She's dONE!

Anya completed her first year of life today and finished it off by turning ONE! (Now we can stop saying, "She's zero" when people ask us her age... )

Unfortunately, her birthday party was postponed due to the weather. Her weather. She was under the weather...

Poor little girl. She's very congested and is starting to cough. Not a very fun birthday gift for a little girl.

We have some cake ready, some birthday games prepared and have a couple of presents wrapped. We tried to keep her happy enough for the unwrapping of one gift but she just wanted to snuggle next to mom and try to feel better. Poor little girl. Get well soon, little topper!

Happy Birthday, Anya! We will try again tomorrow...

Let The Festivus Begin!

Anya has been extremely excited lately as her dad has been around a lot more since the semester ended a few days ago. However, there were some bad weeks we had to live through (perhaps you could have guessed that by the lack of recent posts...).

Despite our very full schedule, we did have some time to dress up in our Christmas outfits. Anya treated this dress in the same way she does all outfits: stretch and warp the fabric, spill oatmeal on the collar, and try to ditch it when it trips her up!

Her hair has become longer and longer (as most hair does) and often covers her eys while we play and roll around on the floor (see first picture), but Anya won't ever allow a barrette within two inches of her "do." I guess "grunge" has become her hair style of choice.

However, if we can catch her, (which is rare these days) and can brush her hair behind her ears, she will sometimes sit and let us take a cute picture of her in front of the Christmas tree (which is now "ornamentless" from the floor to two feet up)...

Destroying Angel

Here are just a few visuals to explain the title of this blog . . .


She loves taking the pots, pans and tupperware out of the cupboards. (She also puts interesting things in the pots--I have to look twice or we will have pacifier pasta and Curious George chicken.)

She's also helps me with laundry, taking it out of the basket . . . now if I can just get her to fold them!
She took these off our tree! Okay, not really, but she loves playing with everything and anything.



I caught her here fleeing the scene of the crime. Sometimes she blames Dad for these messes.


Now I have yet to photograph her ripping up the toilet paper into shreds and taking all of the clothes out of the bottom drawer of the dresser and helping unload the dishwasher, but perhaps we'll save those for another time. I'm sure there will be more fun to come in the way of messes!

One video I do wish I could share is her dropping a can of soda in our friend's pantry. The can must have dropped all of 8 inches, but somehow, as luck would have it, a small hole sent out a stream of soda all over the floor and walls. Fortunately, it was a diet soda--not quite so sticky!

But what can I do? She's so cute.

Marta Moment #9

This was an actual conversation I overheard on the Marta:

"...just look at this stuff. Junk. Nothing is worth that much... You know, I'll tell you how to make money.... simply overprice something and then sell it to some rich fool... Rich people love to spend money on outrageously priced items.... no lamp is worth $4,000 dollars..."

"I guess you only have to sell a couple a year for it to be worth it..."

"Yah, people will buy anything... oh, hear this... I heard of a guy who was taking an upper level HTML course and for one of his projects he was suppose to set up a website where you could buy stuff online... Since it was just for a grade the products were usually funny, you know, widgets and junk... This guy coded up his website and then sent the link to the prof for grading. He went back a couple weeks later and saw that someone had placed an order for his product... get this, a tumbleweed! Yah, can you imagine that. Someone wanted to buy a tumbleweed. What'd he do? He fills out the order and sends this guy, or whoever it was, a tumbleweed... Now, he's making $40,000 a year selling tumbleweeds online!... all from a project in a class, so you never know..........."

"Dude!"....

What did I do went I arrived home?... Well, let's just say you can now buy dirt clods online...

The Most Recent Friends "Addition"

For those true bloggers out there, Blogaslovenia has been missing a key part of a complete blog: Links to friends

We aren't the coolest people out there and so we had to set a goal a few months ago to make some friends so that we, in turn, could enjoy this part of our blogging experience.

We petitioned hundreds and worked our way up to a total of three friends, but then two dropped out and the third said we weren't paying him enough. It was time to do something drastic, like a complete overhaul of our image. So, we got new hair-do's, some shoes without holes for me, a shirt with a guitar on it for Lindy and we wiped Anya's nose and removed the cracker stuck to her head. We completely changed our look and are now the coolest family on this side of the Mississippi. The friends came in droves.


Whoever said looks aren't everything didn't have the looks to have everything! (I'm joking people... but I have to admit, Anya seems to get whatever she wants from me....pretty much everything... Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid her cuteness during the Christmas season...)

So now we have a friends' links section and feel pretty awesome about our new publicly proclaimed awesomeness. (It's also just more convenient for us...)

Additional friends' links will be posted as received. A waiting list of three months is expected. Hey. It's us.

My Little Georgia Peach

The cutest little Georgia Peach is my little daughter. (She's also a little corker, but that's a post for another time...)


They say that Georgia is known for its peaches. It's the state fruit, state mascot, state default street name and probably the last name of the general who fought along side General Sherman, but doesn't get any credit. Also, the peach is found on most car tags ("tag" means "license plate" in Canada... I know, what are these machines, alive?). However, the interesting thing is that the best peaches actually come from South Carolina. (At least, that's also what they tell me... but one always has to ask the question, who are "they?") Anyway, the peach that Anya is devouring was evidently from Georgia since it was slightly on the brown side...

...but it was hard to tell after her little hands had been smashing it for a half hour.

Apparently my wife had eaten as much as she wanted of this less-than-perfect peach and Anya was ready to finish it off with her, count them, four "tooths." There goes the peach...

The Last Bath

A couple weeks ago we went hiking with the Bonners. We were quite excited, as the place we chose (Cloudland Canyon) boasted not one, but TWO waterfalls. The leaves were beginning to change, it was a beautiful sunny day, Anya slept most of the two hour drive. However, we didn't put two and two together. No, not the waterfalls, but the GA drought and the possibility there would be no water to fall anywhere. Anya was shocked, as you can see in the third picture.



Because we really want to see these waterfalls someday, we have decided to conserve water. Anya will no longer take baths. As a result of that decision, we recorded her last bath on video. Contrary to how it appears, we do bathe her with a light on (we're not running out of electricity in GA). Anya must have known it was her last bath. She was kicking and crawling. (Warning: this is a fast-paced video, if you are subject to motion-sickness, watch at your own risk.)



Now, we will still wash her, but in the sink*.


*For those of you who may be concerned about Anya's welfare, we are just joking, she will continue to take baths as long as there is water to bathe in.

Marta Moment #8

I have a bunch of Marta Moments piling up inside my portfolio and I need to post them before it's too late. With a continuous supply of these "moments" I might never get to some of the ones that occurred earlier this semester...

This one will be quick.

I'm leaving the Marta station and a man in his upper 50s approaches me. I'm already prepared to take a quick whiff as he approaches and judge whether he would potentially use the money he is going to ask from me for cigarettes, alcohol or something else that would make many a Russian man less than sober in more than one way...

But I was wrong.

He blurts out: "Hey, man. You got the time?"

Surprised, I respond: "Uh.... yah... It's right here...It's, uh, 8:40..." as we both look down in unison at the minute hand almost directly on top of the hour hand...

He goes crazy on me. "What! Where? What is that? How do you know that? How do you see that?! You get 8:40 from that... What is that thing?"...

Are analog watches that uncool in the south that this man has never see one in 50 years? Whatever the answer, not everyone on that street knows how to tell time...

Anyway, time to leave... but quickly...

State Weather Warning

Everyone is going crazy today in Georgia! The forecast predicts below freezing temperatures tonight. It's the biggest news story followed closely by the drought. I was surprised to see that the state issued a warning. If that was necessary in Canada, it would eventually be called a disaster area and FEMA would have to step in!

Anyway, I still can't wait for it to snow. I hope it does this year. I want to see this town shut down.

Still, we are teaching Anya well and have been preparing her for the cold she will experience later this year by having her wear toques. Does everyone know what that is? I've met more than my share of people who have no idea.


As for a response to some comments, Marty is no longer on stair number nine, and the real song goes: "Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home." I was close. Not bad for a memory going back at least 15 years...

We also have a video in which Anya shows off her chewing skills. The first two bites have the "jaw dropping action" and after that she was distracted...

Keep on toasting!

Lady Bug, Lady Bug, Where's My Coin?

There is probably some game or song out there called that...

...but if not, it seems rather appropriate for Anya's first Halloween. She went as a lady bug.


We found her costume at a "discount-thrift" store. Not only did the price match our budget, but we felt that she will only wear this "outfit" once in her life and therefore spending anything more than a few dollars wouldn't be smart financially. This brings up an interesting issue somewhat related to the previous sentence. How much should one spend on a wedding dress that the bride usually wears on only one day? Anyway, I digress...


Anya was adorable (as always) in her lady bug costume and was named "the cutest lady bug" by a person not even related to her. I guess I really am not biased in regards to her cuteness...

The young boys near her age showed up to check out her costume, but had a hard time seeing around their hoods... In fact, these two boys probably couldn't even see her without a hood, since they are both less than 2 months old! (However, they are just a couple ounces lighter than Anya...)


As for trick or treating, we planned our route well in advance... It went by the Kraybill's,


everyone in Alpharetta,


and the Bonners!

Happy Halloween!

Marta Moment #7

My Marta Mouse is dead. You read that correctly. My Marta Mouse is dead.

I always knew exactly where to find him. North Avenue Station, the southeast corner, typically three quarters up the set of stairs.

He was reliable. Much more than the Marta trains he lived (and died) with. I could count on seeing him at least once each week on the way to, or back from, school.

He grew from a small mouse to a slightly larger small mouse over the past several months while I've been attending Georgia Tech. I will miss him greatly but he is gone and I mourn my loss.

It appears he was playing too closely to the middle of the stairs during rush hour and an unsuspecting passenger prematurely ended his life with the aid of a large shoe. He never knew what hit him. He currently lies where is all ended... Stair number nine.

That's the problem. He is STILL on stair number nine. (Although a little flatter than usual...)

So, he's been there for a couple of days... Seeing the same dead mouse every day this week in the same position wasn't as enjoyable as seeing him scurry about the "less frequent" once per week. Surely there are janitors for the Marta stations, but perhaps they followed their French cousins and went on strike... After the fourth day, it warranted a picture. It's not every day that an American public institution gets away with having a dead mouse in a public place viewed by more than a 1000 people per day.

Anyway, I didn't have my camera but I did have my cell phone which takes abhorrently bad pictures. Still, his life's ending must be shown. (I had to take a picture of the picture on my cell phone to upload it. If you have a weak stomach and can actually make out the dead mouse in the following picture you may want to scroll over it...)

While I was taking this picture a lady gave me a smile. A weird smile. With a slight head nod. A smile (and accompanying head nod) you would give a small child when they find and come running to show you for the 40th time a rock they have found in a gravel yard... Anyway, somewhere out there is a blog telling an incorrect story about a sensitive (but disturbed) man taking pictures of leaves on the stairs in the Marta station. From her angle, she had no idea there was a mouse...

Anyway, a moment never to be forgotten but perhaps never cherished...

Yes, I will miss Marty greatly and yet I have a feeling I can move on... Yes, I can, since that's my train coming...

New Heights

Due to a recent purchase of ours, we've been able to do a little more exploring as a family, and Anya has gained a new perspective.



One of our hikes led us to the top of Kennesaw Mountain. I don't really know if this qualifies as a "mountain" since it was only about a mile to get to the top. However, for those history buffs out there, this is a historical site. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was part of the Atlanta Campaign. It was a bloody battle, the Union lost about 3000 men, the Confederates about 1000 in a matter of about 2 weeks. The view from the top was quite impressive but I guess all that hiking and talk of the battle wore Anya right out.

De Pants

Anya is learning which of her clothes are crawling friendly. Dresses are problematic for obvious reasons. Also, if her pants aren't tight enough, she loses them.



And then there are the times she has somehow crawled into one pant leg.




And so she is sticking with the onesies!

White Fang

They've taken their time but at long last, Anya's first two teeth are coming in, months after her cousin David has been flashing his pearly whites on the hard Chicago polished floors...

She hasn't been taking the "new additions" too well. A couple of fevers and some nasal congestion have made some nights longer than even before. But hopefully the process will be over soon. For awhile. Only 18 more!

To help distract her, we go outside on long walks and picnics. Just recently she had an opportunity to see some Canadian "gooses." I'm sure they were on their way to Florida looking at the weather up there. I suppose I am heading that way too in a matter of speaking, with a couple of stops in Utah and Georgia... Still, it is pretty nice right here. I actually got some stares from various people walking to school as I was the only one wearing shorts. If it drops below 70 here, people pull out their parkas! I guess they don't know what they have...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you...Thank you very much!

Everywhere across my home and native land, people are gorging themselves on turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries and anything else then can get their hands on - much like it has been recently around our house with little Anya. She has found great joy in her new abilities to crawl , role and move around in the x-y plane... (If you haven't seen her in action, check out the previous post!) With this increased daily energy expenditure, her food consumption has more than doubled - making it a "Canadian Thanksgiving feast" every day and for every meal! I can't remember the last time I ate an ENTIRE jar of sweet potatoes, but I know the last time Anya did...


Anya wanted to wish everyone a happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Until next time: "Bye!"

Anya in Action!

After many months of being content to be carried around, Anya decided to venture out on her own. Since then, she has been knocking over lamps, sticking her fingers in outlets, getting stuck under the coffee table, acting as a human vacuum cleaner, chasing her ball around and letting her mom have a break.

The following videos are mostly for Anya's biggest fans or the very bored :) (My apologies for those who may become motion sick after watching these, I need to work on being steady.)

Happy Birthday Uncle Jay!

You are now as old as my mom! Thanks for visiting me in Utah. My parents and I look forward to seeing you soon. I was enjoying my hand as my mid-afternoon snack in most of these pictures of me and Uncle Jay.



Also, my parents have been spoiling me more and more with new treats and a little morsel of meat the size of a crumb. I loved it! I'm glad I fit in with my carnivorous family. I must really be the daughter of John and Lindy. No DNA test required!

In general, I've been breaking them down little by little. They are feeding me off their own plates and I love it! They truly are putty in my dirty, slobbery little hands...