Nothin' But Claire!

"Of course I know Brianna had her own blog post. I just read it. I hope you enjoy mine."



"Grandpa says this wooden toy looks like Chapel Hill's Old Well. But I make a few allowances for his age."

"See, the way they 'splained it to me is, we have a few months to get used to these cooking tools before they let us at the 'gredients."

"If I get any happier, I'll bust!"

"Oh, I see. I won't bust as long as I let the 'happy' out of my mouth. And Mommy, you are a world class dancer!"

Aside: These rattles have been retired and are on their way to The Bargain Box. Jennifer and Amanda shook them and teethed on them endlessly when they were babies. My question is, "Do they still make rattles with PEACE sign handles?"

"Touch my toes? Of course I can. I can even put them in my mouth."

"Change my own diaper? You've got to be kidding!"

"Grandma is waiting for me to become ticklish. Whatever that is. I humor her just like all the big people."

"YES, I asked them to supersize it. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"I LOVE my new laptop computer. I'm not sure I have enough lap for it, though."

"The thing I'm best at is slamming it shut."

"So Grandma, is this what the astronauts feel like when they're weightless?"

"This must be the first time Grandpa's read this book. I could tell him the ending, but I love to see the excitement on his face."

"Okay. Enough is enough. . . SPOILER ALERT. . . the one with the big ears did it."

"Yes, I like my toys. But I LOVE my Grandma and Grandpa!"

Nothin' But Brianna!

FYI to my readers: I am in the process of gently bludgeoning you with baby pictures. After this post will come "Nothin' But Claire" and "Double Barrel Babies." I hope I don't run out of titles or captions! But if you're tired of all my blogs about babies (surely I jest!), the end is in sight. One day you'll drop by this site and find that I'm blogging about TODDLERS! : )

"Okay, Grandpa, that's enough. If that intro bored them as much as it bored me, your readership is in danger of a big drop-off unless you get rolling with the good stuff!"

"Grandpa, if you think it's cute the way I chow down on these bananas, what will you think when Grandma lets 'em slide on the carpet?"


"My latest trick is waving. You should feel really special if I wave at you. Which I am!"

"Hold still, Grandma. I think it's time for me to change your diaper."

"How'd you get so tall?" (Larry the Cucumber is wondering the same thing)

"Daddy, I know I look cool in your hat, but honestly, this thing's as big as a boat! Give me a few years to grow into it."

"Expect the unexpected!"

"This is the way we stretch our arms, stretch our arms, stretch our arms. . . ."

"Hmmm. . . I'm thinking."

"Grandpa, don't think that your leg will keep me from getting what I want."

"See, I told you I'd get it."

"Now the question is, what did I want it for."

"From 'Aunt Liz'. One of my favorite Bible verses. My help cometh from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. And BABIES. And now that I've memorized it I can read it upside down and backwards."

"Let's play Hide-n-Seek. Betcha can't find me."

"Chew a little, slurp a little, pose for a few pictures. A typical day. But what makes it special is having Grandma feeding me while I'm wrapped in the Atlanta Braves blanket Aunt Gail gave me!" (Well, Grandpa lets me use it)

BYE, Y'ALL!

A Granny That's Truly Great

I never got to meet any of my great grandmothers, but I'm very glad that Brianna and Claire have the opportunity to know Judy's mom, Thelma. Not only is she a Great Grandmother; she's also a Granny that's Great! She's loves these grandbabies and they know it.


Brianna: "I tell you what Granny-- you tell me the words I don't know, and I'll tell you the words you don't know. Okay?"

Granny and Claire: Matching outfits AND matching smiles!

Uh oh--Claire knows that's a fake banana. Why's she making like a vampire?!

Claire: "No, I'm not gonna bite you, I just want a taste."

Claire: "Granny, nobody smells and tastes as good as YOU! And here's a kiss just cause you're you."

Claire: "In case you haven't noticed, I love my Granny, and Granny loves ME!"

LOTS MORE BABY PICTURES COMING

UP IN THE NEXT THREE BLOG POSTS!!!!!!

Seniors for Sledding

I thought about "Celebrity Sledding" for my title, but decided "Seniors for Sledding" was more descriptive of my and Judy's efforts. But before I get to the action-packed sledding segment (including VIDEO), here are some new snow shots from our backyard wildlife and Sunday's neighborhood walks.

Note the beautiful Flicker (woodpecker family) who found something to his liking in our dogwood tree.
Just outside our dining room window, this bluejay is thankful for some dietary supplement.

This squirrel has found the seeds I scattered on top of the ice.

In Judy's prayer garden sparrows, cardinals, towhees, and chickadees forage on the ground or eat seeds on the frozen surface of the birdbath.

We dropped in on Ray. His driveway would be rather daunting for a vehicle, but Judy and I negotiated it with nary a fall.

Icy Murdocksville Road would be an awfully tempting sledding venue. . . if not for a bad experience with a Pinehurst policeman a few years ago!

This year, I'm doing my best to behave and act my age. Well. . . you can be the judge of that.

Now, to the sledding. Even with the melting yesterday afternoon, we knew temperatures in the low teens would ensure us a good sledding surface this morning (Monday). So we headed off to nearby Olmsted Village.

An icy path encircles this pine-shaded pond.

Does the picture below conjure up an R.I.P. type memorial for an unfortunate sledder? Hope it's not me, but that UNC jacket looks familiar.

This hill turned out to be a natural for sledding. Enough slope for moderate speeds, not too bumpy, and a half-minute ride that made it worthwhile.

I also experimented with this frozen gutter a la bobsled, but it was nothing to get excited about.

Never fear, I wasn't about to attempt sledding this hill. A few obstacles at the bottom and my brakes aren't very good!

Here's Judy on our "Green Monster" sled. We have several sleds in the garage. And in the future we hope to need them all!

Does this make my feet look big? Well, they are! Ride 'em cowboy!

And NOW, for the exciting videos I promised. . . and remember, this was on a closed course. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt this at home!

First video, Judy. Second video, Ken.