Life with Bazil and Elsie

Catch up! So far an amazing Fall!

2010-10-26T21:49:00.004-04:00

Here are MANY pictures from the last few weeks/months! Eeek! We have been snapping away but not posting. There's so much to do around here we can't stay put!

A nice hike on the Monticello Trail...

We went to a super fun birthday party (Tractor and Star Wars Theme!)...

Yes, that's Darth Vader driving the tractor!

Interlude....Yes, Elsie DOES have hair...

Another Soccer season...

We went to the Foxfield Horse Races...Man those horses run fast!

Wait, did you hear our sweet boy turned FIVE?!?!

We had a fabulous party at Bounce-n-Play...

Bazil has some pretty awesome friends...

Then there was the exciting annual field trip to Carter's Mountain to pick apples and pumpkins!!

And in between Bazil and Elsie had fun hanging and writing letters....

But the next weekend we went to the most awesome place...Belvedere Plantation in Fredericksburg. So much to do that we couldn't do it all!!

ziplines

rope swings

shooting pumpkin cannons!!!!!!!

Then we went to a Montessori festival...

...and rode HORSES...

and painted gourds plus much, much more!

Other than that we've been just hanging out having the time of our lives. Two kids are so much fun!

Stay tuned for Halloween fun!

Slackers!

2010-08-26T22:23:00.002-04:00

Nah, we've just been having too much fun to sit down on the computer and tell you about it. Once again, here's a slew of pictures to do a quick recap of the last *gasp* 6 weeks or so!

Fourth of July was a blast (haha) and although it was a hot, sticky, dusty night at the baseball field, we all had a great time hanging out with friends and watching the fireworks. Luckily, even though it was way past everyone's bedtimes, the kids hung in there and watched the show. It definitely didn't faze Elsie!

Tough Pool Master!

Shoe Hound!

Matching Chairs!

Elsie!

Playing around!

Silly Belly-El!

Fair Time!

Whee!

The fair is just fine here from my ride!

ELSIE IS ONE!

Happy Birthday Princess!

Big birthday dinner at the Outback! Grandma and Grandpa came for Elsie's birthday celebrations!!

She enjoyed every last bit of ice cream using a straw to scoop it up. Needless to say, it took a while!

Birthday Party at the park! The WONDERFUL Mozhdeh (her teacher)!!

She wasn't much into the cake!

But everyone else was!

We had a big Owl Pinata full of party favors!


and kids played at the park!

More fun bath time for the cuties!

Messy girl!

Complete with kiwi seeds and her crazy hair sticking up!

Papa time! Thanks for watching Bay all week!

Soccer!

Crazy girl!

Summer Time!

2010-07-09T09:28:00.003-04:00

Been living it up and time has been flying by. Just check out the pictures...

First a great trip to Fripp Island...

The best we could do for a 'bench' shot at the beach. Most cooperative.

"Antique" looking shot from the iPhone...

Having a blast in Colonial Williamsburg with friends!

Bazil showing Elsie the ropes on how to play.

Father's Day Brunch. Such a pout!

More relaxing time at Sugar Hollow

A sweet wagon ride through the neighborhood

Events of weekday mornings...

Bazil ready for camp! Elsie forever cruising around!

Typical weeknight events...

Elsie and Bazil hanging outside! Elsie walking around with her most favorite "Piggy"!

More to come...fourth of july fun! Elsie is going to be ONE soon!!

So much fun before a big Vacay!

2010-05-25T21:10:00.002-04:00

We've been having a blast around here before our big trip to Fripp Island. Rob and Bay went to DC with Emme while the girls had a weekend at home.

Don't forget to check dropshots! There are two new videos!

www.dropshots.com/olivecheds

Sh**s (I mean Grins) and giggles

2010-05-10T21:46:00.007-04:00

Go here to see the latest video of Elsie and Bazil :)

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http://www.dropshots.com/olivecheds

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Mother's Day brunch at The Nook!

All dressed up!

Superman!

Fridays after Five

and

Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival

Love

2010-04-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

We had lots of fun this weekend. Dad participated in the Waynesboro Riverfest Triathalon and paddled over 2 miles on the river. He did great and we all had fun watching! (See Donna's

Facebook for pictures). But we also just went to the park and a few stores this weekend and chilled at home. These kids are in love. Oh, and Elsie officially started crawling! She's been going backwards for a while but with the lure of a loot of Bazil's little toys, she started MOOOOVING! No looking back now!

Always fun at the river!

2010-04-16T20:44:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we drove to one of our favorite spots at the Sugar Hollow Reservoir. There are many great hikes from here, including a few swimming holes, but we just had a little snack by the river this time.

And later some super Elsie smiles which are NEVER hard to come by, EVER. She can be crying one second and then *BAM* turns around and give us one of these. Really.

Welcoming Spring

2010-04-05T21:51:00.010-04:00

Loving the bare arms and legs...

Celebrating Easter...

And just relaxing...

Never a dull moment

2010-03-22T13:46:00.016-04:00

Bazil started soccer this weekend and he sported a perma-grin the entire hour.

We just sat and took it all in...

Then we hurried downtown to meet some friends for a Sesame Street parade.

We rode the visiting carousel...

And then we got to see old school "Maria" from Sesame Street read a book for the kids at the Paramount Theatre. Very cool!

We also enjoyed more park time, gardening on the back patio (using dad's tiller!!) and had some good old fashioned chill time. Stay tuned, Miss Elsie is about to be on the move!

Happy.

2010-03-14T00:19:00.002-05:00

Fun times

2010-03-07T19:28:00.025-05:00

Everyone says you'll take fewer pictures of your second child. Not so with me. I find there to be so many more opportunities to find great shots with one or both kids. Ummm, I guess I'll need to get better about dumping pics onto the external hard drive more regularly seeing as how I have almost 15,000 pictures from the last 4.5 years (since Bay was born). Yikers. Digital media rocks.

So with the crappy economy combined with an extra kid in the house we've found it extra important to find free or cheap entertainment. Pretty easy to do around super Cville.

We've been hitting our favorite UVA baseball games (they were #1 last year!) and Bazil has had a great time hanging with his buds. They spend a lot of time like this...

We've had a few playdates...

We've gone to parks where Bazil could try out his new soccer cleats and shin guards (for $7 total!). He is all ready for Y Soccer in a couple of weeks.

Elsie is such a patient spectator!

Loving apples!

And then we spend some quality time at home just chillin...

Swinging!

....and making a green bean mess!

Sorry to brag but...

2010-02-21T19:51:00.010-05:00

Isn't that what blogs are for?!
We've got some serious cuties around here. Pure delights. Couldn't ask for more.

Oh yea....and Elsie is HUGE at almost 18 lbs at 6 months but also super long at 28 inches. So definitely proportional. And Bazil was praised in the Blood Mobile as being the best, most polite kid they've ever seen. He didn't mind seeing blood taken from me and now understands the process. Super kid! That's after he ate a ton of goodies inside at Whole Foods including tofu, pupusas, bean enchiladas and cilantro rice for lunch...all stuff he asked for at the hot bar. I'm so proud!

Snow!

2010-01-31T19:51:00.021-05:00

Look at these loving sibs! We can't believe the amount of oozing of love around here.

Last weekend Bazil had the priviledge of taking Bear home for the weekend from school. We took him everywhere and had every meal with him. Luckily we had an exciting weekend of a haircut at the barbershop, a birthday party, a park playdate and a trip to an awesome museum!

They even watched "The Incredibles" for the first time together!

Bazil built him his very own couch out of bricks...

Then some friends came over for a snack after a park playdate!

Here's lunch at the Train Depot before Amazement Square.

I love living somewhere where snow is novel and not around ALL winter. VA has been hit hard but again, that makes it novel. At least it melts away eventually and we can still get on with the cold months. Anyhoo, Bazil has enjoyed some big boy sledding lately, mostly at a local city park with hundreds of other people...

Watching a dump truck dump snow at the park!

Then we went for Hot Chocolate after sledding. Yum!

We finished out the weekend with some drawing while dad made Lentil Soup! Yum Yum!

Solids

2010-01-22T20:11:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Elsie is 5 months old! She just started her on solids and she's loving it...cereal, bananas, carrots, prunes, pears and apples so far! There's no stopping this girl. She's also become super vocal lately, discovering her voice in a quite abnormal pitch. AND...she rolled over! YAY! Both kids were late rollers but I attribute that to their larger sizes. It's hard to roll over with a big bumpty. Yes, I said bumpty.

Love

2010-01-08T19:50:00.010-05:00

So one night this week after we all got home from work/school, it started with Lucy laying by Elsie while she was playing with her feet (which is her favorite activity of the day lately behind making raspberries).

It was all good until...

and...

and...
but big bro Bazil comes through as always...

WE LOVE THESE KIDS!!!

The end of the year...

2010-01-01T19:34:00.016-05:00

Yup, I've been a slack blogger. Pretty much no excuses since we were snowed in for a while except we were enjoying our time with Grandma and Poopah and then we all got sick...

We had a great Christmas and truly experienced tremendous support and generosity from our friends and family. Thanks to everyone helping us through some difficult times. Here's to a great 2010 with our awesome kids. We love them to pieces.

Here's a photo recap...

Bazil absolutely LOVES his sister. She's one lucky girl!

A coworker of mine and his family gave Bazil this beautiful Stegosaurus. He's super happy since he's obsessed with "Dinosaur Train" on PBS. We hope to go to some museums in DC soon to show him some dinosaur skeletons.

We gave him a new soccer ball. What else does he need?!

Here's grandma and poopah enjoying Elsie...

She got all gussied up for Christmas.

Then Bazil enjoyed a train ride with Poopah. Check out that smile!

We just started feeding Elsie solids. She's not too much a fan yet but that's ok...

And here's Bazil enjoying his own new form of solids....Spinach leaves! Again, since watching "Dinosaur Train" and learning about herbivores, he decided to eat some leaves just like a triceratops... What a few weeks we've had! He now likes wonton soup and sesame chicken and had his first Subway sandwich. He's really growing up!

Snowstorm 2009

2009-12-20T15:12:00.012-05:00

How great is it that Charlottesville got 24 inches of snow in 24 hours? Pretty cool, especially to a 4 year old! So, since any snow here is an anomaly, we're completely snowed in. The snow plow drivers have no idea what they're doing and major roads are officially closed. We live in walking distance to 4 grocery stores so we're in good shape. I feel so bad for anyone that is truly stuck out in the country. I couldn't deal.

It just means, so much fun to make forts and to sled on our road. It's been great to get to know our neighbors better as we're all stuck at our houses.

Here are some photos and a video of the fun!

So now we're just keeping warm inside, making and decorating vanilla sugar cookies and watching Miracle on 34th Street. Amazingly the only tv Bazil has watched so far is this movie and yesterday The Polar Express. Instead he's been so into building with his blocks again. Those things keep him busy for HOURS. So far he's built a church, a castle and our house. Such innocent fun.

Poor Elsie on the other hand has her first cold and also some tummy trouble from new food she started. But, she's being such a trooper...

Here's a video of Elsie babbling....so sweet.

Long time...

2009-12-18T20:12:00.016-05:00

Wow! It's been over a month since the last post... We've had a lot of stuff going on but hopefully things are settling down just in time for a fun Christmas.

First we had a nice time visiting Emme and Papa at their city condo. It's fun to see how upstate SC has grown up since we went to school there.

We got catch up for a little bit with our friends Michelle and Natalie...

We went to the new Children's Museum in Greenville...

We went to a park with Emme and Papa...

And we had a really great meal at a club...

Bazil's school had a great holiday party where Santa came in as the Mystery Reader!!

And of course we decorated for Christmas. We cut down our own tree at a farm which made it more special.

And, our little chica is now 4 months old and 15lbs, 5 oz!! Little chunker! BUT, she's also 26.5 inches tall which is huge, so 95th percentile for both height and weight! I can't believe she's already in 6-12 months clothes!! She's on the verge of sitting up already though! She's a strong little girl with a ton of personality!

An excess of pictures....

2009-11-11T12:10:00.012-05:00

First of all, here's Elsie wearing our favorite shirt from our good friends Michelle and Natalie...

It says, "I'm here to teach you patience." That couldn't be closer to the truth. BUT, we LOVE these kids!

Here's the latest and greatest pics of the munchkins...

Our little pumpkin...

Happy Family...

Starting to use her seat!

Daddy's princess...

Cheerful sock monkey!

Lucy loves Elsie too...how sweet! And remember, a dog's mouth is supposedly cleaner than a human's mouth. At least I'm trying to believe that when things like this happen...

Halloween!

2009-11-04T15:28:00.014-05:00

What a great Halloween! We went to a friend's house for a party and trick or treated from there. It was fun to see Bazil's friends in costumes...
(sorry for the blurry pics...the little point and shoot was on the wrong setting all night :( )

Elsie didn't really get out of her orange pumpkin outfit all day because she was asleep during the height of the festivities. It was too warm to keep the big costumes on her earlier in the day, but I put her in them the next day just for kicks...

Here's a few shots of Bazil helping carve his pumpkin...

Yet more pictures...

2009-10-23T19:17:00.006-04:00

We went to a fall fest a few weekends ago at the ski resort to see the beautiful fall foliage. Bazil's favorite part was of course this enormous excavator that happened to be there!
One of the highlights was the chairlift ride up the mountain. Here he is coming down the mountain on foot because I figured out 2 seconds into the long trip up that I didn't enjoy it AT ALL. I had been on them before but in the dark and without a squirming 4 year old. The first opportunity to get off we did and I was very happy to be on solid ground again. Bazil LOVED it. I didn't want him to sense my fear so I kept talking as if nothing was wrong but was white knuckled grasping the bar and didn't move the whole time. Note to self: Never wear slip on shoes on a chair lift.

Here are of course just a few shots of Miss Elsie. I love this kid!

Emme and Papa Visit!

2009-10-19T09:57:00.011-04:00

This weekend we had a nice visit with Emme and Papa. It was such a quick visit and Bazil was pretty bummed when they left yesterday but we'll get to see them at Thanksgiving so that's not too far off...

We got to go out on Saturday night to one of our favorite restaurants with some great friends. It was really nice to be out on the town, eating tapas, drinking martinis.... Meanwhile at home, Bazil enjoyed some pizza and Elsie some milk of course :)

We also went to see Bazil's favorite Curious George. He wasn't too keen on getting close to him but that's ok. I can't imagine what something that big and furry looks like when you're not even 4 feet tall!

And here are some recent shots from my phone. Yea, crappy quality but I'm glad I capture some prize moments since I always have that thing with me :)

Smiles!

Bazil's favorite rain gear from Grandma and Grandpa!

And just another few pics of my favorite two!

Stats

2009-10-14T13:30:00.007-04:00

Both kids went to the doctor for Elsie's 2 months check-up and Bazil's 4 year check-up. Here are their latest dimensions:

Elsie: 12.1 lbs and 24.5 inches

She's REALLY grown. That's 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height!

Bazil: 38 lbs and 41.5 inches

He's still in the 75th percentile for both. I can't believe he started at 8 lbs and 21 inches!
Here are some classic Elsie faces:

Happy

Sad

Bazil can ride a bike!!

2009-10-11T16:11:00.002-04:00

CRAZY last couple of weeks...

2009-10-04T21:04:00.037-04:00

We have been SO busy having fun with Bazil and Elsie the last two weekends. Warning...this is picture heavy....here goes!

We've been doing plenty of hanging out, keeping little E content. She's had a rough couple of weeks but she's definitely coming out of it since she's more than halfway through her '4th trimester.' Bazil has been AMAZING at trying to keep everyone entertained though...

We've spent a lot of time at outside and going to parks with friends...

Elsie loves being outside...

Last week Bay's class took a field trip to Carter's Mountain for some apple picking. They went on a hayride, ate some homemade apple cider doughnuts and picked apples of course. When asked what his favorite part was, it 'the bus ride.' Yup, he got to take his first school bus ride to and from the orchard. He said it was BUMPY!

Isn't Virginia just BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE it here! This is right down the road from where we got married...and a little known place called Monticello...

We made a trek down the mountain for the picking:

Then we came back up to look at pumpkins!

...and eat apples:

Here's a sign we've taken his picture at every year to sorta chart his growth...

Then of course it was the big weekend of Bazil turning FOUR!

Here's his beloved 'camp site set' from Grandma and Grandpa. I never knew they made pieces that small. The hot dogs have their own buns and there are actual teeny tiny utensils. Really cool...

Emme and Papa got him a crane truck...

And we got him a bike with PEDALS! Yay!
Here's the Spiderman PPE...

This is one of the three times we sang happy birthday with sweets :)

Then he had his big birthday party at the bowling alley with a bunch of his buddies. It was SO much fun!

Here's him basically EATING the candles instead of blowing them out. Whoops!

And of course back to Miss Elsie. She's definitely filling out and getting even cuter and sweeter (if that's possible).

(and here's a picture of Bazil when he was a newbie. Don't they look similar?!)

Elsie is 6 weeks old already...and boy are the hospital bills flowing in...:)

2009-09-23T17:59:00.012-04:00

Big Brother!!

Smiles & CHEEKS!

Time is flying...although I'm not sure how since sleep is still at a minimal and days and nights all blend together. Ahh, the joys of newbornhood. It's all worth it though. Whether I like it or not, Elsie is demanding the 'attachment' type of parenting. We've borrowed quite the assortment of slings and wraps to keep her close. Thanks everyone!

Also, Bazil is really enjoying his new preschool, Millstone. It was kind of a last minute decision to move from his Montessori program but we had to do what we had to do. Definitely not a decision we wanted to make week one of having a new baby in the house. Oh well. Elsie enjoys her daily walks around the neighborhood or downtown. So far she takes after mom in being happier outside the house.

Here are a few shots from the last week or so.

Bouncer time on the deck = Happy Baby....

Thanks for the cool shirt Mary!

just some pics...

2009-09-11T09:57:00.007-04:00

fun at the CMoR...

bedtime stories...

just chillimg...

Update

2009-09-04T19:18:00.019-04:00

BOO!

Time has really started to fly and I can't believe little Elsie is almost 4 weeks old! She's getting used to her new world and adjusting nicely. We're enjoying every little squeak and smile she makes, and also listening to her voice her opinion, aka crying. But, she's a great kid overall and we love her!!

We've also had lots of visitors coming by to see her and generously bringing meals. The grandparents from NY and Emme from SC also paid a visit. Here are some pictures...

Brotherly love...

2009-08-22T16:25:00.002-04:00

A week later...

2009-08-20T09:11:00.006-04:00

We're all adjusting to life with our new family member. It has been wonderful. Bazil is absolutely smitten with his little sister. Thanks to everyone for the warm wishes and help with dinners, etc. We're very lucky to have such great friends and family. We can't wait for her to meet everyone!

Elsie Violet

2009-08-15T08:39:00.004-04:00

Bay loves his sister

7 lbs. 11 oz. August 11, 2009

Video Montage of Bazil: Spring and Summer 2009-Last Days as an Only Child

2009-08-08T22:16:00.002-04:00

Weekend...

2009-08-02T18:12:00.006-04:00

While mom took it easy for the most part, dad and Bazil did some fun stuff...

After swim class they went to a lake to swim and ride in a canoe! Bazil had a blast!

Today we went downtown to walk around and Bay had a yummy steamer with a shot of vanilla (aka 'coffee milk'). Man, where is the camera when you need it. He had the greatest milk moustache of all time!

Hands on!

2009-07-26T16:09:00.010-04:00

We've been doing a bunch of hands on things with Bay to reiterate what a 'big boy' he is before the bambina arrives in a couple of weeks.

Since the spring Rob and Bazil have been working pretty hard on our urban patio garden. They've had great success with zuchinnis, pole beans and we did have some broccoli earlier. The only bummer is the squirrel infestation that has occurred leaving us with green tomatoes one minute and no tomatoes the next....grrr. When we lived in the country it was the deer, here, it's the smartest, most fearless squirrels known to man. We'll also have some pumpkins hopefully later in the fall.

Also, Baker Bazil helped us create some pretty nifty cupcakes from a recipe on our great friend Stef's blog. If I see a recipe with goat cheese in it, I'm all over it. So, here are some pictures from that project: Black Bottom Cupcakes with Goat Cheese Topping...YUM!

Note the chocolate goatee

Now we're off to tie dye some shirts for him and the baby...pictures to follow!

Outdoors boy

2009-07-11T18:26:00.011-04:00

He's growing up!

Bay is really growing up fast lately. He's been doing all sorts of big-boy adventures, just loving spending time outside.

He went camping with dad and some of his friends:

He can ride his balance bike like a pro. Someone's getting a bike WITH pedals (and no training wheels) for his birthday!:

He just plain loves to run around. The boy never stops moving:

Oh, and he got his first tattoo. Tough boy.

Whirlwind trip...

2009-06-24T19:46:00.017-04:00

Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa! It sure was a quick trip but we fit a LOT in!

First we stopped in Philly to go to Sesame Place. That place was awesome for a 3.5 year old. It was Bay's last big adventure without a pesky little sister to steal attention.

PLEASE disregard that my left leg is twice the size of my right leg. The joys of pregnancy after walking around for 6 hours...

We saw some shows...

Consulted a map to figure out how to get to Sesame Street...

...turns out we were already there.

Rode a carousel...

Watched a great parade of all the characters...

Splashed around in lots of pools. See that 1000 gallon Count bucket on the top of the picture....well, Bazil loved getting drenched over and over again.

Waited patiently for lunch...

Rode a "real" roller coaster. It had a big drop and everything!

Bay is in the 5th car back...

We also went to the LI Children's Museum, (for free since we are ACM members!) and had lots of fun...

Where he built crazy contraptions...

Saw his reflection in multiples...

Pretended to be a train conductor...

And best of all, sat on a motorcycle. Definitely the highlight.

Weekend recap

2009-06-07T21:39:00.011-04:00

Busy as always...it's all about having fun with the little man. Forget errands and cleaning they're WAY overrated. Play time and chill time is much more important!

Saturday Bazil took a class at the hospital just for siblings of soon-to-be newborns. He learned all about babies and got to see where 1) he was born and 2) where his little sister will be born. They even got to see a fresh baby so he's prepared for really how small and squirmy his sister will be. His favorite part though was checking out the post-delivery room where I'll be staying and most importantly noted that there's a tv and a refrigerator there. He said he'll bring me treats including lots of cookies but I told him he can't forget the apple juice and sushi. After all, that's all I wanted after he was born! The biggest message he came home with though was that babies play with soft balls and not scissors. It's a start! He's going to be the BEST big brother yet. At a friends house on Friday night he was SO gentle with one of his friend's little sister. He stroked her arm and gave her the sweetest hugs. It melted our hearts.

After the class we went to a park for a snack and some run around time. Luckily two of his best school buds happened to be there and that truly made his day. He had a rough week last week transitioning in a new montessori camp where he didn't know anyone. He really missed his friends for sure.

Today we spent a little time finishing up the baby's room. Bazil is a great helper and is getting really handy with tools. He even figure out how to lock his room with some pliers while were weren't looking.

Then we went to a birthday party for some of Bazil's classmates. They held the party at one of this favorite splash parks and once again, it turned out to be another perfect Virginia day. He ran around like a wild man for 2 hours with only breaks for cake!

Then we went to a potluck dinner at a friends house where he continued to play, play, play!

Now we have a super tired, yet happy boy. There's nothing better than enjoying your weekend with great friends!

A day at the Lake!

2009-06-02T20:48:00.007-04:00

We had a great time this past weekend visiting a local lake and getting our feet in the sand. While pools are ok I really prefer good ol' fashioned natural bodies of water. Where else can you see little tadpoles and fish and stay away from pool chemicals and concrete? A bunch of our friends and their families all met up for a dip on one of the most beautiful days to date...

Bay had a BLAST!

Just look at how tired he was on the way home...zombie boy!

Born to Run

2009-05-23T21:02:00.007-04:00

Bazil ran his first race today at the Discovery Dash. He was in the 'Scramble' category of 3 and 4 year olds where they run 100 yards on the track. Bazil smoked the competition in his heat and had a big smile on his face the whole time. Here's a few pictures and a choppy video. Note to self: never try to video and take pictures and cheer at the same time.

Refueling after the race with his bud Ava from school

Kite (and bubble) Festival 2009

2009-05-21T07:48:00.008-04:00

Kites and bubbles. Not much else to say except that it was a BEAUTIFUL day! Bay flew the kite all by himself this year! YAY!

His kite is at the very top of the picture...

Mother's Day Weekend Extravaganza!!

2009-05-10T19:57:00.015-04:00

What an awesome weekend!

It all started with a wonderful Mother's Day Lunch at Bay's school on Friday. The kids served up lunch for their moms and we all had little dates up in their classroom. It was so nice with tablecloths and flowers on the tables (the little kid tables---which at this point of the pregnancy are a little hard to sit at but...) and handmade picture frames with each kid's picture at their table. I was so impressed to watch Bazil serve me up a delicious lunch of pita sandwiches with hummus and cucumbers, some strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots and sparkling punch. It was really cool to see him use the tongs and the ladles so efficiently. Oh, and he's such a gentleman!! He refilled my water and fetched me a napkin all without being prompted!

That night we also had a fun movie and pizza playdate at our house with some of Bay's friends. The most amazing thing was seeing all six kids settle down after dinner to enjoy the movie. No, it didn't last long but I captured a few shots for evidence!

Then on early on Saturday morning Bazil had his first track practice for the upcoming Discovery Dash. He's learning the proper way to run and stay in the lanes on the track. Since mom and especially dad love to run, we're starting him early with these skills. He had a great time with his buddy Reece!

Then it was off to swim class where he made great strides in starting to let go of the teacher in the water. The funniest part was when he jumped into the pool into the teacher's arms and came back up without a suit on. Whoops! We knew that string was in the bathing suit for a reason!! He flashed the whole pool. Everyone up in the observation deck and the lifeguards were quietly giggling. It was priceless.

We went to fun graduation party for one of my friend's husband who just earned his MBA. Go Joe!! Bazil loved meeting a bunch of other kids and spent an hour just playing with a very small wooden box with sand, a matchbox dump truck and a miniature army man. What simple fun!!! I will be recreating this activity in the very near future. I couldn't believe 4 kids could be entertained for so long by a 8 x8 inch wooden box with such basic materials!!

Then finally today we spent some time around the house before heading to a UVA Baseball game. It's become our tradition for the last 3 years to go to a game on Mother's Day and I have to say this was the best one yet. The weather was gorgeous and UVA kicked Duke's you know what. Bay was proud to have his mitt on in the game in case a foul ball came his way. Then we went to dinner at our favorite (only) South African pub, The Shebeen and enjoyed a relaxing night on the patio with Sosatie and Durban chicken. YUM! Overall, it was a great weekend!!!!

Fun times

2009-05-07T20:48:00.006-04:00

Have I ever mentioned what a great kid Bay is? Sure, he can be a super stinker as a three and a half year old but for the most part, I realize he's got TONS of personality and sweetness and I need to soak that in. He's one of those kids that when asked to perform or pose, he typically clams up but if you just let him do his thing, he's golden. He's definitely not one of those kids that sports a cheesy grin for the camera at every opportunity which is fine by me, but instead you find his smiles much more genuine. I needed to remind myself of this as we've had a few trying days with him. He's obviously going through some sort of major growth spurt because the pants that were too long but good in the waist two weeks ago are now the right length and really loose in the waist. I think someone is stretching him out while he sleeps.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

We went downtown to the authentic barbershop for a quick trim. He was SO good. Here's the before shot. I have the whole thing videotaped/documented on vimeo.com for anyone who's truly bored. Really, it's for you grandma :) http://www.vimeo.com/4539004

We went out to dinner with his buddy Alden and his family a couple of weeks ago. Afterwards, they were rewarded with some 'crazy time' at the park. They found some sticks to plays with...

...and they even found a beetle of some sort. Boys will be boys!

So, almost every night before bedtime Bazil has his 'music time' in the soon-to-be former guitar room aka new baby's room. Here's a few shots from tonight...

And last but not least...I caught him on camera singing, 'it's a very small world." He didn't have a microphone like the music man Ben at school so he felt the need to really belt this one out. Enjoy :)

Easter, etc

2009-04-15T23:50:00.016-04:00

Time's flying as we approach the last 17 (eek!) weeks of this pregnancy! We found out officially that Deuce is indeed a girl as previously thought at the first ultrasound. So we're happy to say we'll have one of each! Now it's time to go through Bazil's clothes and figure out what can be saved as unisex clothing and even keep some boyish things because if you know me, you know I don't do a lot of pink really well. The rest is off to consignment to help fund a new wardrobe! Yup, that means that after this I'm probably done populating the overcrowded world and definitely won't need to get a bigger car or bigger house to get along. YAY!

Anyways, here are some shots of Bazil from the last few weeks. We were lucky to have Emme here for almost a week while he was on Spring Break and somehow the camera was never taken out so we have no evidence. That sucks. She was SO much help. We didn't want her to leave!

Here's Bazil playing catch with old mitts Emme found at their house....

Here's Bazil on his balance bike. He is SO good on this thing now. He got it for his birthday as a transition bike between his tricycle and a true bike. The theory is that you learn how to balance before adding the complication of pedals to the mix. No training wheels needed! He's getting close to getting a big boy bike!!!

Here's Bazil on his playground workday at school. Truly Bazil worked harder than any other kid that day. He must have loaded and unloaded 40 wheelbarrows full of mulch. The kid wouldn't stop. He only had one quick water break in an hour and a half!!

Easter Day!! The Easter Bunny brought Bazil a basket of Calliou figures, a Curious George book and of course a bit of chocolate. He also gave him a toothbrush and toothpaste to use right after the ingestion of any sweet stuff. What a special treat!!

We dyed eggs....

...and went on an Easter egg hunt. It was great! We steered him towards the nutrigrain bars and the eggs stuffed with little toys. No extra candy consumed thank goodness!

Pictures from the last week

2009-03-27T15:56:00.011-04:00

Here's some randoms of what Bazil has been up to the last week or so.

Last Friday he went to a UVA Baseball game.....finally! Let's hope there's a bunch more we can get to this season! Oh yea, and LETS GO METS!!

Then he went to a fun birthday party at his friend Meade's house where they did some planting.

We continued to plant at home the next day with the awesome weather, as sweet Lucy looked on.

And last, Bazil got his prized 'big' guitar for giving up the very last bit of needing his pacifier to fall asleep. We're so proud of him!

His 'little' guitar has seen better days after being loved for the last 2 years...

His 'little' guitar at 20 months

Warm day at the park

2009-03-07T15:19:00.010-05:00

This weekend we're in the 70's so we're spending every last minute possible outside. So, we stopped at one of our favorite parks where they got a brand spankin' new playset which is WAY cool. Seriously, we've decided that Charlottesville has some of the best parks and it's fun to add another to the rotation for the warmer weather coming up...

Here's some pictures of the boy running, climbing, balancing and of course....snacking by the river.

Snow!

2009-03-02T19:53:00.011-05:00

We finally got some snow for Bazil to play in!

Bazil woke up to a whopping 5 inches of fluffy white snow. In Virginia that means all schools are CLOSED which equals a fun day with dad!

sporting his snow pants!

First they made a 'snow dog' on the deck...Then inside for a quick hot chocolate break...

Then he went to his buddy Alden's house to make a serious snowman....

Then dad and Bazil went sledding at a park but since all the stores were out of sleds, they bought a shovel and used that! How wholesome!

They ended the day with a steamer at a coffee shop...yum!

Now I'm glad it's melting. That's my kind of snow and definitely my kind of winter.

Enjoying the weather

2009-02-15T17:19:00.013-05:00

We had a super weekend cherishing the warmer weather.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party (surprise!) at a beautiful boarding school out in the country. Afterwards we wandered around campus and attempted to feed very uninterested geese.
Then Bazil and his friends had fun sitting on the giant stone giraffe...

On Sunday we took a hike at a local nature preserve that we're so lucky to live a mile away from. Bazil loves the trail DOWN to the creek where he looks for frogs. Thank goodness Rob is able to bring him back UP the trail when he's ready to look around the old farm.

Overall, it's GREAT for Bazil to spend as much time outside as possible. It's only going to get better from here. I LOVE VIRGINIA!

Coming soon...

2009-02-07T18:41:00.002-05:00

Yup, that's what you think it is. Anyone surprised? It's been a hard secret to keep the last 12 weeks, especially with the worst 'morning', more like ALL stinkin' day sickness I could ever imagine. I'm sure there are worse cases of sickness, but since I had NONE while pregnant with Bazil, I've been in a state of shock with this so far. I also have a pretty big belly already even though I've lost a lot of weight. I'm tired of being sneaky hiding my growing belly with creative clothing ensembles.

The ultrasound indicates that it's 90% likely a girl and while I was told not to run out and buy pink, I did (at a store with a 90 day return policy-in time for the 22 week ultrasound on 4/15). It's just fun to wander onto the other side of stores that I've been going to buying boy clothes...

Bazil is pretty excited but doesn't completely understand exactly what's going on yet. He's telling people that he's getting a 'baby sitter' someday and keeps asking to feed it. We know he's going to be a great big brother and great help with his almost 4 year age difference. Whew! In the waiting room yesterday there was a woman with a 3 year old, 1 year old and she was looking like she was gonna pop again pretty soon. That whole scenario scared the heck out of me...kids running everywhere, needing help doing everything. More power to you, woman of the octuplets (and Andrea :) ), that's so not for me.

So, we're due August 16th which right now seems like a long time away, but we're going to cherish every last moment with our sweet little boy. We've given our all to attention to him, helping him grow and feel special as an individual and now it's time to begin thinking about sharing our love. Yup, corny but true.

Time to brag about the boy...but not my photography...

2009-02-01T13:43:00.009-05:00

Bazil and Asa

So, the combination of a lack of picture taking and poor conditions where we do have the camera equals crappy, limited pictures. Oh well. I need to take out my 'big' camera more often where I have more (hee hee) control over fixing these mediocre conditions. Sometimes I don't like looking like that dorky mom that takes pictures of her kids everywhere they go...even though that's me to a tee.

In the meantime, we've been dragging Bazil here and there as always, making the most of the cold weather by finding lots of things to do indoors. He's started a soccer class, a swim class and never seems to get through a weekend without going to a fun birthday party (what will we do once he starts getting invited to 'school buddies' birthday parties?) and a playdate or two.

In soccer class, Bazil is merely learning skills of how to play soccer. I'm pretty adamant about not exposing him to any sort of competitive, team play for a long while, so this is a great compromise. So far he's learned to trap, dribble and of course kick the ball.

In swim class, he's just learning the very early basics of bubbles and floating around with the teacher. He's loving it so far but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to introduce him to "The Little Mermaid" right before because now he's nervous about sharks and crazy octopi.

And, in his free time at home, he never gets bored of building things with his block sets. Recently we got him an architectural set of blocks that are pretty tiny and intricate. His world has definitely opened up in terms of what he builds. It shocked us the other day when he built a kiosk, like the one he saw a few days before at the park. He said, 'that's where you keep the maps'. Pretty cool. Various adults have recently noted his drawing and building skills as being somewhat advanced for his age (remember him stacking a pea on a baby carrot block when he was 9 months old or so?!).

Kiosk

Then, out of the blue Bazil started correctly tracing the letters on his placemat at dinner. I just assumed they were doing that at school but when I asked the teachers how they were doing that, they said that they hadn't introduced that to him yet....hmmm, wonder where he's getting that?! Time to challenge the boy a little more it seems.

Atta Boy!

2009-01-10T13:15:00.006-05:00

So when I learned I was pregnant with Bazil I started taking note of kids everywhere I went. Especially restaurants. I didn't want to raise that bratty kid that won't sit down or that picky kid who will only eat chicken fingers, even in a Thai restaurant. We're very adventurous eaters overall and didn't want to start compromising our meals once he came and certainly didn't want to cook separate meals all the time. Therefore, we've taken every opportunity to get Bazil to eat a varied diet and always try things, at least once. Overall he's been great about it but that's not to say we don't bribe him here or there ("if you try this, you can have a refill on your drink"). He also does eat chicken fingers, but definitely not in excess. So when I found a great deal on one of my favorite drinks in a half gallon size, I found the perfect opportunity to give something else to Bazil to try.

Here it is....

See his hand grabbing for more?!

While most adults wrinkle their nose when I drink this in front of them, Bazil was not judgmental at all and asked for a sip of mommy's special juice.

It was an absolute hit. We're very excited that he's opened his pallete even more AND that even the shadiest looking drink doesn't keep him from being open minded. Gotta love it...especially the green ring on his face!

Christmas x 3

2009-01-04T19:31:00.018-05:00

We had three Christmas' this year. It was lots of fun but we have lots of explaining to do in order to prevent major spoilage of the boy.

First Rob's parents came and we had lots of fun celebrating Emme's birthday (Poor Emme!). Either way, Bazil had a great time spending time with his grandparents.

Goofing off with Maddie in the Box (after the circus had gone on a bit too long...)

Bay's favorite "rope lady". He proceeded to interject"the lady with the rope" in place of "the farmer in the dell" while singing The Farmer in the Dell OVER AND OVER AGAIN after the circus.

Then Christmas came on the 25th and our house literally exploded. I've never seen so many toys in one room! Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts. And, if someone wants to come forward and claim giving Bazil the big yellow dump truck, we'd love to thank you! It's a mystery gift that showed up without a packing slip and Amazon/Target claims it's untraceable information!!

Then we headed to NY to visit my parents for a few days. It was definitely a trip of 'firsts' for Bazil and we had a great time experiencing them with him.

Ice Skating for the first time... It's MUCH harder than it looks by the way. I have no idea how to get a kid started. It's a miracle that I can do it since I've always been a scaredy cat! At least he looked like a tough boy even if he was shaking at the knees!

Rock Climbing for the first time.... He loved climbing walls these walls as I turned my back in fright. Again, he's a lot braver than I am!

Bowling for the first time... with Poopah. Now that was fun. He even did better than us (keeping in mind that he had bumpers and a ramp to push the ball off with).

Riding the Train for the first time...We headed to good ol NYC. One of mom's favorite places. Of course the big excitement started once the train headed into the station. He had a perpetual grin the entire ride into the city.

Then we went to the top of the Empire State Building on one of the coldest days I've ever experienced in NY. Let's just say we didn't stay up there very long! But Bay loved pointing out the tiny tiny taxis and buses.

And of course we took a bunch of subway rides to get from the NY Public Library, Musuem of Natural History and Penn Station. That was a ton of fun too!

....Until Bay started to go down one of the stairwells in the Subway station and slid his hand all the way down that nasty hand rail. I almost died.

So, all in all the three Christmas celebrations we lots of fun and we're so lucky to have such great friends and family to spend the holidays with!

In Memory of the Greatest Woman

2009-01-03T10:30:00.003-05:00

Bazil's beloved Great-Grandmother, Nana passed away a few days ago at the age of 91. She was the most wonderful woman I've ever met. Bazil was lucky to have met her and see her beautiful smile. We will all miss her terribly.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T20:47:00.007-05:00

Finally we've made it to Christmas Eve. I'll tell you, I'm about sick of the advent calendar countdown since every dinner this month has been all about the piece of chocolate Bay gets at the end (after a sufficient amount of dinner has been ingested). We've created a Santa monster...after tomorrow we'll have a year to bring him down to earth again and teach some important lessons...

But, today was all about the sugar high that comes with making and of course eating the cookies we had to leave out for Santa. My little baker assisted in decorating some beautiful Pillsbury creations.....

Then, we hit the sugar high: WATCH OUT!

Stay tuned for the Christmas update. I'm pretty sure the cookies will be hidden/destroyed before all the present excitement hits this household!

Gearing up for Christmas

2008-12-09T22:20:00.008-05:00

Where's Bazil? Oh yea, he's more into hanging out in the tv box than anything else. We're prepping to take him to the recycling center to dispose of the monstrosity. It'll be a hard lesson to explain.

So, Bazil is beyond excited about Santa Claus coming. A lot of this excitement stems from him watching "The Polar Express." This is the first year he's really been allowed to watch tv and he's become quite fascinated with this movie. It was actually a good movie for even adults to watch, until we made it to the 12th showing or so. At least he's still passionate about seeing this movie "Where the little boy takes the train to see Santa."

Intently watching the movie from another angle...

Well, here's our frustrating attempt to get the boy to pose in front of the Christmas tree. I wish you could see how many takes it took to get this effort. He doesn't stand still...for anything!

And here are his new socks. I can't blame him for wanting to wear them...they're warm!

Now I'm on the hunt for a couple of trucks he really wants: A big yellow dump truck, a green garbage truck or a red mixer truck. We'll see what Santa finds.

Musical weekend

2008-11-16T19:33:00.008-05:00

On Saturday we discovered that our town's children's museum has a new exhibit to keep us occupied this winter. They've filled a back room with all sorts of instruments. Bazil immediately spotted the 6 string guitar which is definitely a step up from his 4 string guitar at home that actually only has 2 strings at the moment. Now Bay and his friends can rock out downtown and not disturb the neighbors.

Then on Sunday we headed to U.Va to watch the wind ensemble. Bay sat completely quiet and and content for 45 minutes of waltzes. It was all good until the second half when Ivan Rutherford from Broadway's Les Miserables came out and did 5 minute speeches before every song he sang. He was great but Bay would rather 'go to the bathroom', aka leave.

Volunteering at School

2008-11-12T20:54:00.004-05:00

Bazil helped his dad clear all the leaves off the school playground this past Saturday. He became quite efficient with the blower. We're set to hire him out now to help pay the bills....anyone need some yard work this leafy fall??

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T09:25:00.010-04:00

We discovered our sailor man's stamina yesterday with 3 straight hours of Trick or Treating...

First we started at the UVA Lawn where thousands of kids turn out to grab treats. It really is somewhat controlled chaos but mom thrives in crowds (as opposed to dad and other sane people I know). Bay learned the standard procedure of going from 'room to room' (not house to house) as students passed out goodies. We hit the healthy spot first with fruit and I insisted a full banana be eaten before any candy was consumed. It worked! For a break he had a great time watching African dancers and drummers perform.

It was pretty funny that lots of people kept asking to pose with him in a picture because they knew someone in the Navy and wanted to send them a picture.

After the Lawn festivities (and an almost 2 mile walk) we headed back to our neighborhood to do the traditional form of 'house to house' trick or treating with some friends. Bay really had the hang of it and loved finding the next house with a light on. He proceeded to tell every treat giver to look at his costume and that he was going to another house now. He was also pretty nosy, wanting to go in everyone's house, asking what everything was...

The boy wouldn't pose with the group....stinker!

We made it out alive with only sore legs and a banana, lollipop and rice krispie treat being consumed by the boy. Hopefully Rob will eat the rest of the stuff to get it out of our house...quick!

Fall time fun

2008-10-22T20:03:00.016-04:00

Here's some fall time fun pictures....

We visited Staunton, VA to have our annual day of trains with our friend Tim....

First we ate at the Depot Grill, complete with train tracks next door and old cabooses to climb on...
See Rob and Bazil way up on the bridge looking for trains...

Then to Gypsy Hill Park to ride the Gypsy Express...
And then a playground with a pretend train where Bazil had fun taking turns being the conductor...

Then we went to one of favorite local parks and ran into one of Bay's best buddies...Reece!

Those boys had more fun running around and throwing leaves in the air...simple fun!
Last we went to the annual Pumpkin Carving event at Bay's friend Meade's house. Note, we have a two sided pumpkin...one side as a traditional jack o' lantern
And the other side, an elaborate house scene complete with waving ghosts (compliments of Rob--see far right)

How fun it is to be THREE!

Apple and pumpkin festival

2008-10-15T20:13:00.011-04:00

So, we're a week behind on updating...here's what Bay did a week ago...*wait til you see what he did a few days ago!!! :)***

Beautiful view off of Carter's Mountain...see all the apples?!

Saying goodbye to Emme and Papa...

Picking out his favorite gourds...

Chomping on an apple...it's a year since he started LOVING apples (because of this very apple festival!).
We're going back to this orchard next weekend to pick our own apples with a bunch of his friends...stay tuned for more apple updates!

Happy Birthday Bay!

2008-10-07T21:34:00.009-04:00

Prized balance bike.....

So this year Bay's birthday was a week long celebration. Between my parents and Rob's parents coming a week apart and a school and friend party, we're whooped on making every day special...not to mention Bay thinking everyday there would be a 'surprise' aka present.

But, we had a great time watching the little man realize he's 3, and a big boy now...

First celebration at home...with a 'guitar' cake...
Then a week later he had a party with his friends...

We have the coolest kid ever...

2008-09-22T20:15:00.008-04:00

He likes to watch sports...

He likes to eat lots of different foods...
He likes animals...

He plays nicely with his friends...

He likes to play the 'piano'...

And he doesn't let anything pass him by...

What more could parents ask for?!

An overdue update...

2008-09-06T15:14:00.022-04:00

Does this picture look familiar?

2008

Well, here's a similar shot from last year...but you need to take into consideration that we'll never get him to pose the same way....until he's 10 or so. Remember, he is the epitomy of a never still toddler.

2007

So, we went to Emme and Papa's beach house on Fripp Island, SC and had a wonderful week of splashing around.

We managed to sandwich our vacation in between Fay and Hanna just witnessing the tail end of Fay the first afternoon. The rest of the time we had perfect weather.

We also were privy to lots 'o wildlife including herons, very tame deer and ALLIGATORS!

Bay made great strides in potty training because we finally had extended periods of time to spend with him. I've been told that if you're not a stay at home mom, the only way to get things moving is to take a week off with your kid and focus on that. Now I see the results. Bay earned lots 'o stickers which we added up for small 'surprises'. Here's him enjoying one of them...

One of the biggest rewards he got was a visit to the fire station. A very nice firefighter gave Bay a tour of all the emergency vehicles. This was definitely a highlight of his trip!

Thanks Emme and Papa for a great week!

So, now we're back into the swing of things and Bay started a new school. We were lucky to get some financial aid to send him to one of the Montessori schools in town. They matched tuition to be the same as his current daycare costs, provided extended care (who the heck only works from 9-12?!) and now the logistics of having two full-time working parents send a kid to school aren't so bad. Don't worry, I'm still trying to find a way to have an at-home business....one of these days!! Oh, and as I was so consummed with the gaps between Bay's teeth...his first dentist visit said that was GREAT! Much better than having all your baby teeth line up perfectly....go figure... And....he was 33 lbs and 38 '' tall...75% for both at his 3 year old check-up. Just perfecto in our book! What a sweetie!

I'm on top of the world

2008-08-14T22:50:00.004-04:00

Recently Bazil visited dad's work out in Somerset. It's such a beautiful place and doesn't hurt that there are tractors and bucket trucks there to play with...

Weekend Update...

2008-08-11T20:15:00.008-04:00

Our good friend Michelle, from NC came for the weekend which made everyone super happy, including Bazil, Lucy, Cheddar and Bean. Michelle is great with kids and animals and she had to spread her attention amongst all of them, the best she could. Meade and Bazil loved storytime, reading "A Grouchy Ladybug."

We also watched daddy climb some trees this weekend which was exciting...and scary.

Last but not least, Bazil was able to meet the Cav Man and his horse at the football stadium.

That was fun but truly I think he was more impressed by the Harley in the parking lot. At least I was, even if it was a touring bike and not a softail...

Williamsburg!

2008-07-29T20:56:00.012-04:00

PATRICK DEMPSEY, aka professional FIFER

FUTURE FIFER...or DRUMMER

AIRPLANE!

What a great place to take a kid! I can't believe we've lived only 2 hours away from this place and haven't taken advantage of it yet! We had a super time with grandma and grandpa last weekend where we hit Busch Gardens, Water Country and Colonial Williamsburg. I will say, I discovered how nice to have one kid to concentrate on. There was enough chaos going on around that I couldn't imagine having more than one kid to look after. Not to mention....all the tantrums about who was going to ride in what and where they were going to sit. AHHHHH! Bazil is a dream. We also noted that he is a POLITE, super independent kid who doesn't mind riding any ride alone---for the first time no less...BRAVE! Don't worry, I do want at least another kid, but we'll just enjoy spoiling this one for the time being.

Here are some pictures:

RIDING THE ELEPHANT ROLLER COASTER--PURE BLISS!
FLYING!

RIDING A HOT AIR BALLOON

WATCHING HIS FIRST MOVIE---4D!

AT CHRISTINA CAMPBELLS TAVERN---INTRIGUED AS ALWAYS WITH THE VIOLIN PLAYER

So...it's decided. Bazil is infatuated with violins. Sure, he loves guitars, pianos, horns and banjos but the boy just can't get enough of violins. He's often seen pretending that he's playing one with whatever he can find....or play air violin. Once he turns three, it's suzuki violin for him. Whenever the violin player is downtown Charlottesville, it takes every bribe in the world to stop watching him. He can literally be there all day. So, when there was a violinist playing during dinner at a super historic tavern, that was all he needed.

Well, I'm ready to go right on back to Williamsburg the next opportunity we get. Busch Gardens was rightfully given the status of prettiest amusement park in the country. Plus, we noted it's not as 'trashy' as some other parks we've been to in our lives. It's truly a cultural place to enjoy on many different levels....ok, cheesy.....

THANKS GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!!

Pictures Galore

2008-07-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Since the move we've been a bit slack about updating Bazil's photo mecca. Well, grandma, we have gotten February-June's pictures up on Shutterfly. Just remember you need to hit the link to the right... HAPPY?!

BATHTIME!!!

2008-07-15T21:14:00.005-04:00

Red, White & Blue...

2008-07-06T19:23:00.007-04:00

What a great long weekend! On Friday Bazil's bud Alden came over for a bbq. Those boys do really well together. We see lots of playdates and sleepovers in the future...good thing we live so close now! Bazil and Alden 'met' each other when they were merely babies. Seriously, Bazil was 3 months and Alden was 1 month old. Very cute. Then Saturday, we biked over to Alden's house to watch his dad use a backhoe in their yard. All of the kids were completely enthralled with watching him dig. Them mom and dad got out to a Black Crowes concert at the Pavillion, here in Charlottesville. We've seen them many times together and they never get old. The fun part was that everyone was soaked from the incredible monsoon like rain that went on for an hour and half before it started. Umbrellas did not work in this rain! Finally Sunday we went cherry picking and had some of the very best cherries either of us had ever consumed. Bazil loved the 'farm' and even though there were TONS of cherries within his reach, he felt the need to climb a ladder to get a better view... He was an absolute mess by the time we were done. I thought maybe he just wanted to continue the patriotic spirit of wearing red, white and blue...he had the blue and white on his shirt, so he felt the need to add a splash of red too...

The little cook

2008-06-14T22:30:00.006-04:00

So, I bought the mr. man an apron and chef's hat. When I saw this sweet set at Tar-jay, my absolute favorite place, on clearance no less, I HAD to buy it. Never would I have thought that the boy would want to wear the outfit as much as possible, including to school. Ever since Emme and Papa went to dinner with us at the teppenaki place a stone's throw from our house, Bazil has been talking about the chef that threw the egg in his hat. Now the boy loves to cook. It's been a pretty fail-proof way to get him to try just about anything. If he helps cook, he eats it. Note, the boy eats "POP BEANS" now too. That is, ever since he witnessed his friend Alden eating them (Edemame) at a recent bbq. Pretty groovy. Now we just need to start a fund to purchase the learning tower so mom doesn't have a heart attack around the flames with the traditional step stool...

Goal of the Weekend....KEEP COOL (and save gas)!

2008-06-08T20:42:00.014-04:00

The weather forecast was 100 degrees for the entire weekend. Yuck. Here's how we tried to manage to keep cool by staying close to home and NOT use insanely expensive gas:

Friday:
For once, I happily agreed to skip the Fridays after Five event downtown Charlottesville and decided we should just get dinner out somewhere and keep out of the heat. We headed to Cazon Tropical, a great Salvadoran resaturant where Bazil can eat "pancakes" and "chicken". Really, zucchini pupusas and fried yuca. It was very tasty but, unfortunately I never realized that the place didn't have air conditioning. So, we quickly ate and walked over to Kohr's Brother's for some frozen custard and a carousel ride. VERY fun.

Saturday:

I broke down and bought one of those hideous plastic pools. Bazil had a blast in it though and we can put it either on our very tiny front lawn under the tree, on the back deck in the sun, or on that back patio in the shade. Bazil also helped Daddy assemble the last of the new dining rooms chairs. He's become quite the tool expert and claims that every day at 'work' (really school) he climbs ladders, uses a screwdriver and wrench, and drives a bucket truck. Anyways, here's our new table in use....

Then we had some friends over for a bbq (indoors, except for the grilling of course)..

Sunday:
We went to a fabulous pool party hosted by one of the parenting groups we belong to. Bazil loves to 'swim' and play elephant with those crazy noodle things...

On another note...I used to get gas one time per week. Now I only need gas every two and a half weeks! That's a savings of, in today's gas prices and our car, $150 per month! Not only is it great to be back in Charlottesville, but we're saving money and time too!!!

The Eagle Has Landed

2008-05-18T20:31:00.008-04:00

It was a busy few weeks, as you could imagine, but we've finally settled in our new house. I couldn't imagine moving really far with a child, dog, 2 cats, and a house full of stuff. But with help from the movers, Bazil's Emme and Papa from SC, and some elbow grease, it's all done.
Bazil and Mommy enjoyed a fun wine and kite festival at James Madison's Montpelier while Dad was in Indy for Travis and Allison's wedding. As usual, Bay enjoyed the livestock....no comment.....
Emme and Papa brought one of Dad's old Tonka trucks for Bazil, just another one for the collection...

One crazy month...

2008-04-25T21:34:00.010-04:00

So, life around our neck of the woods has been a bit nutso. Our house sold in 3 weeks....much faster than we could have ever expected. Needless-to-say, we weren't quite set on the buying end and had to scramble to find an abode. We did find a groovy place, right off the bus line, just in time for gas prices to become absolutely ridiculous. Our goal was to be 'in the city' where we do EVERYTHING and out of the somewhat redneck woods. We succeeded with some other issues, but overall things should be all set in 2 weeks. Everything is moving VERY fast. I also got a new job with some nice benefits and we sold our sweet Honda...all in a very short time. We are so ready to get settled and relax again. BUT, back to the sweet boy. Bazil has been a trooper with the shear craziness and talks about his new house and new friends all the time. Here's a few pictures of the entertainment we've been able to provide for Bay in the last few weeks. Really, just some beach time at the lake, scooter riding, crew race watching, baseball playing,

soccer watching,

and a bunch of birthday parties... But it's all we got for everyone to get by on before we pack up the mac and become a bit more preoccupied..

Easter egg surprise!

2008-03-25T22:04:00.012-04:00

Bazil had a great time hunting for eggs this weekend. The first hunt was county sponsored and a bust. Around 300 kids showed up to find 50 eggs. Luckily Bazil had no idea that he didn't get any and some kind soul threw a couple of eggs behind him to magically find. It was a beautiful day though and we had fun.

Then we went to his friend Meade's birthday party for egg dying and gardening. He especially enjoyed the carrot cupcakes!

On Easter we had our own egg hunt in our yard. Bazil found all 12 eggs, some of which had some matchbox cars. We're holding off on introducing candy for absolutely as long as possible! I know, we're MEAN. I did get a few dark chocolate covered raisins...they at least have some redeeming qualities!

Bazil also got some nifty gifts from grandma and grandpa. He loved painting with water and feeding his new bunny.

See what Bazil can do...

2008-03-16T20:11:00.006-04:00

Build a zoo
Dig

Cook
Take the garbage out
Just be plain cute

A boy and his dog

2008-03-07T20:56:00.010-05:00

We had a fun Friday night at home with Lucy as the center of attention. She deserves it doesn't she?

Where's Bazil?

Tickle my belly!

Lick!

Doing a puzzle...