Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving

What a wonderful time of year!  We’ve gotten out our sweaters (and Susanna her “jacket dresses”) switched on the heat, and begun to rake and sweep leaves in every spare moment.

Susanna only had school two days this week.  She was excited to stay home and we loved having her.  Scott is finally an employee of Emory University, although he has yet to do an experiment, and is keeping very busy reading and writing.

Poor Scott had to work basically the entire weekend (he carved out time for us on Thursday and the BYU-Utah football game today).  The kids and I thought of him while we played.

Friday was a cold rainy day.  Perfect for going to the zoo, right?  That’s what we did and it was fantastic.  The animals are all out and about (I suppose they are used to dealing with weather).  We  dressed warmly and the kids were enthusiastically interested and delighted with all they saw.  No one else was there; the zoo folks literally locked the entrance gates behind us as we left and I think there were five cars in the parking lot.

Today we went to the Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area.  It was clear but still cold and the trails were just as empty as the zoo.  Susanna did a fantastic job (it was her second hike without assistance) and Andrew loved pointing at the trees and saying “tee!”  He was also excited to get to wear Susanna’s hand-me-down pink bunting.

Susanna playing in our backyard:

Andrew and his “pet rock”:That’s Susanna’s phrase for Andrew’s beloved rock.  He finds it almost every time we go outside and carries it around while he plays.  He often gets it stuck under the stairs in the background and screams for help.  He also likes to kiss it.

A tree from our backyard:

Fall in our backyard (about two weeks ago):

More fall in our backyard (in the form of Pumpkin Doughnuts):

Medlock Bridge in the Chattahoochie River National Recreational Area (or as we locals call it, the Hooch):This was taken with the timer feature on the camera.  I was just about to crouch down next to Susanna and put my arm around her when this was taken.

another pic from the hooch:

A more successful timer photo, also from the hooch:

Update

We’re settling in, Susanna loves preschool, and everyone here is very kind.  I certainly miss the local parks from our old home, but not everywhere can be Seattle.  So far, we love it.

Here are a few photographs of the kids playing in our backyard.

And here are their Halloween costumes (they were Frog and Toad).  That leaf on Susanna’s cheek is actually supposed to be a green frog cheek with wide frog lips.  Andrew is smearing the other cheek with his finger. 

This adorable photograph of Susanna was taken during the parade at church.  It’s really that sweet look of joy that I love.  Okay, so it’s really that wonderful, spririted little girl that I love. 

And here’s Andrew’s solo shot.  Don’t you love the Picasso-esque eye placement on his toad head/hat?

That hat was the bane of my existence in the days coming up to Halloween.  I could not make it work!  Finally, an hour before our first party, I realized everything was coming to a head.  I Scott on the verge of tears, explaining that Andrew’s hat was ridiculous (and besides it didn’t fit), and that everything I did to fix that hat seemed to make it worse.  Meanwhile the kids were trying to kill each other and tear apart our house.  I managed to pull something together and we made it to the party only a half hour late (and with only minor injuries).  Here’s a close-up of the fine workmanship on his final product:

Catching Up

Here’s a quick summary of what the Hales have been doing since we left Seattle.

The big unrecorded event that happened before we left was Susanna’s fourth birthday.  It feels like ages ago.  Susanna chose to have a pink sprinkle doughnut from our favorite doughnut shop instead of a cake (Top Pot Doughnuts).  This has been a difficult move for her—Seattle is the only home she has known—but this little sweetheart has been a real trooper.  From the moment we first mentioned it to her, she courageously embraced the idea of moving and has done a fantastic job of rolling with the punches these past couple of months.

We took our time moving across the country.  Our first stop after leaving home was Boise where some good friends patiently hosted us for a night.  It was fun to see them again, even if we arrived five hours late, covered in vomit, and very hungry.  Our next stop was Salt Lake City.  We did a lot of fun things there—including a spectacular but undocumented trip to Bryce Canyon.  Here’s a photograph of Andrew dancing to campfire songs at Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake City.

After Salt Lake City, we went on to Denver where we stayed a few days with Scott’s sister and her family.  This photograph was taken on a hike somewhere near Boulder, I think.  If you look closely, you can see Andrew’s head above Scott’s left shoulder.

We basically went from Denver to Atlanta as fast as we could.  For us, that meant three days of driving.  We fell into a schedule of eating breakfast and then swimming at the hotel, driving until 12:30 or so Utah time, eating lunch at a park, driving until around 4:00 or so, and then setting up a laptop for a video presentation, and then stopping around 6:00 for dinner.  This photograph was taken at our lunch in Tennessee.

After arriving in Atlanta, we stayed at a hotel for a week while we looked for a place to live.  That was a challenge, but with a lot of help from Disney’s Jungle Book we survived.  Creative Susanna decided to go swimming several times (both in the real pool and on our bed), here she added an additional swimsuit over the regular one made of a grocery bag. 

Our most recent news is that Susanna now goes to school.  She attends a small community preschool about half a mile away.  Again, my little girl has a big transition to make.  Even though she loves it, the unfamiliarity is very anxiety producing and it is incredible to see her trying so hard to be brave in the face of this wonderful new adventure.

Home Sweet Home

We made it.

We survived the long trek east and we’re now residents of Atlanta. Or at least the TownePlace Suites hotel in Atlanta. Here we are at the top of Stone Mountain near Atlanta, and you can see Atlanta (and a man with a fluorescent yellow arm) in the background. Please excuse my crazy hair: Andrew restyled it while he rode to the top on my shoulders.

My Baby is One

Andrew is one! I made him this little onesie that looks much more like a necktie than a “1,” but either way it means he’s growing up.  And he is!  Look at him walk:

To celebrate we made him some ice cream and brownies.  Andrew loved both but went absolutely gaga over the ice cream.  Here’s a photograph of him tucking in; there’s also an ultra-brief video below.

Here are some Andrew-at-one facts:

• says ball “ba,” quack “kack,” and tickle “kikoo”
• walks but is still a crawler
• wants to eat with utensils (scooping the food up himself)
• loves to read
• is getting really heavy
• seems to be dropping his morning nap
• loves to color, and colors on whatever is nearby if he finds something to color with
• loves to point to things
• loves music and always dances when he hears it
• wags his finger at me when he gets near the electrical outlets

It was my birthday this weekend too, so we had a combined party on Saturday.  Scott made a fantastic flourless torte and we took it to Matthew’s Beach for a very fun celebration.

Last I nursed Andrew before bed, and when he finished he tucked his head in the crook of my arm, his face towards mine, let out a little sigh of contentment, and then fell asleep.  It was a sweet moment, one that happens less as he becomes grows out of the baby phase of his life and becomes a little boy.  I stood there and gazed into his sweet little face, remembering all the wonderful moments that led to this wonderful moment, said a silent prayer of gratitude for this boy and this precious time together, and then slipped him into bed.  What joy this little guy has brought us!  We’re all very glad to have him around.

Here is Andrews a year ago (this link, not the video below).

First Campout, First Fish

The campground we planned to use was different than we had envisioned, and it was full anyway.  Our back-up plan campground was closed—washed away by a river diversion.  It was getting a little late for roasting knockwurst and corn on the cob over the fire, so we found a drive-in on the side of the road and had elk burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches instead.  We found two more campgrounds, both full.  So we struck out on our own and found a lovely little spot off of Forest Road 65-something or other.  Perfect.  Perfect for playing in the dirt, for roasting marshmallows, for crying babies, for setting up our new mansion-tent.  Perfect for Andrew’s first camping trip.

 

The next day we set out on a hike to Barclay Lake.  We think we may have been there before, and we didn’t make it to the lake this time.  We told stories and collected rocks until we decided on an alternate turning around point: a beautiful little creek which, lucky for us, had a few trout. Susanna caught her first fish. And her second, which was her first catch without pants on.

It was a refreshing trip full of sunshine, mosquitoes, sweets, and the people I love most.

Update

The big news around here is that Scott has accepted a fellowship position at the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta, Georgia. We’re all very excited. Scott’s excited to work with renown Rafi Ahmad, I’m excited for a new adventure in what everyone says is a fantastic city, Susanna’s excited because Bad Bear (who she claims lives in her room and of whom she is mightily afraid) will no longer be around, and Andrew is always excited.

Other than that, we've been beating the heat with popsicles, fans, beaches, and wading pools and trying to get out on our bikes as much as possible. We also took a family trip to the Ballard Locks and fish ladder, and yesterday I took the kiddos to the zoo.

Here’s a video of yesterday’s trip to the zoo (I finally caught the singing siamangs on camera).

Dancing Drew

I turned on the Chieftains this morning and Andrew went nuts. So I pulled out the camcorder and made this. Unfortunately, I didn't get his initial reaction to the music, but I think I still got some pretty good dancing (and a couple steps!). Enjoy.

FYI: We use our DVD player to play CDs; that's why the action is centered on the television.

America, the Beautiful

“O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain! …O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!”

I love that anthem!  I must have been singing it all weekend because Susanna has been singing it all day today.  Mostly just the tune, but I’m sure the words will creep in little by little.  I started trying to explain to her the freedoms we celebrate on this beautiful summer holiday, but I didn’t get very far before I gave up.  Luckily, we’ll have many more fourths to discuss it).

This year, aside from reading about Lewis and Clark’s expedition west (in Undaunted Courage), we went to a traditional Fourth of July barbecue.  It was fantastic thanks to our foodie friends and their decision to brine the chicken (not to mention their patience with the goat in their backyard who provided the cheese).  We also went for a few bike rides, notable among them was Andrew’s first ride in the trailer, well documented above.  Andrew tolerated it pretty well, and Susanna was ecstatic about it.  She wiggled and squealed the entire time, and in one moment of ecstasy yelled “Look! We’re all connected! well, most of us.” (I was the one not connected)

You’ll notice we’re wearing jackets; in true Seattle form, summer started yesterday.  We plan to be at the beach all week; hope to see you there.