First week of classes

So this was my first week of classes at Xavier. I think they went OK.
I generally showed up in the right room and at the right time,
although I didn't realize that Monday classes didn't start until 4:00
PM, so my early-afternoon Monday classes didn't meet. I did figure
that out before the class time, fortunately. But I did end up being
prepared to teach on a day I didn't have class. Better than the other
way 'round, I think.

Ellie seems pretty OK with my "going to work" every day. Tina probably
would like a break from being on Ellie duty 100% of the time, but I'm
not on campus late most days, so it's not too bad. Plus she can always
go 'round the corner to Mammaw's and plunk Ellie in the pool.

Ellie moving earth

She's using the tractor, just like Pappaw Ron. Only she's on the tiny tractor, and he uses a big one.

Ellie and grandma moonwalking

Really.

Well, not really. "Crappaw" does what he calls "moonwalking," which is nothing like the actual moonwalk. (Given the tendencies of the original moonwalker, that's fine with me.)
So he started this trend of Ellie's paternal grandparents walking backwards with goofy looks on their faces, which Ellie seems to have learnt.

Ellie and Gramma Gramma Gramma

(She usually says Gramma 3 times.)

They're reading the little "book" attached to the teddy bear Ellie got from great-grandma's roommate Ruthie.

Ellie and Crappaw

Ok, I should probably not be so happy about "Crappaw." But it's funny.

Ellie, great-grandma and grandpa

She knows everyone by "name" and says all our names when she sees us in person or in picture. But she calls grandpa "Crappaw." Heh heh heh.

Ellie riding a giraffe

She calls them "jiresh." That's close enough for me.

Ellie playing with ostrich feathers

Yes, we Purell-ed her hands afterwards.

Hey y'all

We've been a little busy and haven't gotten to posting lately. And we've heard about it! So here are a few pics to tide you over for a while. And here's some story:

We've moved into our new place. It's pretty big, so Tina gets to decorate lots of stuff. She's right now at this very moment crooning over various pictures of daisies to put on the wall. (As if she needs more stuff with daisies on it. The 25-foot moving truck was chock full, and 76.4% of the things in it had daisies on them. Really. I counted.)

I have about a week and a half until classes at Xavier start, so I have a little time to get my new career figured out. Fortunately I only have one course to teach (I have 3 sections of it, Monday & Wednesday afternoons and Tuesday evenings) so I don't have to prep for multiple courses. I'll also be back up in Michigan about the 20th of September to wrap up my dissertation, God (and my advisor) willing.

Ellie's having a ball, swimming at Mammaw and Pappaw's house almost every day (at least, almost every day we're not in Cleveland, where we were the last few days). She's getting to play with her cousins too. It's a good time for her. She's talking very well, singing a lot, figuring stuff out...I really wish I had some objective way of figuring out for sure whether she is in fact the most perfectest little kid ever, because I think she is, but of course I'm biased.

The only problem she has is that she's growing up and getting bigger, so she won't be my little monkey forever. Well, she'll be my monkey forever, but she's a lot less little than she was. And I like her little.

Here are some pics of a few of our rooms

We're still waiting for furniture in a few rooms, and unpacking boxes in almost all of them...so we'll post more when there aren't so many bare walls and boxes laying around.

Ellie practicing gymnastics

Here I am reading to her...

...about important social issues like sharing cookies from the cookie tree.

Buy her new furniture...

...and all she does is sit on the floor
anyway.

More cutie in my hat

This is just too cute

Here's Ellie in one of my hats. This is why I never wear hats -- they look so much cuter on her.