

Jack and Hallie ride the horse swings at Tate Farms pumpkin patch on what was a beautiful day in early October.

Pop-up Pool II

2010-10-24 16:58:21

She's pretty happy...

Pop-up Pool

2010-10-24 16:57:35

One thing Hallie enjoys is getting in her small pop-up pool in the backyard and playing in the hose. Here she is filling up a small bowl with water, which I think everyone one would agree is a reliable formula for a good time.

Funny Face!

2010-10-24 16:56:17

Here is Hallie demonstrating her 'funny face'. We think it's funny.

One More Photo...

2010-10-24 16:53:06

Our little girl is growing up fast.

Posing On A Stair

2010-10-24 16:51:40

Hallie takes a break from climbing the stairs at the lake (she loves stairs, which is scary) for a quick photo-op.

Neighborhood cat

When we take our walks around the neighborhood, we often see this really cute, super tiny cat that will sometimes follow us for a portion of our walk. She is usually one street over from us, but lately she's been hanging out around our house. Last night she was in our yard, so Hallie and I went outside to pet her. She's very friendly and loved Hallie (and Hallie LOVED her), but does not have a collar. Her small size makes me think she's either very young or is malnourished. So, I fed her. :) I realize she very well might belong to a neighbor and have a home and food of her own, but just in case she doesn't, I figured I'd offer. And she seemed very glad I did. She quickly gobbled a whole can of fancy feast. My question is...if she continues to hang around, at what point can you declare her to be homeless? Or is she just using us for food and attention, but really she has her own family to go home to?

Allergy Test

Hallie had her allergy test yesterday. It was the standard test where they prick your back a bunch of times and wait for it to react. They tested her for several common allergens...trees, grass, weeds, cat, dog, cockroach, etc. I am happy to report that she is only allergic to ragweed (we can keep the cats!). However, the doctor said she has an "allergic looking nose", and since her reaction to ragweed was so strong, she foresees her developing more allergies in the future. Ragweed is common in the fall, which explains why she was hospitalized twice last year, both in the fall, for wheezing and congestion. To help manage her allergy and asthma, the doctor has put her on Nasonex nasal spray (once a day) and a small dose of over the counter liquid Zyrtec (these in addition to her daily Flovent inhaler). I hate medicating her, especially at such a young age, but if it helps her breathe and keeps her out of the hospital, I guess it's worth it.

The Mail: It's Optional Now

Our mail didn't come yesterday; we know for sure because we had items for pickup and they are still there. I guess the mail carrier is sick. Get well mail carrier!

Race for the Cure

This weekend was Clark's first weekend away since Hallie was born. He went to the UA/South Carolina game with Brian, Eric, and Alex. They had a great time, except for that little part about Bama losing... While he was gone, Hallie and I participated in the Race for the Cure by walking the 5k portion with our friends Jenny and Michelle. Hallie lounged in the stroller while I pushed her...it's a tough life being a toddler. We had fun, got some exercise, and it was all for a great cause. Several of my friends have moms who are survivors, so we walked in their honor.

After the race, Hallie and I stopped at Doodle's, our favorite frozen treat. We shared a cookies n cream sorbet, and then headed home for lunch (it is perfectably acceptable to have dessert first if it fits better into your schedule). :) After lunch Hallie took a nap while I cleaned, and then we headed out to run a few errands before going to Knox's 1st birthday party. Happy Birthday Knox! After the party we drove down to the lake to spend the night with Grammy and Granddaddy. The water was too cold to swim, but the weather was just right to sit on the porch all day long.

Amazon: The Diaper People

We love Amazon, and even more so when it comes to buying diapers. I have talked to a few people about this recently and they said 'I wish I had known that before', so I thought I would share. First, Amazon Subscribe and Save. Subscribe and Save is a recurring order service which gives you about %15 off items. Second, Amazon Mom, which is the Mom's club. Put the two together and you get %30 off diapers and a free Amazon Prime membership (that is good for any item, not just the recurring orders). We have been doing this for several months now, and it is awesome; we get a good deal on diapers, and they just show up at our door each month.

Do you do this, or do you have other Amazon tips?

Random Thought: 'Cold Snap'

When it gets unusually cold for a period of time why do we call it a 'cold snap'? Why does that make sense? And inverse to that, why do we call it a 'heat wave' when it's unusually warm? Why don't we say 'cold wave' or 'hot snap'?

Hallie's medical update

As previously posted here, Hallie's medical saga continues. She finished her antibiotic last week but still had congestion and coughing. Friday night she started running a low grade fever, and we could tell she generally didn't feel well all weekend long. Clark stayed home with her today and took her to the doctor this morning. Lucky for us, Dr. M's next appt. was canceled so she had twice as long to spend with Hallie. :) In short, she was still wheezing today and we've seen no improvement with the Singulair, so they're taking her off of that. We're continuing her daily Flovent inhaler, and adding back the Albuterol inhaler for the next 2 days to help the wheeze until her congestion clears. She has an ear infection which means the last round of antibiotics didn't work, so she's now taking an antibiotic shot for the next 3 days. Also to help the wheeze, she'll be taking an oral steroid for 5 days. And she got her flu shot today. Oh, and she has TERRIBLE diaper rash right now, so the pharmacy is concocting a special diaper cream for her that's basically a mix of all diaper creams into one super power balm. She's also scheduled to see an allergist next week for a full allergy test. Her asthma was under control all summer, but we fear that the fall and winter might be a challenge! I just hope we don't end up in the hospital again like we did last year. It's hard when they can't tell you what's wrong. :(

Pumpkin Patch

This weekend we went to the Tate Farms Pumpkin Patch near Huntsville with Jack, Emily, and Clark's parents. Even though Clark and Hallie were both a little under the weather we all had a great time. They had lots of stuff for the kids (and big kids) to do...swings, slides, petting farm, corn train, hay maze, corn pit, and of course a hayride out to the crop where you could pick your own pumpkin. We came home with three very pretty pumpkins. :) I think Hallie's favorite part was the farm dog who wondered around greeting all the visitors...she got very excited every time he was close by. My favorite part was the corn pit...much like a Showbiz ball pit, except it was filled with dried corn kernels instead of balls. And no, I was not the only adult playing. One thing I will say about the corn pit versus traditional ball pits...there's a reason the balls are the size they are...they can't find their way into your pockets and pants! This was our first time to a pumpkin patch and we will definitely be going back next year!

Negative 15-Minute Naps...

...are just plain weird. When I picked Hallie up yesterday her daily 'report card' said she had taken a nap from 1:00 to 12:45. This led me to ask Hallie if she knew how to achieve time travel. Of course what really happened was that the teacher wrote down the time wrong; Hallie really slept from 1:00 to 2:45. Which is WAY better than a 15-Minute Nap.

Trash Monster

Hallie has recently discovered the kitchen trash can and its use. It started Saturday when she threw away her nutrigrain wrapper after breakfast. I was very proud of her for knowing what to do with it. I'm assuming she liked my praises, so throughout the morning she proceeded to throw away other things when I wasn't looking...like a frisbee and a hat. Luckily, there was only mail in the trash can, but I could see this becoming a problem in the future.

Other Hallie tidbits... She claps at the end of songs when we're in the car. She dances...ALL THE TIME. She talks A LOT, but we usually have no idea what she's saying. She blows kisses to strangers. She says bye-bye with a thick southern drawl to everyone she sees, even if they aren't leaving. She insists on walking into school each morning...no more carrying her. And on her way inside, she makes several stops along the way (one to see her bud, Ms. Cindy, in her office and the other to see her fav former teacher, Mrs. Cari). The most entertaining day was when the big kids were scheduled for a field trip, and all of their carseats were lined up in the hall. Hallie tried out almost every chair before finally going to her classroom. I love her. :)

15-Minute Naps...

...aren't usually part of a plan for success when talking about a 17-month old. This was proven true today by Hallie, who followed up her quarter-hour rest period with a fairly poor attitude late in the day. I guess I need to start training her in the art of power napping.

Singulair and Peanut Butter

Good news! We gave the Singulair another try this weekend and all went well. Hallie did not have a reaction to it this time, so I guess we will be continuing that to help manage her asthma. We also gave her peanut butter for the first time. No allergic reaction...hooray! She didn't love it, but I'm sure she will grow to like it very soon.

My Little Third Base Coach

Hallie, Ashley, and I were talking last night (working on a few words with Hallie). In response to one of my questions, Hallie started making gestures between her head and her stomach with her hand, without saying anything. She looked like a third base coach telling me to steal second. Or maybe it was supposed to be a hit-and-run play; I get those confused sometimes :)

Asthma

Hallie's asthma has gotten a little worse lately as the seasons are starting to change and new allergens are emerging. She's too young to have an allergy test, but it's possible that allergies are making it worse. We went to the doctor yesterday morning because Hallie was up most of the night with heavy breathing and congestion. Her doctor wants us to give her an albuterol inhaler every 4 hours until her congestion clears (with the help of an antibiotic) and start her on Singulair. We tried Singulair once before back in January and it did not go well. Hallie was up all night screaming, we assume with a stomach ache or some type of pain. Same thing night #2. We didn't give it to her anymore after that. Since she's currently on 2 inhalers and an antibiotic and not sleeping well at night, we're going to wait a few days before giving her the Singulair so that if she has a reaction to it we'll know it's the Singulair. I hope she grows out of the asthma! And if not, I'll be really glad once she can talk in sentences and tell us what hurts!

Review: Red Mango

Red Mango is one of the new yogurt places in Birmingham (and it's a chain, so there may be one near you). It opened up today and by chance we swung by there. I was sadly disappointed, as they did not have espresso flavored yogurt, which is generally awesome. But they didn't even have chocolate yogurt, or hot fudge. Instead, every flavor was something fruity (which at least goes with the name of the joint), and the toppings were all fruit as well. Now this may not be a deal-breaker for some, but if it comes down to it I'm going to hit up Yogurt Mountain or 32 Degrees for some scrumptious espresso yogurt. Ashley did have some though and liked it; maybe she'll add a comment to say what she thought of 'the Mango'.

I'm Drawing A Blank

On Friday, I tipped off some of Ashley's co-workers to watch the blog to see what embarrassing tidbit I could come up with to get back at her for embarrassing me. But since then I haven't thought of a single thing that would meet the previously stated criteria. I guess all I can say is that she's a good mother :)

How to make Hallie smile at dinner

If you are Clark, this is how you make Hallie happy at mealtime: 1. Get up from the dinner table 2. Position yourself near the fridge so you are conveniently out of view from both windows 3. River dance to your own made up music!! :) 4. When your wife walks in the room and says "what were you doing?", lie.

The Cannonball Run - Part II

Still haven't gotten The Cannonball Run via Netflix (get caught up here), despite recently moving it to #1 on my queue. Today at lunch I was checking my queue and it was available 'Now'. I was checking something else tonight (maybe 4 hours later), and now it's 'Very Long Wait'. They really must have just the one copy. I don't know why, but this still cracks me up.

On a different note, I currently have Solaris checked out. It's definitely a weird movie. Interesting plot, but weird all the same. I have 40 minutes left to watch and I have no idea how it's going to end.

Whew!

This last weekend the Grissom Family did the following: tried Richey's BBQ in Chelsea (I thought it was good), stained the new portion of our backyard fence (and repaired the old portion), went to the lake, went to the zoo, went to the park, and watched 2 Netflix movies. We could have done more :)

Dinner Series

This week we had chicken poulet (Clark's mom's yummy recipe) with green beans and peach cobbler for dessert, broccoli/rice stuffed chicken with corn and rolls, and hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and peas (thanks Clark for cooking!). The poulet made A LOT, so we've had that as leftovers several times this week. As the pediatrician warned us, Hallie is developing food likes and dislikes, and vegetables are no longer a like. We had to force feed her green beans and peas. However, she did enjoy nibbling bites off my corn cob, and she gobbled up last night's asparagus. Fruit is still one of her favorite foods...all kinds!

The Cannonball Run Anomaly

I have encountered a Netflix anomaly that continually cracks me up. For several weeks now, I've noticed that The Cannonball Run is the only movie on my queue that has a wait on it. And it's not a short wait, it's the 'very long wait' status. Out of all these movies on my queue (well over 50 movies) TCR is the only one with a wait. Netflix must have only one copy in the entire country. And the thing is I don't even know if it's a good movie. I just always heard it was funny (and it did have a sequel, so it must have been ok) so I figured I would check it out someday.

No More Sleep!

Hallie woke up about an hour and a half early this morning (at about 5:30). Why do kids sometimes do this? She refused to go back to sleep and was ready to play...I ended up in the living room with her while she played with toys and took in an early showing of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's a very un-Grissom-like thing to do; typically we enjoy sleeping as long as we can. Get with the program Hallie :)

Crazy Tiny Condo

I, like many of you, would probably say that you can't fit an entire two bedroom condo into 182 square feet. Well, we've all been proven wrong. Talk about space-saving!

Word of the Day

Every so often I check Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. Today's is an odd sounding word the reminded me of 'evilly-winking'. For those of you who don't know what that means...that's what Ashley and Staci called squinting when they were kids. We still sometimes say 'are you evilly-winking at me?'. It's a very serious offense :)

Clark Eats 'Mini' Crow

A while back now a Mini car dealership opened here in Birmingham. I remember I was very surprised, and didn't think this dealership would do very well. Now fast forward to the present day, where I have decided that I must have been wrong. I see Minis on the road every day. Who knew Birmingham would support such a venture? My apologies for underestimating you, Mini dealership.

Our sweet baby is back!

I'm very happy to report that our sweet baby Hallie came back to us yesterday. The teething monster that inhabited her body has finally left! Clark described her best..."just plain mean". It started last Friday when her bottom molar started to peep through the gums. As it slowly emerged, she seemed to get more and more grumpy. We tried Motrin, orajel, teething tablets...nothing relieved the pain. Finally, yesterday morning, our sweet girl came back and has remained with us ever since. :) However, teeth usually come in pairs and only one molar showed up this week, which means another one is soon to follow...

Alabama State Fair

I just heard a commercial for the Alabama State Fair. As one of the attractions, they advertised "monkeys riding dogs". I've never been to the fair before...are dog-riding monkeys a standard act? Weird.

Random Thought - New Socks

New socks make life just a little better, don't you think? I put on a new pair this morning and my feet were so happy. If I could get away with it at work (which I doubt I could) I think I would go without shoes all day today and just wear these awesome new socks.

Hot Dog!

It's official: I've watched too much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately. I was here at work at my desk and got some code working and without thinking I started singing the 'Hot Dog' song out loud. I need to get out more :)

Epcot Dinner

Tonight was leftovers night @ our house. Ashley and Hallie had quiche, while I had an assortment. I started with pizza, then moved to sweet and sour chicken plus beef and broccoli. All this random food got me to thinking about what items I could add in to accomplish a complete Epcot dinner (one item from each country). I already had Italy and China covered, and with a sundae for dessert, I could probably cross of U.S.A. as well. I felt confident I could cover Japan, Mexico, France (quiche anyone?), and the U.K. Canada and Germany were maybes based on the food we had in the house. The ones that really stumped me were Norway and Morocco...no idea what I would have done for those.

I think this would be fun to do sometime...you would end up with quite the tasty smorgasbord. Has anyone out there ever tried to do this at home? Or does anyone have any ideas for the more obscure countries?

Tripping Merit Badge

I am pleased to announce that Leo has officially earned the prestigious Human Tripping Merit Badge. This reflects his utmost dedication to making it very hard for me to walk around the house. Take for example, this morning, when he ran under my raised foot in the dark while I was carrying Hallie. Something like that happens most days, especially in the morning.

So Leo, now that you have earned your award, you're going to stop trying to trip me, right? Because it's getting OLD. Ay yay yay.

Running!?!?

When I picked up Hallie today I was told that she had run a little during the day. "She ran?", I replied. Apparently her walk is getting fast enough that at times it is almost a run. I said that I wasn't ready for running yet. Apparently I have no choice in the matter.

Hallie's 15 month check up

Hallie had her 15 month check up yesterday. Everything went well. She weighed 23.5 pounds and was 31.5" long, which puts her in the 50% for weight and 75% for height. She obviously had a growth spurt between now and her 1-year appointment because she was in the 25% for height 3 months ago. Her doctor also said we can try taking her off the Zantac (for reflux), which means we'd be down to only one daily medicine...her inhaler. If her wheeze worsens, she'll have to go back on it but we all think the inhaler is what has helped her breathing so much. Hopefully she'll grow out of her asthma and we can ditch the inhaler too!

Shark Week

So every year around this time Discovery Channel has a special week called 'Shark Week'. Now normally I enjoy Discovery...what's not to like about Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, etc? But I have no use for Shark Week. For starters, they promote it way too much. This does no good in getting me to watch, because I'm not interested in it at all. I also find it funny that people are supposed to watch this during the summer, when people are undoubtedly trying to squeeze in some time at the beach. Can you imagine watching this while at the beach, or right before your beach trip? I didn't think so.

Or am I the only one who feels this way? Does anyone out there actually like/watch this stuff?

Weekend

This weekend Hallie spent her first full weekend away from us...and it went great! We had our deck and fence replaced in June, so the time had come to stain it. Clark's parents picked Hallie up Friday afternoon and headed to Decatur. We spent ALL day Saturday (8 am to 9:30 pm) staining...and being nauseated from the smell of stain...minus a 2-hour rain delay in the afternoon. I was hoping we'd finish with time to spare and be able to squeeze in dinner and a movie, but that was not the case. We didn't even start the fence. I guess this means "weekend of stain-part 2" is in our near future. Clark picked Hallie up on Sunday while I stayed home to do the usual weekend chores of cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping. It was the first time I had been home alone in the house for more than 30 minutes since Hallie was born. I had forgotten how productive I could be! I love being a mommy, but I think every parent needs a quiet day at home by themself every so often. Meanwhile, Hallie had a great time at her grandparents' house. They played and cuddled and she discovered a new favorite food...fried okra. :)

Yogurt Madness...

...is not the name of yet another self serve yogurt place in Birmingham. It all began with Yogurt Mountain, the first serve-yourself pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt place in Bham. And within months, they've added 32 Degrees (2 locations), Treat-Your-Self (2 locations), Tutti Frutti, Yogurt Lab, Red Mango, Yogurt Twists...and probably others that I'm not aware of. And just so you know, they all charge the same price...$.45/oz. I love frozen yogurt and I'm happy to have variety, but the sad thing is that most of these places will probably close in the next few years. Just like Marble Slab and Cold Stone. It's a fad. My question to the non-Bham residents...is there a yogurt craze going on where you live too?

Acronym Stickers - Part 2

On my drive to work this morning, I saw probably the most ridiculous of all acronym stickers. OFA. I pulled up closer so I could read what it stood for...OFA...Originally From Auburn. Seriously?

What's your personality type?

Nick and Amanda took a free online Meyers-Briggs test as part of their Sunday school lesson, so Clark and I took it too just for fun. I'm an ISFJ, which means I am "most concerned with taking care of other people. While they are essentially compassionate and exercise patience, their shyness with strangers can lead others to misread them as standoffish. Only among friends and family may this quiet type feel comfortable speaking freely. ISFJs have a strong work ethic. They believe in being meticulous and thrifty. They work well alone. While they may enjoy taking care of others, they do not enjoy giving orders."

Clark is an ISTJ, which is the most common personality type, and means "trustee. They bring attention to detail in their work and will not rest until a job is complete. They are dissatisfied with unresolved issues. ISTJs are faithful, logical, organized, and sensible. They earn success by thoroughness and dependability. They take a practical, logical approach to things. They enjoy creating order in both their professional and personal lives. They weigh various options when making decisions. They believe in practical objectives, and they value traditions and loyalty."

What are you?

Random Thought - Acronym Stickers

So lately I have seen a lot of these acronym stickers on the backs of cars. You know the ones - they are typically white with black letters. The reason I bring this up is that I'm sick of them.

Don't get me wrong - I like a good acronym as much as the next guy. My problem with them is that all the ones I have seen lately don't mean anything. What's the point of the sticker if no one can figure out what it means? For all I know, 'ILMP' could mean 'I Love My Pony' or 'Ingrid Lost Many Pickles'. It's probably not, but how do I know?

Really it probably bothers me only because I can't figure out what the acronyms stand for, and that annoys me. But at the same time I'm tempted to get my own sticker: 'ITYASIR'. Of course you all know that would mean 'I Think Your Acronym Sticker is Ridiculous' :)

Hallie Walking Video

As promised, here is a short clip of Hallie walking (approx 30 seconds)! Way to go Hallie!!

Hallie Walks Again!!

Hallie had eschewed walking since taking 4 steps one night during the trip to Aspen. Since then we have been encouraging her to use her walker more, and then a few nights ago we started having walking practice before bed. During last night's practice Hallie finally walked again! Ashley and I sat a few feet apart on the floor and let her go back and forth several times. It was probably about 6-7 steps to get from one side to the other. And Hallie really seemed to like it - she kept laughing and giggling, even when she would lose her balance and fall.

We hastily got a little bit of it on video, so I'll try and get that up tonight. Yeah Hallie!!

Oh, To Be In Aspen...

I just wanted to add my two cents about the trip (even though I 'helped' Hallie write her article). It really was great. It was so nice to see everyone and to meet Baby Jake, and all the activities were fun. I think I'd have to go with the LONG ATV ride as my favorite.

Now I know people around here are sick of hearing how nice the weather was in Aspen, but days like today (95 degrees, high humidity, which has been basically every day since we got back) really remind me of how wonderful that cool mountain air felt. I wish we really had bottled some up to bring home with us. Something tells me the rest of the group would agree :)

Thanks again for everything Pam! We can't wait to see everyone again!

I Miss Aspen

I had great fun in Aspen playing with my cousins. The condo was great, and we did all kinds of fun stuff and ate some really great food. There were even fireworks one night!

I've asked Dad if we can move there, but he said no, that vacations are different from everyday life (whatever that means). I reminded him that the weather there is superior to the 97 degrees with full humidity we came home to. Maybe if I keep working on him maybe I can change his mind eventually.

Thanks again for everything Aunt Pam! I can't wait to see everyone again!

A/C update

To all of our many readers, I forgot to mention that our A/C is working again. It was promptly repaired Friday afternoon...the capacitor had gone bad. Our home warranty finally came in handy.

Legacy Gallery Added

Just added a few pictures from Disney World, October 2008. I don't know how I skipped over that one before (had others from that year, but not that one). Apparently we only carried the camera to Animal Kingdom that trip, so I hope you enjoy Okapi and Meerkats!

View From the Room

2010-07-11 22:29:35

This trip we had a room at Saratoga Springs, which was nice, as it always is. The only problem with this room was that it was ALL THE WAY out by the guard gate (at the main entrance). This wasn't a problem when going to the bus stop, but it was a little far for going to the main pool or Artist's Palette.

Gorillas!

2010-07-11 22:27:18

The Gorillas always seem like they are really close when you walk by.

Meerkats!

2010-07-11 22:26:35

These are a personal favorite of ours, as they would be for anyone who ever enjoyed the Lion King. They are so fun to watch too, as one always is on watch for the others while they look for food.

Okapi

2010-07-11 22:25:34

I have always thought the Okapi were awfully neat looking.

The Dirty Monkeys

2010-07-11 22:24:54

These monkeys are known to us as the Dirty Monkeys because one day we were walking by and, well, do I really have to spell it out for you??

Lazy Tigers

2010-07-11 22:24:05

On the Jungle Trek you almost always get to see some tigers. They are usually napping, as they were this day.

Face Painting

2010-07-11 22:23:06

We couldn't ride everything we normally would this trip, as Ashley was pregnant. But we did take in Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and got some face painting done. We also got soaked! Thankfully we got the face painting after the rain was over (which was about 11pm).

Lots of New Pictures

I finally got caught up on our picture uploading today. In the Pictures section you'll find two new albums from our Destin and Aspen vacations (I am so sad they are over already!!!). Also there are a few new Hallie pictures in her album. Enjoy!!

Marmots!

2010-07-11 22:12:04

A.K.A. the 'Whistle Pig', Marmots look a lot like beavers. These were definitely not shy - they were sunning themselves on these rocks right by the bus stop and restrooms!

Stream Pose

2010-07-11 22:10:47

The Grissoms in front of one of the many streams in the Maroon Bells area.

Peaceful Stream

2010-07-11 22:10:09

This stream ran between the two lakes previously mentioned.

Hallie and Ashley

2010-07-11 22:09:20

The girls take a break while sitting by the oh so calm lake.

So So Calm

2010-07-11 22:08:45

This lake was farther up than the main one we saw, and it was sooooo calm.

An Aspen Grove

2010-07-11 22:07:47

Did you know that the chalky dust you can rub off an aspen tree's trunk can be used as sunscreen? Or that aspen trees that have been pushed over by an avalanche can grow back up straight towards the sun? They are really remarkable trees.

The Girls

2010-07-11 22:06:11

Here are all the girls on the trip, posing in front of a very peaceful stream.

More Scenery

2010-07-11 22:05:26

The lake below the Bells that we saw was surrounded by other mountains as well. Personally these look a lot more maroon to me than the actual Maroon Bells.

The Group

2010-07-11 22:04:29

This was everyone on the trip (except for Manny, who was sick that day). Here we are posing in front of the Maroon Bells on a little bridge running over a stream.

A Peaceful Lake

2010-07-11 22:03:16

Below the Bells are streams and lakes. This is one of the bigger ones we saw. It was so calm, and the water was chilly.

The Bells

2010-07-11 22:01:34

They really are quite beautiful.

The Maroon Bells

2010-07-11 22:00:53

We spent a good portion of our last full day in the Maroon Bells area. The peaks you see in the center are the Bells themselves. Personally, I don't think they look like Bells at all.

Pyramid Peak

2010-07-11 21:59:28

Ashley got a good look at Pyramid Peak during the horseback ride.

Beaver Houses

2010-07-11 21:58:46

Ashley took this during her horseback ride - check out the beaver homes!

Hank the Horse

2010-07-11 21:57:39

Hank was Ashley's horse for her 2 hour ride in the Maroon Bells area. The ride was done out of the T-Lazy 7 Ranch.

The Room

2010-07-11 21:44:17

We had a GREAT room at the Gant in Aspen. We shared a 3 bedroom/3 bath condo with Emily, Stephen, and Jack. It was really nice, and it was so convenient to have a full kitchen and room for the kids to play. Thanks again for everything Pam!

Winding Streams

2010-07-11 21:42:25

Aspen had these neat streams running through a few parts of town. These were sometimes in people's front yards, or like this one, they were in front of stores. I thought they were really cool, and I know the kids enjoyed jumping back and forth over them.

Surrey Break

2010-07-11 21:40:41

We stopped at one of Aspen's many parks to take a break from pedaling the surreys. Here Ashley and Hallie enjoy a quality bench.

Scurry on a Surrey

2010-07-11 21:39:18

One morning we rented a few Surrey (bikes) and pedaled around Aspen for an hour. Stephen mistakenly called them 'Scurrys' once, which we did not let him forget!

Fireworks Watchers

2010-07-11 21:35:14

Fireworks on the 4th didn't start until 9:15pm, which meant it was late enough that it was cold outside (nightly lows got down into the 40s). This picture was taken just before the rains came, but the fireworks went off as planned, and I think everyone enjoyed them.

Herron Park

2010-07-11 21:33:35

After lunch at the Art Museum (on the 4th), we proceeded to spend some quality time at Herron Park, which is one of the many nice parks in Aspen. We relaxed and let the kids play for a few hours in between other stuff.

Goldfish Vultures

2010-07-11 21:32:29

Between all the kids, we went through some snacks during the trip. Goldfish were especially popular. Here, Hallie and Jake partake of some while we hung out at Herron Park.

A Babbling Brook

2010-07-11 21:31:08

We saw a few really neat streams like this while walking around Aspen. This one runs by the Art Museum, where we had lunch on the 4th. They have a festival with BBQ and live music, and it was good times.

Festive Llamas

2010-07-11 21:29:30

The parade had several animals as well, including horses and llamas.

July 4th Parade

2010-07-11 21:28:42

There was a good parade that started at noon on the 4th. Lots of fire trucks, unicyclists, and candy. It was a quality length parade too; it took over an hour for everything to go by.

The Kids

2010-07-11 21:27:11

Here is a shot that includes all the kids that went on the trip. From left to right we have Baby Jake (1), Shelby (6), Luke (3), Jack (3), and Hallie (1). Clark's cousin Lindsay is holding Jake. All the matching shirts for the 4th were cute!

Family Walk

2010-07-11 21:25:20

On July 4th, there were several events going on in Aspen. We started our morning with the 1 mile family/pet walk. Hallie loved looking at all the dogs that were walking with their owners.

On the Plane

2010-07-11 21:22:01

We were a little worried about Hallie's first time flying, but she did really well. She napped some on the longer flights and enjoyed looking out the window.

Lovin the Books

2010-07-11 21:05:17

Hallie is a big fan of books these days. She will crawl over to them all the time and look through them over and over. I am so glad she likes reading!

Ice Cream Cone!!

2010-07-11 21:01:22

Hallie ate her first ice cream cone during Memorial Day weekend while Clark and Hallie were in Decatur. Hallie held it pretty much by herself and even ate the entire cone! This is actually a picture of the second cone she ate (she had one two days in a row).

Fish-Face!

2010-07-11 20:57:50

Hallie loves making a fish face, and she was full of them during our last lunch of the trip.

Obligatory Beach Pictures

2010-07-11 20:57:04

Before we could leave the last day we had to get pictures on the beach. It was hot!

I Think She Liked it...

2010-07-11 20:56:20

Just look at that smile post-swing!!

Weeeeeee!

2010-07-11 20:55:36

Hallie loved being swung up in the air!

Playing in the Park

2010-07-11 20:54:54

Baytowne Wharf also has a grassy park area, and one night after dinner we played there with Hallie.

Float Float Float

2010-07-11 20:53:44

Hallie also enjoyed just floating around the pool. Thanks for letting us borrow the float Jack!

Pool Time

2010-07-11 20:52:52

Hallie did love the pool. We spent some quality time there everyday. Here she is enjoying the beach entry pool.

Can We Leave Now?

2010-07-11 20:46:31

Hallie was ready to go soon after we arrived. I think we were there less than an hour and a half.

Beach Experiment

2010-07-11 20:45:42

Hallie did not like the beach. And when I say didn't like, I am including both sand and water in there. We tried holding her and letting her sit on a towel, and nothing was acceptable. Oh well.

Rockin the Swing

2010-07-11 20:44:14

The Baytowne Wharf area within the resort has a kid's park, and Hallie enjoyed the swings the two nights we ate dinner nearby.

Hallie's Bike Seat

2010-07-11 20:42:52

Hallie was pretty comfy in her bike seat.

Riding Bikes

2010-07-11 15:55:07

We got free bikes with our room, so one day we took a ride around the resort and out to the beach. Hallie liked it - she even fell asleep once.

We're not in Aspen anymore...

It's a bit shocking to come home to humid 98-degree temperatures AND a broken AC when you've spent a week in perfect 78-degree weather. As long as the AC guy comes today as promised, all will be well in the Grissom house. :) We had a great time in Aspen! Hallie did good on the plane...her ears didn't seem to bother her at all, and she slept for a good portion of each leg. We arrived at The Gant around 1:00 and met up with the rest of the group...Aunt Pam, Jessica, Martin, Shelby, Luke, Jake, Manny, Leigh, Lindsay, Emily, Stephen, and Jack...if you're counting, that's 15 total. Thanks to Pam, our week was all planned out with lots of fun activities. Saturday we took a 50+ mile, 4+ hour ride on four-wheelers up the Rockies to elevation 13,960 then over to Taylor Lake and back down to Aspen. (Hallie stayed behind for most of our activities, as did most of the other little ones.) Sunday we participated in the Buddy Program 1-mile family walk, followed by a parade, BBQ in the park with live music, and fireworks that night. Monday we rented surreys and toured around town for a while, and then finished the day with a great dinner at Pinons and gelato at Paradise Bakery. Before bed, to our surprise, Hallie took her first steps! She hasn't done it since then, but I think that means she's getting close to walking! Tuesday the group went whitewater rafting while I helped babysit the little ones with Pam and Manny. That night the girls went out to celebrate with newly engaged Lindsay. Congrats Lindsay and Jackson! Wednesday Lindsay and I took a 2-hour horseback ride in Maroon Bells and then met up with the rest of the group for a picnic and hike around Maroon Bells. Lots of pretty pictures were taken this day. Our tasty farewell dinner that night was at Campo de Fiore. Thanks again for everything, Pam! It was a great trip! (pictures to be posted soon...)

Hallie Would Love This

I submit to you the 'wafflesicle'. As much as Hallie likes waffles I have to think she would similarly devour these.

A QWERTY Quirk

If you try to type 'pay' with your right hand shifted to the left one key's width, you end up typing 'oat'. Weird.

Why did I notice this? I'm working on invoice processing at work, and I've had to type 'pay' about a BILLION times (or so it seems). It was inevitable that my hands would get out of position at some point.

Dinner Series

I haven't posted a "Dinner Series" entry in a long time because we haven't eaten in a long time. Just kidding. :) So far this week we've had chicken pot pie and broccoli-turkey ring. The recipe calls for ham, but I changed it to turkey because we have an abundance of turkey in our house since Costco sells in bulk. Both dinners made extra, so I'm assuming the next 2 nights will be leftovers. Which means this week's dinner series is chicken pot pie, broccoli-turkey ring, chicken pot pie, and broccoli-turkey ring. Monday night, however, Clark was working late so Hallie and I spoiled our dinner with Doodle's...cookies n cream sorbet, MMM!!!

Bottle Free!

We have officially been bottle free for one week! Yay Hallie! It was actually really easy to transition. She's become an expert sippy cup drinker and luckily wasn't too attached to her bedtime bottle...so we took it away one day and she didn't even seem to notice. Now we're working on letting her put herself to sleep in her crib instead of having us rock her. This one is a struggle for me because our cuddle time in the rocker before bed is one of my favorite parts of the day. But, if we don't break the habit now, we'll be rocking her to sleep when she's 15. :) Of the 5 nights we've tried it, she's cried for less than 2 minutes each time (with the exception of one night where she cried for 25 minutes!). Our next big event will be taking away the pacifier...but that's a ways off because it comes in handy way too often. :)

In other news, Hallie has pinkeye. She was sent home from school yesterday when she woke up from naptime with an icky pink eye. Luckily it seems to be a mild case because it's already looking better today.

Hallie the Waffle Monster

Ok, so it turns out that Hallie loves waffles. LOVES them. At the end of last week when she still wasn't feeling very well and hence was not eating much, I tried a waffle on a whim. She ate the whole thing. The next day she was with Grandma and Papa and that was all she wanted then, too. Since then we have had them once for dinner (last night), and she ate almost two whole ones herself. And she gets so excited when she sees them going into the toaster!

She also had ice cream twice this past weekend while we were in Decatur with Mom and Dad (Grandma and Papa). She had it in her own cone, and finished it all off both times, cone included. Way to go Hallie!!

Ear Infections Stink

Hallie is in the midst of ear infection #3, and it is by far the worst one she's ever had. Poor dear hasn't wanted to eat and obviously hasn't felt good since around midday Monday.

I'm really hoping tomorrow is the turning point, as we head into a long, Ashley-less weekend...

Random Thought: CostCo Hot Dog

I had to run to CostCo during lunch today and decided to consume a hot dog combo. Really, what's not to love about a hot dog and drink for $1.50? It's a pretty tasty hot dog too. My only regret is that I didn't get a chocolate yogurt too :)

Busy Busy Busy + Thank You

Yes, loyal readers, we haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. Things have just been busy here in Birmingham. Lots of 'stuff' going on this last week, including a lot of work (Ashley even worked late one night). And just to prove it, I'm at work right now!

I also wanted to thank everyone for the birthday wishes this past week. Yes, I have accepted the fact that I am now 30. I think I will miss my 20s, but so far 30 is pretty good :)

Ok, ok, back to work now...

Random Thought - Star Trek

So I was re-watching the latest Star Trek movie (from last year) recently, and it got me to thinking about something. Why is it that seemingly every single task that needs doing has to be done by one of the senior officers? When someone has to be 'beamed' into a hostile area, why does the Captain or First Officer (or both) always go? Are there no Star Trek Navy Seals? Is there no Star Trek Delta Force? When the Enterprise B was in danger from the Nexus Ribbon (beginning of Generations), why were the only two people that could fix the problem the Admiral and the Captain? For Pete's sake, there are hundreds if not thousands of people on the Enterprise. Are none of them trained to handle any specialty situation at all? I doubt the Captain is the best qualified person for EVERYTHING. Are you telling me we can travel faster than light, and that we have an entire Academy to train new recruits, but that all those recruits who are traveling faster than light are worthless in a pinch?

It has been this way since the original series. Really, I understand why...the show is more dramatic if one of the main characters is involved in whatever is going on. But seriously, at least get some commandos or something. Not every gunfight on every planet is going to involve a grand total of 8 people.

All that being said, the latest Star Trek movie was fantastic, especially the updated Mr. Scott character. The only thing I didn't like was that I don't agree with the movie's interpretation of time travel. But that's another random thought for another day.

Meeting Babe Ruff

2010-05-11 22:38:59

Friday, April 30th was Mcleod Night at the Birmingham Barons (McLeod Software is Clark\'s office). It was a neat idea for a company event. It sure seemed like all the kids had fun. Here, Hallie meets the Barons mascot, Babe Ruff (you can\'t see his face, but as you can tell from the name, he is a dog).

Welcome Baby Ellie!

Oh how stunned we were to get back in town and find out that Ellie Mauter was already here! We go out of town and miss everything! Congrats to all the Mauters, and welcome Ellie!!

Back from the Beach

Yes, we\'ve been back from the beach since Saturday night. (San)Destin was nice; really good weather, as it only rained one day. And no, no oil to be seen. The Club Intrawest was really nice. You DVCers out there should look into it if you are interested in going to the beach.

Hallie was not a fan of the beach. But she dug the pool, and she ate everything in site! All in all she did pretty good for her first vacation.

Pictures to come. Before you start questioning our dedication, know that we were not home yesterday and that I am still at work right now!

Birthday Pictures

Last night Ashley uploaded several pictures from the last month, including those from all the 1st Birthday celebrations. Check them out here!

Hooray for birthdays!

2010-04-29 22:18:55

Post Cake Hair

2010-04-29 22:18:22

Icing makes a great hair product.

Messy Baby

2010-04-29 22:17:08

We let her get as messy as she wanted.

Hallie and Knox

2010-04-29 22:15:28

Mmm...cake!

2010-04-29 22:14:48

She loved it!

Hmm...cake...

2010-04-29 22:13:41

**For those who don\'t know, Publix gives you a free \"smash\" cake when you order a 1st birthday cake from them.

\"Do I eat this?\"

2010-04-29 22:12:28

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-29 22:11:18

\"Why are these people singing at me?\"

And More Presents!

2010-04-29 22:10:08

More presents!

2010-04-29 22:09:06

Birthday Girl

2010-04-29 22:08:26

All dressed up and ready to party!

Conjoined twins?

2010-04-29 22:07:43

Nope! Just 2 cute babies sharing a swing. :)

Swim class

2010-04-29 22:05:16

Here\'s a picture from the swim class that we\'ve mentioned several times. This was Hallie\'s first day to be dunked. And she didn\'t mind it at all!

First family portrait

2010-04-29 22:03:41

We finally took Hallie for our first official family photo. And yes, she was 11 months old. :) Sorry it\'s a bit distorted, but it\'s a picture of a picture. (It\'s the best reproduction I could do without spending $100+ for the digital copy.)

Mmm...crackers

2010-04-29 22:00:10

Enter picture\'s caption here...

Presents!

2010-04-29 21:59:35

Enter picture\'s caption here...

Birthday Cupcake

2010-04-29 21:59:10

Hallie wasn\'t quite sure what to do.

April Birthday Weekend

2010-04-29 21:12:25

Easter weekend we had a joint birthday party for the April birthdays...Jack, Carl, Pa, and Hallie.

1st Birthday

We had a busy weekend, but it was lots of fun! Friday night we had dinner with Grandma and Papa at Hamburger Heaven. Hallie loved the cherry milkshake. :) Swim class was canceled due to bad weather, so we went to see Lauren\'s cute new house and have brunch. Hallie proved to us that she can sleep comfortably almost anywhere and took a nap on Lauren\'s floor. Saturday evening was Hallie\'s birthday party with my side of the family. She had her very own smash cake, and knowing you only turn 1 once, we let her get as messy as she wanted. (pictures to be posted soon for those of you not on facebook...) She loved it! Sunday we went to Knox\'s dedication at church followed by lunch at Superior Grill. After that, we all crashed.

INSERT NEW PARAGRAPH HERE

Dinner Series

This week we had pizza, stuffed fish with asparagus, and chicken parmesan.

Hallie\'s 1 Year Appointment

Hallie had her one year check-up yesterday and all is well. She has slimmed down to the 50% for weight and is actually a little on the short side coming in at 25% for height. Assuming she does ok with whole milk, we can now switch her to milk instead of formula and hopefully phase out all bottles. We are also continuing to progress with eating big people food...she ate 3 bites of pizza yesterday (and swallowed them)! I am finding that she\'s much more likely to swallow something if she bites it off instead of fingering tiny bites into her mouth from her tray. This week she also ate (and loved) asparagus and spaghetti.

Happy Birthday Hallie!

Today is Hallie\'s first birthday! I can\'t believe it\'s already been a year!

WaterBabies Update

Hallie had WaterBabies class for the first time in a few weeks yesterday. It turns out that maybe the break was what she needed, because yesterday\'s class went great. The highlight of the day was that she got dunked underwater 3 times, and didn\'t seem to mind at all. Nice job Hallie!

Dinner Series

In honor of the Mauters, we will start posting a \"Dinner Series\" news post each week. It is one of my favorite parts of Janie\'s blog because it gives me inspiration to cook new things...we tend to get stuck in a food rut. So, last week we ate: pork with baked squash and peas, broiled tilapia (greek seasoned) with mashed potatos and carrots, and baked ziti with salad.

Weekend

This weekend Hallie ate a peep (yum!), drank iced tea, sampled a rice cake, and rejected a bite of jello. I\'m very surprised she didn\'t like the jello given its texture, but not surprised at all that she loved the peep. The peep further proves she is my child. :) She also went for a boat ride (thanks Casey!), got her very own outdoor swing at the lake, and went kayaking. While all of this was going on, Clark and his fever were stuck at home. After telling Clark what all we did, he says I am no longer authorized to take our baby places without him. :)

Leo the Alarm Clock

No alarm clock is as effective as a cat that throws up by your bed at 6:00am. That is what Leo did this morning...yuck! Although, if he did that everyday, we could forgo the Clocky alarm clock...

Comment Away!!

A few people have noted that they would like to be able to comment on news articles. I have to admit this is a common feature that I failed to include in the initial design of the site. But fear no more, because comments are now up and running. It is very similar to commenting on a picture if you have tried that already (and if you have not tried commenting at all, well, get it in gear!). Much thanks to those of you who kept encouraging me to add this (ahem, Janie...) - it was fun to do.

As always, you can still contact us via the About page. Let us know what you think or if you have any questions!

Easter + Birthdays + Fever

Hello loyal readers. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

We celebrated Easter + April birthdays in Decatur this past weekend. Mommy did a great job coordinating all the activities. We even got in a bonus visit from Fred and Margaret!

Of course, Hallie decided to get a fever as soon as we got to Decatur Friday night. All things considered, she did pretty well over the weekend. She went to the doctor yesterday, and it appears to have been a fever virus. She seems to be past it now though.

Food update

Hallie is only 3 weeks away from her first birthday and STILL not officially eating real food. However, we\'ve been experimenting a little more. As previously posted, she still enjoys nibbles off a cucumber or banana. They gave her a taste of chocolate pudding at school and of course she loved it...who wouldn\'t? Yesterday she sampled part of a Dreamsicle, also at school, and demanded more. But our biggest break through was the Ritz cracker she ate. Hooray for Hallie!

Wronged By A Salad!

Ashley, Brian, and myself went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch today. Good times were had (hope Sam\'s nap went better today Janie!). However, I now feel defrauded. At lunch I had a chicken caesar salad. It was ok, and I thought it would be at least moderately healthy (certainly better than say, a wrap with fries.

Back at work, I looked up the info on it on Calorie King. Oh boy, WAS I WRONG!! Now I know salad dressing is not great. But this dressing seemed pretty light, and there was no cheese at all on the salad. I cannot help but feel cheated.

So Far, A Slow Week for News

Things are relatively quiet on the home front. WaterBabies class #3 went a little better than #2. I\'ve been exercising almost everyday since last week (which is NOT normal, but for some reason I am enjoying running again; I am even thinking about getting a pedometer).

Last night Ashley and I watched \'Blue Lagoon\', and I am still trying to figure out how that film out-ranked all the other movies that Ashley has put on the list that we have not yet watched. In the words of an American Idol host, \"it was just all right for me dawg\". The best Netflix movie lately: Get Smart, starring Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart. Cheesy? Yes. But it was funny, and I am a sucker for a good spy movie.

RSS issues? + Baby Shower

From time to time, I check our RSS feed to see how things look. I noticed just now that things look slightly out of whack, and I am not sure why. So I need some help from you, our loyal RSS users. Do articles appear out of order in your RSS reader? Does anything at all look wrong? You can use the email link or the form on the About page to let us know, and thanks!

On a completely unrelated note, I am sort of at a baby shower right now. Yes, I am at home; Ashley is hosting a surprise baby shower (I will let her elaborate in a future post). I can hear all the ladies in the living room as they open gifts. It is pretty obvious because you hear some tissue paper being jostled and then you hear a group \'Awwwww!\' as they all see the item being opened. I don\'t mind one bit though - they let me eat their food :)

Walking...Not Far Off?

Hallie might have set a new record tonight for how long she has stood up continuously. Now of course she was holding onto something, but she stood up for a really long time...probably close to 10 minutes. And this has got to be the first time that I have seen her change what she was holding onto while standing. She was in the living room, and kept switching between the coffee table and the ottoman (which, if you recall the layout of our living room, you\'ll notice this means she had to turn around each time she swapped places). It made me think, really for the first time, that she could be walking soon. And that will be WEIRD when it happens.

Impromptu Park Visit + Backyard

Last night we made an impromptu visit to the park so Hallie could get in some more quality swing time before the weather goes in the tank again. She liked it the second time around, so we may have to keep this momentum of park visits going.

Of course, we wouldn\'t have to go to the park if we had a swing/playset in our own backyard. This is more than likely going to happen next year, but we are hoping to do several things to the backyard soon. Everything from resolving some drainage issues to a new fence to a new back deck is on the table. I\'m pumped.