ONE

Isabella is one-year-old today. Well, possibly, one year and 9 months, depending on what you believe. As such, it's time for a little update on her capabilities.
-walking
-babbling
-definite words: uh-oh, bye-bye, hi, mama, dada, and kitty (I think)
-running/stumbling quickly
-picking up/rolling ball
-stacking rings
-eating solid food (not pureed or mashed, she's got 3 teeth!)
-making connections between what we are saying and what is not visible (for example, John asked her to bring the ball which had rolled behind the chair earlier and she retrieved it; another example would be when I make animal noises and she goes to get the book that has the pictures of the animals)
-waving, clapping, hitting me me or the cats in the head, and pinching
-for a while she was going to get her shoes when she wanted to go outside but since I stopped putting them on her (letting her walk barefoot) she stopped that cool trick
-dancing (she really gets down baby)

The list goes on but I think you get the idea. It's remarkable how the brain develops.
Thanks for all the happy wishes!

Lars and the REALGIRL

You have to see this movie. All of you.
I can't describe it with justice so you'll have to take my word on it.
If you've seen previews or read the "jacket" and decided against it, think again! It's very likely not what you expect. It's so very well done.
I can't praise it enough. Ryan Gosling blew me away.
WATCH IT!

Freakin' Brilliant

Ethanol from garbage and old tires. Read up on it in Technology Review "10 Emerging Technologies 2008." Remember Back to the Future? We are an amazing species sometimes. Whatever (absolutely anything) we imagine we can create. Is it consensual reality? Or are we really only limited by our imagination?
Now if only we could imagine being nice to one another for a change.

New Blog

Hey there, I'm writing another blog! Yes, another one. This one I get paid for.
Check it out at http://www.97116.net
I'll be writing exclusively about Forest Grove, so it may not be of interest to you - unless you're the curious type or my mother or possibly Heather.
In other news, phone books are destroying the world.

Girl Who Would Not Quit

Two doors down there lives a six year old girl just desperate for some attention. How does she seek out this attention? Apparently she wanders the neighborhood following people's cats and dogs around until someone talks to her and then, wham, she attaches herself to them, calling on them every day (some times twice a day), and talks and talks and talks. She looks in the back door window and waves with a big smile. She asks if the little baby can come out and play, calls them "so cute" and ignores you while you tell her "she's too young to play with you." And she keeps coming back! She wants you to meet her mom so she can come INSIDE your house. She's very sweet and it breaks your heart to think of telling her to bugger off, so you try being gone from the house when she gets home from school but she just comes back later. You even ask your husband to be mean to her instead of having to do it yourself but he chickens out too. He even suggests you buy curtains for the back door to close from 3pm to 7pm. The time has come to decide: are you mean to a lonely six-year-old girl or do you hide in your own house?
What expression are you wearing right now?
Choose from the list of Isabella's expressions below.

Sun At Last

Yesterday afternoon the sun began to peek through the clouds and today it was clear all day. Hallelujah. Let the sun shine down on me.
Today Isabella and I walked to lunch with John and then spent the afternoon playing in the yard (me mostly trying to keep Isabella from conking her head on the cement stairs in the back).
So, mom, thanks for the email but you really needn't dread moving up here that much. Snow in March is rare. And the sun will always shine again. And, yes, without the snow and rain we wouldn't have all the beautiful green (or the water to give our neighboring states, eh hem).