90 in New England

We went to Massachusetts last week looking for fall, but we just found more summer. It was in the 90's on Tuesday when we visited the Portsmouth Children's Museum in NH. No air conditioning (!), but Delia had fun despite the heat.



Bubbe and Mel had fun, too. Here they are playing "Mind Ball." They both concentrated really hard on this little ball. I didn't see it move, but a house down the street spontaneously combusted.



The three of us got into the train set...literally.



Delia explored her career options at The Kids' Cafe. After serving fake food to fake customers, she decided to stick with her original plan to become either an engineer or a Supreme Court Justice. (By the way, she convinced Daddy to wear an apron, too, but because we love him, that photo will not be published on the Web.)

In the garden

Today we went to the Botanical Gardens to have a picnic with friends. Delia wore herself out running all over the place, but I managed to get a few pictures of her.





Mary Catherine and Delia went fishing.




Nathan tried to push Delia around in his stroller.

I spy on my husband

I can't help it. The baby monitor makes it too easy to eavesdrop on David as he reads Delia her night-night story (he can recite "Good Night Moon" from memory), changes her diaper, or helps her get dressed. They have a great routine together, and I love getting a chance to listen in on it. I took these photos after Delia's bath tonight. Later, I listened through the wall as David read her "Where the Wild Things Are."

Which one of these things is not like the others?

Every TV in the neighborhood was tuned to college football yesterday, but at our house, we were watching the Red Sox teach the Yankees a lesson. We are raising Delia to be a true fan. She claps at all the appropriate moments. Tonight she grabbed Daddy's Braves cap, although Atlanta's season seems to be about done.

News flash

Alert: I am not the technical genius I thought I was. My foray into video hit a snag, but I think it's fixed now (thank you, Michelle). Let me know if you can view the YouTube videos I posted this week by voting in the poll on the edge of the screen.

Next week's poll: Is Rebecca's blog evidence that:
a)she has too much time on her hands
b)she is a ninny
c)all of the above

The sound of independence

Delia has been asserting her independence a lot lately, and it sounds like this: "Ahhhhhhhh." We've hit a whiny stage, but it seems she is saving it just for me. She was in the nursery at temple this morning for two hours. The women there said she had a great time playing with the bunny and the big kids. As soon as she saw me, though, she said, "ahhhhhhhh."

We had a fun playgroup here yesterday, where I learned Delia would climb up onto and down from her rocking horse, so long as I was not in the room to hover over her, terrified she could fall. Is my toddler telling me to back off?

Here are pictures of the happy girl, doing it all by herself.

The night Mama learned about YouTube

David is in Oklahoma and there is nothing on TV, so I spent the evening becoming a technical genius. Look what I can do:



This video is a bit old and a bit inappropriate for young ears, so turn down your volume. Eminem is so bad, but the kids just love him.

I am so vulnerable to a good shoe sale

We bought the cutest shoes on sale a couple of weeks ago. They're called BeSqueaky shoes and Delia loves them. I know I will never lose track of her when she's wearing them. Check it out:

When the rhythm is in you...

...you have to let it out. Delia danced her diaper off before bathtime tonight. Her best moves are running in circles, touching her toes, and waving her hands in the air like she just don't care.

Too tired

Yesterday morning we went to play at the McWane Science Center. Delia and I were both kind of pooped, though, so we didn't stay long. I tried my best to keep her awake until we got home, but no luck. I yelled her name, sang silly songs, but all I got was this little smirk and closed eyes.

Because I am a crazy person...

...I tried to teach Delia to fingerpaint today.



She didn't really get it, but doesn't her "smock" look cute?

Stick out your tongue

Delia can now point to her ears, belly and toes. If you ask where her tongue is, she'll stick it out at you. Apparently, giraffes will do the same if you offer them big pellets of food. We spent Labor Day at the zoo, where Delia fed the giraffes and saw the monkeys. She also rode the train and the Daddy.

Roll Eagle!

College football season started this weekend. David and I have had many discussions about whether our family will join the Auburn or Alabama camps...an important choice that we put off on Saturday by watching Georgia Tech beat the heck out of Notre Dame.

Delia watched the game with her Grandma and Grandpa. During halftime, she showed Grandma how to demolish lego structures. On Sunday morning Delia was pretty tired, so she just read the paper with Grandma and snuggled with Grandpa (notice the elephant in her arms. I swear she said "Roll Tide" a couple of times this weekend.)