Abstract Expressionism

I have no idea what "abstract expressionism" art looks like but Julia showed some abstract expression in her artwork yesterday.

We bought Julia some crayons a couple of weeks ago and she has been scribbling up a storm. Most of it is just that, scribbles, but yesterday she "drew" something she knew. In one quick, furious motion she make a scribble and screamed "Alpha!" (Alpha is the name of one of Grandma Bonnie's cats...its not a pet, its a stray.), then to another part of the page she did it again and screamed "Omega!" (again, another of Grandma Bonnie's stray pet cats), then "Splotches!", and so on until she came round to Alpha again.

To my eyes this is pretty spectacular. She remembered one of the cats, scribbled her representation and did it to each distinct animal. Each scribble looked like a scribble but each was in a different spot of the paper. This might be typical for a 2 year old but I think its pretty amazing.

Wow! What a week or two!

I have never been so tired in my life.

As you all saw, I welcomed Aunt Susie back home with footsteps. I'd been working at it for awhile and I thought that was the perfect time to show it off. And you know what? That was just the beginning of a world wind couple of weeks that lead up to a momentous monthiversary, my 11th month, my last monthiversary before we start celebrating my birthday!!!!!! YEEAAAHHH, MEEEE!

So what else? Well, Grandma Bonnie married Poppy (Grandpa Buddy) on Halloween. It was so much fun, we had to go to back and forth to a dorm room on Scarritt's campus. I was an honored guest so Mom and I were escorted into the big Whitman Chapel. It's a lot like "the chapel" (All Saints) at Sewanee, which I visited a couple of weeks ago. There aren't photos of my first Halloween because Dad's hard drive crashed before he could upload them to Flickr. Hopefully somebody else has some to post, I looked cute. I got to meet all sorts of people but it was weird because they didn't look like normal people, they were all different colors and wearing funny clothes and hats and wings! We danced in a big circle outside and I got to eat at the big people table.

Speaking of food I am really exploring big people food. We went to an Indian restaurant the night before the wedding and I ate some rice and some Spinach Paneer. I didn't think much about it but most of the adults were surprised that I was eating the spicy spinach. Dad and I didn't think it was so spicy. I eat a lot of oat bran and soy yogurt but recently dad introduced me to sweet potato and butternut squash (I like orange food - carrots are pretty good too) but you know what I really, REALLY love? Soy Milk. Yup, like my Mom and my cousin, LJ, I love me some soy milk. I sit there with my sippy cup and guzzle it down. I tried drinking it standing up once but I feel and it didn't feel so good when my butt hit the ground and I had a mouthful of milk.

So everybody knows I'm walking but you know what I really like to do and I'm not sure why? I like to carry stuff while I walk. If I'm in my room I love to carry my bunny rabbit and maybe a book or some blocks. When I'm downstairs its all about the yogurt containers. If those things are within eyesight I will waddle over and do my best to grab them. Then I must pull every magazine or book (especially really big ones) off the shelf. Its really fun.

Well, now I've caught you up to where I am at this 11th month celebration.

I think I'll start talking in big people English soon.

I can walk! I can walk! I can walk!

Tara was in the bathroom and I was at home cutting the grass but Aunt Susie - who had been in town all of 4 hours - and Grandma Bonnie witnessed Julia's first steps, first hand. Fortunately Susie had her camera.