Agatha

Remember a couple weeks ago when we had pictures from a weekend at the cabin? Not only did we come home with big smiles, we also came home with a baby black rat snake.
Michael has named her Agatha. She is probably a month old, less that 2 feet long, fascinating to watch for toddlers and cats alike, and really quite sweet.

She is also eating well and taking very naturally to being handled.

New Passport

We are heading to Canada in a couple of weeks and Tovina needed a new passport before we went. Her last passport has stamps from China, Turkey, Thailand, US, and Canada. What a busy little 2 year old she was. I was sad when I thought we might lose it but lucky for me they just put a big 'ol hole through the center and gave it back.

It was frustrating that her passport expired so quickly but this next one is good for 5 years so I have big hopes for its exotic stamp collection capacity. Getting a minor a new passport is not quite as easy as it is for an adult since both parents need to go with said minor to the appropriate authority with the appropriate paperwork. Given that I am at work for most of the appropriate authority's business hours this is no mean feat. Luckily there are some notary publics at work that helped me out at my end of things.

I'm sure that Michael has big hopes for its longevity as well since he was responsible for what is probably the toughest part of getting a passport ... The Passport Photo!



There are a lot of photo requirements which pretty much made all of the lovely shots above unacceptable though I was really hoping for the one in the middle. The store that printed the shots out for us tried to take a better picture in the hopes of something a little more like the description of what the photo is suppose to look like. In the end though they just went with this one that Michael took.

At least we've got the pigtails in there!

I do have to give some kudos to the travel.state.gov as they fell at the 4 week end of their 4-6 week turn around on-line promise. Even (especially?) after seeing some of the behind the clear Plexiglas window workings of State I find this very very impressive.

Breakfast

Most days T has porridge for breakfast. By porridge we mean old fashioned oatmeal cooked in milk. These days she also gets raisins. Its an exciting meal.

See, this is what porridge looks like. (This is also what T's hair looks like if it is not in pigtails. Still love that forehead comb-over.)

And this is how you blow on it when its too hot.

And this is what T looks like if you interrupt her breakfast.

Formal attire for the brushing of the teeth

Tovina decided she needed to be properly adorned for the brushing of the teeth this evening.

(The hat was also to help with the monsters though whether it was suppose to keep her safe or make her their leader was not quite clear.)

More on Mother's Day Weekend

About a week before Mother's Day Michael surprised me by getting me a bunch of plants for around the house and planting them! He left out a few so we could check if there was enough sun for them where we were hoping to put them. By the actual Mother's day we determined that there was so Michael put them in the ground too. It was very nice.

I also got a compost bin! weeee!

They come and they go

This past weekend we had a Mozzy.

A very serious Mozzy


Well, maybe not that serious.


She was very popular with everyone. (Though Gus Gus the ATV may not have been quite as good at showing its emotions.)
.

Eastern Box Turtle back again

Last year we were visited by an Eastern Box Turtle. This year Michael has found another. Again, M. Turtle was kept long enough for a photo shoot opportunity and then released to enjoy its life in the area around the house. Upon close examination everyone in the house has concluded that based on the shell markings this is in fact a different turtle than last time. (Now, if one of you knowledgeable people tells me that shell markings change on a yearly basis, then our conclusion is blown, but until then...) We're pretty excited because (and once again, this is a completely un-researched and unsubstantiated conclusion) that this means we have a viable Eastern Box Turtle population in the area.  Whooo hooo we say.

Creeking for Mother's Day

I was introduced to 'creeking' on Mother's day. Turns out that means going for a hike up the center of a creek!

It also involves a lot of trying to catch minnows (got 1!), water skaters, butterflies, and rocks (caught and released a lot of those too.)

Also found 1 salamander

Good, good time.

Stretching a black eye

Or, to be more accurate, stretching and a black eye.
Shockingly I have not managed to capture a really good picture of T and her shiner or a video. Actually, make that especially a video. (Be happy with what you get people.) I do have pic that give you a sense of the range of the injury but these photos were taken in an attempt to document Tovina's stretching exercises.

Yup, T has learned (and I use this in the loosest sense possible) how to do a quad stretch. It is very serious business and should not be interrupted - or so I have been informed.
'Mommy I'm busy! I'm stretching!'

I've heard that Aunt Sheila has some good shots on her phone. Maybe I can get one of those.

Shoveling mishaps

I'll start by saying everyone is fine.

A couple days ago I got a call from Tovina's daycare. There was a small plastic shovel incident concerning who managed to grab the toy first. As near as we can tell the victor quickly swung it out of the way of the upstart who thought to grab at it at the same time.

Given that both parties have the aim and fine motor control of 2 year old, this meant heaving the thing all the way around until it made its way back to the starting location and smacked the loser in the face.

It was clearly an accident.

The result?
Tovina has an impressive shiner.
She barely notices it though she does like to tell the story of how she got it and fall down at the end.

Today she also got the following: A 5" square card that bears the following message:
Dear Tovina,
I'm sorry I hit you in the eye with the shovel.
Love XXX (name withheld due to age of the perpetrator)

It is a very sweet card and absolutely hilarious. We the precision of the apology