The Great Trip Westward

There is a fairly new term used to make people feel better about not going somewhere for vacation. This term is "staycation." It deserves to stay in quotes because it is otherwise known as "crapcation" or "couchcation" or "ressesication."

While it would have been prudent to save the money, saving the money would have hurt the economy even more than it already is. The three of us flew to Los Angeles, then drove to Ventura (Ryan's birthplace and home of his pop). We went to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Santa Barbara wine country(go Sideways), Santa Monica (go Nathan and Debbie), drove to Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas.

This was one of those kind of road trip vacations you only read about on the T.V. We'll post more videos and pictures soon.

6 Months Have Come and Gone

Emily Jane got lots of shots, both kinds. The shots that hurt and the shots that please. Here are a few for your pleasure.

First Sunday in the Nursery

Another first, the first Sunday Cindy and Ryan have been in church without Emily Jane. Anna, Wes, and Mercer took vigilant care over the toddlers and infants this Sunday, including EJ. Emily Jane only poops once or twice a week. Guess what day she pooped this week? Shabbat Shalom Anna Davis. As you might imagine, these poops are large events. Imagine you are at your local Lucky China Buddha Restaurant, the one with free soft serve ice cream. And when you've picked through your last plate of candy covered fried meat and rice noodle, you go over to the ice cream machine for a chocolate dairy delight. But when you flip the lever back to the off position the chocolate soft serve doesn't stop serving. You start grasping for more tiny bowls and they spill into the floor. You can't get the cones out fast enough. A kid in cutt-offs runs to the rescue and places his jowels under the gushing nozel. This is EJ's bowl movements. Minus the kid in cut-offs.

In your imagination, was the kid's hair uncombed? He was thinking about being a Kung Pow hero, but instead ended up looking like a chocolate crack addict. This will lead to his nickname "Fudgey" which will be the main reason why he gains so much weight in high school and ends up playing the sousaphone his junior and senior year of marching band. But don't worry, he'll meet a nice girl and on thier third date they'll go to Lucky China Buddha Restaraunt where he cleverly retells the story of how he got his nickname. His date will laugh so hard at the telling of his soft serve rescue that a rice noodle will leave its intended southerly course down her esophagus and, instead, take a turn north, ingoring the sign posted on her uvula and head straight through her middle meatus and exit her left nostril. This will gain her the nickname "Noodle-Nose."

Fudgey and Noodle-Nose will go to the same college, a small state school located just north of Pine Mountain and about two hours from home.

At their wedding rehersal, Fudgey's best man will tell the story of the night when Fudgey knew he found the women with whom he'd spend the rest of his life. It will be the story of when they went to Lucky China Buddha Resturant. The wedding party will laugh and laugh, but one lady, the bride's aunt, will only chuckle a little because everytime she see's a soft serve icecream, she'll think back to one sunday when she had to change this baby's diaper.

higher good quality videos on right.

I Don't Want to Go to Sleep

Emily Jane at 5.5 months can roll, push-up, grab her toes, grab just about anything, and has started talking like crazy.  Her newest thing is to eat dinner, get really sleepy, and then pop-up completely awake when we put her in her crib.  Now that she's grown more confident in her singing ability, she's using singing to keep herself awake.  

She's still a little shy around adults, even her parents when it comes to talking.  I ran and got the camera because she was being so loud in her crib.  As I turned the camera on and went into her room, I made a sound and she got quieter.  But this is Emily Jane having been in bed for about 40 minutes.  She doesn't say any words on purpose yet but she say, "la, la, ooooh," "hoo, hoo" and squeel.  

EJ is fitting well into her 6 month clothes and is about to be done with the 3 to 6 month sleepers with footies.  Her mom ordered cloth diapers - the new generation - http://www.bumgenius.com/ 

a friend of ours, Colbey, has used them on all three of her girls.  They work great.  Cindy washes them.  Emily Jane has already gone through 1000 disposable diapers.  We figure we'll need to use each one about 90 times for it to equal the cost of disposables.  But it's worth not filling the landfill.You know what you get when you don't fill a landfill don't you?  Land.  I'm sure the garbage man appreciates it  as well.   EJ goes to daycare part-time this summer.  She'll still use disposables when she's there.

View Emily Jane's complete video library by clicking on the video tab to the right. 

Ej eats for the first time...

Emily Janes goes to her Daddy's Graduation

So yes, it has been some time since we've blogged about EJ.  Spring has sprung quickly like an old screen door.  We got over to Charleston for a few days during Spring Break.  Then Ryan graduated, with parents (grandparents) on hand.  A good time was had by all.  EJ was dedicated May 3, we'll post the video very soon. This week friends and sisters came into town for a graduation and birthday weekend.  Cindy turned 3o something along with Nancy.  Ryan preached at Union Baptist Church in LaGrange (see Barrett's blog to the right).  

Over the past couple weeks EJ has learned how to roll from her back to her belly and do a push up to look around.  She did it on accident first, then three times in a row and now she's a rolly-poley.   Tomorrow she's getting a high chair, because very soon she begins cereal and pureed vegetables.  

Methods Measuring

There are many ways to measure.  Time, distance, weight, mass (which is not the same as weight), volume, brightness (lumens), speed (which is a function of  distance and time) are all measures.  There are also equivalencies.  A 1/3 cup is equal to 5 tablespoons plus one teaspoon.   Sixty-five miles per hour is 104.6 kilometers per hour.  

Is there anything equal to being 4 months old? (tear).  

Probably not (sniff).  E.J. is four months old today.  She has also completed her first week of day care.  Emily Jane did much better than her parents; though her parents are learning.  Four month shots happen on Friday (ouch).  E.J. is talking a lot now, about what, we have no idea.  I'm working on a new video, but our Internet at home is down.  But stay tuned.  

On Friday, along with the shots, we'll learn some new measurements...weight, height (or is it length at this age?).  I only wish they could run a Brix refractometry.  Because if they could, Emily Jane would be off the chart (sniff and tear).