Sylvie the Destroyer

This Big Girl Bed thing has its downsides.  While Syl was supposedly napping she was instead... well, take a look for yourself.

On the upside, this clip gave me my first chance to use a Husker Du tune, since "Dead Set on Destruction" really seemed the only appropriate choice of soundtrack.

Mommy the photographer!

Ahoy!

Candidate for Facebook

Gurgle. Spit.

I was very grateful for all the phone photos Aunt Emily sent me while the girls were in Ohio.  Little did I know that Melissa was all the while snapping away with the point-and-shoot!  She's gotten much better about that.  From the road trip to the amusement park to the zoo to Great Grandma and Grandpa's house to the backyard pool with Aunts Naomi and Emily, Melissa caught it all.

Picnic!

Rocket

Similar tastes

Grandpa Steve!  Giraffe!

Giddap, Aunt Emily

Ruby Tuesday's

I just love this photo

I came home early tonight to join my girls and the O'Learys at the Tuesday night concert in the park.  This week it was "interactive drumming." The concert itself was a let-down, but it was a beautiful evening and the kids had a great time together, as always.  I got quite a few photos and don't have time tonight to go through them, but I knew I wanted to get this one up.  Syl enjoying the concert in the best seat in the house...

Perils of the big girl bed

I was in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee this morning when I heard "Hi Mom!" from the stairs. I expected to see Sylvie in her normal morning state (crazy hair, monkey pjs, sippy cup in hand). Instead, she was almost buck naked--and she would have been totally naked except that she had smeared her strawberry toothpaste all over her body. She told me that she smelled good.

Big Girl Bed!!

My girls are home, and I couldn't be more pleased.  Though oddly, two hours after their arrival the house is every bit as quiet as it's been all week - all three (Mommy, Aunt Emily, and Sylvie) are down for a nap!  I got a huge hug, lots of kisses, and some very nice declarations ("I love you Daddy.  I missed you a lot lot lot.")

Sylvie is enjoying her first nap in her Big Girl Bed.  She was very pleased to see it, as you can tell from the photos and video below.  She loves her Disney Princess sheets, and seems okay with how Dad rearranged her room to accommodate the (BIG) Big Girl Bed.

I'm not 100% sure she's actually napping in there right now... I think I just heard one of her talking babies yapping away in there, and I'm pretty sure they don't do that of their own volition.

A few more photos from Ohio

Sylvie has been going going going, non-stop, since arriving in Ohio last Sunday.  Seems like all the fun is taking a little bit of a toll - she's looking pretty tired in these latest photos, and she's been pooped to the point of incoherence on our nightly computer chats.  A good way to get wiped, though - having too much fun!

In these latest photos she cuddles up to Great Grandma Betty and catches a cat nap on Grandpa Steve's lap (both yesterday), and then pays a visit to Mommy's childhood playground this afternoon.

Gotta say, I'm very ready for my girls to get home the day after tomorrow (though I  have some house cleaning to tend to before they arrive).  A week is a long time without a hug.  I imagine I'll get one or two before Sylvie goes down for the longest nap in  history...

Side note: Am I the only one who is a little startled by how long Syl's legs look in that photo with Grandpa Steve?  The kid is growing!

Big fun in O-hi-o

Aunt Emily continues to be excellent about emailing me phone photos of Sylvie's exploits in Ohio.  Yesterday, the zoo.  Today, a botanical garden with a playground and carousel!  I have the feeling that I'd better get her Big Girl Bed ready for when she gets home - she's going to need it!

Of head-butts, uncle flips and belly drums

Three videos of Aunt Emily and Uncle Zach's morning with Sylvie last Saturday.

First, "Good Morning (Head Butt)," in which Aunt Emily awakens her beloved husband by bludgeoning him in the face with his cute little niece, and then blames the victim...



Second, "Downside Up," in which Uncle Zach is redeemed by his willingness to indulge Sylvie's love of the inverted world...



And finally, "Belly Drum," in which Aunt Emily is redeemed by her willingness to dance to the Belly Drum and spit on Sylvie's tummy.



This may well be the strangest trilogy ever posted on a family blog.

Amusing with amusements (and a crib rant. and video)

Sylvie indulged her love of amusement parks today in Ohio, just a day after hitting the state!  These two photos emailed to me by Aunt Emily, brightening an otherwise run-of-the-mill work day.  I'm told she had a fabulous time, as she always does when rides are involved.

I look forward to hearing all about it, direct from the source, tonight.

MISSING MY GIRLS!!!

In unrelated news, anyone in the viewing audience who might ever ponder the purchase of a "Grow With Me" crib from a company called Young America should think again.  Apparently the company feels no compunction about discontinuing hardware necessary for the aforementioned "growing," such as, for instance, day bed conversion kits.

I kinda needed to rant...  This company is throwing a serious obstacle in the way of completion of the one and only item on the "Honey-Do list" Melissa left me.  And I promised Sylvie a Big Girl Bed, as memorialized in the video below (big points to the first person who can identify the soundtrack, by the way).

Fun with Emily and Zach

I was happy to get a phone call this afternoon letting me know that Melissa, Emily and Syl made it to Ohio with no problems.  Syl was good on the trip, according to her mom, though as usual she didn't eat much on the road.

Sylvie was really happy to get a visit from both Aunt Emily and Uncle Zach, before the former joined her and Mommy on their trip.  Zach drove Emily down from Vermont on Friday night.  They pack a lot of fun into just a few hours on Saturday morning!

Here are some shots - more in the ever-growing July 2010 gallery, by the way.

Little climber

Sylvie also took advantage of a pre-car playground trip yesterday to show Aunt Emily and Uncle Zach her newly-acquired climbing skills.

And of course the "rock wall" wasn't the only thing she climbed.  The Oak Grove playground also features a nice variety of ladders.

Although you cannot tell from these shots, Syl's Aunt and Uncle were always nearby, giving her a spot - which she didn't end up needing.

Little leaper

A few weeks back when the Hamiltons were visiting us, Sylvie watched with profound interest when 6-year-old Boden leapt from the top of her slide onto the floor.  She's only lately worked up the courage to try it herself - now it's her favorite new use for her slide.  Uncle Zach and I caught some action shots.  Note how cleanly she sticks her landings!