"What's Up?"

Elizabeth was in rare form last week, and here are her latest video impressions. More to follow on how much I love my new camera.

Both of these videos were shot with my new Canon SD 1100. NOT a video camera, it's this teeny little thing that fits in my pocket. OK, so my video camera (also a Canon) would probably be better, but for this ease, who cares? And it's SO CHEAP!!! For what this camera cost, I could have bought 2 of our last teeny camera (and this one has such a better picture, with twice the megapixels). Needless to say, I love this camera, so far my only beef is that to switch between camera/video/playback it's a switch, not a button, so it's not as fast to see your pics (ok, so it's milliseconds, but it takes brainpower to comprehend the switch thing).

The chocolate milk house goes neopolitan

After nearly two years of groaning and moaning about our "chocolate milk house", so coined by Casey, who noted that with the brown roof, brown gutters, brown trim, and brown deck that it looked like someone had dumped a glass of chocolate milk on it.

We solved the roof issue in December with a nice new one with Tamko Mountain Slate shingles, not brown at all. A few weeks ago Phil helped me to start the prep work, and took out some large boxwoods that only served to hide the house. Yesterday, I embarked on painting the expanse of trim that fronts our 60's rancher. So now it's half brown and half a nice shade of french vanilla.

Before:
After:

"My Kid Has Gas"

Go Ahead, Sing it! (to the tune of My Dog Has Fleas)

I was trying to get some video of Elizabeth playing Pat-A-Cake, but when asked to perform, she firmly said "no". So I thought we would play with the ball.

Listen closely as she toots across the room.

June bugs (me).

Just as May was busy, so shall be June. It's the life of academic medicine. The graduating residents finish June 30, the new ones start July 1. And every professional organization seems to feel the need to meet in early June. So herein starts our month.

Jeff took Elizabeth to Ohio that last weekend in May for his friend Will's wedding. He had a guy weekend, while Elizabeth got spoiled by Grammy, Papa, and Auntie Karen.

As I was stuck here at the homestead, I thought I had better be productive. So Phil (Allison's huband) who happens to be very tall, helped me get the front of the house ready for trim paint. Allison, one of our third year residents, was on hospital call, so it worked out all around. Unfortunately, it poured all day Sunday, so I didn't get to sand and paint said trim. So I finished painting Elizabeth's toy box, which was my toy box as a kid. Eventually, it will match her room, complete with little dragon flies. But for now, I'm happy to have the box painted...we'll get to the artsy stuff later.

Later that day, quite by surprise, I got an email that someone wanted to buy our motorcycle. The bike has been for sale for over a year, as we never ride it (baby seats on cruisers are frowned upon). A man from Red Bank came by, liked the bike, and returned an hour later cash in hand. So here are the last pics of our sweet Honda before she rode off into the sunset...driven by someone that's not Jeff.

Then the rat race started...I left for Knoxville on the 4th for the Tennessee Osteopathic Medical Association annual meeting. Initially not looking forward to another weekend away, it was fun to see some old faces, learn some new things, and visit the osteopathic school at Lincoln Memorial University, where we had an entire day of OMT in their new lab. Jeff and Elizabeth joined me Friday afternoon, though with record high temps, it was way to hot to do the hiking we planned on, so we shopped a little at Mast General Store, and enjoyed First Friday in downtown Knoxville, when all the art galleries are open late.

On the way home we stopped at Gander Mtn. and bought our first massive family camping tent for a trip we'll take in August. Jeff set it up in the front yard last week, it's enormous. Big enough for the Pack-n-Play and a nice air mattress. So much for ultralight backpacking.

As you all know, our house is a constant project. If it's not one room it's another. This month it's the hall bath. Anyone who saw it before would understand the dark hideous wallpaper and the 40+ year old vanity. Well, the wallpaper has been gone for a year now, and we finally decided to buy a nice white toilet and replace that old vanity. Easier said than done, with old plumbing, and trying to fit the new vanity into the space left by the old one. But Jeff and the marble guys prevailed for a GORGEOUS result. Makes me want to buy new towels and a new window treatment. Check out the finshed product - nice, huh?


Since he's not working between now and the move to Alaska with Allison in July, Phil saved the day again, by nearly single-handedly busting out our rotted deck, blissfully revealing the not-so-pretty but way better than what was there asphalt topped patio beneath. Though my rose bushes are toast from fatal injuries gained during the project, it's been so worth it. You see, the deck was setting directly on top of the patio. No air flow = rotted wood. Lots of trees = rotted leaves stuck in rotted wood. All that = mucho mosquitoes. All are much better thanks to Phil, Casey, the leaf blower, and the power washer.

Through all this, Elizabeth has been crusing more and more, and getting more and more ornery. Don't think she's going to do ANYTHING she doesn't want to. (Luckily these things are few) She's into using sentences now, and though most of the time she might as well be speaking in Greek, it's fun to finally hear her opinion. (remind me of this in a few years...)

Her newest activity is trying to undo/redo the buckles on her high chair/car seat/etc. Though her gross motor skills leave a little to be desired, she's very intent on those fine motor activities. Lucky for me, she hasn't really figured it out yet.

Last weekend we celebrated with our third year residents at the graduation dinner. Babysitter-less at the last minute, Elizabeth came along and behaved like quite the lady, eating her pasta with a "big fork", and drinking her water with only one big spill. My first class of residents, we will miss them as they head all over creation. Strangely, two of them are going to Alaska. Hmmm. Not my first choice, but apparently it's the place to be these days.

Saturday was also Millie's Birthday Party. Millie is in Elizabeth's class at school, and, for some reason, she absolutely loves Jeff, and runs/crawls to him whenever he comes to get Elizabeth. Should I be jealous?

I really need to update this thing more often. That way it won't take an hour! Time to head off to work.