Princess and Pumpkin

Princess and Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So despite Erin's illness, we had a grand time trick-or-treating. Sean did not make it but he will next year. We went with our neighbors and their 3 kids who we love and we had a blast. So we had a princess, two characters from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and one two-year-old boy who decided he wanted to be a princess. So what did they do?? The put him in a clown costume and told him he was a princess and he was pleased as punch!! There were lots of kids out and about the neighborhood and it was really great to see folks and meet some new people. I know lots of folks lament the downturn in neighborhoods, but ours is doing pretty well and we love it!! But we'll have to secretly hide the candy from Erin or we'll have to peel her off the ceiling and from me, or I'll be back in my pregnancy clothes!! More pics, if you want them on my flickr page.

Our Little Punkin

Our Little Punkin
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Can you believe Sean is 1 year old today?? He's a pumpkin for school (see video here) and if he makes it trick-or-treating he'll be Tigger. He goes to bed about 6:30pm these days, so that doesn't give us much time. Erin has been sick, but I think the prospect of candy will make her well enough to go as either a princess or Super Girl. Hard to believe that one year ago I was in the hospital, but as they say 'time flies when you're the mother of two' or is that 'mother's of two fly around like crazy people' -- well, you know what I mean. Happy Halloween to all and to all a good night!!!

Undiagnosed

So this is a pretty silly blog, when you get down to it. Some pics, some news, some random thoughts on motherhood, life, politics and the like. But if you want to read a great blog -- tune in to the one my old friend Jonathan Milner keeps on his son Errol. Jonathan and his wife Cary Clifford (who also have a son, Owen, at Erin's school) have been through hell and back again with their beautiful second son, Errol. And the blog is some of the best writing about parenting, human nature and life that I have ever read. Enjoy!!

But is is Art???

So most of you know of my father's crazy collection of corruptions of great works of art. Funny Mona Lisas, poor reproductions of the Venus de Milo (does that make his a collection of Veni de Milo??) and all of the Last Suppers, from the sacred to the profane. So he and Erin are up in his 'artist studio' the other day where they often go to paint, glue, collage (is that a verb??) and Erin stated that instead of painting the Last Supper, she wanted to paint 'The First Supper.' Which got me to wondering, what other revisions could you do -- Monet's Pond Scum, Winged Defeat, Van Gogh's Mostly Cloudy Night -- the mind boggles at the possibilities!

At least I didn't do this

Sean and Pop Pop at sunset
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

All parents (well most parents, read on) have fears that they are inadequate, unfair or at the very least doing permanent damage to their children that will take years of therapy, booze or meditation (or perhaps all three) to get over. But occasionally God drops us a little sign that we aren't, after all, the worst parents in the world. Sometimes it's your child snuggling up to you on the couch to read a book and saying 'I love you mom.' Sometimes it's a compliment someone gives you after they have come in contact with your child, but other times, it's a news story like this one.....or this one...and I guess in the grand scheme of things, when your child goes on to reproduce and your grandchildren light up whenever they see you (see picture -- Sean is PopPop's biggest fan in the world) -- then perhaps you can sit back and say 'ok - I did an ok job on that whole parenting thing'....At least that's what I hope my parents are saying, 'cause they are the best there is!!! And not once did they hide drugs in my clothes! Go figure.

Is It Any Wonder....

that Americans are obese???? Hardee's new breakfast has 60 grams of fat -- suddenly my diet looks good in comparison. And keep reading about the Chicken Salad sandwich. And they aren't alone. Arby's Chicken Salad Sandwich (yummy as it is) has more fat (a whopping 39g) than a medium roast beef sandwich (at a still ungodly 20g). Somehow I think these guys are in league with heart disease, diabetes and cholesterol drug manufacturers. The more we eat of the first, the more we need the second. If only it would kill you on the spot, then we'd finally have some chlorine in the gene pool. But no, lots of the people who think this looks good have already reproduced.

Oxymorons in Advertising

There are lots of them and they drive me crazy (English major that I am) -- but here's a new one: Pillsbury Crescent Rounds -- you're either a CRESCENT or you're a ROUND, you can't be both. Now if we can stop advertisers from verbing language ("fragrances whole rooms" is on a can of air freshener at my parent's house -- fragrance IS NOT A VERB!!!!!!!!) then we'll only have to tackle false and predatory advertising and we'll have the whole industry cleaned up in no time......SIGH. Can we all just watch PBS and Noggin all the time, please.

Harsh Reality

erin and Pat on the Pier
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So today I'm sitting in The Pit (our campus cafeteria) and I'm watching two students, both male, both clearly freshmen (they look 12). And here's what they have on their plates -- 2 cookies, 1 PB&J sandwich on white bread and chocolate milk. Here's how they eat: first the cookies, then the milk, then the sandwich. And it hit me -- my kids may never grow up. Despite my constant reminders to myself that 'they won't go to college still in pull-ups" or "they won't go to college" still doing whatever annoying thing they are doing in their current phase -- I realize they just might. As I was leaving, I saw another one - he had a bowl of Trix. FOR LUNCH. I rest my case......

"You just never know when.....

Erin on Deck
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

a boy's gonna kiss you. That's a true story. Well, that's not really a story, it's just a saying." That's what came out of Erin's mouth tonight as she was coloring. She was talking about this boy in her class who didn't want her to kiss him. And then she spouted that out. And you know, she's right.

September Thoughts

Erin and Mom!
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I gather my thoughts and put them down.

Parenthood is, indeed, the toughest job in the world. But when you are putting your daughter to bed and she hugs you and says "Mommy, you're the best mommy I could have in the whole world" then somehow, it all seems worth it. That is, until, she pitches a fit because she wants her 'OTHER' pink and silver shoes, not 'THOSE ONES'.....just as you are ready to take her to school in the morning. Erin still loves The Downtown School and her teachers. They are learning this week about 'the lifecycle of frogs' which she is finding very interesting. She has taken to coloring with a vengeance in the last two weeks. We got her a box of 96 Crayolas (is there anything better than a brand new box of Crayolas--with the sharpener??) at Target on clearance for $2 and she is now coloring all the time. She is drawing her own pictures -- mostly doors, houses and people that look like big eggs with arms and legs coming out of them -- I wonder what Freud would say about that? And alas, apparantly geekiness runs in the family. She has mastered the mouse, can print things on her own and is becoming intimately familiar with noggin.com, pbskids.com and disney.com. Tomorrow, she'll be formatting our hard drive and putting Linux on it. At least she hasn't asked for an iPhone, yet.

Sean is still the happiest kid I know. Want proof....listen to him laugh. He is saying 'bah' for ball and 'dah' for down and such a wide variety of 'Uh-ohs' that you marvel that you never really paid much attention to that word before. It can mean so many things. The rest of us are chopped liver when Pop-Pop is around -- that boy LOVES Pop-Pop. And the feeling is mutual, I assure you!

Erin, Patrick and I are going to the WFU Football game this Saturday - it will be her first. Should be an adventure!

We are off for a family trip to the beach in a couple of weeks (Emerald Isle -- YEA!) so I know I'll have pics and stories when we get back. And then it will be October -- holy cow -- how did that happen??

August Reflections

blue_eyed_sean_aug07
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Where the hell has my summer gone?? WFU students are coming in this Thursday and my life will be chaos for a while after that so I thought I'd post a few things before I get swamped.

Sean's only word is still 'Uh-oh' but he's adding more random sounds every day. He has completely given up baby food - and is becoming quite adept at feeding himself. He has this empirical point that he does all the time - he points at his mobile, the wall, his sister, his cats....I really think he was a Roman Emperor in a past life - I feel like any day he'll point at me and say "peel me a grape....slave" --but until that day, we enjoy his crazy cute smile and especially the fact that he is sleeping straight through the night most nights now. He's pulling up on everything and I'm sure he'll be walking soon, lord help us all.

Erin has become a great swimmer over the summer - it's been amazing to see her develop. She begins her new school next Monday so this week we are doing dry runs of making her lunch (Disney princess Lunchbox) the night before and packing her backpack (Tinkerbell). This morning she was so cute walking into Camp GrandJo with her backpack on and her lunch in her hand - it almost brought tears to my eyes. We meet her new teacher on Wed. so that will be fun. I think she's a little anxious but I know she'll love the school.

Some cuteness: She hurt herself a week or two ago and through her tears as I was getting ready to put a bandaid on her I heard her say "bless my heart...."

Crossing Your Fingers

Erin_portrait
Originally uploaded by lavivienne.

So how do you explain what you mean when you say "I'll keep my fingers crossed?" Erin is so fascinated by language that if you say a word or a phrase she doesn't understand, she'll keep asking you what you mean until you give her an explanation that suits her. So yesterday we were in the car and she asked if we could go swimming today. I said that I would keep my fingers crossed that it didn't storm. After which we spent several minutes explaining what you mean, and that you weren't literally crossing your fingers (although sometimes you do) etc. She takes things very literally. All in all not the worst question to have to answer and it sure beats all the questions we've been getting about when we're going to die. Although typical questions for a 3 1/2 year old - hard to answer nonetheless.

This picture is of the portrait that Ann Mercer Kessler Shields painted of Erin back in the Spring. I don't know how she did it, but I think it captured Erin perfectly.

One more funny story -- a couple of days ago Erin was on the floor and when she got up she pushed herself up using the coffee table and said "I'm getting old..." It's a bitch when you hear yourself coming out of your kids mouths!!

Vivian comes Saturday - everyone is excited!!

A Good Man Is Honored Today

Tonight at 6pm a funeral service will be held for one of the good guys. Wake Forest Basketball Coach Skip Prosser died last Tuesday from a massive (and sudden) heart attack. His death has deeply saddened the entire campus - it is as if the heart of the university has broken. The Quad has been rolled in his honor (twice!) articles have been written, old players have returned but it still does not seem real. Not only was he a good coach, he was a good man. He was a lover of literature and history often known to quote Greek scholars and Shakespeare or make references to obscure historical events. He paid as much attention to the players' development off the court as he did to their on-court progress. Every Senior that played for him graduated with a WFU degree and a knowledge that they were better people for having known him. Skip, we will miss you and will think of you every time we don our tie-die and cheer for the Deacs that you so loved. Here are some tributes that can tell his story better than I....

John Feinstein (Washington Post)
Decourcy (Sporting News)
Dan Collins
Kharry McGee
Ed Hardin
ESPN

Uh-OH!

IMG_3299_adj
Originally uploaded by lavivienne.

Sean's official first word is Uh-Oh which is sometimes said when he drops things, sometimes when he wants things and sometimes when someone walks into a room. Sometimes it's more of an "Uh-Uh-Uh-Oh." Still, it's a word! I have a sneaking suspicion that his next word will be Cat. His face lights up and he goes crazy whenever Calvin or Hobbes (usually Calvin) walks into the room. He crawls over to him and does his best to hug him, usually coming away with a huge handful of cat hair and not much more -- but he loves the cats.

This pic is from our neighborhood 4th of July party. It was tons of fun!

Erin just has a couple more weeks at St. Annes and begins at her new school on August 27th. She's very excited and so are we!!

Things you don't want to forget...

So my main purpose in keeping this blog is to be sure I don't forget the little things. I do this since I'm no journaler, or scrapbooker, or other person to record the little things about us that I know we're likely to forget. So here's a few things I want to remember....

1. The way Erin says 'Child' when she's playing make believe that she's the mom and we're her kids. It's more like 'Chiiiiile....' with a southern twang that cracks us up every time.
2. How often Erin says "I love you" -- she says it all the time. In the middle of swimming class, when we're in the car, when I'm mad at her, any time it crosses her mind. Sometimes she'll say it spontaneously and others it seems like she considers it after I've done something for her (like help her on with her dress-up clothes) and then it hits her how much she loves me (or Pat, or Sean, or her grandparents, aunts, cats, stuffed animals....). She's also taken to saying "I love you towards your heart." I know there will come a day when I'll have to bribe her to say it, so I'm enjoying it now.
3. Sean's smile. He literally smiles all the time. How does he do that?? He's the happiest kid I've ever seen. Thankyouthankyouthankyou to the powers that be on that one!!
4. Erin in the swimming pool. I have to get this on film, but she absolutely comes alive as soon as she hits the water. Gets that from me!

I know I'll think of more.....but until then....

How sharper than a serpent's tooth....

Go Deacs!
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Last Night:

Me: Erin, it's bedtime, give your daddy a hug and a kiss.
Pat: Come give me a kiss sweetie.
Erin (grumpy look on her face): No, Daddy.
Pat: Why not
Erin: Because you're a boring masterpiece!

Stupid and Boring

Flying Nun Sean
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

It's funny how kids latch on to word, and Erin LOVE words. Her latest are stupid and boring. They are, to her mind, the WORST thing you can say about something. She does not, however REALLY know what they mean. This morning she told her dad not to tickle her because that 'was boring.' She's also latched onto the number 16 and San Francisco. Everything in her life will happen to her 'when I'm 16.' This is the magical age when she will no longer be afraid of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney, when she will be able to go off the diving board at the pool and when she won't have to sit in her booster seat in the car anymore. And that storm the other night....it came from San Francisco. She's turning into a fish - such a good swimmer just in the last month!! And Sean is crawling up a storm. I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll need to do more childproofing with this one. Whoever said gender differences were the result of environment, never had a boy and a girl to compare. They are just wired differently. I look forward to seeing how it plays out. Hey, chasing him might just help me lose the rest of my baby weight!!!

Last Disney Thoughts

Erin Sporting her Minnie Bride Ears from Disney
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So as you can see, the trip to Disney just keeps on giving. It's amazing what you can be suckered into buying by the Disney marketing juggernaut. But you know, you do it willingly. How do they do that??

For any who are considering Disney I have three words of advice:

1. Start Saving NOW
2. Go in November, or January or March, not summer.
3. Stay somewhere easy to get back to in the middle of the day

We'll go back, but not for a while -- but I'm looking forward to it. I'm a Disney sucker and you know, they are building a Harry Potter themed park, so that will be a MUST SEE when we returned. I'm currently re-reading the Order of the Phoenix in prep for the movie and then will re-read Half-Blood Prince to be all caught up for the new book!!!

Disney Post #3

Erin and Belle
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

OK - now the park itself. Let's face it. Disney World is great. As much as I hate to succumb to marketing ploys, I'm a sucker for it. They craft a complete experience and craft it well. No litter, no peeling paint, no algae in the water, no weeds in the flower beds and EVERY SINGLE employee is polite, helpful and cheerful. How that happens is beyond me but it is cult-like in its pervasiveness. They must fire people who are rude; in fact, I'm sure they do. But what it all adds up to is a magical place where you can really forget the real world and just be.

Now, I do have my gripes. The main one being that they are now pushing these autograph books on all the kids who come so they can get the autographs of the characters. Great idea. In theory. The problem is that there is only one place some of the characters ever appear and Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are in the same place. The line was 90 minutes as soon as it opened and still 45 minutes late in the evening when we returned. I just got a survey from Disney and they asked about it and I slammed them. If they are going to push kids to get autographs of EVERY character, then they need 10 Cinderellas and 10 Sleeping Beauties stationed all around the park. Even the characters who were just out in the park had long lines. The remedy, of course, is to go in November, January or March and not June. This is what we'll do next time, even if it means taking the kids out of school. God help the people coming over the summer.

Otherwise, however, we had a grand time. It's a Small World, the teacup ride, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella's Carousel, Peter Pan, Country Bear Jamboree, all were great.

And did I mention that Disney should manage all airports? They should. Especially having flown back from Atlanta yesterday - the TSA knows NOTHING about crowd management and Disney knows everything about it. Except for the lines for the characters and a couple rides, it was wonderful.

I can't wait to go back when the kids are older. Better start working out now to keep up with them.

Did I mention Sean is getting his bottom teeth AND he slept for 11 1/2 hours last night??? Life is good......

Disney Blog #2

Disney Castle
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

OK - today I'll talk about our hotel. We were at the Port Orleans French Quarter. I would HIGHLY recommend it for anyone heading down there. It got great ratings in several of the guidebooks I looked at. The room was pretty basic but there is a good food court with very family friendly fare AND they serve beignets. Not as good as Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, but still a tasty treat. The best family feature, by far, however, was the fantabulous pool. A waterfall, waterslide and fantastic lifeguards made it a great way to spend the afternoon when we needed a break from the heat of Disney. The hotel also has a boat that goes back and forth to Downtown Disney which is great fun. As do all Disney hotels, it also has shuttles to all the theme parks. All in all a great location from which to explore the wonders of the happiest place on earth. Did I mention the beignets?? They had them. mmmmmmmm.......

Disney Blog #1

Photo Op
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Lots to talk about with the trip to Disney, so I'll split it up into several entries. First, let's cover traveling on planes with children. Don't do it. As Giz says - the motto of the airline industry has become "Welcome to xxx Airlines. Shut up and get on the plane." On both of our trips, they had not put Erin and me together. Who they thought would want to sit with a stranger's 3 1/2 year old, I don't know. Going we got it switched before we got on the plane. Coming back they essentially said 'Yeah, you'll just have to work that out with the people around you. Good luck with that." Top that off with a child who understands a lot and has even better hearing and you get lots of questions like "Mommy, why would we need a life jacket??" "What are those masks for??" "Why do we need to know where the exits are?" "What are the slides for?" and her sweet. sweet statement to me in the bus on the way to the hotel "Mommy, if we need the masks, I'll let anyone put one on me...don't worry." Flying is a scary thing to a youngun' and with the horrible conditions on planes and in airports (did you know flight attendants now have to clean the planes, too??) I just don't plan to get on a plane with a kid for a while. Plus, your chances of getting to your destination on time and with your bags is apparently approaching the odds of winning the lottery. Which reminds me, I need to buy a PowerBall Ticket! I promise my next post will be more positive, but I'm just thankful for a child who is so remarkable that she didn't completely melt down on the trip. I would have, in her shoes.

Imagine

Sean Close-Up May 2007
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So we're sitting in Moe's the other day eating our lunch and the song Imagine came on. Erin asked who sang the song and we explained that a man named John Lennon sings it and the was very famous and a part of a band named the Beatles. She got quiet and continued eating and when the song was over she said "Mommy, that was a sad song." I don't know if she listened to the words or just the music, but she was certainly tuned in....now if only she has the musical talent of her father and not her mother we'll be all set.....

Who Does This Sound Like??

fashionplate2_may-7_lores
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So tonight Erin started talking about our beach trip in September.

Erin: "But mommy, what will we do with Sean?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Erin: "Where will he go? He won't be able to be in the sand, he might get dirty."
Me: "We'll bring a big blanket or we might put him in a stroller."
Erin: "But what if he cries?"
Me: "Then I'll take him out of the stroller."
Erin: "But your hands will be wet. Then he'll get wet."

Then I tried to distract her from borrowing trouble in that line of thinking so I brought up the fact that we'll have a hot tub on the deck at the house.

Erin: "But who will get in the hot tub"
Me: "Aunt Vivi, Aunt Beth, Daddy, You and maybe even Grandma Bobbie"
Erin: "But there won't be any room for me. And I'll be too hot, and I'll cry."

And so it went with every train of thought I went down. Not even four and borrowing trouble at every turn. I hope her dad and her pop pop are proud!!!! Not only is the glass half empty but it's on the floor and someone's going to step on it and bleed to death.....

Jolly Jumper Fun!

More Jolly Jumper Fun!
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

As you can see, Sean is really getting into his Jolly Jumper. But Pat and I have remembered why we never used it much for Erin. You need 6 arms and 3 legs just to get him into it. I'm sure there are better designed ones out there, but we aren't going to buy one at this late date. He'll be crawling soon (perhaps he already is - i haven't seen him in a few hours). On the one hand that's exciting. On the other O MY GOD HE'S GOING TO BE CRAWLING....WHAT THE HE** WILL WE DO THEN??? He's still a charmer and Erin is still a great sister. We are preparing for the trip to Disney -- she has a new backpack for the flight (Dora the Explorer) and we got her hair trimmed. Perhaps the next entry will be from Orlando itself.....

We're Going to Disneyworld!

Thanks to a conference Pat is going to, and the overwhelming generosity of Grandma B....Erin and her mom and dad are going to have a day in the Magic Kingdom. Erin and I will fly down on Wednesday June 6th to meet Pat who will have been there all week. We'll go to the DW on Thursday and back home Friday. It'll be a whirlwind, but perhaps that's all she can handle the first time out. We'll be staying at one of the Disney resorts so we'll have easy transportation to the park and back. We were going to keep it quiet, but any of you who know my husband know that was never going to happen. She's already a bit anxious about seeing the characters (like for her mother and aunt Vivi, people in big suits are a bit scary to her) so I don't want to get her too worked up before we go. It will be a good scouting mission for a longer visit when the kids are much older. Anyone with tips on Disney stuff -- feel free to comment!!

Dinosaurs Got Stinky....

Crazy Kids
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

And died. That is what Erin said to me last night as we did one of her dinosaur sticker books. I was confused until I realized she meant that dinosaurs went EXTINCT and died, not got stinky. I thought that was hysterical. She's so into words and learning what they mean and how to spell them, it's great. The other day, she was walking with GrandJo who warned her to stay on the path because of the poison ivy that was around. Erin asked "why aren't there girls in ivy??" After which GrandJo had to explain that it was 'poison' with a P, not "boys in" with a B. As you can see in the picture, she's also into putting funny things on her brother's head. This morning she put a yellow headband on him but then decided to wear it herself. Sean started at St. Anne's this week - he's just going a couple of days a week in May and will start every morning in June. He seemed unphased by it. I'm sure he'll like it as much as Erin. Erin is getting anxious to start at her new school, however. Yesterday she said 'Mommy, when is August going to get here??" I'm trying to strike a balance between getting her prepared for the move and making her anxious about it. Sean is sitting up on his own and has learned (thanks GrandJo!) how to drink from a straw sippy-cup. Life goes forward apace......

Morning, Noon and Night

Yesterday, when she was helping me clean up by recycling Pat's Diet Coke bottles Erin said "Mommy, Daddy drinks this stuff morning, noon and night!" I had to laugh!!

Erin at lake Tillery March 2007

Erin at lake Tillery March 2007
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Saturday we returned to Lake Tillery with the kids and Vivian. It was a beautiful day. We played at the spruced up playground and took a long boat ride on the lake. A good time was had by all. Sean is now using the 'roll across the room' method of locomotion. It's working for him so far. He's still not sleeping through the night, however, and his mommy is getting pretty ready for that day to come. Viv's trip was a great success and Erin finds my makeup routine in the morning sorely lacking after the fun she had with Aunt Vivi!! She'll be a Mary Kay girl, I just know it!!! She has learned to cheer for Barack Obama, which I consider a first step toward political correctness, in the Tedford-Morton sense of the phrase. Now we are just thinking about the fun that the Easter Bunny will bring!

TacoMorton.com and other Erin Stories

Erin has been sick the last few days with a fever but she nevertheless seems to find ways to amuse us. Here are a few of her recent stories.

The other day her grandmother picked her up from daycare after her nap. When asked if she had a good nap she said "No. There was dirt under my cot and I just tossed and turned."

She has recently gotten fascinated with the veins in people's hands, especially GrandJo's. The other day she asked why they were so big, and GrandJo told her that when people got old, the veins got bigger. Erin reached over and said "I need to kiss them." Today she looked at them and when mom told her again about her hands, Erin said "Hands that love children."

And lastly, her nickname for her brother is currently Taco Head, Taco Baby or even TacoMorton.com. Not really sure where that comes from, but it sure is cute.

Oh, and she's also learning Shakespeare. She started with 'Double, Double, Toil and Trouble' which she says with PopPop as they mix up paint. She's also saying "Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo." Can "All the World's a Stage" be far behind???

When The Levee Breaks, Dilly Dilly

Solid Food. Yummy!!!!
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So the other day I had one of those 'how the hell did I get here' moments. I was driving Erin to Grandma Bobbie's and she had a brand new Disney Princesses book from Costco (thanks Grandjo and PopPop!) It was one of those with the push buttons that play songs. On the radio came one of my favorite all-time songs 'When the Levee Breaks' by Led Zeppelin. Which would have been great, except the background noise of her Disney Princess book was playing 'Lavender's Blue Dilly Dilly....' and she was singing along with it. (Don't get me started on why that song was in a Disney Princess book -- it is neither Disney nor Princess related -- my bet is that is not under copyright so they saved on the royalty fee they would have had to pay had they used "Kiss the Girl" my favorite Disney Princess song). Suddenly I realized that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.....Zeppelin vs. Disney Princesses. That is what my life has become. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. And tomorrow, I'm moving all my Zeppelin CDs to the car. You can't start too early on these things, you know.......

Floortime Fun 3/4/2007

More Floortime Fun 3/4/2007
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

So Sean is now the master of the rollover. He's got springs in his belly. Put him down on it, and he's over in a heartbeat. Now if he'll just sleep through the night, we'll be in business. Erin is working up to a full-blown performance of a song called 'Popsicle Toes' that she will only sing for GrandJo in the car on the way home from school, or alone in the livingroom. We heard a bit of it last night (with a show-stopping intro by GrandJo) and she's something else. I, of course, can relate to the stage fright thing as I am the only one in this whole family who hated to be on the stage. Perhaps she got the theatre genes from the rest of you. Check out the flickr site for more photos.

WFU Fight Song

God bless Erin -- she is diligently learning the WFU fight song. It's not easy. For those of you who know it, it has some tongue twisters in it....Red Ruddy Rheinish filled up to the brim...I mean, come on, how's a 3 year old supposed to master that. But, as I type, she is in her room in bed singing it to the best of her ability. The funny thing is that we have this bottle opener that plays the fight song, but at the end instead of saying 'Go Deacs' it says 'Go Deacons.' Proof that it was manufactured in China or someplace where they don't really get it. But as she is sitting in there singing she's saying 'Go Deacons.' Gotta love her enthusiasm. Let's hope she doesn't go to UNC or Duke and waste all this effort. Sean is doing great. Just about rolling over. And smiling and giggling with the best of them.

I Prefer Mozart

So Erin was in a jewelry store with her Grandma Bobbie last week and they were looking at music boxes. She opened one and it began to play "Eidelweis." The woman at the store asked if she had heard that before. She said "Yes, but I prefer Mozart." Are we turning her into a cultural snob?? Perhaps. Time will tell. But as long as she delights in the corruptions of great works of art that her Pop Pop has accumulated over the years, we'll keep her grounded. His latest addition: this Mona Lisa clock (a Christmas present from Bobbie). She has become a cheerleader for her baby brother's small accomplishments. Yesterday as he was laying on our bed he started making a raspberry and she says "good one Sean!!" Always the encouraging one......

Al Gore's Foot Soldiers

There are several ways to send a message. You can be bold and yell from a rooftop. You can be subtle and mention a theory in passing. Or if you really mean business, you can make a motion picture and, in order to reach even more people, organize an army to disseminate its message. This article from Time Magazine makes you want to change careers, no. If only I had a more scientific background and the freedom to travel around the country I'd be one of his foot soldiers!!



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The Tedford-Morton Hat Trick

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Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Does every family have a picture of their child with a strainer on their head? Well, they should. This was the Sunday night activity in our house. Patrick's propensity for dressing up has certainly rubbed off on Erin. Sean doesn't have a choice. Pat calls Sean's hat (a great present from my cousin Dane and his wife Kristen who made it) his moose-hunting hat because if you tie it up on top, it kinda looks like a hunting cap. Go figure.

Saturday at Lake Tillery

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Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Last Saturday the whole village went to see my Aunt Jane and her friend Rae's new lake house at Lake Tillery. Where is Lake Tillery, you may ask. So did we. It is east of Charlotte, just north of the SC border. It is a 16 mile long lake created by dams on the Yadkin-PeeDee river. Anyway -- the house is great, the lake is great and we can't wait for summer to come so we can fish and swim and go out on the boat again. We went out on the boat Saturday but had blankets as it was a bit breezy. One of the blankets was a fleece one of Mona Lisa -- when Erin was asked who it was she said (with a twinkle in her eye) "Frank Lloyd Wright" and then burst out laughing. She's a riot!!!

Erin and Sean Xmas 2006

Erin and Sean Xmas 2006
Originally uploaded by Rosalind Tedford.

Erin and Sean had a great Christmas. Here they are all dressed up on Christmas Eve. Erin stayed in this dress for approximately 8 minutes, so we did good to get a picture at all.