tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146097992011-09-14T18:21:05.354-04:00...is my life now. I was resigned to being childless after over seven years of trying. I pictured travel to Vegas and exotic locales; and buttering up my nieces and nephew so I wouldn't die alone and forgotten. Now, Surprise! I'm a mother! This blog is about my new deviated path, my life with my daughter.Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.comBlogger32851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-54560845313888365022010-08-18T16:18:00.004-04:002010-08-18T16:53:03.694-04:00

Noni says:WOW!! What a great park. We've lived here since 1973 and this is the first time we've been there - shame on us. It was the best $4 we've ever spent. The kids had a blast in the lake, swimming to the island and fishing and picnicing. The weather was absolutely perfect, blue sky and fluffy white clouds. The kids had fun with the fish swimming around their feet. Jack had fun too wading in

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-91232442537443335602010-08-17T18:01:00.001-04:002010-08-17T18:02:30.693-04:00

Today's update includes a correction to yesterday's post. It had the wrong description. Not that anyone noticed.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-84445045118609556392010-08-17T17:45:00.003-04:002010-08-17T17:59:05.031-04:00

Noni says: Another slow day beginning, but we geared up at just the right time. A few episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants opened the morning while I was packing lunches. We loaded the vehicle and headed to Great Run Pool. Great pool! Kids had a wonderful time. After a heavy rainstorm we loaded up again to have dinner with Popi's mother (the children's great-grandmother) at Park Gables. The kids did

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-83945993734903321632010-08-16T20:55:00.005-04:002010-08-17T18:01:14.138-04:00

Noni says: Day started slow and easy. Big breakfast. Jack, the girls and I went to the Children's Museum, while C hung out with Popi. Popi scared C when he took him to the barbershop with him. He thought Popi was going to get C's hair cut, but he really only intended to get his own cut. Lunch at Mickey D's then to the new playground on Stone Spring Road. Capped the afternoon off with a swim in

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-83389233606149612402010-08-12T19:29:00.003-04:002010-08-12T19:36:38.300-04:00

Noni says: We had a nice picnic lunch at the South River Falls Picnic area and then hiked down to the falls - a little over two miles round trip - seemed like TEN!!!! Everyone did well - minimal complaining. Lots of rest stops and water. Even little Jack walked a good bit. Popi carried him back up though. What a hero!! Then to Big Meadows for ice cream and some playtime. Great Day!! Real troopers

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-19386976803370067552010-08-11T17:01:00.004-04:002010-08-11T17:08:23.861-04:00

Noni says:Things are off to a good start. First things off to church. Time with the cousins all together at Alex and M's; next pool time; last but not least the great meal and ice cream at the church ice cream social. So many different flavors - hard to choose. Now Jack is in bed, J is reading to Emma, Popi and M are working a Sodoku and C is chilling out with his DS. Great day (only one "I miss

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-77195692886034926962010-08-05T20:37:00.002-04:002010-08-05T20:41:59.905-04:00

Emma had her second haircut of her life last week. No, it hasn't finally grown longer, it's just that she was getting that straight hair veil over all her curly hair again. It just looks weird that way. The hairdresser cuts the straight stuff so it will blend in with everything else. Honestly, I've about given up on Emma's hair. I mostly let it run wild. When she was little you couldn't put a

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-24092594782199680152010-08-05T20:23:00.000-04:002010-08-05T20:24:39.338-04:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-37379934831233604832010-08-04T12:02:00.000-04:002010-08-04T12:02:00.404-04:00

Says M, doubling back from his walk out to the truck to get rid of the trash. "You're welcome to go through the trash bag if you want to find out what it is."So I did. It turned out to be the Leap Frog Fridge Wash n Go. The big part. We've already had to fish vehicle halves out of the trash before. I guess it serves us right for having the trash can near the fridge. I'm telling you, everything we

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-57394867557419036262010-08-03T20:55:00.002-04:002010-08-03T21:07:18.889-04:00

of what they're getting themselves into.I'm speaking of Noni and Popi. Next week they're both taking the week off from work to host all their grandkids for the week. All of them. We've dubbed it Camp Noni and Popi. Or if you prefer Native American sounding names in your camps it can be Camp Popinoni. Or Nonipopi. Whatever. Anywhooo...I'm thinking that having to keep track of Jack, by himself,

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-68030555444083493862010-08-03T20:47:00.001-04:002010-08-03T20:48:58.268-04:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-41576335505724237272010-08-03T20:39:00.002-04:002010-08-03T20:44:37.650-04:00

For the last several days there's been a roadkill deer carcass lying by the side of the road on my drive to town. This morning, instead of the usual turkey buzzards hovering around, there was an American bald eagle perched on top of the dead deer. He never moved as I drove by. I think that's the closest I've ever been to one. Couldn't mistake it for anything else.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-8238640755056444962010-07-28T22:49:00.001-04:002010-07-28T22:51:04.433-04:00

This one is for the hardworking mommies.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-26573094776558596812010-07-27T20:24:00.002-04:002010-07-27T20:35:07.505-04:00

We were invited to join a group of friends at "the creek." It's property that belongs to the aunt of one of them. It's just a regular old creek which you can see as you pass by on the road. It has one nice pool where the kids can swim and have a good time. The adults like to take their beach chairs and set them in the water and sit with a beer and chat.Here's the view of the swimming hole part.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-67045954812316771952010-07-27T00:42:00.002-04:002010-07-27T00:44:34.349-04:00

Photos as requested by Noni...

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-54270534091367833252010-07-24T23:10:00.002-04:002010-07-24T23:17:41.752-04:00

So true!It's so awesome it broke my blog! But I like it so much I'm going to leave it just like that.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-60521118549202164872010-07-21T19:41:00.002-04:002010-07-21T19:44:20.032-04:00

One night last week we had shrimp for supper. We give Jack some, he seems to like it just fine. We'll usually cut one shrimp into about five pieces to feed them to him. Halfway through dinner he threw a big fit and wanted out of his chair. His cheeks were stuffed so I figured he'd finish his dinner eventually. Yeah...some of it was still there an hour later. He did finish it though. Takes after

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-314382362507723762010-07-21T18:47:00.002-04:002010-07-21T18:58:46.737-04:00

This is M's rainbow photo from last month.And this is my favorite rainbow song. Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection" comes in a close second ;)

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-8007132693031451672010-07-20T17:46:00.002-04:002010-07-20T17:49:55.534-04:00

On Friday night we went to a Fireman's Parade and Lawn Party. I was excited for Jack to see the parade because he's totally into passing traffic. He got to see all kinds of firetrucks, rescue squads, trucks, tractors and motorcycles. Emma was the same way when she was little, she loved vehicles of all types. Jack seemed to be into it, as you can see from some of the pictures.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-48705731929593364292010-07-18T15:41:00.002-04:002010-07-18T15:47:29.906-04:00

We went out to a local airport near Noni and Popi's for a small plane and ultralight show. We watched lots of planes coming in and taking off. They were giving plane rides to children eight years old and older, who were being recruited for the Young Eagles program. We also saw gliders coming in. We missed our chance to see one being towed into the air. We've seen this guy flying over Noni and

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-88490738860768628542010-07-15T22:02:00.002-04:002010-07-15T22:22:17.440-04:00

$1000 retail + 45 minutes = AWESOME!EDITED TO ADD: Not my $1000, of course.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-54135605048063663992010-07-14T14:40:00.002-04:002010-07-14T14:43:38.891-04:00

Emma hugs a pot-bellied pig she met yesterday at a library program. They offered to let her kiss the pig, but being the southern belle that she is she told them "never on a first date."

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-35006584682960642402010-07-13T17:39:00.003-04:002010-07-13T21:21:22.419-04:00

Just in case you're thinking this is some sort of karmic justice for my cow hatred let me point out that those bastards started it. And keep escalating it. Really, I've done nothing to them, except seethed. But this really takes the cake. I went out to the car to load Jack into his seat this morning. My car handle, painted to match my car, was chewed clean of paint. Yeah. I am not happy. What the

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-7763968293534719322010-07-12T21:13:00.003-04:002010-07-12T21:19:00.104-04:00

I did an update of my blog "Friends." I updated Jessica and Sunita's links. I dropped a couple that have gone invitation only. If you've merely moved and would like to be added back, let me know. None of the changes were personal, just based on the status of your blog. Hell, I even kept people who haven't posted in TWO YEARS! By the way, where did "Nice Mommy, Evil Editor" go?

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-4003253355791410342010-07-12T20:49:00.002-04:002010-07-12T20:52:37.681-04:00

At fourteen months Jack is establishing the beginnings of a recognizable vocabulary. Words we can recognize consistantly are ma ma, da-djoo, more, and car (or car-car). "More" is often accompanied by pointing and usually applies to food at this point.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-7710956040232933992010-07-12T20:37:00.002-04:002010-07-12T20:48:22.012-04:00

For those of you who drank the Kool-aid and own an iPhone or an iTouch I thought I might share some of my favorite apps. I'm always looking for ideas and suggestions about apps myself. I can easily nickle and dime myself with those cheap little buggers.The one app I rely on every day is Nutrition Menu by Shroomies. You can journal what you eat each day and it offers (uh...non-proprietary) points

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-70723905865987809682010-07-12T19:58:00.002-04:002010-07-12T20:37:20.378-04:00

We did a lot of fun stuff on Father's Day. The biggest thing we did was visit one of the caverns in the region. This one was the most casual one I've been to. Only two rules, no smoking and don't touch. I've been to caverns that had ten rules before you could take one step down the hole. This cavern had an elevator to take you underground. We took a lot of pictures, but I'm not going to bore you

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-61972107727307816402010-07-11T19:43:00.004-04:002010-07-11T20:00:00.298-04:00

Now that Emma's tastes have become sophisticated she primarily watches Scooby-Doo! (any form whatsoever), iCarly, Phineas & Ferb, and SpongeBob Squarepants. All of those are tolerable enough. But it makes me sad that she's moved on from shows that I actually liked. Jack has had no interest in any of the Baby Einstein fare. Every morning while I shower he sits in his exersaucer and watches Blue's

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-45769910895236973512010-07-11T19:07:00.002-04:002010-07-11T19:17:45.564-04:00

Emma had her first guest over to play at our house today.This is the first time we've called up and invited someone, "Can _____ come over and play this afternoon?" We had a list of four girls we were going to dial up. We got to number three after the first two offered only answering machines. As it turned out #3 and Emma were quite compatible. There were no eruptions or spats, just a sulk or two

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-90210143031722599482010-07-11T14:14:00.002-04:002010-07-11T14:30:02.312-04:00

This girl loves, loves, loves the water. Every day she's either in the town pool or our pool. She doesn't much care how cold it is, either. She gets that from her dad's side of the family. She took swimming lessons every night last week. I'm not really clear on what she learned, but I think we'd have to be at the big town pool for her to really show us her skills.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-61342122752957618442010-07-10T18:28:00.001-04:002010-07-10T18:31:17.899-04:00

The "baby" is fading fast...

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-15475102333041580382010-07-10T13:34:00.001-04:002010-07-10T13:36:12.077-04:00

...if I'm the only person who has a one year-old who chases the vacuum cleaner while I'm vacuuming rather than running from it?

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-88016834031321980802010-07-09T20:56:00.002-04:002010-07-09T21:10:39.339-04:00

Many, many weeks ago we discovered Emma had a UTI. We took her to Emergicare because we were in Nonitown and couldn't reach her pediatrician. She was prescribed antibiotics for a week and did the whole course just fine. However, she hasn't been right since then. Even though she's cured she changes underwear several times a day. It took me a while to figure out why I was washing twenty pairs of

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-58676008550012361572010-07-09T20:43:00.002-04:002010-07-09T20:50:36.937-04:00

The parade took a step backward. A different group took it over and now instead of ending with cookies and ice cream at the bottom of the hill, it ends with a lawn party back at the top of the hill. They also moved it from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which put us in the blazing heat of the afternoon. It also put the sun behind the paraders so the pictures are much worse. Oh well, maybe they'll come

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-46620685610392282922010-07-08T17:54:00.000-04:002010-07-08T17:54:00.270-04:00

When I think of Gerber I think of healthy baby foods. Good job with their branding, right? M came home with these a couple of weeks ago. They're called Graduates Lil' Crunchies. There's really no two ways about it, they're starter Cheetos, for babies. Gives me a little pause passing these out to my toddler. But, OMG, does he love them.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-69585601125411520882010-07-08T17:32:00.006-04:002010-07-08T17:32:00.675-04:00

It bills itself as the "Dream Come True Playground." It was built to be accessible to kids with physical disabilities, but the only indication of that to the casual observer is the plethora of handicapped parking spaces. Otherwise it's just a 100% awesome playground. It's colorful, stimulating, and sprawling. On Father's Day there weren't all that many people there, which was nice. The next time

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-50485924605284684452010-07-07T19:23:00.002-04:002010-07-07T19:26:19.250-04:00

Emma lost her first tooth at the pool this afternoon. Another mom gave her a graham cracker to snack on and the tooth came out. She'd never even noticed it was loose. Good thing we saw "Tooth Fairy" last week because now we know what happens next.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-57168416076739884082010-07-07T18:01:00.003-04:002010-07-07T18:05:51.982-04:00

Noni and Popi came over on July 4th and we all went to the town pool for the afternoon. Jack had a great time, and Emma is as much of a duck as ever. Loves, loves the water.Jack was trying to give the noodle to the lifeguard.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-12190106870787722232010-05-31T21:45:00.004-04:002010-05-31T21:58:49.591-04:00

Today, on Memorial Day, our power company had a planned power outage from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We decided to skip the frontier living and go on a family outing. We went to the Natural Bridge Zoo. I found it to be a remarkable zoo in that the animals seemed very accessible to the visitors. It's nothing like the National Zoo where the animals are kept so far away that you're lucky to see them. We

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-60421735496304556322010-05-26T21:00:00.002-04:002010-05-26T21:02:46.924-04:00

Which is, in actuality, a hand-me-down from her cousins. Sometimes it pays to be the last one to pop out kids. We are very grateful. Emma is thrilled.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-40951578220782067452010-05-26T20:52:00.002-04:002010-05-26T20:57:48.171-04:00

It went well. In actuality Jack is one year and twenty days old, so it's not an exact on year check-up. He was 22.8 lbs. and 30" long. The doctor put him exactly on the 50th percentile curve for both things.The doctor is ready for us to start moving to whole milk and we can feed him all "people" food now. He asked us if we have a garden and promoted garden fresh food. He also is now advising

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-58573731913661453582010-05-07T17:28:00.000-04:002010-05-07T17:28:00.427-04:00

This was his favorite:Jack's New Ambulance from Alex High on Vimeo.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-60152552648884854382010-05-06T22:43:00.002-04:002010-05-06T22:45:31.328-04:00

Jack Playing from Alex High on Vimeo.I'll have another video taken on his birthday, but I'm too tired to wait for it to process tonight. I'll try to post it tomorrow.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-5857363403320401822010-05-06T21:19:00.003-04:002010-05-06T21:49:20.087-04:00

An awesome card made by my friend, Shawnie. So thoughtful.Mommy's homemade birthday cake featuring her extraordinarily amateurish cake decorating skills. BUT...it is devils food cake with cream cheese icing, the best tasting cake in the world.Supper's done, where's the cake?"Aw, Mommy, you shouldn't have! Thanks for the...plate.""What happened to the small pieces you always give me?"Everyone is

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-64428026199142483932010-05-06T12:39:00.000-04:002010-05-06T12:39:01.000-04:00

Yes, it's really been a whole year. So glad to have shared it with you.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-4719254113805151332010-04-18T11:41:00.002-04:002010-04-18T11:45:42.438-04:00

Will she be a car model? Or an astrophysicist?Everyone taking in her shenanigans...Jack casts a wary eye her direction.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-8194724598553728832010-04-18T11:23:00.001-04:002010-04-18T11:41:03.506-04:00

Popi gave it to him at Chick-fil-A. I was sure he was going to reject it. But, no.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-36897574050993575342010-04-18T07:27:00.002-04:002010-04-18T07:36:12.406-04:00

Climb across the filthy dog beds.Play with the telephone.Empty all the videos from the entertainment center.Play in the dog water bowl.Chew on the trash bag overflowing the trash can in the kitchen.Lunge for the open refrigerator.Play in the toilet.Play with the remote controls.Bang on the computer keyboards.Take all the tissues out of the box.Chew on the roll of toilet paper.It's the Jack Jack

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-61389475071908974992010-04-14T20:27:00.002-04:002010-04-14T20:30:05.746-04:00

After we got home from brunch Emma convinced her daddy to pull out the wading pool and let her swim. I think she was anxious to try on the new bathing suits we had bought her the day before. I have no idea how many jugs of hot water M carried out to the pool to add to bring the water temperature up to tolerable. It was a lot.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-68475469869628286702010-04-13T17:38:00.002-04:002010-04-13T17:41:41.011-04:00

Yo! Babe.Check out my first shampoo mohawk.Are ya feelin' it?Yummy, Bath and Body Cherry Blossom, my favorite...

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-64399211914319805282010-04-13T17:26:00.002-04:002010-04-13T17:30:19.499-04:00

They started right off by knocking over the yellow dye. Thankfully the tablecover underneath was yellow. So good choice.Emma was working hard at mastering the little wire dipper.Yay! Eggs are done!

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-18829717031710962642010-04-12T18:37:00.003-04:002010-04-12T18:49:15.398-04:00

Jack begging...for the beer.Hanging around the front porch.Tooling around the yard...Emma provided the entertainment. She changed the show every lap.This is Jack's second cousin once removed who he's met once before.She's sitting in a doll chair.Jack's cousin with her Granddad. Emma took this one.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-73941959217197592272010-04-07T13:38:00.003-04:002010-04-07T13:46:34.886-04:00

Oops! Missed these. These photos were taken when we were at my brother's to celebrate his and M's birthdays. Jack's first dancing lesson.This one cracks me up!My cutie pie.M surveying his gift of "exotic beer."More cuteness.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-64482411397639356572010-04-07T13:36:00.001-04:002010-04-07T13:37:57.801-04:00

In her Easter dress.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-56762938023863593622010-04-04T20:16:00.004-04:002010-04-04T20:25:42.667-04:00

Noni and I took the kids to an Easter Egg Hunt at a local drive in restaurant. My parents are friendly with the owner. He told us he's been doing this Easter event for fifteen years now.Noni and Jack waiting for the Easter Bunny.He arrives in style!Emma and Jack take the opportunity to say "Hi!"Emma was hunting with the four, five, and six year-olds. It's not very challenging since all the eggs

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-89247998770756696402010-04-01T17:11:00.000-04:002010-04-01T17:11:00.095-04:00

He does not like his swing.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-41702363028767142692010-03-31T18:51:00.002-04:002010-03-31T18:56:32.599-04:00

Yesterday was "Male Involvement Day" (gag!) for Emma's preschool. The fathers were invited along for their field trip to the Sheriff's Office and the Firehouse. M was happy to go along. They had a really good time and Emma got to spend time with her "best friend," the little girl in the leather jacket.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-970632494677890002010-03-30T17:19:00.002-04:002010-03-30T17:32:39.137-04:00

Well, he's crawling super-fast, pulling up easily, and cruising along anything he can reach.His greatest achievement is that he can flush the toilet all by himself. When the dogs are in his way he crawls right over them. I'm surprised they sit still for it, but they do. We're talking about 80 and 90 lb. dogs.He's pretty cranky these days because he's pushing out his eighth tooth. OK, really

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-31682294191676178282010-03-28T20:17:00.005-04:002010-03-30T17:34:19.323-04:00

Hi Mommy and Daddy! I just wanted to stop a few minutes before Noni tucks me into bed to tell you about the day Jack and I had today! We went to the CHILDREN'S MUSEUM!!!!! YEA!!!!!! I was so happy when I asked Noni if we could go and she said "yes" right away! I was so excited. Noni took a couple of pictures of Jack and me before we got there and I think she's sending them to you. Jack

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-53686210597907698352010-03-11T18:51:00.000-05:002010-03-11T18:52:56.580-05:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-72951670610843216042010-03-10T17:27:00.000-05:002010-03-10T17:28:34.521-05:00

This was Emma's school picture from back in the fall.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-37035718567405591352010-03-10T17:18:00.003-05:002010-03-14T09:59:47.875-04:00

I mentioned that the county population is less than 2,300 people. That means there are even fewer voters than that here. Don't get me wrong, people here vigorously exercise their right to vote. We have higher voter turnout averages than the state or national average for every single election. The problem is that with so few voters we have no political clout. We're a whole county that can be

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-25065872806618667312010-03-09T18:25:00.004-05:002010-03-09T20:54:25.920-05:00

When you live in a small town you have no anonymity. Everyone knows who you are, who you're with, and they know your history. This creates a completely different culture from the suburbs and the big city. For example, you can't hide from the consequences of your actions. You can't flip off someone who pisses you off on the road since they'll recognize you and your car. You can't run off at the

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-71022333144752086772010-03-08T17:22:00.001-05:002010-03-08T17:22:00.551-05:00

This is where it gets interesting. Bear in mind that I'm going to be generalizing and stereotyping out the wazoo, so feel free to comment or question if you feel I'm not being fair. The overriding dynamic amongst the people here can be found in small communities all around the globe, the locals vs. the "come heres." The locals would be better referred to as the natives. These are the people who

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-8087138649956736692010-03-07T08:28:00.004-05:002010-03-07T21:30:07.655-05:00

It ain't easy. There's no manufacturing industry here. We're so far off from the interstate that shipping manufactured goods is expensive and impractical. Technically, there is one manufacturer that does extremely specialized cameras, but that's it. The major industries in this neighborhood are agriculture and logging. The single largest employer is the school system, then probably the county

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-64515969661233899862010-03-05T17:17:00.003-05:002010-03-05T17:17:00.421-05:00

As I mentioned in passing in my introduction the population in this county is very homogeneous. If you define diversity by shades of skin color then we are sorely lacking. I think the census counts have us at anywhere from one to three black people, one Asian, maybe two native Americans and the rest is white, white, and...um...white. The odd thing is that it wasn't always this way. A century ago

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-20905687669667868382010-03-04T20:32:00.002-05:002010-03-04T20:37:44.876-05:00

Emma has Popi's hat and is looking for trouble.And Jack's the victim. Next Emma rearranged M's hat for him.Popi taking M's order. I used to have Popi's job a million years ago and that's how I met M.Emma's patented headlock hug. Sigh.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-52990944739567680662010-03-04T17:51:00.004-05:002010-03-04T17:58:06.446-05:00

On the way home from town this evening she told me she invited her best friend over to the house tonight. I explained to her that her friend wasn't coming because she didn't ask the grown-ups first. We went around and around about that and for grins I threw in that her friend couldn't come over anyway because her room is a mess. Emma mulled it over for a few minutes."Mom, I don't think you're

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-41055330984250077912010-03-04T17:26:00.002-05:002010-03-04T22:25:27.333-05:00

So what have we got going for us isolated here in the mountains? I'll start by telling you what we don't have. No chain restaurants or fast food. No laundromats. No movie theater. No coffee shops. No Kinkos. No DMV. No malls. No strip malls. Not even one real traffic light. In all the county we have one blinking light. Here road rage is being stuck at third in line at the blinking light.We do

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-23016587814616950842010-03-01T17:26:00.001-05:002010-03-01T17:26:00.209-05:00

Boring way to start, but really, it's the star of the show. The county I live in is over 400 square miles and there are less than 2,300 people here. That's roughly five people per square mile. So when people swear that the world is over-populated, we're pretty hard to persuade. Yet we're less than four hours from the nation's capital. The whole county is mountainous. From the east you enter our

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-36648175166921109482010-02-28T16:05:00.003-05:002010-02-28T22:10:36.675-05:00

Bears no resemblance to anything you see on television. I often say it's most like Mayberry, but not exactly. Everything we do here doesn't have an edifying moral to the story. As far as daily life goes we don't have murders, so that knocks out 75% of television shows. We have no reality stars so that knocks out 15%. We have no minorities so that knocks out 5%. And we have no coffee shops with

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-85740980167921458412010-02-28T14:25:00.000-05:002010-02-28T14:25:00.132-05:00

The staple of the infant/toddler diet. I have no idea why kids take to them so easily, but they sure do.I included a second photo to show you Jack's eating posture. He sits with his arms wide open like that most of the time. He'll twist his wrists and move his hands all around, but his arms will stay splayed out like that. Funny monkey.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-56334325043562527762010-02-28T14:08:00.002-05:002010-02-28T14:08:00.193-05:00

This is Emma's new betta fish. She got the tank as a Christmas gift, from Aunt Bunny, I think. It's a combination betta tank and plant starter. I plan to take a cutting from a philodendron at work and add it Monday evening. That way we'll have our own little eco-system in there. Now if I could just figure out how much food he's supposed to get. Off to Google...He's actually much smaller in the

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-88113830167918222492010-02-27T20:47:00.002-05:002010-02-27T20:49:35.311-05:00

Are you a "twenty-ten" or a "two thousand ten?"I'm a firm "twenty-ten" myself.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-37927022564796315032010-02-27T13:53:00.000-05:002010-02-27T13:55:04.503-05:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-10121343221477702312010-02-27T13:20:00.002-05:002010-02-27T13:23:17.478-05:00

Caterpillar, cake, and cupcake.Car, carrot, cat, and cookie.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-40611124816815379502010-02-26T21:55:00.002-05:002010-02-26T21:59:17.636-05:00

If you read my comments or try to post one you'll find that it's different. JS-Kit bought out Haloscan around a year ago and left things as they were. Until now. Now my Haloscan has turned into Echo and they want $12 a year to continue the service. I'm thinking about it. I really don't know that I have any alternatives where I don't end up losing the access and easy linkage to nearly five years

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-34282400697512413372010-02-26T19:56:00.002-05:002010-02-26T20:11:32.359-05:00

We went out to dinner Wednesday night at the Inn. We had to ride herd on Emma constantly because she cannot seem to use a quiet voice. She's too loud, she doesn't want to stay in her seat, she's just not great to have along at the Inn. When the (rotund) chef came out to visit with the kids Emma asked her if she ate a lot. Oy, the whole experience was a headache.On the way home I explained to her

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-36386068926594822952010-02-26T19:45:00.002-05:002010-02-26T19:56:24.212-05:00

My son is obsessed. Now that he's mobile he has one goal on the floor of the living room. To reach the phone jack on the wall. To get there he has to crawl over the nasty, hairy dog bed. That's the main reason I don't want him doing it. What happens to the phone jack or cord is only a secondary consideration. We'll put up a barrier of toys and he'll tear past it. Or he'll sit in the middle of the

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-29960045027741161782010-02-26T18:45:00.002-05:002010-02-26T19:43:47.653-05:00

I love my iTouch. There is so much to do with it. It's quickly become a necessary sidekick for me. I've bought lots of apps based on rave reviews. Some I like, some not so much. One app I bought, based on the rave reviews, was "Pocket God." They describe it thusly:If you were a GOD what kind of god would you be? Benevolent or vengeful? Play Pocket God and discover the answer within yourself.On a

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-4090251040418328032010-02-10T20:20:00.001-05:002010-02-10T20:20:51.937-05:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-40329899969470678412010-02-10T20:19:00.000-05:002010-02-10T20:20:03.290-05:00

Up Here Down Here from Alex High on Vimeo.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-55805469591062091602010-02-10T19:47:00.004-05:002010-02-10T20:23:22.322-05:00

M drove me to our appointment this morning since we were under a Blizzard warning. They made it sound imminent, but it wasn't. At any rate, this was the first time he attended and appointment for Jack. It went well. Jack is healthy and happy and the doctor had no quibbles. We found out the reason Jack's nose is always orange in his pictures is that he has carotenemia. The doctor actually pointed

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-71752198232688861552010-02-09T20:47:00.003-05:002010-02-09T20:59:37.316-05:00

Tomorrow is Jack's 9 month check-up. In advance of this I've been trying to assess what his capabilities are because I know I'll have to do the Ages and Stages questionnaire tomorrow. Within the last week I've taken note that he can now low crawl, push himself into the sitting position from the laying position, and pull himself up to standing in both his crib with bars and his pack and play

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-47339867277280056242010-02-09T20:40:00.001-05:002010-02-09T20:46:06.477-05:00

On Sunday M planned to take Emma out to play in the freshly fallen snow. Instead of the predicted 20"-30" we got about 10"-12". M probably spent two hours outside by himself preparing for Emma. He built a snow fort and then he dragged an old tire up and down the hill to crush down a path for Emma's sled. I was afraid he was going to run out of energy before she even got outside. When she finally

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-67308757586554829962010-02-06T20:20:00.002-05:002010-02-06T20:23:23.009-05:00

Oh, yay, G. I. Joe...With meal replacement bars...And freeze-proof water...hooyah!

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-596030740113550622010-02-06T17:23:00.000-05:002010-02-06T17:26:21.249-05:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-71305811028172467272010-02-06T17:21:00.001-05:002010-02-06T17:21:39.135-05:00

...it sure does cut down on laundry.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-48978700643791960292010-02-05T12:56:00.000-05:002010-02-05T12:57:23.825-05:00

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-70465569604995206332010-02-05T12:54:00.002-05:002010-02-05T12:56:32.319-05:00

This should make being snowbound all weekend a little more bearable. Wheeee!

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-78821084049623554222010-02-05T11:51:00.003-05:002010-02-05T12:22:17.676-05:00

Every once in a while I feel we can give ourselves a pat on the back and a "well done." As I tell you this I'm sure some of you will be saying to yourselves, "Well, duh, we've been doing this for a long time." But for us it was the first.M took Emma by the convenience store to pick up "chicken bones" (fried chicken legs) for her lunch on Wednesday. In the store she saw a little stuffed puppy in a

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-34482518866925453012010-02-05T11:37:00.004-05:002010-02-05T11:50:44.375-05:00

My impression is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I was told it would be. Make no mistake, the actual surgery part was no fun. The hospital took great care of me. I love the nurses at RMH. That said, my IV insertion wasn't the best. The anesthesiologist even remarked on it. It was a bit painful; I never got used to it being there. It amazes me when they roll you into surgery and there are always

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-74334469990711286562010-02-05T11:23:00.002-05:002010-02-05T11:36:29.630-05:00

They're calling for 20 to 30 inches of snow here over the next day and half. This is on top of a 7" base we have already. Joy. We have had so much stinkin' snow this winter it isn't funny. It more than makes up for last winter when we got maybe one good snow of five inches.We're planning to be housebound this weekend. M and Emma went to the store this morning and will stick with it as long as

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-14602912715144691462010-02-02T20:47:00.003-05:002010-02-02T21:37:38.597-05:00

This was the night we took the wrong turn taking Emma to her friend's birthday party. It was snowing and the roads were already treacherous. We ended up on what was a glorified cow path up the sheer side of the mountain. I still get a knot in my chest thinking about it.Tonight is the same girl's birthday party again. It's snowing again. This time I'm cozy and warm at home recuperating from

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-2404907810777511642010-01-30T21:53:00.002-05:002010-01-30T21:59:18.665-05:00

Hi Mommy & Daddy! We sure hope Mommy is feeling better and getting plenty of rest while we're at Noni and Popi's. Yesterday after you two left to go back home, Noni and Popi took us to Jess' for lunch and we met the nicest lady, Miss Angeliki. When she came over to visit Jack, he got a little scared and cried for a minute or two, but after he had a while to get adjusted to the place and her, he

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-18887756261429349882010-01-24T22:48:00.003-05:002010-01-24T22:52:55.353-05:00

Much different from Emma and the dogs. They were always wary of her. Sensed that she meant trouble for them so they gave her a wide berth. She liked them and wanted to touch them and grab them, but they kept their distance. They seem to view Jack differently. Maybe it's being more experienced around rugrats, I don't know. Neither dog has any problem with laying right next to Jack when he's on the

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-29456006027912370122010-01-24T20:12:00.000-05:002010-01-24T20:13:21.309-05:00

Oh, joy!Jack's Pop-up Toy from Alex High on Vimeo.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-12008801086524596122010-01-06T18:10:00.000-05:002010-01-06T18:10:00.137-05:00

That's my new nickname for Emma. Every night after she's been in bed for ten minutes or more she comes out again with some ailment or complaint. Tonight it was that her eyes hurt. Last night it was hiccups that made her throat hurt. Another night her legs were hurting. Another night her legs will itch. I think every part of her body has had some problem or other ten minutes after lights out. The

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-78418039537051556292010-01-06T17:21:00.007-05:002010-01-06T17:21:00.234-05:00

We took a trip to The Homestead to see their Holiday Lights & Ice display. The Homestead is a resort hotel that is favored by rich people and Congressional types. We're always hearing about this or that celebrity who recently performed there. In 2009 they made national news for a double-murder amongst employees there. We went to see the lights because we thought Emma would enjoy the treat.Welcome

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14609799.post-84548860733266701842010-01-05T20:37:00.002-05:002010-01-05T20:39:35.216-05:00

Emma's Christmas party at her preschool.

Highlandgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07703233755160914600noreply@blogger.com0