oh fine

i'll show you the stupid picture!

It's not that exciting ... though to give credit, it was taken by a 3-year-old. So the fact that it's in focus and that any part of me in the picture is pretty impressive.

xoxo,
AHC

Park

For the second time this week, Allen has allowed me to take him to the park (he briefly boycotted me in favor of "the girls"). This time I thought to bring the camera (I'm occasionally on top of things).

It was a relatively brief visit (bathroom emergency), but we managed to do a lot anyway ... like throw rocks ...

and swing from the monkey bars ...

and ride on the horse and "motorcycle"

 

The best part about going to the park with Allen is he wants Mommy to do all of these things with him. So I get to be a kid again swinging from monkey bars and bouncing on a horse and a bike (that I'm convinced I will one day break). Allen took a picture of me swinging from the monkey bars, but the adult in my decided that picture didn't need to be posted.

xoxo,

AHC

Haircut

Allen got his hair cut on Saturday ...

 

 

xoxo,

AHC

Ode to Papa

I don't know if ya'll know this, but my dad -- aka Papa -- can be quite hilarious at times. And most of the time it's unintentional. For example ...

I don't remember why, but at some point last Friday night, we all broke into Queen's "We Will Rock You." Except, Papa sang,

"We shall we shall overcome you."

Think he got his songs mixed up ...

And that same evening, he asked us about a wireless commercial he'd seen with,

"a guy in a three piece suit who answers his phone, 'This is Foofa Foof, who's this?' ... Are we supposed to know who that guy is?"

Anyone know the commercial he's referring to?

xoxo,

Allegra

Latest Gem

Last Friday night, Allen marched into the kitchen and announced,

"Somebody is not comfortable with a dinosaur and a cheerio."

Genius. Pure genius.

xoxo,

AHC

P.S. He then proceeded to walk around the kitchen island and regale us with a fifteen-minute story that was mostly nonsense sprinkled with some kids' names from his class.

Play-Doh, Finger Paints, and Underwear

Yesterday I bought Allen Play-Doh, finger paints, and underwear. He loved all three. Here are the highlights:

He put the underwear on his head himself. And asked Daddy to wear a pair too.

Cookies

(Photo: www.marthastewart.com)

Nana made "Grammy's Chocolate Cookies" from Martha Stewart's Cookies book because Allen wanted chocolate cookies.

Allen was so excited to try them. He whined until they were cool enough to eat. I asked if I could try a bite. He looked at me, thought a moment, and said,

"You can lick it."

At least he was (sort of) willing to share.

xoxo,
AHC

Cuteness

Some great quotes from my son, of late ...

After Nana got some yummy chocolates from someone:

"I'll have a taste of your present." (accompanied by a sly grin).

While bathing Allen, and getting ready to wash his (ahem) "privates."

"It's not a private, Mommy, it's just a butt."

Asking me to read a short story called Pierre:

"Can you read Pear-A, Mommy?"

xoxo,
AHC

Old Sheldon Church

On our way home from Middleton Place, we stopped at Old Sheldon Church -- beautiful ruins of Prince William's Parish Church, which have lain in ruin for over 120 years. It was burned down twice ... once in 1779 and again in 1865.

We stayed only a short time, as it was pretty cold, getting dark, and overcast. The best photographs of the ruins are really when the sun is shining, so we didn't spend too much time taking pictures.

Allen showed no respect for the buried there, racing between gravestones, and even standing on one. But after being so good at Middleton Place, could we really blame him for expending some energy at the ruins?

Once again, I'll stop writing and let the pictures take over ...

xoxo,

AHC

Middleton Place

This year, we all decided to take off for my grandmother's and aunt & uncle's visit. And the first thing we did was visit Middleton Place outside of Charleston. It's absolutely gorgeous.

There was lots of historical information (like the owner signed the Declaration of Independence), but what I remember most is that it's like the largest collection of Camellias in the country. Which was great because they were blooming now (in this freezing cold weather we're having). So it made walking around in the cold worth it (well, pretty much).

Rather than bore you with words, I'll let you look at my pictures ...

I've never heard sheep bleating like I heard them here. It was feeding time, and they were sooo noisy. Allen loved it! He kept "baaa-ing" back at them.

The only other thing I have to say -- because the pictures really speak for themselves -- is that Allen was spectacular during our entire visit. He rode in the stroller like a champ, and let everyone hold him during the house tour. I was afraid that he'd be running underneath the ropes and touching antique furniture, but he was very respectful. He was rewarded with butterfly crackers and lots of praise during lunch.

Next up ... Old Sheldon Church.

xoxo,
AHC

I'm Back

So, after a relatively brief absence, I'm  back.
I know you missed me terribly.

As you'll notice, no keys are missing. We got the estimate to fix the computer, and decided it was a better investment to get a new one. So I got a nifty little Gateway. It was super reasonable. And it has Windows 7 and a built-in Webcam (Skype, here I come. Well, once I figure out how to use it).

So, I'm back, and I'm wondering, where have ya'll been. What have you been up to this past week. Did you enjoy some time off? Did you have fun with family and friends? We certainly did. And I'll be posting about it soon.

xoxo,
AHC