Hurricane Gustav

We are battening down the hatches here at the St. Romain abode, getting ready as well as we can for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Gustav.

I have to necessary supplies: Magazines, chips, canned meat, ice, cooler, batteries, corded phone, toilet paper, water, cat food, and candles.

I have other supplies as well, but I listed the necessaries.

Tomorrow I will take some photos to document the arrival. Our holiday has turned out quite differently than we initially planned!

More to come tomorrow!

200th Post!!

Ah, the best laid plans...my 200th post was going to be a nice montage of pictures that we took of Bronwen during the second photo session that T.J. painfully set up in the bedroom. I bought him a new black sheet, sans paint stains, and the pictures came out really great. I also had hilarious video of Bronwen running around with TJ's underwear on her head. Sadly, T.J. was playing on the computer this weekend and effectively locked us both out of our shared folder that contains--yes, you guessed it--all the pictures! So, loyal readers and entusiastic fans, you will have to wait for those great shots. Hopefully they will be up on the morrow! Til then, satistfy yourself with a video of the photo shoot fun. The lump in the front left is Pepper.



Here's Pepper! But--game over.

Mismatched

Bronwen is watering the basil. I am sorry her outfit is so horribly mismatched--she got medicine on her shirt, and since it was almost bath time, I just grabbed a t-shirt. T.J. didn't tell me it was going to be recorded for posterity.

Photo Shoot

T.J. is working on setting up a "studio" for his picture-snapping addiction. Sadly, he decided the corner of our bedroom was the best place.


He still has some lighting issues, and he needs a better backdrop--my paint-stained sheet isn't up to par--but I think the model more than makes up for these issues.

Cooler Morning

We had a nice, foggy morning today, so Bronwen and I went outside to play. She is one active little girl, and couldn't keep focused on any one thing. As you can tell, she is very determined.



For some of these videos, I was on the phone, so if you think you hear background babble, never fear! It is neither aliens nor voices in your head.

In this one, she is a little ADD: Oh, I want the jugs. No, I want to go over here. No wait, I need...wait, where was I going? Oh, I need the ball, yeah!





On this one, if you listen at the very beginning, you can hear the high pitch squeals of the hummingbirds. They were flying around us all morning.

Hummingbirds

Notice how Cassie is meowing at the end...I wonder why?



My backyard neighbor also has a feeder--the hummingbirds really have it made. I've seen at least 4 at a time, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were 3 pairs. The birds aren't shy--the zoom up to the feeder when I am sitting 3 feet away from it. I'm going to try to get them to eat out of my hand. :-)

We are Family

T.J. and I have been working on helping Bronwen identify her relatives. She is pretty good, even asking for the pictures at bedtime. So no one is "offended," I only filmed her looking at her grandparents. No aunts, uncles, cousins, Chee Chees and the like. Aunt Jana, I probably need a new pic of you and Pete, so she can work on it. I have the Christmas picture, but it's kind of small. This is also the first time I have trusted her with a baggie of food--and she's doing remarkably well with it.

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Part 2:

No New Posts

So sorry we have been MIA as of late. Bronwen is getting over a cold, and I am trying to figure out her new nap schedule. As a result, we are both a little cranky. Hopefully we'll be back online with smiles and cheer soon!

Friday Fun

I know the lighting is awful, but I need to explain the purpose of this video. Earlier, Bronwen was happily spinning on the floor with the giant bath brush and the plastic utensils she found in the pantry. Then she heard the noise: the creek of the cabinet door opening. She knows exactly what we keep in there, and she could not contain her excitement!



Now she has the feather stick, what is she going to do with it? Whatever it is, she finds it hilarious, as do I. Much more entertaining than Good Morning America--sorry Chris Cuomo.

This is What Happens...

When I leave Bronwen alone with T.J.:

Newspapers, unwanted mail, a step ladder, and an aerial photo session.

After Party

I know, it's really hard to top pony rides, but after a long nap, Bronwen was happy to play on her own slide/swing combo. It was a fairly pleasant day outside, and we made sure to take advantage of the milder weather.

Anna Kate's Birthday

We all had a great time at Anna Kate's 6th birthday party. It was a western theme--made abundantly clear soon enough. Bronwen first spent some time "mining" for gold (pennies) but really had more fun slashing in the water and sand. Cousin Camille was also trying to find treasure.



Then she went on the swing for a bit.



Then the "mane" attraction! (horrible joke, I know.) Bronwen was terrified at first, and she held tightly on to my finger. Then she let go, gripped the saddle horn, and rode the pony like she's been doing it all her life! Hopefully she doesn't start making requests for a pony of her own. Our yard is way too tiny.

Carousel Ride

Thanks, Barbara, for uploading the video of our carousel ride!

ChitChat

As I was in the Quick-Stop getting showered by the icee machine, Barbara was in the car, interrogating Bronwen. Luckily the exchange was recorded for the protection of all parties involved.

Waiting for Storms

While the tropical storm was bearing down on Texas, Bronwen and I stepped outside to enjoy the breeze and thunder. It was still sunny!

Proud

Yes, she is indeed proud of herself--Bronwen has mastered the art of climbing into the recliner on her own, and she thinks it is hilarious. How can you not smile?

Carousel

Bronwen had a great time at the mall last week--she rode her first carousel! It was extremely reasonable--$2.00 per child and adults were free. I wonder if this means I can go back and ride it by myself all day? Or would that be creepy?Yes, Bronwen and I rode a giant wart-hog. We don't discriminate. I bet that was the cleanest "horse" on the ride!

Brewing Beer with Babs and TJ

Barbara wanted to learn how to brew beer--see Babsy's 101 Project--so while she was in town, she came over and assisted T.J.

Bronwen was also enlisted in a supervisory capacity.

Here she supervises the cats, using the feather stick for discipline.

T.J. needed nourishment for the long process of stirring the brew and drinking his last batch.
Bronwen runs about, excited at the prospect of more beer!

T.J. and Barbara working hard over the wert.

Bronwen is supervising her daddy.

Here the three girls pose--no beer for the baby, so please don't call DSS on me!

Finally, just a cute pic of Bronwen that Barbara took the other day.
Hopefully Barbara won't be gone too long--she needs to return to enjoy the fruits of her labor!

Barbara and I went with Bronwen to the mall on Tuesday--more on our adventures as soon as Barbara gets me copies of her photos and videos. Thank goodness Bronwen has Barbara to keep her hip. It took Bronwen about 30 seconds to learn this :-)