Happy Birthday, Mommy!

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to YOU,
Happy BIRTHday dear JE-N-N-N(y),
HAPPY BIRTH DAY TO YOU-OOO!

She really did try to sing. I think the first pass, mommy was too busy trying to coax her to talk that she didn't hear Veronica sing to her. Veronica took off with the headset from the office as if she knew she had to wish her mommy a happy birthday. (The parenthetical (y) is for Jen's sisters, who still often lapse into Jennyisms.)

I tried to get video of her dancing with her Aunt Julie's Raggedy Anne to the Cookie Monster singing ,"C is for Cookie." But, just like in nature when you are trying to witness some bizarre blue moon event, she wouldn't do it after I ran to get the camera.

Pardon the mess in the picture. If you haven't heard, we are packing up and heading back to the DC area. This Marietta Roots site will soon become a happy era that we'll be looking back upon with wistfulness, but looking forward to coming as close as we can to finding friends that remind us of the great ones that we have left in Georgia. Of course, we are hoping that our Georgia friends will come visit us. Expect to see all sorts of tourism promos about the benefits of visiting the nation's capital - the free museums of the Smithsonian, the free National Zoo, the Spy Museum, White House, all the monuments of Washington. And of course, the primary attraction for must visitors will be to pay homage to Princess Veronica.

But I digress. Happy Birthday, Jen! Your husband and daughter and dog and cat fall to pieces when you are gone, especially when they try to celebrate your birthday over the phone!

Loot

And here, the results. She took a lot of joy in counting (actually, piling and flinging) her loot on the easy chair, then the couch, then the stairs. I lost track at that point. She was mommy's responsibility by then. I was too busy getting Sully fluff out of my mouth and cooling off from the night's tribulations while wearing a very furry costume that was excellent at retaining body heat.

Trick or Treat!

Okay ... so this is how the night started out. Daddy was the Devil and Veronica was Tigger. We met Evan, Joe, and Sandi, and Ian, Mike, and Amy, to beg for candy door-to-door, using our kids as props. Veronica became a cutie in Tigger clothing (with the Tigger head hanging down the back of her neck) and Daddy became a Monsters, Inc. "Sully" in transition. Unfortunately, we do not yet have photographic evidence of the awesome Sully-suit that Jen got started, though we have been promised from friends who took pictures that night. Stay tuned for updates. (I threatened my mom and dad I wouldn't send pictures of the Sully outfit if they didn't fly out to be with us for Halloween! I swear, I'll get the pictures!) Jen stayed home to throw candy at the kids. I would have been happy to trade places, she may have done better at protecting Veronica from "Spiderman." For the past couple nights, maybe tonight too, Veronica has been having nightmares about Spiderman - one of the neighborhood kids in a Spiderman full body suit that got her freaked out. Of course, if mommy and daddy were both able to be with her to go trick or treating, I'm sure she wouldn't have been afraid at all... (he he)

Her Own Little World, Filled with Candy....and "Choc-O-Late"

Gosh she's cute. Sandi left Evan's treat pail unattended for a second too long (that's Evan behind the paper sack, just to the left of the pail). Veronica's filling it with drool as she contemplates the contents. Of course, you wouldn't know that from looking at the picture. Normal Rockwell could have painted this scene. This taken in the midst of absolute chaos at her daycare, not long after all the wee ones were taken back into the room after their Halloween parade. Most of the kid's mommies and daddies were out in the parking lot, filling their bags with candies...but they didn't come in! More than twenty dressed up howling kiddies, crying for mommy or daddy or both. Ooof. Enough to make the adults cry. Yup, Veronica is good at finding her own little world sometimes.

Now That's Cute

I must say, this is a cute couple. I didn't have to massage this picture at all. I know I'm opinionated, but they are so made for each other. :) Veronica loves pumpkins of all sizes, even the itty bitty ones.

Taunting the Pumpkin

This is a dorky Daddy with a cutie daughter, looking like they are are taunting the poor fat pumpkin soon to be Jack O'Lantern. Veronica LOVES pumpkins. She did last year, she does this year. I forget if she's had pumpkin pie before. Something tells me we are going to have an opportunity to find out if she favors her mommy or daddy...wait a minute...who doesn't like pumpkin pie in these families? Like I said, dorky daddy.

This Pumpkin!

She's been misplacing her cheese a lot lately...saying "cheese" for the camera, that is. She's always making a scrunchy face and looking off away from the camera. Then again, I guess that's what mommy and daddy do when folk try to take their pictures these days. We're getting better, though. She's still awfully cute. She's resting her back on the pumpkin that was destined to be a rockin Jack O'Lantern.

Gittyup and Yee-Haw!

It's official, she's had her first pony ride and daddy's in real trouble now. Jen has been teaching her to beg and plead and burble for a pony. On the way to a store to pick up drinks for my two sweethearts, Veronica pleaded in her most pathetic quibble yet, "Daddy, I want a po-o-o-ny!" Thanks hon, just what I need. ;) Luckily, her Aunt Vickie and cousin Tiffany had given her a "My Little Pony" not long before we took this little day trip. Anyway, she sure was cute. As little as the pony was, I don't think she would have been totally splits on a bigger mule. Her eyes lit up like sprinklers when the pony started to mosey. I guess mommy's did too. Daddy was too busy trying to get in front of them for a decent picture. I'm sure my friends in Montana would love to put her up on a real horse one of these days soon...we'll wait for the weather to warm back up though.

Chickees

These were also from the "petting zoo" in Canton the day before Halloween. Simply put, these were too cute not to print, so you got 'em.

Wassup, Bah-h-h?

This is the part of parenthood that teaches you to appreciate the "hardships" that I grew up with as a thankless welp in what I thought at the time was the backwoods of Vermont with too many stinky animals that had to be fed and watered every freakin' morning at five o'clock. This was Veronica's first "up and close" with a few of the animals her daddy had around...not at Veronica's age, but at an age we're not really looking forward to dealing with...the teenage years! Anyway, I digress. She thought lambs were supposed to be more lively. She wasn't so impressed with this one, though she did enjoy petting and hitting it. This was from the day before Halloween when we took Veronica to a farm out in Canton that had lots of pumpkins. The "petting zoo" and the pony ride were a bonus.

Straight Jacket

This is a picture from our neighborhood halloween party. You may have to click on the picture to see a larger version, but Veronica isn't really in a straight jacket. She was just very intent upon stripping her shirt off in our neighbor's bouncy thingy...where daddy couldn't crawl in and get to her. That's her boyfriend Evan chasising her for me, telling her "Keep you shirt on, 'Ronica!" Yup, kids are cute when they don't know any better. I just hope I can say it's mommy's problem when she gets old enough to know better! ;) (Kidding)

Jen's Pumpkin

For fairness, I did find a picture I took of Jen's pumpkin, it's just not a real good picture. I must have had too much coffee that day so I couldn't hold the camera still long enough to get a crisp picture. If you are wondering, you really need to photograph your Jack O'Lanterns without flash to get the right effect. I suppose you could try to mute the flash with tissue or something, but if you go through that trouble, you may as well set up a tripod or use a timer to keep the camera really still. Anyway, here 'tis, and it doesn't do it justice.

Jack O'Lantern - Happy Halloween

For some reason each year, I have been compelled to snap a picture of my Jack O'Lantern. I am always very impressed with my handiwork - nothing fancy, just your typical fat pumpkin carved with a traditional mean face. This'n was pretty cool because he was prett fat. I regret I was not able to get a good picture of Jen's pumpkin before it weakened from rot and was damaged from a falling pumpkin that rolled off the bale of straw above her Jack O'Lantern and rolled into the front yard. When we got up that morning to see the pumpkin in the yard, we were afraid kids had been messing with the pumpkins, but it turned out to be nothing less than nature herself. Anyway, I hope you like my Jack O'Lantern as much as I did. I'm also happy to tell you that we gave out more candy this year than any other year in my memory...doesn't say much, I know. I'm working dilligently on the remains to save my dear wife from the travesty of having to eat too much of it.