Those Curious Georges: 2011

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Crunch crunch

Long, long ago, in what seems to be a galaxy far, far away, it rained in Austin.

And we had grass that was green.

See the green grass? (What's the big deal? Ava asks. It's just grass.)

Then it got really hot (100 degrees and up for 80-something days, as opposed to the average of 12.3 days of 100+ degrees per year). And it stopped raining.

Check this out:

I am extremely grateful that we haven't been impacted by the wildfires, that we are not ranchers or farmers who have lost our cows or crops, that we still have water flowing through our taps when we need it, and that we have air conditioning. However, I do miss our grass.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rose at two months

Last night my sweet sweet baby slept for NINE hours straight. To show her my appreciation, I am going to dedicate this entire post to her. I probably would have done that anyway, but don't tell her that.

For the 3rd time in our lives, Derek and I are entirely smitten with a little baby girl. We almost forget how completely we fall in love with our babies, and how nothing is more wonderful than snuggling that perfect little baby in our arms. There is something so beautiful and divine about a new baby. You look at that sweet face and melt, and then when she begins smiling and responding to you, your heart just oozes with gooey emotions.

We cannot get enough of this girl. Every one of us loves her so much.

Here is a whole slew of pictures from the 2nd month of Rose's life.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Happy Dragon Birthday

Our lovable and mischievous and sweet little Penelope just became our lovable and mischievous and sweet big Penelope (she even speculated that her baby sister might not recognize her after her birthday, because she'd gotten so BIG). We celebrated PJ's 4th birthday last week, which she has been planning for about 9 months. After months of vacillating as to the theme of her birthday party, she finally settled on dragons. So, dragons it was.

We played Pin-the-Fire-on-the-Dragon.

We played Duck-Duck-Dragon.

We read dragon stories (Aren't these girls fabulous. They all sat and listened to me read!)

We made dragon puppets.

We hunted for dragon's gold (not pictured). And when the dragon discovered his gold was missing, he came looking for the adorable little thieves. He soon regretted his ill-fated maneuver. Sweet little 3 and 4 and 6 year olds can be ferocious adversaries when their party favors are at stake (see video).

And of COURSE, we ate dragon cake!

Later, Penelope scored a dragon of her very own from Grandma. It was promptly named "Draggy," and has been close by her side ever since.

Draggy has even proven to be an able and eager opponent for several games of "Tea Party."

All in all, a terrific day to be a dragon! Or to beat up a dragon!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Back to School, Take 2

I don't know if I could produce enough exclamation points and capital letters (without being ridiculous) to fully express Ava's excitement and joy on her first day of first grade. She was all ready to go at 7:15 yesterday, 15 minutes before she had to walk out the door, sitting patiently on the sofa with her backpack loaded:

When I picked her up from school, she was all aglow with happiness and gushed, "Mom! That was SO (!!!) MUCH (!!!) FUN!!!!" And then she continued to rapturously describe her first day, leaving me wondering if her teacher had secretly jetted the whole class to Disneyland.

"I LOVED (!!!) it. It was SO SO SO FUN! I wish I could just stay there ALL day. I wish it lasted FOREVER! I am SO SO EXCITED to go back tomorrow. I’m SO HAPPY that I get to go back AGAIN! I just LOVE it, Mom!!"

And on and on...

Yay for first grade! Yay for a girl who didn't cling or cry or drag on the first day of school! Yay for the happiest first grader I've ever seen!
(Those are my exclamatory statements to commemorate the 1st day of school)

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Our New Doll

The girls are loving the newest addition. She drinks milk, poops and pees, cries, and sleeps. So lifelike! We are all in love with her.

Welcome to the family, Rose Elise!

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Cutest Dad

Cute is the word that the girls have determined describes Derek most perfectly. I'm not sure exactly what cute means to them, but I think it's something along the lines of endearing, fun, cuddly, and loveable.

It would be impossible to overstate how much Ava and PJ adore their dad. When we're not with him, they love to talk about how cute he is, how they love the way he laughs, how they miss him, and how they love him. Here's a conversation I had with PJ yesterday in the car:

PJ: Mom, I like boys who are REALLY cute.
Sandy: Oh yeah? Which boys do you think are really cute?
PJ: Daddy. He is so cute.
Sandy: Any other boys who you think are really cute?
PJ: Granddad. And Mater.

And I am never allowed to criticize Derek to Ava, even though I only do it in jest. Here's a conversation I had with her not long ago:

Sandy: Where is dad? He can be such a stinker.
Ava: He is NOT a stinker. He’s cute! No, really, Mom. Dad is so cute (she’s getting very serious and emphatic now). He is totally cute FOR REAL, to me (again, very serious and sober).

It does not surprise me one bit that the girls are so adoring of their dad. He adores them right back. How many dads would carry his kid through the zoo on a 100 degree day, because she is scared of the sounds the giant tortoises might make...

And how many dads would sit patiently with the mini-princesses, when one of his girls decides she wants to be in on the party, but doesn't want to get too close...

And how many dads would spend their quiet Sunday afternoon free time playing "farm" or "horse show" or paper dolls for hours on end?

He is the best dad ever and deserves all the love that is showered upon him by his two little devotees (soon to be three!). And he is very cute, too.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

How do YOU spend your Sabbath afternoon?

Sadly, I was the only one in the family that was not able to participate in this good, wholesome family fun. Probably not good for the baby. Probably not good for a certain father's back, either. And probably not good for the 3-year old who ended up with a bleeding tongue...But it was sure fun while it lasted. And no permanent damage done.

But I'll be back in business soon enough. Here is our first attempt at serious bed-jumping, at a hotel in Tiberias last summer.