For your entertainment

Sometimes ya hear things you weren't sure ya wanted to...

(recorded on my cell phone - lost the last part, unfortunately)

I know! And with a big finish, too.

*Working on some photos from Aug and Sept. Should have them up soon, ya'll!

July looked like THIS...

Dragonboat Festival at Lake Phalen, St. Paul, MN

FCC (Families with Children from China) Dragonboat Team.

Stew and I are middle right.

Oar Salute to our fans on shore as we head out to the start point.

Stew is third rower from rear closest to camera.

I'm fourth rower from the front on the other side.

Good start - everyone is pretty much together.

Not bad for one morning of practice!

6th out of 26 - woo hoo!

The Pokorny Family visits our beautiful city.

We missed you, Grandpa and Zach!

Aunt Mary took this cute shot of Helen at Sommerfest outside Orchestra Hall on the plaza.

We'd all just gotten off the trolley that runs between Lakes Harriet and Calhoun. It was a beautiful sunny day, oh and past naptime, perhaps. Hence, the scowl.

Children's Home Society Annual China Reunion

Getting ready to Pin the Tail on the (Year of the) Ox.

Perhaps you remember Molly (in town for the reunion)?

She was our lifeline in China.

Super deluxe double-slide action, zoom!

Hanging around the playground.

(sorry...)

1-2-3 Baby, you and me

I'm working on some photos from the Dragonboat Races a couple of Saturdays ago but until then... Here's some short, but sweet, vids to keep you movin'/ groovin'.

5:00 Dance Party 2009

Shake it, shake it, baby! EWW, EWW!

This is what June looks like

SO happy it's summer!

Fred and John in charge of bedtime.

Not QUITE cowboy boots, but close enough.



Once again...Helen working her look.

Stewart's birthday breakfast at Victor's.


Getting comfy in the Burly for the first time.

Already with the party tricks...

She's a midwesterner now, eh?

Huge Day! Finally able to climb UP the slide.

Thumbkin, Pointer and...Manny?

Singing after lunch today.

(Peace t-shirt - gift from dear friend, Allyson.)

A little April, a little May and a little last night

Our travel group hanging at the Johnson's - MaryEllen, Averie and Helen.

As always, we missed you Texas!

The latest couch photo - Aliyah, MaryEllen, Averie, Helen.

Can you believe how big they're getting?!

For comparison, this was taken last October.

Check here for older group pix.

Girl's got mad climbing skills.

Like her mom, H prefers a cookie to be as big as her head.

MN Zoo, Africa after-hours event.

To say the least, these two kinda like each other.

Wee, wee, wee...all the way HOOOME!

(captured last night)

Iowa, where the tall corn grows

A show of hands, who loves Okoboji?!

We've been Skype-ing with Aunt Missy lately.
Super fun!


Playing outside at Aunt Missy's.
Strawberry Shortcake necklace, complements of the Easter Bunny.


Honestly, Helen had no chance when it came to any Reeses related candy.
A weakness, an obsession of mine. Poor kid!

Practicing "gentle touch" with the cute farm kitties.

A beautiful day...

...to get together...

...on the Pokorny Family farm.

FCC Easter Egg Hunt

Freaked out by the proximity of The Easter Bunny, Helen pauses during the "decorate your bag" portion of the egg hunt.



Egg hiding in the bucket swing - good eye.

New rain boots.

Discussing strategy?

Collecting the loot.

Needing a hair cut.

Finally, the cute outfit from Aunt Missy! (see post re: ice and blood)

Looking a little sad 'cuz she had to stand still. Such a bummer when you're 2!

Right before nap time - "DELICIOUS!"

Sweet dreams

First ever - pig tails.

She's got that grip down really well - it's so sad!

All those wearing their coats backwards may sit right here next to me.

There is a downside to wearing your hood in front when you're swinging.

Helen's super interested in naming her body parts in a very detailed way. So it's not just tummy, foot and ears. It's palm, wrist, ankle, eyebrow, nails, etc. Every day when I put her down for her nap, I rub her tummy as she lays in her crib and we discuss what she's going to dream about. Today, it went something like this:

Me: What good things are you going to dream about?

H: Babies, swing, teeter-totter (her usual list)

Me: What else?

H: Mama, Dada, aHa-Ha (Helen)

Me: That sounds like a really good dream. What else?

H: (raises up her arm and points) ARM PIT!

Me: Arm pit?! Oh dear! Anything else?!

H: (raises up the other arm and points) ARM PIT!

Me: Sounds like you've got your pits covered. Anything else you wanna add to the list?

H: (raises up one of her knees and grabs it from behind) KNEE PIT!

Super Ouch

This week, I was going to post a photo of Helen in an outfit from Aunt Missy. However, it's in the wash now with blood all over it. Yeah. (60+ degrees today, can you believe it? Spring has perhaps sprung and we're so relieved. It was a bleak, snowy, bitterly cold winter, even for MN. Good riddance Snow Miser. Hello Heat Miser, my dear friend. ) Ok, back to the blood. I pulled the car into the garage, got H out of her seat and put her down outside with instructions to head for the door. I turned back to the car to get my diaper bag and as I walked from the garage toward the house, I saw that Helen had wandered into the yard. No big deal, right? Huge sheet of ice where the sun doesn't reach this time of year...she was UP and then she was DOWN. Full-on belly flop, feet up behind her, face planted, bloody nose, crying. No loose teeth but a puffy upper lip and maybe a bruise across her nose - we'll see. The positive spin on this is, if there can be one, she was being adventuresome. For a kid who can be supremely wary, this is progress. Her interest in checking out the spot where we hang the swing was so powerful - more powerful than anything else. So even though it ended with her getting hurt, she's ok and it's good to see her acting like a kid. So that's why there's no picture today of Helen in her cute outfit (will try again another day), but here's a picture of the scene of the accident. Super ouch.

64 degrees, Monday, March 15, 2009

Wait, just a minute - found some cute pix from a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for the dress, Aunt Mary! She loves these rain boots from Paige so much, she wears them around the house.

Is there a future in runway?

Seacrest, out!

Hey Ya Highchair

Did you think I dropped off the radar? Probably, right? I feel like I kind of have. Winter drags on, sleep issues abound for all of us, and it seems like so much around the house and on my to-do list never gets crossed off. Not exactly a revelation, I know, but where does the day, the week, the month go?! Uh, anyway.

I was poking around the iPod looking for some new dance party music the other day and rediscovered Hey Ya, by Outkast (2003). Here's a little taste of the fun we've been having with it. If you haven't heard it in awhile, it doesn't exactly hold up upon first listening. HOWEVER - after a time or two, I guarantee, you'll come around.

Gimme some sugar, I am your neighbor - HA!

shake it like a Polaroid picture

More Chinese New Year - 2009

Not my best effort, background wise, but it shows off the beautiful color of Helen's traditional outfit this year. She looks so grown-up.

Families with Children from China, New Year Celebration.

Meet Helen's favorite, named (my fault) Kitty.

The two of them are joined at the hip these days.

That is one fat cat.

February in MN? Turtlenecks and tights are a must! Next year, I may have to skip the outfit we brought home from China and spring for something quilted online.