up the mountain

This weekend, Jed visited his grandparents, and took a trip to Virginia to see Ellie and Eli. We had a great time catching up, and Eli's soup was fantastic! It's amazing how much all three "babies" have grown since November! There was a lot more interactive play among them, and when we returned to Grandma's and Grandpa's, Jed regaled his grandparents with tales about "el-le," "e-e," "el-e-a" and other variations on Ellie and Eli.

We headed home today, leaving Grandma to right her house following Hurricane Jed's direct hit.

What's in here, Grandma?

on the way: the view from Newbern, VA

boys in da wagon

crusin in Eli's awesome ride

Ellie and Eli giving shoulder glances

slowly, Sherry is backed into a corner

all three, mostly still

Ellie is a championship hugger!

car wreck

and finally, the famed wagon picture

reading and running

This afternoon, Jed woke up a bit early from his nap. Normally, we'd head to the park, but today's rain kept us inside and left me wondering what to do with him until supper. After we came downstairs, I finished some work in the kitchen and Jed got eerily quiet. (If Jed gets quiet, you should check on him immediately because havoc is brewing.) You can imagine my delight, however, when I peeped around the corner to see this:

Jed's book-time lasted at least thirty minutes, and thanks to the great little guy-on-a-tricycle push toy Dorothy gave Jed when we visited Chapel Hill, we had faster-paced indoor entertainment at the ready!
Jed says, "He's awesome and super-fast!"

Also, Jed's playschool recently featured his wonderful teachers on their blog! Thanks to Jennette and Melanie for giving Jed such a fun place to spread his wings a little bit. It's wonderful to be able to leave him in such competent and caring hands where I know he's having a blast!

chapel hill sojourn

This morning, Jed and I headed "home" to Chapel Hill for a visit with Teddie, Cindy, and Dorothy. We had a great time, although we were sad to miss Ina who had to stay home with a cold. Jed and I devoured Teddie's outstanding lunch of Greek Pastitio, and thanks to the beautiful weather, we also enjoyed a bit of outside-time.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss our Chapel Hill neighbors, even as every day here feels more like home. I'm just glad that Raleigh and Chapel Hill aren't too far apart and that spring will make our colds fewer and our gatherings more frequent.

Jed has a book called I Love You Through and Through, which notes that "I love your top side and your bottom side." I know the Ladies o' Kirkwood feel that way, and the last two pictures prove it.

Cindy caught a great shot of The Big Man.

studying Teddie

trying to get set for a picture

Teddie, Dorothy, and Cindy

and finally, the adoration of the Jedi
top side

and bottom side

counting and eating

With the census takers getting ready to hit the streets, Jed made a count of his own. Is there a tax break for households owning a certain number of cookie cutters?





Then, this morning, after a mere 13.5 hours of sleep, Jed awoke saying "eat" and pointing to his mouth. Grapes and pineapple got the party started.








And finally, today's lunch . . . if you have to take your shirt off at the end of the meal, it was a good meal, indeed.

on the move

I want sugar!
Ok. I'm going to sit down for 7 seconds.

Hey, Jed, where's your tongue (and your drool and your runny nose)?

Wooow!

Gotta go.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

I love you!

chair wars, part 2

First, a look at our side yard this morning:
We had about 3 or 4 inches by late morning, but this was a true eastern Piedmont snow: beautiful fluffy flakes that stuck to the trees and made perfect snowcream and snowballs, but gone by 4 in the afternoon!

Meanwhile, back inside . . .

Jed's chair arrived yesterday.

He seems to love it, and I think he'll get several years of use from it.

But old habits die hard.

reading with Winston

(Yes, we're starting to wade into, literally, the world of regular drinking cups. Please note the wet places on the sofa.)