Molly Being Molly

I paused for a moment from, well, doing nothing, to rumage through some photographs and found this one of Molly last April. I took this photography last April after work one evening. She and I were playing on the floor.



It reminds me to take more photographs of while she is just being herself. The "dress up" photos are fun, but these are the ones I love.

A Between Moment

Nearly two weeks post surgery, I got the notion to open up the digital lightroom. It will be another month before I can pick up a camera, so I have some time to clean up my files, do some editing, and picking out my favorites from 2010.

I came across this one from a in-home studio shoot with Molly in October. I have several images with her sitting sweetly with a teddy bear and/or a book, which show her personality. This one caught my eye for some reason. It's not perfect, but seems to have captured her in between sitting and whatever is next, which is usually the case at her age and business. It is also gave me a reason to try some editing with my left hand.

First Winter Adventure

The climatic little girl (La Nina) brought us some early cold weather and snow. High temperature yesterday was 25 yesterday - COLD for Seattle...rather pleasant really compared to the 40 and raining last week.

We bundled up Molly and took her outside for her first snow adventure. We are happy that she has recently started allowing hats to stay on her head.

Knowing that it is much, much colder in Idaho, where we will be for Thanksgiving, Trina and I made a run to REI for some boots an mittens. Molly got real excited when we put the new boots on her feet.

We played in the yard for a bit, and then Molly wanted to walk across the street.

We walked down the street, where Cooper, the big german shepard licked her face clean. She ran all the way back.

Quiet

Trina and Molly have been in Mazatlan for a week now, having fun in the sun, playing in the sand, the Pacific Ocean, and the pool. I'm sure Molly is having a wonderful time and her Mom is too.

http://venardfamilypost.blogspot.com/

It has been real quiet around here. Even the dogs have adjusted (mostly); they still sit looking out the window and get excited whenever a car slowly drives up near the house. I am ready for some noise, chaos, cries of "Milk please!", "Up!", "Boop. Boop. Boop" (Mollynese for "book"), ticklefests, and Sesame Street on the TV in the morning.

First Pony Ride

A few weeks ago we took Molly to Bob's Corn Maze & Pumkin Patch near Monroe for some autumn fun. In addition to picking out a pumkin, Molly had a bunch of farm fun doing some other things:

She got to drive a tractor.

She rode in the cow trailers behind a tractor.

And best of all, ride a pony. She knows what horseys are and points them out and says "Horsey!" whenever she sees on in a field, in a picture, or on her clothes. We weren't sure how she would react when we actually brought her to one since she usually afraid of large animals. She wasn't afraid and enjoyed her pony ride very much.

She thinks Uncle Wally should have one for her to ride every time she goes to Idaho. :)

Halloween

This year we had a lot of fun with Halloween. Molly had two costumes - a fairy and Minnie Mouse. She toured the neighborhood as Minnie Mouse, discovered candy, and now knows that Snickers bars are awesome. She was not shy about grabbing candy from the bowls and immediately requested us to open one for her after each house.

After four bite-sized bars she was pretty amped up. She was running all over the house, climbing on everything, and seemed to really think that standing in her rocking chair was a great idea. We have to keep her little bag of goodies hidden, since she knows what is in it. Last night she climbed up on a chair next to the hutch in our kitchen and grabbed the bad from behind a bowl of fruit. There was no taking it away or any of the candy without a major breakdown, but Pirates Booty did help satisfy her with something other than chocolate.

One Year Ago: The avacado.

My curiousity had me searching my photographs to a year ago and see what Molly was up too. As it turns out, October 12 was when serving her avacodo didn't go so well. It wasn't her first exposure to the wonderful green fruit, but it was a while before we subjected her to it again.


Her attitude toward avacado has changed thanks to guacamole. She gets excited if she sees me making it and expresses her eagerness for the strangely good green slimy chip dip with emphatic signs (sign language) for "more" and excited cries of "More please! More please!" until she gets her little bowl of it.

Of course this should be expected with guacamole instead of plain avacado. There is no comparison. The avacado is wonderful and unique on its own, but to eat guacamole is RAPTURE in comparison.

The Left Hook

I was trying to take a self-portrait of us on a hike yesterday when Molly caught me with a left hook.

Occasionally you get help on something when you don't want it. It's all in how you handle it.

Guacamole

Guacamole may be Molly's favorite food. She gets excited when I am making it. She doesn't eat the chips - she simply loads them up, sucks the guacamole of, and re-dips. She gets her own bowl of guacamole. The last time we ate guacamole she had ruined a couple of prized blue-corn tortilla chips, but hadn't taken a bit out of any of them, so we gave her a spoon.

She enjoyed the new found efficiency.

Mariners Game with Grandma and Grandpa

The Mariners Game: As told to her friends at daycare.

Last Sunday I went to the Mariners game with my Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa. I got to wear my cool Puma track suit.

After parking, I walked through Pioneer Square, holding my Mom's and Grandma's hands.

Since there were no cars I got to run around too!

I held my Grandma's and Grandpa's hands when we crossed the street. We had to wait for cars before crossing.

We kept walking and walking.

I got tired, so I hitched a ride on Grandpa's shoulders. There was a breeze. It felt good to feel the breeze go through my fingers.

I was waaay up there on Grandpa's shoulders.

I rode on Grandpa's shoulders the rest of the way to Safeco Field. We went in at the Centerfield Entrance.

The guy scanned our tickets before we went through the turnstiles.

I walked up a bunch of stairs.

I went up so many stairs I stopped and clapped when I got to the top.

Then we walked some more.

Which to my luck, the Mariners are so bad that I got my own seat right between Grandma and Grandpa.

I liked looking at all the people around us, even if there wasn't as many as earlier in the year.

Mom played with my hair.

When I sat on my Dad's lap I put my feet up on the chair infront of us. These are my new shoes. Mom bought me ones with laces rather than velcro so that I can't take them off.

I sat on Mom's lap too.

I put Mom's sunglasses on.

Grandma wouldn't let me have cotton candy.

Eventually Mom gave in and bought me some. It was sticky.

After the game we walked home.

I saw the bucket drummer.

There was a neat black strip for me to walk on.

I got thirsty, so Mom gave me a sippy cup with juice in it.

I found these cool posts with holes in them. I liked sticking my fingers in the holes.

I dropped my sippy cup infront of Qwest Field.

I got tired, so Mom carried me.

I rode on Grandpa's shoulders again.

I fell asleep on Grandpa's shoulders, so Mom carried me the last 50 feet to the car, where I slept all the way home.

Play and Play

Bring tea for the Tillerman
Steak for the son
Wine for the woman who made the rain come
Seagulls sing your hearts away
'Cause while the sinners sin, the children play

Oh Lord how they play and play
For that happy day, for that happy day

- Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman

Pasta Night

What is the best part about pasta night?

The pasta, or the bath afterwards?

Look who turned 18 months on Thursday!

18 months already. We celebrated by watching Sesame Street (on-demand rules!!!), one of her favorite dinners - smokies and mac & cheese, a cupcake that she wore plenty of, a bath, and some studio pics in the basement.

We couldn't get her to sit still. We tried having her play with a few different toys, but she was off like a shot the moment we sat her down. Then she found a book. We should have known that would do it.

Polka Dots on the Beach