don't be scary

Although sometimes Eden is scared, making it necessary that we take care of her ...

... other times she protects us.

The other day we were all on the couch watching an episode of Backyardigans - the one called Fairytale Village. In the episode a newspaper delivery boy gets assigned to Fairytale Village. When he gets there he runs into the Big Bad Wolf, a witch, and a giant (of the beanstalk variety). He is scared, of course, even though at the end the characters are just trying to meet him and be nice (by huffing, puffing, and blowing up his flat tire and having him for lunch, but not eating him as he suspects).

While we were watching Eden told us, "Don't worry. Don't be scary." Then she held our hands ... how sweet! She was trying to protect us and make sure we were not scary ... and we played it for all it was worth, too.

football weekend

This past weekend, Eden's CC and Granddaddy came to town for the MS State game. CC came on Thursday and brought Eden to campus for Fall Fest on Friday at lunch. Though not an official part of the festivities, crayons are quite fun (and Ashley has 20 packages in her office for class activities).

We did go outside, listen to Tiger Band, and get some food (Eden ate an orange popcicle in the department kitchen with her shirt off).

And for those of you who have never seen one, here is what a packet of two LSU season tickets looks like.

Lest we not forget who the real Tigers are ...

... and, no, that expression has nothing to do with her outfit - just the first half performance versus Clemson. She bounced back quickly.

While CC and Grandaddy were at the LSU game, we had a picnic on our den floor with hotdogs and a plate full of Auburn football. Eden knows the fight song (we play it on our way to school every morning ... "Tiger music, Daddy!") and says "War Eagle!" She also says "Go man, go. Go man, go." when someone has the ball and is running. I suppose we should work on "Touchdown Auburn. Touchdown Auburn" soon.

magic monster spells & cockroaches

This post could easily be titled "Separation Anxiety Volume 2, Issue 1." Recently it seems Eden has had a hard time saying bye to Ashley in the morning, saying bye to me an hour later when I drop her off at school, and going to bed (primarily because she does not want us to leave). We think it is a function of the following: (a) teething - molars coming in in the back, (b) realizing summer is over, and she won't be spending 24-7 with Ashley, (c) being two-and-a-half, and (d) getting over a cold.

One day last week, we did the following in a 24 hour period:

• we were up from about 2:45 to 4 a.m. dealing with "monsters" in her room ... At one point, Ashley made up a magic spell {Twinkle think, twinkle think. shallakazam, all akazoo, twinkle think, twinkle think, monsters - go - away!!} The next day Ashley bought Eden a spray bottle - at first we filled it with water, but when all the doors in her room and the carpet became soaked, Ashley put a marble in it (it makes noise but does not do permanent damage) -- to spray away the pretend monsters. We told Eden the monsters are pretend so we can make them do whatever we want.
• The next morning, Ashley was chased by a cockroach in the bathroom at work. And not just chased, but followed - every time she would kick it away it came back for more. Maybe it had a question about organizational socialization or non-profit wrongdoing ... it could happen.
• Graham received a phone call from PDO saying Eden had fallen off the slide. Thankfully, they did not call Ashley while she was at work. She was okay ... but the first thing they said was "We looked at her pupils, and each is responding equally." Wow! Ashely would have picked her up immediatly. When I got there she did not even have a scratch (though she told us the story of bumping her head like the five little monkeys who jump on the bed.)
• At breakfast Eden said, "I want you to stay with me all the time every day!" to Ashley as she left for work. That went over like a lead pipe. Good grief! How does she know what Ashley does not want to hear? Smart kid, I suppose.

a quick trip

A few weeks ago, Eden's CC and Grandaddy made a quick trip over ... Eden loves seeing them, even if it is just for a day.

They had a high time at the science museum Mall of Louisiana. As they reported, Eden never even knew you could put money in these rides to make them go. Not sure she would have liked them if they had moved on her, but standing still she played there happily for over 30 minutes.

She also had a grand time just generally hanging out with her CC and Granddaddy. The extra room sleeps two, all family (and friends) are welcome any time!

Genesis family party

The weekend after Labor Day, on Saturday, we had our Sunday School class (Genesis) over to our big back yard for some beach ball and water fun! There were about 30 people (8 families), and our backyard handled it perfectly.

At one point I caught Eden holding the (running) garden hose about 3 inches from her friend's, Tommy's, face. Tommy was just blinking quickly, wiping his face, and spiting water. I asked Eden why she was doing it, and she replied "Cause I want to." "Oh," I said.

For dinner we had BBQ Pork sandwhiches, hotdogs, and a mix of pot luck. Eden's picnic table worked out perfectly for the kiddos ...

 

Eden made lots of new friends ...

... including Grace Asavedo, a nine-year-old with a knack for attending to little kids and a heart of gold.

 

labor day weekend

For labor day weekend we traveled to Mobile - Aunt Sarah was coming to town from New Jersey!

We got in late Friday night, but first thing Saturday morning Eden had to go outside and play with all her toys.

The first place she usually goes is to the swing ...

... followed shortly after by riding her bike (and letting others have a turn).

On Labor Day weekend we also got a vist from Eden's Aunt Whitney, who drove over from Pensacola for the day to read books and spend time with her favorite sister and niece.

On Sunday, we took a trip to the country (really on about 15 minutes from my parents' house) to see Ashley's new place (and her horses).

Eden had fun feeding Lucy and watching Ashley ride her (she wanted nothing to do with getting on that big ol' thing ... can't say I blame her ...)

 

Of course, little girls get hungry too!

We left on Monday - in two cars since Ashley had been in Jackson to visit her grandmother. I drove in front so Eden could see me, and she slept most of the way. Just before we got on the Interstate, I took Eden inside the gas station to walk around. She proceeded to tell me she needed some juice and helped pick out Ashley's M&Ms. She is growing up fast indeed!

"reading" the foot book

Lately, Eden has started asking to read to me at bedtime. I think I had read her The Foot Book a half-dozen times before she basically had it memorized ... take a look - precious!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

easing into the school year

While they were visiting, Momma and Ms. Janet took Eden to the Mall of Louisiana for a super-fun morning. As you can see, they spent time playing at the indoor playground, riding the merry-go-round, and they even ate lunch at Chick-fil-A in the foodcourt.

Despite talking up the merry-go-round and getting all excited about which animal she would ride, Eden decided once she actually got on the ride that she did not want anything to do with the large, moving animals and preferred the stability of the bench. I'm sure it was still fun.


 

I am not sure how well I would have handled the transition back to our regular semester routines had it not been for Momma visiting and spending time with Eden while I went off to work. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about experiencing that stress and could simply leave her to play with her CC. It was a perfect day for Miss Eden. Thank you, Momma!

idea house

The week before the semester started, my mom and Miss Janet came down to Baton Rouge to play with Eden while Graham and I did the-week-before-the-semester meetings and such. On their way down, they took a quick detour to Covington, LA, to see the Southern Living Idea House, and I decided it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So, the three of us met up that Sunday afternoon to tour the home while E and Graham hung out in Baton Rouge.

There were lots of things I liked about the house {as you can see in the photos} and some things that were a little over the top for my taste {like the master bath that felt as big as our living room}. All in all, it was a great afternoon, and I'm so glad I got to go.