Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 features Barney, a puppy and Cinderella.

Originally, Lauren had planned to dress up Cinderella, and Gracie decided to be Sleeping Beauty.  George's costume was ordered about six months ago (on clearance), and he was happy with being a puppy. 

Lauren was very excited.  We seem to always coordinate our birthday themes with our costumes, and Lauren was very happy to have a Cinderella birthday party and then don her costume for Halloween. 

Gracie, on the other hand, wavered.  She had her Aurora party, but once she saw her Barney costume from last year peaking through the dress up clothes she knew she had to be Barney.  Or, as she said, "I think I need to be Barney again."  I think she enjoys being the crowd favorite.  Besides, out of the hundreds of children at the Fall festival, there are many princesses, but there is only one Barney. 

George did not make it to the festival, as it is really close to his bedtime. 

He dressed up at home, posed for some photos and then got ready for bed. 

I actually think the girls could have joined him.  They had already partied at school during the day.  Their (saintly) teachers dressed them in their costumes, and they trick or treated at school.  They also had a school party at 2pm.  By 4pm, the girls looked exhausted, but they rallied and had a good time trunk-or-treating. 

Unfortunately, we ran out of time and were unable to visit friends in our neighborhood.  We'll get them next year, and maybe William George will be able to keep up by then. 

Happy Halloween from the Lindseys!

Appliance sticker shock

I have spent some considerable time over the last three days shopping for appliances.  The impetus for our shopping is a leaky refrigerator.  We had a problem eight months ago with our refrigerator, and I arranged for a repair in February of 2011.  The exact same problem has returned.  During a "live chat" with the repair folks last Thursday, they verified that their repairs are only under warranty for 90 days.  Luckily for the live chat representative, I was simultaneously feeding William George a bottle, meaning that I only had one free hand with which to type, so s/he was spared the full brunt of my opinion about the 90 day warranty.  I could guarantee a repair with duct tape for 90 days -- seriously.  Ninety days is nothing. 

Having ventured into six stores and researched many options, I have concluded that there is an appliance bubble.  When the salesperson presented me with a refrigerator costing $3,200, I should have explained that we do not have an upcoming segment on MTV Cribs, thankyouverymuch.  And the mid-level model that costs $2,600?  It will need to double as a mode of transportation.  The expenses are simply beyond my comprehension, and the entire process was insulting.  Excessive, over the top options (e.g., appliances with stainless interior as well as exterior and refrigerators with touch screen computers) remind me of the spoof Apple ad... the one where a consumer is bemoaning the lack of design change with the iPhone 4S.  She says, "But how will they know I'm better than they are?" 

We are not looking for a Viking range or a Bertazzoni, and we can do without the stainless interior.  Today I will continue looking for reasonably priced appliances, and I am going to be more pointed with the sales staff.  I will be respectful; I will refrain from asking them if they are "high" when they quote prices.   However, I will remind them that there are starving children in the world, and they should be ashamed of these products.   

Wish me luck.

Birthday update

This update is really late at this point, but here goes. We celebrated Skip's birthday by having dinner with his parents last Sunday night (above), and then we had a family dinner on the 24th. On the morning of Skip's birthday, the girls came down the stairs shouting "happy birthday," and then Lauren said, "Daddy, we didn't get you an iPad because we got you that last year!"

Lauren had not been apprised of this year's gift, or she would have blurted it out in that second. You have to love their commitment to total honesty and their no-secrets policy.

Friday's quote

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."

-Steve Jobs

William George's view

We continue to play with the birthday balloons, the ones that simply will not go away. 

Needless to say, William George does not know what to make of the inflatables and is perplexed as to why a balloon is often tied to his arm. Mostly, he watches the girls very, very closely, following their every move. 

Sometimes, like the below photo indicates, he seems to be willing himself to follow in hot pursuit.

But then he gets distracted by the miracle of helium.

Besides, his sisters always seem to come back to him eventually. 



Kitchen help

All three come with impeccable references.

Alabama v. Tennessee

We went to the Alabama-Tennessee game last weekend.  Although the big rivalry continues to be (and will forever be) Alabama-Auburn, we have been carrying a grudge against Tennessee since they have long been suspected of narc-ing us in the 1990's, resulting in sanctions, loss of scholarships and causing some spectacularly bad seasons for the Tide.  Accordingly, Tennessee received a cold greeting at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

To be fair, a Tennessee fan was sitting with us.  She was charming, lovely and had plenty to cheer about during the first half.

After that tough first half (which I personally attribute to the Tide's LSU prep), they were able to finish with the predicted 30 point advantage.

Richardson = Touchdown, Alabama! In fact, if he were from Alabama (v. Pensacola, Florida), I would argue that they should rename his home town "Touchdown".

With the LSU game looming, my nerves are a little jittery.  Ranked beneath #1 LSU, Alabama becomes the underdog, and we always perform better as the underdog -- particularly at home.  Second, LSU chanting "We Want Bama" after obliterating Auburn is powerful motivation.    Here's to hoping that's enough to overcome the sheer craziness of Les Miles. 

A mini update

I am woefully behind on loading photos, scheduling updates, etc.  Until a miracle occurs (and I am current), I'll share a tidbit from Friday afternoon.  George and I went to school to pick up the girls. 

The weather was  awesome so we decided to play outside for a while.  The girls rode bikes, raked leaves, played with their strollers and rode their scooters.  When it was time to go inside, we formulated our plan for the evening:  ordering pizza and making birthday cards for Skip.  (Skip was flying home from Detroit Friday night, and his birthday was Monday.)  After dinner, we got out the art supplies and made cards. They were so excited, but were willing to wait until Monday to gift the cards.  They promised they could keep the cards a secret.

Skip arrived home as we were wrapping up our pre-bedtime story/song time.  When he entered the room, Lauren said, "Daddy, I made you something, but I can't tell you what it is."

Gracie bolted upright in the bed, saying, "IT'S A CARD, DADDY!!!!  I MADE YOU A CARD!!!!!!!!"

I think we can rule out a career in military intelligence.  Journalism, maybe? 

Children at play

During July and throughout August, George was in big demand to be held.  Now there are often comments about how heavy he is.  They are in for a rude awakening in the months and years to come.

By way of an update on how we roll, here are a few shots of us at play. This post is going to be fragmented, but our play routine is not altogether linear and organic.  Below, Gracie appears agitated because I am taking her picture while she is feeding her baby...  she is "busy," and I was accused of waking her baby.  She doesn't look very happy with me, does she?
 

In another area of our home, George likes the shaker, even if it is pink. 

He played and played with that shaker....

Until this happened (below)...

Once Baby George was indisposed, the girls were free to work on a giant Hello Kitty puzzle with cousin Lexy.  We are all about the Hello Kitty

On tap for this afternoon:  riding bicycles after school.  

Friday's quote

"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We're just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people--as remarkable as the telephone."

-Steve Jobs, 1985

Screaming Yellow Zonker

Meet our new car:  a 2012 yellow Camaro. 

So practical for us!

Actually, this car was Skip's rental recently, but we enjoyed it for the brief amount of time she was ours. 

Portraits, 3 months and five years

Below are George's three month photos (the home version).  We are going to try to venture out for his official photos, as well as the girl's semi-annual photos, in the next couple of days.  The below is in the event that we do not make it and/or there is a lack of cooperation. 

(For the record, George is not wearing a dress; it is a sleep sack from Strasburg.)

George, three months

George has an amazing, ear-to-ear smile that he flashes very regularly.  Unfortunately, the camera tends to earn a serious expression so I have all of these shots of his half-smile.  Better a half smile than a scowl, I suppose.  Also, I had planned for a wardrobe change (mainly because I knew the sleep sack thing was going to leave me vulnerable for heckling), but he was really tired so he turned in for a nap instead. 

Again, it's a sleep sack and not a dress. 

I have finally accepted that our door does not work as a back drop with the lens I use for photos. This realization has come slowly, but I get it now.

Lauren and Grace, five years:

So much better.

Weekend update

After our pumpkin patch adventures Friday, we went to my niece's game Friday night. That sentence makes the sequence of events sound much more tidy than it actually was. Remember, the girls looked like this by Friday afternoon:

Although there is no pictorial evidence, I looked about the same. So when Skip said he thought we might want to take the girls to see Lexy march, I asked him if he was crazy. Because, while we have been wanting to go to one of her games and definitely wanted to see her, we were really wiped out.

As can be the case, a little rest changed our perspective.  We rallied and were very excited to go see Lexy! The band did an awesome job, and the team had several exciting plays. Grammie joined us, and we also got to see my dad and stepmother, too, so it was a great night.   PawPaw and Ms. Eva gave the girls football ribbons.  Although they weren't quite sure what to make of them at first, they quickly realized that ALL the big girls at the game had them, and they quickly embraced the look. 

Baby George is teething, and he was really uncomfortable so we left during the third quarter. 
First, a quick visit with Lexy:

Saturday afternoon, we went to a fall festival at Skip's parents' church.  The girls played so many games that they kind of became compulsive with the prizes, but they had a great time and really loved visiting with all of Gran and Poppa's friends. 

Here is a quick shot of all three pumpkins, each looking in a different direction, of course.  With so much excitement, they weren't sure where to look next!

Sunday, after church, we played outside and enjoyed more amazing weather.  

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Last Friday was our very first school trip, and we went to the pumpkin patch.  We arrived at school, checked in, and then followed the bus to the farm.  Due to the caravan style of travel and the fact that the trip was going to take most of the day, Baby George did not attend. 

The girls started out STRONG.  They were boldly prepared to take on the pumpkin patch.  Gracie, wearing her "Boo!" shirt, was particularly ready to frighten fellow attendees. 

Pumpkin patch, here we come!!!

We arrived and hung out while the buses unloaded, and then everyone prepared for the hay ride.

In no time flat, we were in the field picking out our pumpkins.  After surveying a number of options, they were able to settle on two good picks. 

Then they enjoyed the hay stacks and playing in the hay with all of their friends. 

We checked out the farm animals ("stinky") and made our way over to the pony rides.  Gracie has ridden a pony every single year and at every possible festival and opportunity, but this year she elected to watch.  Lauren saddled up and had a great time. 

After the pony rides, we ate lunch with their class.  If you have not eaten lunch with four K4 classes, I highly recommend it.  I have a new found respect for their K4 teachers, to say the least.  After lunch, we rode the train, and then the class boarded the buses for the return trip to school. 

The girls begged to go to the bounce houses.  I conceded, earning a couple of compliments from Lauren:

"Mommy, you're so beautiful."
"You're the best mom ever!!!"

Funny.

   

We hit the six bounce houses with a vengeance!  They totally owned those bouncers!

I drug them out of the last bounce house approximately 45 minutes later.  They were exhausted, in need of water and asking me to crank up the air conditioning in the car. 

After our arrival home, they slept for two solid hours.  While having a post-nap snack of Goldfish crackers, Lauren asked, "Why are we eating Goldfish crackers for breakfast?"  She was so disoriented she thought it was Saturday morning. 

Pumpkin Patch: 1; Gracie & Lauren:  0