New Blog - Virginia Roots

Greetings All! It's with a mixture of sadness and happiness that I tell you about our new blog site, Virgnia Roots. Please visit the new site and add it to your favorites. Just like with this site, you'll see a button in the right panel that you can select and it will be added to your favorites automatically. We'll maintain this blog as an archive for as long as Blogger will let it stand.
Much love and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
The Root Family

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.

Very Sweet

These were taken a couple weeks ago, just minutes before calling her grandma.
Just minutes after getting on the phone, she broke into spontaneous hysterics...welcome to the world of two-year olds, eh?

All American Cutie

As I was getting ready to put this one up, Jen's words were, "They are going to think we feed this child nothing but sugar." Eh... Think what you want. She's a cutie!

And this second photo also shows she can still say "cheese" with ice cream.

Up on the counter again

Boy, do we spoil her or what? This was taken a week or so ago. She was being especially clingy and, surprise - wanting mommy and not daddy. And specifically, she had to have her spot on the counter watching mommy make eggs for breakfast. But isn't she cute?

Hunchback Darling

Thought you would enjoy this - appropriate for the time of year. Jen was talking to her sister Diane the other night while Veronica harassed her daddy with new clothes Diane sent. She brought each article of clothing to daddy to tie around her shoulders like a multilayered cape. Ain't she cute?

I forget what she was in the middle of saying...could have been "cheeze!" or "scarey!" (A lot of things have suddenly become scarey, like camera flashes, scuba divers, screwdrivers, etc.) All you longtime parents out there will be happy to know she has also just started the "I don't like it" stage...regardless of whether she's tasted it yet or not. As long as she stays cute... ug.

We are getting excited about spending Halloween with her. Jen's embarked upon ambitious plans ... she actually found material to make a costume. If you are in the family and know of her costuming experience (something about a Tigger suit), you know this will be fun. It will be even more fun because she's not subjecting her little baby to the costume, she's subjecting her big baby to it. Daddy will be some kind of Frankenstein Sully from Monsters, Inc. ;) We have all the faith in the world that the father-daughter team will be beyond adorable.

Piggies

Mommy took Veronica in the outdoor waterfall steps...she kept crying for "my piggies, my piggies!" Until mommy relented and took her for a stroll down the steps. We are not sure, but we think it was a pretty neat representation of the Trail of Tears - we were a little too distracted to make sure Veronica didn't run off in the water or slip down the steps. Of course, the birthday boy was a bit too busy carting the stroller down the dry steps alongside the water steps and trying to set up for a shot at a decent picture. This one didn't turn out so bad...

It was a beautiful day in the really pretty, charming little city of Chattanooga. (We debated its city status, but with Nathan growing up in Vermont and his experience with Burlington as the state's largest city, it wasn't much of an argument to make Chattanooga a city.) Looks like a great place to visit at greater leisure with family.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Let's see - Nathan almost forgot his own birthday this weekend. He turned 35...not much different than rolling over in bed, maybe just a bit more tired than on days past. We attempted dinner out at Nuevo Laredo - great food but boy was Veronica a pistol. We boxed up the dinner after a couple bites. :)

The real treat was on Sunday when we day tripped to Chattanooga for the acquarium. What a fun time. Here's Veronica in one of the aquariums - this one with some massive King Crabs. Is it wrong to get hungry for seafood at the aquarium?

Cheese!

Would you believe she's actually saying, "cheese!" ?
One of the more recent mornings when she woke up not very happy and quite clingy. She had to take her special seat and watch mommy make breakfast. She's a pistol.

Anyway, come see us soon. If you want to drop a comment to any of these posts, sorry for the "word fill in." Some dufus left an advert for a stupid site on one of the more recent posts.

She's a witch in training, ridin' that broom! Just in time for Halloween!

Warts 'n All

Just to prove to you that daddy isn't overly bashful about his scruffy appearance on the weekends. It's easy when I know where the eyes are really drawn to. There I am with my Montana tee-shirt...I'm actually posting this from my room in Montgomery, Alabama, and getting ready to hop a flight tomorrow to visit Montana for a couple days.

Stickers!

If you can't tell, or haven't noticed, we have been long overdue in updating this site. Seemed at first there was someone's thunder we didn't want to steal...can't remember, cuz soon enough, it no longer felt appropriate to celebrate the wonders of our life in the face of Katrina and Rita and others. It all adds up to sloth and entropy, my twin demons.

Anway, if you didn't know, stickers are in with 2-year olds. We succumbed to no longer using stickers just for potty training rewards...they are useful to fend off the little beast when we need to make dinner, wash dishes, or work in general. That, and they are also preferable to her other addiction of the moment...band-aids (whose idea was it to get her princess band-aids, and pooh band-aids, and blues clues band-aids?). Eesh.

Yep, at least she likes tomatoes. I am just glad she isn't yet associating the tomatoe with the dude from Veggie Tales! She posed well for this shot... very vampire-like.

Happy Birthday Veronica! We love you! 

Yes - we are alive and well and really enjoyed Yellowstone. Here is Veronica putting her piggies in the Yellowstone River. It was cold! I don't think we'll be posting all 100+ pictures, but we sure did see some fantastic sights. 

This is the courtyard at the San Xavier Mission just outside Tucson. Beautiful old mission presently undergoing renovation. It was actually interesting to see the damage caused by the great number of birds over the years that nested in the various Saints and such. Missions are neat though. Let's see - I am home in Georgia now, and Veronica's latest addition to vocabulary is "My"...so it's My Evan this, or My Elmo, My whatever. Cute. :) 

I just got back from Tucson, AZ where I attended the AAMVA Region IV Conference (see www.aamva.org if you don't know what an AAMVA is). Great meeting, beautiful area - it was really nice to see so many old friends I have not seen in years. It's also nice to see such a large gathering of civil servants who actually have a passion about their job and doing things better. Commiseration is always good, but so is problem solving. Anyway - Tucson was a little hot...I guess it got up around 110F each day I was there, but it's a dry heat. :) (It really does make a difference...but so does air conditioning.)

94!

If she won't brag, I'll do it for her - Jen took the GA real estate exam yesterday and scored 94%!Congratulations Jen! I guess that means the pressure is really on now, eh? :) I was invited yesterday evening to dinner with friends here on the project in Helena, MT. We went to dinner at an establishment only accessible by boat - I'll have to update this post later with the name. I want to say Indian something something, but it's not quite sticking. The lake was beautiful and we had it mostly to ourselves because most of the boaters who would have come from Helena were scared off by thunder, lightning, and hail that hit the town as little as a couple hours before we hit the water - zapped the electric a couple times in the office and caused a bunch of us to loose works in progress. We all forgot cameras for the outing though - I guess I'll have to finagle an invite from our host again when I get Julie, Jen and Veronica out next month!

Action shot 1: I forget what she was laughing at, but she just picked up the telltale sounds of a big jumbo from the nearby airforce base. She likes to point out airplanes and birdies as they fly overhead. 

Action shot 2: "Boss! The plane, the plane!" 

Action shot 3: post-airplane sighting.

Mommy is putting Veronica's hair up to prepare her for model action poses. Cookie is very interested in the background. That, or she's really hoping a banana dreamcicle will slip from a pair of little hands. 

Veronica and mommy enjoying banana dreamcicles on a beautifal Marietta father's day weekend. Yes, you can actually tell that the grass is growing out beyond the sod! I understand our nextdoor neighbor's son cut our back lawn for us on Monday...can't wait to see how it looks. :) Actually, by the time I see it again, I won't know the difference...which is probably good...in a way. 

This is Veronica's casual "rock star" look. I think she's waiting for mommy to fetch her water for her. ;)