Sunday, May 16, 2010

1st Day in Destin - the Pictures Niki Didn't (or Won't) Post

Caption this picture.

Back at the Sailfish (NanaB and GrandDad's condo), Niki, Peter, and NanaB hung out on the dock.

The sky at sunset was beautiful.

Charlie and GrandDad watched the sunset from the Sailfish dock.

What did Charlie see?

No, Destin is not on fire.

When Charlie says "jump," Niki jumps!

Again, caption this picture!

Peter's first road trip

We're in Destin, Florida with Corey's parents this week. Here are some shots from our first full day here. I swear that Barb and I are there too, but thus far there have been no post-worthy photos taken of either of us. Luckily, there were more than enough taken of Corey, Larry, Charlotte, and Peter!

We survived at the beach for just about half an hour before rain chased us away.



Peter looks so handsome in his swim ensemble (a gift from his Great Great Aunt Kay).



Corey said the water was much warmer than the lakes in Michigan, but he was the only one of us to brave the waves.



After lunch, we toured the area and then took naps. For dinner, we hit Dewey Destin (a recommendation from the Malands) and had some excellent seafood. Well, Charlotte had a hot dog bun and some french fries, but the rest of the Stringers (at least those with teeth) ate from the sea.



Corey had an electric lemonade (with vodka).



After dinner, we walked on the docks before having drinks back at Barb & Larry's condo.



Peter tried squash for the very first time and ate it just as eagerly as the cereal. He's such a good little eater! Of course, so was his sister before she figured out how much fun it was to torture your parents by refusing to eat virtually anything other than Ramen noodles, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, ridiculous amounts of fruit, celery (because the Wonder Pets do too), and American cheese.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Tennis hooligan

We went to watch our neighbor, David, play in a tennis tournament yesterday afternoon. Charlotte said things like "good job David!" and "awesome!", though not necessarily at the right times. She had a good time watching though.


UNNECESSARY ZOOM!!!

Tummy time is no longer the enemy

Boy, once Peter figured out how to roll from back to front, he started really liking tummy time. Here are some glamor shots of tummy time. CJ likes to do tummy time with him, but she gets bored pretty quickly.




Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Floodapalooza

Our beloved Franklin and Nashville are under water, but thankfully, waters are receding. Also thankfully, our house is fine. Our rocky patch of Tennessee land is nicely sloped; so, aside from small ponds that drained quickly, we had no collected water.

We have never seen rain like this. Sure, we have seen heavy, short bursts before, but never like this. We sustained heavy downpours, interrupted periodically by steady rain. The rain came for two straight days, and came from four different directions, including sustained blows from the east. The storm included tornado warnings on and off all day on Saturday. At one point, South Carothers (the main road leading into our neighborhood) flooded both north and south of Cannonwood (our neighborhood), blocking us in.

By Monday morning, the sun came out, but the flood waters on the major rivers continued to rise. The Cumberland River did not crest until Monday night. Luckily, the Baker Donelson Center (where I work) did not flood, but it has lost power. However, a lot of Nashville and Franklin remains underwater, even tonight. Both the Harpeth River (in Franklin) and Cumberland overflowed and have wreaked havoc.

Check the pictures below. This is unreal.


Downtown Nashville.


The Grand Ole Opry is flooded.


LP Field (where the Tennessee Titans play) is under water.


The water made it to the steps of the Country Music Hall of Fame.


All of the magnificent lobbies of the Opryland Hotel are under about 8 feet of water.


The Cumberland River is still above flood stage.


Yikes.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Caught on film -- the playroom gremlin!

A special hidden camera was used to identify the culprit responsible for dumping out every container in the play room at least three times a day. Here it is -- the playroom gremlin!



Now we need to design a trap to capture it. Is there a reeducation camp for playroom gremlins?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Working hard on his (exersaucer) farm





Peter's best side?

Ever since Peter discovered the joys of chomping on his toes, this is all we see of him:



Peek a boo!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Ghetto-fabulous fire pit

Want a fire pit in your backyard but are too lazy to do anything more than form a circle with big rocks stolen from another part of your cruddy landscaping? Then you're in luck! Corey's fire pit design firm (as yet unnamed -- suggestions welcome) is at your service. Here are some photos of his handiwork:


Monday, April 19, 2010

A whole new world

Ready...



Set...



RICE CEREAL!!!



Hmph. Not everything I hoped and dreamed.



(The second attempt went much better. He actually finished the first batch I made him so I mixed up some more. He slurped that down but I was too afraid to feed him much more. Good boy!)