Sunday, July 27, 2008

A-Ro and Wall-E


Wall-E, I choke up a little bit just writing that little robot's name. What a magical afternoon! It was two Thursdays ago. After naps (Mommy had one too), we switched out diapers (just-A-Ro's) and were out the door for the late matinee.

We had been talking to Anna Rose about it for a week. We were going to the movies! I'm not sure if she entirely understood. But she did master the word robot pretty early on. And for a day or two it even surmounted A-Ro's perennial favorite word elephant. Even so, I really don't think she knew what she was in for.

It was so new...We show up at this enormous building and talk to this person through this circular strainer thing and he scoots us some rectangular pieces of paper between this glass notch and metal trough. This guy in this flashy maroon vest scoops up a huge bag of popcorn and fills this gigantic soda pop. And we walk finger in hand down this long hall. And the ceiling is so high. And it is all dark. And the screen, it is SO BIG!

And I'm taking pictures the whole time. I take one with Anna Rose getting the stubs back from the ticket-ripper lady. I take a couple in the theater (which I think may be against the law). I would point to Anna Rose and mouth "First Time" to those people who seem like they had a problem with flash photography during movies. It did the trick. We ate popcorn, drank soda pop. The eating and drinking was actually pretty funny because Anna Rose was so riveted the only part of her body that moved was her mouth. It was the most still she has ever been. For real. It was amazing. And she was silent...until the space voyage...the moment when she yelled "What's that?" Everyone turned. I whispered spaceship. She pointed and exclaimed, "STARS!" I said yep. Otherwise, she was mostly quiet. It was awesome. And to top it all off, the movie was great!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Happy Birthday Anna Rose!


Anna Rose turned two years old last week, July 7th to be exact. She ate the crab part of her birthday cake. According to her, the best part were the "eyeballs." To read her reflections on this milestone, please visit Anna Rose's blog ("A Chat with Anna Rose").
(Thanks Cara...Anna Rose, you were really born on the 9th. You're daddy is an idiot.)
...I should have a "Year in Pictures" up soon...

Sunday, July 13, 2008

OBX 2008


The Simpson crew came "our" way and spent the week with us on the beautiful, rugged Outer Banks of North Caronlina. If this place isn't the summer vacation capital of the world, it is one of them. What an atmosphere! A place where literally every person is there to relax and spend time with family.

There were a lot of favorite parts...the general things like water, sand, long meals, playing games...and the specific stuff like getting addicted to Settlers of Catan, Travis and his Suped-up Church Van from Hades (What a Yahoo! Ha! (you had to be there)), and everything Anna Rose.
I've always loved the beach. How I love it more now that I have enjoyed it through Anna Rose! Sand, water, shells, crabs, seagulls, kites - they have all taken on new meanings. And my girl: she was fearless. Not even when a rogue wave slapped us from the hind side and had us both gasping for air. In two minutes, A-Ro was asking for more. Waves, we learned, make her giggle. (All those hours of using the sound machine has paid off!) And when it came to destruction, I couldn't get a sand castle past the first story before she came over with her mini-giant feet to knock it down. But the highlight was really the discovery in it all - how Anna Rose would cry out every time a pelican grazed the waters, or when a crab would poke its eyeballs (her word) out of its hole, or as the water sank her feet into the sand.

Here are a few pics of our crew. Thanks Cara! (Rich, Sue, and a happenin-hat-wearin Evy; A-Ro, Mommy and Daddy; surfer Chad, nuff said; Todd and his trophy wife, Caitlin; the mighty Logsdons, Jeremy, Cara and Evy)