Color me this!

If only I could trust that little Amélie wouldn't want to test her creativity on our boring khaki walls with these cool rings. I like boring khaki walls without crayon scribbles.

spring is here... sort of?!

As I dream of tank tops and sundresses, my "weatherbug" tells me that snow is on the way today. Instead of dwelling on such depressing topics, I will post some adorable Amélie pictures that we took in the sunny house yesterday.

Here is an action shot of our new game, jumping on the sofa:


Another photo of the beautiful girl who holds our heart:

is it spring yet?

After a trip to our coffee shop for breakfast, the local zoo (which was closed-thank goodness Amélie wasn't too disappointed), the humane society, a toy store visit, and then the Mexican grocery store... we decided a rousing bath in bubbles was in order! Yesterday was a fun-filled day, which also included a visit from her buddy Luca (those sweet pics are to come later).

Here Amélie tries to give the bubble a kissy:


I was totally light-headed after filling the room with all of these bubbles!

Thank you Kristen... Kk!

Another post displaying Amélie's supermodel talents, I think there might be trend here...

This is Amélie modeling the most awesome hat ever made! All thanks to my friend Kristen who decided to show off her knitting talents. Let me tell you, it's perfectly made, P-E-R-F-E-C-T down to every last stitch. Amélie says if you need her to model any more of your talents on etsy or something, she is for hire.

<3 Happy V-day! <3

To make this weekend special, Amélie & I spent the day baking yummy treats and we delivered some to our new neighbors who we hope decide to like us! The angel food cake with strawberries & cream was all for daddy... we hope he likes us too!

Even though it's a fakey holiday, it's still a nice reminder to be nice to people you love. Kisses from the babe!

One of My Favorites...

Could she be any sweeter?



For those of you who are wondering, Amélie is now officially "in-training" for her tennis career. We took out the Dora racket last night and she has been sticking her fingers through the strings, smushing it against her face, and jumping on it. We know the killer forehand is just around the corner...

Little A has rhythm...

Thanks to the Dad, we can assume that Amélie is judging her parents poor singing and dance skills due to her innate sense of rhythm. I think an investment in turn tables & microphones might be in order.

This study suggests that newborns can sense a rhythm and know when to expect the next beat.



“I saw this first hand last night with Amélie while she watched the Boss throw down during the [super-bowl] half-time show. The kid has rhythm but still doesn't know how to count to four,” said the Dad. Perhaps, said Dad should make a video of Amélie dancing?

Go Wild!

So, the family went to their first hockey game together last week. All thanks to Uncle Mike & Uncle Matt for the tickets! It was mega-awesome fun... no worries, we didn't let Amélie drive home.

Experiment Day #4

The only reason I ran today was because my coworker Kristen convinced me. Thank you Kk.

Today's run:
2.79 miles / 24:36 minutes

The song today was by Cursive: Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand

Experiment Day #3

I promise I haven't fallen off the wagon, I've had a J-term class the last five days. It sucked and now I've got to write two papers. However, it'll be worth the two credits. I start normal classes on Jan 17th sadly enough... only 1.5 weeks of freedom. Sniff-sniff.

Today: 4.2 miles / 38:50 minutes
Thank goodness at about mile three for:

Of Montreal
We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling

Experiment Day #2

I almost stopped running after 1.5 miles. I think it was because I drank too much coffee today. Whoops.

2.8 miles in 30 minutes

This was the song I searched for on my running playlist at approx 1.80 miles:

My Little Experiment

So, feel free to follow me on this experiment or not... but I've noticed a trend to my workout habits and I'm going to try to keep track of which song gives me strength to finish my workout and on what day; I feel a pattern of slower songs on Monday & Tuesdays and more dancey-dance songs towards the end of the week. Very odd.

Today: Monday (3.5 miles / approx 38 minutes)

This is the song that pulled me through - thank you to Peter, Bjorn & John:



Oooh, and the last few weeks have been major fun! Amélie turned into a mature one-year old who knows how to mimic a horse neigh pretty darn well, if I do say so... and last week was Christmas. What a Christmas it was, Amélie is a lucky, lucky little girl. Check it out:

The First Real Snowfall!

Well, we woke up this morning to see a dusting of snow on the driveway. This is a big reason why I love winter - I just love surprises, even a surprise snow! I am thrilled for the wet sloppy snowfall that causes branches to droop and pants legs to drip.

The last few weeks have been quite uneventful, although Little A has had her first bought of sickness. A gross fever of 102, swollen eyes, and then a funny red rash took the place of the fever almost immediately... good news though, she is a healthy bugger once again. We're hoping those two days strengthened her immune system enough so she doesn't get another bug for the rest of her life!

Here she is just before we were leaving the house the other day. Indie is in the background, very sad & depressed that she isn't getting to come along. All at once now, "Ooooh, poor booboo-baby."

Congrats to the US!

Over 64 million people spoke on Tuesday... and the best part is that they spoke in unison and started the movement that I hope will bring change to American politics.

I'm stoked, excited, thrilled, in awe, shocked, amazed, and proud of my country. I have faith that this will allow my Amélie to grow up in a respectful and thoughtful country.



Via: Delta Niner

Dual Purpose

Ya, ya! Finally ELECTION DAY is here... *pant, pant*

Is anyone else going to be tuned in on CNN watching that silly touch screen action? I'm dying to see blue cover the country, all eyes on Indiana first... then North Carolina & Ohio. Snap. No one best be calling me from 6pm - 9pm as this is my night off from studying to do some major t.v. watching.

Oh yeah, and Amélie had her first Halloween! Wow, she enjoyed herself SO much ooohing and ahhhing at all the kids dressed up that came to the door that she crashed at 10pm and slept until 10am the next morning. That girl played the role of the cutest rat / mouse in all of Minnesota. Daddy & I are so proud.

Now here is proof of the Rat-i-tude that started the night:


Followed by pure entertainment for the whole night:


PLEASE GET OUT & VOTE! BE PART OF HISTORY!

I'm addicted...

Okay, I've heard complaints that I'm blogging about politics. I don't care. It's fun for me and a nice distraction from school-work.

The issue in my mind today is something that Craig warned me of last night, "I don't like it when parents get their kids involved in politics."

Seriously, if you know me - you know that my baby girl is going to be involved in politics. It's a world affair and she is an important element in the world. We cannot do "earmuffs" all night while we watch CNN. Plus, he should've made that demand known prior to the birth of A. Ummm, hello... I've already been singing this around the house.



Thanks to "lowercase tee!"

One week left!!

After a rousing political conversation with the nanny, I mean my dad, this morning... I felt the need to research what exactly those scary union commercials were trying to say by "Franken wants to take away your private vote!"

Btw, a little off topic, I just hate the fact that campaigns have endless money to spend on nasty ads because they neither represent "real choices" nor "real issues." I can't wait for the day when campaigns are publicly funded... those who really care about the issues will hand over their $50 (or whatever is the maximum donation) and the candidate will actually have to do something good like, make an ad that provides their views & stances on issues instead of rip down their opponent.

Yoinks, I am ALL fired up and ready to vote next Tuesday. I cannot wait to make history. Amélie will be so proud of her parents.

Here is a nice description, granted a bit biased in his presentation but he does define the "Employee Free Choice Act" that is the main focus in the Union advertisements. Plus, he provides some history/statistics so you can make the call.

Those Mobster Ads and Why Union Choice Really Matters

...

Don't forget about me!!

I always make excuses as to why I don't blog. Many of my excuses are probably familiar to dedicated readers so I won't even list them off today.

My reason for writing is mostly because I'm procrastinating. I'm hitting the end of my semester and papers are starting to be due, outlines should be written, and exams should be prepared for... ouch. It is also the crispy fall weather that deserves time outside in leaves with dogs and savored as the last moment before winter arrives. It's a good thing that Craig is enjoying it while I'm sitting in the library; "only two more years of this" keeps repeating in my mind.

The hard work is really not that bad, it's enjoyable stuff. I just hope that my little A doesn't blame me when she's 3.5 that I wasn't around during her first couple of years. I know, I know, fat chance...

This was pretty pointless. But I do feel the need to say that I will be available for fun starting the 2nd week of December until the 2nd week of January. If anyone wants to visit, chat, hang out, have dinner, watch tennis (hallelujah the Australia Open in January!), or just be boring together - please please please find me!

I miss my friends.

Here an adorable pic of the A last weekend playing in the leaves (I took a 5 minute break to take pictures of her per Craig's request). Nice, huh?!

An Adventure

I hope you all enjoy seeing Amélie cheer us on... our skydiving adventure was a gift from the Williams for our anniversary.

Thank you tons! It was sooooo much fun that I hope to make it an annual anniversary celebration!

Unfortunately, I cannot post our video to Flickr due to the size.

The Latest Events

Okay, okay, I'm writing. But it's a quick one as the US Open is on tv and Amélie won't stop asking me questions about how to hold a racquet, score, and where to find cute tennis skirts. Sooooo...

Here is the update about August:
1. Amélie & I were baptized and here is proof:


2. The family went to the fair and here is proof:


3. Amélie had formula with her cookies and here is proof:


4. Lastly, I provide much more entertainment for the little munchkin than her daddy and here is proof: