Reading with Dad

Note the moving boxes in the background. Packing is much more complicated with a toddler around. As soon as anything goes into a box, it instantly becomes much more interesting than when it was just sitting on a shelf.

Good habits start early

Oral hygiene is fun! from Sally Honeycutt on Vimeo.

I bet our dentist would love this one.

Home owners

We bought a house on Monday!

Scrunchy smile

I eat dolls.

(Alternate title: Aaron tries his hand at food photography.)



We're lucky that (so far, at least) Juniper is an adventuresome and enthusiastic eater. She recently tried dal for the first time and loved it. However, the subtle pronunciation difference between dal (Indian lentil dish) and doll (English toy baby) was completely lost on her. The whole time we were eating dinner, she kept shouting, "I eatin' dolls! I eatin' dolls!"

Happy Birthday, Alondra!

Alondra celebrated a big birthday this weekend: 10! Double digits.


Our gift was a very fancy black feather boa.

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Dedicated

Most Unitarian Universalist congregations (including ours) conduct a child dedication ceremony to welcome children into the church community. It’s a lovely ceremony, the gist of which is to say, “Hello, you’re here, you’re one of us, we love you, and we’re going to look out for you.” At our church, the heart of the ceremony is a gift from the parents to the child. Each family picks out a special gift that in some way represents their hopes, wishes, or blessing for their child.

This Sunday, our church had a child dedication service for Juniper and Violet. Our gift to Juniper was a globe, described below. In addition to the individual child dedications, we also recognized the extended family relationship that has formed between our two families. Aaron and I committed to the joy and responsibility of always being a part of Violet’s life—as mentors, role models, and friends—and Cheryl and Jason made the same commitment to Juniper. Both of these girls are unimaginably lucky to have an extra set of practically parents, and we can’t begin to describe how lucky we are to have Violet (and her parents) as part of our family.

From Juniper’s child dedication service:
Our gift to you is the gift of wonder, represented by this globe. Right now, it’s a fun object that we can use to explore colors and shapes and textures. As you grow up, we will use it to teach you about continents and oceans, places you’ve been, and places you’ve never heard of before. We hope to fill you with curiosity about the world and everything in it. You already know that every single rock or piece of gravel is a little treasure to be explored. Take that sense of wonder and discovery with you as you grow up, look for the unique special thing in every rock, every person, every place—and most of all, in yourself. You won’t be disappointed; when you are looking for wonder, the world will always provide it.

Into the Depths of Disappointment

The scene: two girls in car seats; Juniper is holding a small, white rock.

V: Wanna have it.
A: Juniper has it right now.
V: Have it please?
(pause)
A: Juniper has it right now, Violet.
V: Have it please?
(pause)
A: Violet, Juniper is holding it right now.
V: Take turns?
A: No, Violet, we're not taking turns right now. Juniper's holding it.
(pause)
V: Jun'per wanna trade?
(Violet passes Juniper a binder clip. Juniper briefly considers the binder clip, and then drops it.)
A: I'm sorry Violet, I don't think Juniper wants the binder clip.
(pause)
V: Jun'per just lookin' at it?
A: Yeah, she's just looking at it.
(pause)
V: Jun'per eating it.
A: (looks to make sure) No, Violet, she's not eating it.
(pause)
V: Jun'per dropped it.
A: (looks to make sure) No, Violet, she's still holding it. She didn't drop it.
(pause)
V: Jun'per just lookin' at it.
A: Yeah, she's just looking at it.

(long pause)

In a small, quiet voice:
V: I just lookin' at my pants.

Half Naked Gardener

Juniper has discovered the joy of being shirtless. These days, two of her most common sentences are, "Take the shirt off," and "Wanna be half naked."

Popcorn!

In Juniper's opinion, the best thing about Violet's birthday party was not the cake, but the open bowl of popcorn. Usually, popcorn is a carefully doled out treat, just a few kernels at a time.

Happy Birthday Violet!

In honor of Violet's 2nd birthday, here are a few photos of her looking like a very big girl.

DragonCon

See Zombies from Sally Honeycutt on Vimeo.

For those of you who aren't in Atlanta (or who aren't steeped in nerd culture), DragonCon is the country's largest science-fiction/fantasy convention, held in Atlanta each Labor Day weekend. The annual DragonCon Parade is always a fun event. Peachtree St. is briefly taken over by Hobbits, pirates, Storm Troopers, wizards...and zombies.

(The sound is pretty quiet, so you may need to turn the volume up.)

Cooking

V: We're cookin'!
S: Do you want a spoon?
V: I need a whisk.
(pause)
V: We're cookin' hot things!
S: Do you need an oven mitt?
V: Yeah! (puts on mitt) We're cookin' hot things!
J: Cookin' hot things!
V: (walking up to Sally with tray) I bringin' hot things. I bein' careful.
J: Cookin' hot things!


(We love the fact that the girls have hit the age of pretend!)