avablog

I <3 U

@}-‘–,–

So yesterday, after dropping Ava off at preschool, I was following behind a car that had two people riding in it. One of them, the passenger, had a very strange sillhouette. His head looked bumpy and huge, and it seemed to be moving around in a very strange manner. Suddenly, there was a flurry of movement, and I realized that a giant, orange-beaked parrot was riding on the man’s shoulders and moving around the back of his neck, hopping everywhere. And, at that point, I had to wonder: “What in the hell is up with that parrothead?!”

We went out for supper this evening with some friends whose daughter was born just a few days before you entered the world. We two mothers were watching you and Nora running around outside Whitey’s–covered in pink, bubble-gum ice cream–and we wondered aloud at how in the world you’d both grown up so fast. We recalled sitting on my friend’s couch, sweaty and anxious, as we nervously nursed our newborns before our first outing to the mall, complete with overstuffed diaper bags and ridiculously cumbersome stroller systems.
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A picture from Ava’s photo shoot at the UIF, courtesy of photographer extraordinaire Jill Tobin.

No economy is fundamentally sound in which a 12 oz. bottle of Bud Light costs $4. Bud Light! I should write my congressperson.

Tonight at supper, Ava was asking me questions about her dad’s “class” in Chicago this week (he’s there for more software training). She wanted to know who would be in his class–and how many chairs would be in the room. I told her it would be men and women, and she said, “Oh.” She sat there for a moment and then said, with delight, “Maybe he’ll meet a girl there and fall in love with her! Then he could bring her home, and I could have two moms!”

Well, girl on film, at least. And, actually, not on film. Eh. No matter. Ava’s coming in to work today to have her picture taken for a publication we’re putting out. She’ll be sharing the spotlight with the inimitable and adorable Arlo. These two should make a cute team. The setup, as I understand it, will involve the two talking to each other over tin can phones. Creative types. What’re you gonna do?
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I’m home with Ava today. Leah says she’s sick. So, in an effort to try to get her back on her feet before a busy weekend, we’re home resting today. After breakfast, the first order of business was painting.

We’ll see if I can get her down for a nap in a bit. I have a pretty good record, but I could still use your positive thoughts. Wish me luck!

Okay, so Ava’s latest imagination game involves her pretending to be a fox named “Foxy” (no jokes, please) who has all kinds of adventures. We play this game for hours. Guess what she wants to be for Halloween? Yep. You guessed it. And guess what doesn’t seem to exist online? Yep, you guessed it.

The only fox costumes for kids that I’ve found through Googling thus far are available only at British online stores, and I can tell you now that Mark won’t want to spend the money to ship that stateside. *sigh* Do any of you have ideas about how to make a cool (yet easy) fox costume for a four-year-old girl? Or do you know of a place that sells fox costumes for kids? I should have been on this months ago, like my friend CM (www.dailymayhem.com) who officially holds the title for “Most Organized Person on Earth”!

You need to read this, too, and then share it with all your friends (and your enemies; keep them closer!):

Barack Obama’s legislative experience.

Link, again, from Denny. I just do what he tells me to!

This is just too interesting to pass up: WSJ/NBC poll results (PDF).

Take a look at page 2 and then ask yourself, “How do the Republicans stand any chance at all in this election?”

Steve Jobs used the following sentence to describe what today?

“You’ll be blown away with how thin it is.”

A: New iPod Nano
B: His ribcage

First correct answer wins a can of Coke.

I watched five minutes of this show once, and it was pretty lame, but then I have a low tolerance for Hummer drivers, in general.

If you used the Internet today, or ever, you should read this (PDF). And if you don’t know who Larry Lessig is, there’s no better time to find out. It’s not too late. He’s not your average over-educated, elitist, liberal, political activist.

Thanks to Denny for the link.

Okay, my fine blog readers (parents or not): Now that fall and new-clothes season is upon us, I’m wondering: What’s a reasonable amount of money to spend on a pair of children’s shoes? And how much does quality matter for our early/young walkers? Are Target shoes fine, or is it better to spend a little more on higher-end children’s footwear? (And don’t worry: You’re not resolving some kind of fight between Mark and me. I’m just curious.)

Seriously. I’d settle for $.50 from every iPod ever sold. There’s no guarantee, of course, that had Kramer raised that initial 60K pounds he would’ve been able to actually market his device at that time. And without iTunes as a front end, it just would’ve been a Zune, anyway. But still…. Ouch.

No new politics posts this week, at least not from me. Besides, it sounds like it’s going to be a while before we hear anything new and/or interesting from Gov. Palin.

Quick restaurant tip for anyone heading to Des Moines: Eat at Sage (dumb site has sound, so adjust accordingly before clicking).

Posting from my iTouch at the Jordan Creek Mall. If only free wireless were this fast everywhere….

On this day, five years ago, my love and I stood under the leaves in Hickory Hill Park with our family and some close friends and pledged our lives to one another. These last five years haven’t all been easy, but I’m glad that we’ve been through them together. Thanks to that sunny, warm, September day, we now have our beautiful girl. I am grateful for all our blessings.

And we’re off to Des Moines to celebrate! Can anyone imagine a more glamorous setting for a wedding-anniversary celebration? LOL!

Oops, out of time. We’re gonna party like it’s 1699.