Sunday, December 30, 2007

Rick & Carol Celebrate 40 Years!

Two days before Christmas, December 23, 2007, Rick & Carol Amos celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Reid, Elizabeth, Rikki, Doug, and I hosted an open house party in their honor. What a great day that was! We had about 40 people - all told, which was rather amazing being so close to Christmas! Rick's dear friend from junior high on, Jim Biggs, and part of his family (wife and two of his four kids) drove all the way from Pickens. Now THAT is a good friend.


This is Elizabeth with her Great-Great-Uncle Rex Amos!

Elizabeth was an angel. She even greeted a few guests with an extended hand - so very grown up! She sampled a great amount of the food and some of our friendly guests were handed pre-nibbled cheese, cucumbers, etc. She ate what seemed like a pound of cheese...and however much of the pumpkin roll she could reach on the plate. She didn't nap until nearly 4:00 that evening when Grandma was able to get her to sleep, only three hours past her usual nap time.



The Weavers (Gene & Dee) and Jim Biggs chatting with Rick.
And here is a sweet moment of Elizabeth hugging Nana.




Here is a naughty moment of Elizabeth copping a feel of my "girls." Bad girl, BAD!

The photo wreath turned out rather pretty, if I do say so myself!




I am totally loving the photo ornaments that I did! They were a huge hit, too!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Well Said, Hertzel!

From today's Times West Virginian:

25 reasons life is worse in Michigan
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian

MORGANTOWN — I know, we here in West Virginia get offended when outsiders start throwing the stereotypes at us about going barefoot and being uneducated, but we just sort of grin that toothless grin of ours and take it.After all, that does mean there are two things they can’t say to us:

  • If the shoe was on the other foot …
  • What you don’t know can’t hurt you …
You grow a tough skin when all those barbs are being hurled at you, especially when you can’t shoot back at all.

Ah, but now our moment has arrived.

See, Michigan has taken our basketball coach. Michigan has taken our football coach.

It’s time to question how in the world they can see Michigan as being better than West Virginia. In fact, here’s 25 reasons why Rich Rodriguez will find out that the smog is always thicker on the other side of the fence.
  1. He has to root for the Lions, not the Steelers.
  2. Driving in Michigan makes a Morgantown traffic jam look like open road.
  3. The state empties out in the spring as all the snowbirds go to Florida.
  4. Summer runs from June 21 to July 6.
  5. He’s going to have to spend half his coaching time teaching his players how many time outs you get per half. Call that a subtle Chris Webber reference.
  6. He won’t be allowed to change the helmet.
  7. Beating Michigan State isn’t as easy as beating Marshall.
  8. The stadium is called “The Big House,” which sounds like a title to an old James Cagney gangster movie. Seeing it up close and personal you know it should be called “The Big Dump.”
  9. Two state policemen won’t be enough to protect him if he loses to Ohio State.
  10. He won’t be the first Michigan football coach to use a “hurry up” offense. Fielding “Hurry Up” Yost’s Michigan teams played so fast and scored so fast they earned the nickname of “Point A Minute.” In his first season at Michigan, they outscored opponents 555-0 and in his first five seasons under Yost they outscored opponents 2,812 to 42. Try matching that.
  11. He won’t be the first West Virginian to use a “Hurry Up” offense. Yost is a native of Fairview.
  12. It’s hard to find spangled women’s clothes in Michigan’s best shops.
  13. A block M is only a block W knocked upside down.
  14. Does Nike make snowshoes?
  15. How do you tell a team not to celebrate and showboat at a school that produced Desmond Howard and his famous “Heisman Trophy” end zone celebration?
  16. Talk radio is a little rougher on you than Tony Caridi, Greg Hunter and Travis Jones.
  17. No more driving Mercedes-Benz. It’s Ford or General Motors. He’ll just have to settle on a Cadillac.
  18. No one ever wrote a book entitled “303 Reasons Why I Hate West Virginia and You Should, Too” like Paul Finebaum did about Michigan.
  19. The Michigan academia will correct him when he uses his favorite word “irregardless”. What he really means when he says that is “regardless” or “irrespective.”
  20. If he’s smart he won’t recruit Flint, Mich., even though it does produce good athletes. Flint, you see, was rated “the third most dangerous city in the United States in 2006.”
  21. Don’t know where Detroit ranks on that most dangerous list but Bill Simmons of ESPN once wrote that he was glad the Super Bowl was in Detroit because “I always wondered what it would be like to get shot.”
  22. He’ll get to know filmmaker Michael Moore personally.
  23. Some wise guy (that would be me) is going to write the story of his defection through Motown titles. To wit: • Basketball coach John Beilein says goodbye to Rodriguez as he leaves for Michigan: “Someday, We’ll Be Together” (The Supremes) • The rumors begin: “I Heard It On The Grapevine” (Marvin Gaye) • The rumors get louder: “What’s Going On?” (Marvin Gaye) • Rodriguez gets an offer, then talks to WVU officials: “Shop Around” (The Miracles) • West Virginia asks Rodriguez not to leave: “Stop In The Name of Love” (The Supremes) • Rodriguez thinks the offer over as Michigan awaits an answer: “You Keep Me Hanging On” (Diana Ross) • Athletic director Ed Pastilong learns Rodriguez has decided to go to Michigan: “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (Thelma Houston) • Rodriguez tells Michigan he accepts their offer: “Let’s Get It On” (Marvin Gaye) • Michigan says fine, but you have to beat Ohio State: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Diana Ross) • Ed Pastilong laments: “Where Did Our Love Go?” (The Supremes) • Rodriguez flies to Michigan: “End of the Line” (Boyz II Men) • And then the final chapter, Rodriguez loses to Ohio State and has to catch “The Midnight Train to Georgia” (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
  24. There will be no statue of him built outside Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.
  25. He’ll never get to play Pitt again.

I Missed You!

What a nice way to be greeted when coming to pick up Elizabeth!

Yesterday evening when I arrived at Nana & Papa's home to get Elizabeth she jumped down and yelled, "Mommy, I missed you!" and ran over to me in the doorway and hugged onto my leg.

It melted my little heart! (Maybe I'm not done buying for her this Christmas...)

Monday, December 17, 2007

About as classy as the wife

If you can believe what you read, (at least the nations #1, Terrelle Pryor, is reporting this that) recruits found out that Coach Rod was headed to the University of Michigan before he told the Mountaineers. That seems to me as if Coach Rod was taking a play straight out of the leopard-print-loving wife, Rita's, handbook on how to be a class act.

I also appreciated this quote from WV's governor, Joe Manchin (taken from Yahoo! news article by Larry Lage, AP):

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin blamed the involvement of what he termed "high-priced agents" in college sports.

"I have known Rich for most of his life, from a boy whose only wish was to play football at WVU to a young man whose only wish was to coach at WVU," Manchin said in a statement. "Something is wrong with the profession of college coaching today when a leader's word is no longer his bond."

Way to go, Joe!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

E's funnies

On Tuesday evening, Reid and Chuck were doing the prep-work to install the tub surround in our bathroom (YEA!), so it was just Elizabeth, Kennedy, and me hanging out in the living room.

I smelled a peculiar odor and asked E if she pooped. "Nope," she said - her typical reply. About a minute later, she pulled the back of my jeans with her index finger and looked in that region and said, "You pooped." I get that she has picked this up from me, among others...and I pray this is one of the few lovelies that she picked up from her Mama (but I'm not holding my breath.)

Later that evening (when both of our backsides were clean as a whistle), she scooted HER rocking chair (which before that, despite Anne's attempts at thievery, was MY rocking chair, and before that was PAPI's rocking chair) right in front of the tree - nearly touching the branches. She was admiring several of the ornaments. After about 5 minutes of her rocking in her chair looking at the ornaments she said, "Tree, I watching you." Made me giggle.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Mounties...

To quote my daughter, "No! No! No! No - dammit!"

Alright, she didn't say this about the Mountaineers play (or lack thereof) on Saturday night. She said this to her Nana when she was getting her clothes changed.

But it still pretty much sums up how I feel about the situation.

Friday, November 30, 2007

In Honor of 100 Years of Hating Pitt - a sweet Mountaineer tale...

T'was the night before Pittsburgh, when all through my mind,
Were visions of couch burnings, both yours and mine.
Firemen were resting and acting quite lazy,
But they knew that things were about to get crazy.

The players were nestled, Markell did his dreds,
While visions of Bourbon Street danced in their heads.
There were Quinton's gold teeth, Larry's son in his lap,
While the quarterback made noises to sound like a cat.

When down in the end zone there arose such a noise,
They sprang from their homes and called all their boys.
To the field they flew, fast as Devine,
Making sure to pick up the offensive line.

The invaders had arrived at the stadium early,
These Panthers were looking noticeably surly.
There was a point to this late-night trip through the hills,
They were out on the field doing defensive drills.

With a dapper old coach who combed his mustache,
You knew in a moment it must be Wannstedt.
He'd made his name as a defensive master,
And he whistled and shouted for them to run faster!

"Watch Slaton! Watch Schmitt! Watch Reynaud and White!
Watch option! Watch bubble! Could be a rough night!
Let's stand at the goal line and build a big wall,
And keep them from their shot to play for it all!"

As they began to believe his bold rally cry,
There was a flash and a pop up high in the sky.
They reacted the same, with a quick double take,
What they saw made them stop in their cleats and quake.

On the top of the stadium a man made his stand,
As he calmly adjusted his Nike wristbands.
He said "My name's Rich, as you surely know,"
Then ran down the bleachers with Mountaineers in tow.

They were dressed all in gold, from their heads to their feet,
And they looked like they'd win a 12-team track meet.
A bundle of plays he had in his book,
And there was no mistaking that confident look.

Pitt's eyes, how they widened!
Their hearts, how they pounded!
All for the biggest game since this brawl was founded.
One side had momentum, the other desperation,
This battle wouldn't wait for the eyes of the nation!

Caridi was roused from a much-needed sleep,
So were Hickman and Hertzel, the last with a bleep.
They brought their pens, paper and elaborate prose,
To witness this battle of bitter old foes.

It was dark and cold, your breath you could see,
But that didn't stop the kickoff of Pat McAfee.
The tackle, of course, came from an old Hawk named Emery,
And so started this game that would soon be a memory.

They spoke so few words as they went to work,
But score after score drove the visitors berserk.
The Mountaineers rolled, as was expected,
While the Panthers backed off, clearly dejected.

There was a Gatorade shower that gave poor Rich shivers,
While no one seemed happier than one Vaughn Rivers.
They exclaimed after singing about Almost Heaven,
"Well see you in New Orleans on January 7."

Oh please, oh please, oh please let that last line ring true!
Let's Gooooooo Mountaineers!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Extreme Home Makeover in our neck of the woods

That's right, cutie Ty Pennington is in West (by God) Virginia...and oh so close to me in Fairmont. You can check out the local website regarding the construction of an Extreme Home Makeovers home in Fairmont here: http://www.wvextremehomes.com/index.htm

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Wild Turkey

With the shopping season among us, it is about time I got around to posting about Thanksgiving! We had a great, albeit too brief, visit with my family in Webster Springs. Caylin's birthday (6th) was the day before Thanksgiving and Aunt Cathy's (had you sweatting bullets on that one CaCa!) on Thanksgiving Day...too much good food, and plenty of cake icing - yum!

Caylin is sooooo good to share with Elizabeth - we had much reason for concern with this prior to E's arrival as Caylin didn't want a baby cousin. She gave Elizabeth a pair of light-up Cinderella shoes (aka "hooker shoes" - since there is not only bling, but feathers and a heel!) that she has outgrown and drove E on goodness only knows how many trips around Cathy's house.

Anne & I had the brilliant idea of getting Elizabeth & Alex all dressed up in their Christmas outfits to get some pictures for our Christmas cards. It's truly amazing how uncooperative a 22-month old and 6-month old (just about) can be when their anal-retentive mothers hatch a plan. At least we had a good laugh about it.

Reid, Elizabeth, and I surprised the Amoses arriving a little earlier than what I think they were expecting us to on Friday evening. Rikki was already working on the tree, and Elizabeth really enjoyed looking at all of the ornaments - plenty of breakables on Nana & Papa's tree! As always, we enjoyed getting to see Rikki & Doug...



(Pictures of Elizabeth "I jumping. I jumping.", giving Alex a hug, and then having him in a headlock - Sweet!)

And we're now off to the races with the Christmas shopping! I have wrapped a few packages (I know...buzz off - my tree isn't up yet!) and we'll see how well Elizabeth can behave around these temptations. She can tell you what Santa says, "Ho Ho!" Now we'll have to see if I can get her on Santa's lap for a photo again this year (not holding my breath!)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

New Book to Read - WV Author!!!

Yesterday's Charleston Daily Mail had a nice feature about a couple & their hurdle into marriage - which has been captured in a new book, Life with "Father" One man's journey into light...and love, written by Jacquie Switzer. You can get your very own copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.

Here's the feature story from the Daily Mail if you aren't able to access it for yourself (I'll spare my friend & Student Council buddy, Richard, from posting the pictures that ran with the story, you'll have to go to the article to see those for yourself):

What do you want me to say — ‘I love you, Father?’
by Brad McElhinny
Daily Mail staff

Spectacular news brought a tangle of complications.

Roger Switzer pulled aside a young woman, Jacquie Terhaar, and said, "I think I'm in love with you."

At first, she was speechless.

Roger Switzer was a Catholic priest.

Finally, Jacquie spoke.

"What do you want me to say -- ‘I love you, Father?' "

He said, "Well, do you?"

"Yes," she replied.

Their exchange in the conference room of a summer camp for the Catholic Youth Organization of Rochester, N.Y., kicked off a year of internal, professional and religious struggle -- and then 24 years of marriage.

Every love story has complications. Because Roger's professional and spiritual calling ruled out marriage, theirs had more than most.

Father Switzer had to ask himself a lot of questions: What is right with the church? What is right with my relationship with this woman? How do you reconcile your love of a woman with your love of God?

Jacquie Switzer, now an assistant principal at Hayes Middle School in St. Albans, has written about the difficult choices in a new, self-published book "Life With ‘Father:' One Man's Journey Into Light . . . And Love." The 132-page memoir is available through outlets such as Amazon.com and Borders. Switzer published the book with the help of a company called AuthorHouse.

Back in 1965, the couple dared not breathe a word to anyone -- much less publish a book.
At that moment in the conference room, they shared a hug.

"Then we went into kind of a robotic state," Jacquie said. "We had to carry on the business of the camp."

Their love had built quietly.

Roger, 32, had been ordained as a Catholic priest in 1959, had worked as an assistant pastor at St. Mary's Parish in Horseheads, N.Y., and then was transferred in 1964 to become director for the Catholic Youth Organization. All signs pointed to a life in the priesthood.

Jacquie, 24, was a Latin teacher at Our Lady of Mercy High School, her own alma mater in Rochester. She accepted a summer job as director of nearby Camp Stella Morris, which was run by the Catholic Youth Organization.

And that was how she first got to know Roger -- from across a desk.

"You felt like you knew him so long, having just met. He was down to earth. He had a great sense of humor, a genuine love of people. It all came out in a very simple way. He would look nice but was never overly concerned with worldly things. You immediately felt like he liked you."

Initially, it was all business. Jacquie took the camp job in the fall, received a business letter from Roger in March, visited briefly in April to discuss progress in preparing for the summer and then showed up for her job as the summer began.

At the camp, she and Roger would have informal managerial meetings. They would share a coffee and talk casually.

"That essentially was our dating time or getting to know one another time," she said. "It was just this relating."

Once, when a chaplain -- who was a mutual friend -- came to visit the camp, he commented, "You have to be careful. Jacquie is the kind of person that you could fall in love with."
Roger thought: "Too late; already have."

The first people Jacquie and Roger told were her mother and father. They met at her parents' cottage not far from the camp. The couple explained that they were in love, that they planned to get married -- and that there was just one hangup.

Her father commented, "Yep, you do have a problem."

And then, as the summer camp came to a close, Roger returned to his organization's headquarters in Washington, D.C., while Jacquie returned to her teaching job at Our Lady of Mercy.

Their courting continued through the U.S. mail. In a series of letters to Jacquie, Roger described his conflict over how to move forward, his initial hope that the Catholic Church might change its policy on the celibacy of priests and his revelations, first to close friends and then to church hierarchy, about his dilemma.

Excerpts from the letters form the heart of Jacquie's book. She was inspired to write the book a couple of years ago after digging out the letters and reading them a day at a time, in the order that they had originally arrived.

"I saw this stream of a struggle, an anguish over this decision," said Jacquie, who is now 65. "I thought this would be a great story."

Roger spent about a year trying to untangle the situation. He still hoped to somehow stay in the priesthood while also marrying.

"There is no doubt in my mind my love for you," he told Jacquie. "Now the question is what do I need to do."

Friends in the church intervened on his behalf, asking the hierarchy what could be done. Roger met with a Cardinal in Baltimore to discuss the matter, but it was discouraging. He read books like, "Priestly Celibacy and Maturity."

For Jacquie, the situation was simpler. While Roger struggled over his decision, she just had to wait for him to make it.

She told him, "I don't want you to come back and say 10 years from now, ‘You made me leave the priesthood.' "

As the months passed, there was little progress to allow Roger to have life both ways. Finally, word came from the church: We have done everything we can. If you have made your decision, you have done everything you can. You need to leave.

"Roger was essentially fired," Jacquie said.

He still boldly predicted that within 10 years, the church would reverse its policy on priestly celibacy.

The couple married Sept. 3, 1966, in a private ceremony at her parents' house. Twelve people attended.

A friend from graduate school helped Roger find a new job in West Virginia. The Switzers moved to Charleston, where he became the director for Family Service of West Virginia. In later years, he worked as executive director of the Community Council of the Kanawha Valley and then was the director of the Charleston Housing Authority for 19 years.

The couple had six children -- Andrew, Michael, Anne Marie, David, John and Richard. The boys were all named for priests who had helped them through their ordeal.

Roger and Jacquie never regretted the difficult decision they had made.

"To me, it's awesome you can participate in the creation of a human being, and the commitment of yourself body and soul to another human being is awesome," Jacquie said.

"It's a gift from God -- the participation of human beings in the creation of individuals."

The family remained Catholic. They attended St. Agnes in Kanawha City, Sacred Heart in Charleston and Blessed Sacrament in South Charleston, largely depending on where in the Kanawha Valley they happened to live at the time. Roger didn't tell his fellow parishioners about his time as a priest unless they happened to ask.

Even as he moved on with his life, Roger had remaining issues with the church. He never received a response from his petition for a dispensation from his vow of celibacy. He also wanted his marriage to be regularized. He hoped to be assured of a Christian burial, and felt there was no guarantee given the strife the family had been through.

He did not receive a written response, but he did get an answer.

In 1990, Roger was diagnosed with colon cancer. Treatment provided no cure. He resigned from his job at the housing authority in September and died in late November. He was 57.

His worries about how he and his family would be buried were put to rest. He had a Catholic service at St. Patrick's Cemetery. The eulogy was given by a friend who had been with the couple when they first decided to wed. He, too, had left the priesthood to marry.

To Jacquie, the funeral was a sign of how far people had come. Although the church still had not changed its policies, people had become far more accepting. It was a stark contrast from the secret they had to keep when they first confessed their love for each other.

In the limousine on the way to the service for the former priest Jacquie commented to her six children, "Here we are headed to St. Patrick's Cemetery, and nobody really cares."

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Nuts & Bolts...WVU gets...

I couldn't have said this better (nor am I actually capable...as I do not have the time or the resources...or the sports writing skill set.)

An excellent read from Dave Hickman appeared in today's Charleston Gazette newspaper:


Breaking down the BCS mess
By Dave HickmanStaff writer

MORGANTOWN — We pause from our regularly scheduled West Virginia-Louisville coverage to take yet another shot at the Bowl Championship Series, which is admittedly the best thing that has ever happened to the process of crowning a national champion. But that’s kind of like saying that a chocolate covering is the best thing that ever happened to raisins.

Not to anger the raisin lobby or anything, but isn’t that just making something that tastes bland a little bit better?

The point to be made today about the BCS is this: West Virginia has realistically — but not completely — lost its chance to play for the national championship for a variety of reasons we will now enumerate.

If you agree that any, except the first, should have even an iota of bearing upon who eventually does wind up in the title game, you are either a college president (the ones who steadfastly resist a playoff structure) or a sports columnist or talk show host (the ones who thrive by talking about the lunacy of the system).

At any rate, the reasons:

  • West Virginia lost to South Florida. This is the one that supersedes all others as far as logic is concerned and is the reason that, no matter what else happens, any complaints on behalf of the Mountaineers will be greeted as sour grapes. It’s simple, folks. Win. Win them all. That might not guarantee Hawaii or Kansas a spot in the title game, but if West Virginia had won them all, the Mountaineers would be No. 1 right now. Period. They didn’t and they aren’t. Deal with it.
  • Kansas hung 76 points Saturday on a Nebraska team that might give up 76 to Temple. Keep that in mind, because it’s merely the latest in a recurring trend. As is this: Last week, Kansas was ranked behind West Virginia. The Mountaineers didn’t play. Kansas scored a billion points. Now Kansas is ranked ahead of West Virginia.
  • Oklahoma pounded a bad Miami team 51-13 on Sept. 8, a week after putting 79 on North Texas and right before scoring 54 against Utah State and 62 against Tulsa. The Sooners were ranked five spots behind WVU in the preseason Associated Press poll, two spots back after North Texas and one spot ahead after Miami. By the way, North Texas is 1-7 now, Miami is 5-4, Utah State is 0-9 and Tulsa is 6-3.
  • Florida jumped over West Virginia when it scored 59 against Tennessee on Sept. 15. WVU beat Maryland easily that week, on Thursday, but it had been all but forgotten by the time the polls came out. Two weeks later, the Gators began a string of three losses in four games.
  • West Virginia dropped from No. 5 to No. 13 after the loss on the road at South Florida, a team that two weeks later would be ranked No. 2. Boston College, by contrast, dropped from second to eighth, six spots, after losing at home to unranked Florida State on Saturday night.
  • Oregon, which a week earlier lost at home to California, put 53 on the board against Washington State on Oct. 20 and went from one spot behind West Virginia to two spots ahead in the AP poll. It was the same week the Mountaineers led Mississippi State 31-0 one play into the second quarter, but scored only one more touchdown and coasted 38-13. Washington State, by the way, is now 3-6.
  • Arizona State began the weekend of Oct. 27 one spot behind WVU in the AP poll and beat sliding Cal 31-20, the same day West Virginia beat Rutgers 31-3. The next day, Arizona State was ranked ahead of the Mountaineers.

OK, so what does it all mean? Well, you might be wondering why we’re talking about positions in the AP poll when that doesn’t even factor into the BCS ratings. But public opinion does factor into the BCS rankings in a huge way. Two of the three factors in the BCS formula are the Harris and coaches’ polls (the third is the composite of the six computer ratings) and the AP poll is usually a virtual mirror of those two. The same sort of juggling happened in those two polls.

The point is that a great deal of the BCS ratings is public opinion and that, unfortunately, has been swayed tremendously this season by teams posting big numbers in meaningless games. The computers supposedly take that out of the equation, but given the relatively small part (one-third) the computers play in the BCS standings, it just hasn’t happened. When voters see Oklahoma or Kansas or Oregon or anyone else put up big numbers they take notice.

It’s not just the scores that sway public opinion, either. The talking heads on ESPN these days — and there are about a thousand of them, it seems — love to jump on those same bandwagons. I heard a group of them agree just on Sunday that Ohio State “is clearly the No. 1 team in the country.’’ Oh yeah? Like the Buckeyes were clearly the No. 1 team in the country last year? Are they the same people who demanded that poor Michigan last season deserved a rematch with Ohio State for the national title because the Wolverines lost a shootout to that “clear No. 1 team?’’ That would be the clear No. 1 that was trounced by Florida in the title game.

(By the way, to understand just the mentality — not to mention the biases — at play here among those talkers, I swear Lou Holtz on Saturday defended Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, saying it wasn’t his fault and that he just needed to find 11 guys who wanted to play. Really, he did.)

Again, this would all be moot from West Virginia’s standpoint if the Mountaineers had beaten South Florida, so it’s hard to put up much of a fight. West Virginia still might get a shot at the title, but for the record three of the following four things have to happen in order for it even to become a possibility: Ohio State loses to Michigan, LSU loses in the SEC title game, Oregon is upset by UCLA or Oregon State, and Oklahoma is upset by Oklahoma State or Texas Tech and then beats the Kansas-Missouri winner in the conference title game.

But is this the way we really want to choose a national champion, by having teams — WVU included — jockey for position all season long by running up scores and hoping people sitting on their couches at home take notice? All so that when the first week of December rolls around, they still have a chance to impress those same people?

Wasn’t this exactly what the BCS was supposed to help eliminate?

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Halloween Pics

Anne, Sean, & Alex came in to West (by God) Virginia for Halloween weekend! My how he has grown! Ali is 5 months old and weighs 20 lbs. (He'll be giving Coach Rod his verbal commitment any day now.) On the same hand, Elizabeth is 21 months old and weighs 25 lbs. Good grief!




The Star Wars theme was too cute (but with such cute subjects, that wasn't a surprise!) Here are a few pictures of Yoda & Princess Leia from the street fair in Sutton. (Pic at the right is with Uncle Sean.)


Nana & Papa have been sick this past week. Elizabeth insisted on going over there on Halloween after we handed out a little bit of candy to the trick-or-treaters we had here at our home first. We hope that Nana & Papa are feeling better soon!









Monday, October 29, 2007

How SWEEP It Is!

Need I say more???

Monday, October 22, 2007

Series Bound

Afraid to move...afraid to change the channel...afraid to switch positions on my bed in my hotel room (too close to the big rodent for my taste-with my crappy, crappy mobile phone reception because the towers would be unsightly)...nervous until the fat lady began her warm up...

But I will sleep well tonight - with sweet dreams of the ALCS Championship wrapped up...and hopes for another World Series.

Sleep tight Red Sox Nation. See you on Wednesday evening...

Go Sox!!!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Champions - AGAIN!!!

Fairmont State wins WVIAC golf title
For the Times West Virginian

ROANOKE — Fairmont State used strong final rounds from Ben Palmer and Justin Caroli to pull away from the field and claim a 13-shot victory at the WVIAC men’s golf championship.Palmer fired a 69 and Caroli added a 70 to help the Falcons shoot the low team round of the tournament of 302 on Wednesday.

Palmer’s final round of 69 marked the low round for the week and was the 14th score in WVIAC Championship history to break 70. It was one shot off the conference record of 68, accomplished three different times.

In addition to Palmer and Caroli, the Falcons were led by Will Gautreau with a 235 (79-75-81), Zack Rudy with a 235 (79-75-81) and Joel Cano with a 270 (87-85-98).

“I am so proud of these guys,” FSU head coach Reid Amos said. “Stonewall is such a difficult golf course, after posting 20-under at Canaan, I think a lot of folks thought a tougher and tighter venue like Stonewall would not be ideal for us. It turns out we were able to get it done. The guys are already talking about the trip to Super Regionals.

“We’ve gotten super play out of our seniors Justin Caroli and Will Gautreau. Zack Rudy has turned into a player this semester and freshman Ben Palmer was unbelievable today. We couldn’t ask for any better a team player than Joel Cano. It was a true team win.”

Fairmont State’s victory assures the Falcons of their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II East Region appearance. The site of the May 5-7 event has not been officially announced but it will [most likely] be St. Anne’s Country Club in Delaware.

West Liberty State senior Matt Hicks finished the 54-hole event at five-over par 221 and claimed medalist honors. Caroli finished second, a shot back of Hicks with a 222. Ohio Valley’s Paul Raines was third at 224. West Liberty’s Scott Smith (229) and Palmer (230) rounded out the top five.

This was the first time the WVIAC championship has been played in the fall.

Congratulations FS golfers!!! You continue to make me proud of your accomplishments!!!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Words & Phrases

We're really going to be in for it soon...Elizabeth is repeating a TON! In fact, during the Red Sox game on Friday, when the Sox briefly let the Angels back in the game, Daddy (my Daddy) said, "Oh, $hit." Which, if you know my Daddy, is a rare thing to catch him swearing. Next thing you know, a very tired Elizabeth said...you guessed it "$hit." At least we haven't heard a repeat performance of the swearing...which means somebody may want to take her off of my hands, STAT!

I was trying to figure out a more comprehensive list of the words & phrases Elizabeth can say. I'm sure this will still be missing some, but I have broken the listing into categories (that made sense to me.) If there is a * beside the word, she can also make the sign for the word. Here goes:

  • PEOPLE: Mama/Mommy/Jennie; Daddy; Kenny (Kennedy); Nana; Papa; RaRa (Rikki); Doh (Doug); Larry; Boomer; Gamma (Grandma); Papi; Anne; Sean; Ali (Alex); CaCa; Caylin; Jake; Stewie; Joe; Sarah; Hans; Rich; Steeb (Steve); Erin (sounds more like Anna, though); Rusty; Tim; Nancy; Stella; Connie; Johnny (Mom & Daddy's neighbor); Tyler; Will (sounds like wheel); Justin; Booty; Ben; Joel; and Jon (the last 7 are members/graduates of the Fairmont State golf team)
  • PLACES: Home; Church; Pool
  • MOVING THINGS: Car; Truck; Bus; Ball; Train
  • NOISY THINGS: Drum; Horn; Violin; Xylophone; Hoo Hoo (that's E speak for a whistle)
  • FOOD-RELATED: *Eat; Cup; Spoon; *Wadder (water); *Milk; *Bobble (bottle); Ice; Coffee; Lunch; Bean; Corn; Peas; Ham; Cheese; Apple; Peach; Honey; Pear; Cake; Cookie; Brownie; *Cracker; Egg; Banana; Grapes; Nut; Pumpkin; Pizza; Yogurt; Yummy
  • ANIMAL KINGDOM: Animal; Dog/Puppy; Cat/Kitty/Meow; Cow; Bird; Tiger; Elefan (elephant); Bear; Lion; Fish; Duck; Turtle; Monkey; Butterfly; Goat; Horse; Pig; Lady Bug; Octopus; Panda; Quail; Whale; Zebra; Frog; Owl; Dinosaur; Lamb; Cardinal; Bunny Rabbit; Bee; Gecko; Squirrel
  • BODY PARTS: Head; Toes; Hand; Eyes; Mouth; Nose; Ears; Arm; Ebow (elbow) Teeth; Hair; Foot; Knee; Belly (she can point to all of these body parts on either herself or someone else)
  • THINGS WE DO: *Play; *Bath; Sleep; Swing; Kick; Potty; Pee; Rock Rock (in the rocking chair); Clean; Read; Ride; Color; Peek; Catch; Bounce; Five (as in a high 5); Sit (sometimes!)
  • CHARACTERS: Bobby (Spongebob); Patrick; Snoopy; Santa; Elmo; Mickey; Mimi (character from her Baby Einstein books); Bobo (character from the book Hug)
  • OTHER WORDS: Funny; Umbella (umbrella); Chair; Stop; Baby; Angel; Cross; Again; *More; Golf; See; *Hep (help); *Peas (please); *Up; *Down; In; Out; On; Picture; Ouch; *Hurt; Hug; Leaf; Flower; Wave (identifying a picture of an ocean wave); Phone; Pillow; Happy; Hi/Hey; Boy; Lady; One; Two; Three; Ready; Yea!; Book; *Diader (diaper); Hat; Glasses; Socks; Shoe; Shirt; Keys; Sox (as in Red Sox); Ginia (West Virginia - identifies the flying WV logo every time and says "Ginia"); Want; Hewow (Hello); Sun; Ring; Money; Grass; Purse; Watch (the one that tells time); Star; Moon; Paci (pacifier); Hot (usually in reference to my coffee); Igloo; Kite; Yarn; Tree; Sunset (identifying a picture of a sunset); Moon; Ocean (identifying a picture of the ocean); Clock; Queen; Balloons; Sticker; Block; String; Sleep; Bell; Mirror; Comb; Brush; Garbage; Nasty; Dirty; Sleeve; Squeegee; Push; Flag; Cuddle; Kisses
  • PHRASES: *All Gone; No, No, No!; Hush (any time Kennedy barks, E tells her "Hush!"); Hey Lady (usually what she says to greet Erin); Beep Beep Beep (upon sight of a school bus or when hearing a little bit of the "Wheels on the Bus" song); Bye-Bye. See Ya Later.; I'll Get It.; Shhh - ___ Sleeping; Uh-Oh; Good Girl (to Kennedy); I'm cooking; Want It; Thank You; Night Night; Love You; Oh God (we're thrilled with that one, let me tell you!)

Friday, October 5, 2007

"Funny"

Elizabeth is changing so much every day. I am continuously amazed at the increase of her vocabulary. According to BabyCenter (http://www.babycenter.com/):

19 to 24 months
Your child now understands as many as 200 words, though he'll probably use only 50 to 75 of them regularly. Many of these words will be nouns that designate objects in his daily life, such as "spoon" and "car." Between 18 and 20 months, his pace will pick up as he acquires ten or more new words each day. If he's especially focused on learning to talk, he can add a new word to his vocabulary every 90 minutes — so watch your language!

I know, I know...I need to pay special attention to the watching of my language...

Anywho...here are some of the new(er) words for Elizabeth since I last posted about her language development (I'm sure that the list is not complete):
Funny - she uses "funny" in context when something is funny to her
Play - she's said this one for a while, but she's doing the same hand gesture (it's a difficult word to sign for a tot!)
Lion - very clearly...and can id a lion on her cards and in books
Set - Erin has taught her to "set" for her first volleyball skill
Bird - when she identifies this by a picture or in a book
Hurt - with sign - typically right before she pulls on a fist full of Kennedy's hair
Bus - she can identify the real deal school bus, or a picture of one
Beep, Beep, Beep - this is what usually follows seeing a bus "beep, beep, beep" from one of her favorite tunes - The Wheels on the Bus...
Want - she may want something, but we're not always as good at figuring out what it is...
Again, Again - usually to see the dancing Elizabeth & Alex video I posted a while ago (funny if you haven't seen it, you'll want to check that out!)
Color - she loves to "color, color, color"
Book - she loves her books
Pillow - she loves either sitting on the big pillows at home or at Nana's & Papa's, or just chucking them off of the couch at home or at Grandma & Papi's
Watch - by sight for the thing that tells the time
Tyler - E typically says "Tyler" any time the phone rings or when she is playing with the phone. She has good taste in men.
Dum - not dumb, but "dum" for drum
Horn - pointing out a trumpet in her point and see book
Wave - identifying an ocean wave on her flash cards
Patrick - Bobby's BFF (Sponge Bob if you aren't on Elizabeth speak)
Corn - for that yummy treat Daddy shares with her
Diader - for "diaper" with sign
Shoe - and she usually tries to walk around in our shoes
Socks - for the warm things that go on your feet
Sox - for Gooooo Red Sox!

Monday, October 1, 2007

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

Okay, perhaps quoting Gerry Ford was a bit dramatic...but it was a near national crisis to me! (And I certainly attacked this issue with more care and concern than the idiot currently residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave does for our national interests, but that, my friends, is another Oprah!)

I ordered Elizabeth's Halloween costume, Princess Leia, on September 7th. I razzed Auntie Anne to get on the ball and get Alex's costume ordered. I waited and waited. Alex's Yoda costume arrived at Grandma & Papi's. I waited. I contacted the online store where I had placed my order. They told me that the Princess Leia costume is on back order. They may or may not get it in stock. Essentially - SOL. I went to Ebay - and paid what I think is an un-Godly amount of money for a Halloween costume (made completely of cheap fleece - cheap, cheap fleece). And, finally, I could breathe a huge sigh of relief when the costume arrived. It is cute, cute, cute! But Nana is going to have to work some of her Betsy Ross magic as the headpiece is HUGE - it fits me!

I've been such the slacker on my posts (and in uploading pictures) these days. So, here are a few shots of Elizabeth helping to bake Papa's birthday cake.



















Baker's Note: Don't even THINK about decorating the reduced sugar cake with the reduced sugar icing. It may taste good, but what a gooey pain to work with. The cake is very moist and crumbly. The icing is just goo. Lesson learned on this adventure!

Boo Boo Update: The knot on E's noggin that you see here is finally gone. Left of the china cabinet incident is a small dot of a scar. Last night she banged up the other side of her forehead (closer to her hairline) when she hit her head on the coffee table - not realizing how close she was to it when she bent down to get a block. You block head!

Monday, September 17, 2007

I can say Grandma!

Elizabeth & I had quite the exciting trip home to see Mom/Grandma & Daddy/Papi!


After nearly 20 months, Elizabeth said "Grandma!" Yea!!! Here's how it went down Saturday afternoon:

Scene: Grandma & Elizabeth playing with flashcards.
Grandma (holding a card with an umbrella): What's this?
Elizabeth: um-bella
Grandma: If you can say umbrella, then you can say Grandma. Say Grand-ma.
Elizabeth:
Grandma & Elizabeth go through a few more cards...
Grandma: Say Grand-ma.
Elizabeth: Gam-ma.

Hip hip - Hooray!

On Saturday evening, Elizabeth fell off of her tricycle...into the corner of the china cabinet!!! Her first boo-hoo boo-boo! (Believe it or not, I was washing dishes at the time!) At first, her noggin was indented but it didn't take long for the goose-egg to pop up on her forehead. She is quite the Morton tough girl - she didn't cry that long (for something that had to hurt like the dickens!) I couldn't really get a good picture of the boo-boo until she went to sleep.

Sunday, she was a real treat to all in attendance at Mass. It is the first time since her baptism that she had to be taken out of the church. All I heard when we were outside was "Gam-ma. Gam-ma. Gam-ma." Little stinker.

The tricycle was forgiven and she got back on it later yesterday evening. Cute picture of Elizabeth during her evening ride - despite the boo-boo (which had little/no swelling on Sunday, just bruising and the scab.)

Bonus Update - I have received 2 phone calls today from Nana...E has gone twice in the potty. Any guesses as to what I'll be swinging by Target to get this evening??? Can we say, "unprepared"??? Man, I am never going to get Mother of the Year! How is it that while I am continuously shopping I seem to miss the obvious things??? Don't get me wrong, I don't think we'll be fully potty trained for some time to come...I just wouldn't want her to ask for it and me not to be prepared...

Friday, September 14, 2007

Weekend - Virginia Beach

Labor Day weekend (yes, I'm behind on my postings, get over it!) Reid, Elizabeth, & I went to Virginia Beach - stayed with Steve, Jessica, & Grace. We had a FABOO time!!! Steve & Jess were soooo good to us...and I must still get the recipe (still working on the Morton Family Cookbook) for the cheesy potatoes that Jess made - delish! (I have been able to successfully replicate the shrimp with cheese tortellini recipe - E loved it again! She didn't inhale 3 servings of mine like she did Jess's, but liked it a lot!)

Here are a few pictures from just a few of the funny moments:

Elizabeth found Grace's Barbie collection...and borrowed a chair. She thought she could sit in it...and we all nearly lost it! Too funny!!!
Grace has this great Barbie battery operated car. (No worries, Elizabeth still isn't that interested in Barbie - maybe I can avoid this completely!) Anyway, Grace was so good to give Elizabeth a ride around the street. I think E could have spent half the day in there...but good for Grace that she didn't expect to be driven around all afternoon. Reid & I took Grace & Elizabeth to the beach. Grace is really swimming quite well! Naturally, this was Elizabeth's first trip to the beach. She enjoyed it - despite not having taken a nap. She LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the sand. I think she would have spent all day just digging in the sand if we would have been game for that. She liked the tide washing up on her feet, but certainly did not like her feet getting buried. Although she loves the pool (even pointed to the ocean and said, "pool", she wasn't really wanting to go out into God's pool. Maybe this was lack of sleep, maybe this was just good enough judgement on her part that she can't swim well enough to swim with the fishes.) Elizabeth had her first summer fling with a cute boy - younger than her, just like she likes them!

We can't wait to get back to the beach...and to see Steve, Jess, & Grace again.

Thanks for the great time!!!

Kennedy update


Kennedy has received a clean bill of health! Yeah!!!


The "thing" was an epulis. You can read more about what in the heck an epulis is here: http://www.petplace.com/dogs/epulis/page1.aspx. Hers would be the "fibromatous" kind. She could potentially get another one...but all is well!


Woo Hoo!

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Kennedy's ordeal...

The last time Reid & I were at Mom & Daddy's, Reid noticed this "thing" in Kennedy's mouth. We got her to the doctor as soon as we could.

Reid poked fun of me because, although the doctor said that Kennedy was in good health (dropped a few pounds even!), I focused on other things he said. He said that she had a slight heart murmur...and that she would need her teeth cleaned (especially since they would have to put her under anesthesia to remove the "thing"), and he called the "thing" (and I quote) "interesting." (It was attached only to the gum, not also connected to a tooth.)

You don't like hearing the word "interesting" to describe some abnormal growth.

Still Reid continued to poke fun at me. I continued to remind him Kennedy had been in my life longer than he had. (It didn't stop the poking.)

On Tuesday, the "interesting" thing was removed with great success. The doctor said once he was able to get Kennedy asleep and to get a better look at this "interesting" thing, it was an easy removal. She only got two stitches as a result. She got her teeth cleaned, too, and they are sparkling! We still have to await the results of whether or not this "interesting" thing is benign or not...but all is looking up!

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Sweeeet!


This is one SWEET website to get geeked out on Mountaineer stats! Just had to share!



Let's Goooooo Mountaineers!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!

Wow! Was this weekend hot of what???

The WV Pete Dye Classic was fun to work...and we enjoyed Erin staying with us (so she didn't have to do the extra drive in the morning or evenings to Motown.) According to Elizabeth, "Erin" and "Anne" sound very similar.

We had about as much fun as we cared to in the 97 degree heat with 97% humidity. Blech!

Where was Elizabeth's sprinkler ball when we needed it on the course???


Here are some other cute pictures from our last trip to Mom/Grandma's & Daddy/Papi's:


E's first taste of corn on the cob (garden fresh, no less!) Yummy! Poor Reid had to share...

Elizabeth getting a "ride" from Papi. She loved getting to be pushed around in the wheel barrow. When that didn't suit her anymore, she thought she could trade places with Papi.




Giving a sweet kiss to "Ali," her baby cousin, Alex!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Monday, August 13, 2007

Something to talk about

Elizabeth's vocabulary is increasing with each passing day. It is really exciting to witness her picking up new words. Here are some of the latest words she's using frequently:

  • "Shaw" - for Uncle Sean (this is especially pleasant when she says it during Alex's baptism Mass - with a mouth full of Cheese Nips - sorry if she got any of those in your hair, Jane!)
  • turtle
  • duck (sadly, she's not quacking as much)
  • golf - she even pointed to the picture of Tiger Woods in the newspaper on Sunday morning and told her Uncle Sean, "golf"
  • see - she says this after you take her picture as she is running to "see" the digital image on the back of the camera display
  • sit - not that she does much sitting herself, but she was telling a baby doll at Grandma's & Papi's this weekend, "You sit!"
  • monkey
  • tiger
  • bear
  • oh my - she said this at Grandma's & Papi's this weekend, too...after I moved most of her toys from the living room to Anne's bedroom...when she came into Anne's bedroom to get a diaper change, she spied her toys and said, "Oh my!"
  • puppy & dog
  • "hep" - for "help"
  • "peas" - with sign for "please"

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Pearly Whites

Elizabeth was slower than average to cut teeth. It didn't bother me because I loved the toothless grin until she sprouted her first teeth. But it seems, until this week, we had been stuck on 7. Four uppers and 3 bottom teeth (the lateral incisor on the right side was the "missing" bottom tooth.)

On Thursday, Reid & Nana spied the right bottom first molar. Today, Grandma & I spied the two upper first molars and the bottom right lateral incisor. She still has not shown signs of getting the bottom or upper cuspids. (I've also heard them referred to as the "eye teeth" - not sure where that comes from.)

Fortunately, she has gotten all of these teeth with no fuss - just lots of chewing (kind of like Kennedy when she was teething...)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

It's about time...

It's about time my DH's alma mater did something right...

Congratulations to the new athletic director, Rusty Elliott, and the interim head football coach, Mike Lopez. Read more about it on their athletics website: www.fightingfalcons.com!

We're doing the happy dance in the Amos household!!!

Monday, August 6, 2007

E's still charting as tall! Yea!

Elizabeth had her 18 month old appointment today. It was scheduled later in the day than what we've done in the past - won't do that again. She was ready for a nap and was unusually cranky.


She's in the 75th percentile in all areas (height, weight, and head circumference). One of the items they asked in checking for her progress was whether or not she said at least 6 words other than "Mama" and "Daddy." Ummmm affirmative - she says & signs 7...and is chattering away...

Her growth record from previous visits:

Birth - 7 lbs, 4 oz. - 19 1/2"
1 month - 9 lbs - 21 1/2"
2 months - 11 lbs, 2 oz. - 22 3/4"
4 months - 14 lbs, 11 oz. - 24 1/2"
6 months - 17 lbs., 13 oz. - 27"
9 months - 20 lbs., 6 oz. - 29"
12 months - 21 lbs., 9 oz. - 29 1/4"
15 months - 23 lbs., 4 oz. - 31 1/2"
18 months - 24 lbs, 14 oz. - 32 1/4"

Monday, July 30, 2007

Elmo rocks

Rikki & Doug came in from DC for the weekend. It was the first time they had seen Elizabeth since Easter. My oh my how she has grown and changed in the last couple of months.

E had a blast on Sunday on Nana & Papa's deck playing with her Elmo sprinkler! She loves the water (just about as much as she loves to try to stay awake - like she is doing at the moment by standing up in her crib watching "Animal House"! At least she is developing a good taste in movies...)

She ran - non-stop for about an hour (despite no morning nap) through the sprinkler. She is so much fun!!! And, she had to show off by saying "RaRa" and "Doh" (Doug - which was the first time we'd heard her say Doug's name!)

She also loves her bubble making machine - so much cooler than expecting an 18 month old to be able to blow her own bubbles - or for Mama to get stuck with that detail for hours on end...that would really suck...I mean blow...

I love my camera, too, if you didn't know...it is the mack daddy of digital cameras! I took 535 pictures of Elizabeth in the hour we were outside playing...check out the water in this one - she was drinking the (fresh - thank heavens) water from the wading pool making creative use of her rake.

She's saying a few new words, too, as of late - I hope I remember them all here:

  • Ali (Alex - her cousin - all babies are now Ali...including pictures of Elizabeth from last year)
  • Caylin (the princess of Morton Mansion)
  • baby
  • Doh (for Doug - just a coincidence that she said it on the opening weekend of the Simpsons movie)
  • picture
  • belbow (elbow)
  • arm (two syllables, like Anne)
  • hair
  • head
  • eyes
  • hands
  • feet
  • toes
  • cookie
  • cracker (come on, there had to be some food references...the gal loves to "eat, eat, eat!")
  • fish
  • Mimi (from the book, "Sweet Dreams, Mimi")
  • hug
  • Bobo (from the book, "Hug" - she can read all of the words in that book! Impressive, I know!!! Hug, hug, hug, hug...Bobo, Mommy, HUG. She should already be promoted a grade...)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

My Mom's a Slacker

Okay, that was Weezie talking...not MY Mom...who cleaned my house when I was at my Annual Meeting and was Elizabeth's care taker...

I've been busy & haven't had time to post. Hopefully I'll get a few moments to catch you up on the goings on in our home.

Reid & I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Yea!

Elizabeth continues to grow and her vocabulary is increasing at a rapid pace. Most of the new words are either body parts or have to do with food - she has an incredible appetite (we think she is in a growth spurt.) To our dismay, she still continues to climb on anything that stops moving for a second - I think she would try to use Kennedy for a step stool if she wasn't always hoovering at my feet. All pictures of all babies are now "Ali" (Alex) - including the photos on the mantle of Elizabeth. We're looking forward to the Wines coming back to WV in a couple of weeks for Alex's baptism.

Aunt Rikki and Elisa (not sure about Show Doug) are coming in this weekend. Rikki hasn't seen Elizabeth since Easter - what a surprise she'll be in for!

I promise I'll post more later...but very, very behind on my work (and go figure, I'm posting from my office - yipes!) do to all of the goings on with our 51st Annual Meeting.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Meeting my cousin

Elizabeth is going to meet her baby cousin, Alex, today. We're really excited! I can't wait to get a picture of her feet next to his big dogs.

Congratulations to James Lee & Helen Wine (Sean-e-boy's folks), who are celebrating 60 years of marriage today!

Happy Birthday, USA!

Monday, July 2, 2007

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Elizabeth & I are looking forward to getting to Sutton to wish Mom/Grandma a happy birthday (birthday is today - we're coming in tomorrow.) And, E is really excited to meet her baby cousin, Alex! (Not sure if Sweetness is coming yet or not...)

Love you, mean it!

I'll Teach My Dog a lot of Words


"I'll Teach My Dog A lot of Words" (by Michael Firth - a Dr. Suess collection book)is one of Elizabeth's favorite books - she has a lot of favorite books, though...I mean a LOT of favorite books!




Anyway, I was trying to figure out what all words she can "say" (some signs help us figure out what she is saying)...here goes:


  • Dada (her first word)
  • Mama
  • Nana
  • Papa
  • Anne (yes, Auntie Anne, she points to your picture and says Anne - two syllables, like you always wanted a two syllable name)
  • Rara (for Aunt Rikki - when she's pointing to your picture)
  • Up (definitely UP, with an emphatic sign)
  • Bye-bye (waiving to herself, mostly!)
  • Cat
  • Kenny (for our dog, Kennedy)
  • No, no, no
  • Ea (for eat, with sign)
  • Mo (for more, with sign)
  • Wa (for water, with sign)
  • All Gone (with sign, for when she is finished eating)
  • Ba (for bath, with sign)
  • Ball (with sign)
  • Bobby (for Sponge Bob, they're close like that - her favorite TV show to watch with Dada)
  • Happy
  • Baby
  • Sit (usually after we're yelling at her to SIT on the furniture rather than stand/jump on the furniture)
  • Hey/Hi
  • Yeah! (for anything deserving applause, like dancing or singing, staying out of something she isn't supposed to be meddling in, or putting books away)
  • Ham
  • Hat
  • Head
  • Hand
  • Hug (E loves the book "Hug" with the monkey, Bobo, looking for a hug from his Mama!)
  • Car (any moving vehicle)
  • Cross (especially when she is digging in Grandma's shirt to see her cross necklace)
  • Hot (like my coffee cup)
  • Cold (every time the refrigerator door is opened, or usually when she is holding her milk)
  • Shoe
  • Apple
  • Two
  • Free (as in one, two, three!)
  • Please (with sign - sometimes)
  • Caca (not sure whether this is for Aunt Caca - or for the other kind of caca, both can be rather similar ;-) )
  • SIGNS milk - refuses to say anything like it
Other super cute things (not that I am partial or anything) that she does relating to language are:
  • She quacks - when she sees a picture of a duck
  • She pants - when you ask her how the puppy goes
  • She growls - when you ask her how Boomer (Nana & Papa's temperamental cat) goes
  • When she give you a hug, you usually get "awww" to go with it
  • And, when you get a kiss, you usually get a "mmma" to go with it

Just thought some of these may brighten your day! (Let me know if I'm leaving anything off either of these lists - I'll update if necessary!)