Fall Has Arrived!

Beautiful Fall weather is finally here in GA! We took Leah up to the North Georgia Mountains to go apple picking yesterday. It was a gorgeous day, and Leah had fun sampling all of the varieties that we picked.

You Are My Sunshine

So, Mommy got a new video camera!! It is so super-simple to use. I think you can expect to see more video up here in the future. The clip above was just a quick shot, while I was getting acclimated to the new camera. I'm giddy! Leah had a busy visit with her V.V. over Labor Day weekend. She took V.V. to the zoo, the farmers market, and the park. It was a fun weekend, and Leah & V.V. got in a good bit of time together. Leah has gotten really into wearing her tutus (you read that right, she has 2). Hopefully we can document a recital soon.

One quick story. A little sad AND a lot funny. Leah's Uncle Eric passed away 2 years ago. She was a tiny little thing when we lost him, and she won't ever get to know what a funny guy he was. Anyone who spent much time with my big brother knows that he was a gassy guy, and loved a good fart joke too. Leah was having a gassy morning the other day, and I'm certain Uncle Eric was somewhere laughing with us over this one. Picture the scene: Leah is sitting in her high chair. Mommy is moving back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room...

Leah: Mommy, you stink.
Mommy: I don't stink. Are you stinky?
Leah: Nooooo (giggle, giggle, giggle)
[Leah emits a loud gas bubble]
Leah: What was that?!?!? What's that sound?

I could absolutely hear my brother trying to play off his wind as something else, blaming it on someone else, and laughing hysterically when someone encountered the stink. It gave me hope, that even though Leah won't personally experience her Uncle Eric, she might still know him.

Here Goes

So, inspired by my friend Holly, I'm going to try posting more often. Even if I don't have photos to post, I should have plenty of stories. Leah is sooooo super funny right now. Here is a collection of her latest antics:

The set-up: Leah is playing with a battery-powered lantern. Mommy say's "no" about 3 times.
- Mommy: "Leah, what did Mommy say?"
- Leah: "No."
- Mommy: "What does it mean when Mommy says 'no'?"
- Leah: "I not scared of Mommy!"

The set-up: Leah & Daddy are driving in the car on the way to Gymboree class. For those of you not from Atlanta, Goldberg's is our local chain of Jewish delis. Apparently we eat there often...
- Leah: "Where's Momma?"
- Daddy: "Mommy had some things to do this morning, but we are going to meet her for lunch after we go see Gymbo."
- Leah: "Oh good! I love Goldberg's."

The set-up: Leah & Mommy are walking into the doctor's office holding hands. Out on the walkway to the building Mommy heard:
- Leah: Momma called the doctor and the doctor said 'No more Leahs jumping on the bed!'."

The set-up: Driving in the car one afternoon. A voice comes from the back seat of the car...
- Leah: Ladies and gentlemen, it's......my Momma!!"

I don't know where the "Momma" is coming from. I guess she must have heard it somewhere, because I've always referred to myself as "Mommy". I guess the South is rubbing off on my girl! We should have some more pictures after this weekend, since we have a busy family weekend ahead. I think we'll be schlepping the camera a lot!

Leah is 2!

OK, so I have been taking a little blog-vacation for the past 3 months or so....Does anyone still read this thing? Just in case, here is what we have been up to: Leah has put in a lot of pool time. She went to the Lake with her friends Micah & Jonah. She went to the Lake with Bubbe, Honey, & her cousins Max & Charlie. She has had TONS of time with her grandparents, V.V. and Grumpa. I have far too many photos to try to get them all up here. If I can get myself organized, I'll put together a slide show of May/June/July.

The biggest happening for Leah in the past days has been her 2nd birthday!! Leah had a pretty perfect 2nd birthday, if you ask me. She got to play at Gymboree with some of her favorite people. Leah loves ladybugs lately, so there were plenty of them on hand to celebrate at her party, and at home. On the actual birthday, Leah got to swim, and had all 4 of her grandparents to herself. She was thrilled to be the center of attention, and serenaded us after a beautiful picnic dinner. In addition to spending time with so many special people, the child made out like a bandit! She has a fantastic new swing set in the back yard, and a shiny lavender bicycle to keep her entertained...along with many other special gifts. The most rewarding part of this birthday for me, was hearing Leah say some of her "thank yous" unprompted! She is such a big girl!!

Here is just one of a zillion photos of Leah's first exploration of the swing set:


Here are a few shots from Leah's Gymboree birthday party. She had a blast playing with many of her friends and cousins.

May Showers

Welcome to May! The month has started a little on the soggy side, but we really need the rain. It is great for Leah's vegetable garden! Leah has been enjoying a visit from her Auntie Shannon this week. Leah is an excellent tour guide, and has shown Shannon some of the highlights. We managed to beat the rain today, and make an expedition to the berry patch. Leah LOVED picking strawberries, though she probably ate more than she put in the bucket. Her face (and shirt) were totally pink by the time we left the patch. Leah also had a good time, directing Mommy & Shannon to "Follow me." down the rows of berries. Once we picked our fill, Leah got a chance to visit some farm animals. She saw cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, ducklings, and a peacock! It was a very fun outing, and I think we'll have to try blueberry picking this summer!

Happy April

Leah started April by getting a special treat. She got to spend a beautiful Spring morning in the park with Sam & Anna. If you read Leah's blog often, you know that these 3 munchkins were friends before they were born - the mommies all worked together at United Way. We had regular lunches (with Neese too) throughout our pregnancies. Leah, Sam, & Anna were all born within 3 weeks of each other. We're lucky to see Samuel very often, and we see Anna sometimes too. It has been a real feat to get us all together at the same time over the past 20+ months. Next time we're hoping that Neese & Mya can make it too!



The new fence is up! We have bisected the yard, so that Leah has a place to play without having to dodge dog-poo! The humans in the family are pretty excited, but you can see that the dogs are not so convinced. Jack even voiced his opposition, and he rarely barks!




Leah finally got her sand & water table set up last weekend. It was much more difficult to put together than we expected it to be. However, I think her Daddy felt better about it once he saw Leah's reaction. So far, her favorite parts are the boats and the umbrella. This weekend, we hope to assemble her play house. That should prove to be another exciting adventure too!

Out Like A Lamb

The Spring weather has been fluctuating in and out over the past month. We have had some beautiful, warm days AND some cold, wet ones too. Here you can see Leah enjoying one of the sunnier ones. She got the chance to sit outside and sip a little milk while Mommy had coffee with Holly. That same day, Leah got to meet baby Charlotte, who snoozed through the entire coffee date. When we were saying out goodbyes, Leah refused to hug Holly or Mommy. However, she strongly wanted to hug on Charlotte. Since Charlotte is too little to be hugged by an enthusiastic toddler, Leah had to settle for simply kissing Charlotte's toes.


Leah is such a lucky girl to have her grandparents around. Bubbe & Honey are so much fun, and Leah can now identify their exit on 285. When you near or pass Riverside Drive, there will be exclamations of "Bubbe house!" from the back seat. V.V. came for a nice visit this month. She got Leah to herself for 2 days while Mommy was in meetings. During that time, Leah introduced V.V. to Gymbo the Clown at Gymboree. Unfortunately, Grumpa was not able to make the trip because of a stomach bug. Leah missed him terribly, and talked about him a lot while V.V. was here.