the dancing chronicles

This kid loves to dance. L.O.V.E.S. Uncle Dan graciously plays the guitar for his #1 fan every time we come over and, naturally, a dance party ensues.

Keith captured several short videos from Sunday and I couldn't pick my favorite. So, you get them all. Enjoy!

Video 1



Video 2



Video 3

nana, pop and monkey

When it comes to Tate, there's no question about whether he likes you or not. He's either shy and avoids you, or he takes you by the hand and makes you march around the house while holding hands with his monkey and singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." (and then says "more, more, pease!!") How can you say no? Clearly Nana and Pop couldn't...



picture attempt #1

picture attempt #2

picture attempt #3 - minus Tate

one down - 57 to go

So, I watched "Chariots of Fire" last night to kick off my movie project extravaganza. Eh. It was just ok. I've come to the conclusion that when you really boil it down, too many sports movies rely on the exact same plot formula:

1. individual/team desires to accomplish lofty goal, but faces adversity
2. individual/team finds coach who implements a rigorous training regimen and shows tough love
3. individual/team learns life lessons and achieves the unthinkable against all odds (fade in inspirational theme music)

i.e. "Karate Kid", "Hoosiers", "The Cutting Edge", "Rocky", "The Mighty Ducks"...

I know I'm oversimplifying things (I tend to do that), but it just didn't feel original. Or, maybe it was original in 1981 and everything else that followed is cliche'. Anyhoo, beyond that major point of criticism, Keith and I were entertained by the running style of the 1924 Olympics...complete with arched backs and arms flailing about in the air.

In other news, we're finally remodeling our kitchen. This has been 6 years in the making and we're really, really doing it this time. Nothing too extensive...just granite countertops, stainless faucet/sink and new tile back splash, plus new knobs and drawer pulls. Stage II will involve refacing the cabinet doors and adding glass panels on top. In terms of Stage I, I know what I want, so now it's just a matter of finding the right company to do it. I have 2 quotes so far and hope to get a few more tomorrow for comparison's sake. Looking forward to sharing the before and after pictures in the coming weeks!

For those of you who are annoyed with my rambling and just came to this site to see what's new with Tate, I promise not to disappoint you with my next post.

let's go to the movies

I'm not exactly sure where the idea started....maybe it's because I've never seen this blog's namesake, "On Golden Pond" with Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda and I wanted to go back and watch some of the classics....or maybe it's because Keith and I spend hours on http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ reading movie reviews before selecting a movie to rent because we don't want to accidentally rent something terrible....or maybe it's just because I'm finding myself at home more often on Friday and/or Saturday nights in need of something fun to do.

At any rate, I've decided to watch all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners over the next year. There are 82 of them. These are the ones I've seen:

1. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
3. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
4. Chicago (2002)
5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
6. American Beauty (1999)
7. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
8. Titanic (1997)
9. The English Patient (1996)
10. Braveheart (1995)
11. Forrest Gump (1994)
12. Schindler's List (1993)
13. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
14. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
15. Rain Man (1988)
16. Out of Africa (1985)
17. Terms of Endearment (1983
18. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
19. Annie Hall (1977)
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
21. Oliver! (1968)
22. The Sound of Music (1965)
23. My Fair Lady (1964)
24. West Side Story (1961)
25. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Note that I've never seen "Rocky" or any of the "Godfather" movies...not even "Casablanca". (I know!) Anyway, should be a fun project. Stay tuned as I make my way through the list. :)

"Melmo"

We have a new obsession in our house: Elmo. Since the discovery of his new-found love, Tate has been talking about "Melmo" incessantly....pointing him out on all of his toys, laughing at Sesame Street reruns and even finding that his furry, red friend graces the front of his diapers. "Guess Who Elmo" has also been the bedtime book of choice each night over the past week.

So, it was no surprise that Tate had to have these Elmo slippers when we were out shoe shopping over the weekend. ("MELMO!! MELMO!!") I was happy to oblige, not only to stop the yelling, but because I was secretly thankful that he saw the slippers before the Tickle-me-Elmo. (whew)

Since then, he's been wearing them, carrying them around and even sleeping with them. It's hard to get a picture of him in his Melmo shoes - simply because he rarely stops moving. Here's my best attempt at capturing Tate and his new friends...

The post where I explain why I haven't been posting

I think this pretty much sums it up:



Yep....7 weeks pregnant with #2! I know that conventional wisdom and tradition holds that you should wait until 12 weeks to share the news, but we're throwing those rules out the window. We've had an ultrasound, seen the heartbeat, I've been nauseous for a week and a half...it feels pretty official to me!

The due date is April 12, but Dr. Soufi will likely schedule my c-section 2 weeks early. As long as I don't have 2 children with April Fool's Day birthdays, I'll be ok. Good grief - can you imagine?

So, that's the explanation for my blogging hiatus. I'll get back to posting our pics from the beach and everything else in between soon!

PCB, Baby!

I love spontaneous vacations! On a whim, we've decided to join Keith's family in Panama City, FL from Thurs -Mon. (there will be 13 of us!)

I'll be thinking about work non-stop while I sit by this pool, drinking Mai-Tais. I mean, non-stop. It will be hard.

Here's the latest report on the oil spill. Tate might be coming home with a tar ball souvenir!

August 3, 2010

Panama City Beach continues to welcome visitors to enjoy our destination. Our sugary white sand beaches are open for the enjoyment of our guests and, as of now, we have seen only minor impact as a result of the Deepwater Horizon off-shore oil spill in the form of small scattered tar balls and oil patches. These impacts have been very small and not disrupted visitors. The beaches and water are clear and open for enjoyment.


I'll be sure to post lots of pictures from our trip when I get back next week. Until then, I guess I better go. Somebody is staring at me and needs some attention.

Atlanta Children's Museum (B+)

With baseball and tennis season now over, Keith and I had our first sports-free weekend in a while and decided to take advantage of our full day together by taking Tate to the Children's Museum downtown. We'd heard mixed reviews - both first-hand and online - about the museum itself and the age-appropriateness of the exhibits, but figured we'd check it out and form our own opinion.

It turned out to be great! Maybe a little overpriced ($13.50 for adults. I think $5- 8 would be fair.), but otherwise an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there were many activities that were perfectly suitable for a toddler... a dress-up station, sand table, fishing area with magnetic rods and fish, grocery store with plastic food, etc. All in all, a notch above the "glorified indoor playground", as described by many online critics.... and, with 95* temperatures in Atlanta, what's wrong with that?

Here are some pictures from our outing...

What does a rooster say?

Here is a recent video of Tate mimicking various animal noises. He got 4 out of 5...we'll keep working on the rooster. :)