Summer Pics

Yep....still in a blogging drought.
Just a few random pics of summer days in Lewis Land.

ALWAYS running...

...actually - it's more of a prance.

I was weeding a little bit in the backyard and Gianna got tired of waiting for me.

She decided to do the climb/slide combo on her own.

This one cracks me up.  We made some animal noise and Max howled....

....so Gianna followed suit.

Lots of zipping here and there in the car trying to escape this summer heat.

Betchya didn't know...

...that I co-authored a children's book.

It's really exciting --- minus the fact that it's not yet published.

Two and my friends and I got together five years ago and wrote a precious book about the story of how the Crawfish came to Louisiana.  The real story is about the hardships, amazing endurance and unyielding faith that brought the Cajun people to SW Louisiana , but we wanted to tell the story based around the folklore of how the Crawfish ended up here. (It's such a cute story.)

There are lots of Cajun themed books for kids, but none that teach the history and tell the story.  That's what we wanted to do.  I think we did ~ and in a really fun way. 

We actually submitted it to a publisher of many Louisiana books and we received a lovely rejection letter that had obviously been photocopied around 40 times.  I'm pretty sure a novice copy-editor sent it out. :)

One of my friends (and co-authors) is also doing the artwork for the book.  It's amazing.  These are only some of the preliminary sketches. SKETCHES! (My sketches involve unidentifiable stick figures.)

She's working on finishing those now.

@ Racca Lewis France

We are considering by-passing the traditional publishing world and self-publishing.  Our goal is to have it ready to print in the next three months.

Even if we just publish 3 copies so we can each have one - I'd be thrilled and so proud.  But I really think other people will love it.  :)

Wordless Wednesday: Squishy and Immobile

...I think that has to be one of my favorite stages.

 

 

 I really love the toddler stage we're in now ~ but every now and then I long for "squishy and immobile."
Wordless Wednesday @ 5 Minutes for Mom

Gone 'wimming....

Yesterday, Gianna and I were going to play outside in the INSANE heat.

She grabbed her doll and I told her to leave it inside.

I turned around to get our water bottles and she started out the door.

She walked out ahead of me and a few seconds later as I was getting situated she came running to me exclaiming,

"Mommy!  Coco 'wimming."

"What Gianna?"

"Coco 'wimming!"

She was so excited and proud.

She sneaked her doll outside and put her in the water table for her first swim.

And just in case you were wondering, cabbage patch dolls weigh about 25 pounds when they're soaking wet.

Caught on Tape

It's getting more challenging to take pictures and videos of her. I've been using my phone to do both because it's easy, I have it with me all the time, I can record her discreetly, and I can upload directly to You.Tube.

She's been counting for a while now and singing her ABC's but I've yet to catch it on tape - until this week.  I'm grateful for my handy little phone.

Counting....


ABC's

Wordless Wednesday: My view while pumping gas...

...I'd say the $2.53 per gallon is worth it.

5 Minutes for Mom

Chatting at Breakfast

Bloggin' Drought 2010

I think I've lost my blogging mojo.

Not quite sure how long this drought will last.

All I have to offer is pictures....

...who needs words, anyway?

Wordless Wednesday: Ordinary Morning

Linked up at 5 Minutes for Mom

Kansas City - Part III: The End

(KC Part I and KC Part II)

Even though we're not super rigid with a "schedule" for Gianna, she does much better if we follow a rhythm in our days.  During our Kansas City trip, schedules, rhythyms and the like - went out the window.

Her usual bedtime is 7pm.  This grilled backyard dinner was at 9pm.  Good little sport.

I packed tons of Gianna's books for her to read.  She found Abuelito's books to be far more entertaining.

There was a girl making balloon figures at the mall to raise money for a mission trip.

She road her first Carousel ride at the mall too.  She went nuts. (I truly think she's gonna stroke out the first time she goes to Disney world.)

Gianna discovered Abuelito's ukulele in his den and was obsessed with it the whole week...."Tito's Tar!" (Abuelito's Guitar) she would say. 

Here's Daddy playing the ukulele for Gianna.

...and no, he doesn't know how to play.  (But he's rendition of the stereotypical Mexican "Aye, Aye Aye, Aye" was riveting and sent Mommy into hysterics each time he performed.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was also her first IHOP experience. This was her awesome breakfast....

.....which she didn't eat.

She did, however, discover the wonderful invention of Gogurt which ranked pretty high on her list of firsts.

Her new thing is to look at the world through her fingers. She does it especially when she goes into her shy mode.

Another first:  Cracker Barrel.  Those chairs are so darn cute....and expensive!

Not sure what this expression was for...

She made Tita play the head game...

...she instructs people to put objects on their head, and tells me to sing about it.  It's a Laurie Berkner song with a Gianna twist.

* * * * * * *

And then we buckled up for the LONG ride home.....Gianna: sleep-desprived and getting over being sick, Mommy: right smack in the middle of being sick and Daddy: on the verge of becoming sick. Woo Hooo!!!

PePaw gave her a cute little plaid hat that she doesn't wear, but uses to put snacks in while riding in her car seat.  Best invention. She doesn't spill anything.

Oh...and here's another first....Gianna watching our new portable DVD player. 

Out of the 30 hour trip, she only watched about 2 hours...not bad.

And then we got home.  She was ecstatic.  I dragged the over-packed suitcase inside to begin the laundry marathon and....

.... I found her tossing each article of clothing out of the suitcase exclaiming,

"Helping! Helping!"

In the words of the best known resident of the fine state of Kansas,

"There's no place like home!"