The Nieces in Texas

So, Sarah and Momma Donna and I took little Hannah Mo (AKA Hannah Boo or B'nana) out to Austin to meet her cousins and aunt. Apart from a small mid-air melt-down (on H's part) and a solid head cold (on Daddy's part), the trip was a smashing success.

Hannah has five cousins in Texas. Here they are:


1. Ruth, the oldest- Ruth stays busy with school and with the business of being the oldest sister.

 

2. Arden- She's the family science buff. She has no fear of anything short of a hen getting "broody."

Here she offers the day's finding in the hen house.

 Slight of build though she may be, she is a strong and vigorous young'n. She and Edie (#3) can often be found with their bicycles which makes me happy to no end! They'll be CXing in no time!

3. Edie- AKA "Shark Tooth." Rough n' Tumble she is the only person I know who has had her adult teeth begin to come in behind her baby teeth, possessing both at once. She's the spittin' image of her mother at this age- it's uncanny.

4. Lulu- One of the kindest souls the world has yet seen, she was immediately taken with her young cousins and the two of them were fast friends.

The smiles say it all.

5. Milly Rose- 7 months older than Hannah, these two are sure to be thick as thieves in years to come.

Momma Donna loves little more than to spend time with her granddaughters.

And the house itself is beautiful. Sarah's family has set up a beautiful life for themselves. The sky's the limit.

News Big & Small

First to the important stuff:

Keeper and Hannah get along nicely. See?

Still handsome

Look who's rolling over!

In other news, S is teaching H the secrets to typing at three time the speed of sound...

What should my user name be??

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S is almost done with another semester of teaching at Athens Tech. One more exam to proctor before Spring Break!

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I got a job.... not in education.... as a bread broker (?)...

 

Yep, into the middleman fray, I plunge. Hang the altruism! Baby needs diapers!

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And let us not forget, people are still trying to depose the world's longest-ruling dictator.
What to do,
     what to do...?

Don't sue me, Banksy.

Have you ever see "Down By Law," the Jim Jarmusch picture? There's this sublime moment where Roberto Benigni walks up to Tom Waits and speaks some of the only English he knows; "It's a sad and beautiful world." Tom, unsurprisingly drunk, agrees.

How do we reconcile humanity's capability for beauty and brutality?

r

A Wedding

 

 To Montgomery! It was the first capitol of the Confederacy, you know. Strange to think, then, that I-85 begins there and ends in Richmond (the other Capitol of the Confederacy).

I digress. 

St. John's Episcopal church in downtown is almost 200 years old. It's a stunning building in the middle of a town trying to reinvent itself after becoming famous for some less than glamorous reasons. It is the home parish (for now) of the dear woman who married me and Sarah, Kedron Jarvis. Now it was her turn to be married. It was beautiful.

But before we went...

 

Auntie Kim sent us some clothes that H's cousins don't need any more

.

 

 

 

 We're going to get some wear out of this one.

This is a common scene in our house these days. Keeper is sleeping. Mommy is feeding Hannah. Daddy is taking pictures. Hannah is smiling. Hannah is also about to spit up all over Mommy, hence the burp cloth at the ready.

Oh, my.

Soapbox Alert!

H is beginning to teethe so S go her a teething ring (in the bag). Do note the the amount of packing material the shippers felt was required. I'm glad they were cautious and all, but really?

Packaging!

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So, on to Montgomery. It was a good drive and Hannah, all things considered, was great. We only stopped twice each way for her. We consider it a success.

Rosa Parks and the Tuskegee Airmen and....

That's right- the original Honky Tonker Hank Williams, Sr. is from Montomery. I took a moment stare ponderously with him. 

Really, how could I not? 

Just across the street was St. John's. S and I were joined by Mr. Jason Harwell whose wife, Aunt Jana, was a Bride's Maid. The three of us took up a position near the back of the room just in case an escape was required. We did not have to wait long. The opening salvos of the entrance fanfare scared the pants off of little Miss and from then on Mommy and Daddy tag-teamed bouncy duty.

What did we expect?

During my turn, I got to speak with the wedding director of the church. The petite, and well put-together lady was eager to discuss the history of the place and was pleased to find a ready listener. The conversations was great. Here's a highlight:

Me: This place is amazing!
Her: It's almost two hundred years old! You know, Jefferson Davis worshiped here.
Caught-off-guard Me: Really? I didn't realize he was Episcopalian.
Her, with a knowing look in her eye: He wasn't. His wife was and he knew how to mind!

As I considered the irony of this (how many in the North would agree that Jeff Davis "knew how to mind?") the lady pointed to a pew that was unlike the others. His pew was still there, maintained but unchanged after all the renovation that place had seen.

Here once sat a man who knew how to choose his battles(?) Oh, the prayers he must have prayed!

It was a beautiful ceremony and the bride and groom seem built to last. I'd wish them luck, but I don't think they need it. The reception was a complete success. We had breakfast with the Harwells on the way out of town the next day and they gave us all the details. I'll not go into it now- let's just say the bases were covered.

A good time was had by all...

And Kedron got to meet Hannah, 3 1/2 years after officiating our wedding

The trip home was as uneventful (relatively) as the trip there. A stop is necessary every now and then, though. We chose a quiet spot among the pear blossoms.

Nothing to do but stop and feed the baby.

It's a beautiful time to be in the South. Sweater weather and the flowers are all blooming. Wish you were here!

There is a Season, turn- turn- turn

Friends come...

Two of our dearest friends (well, just the girl, really) brought a new boy into the world this weekend.

Jules William Liddell-Bennett
Born 3/3/11, 10:42 pm
7 pounds, 8 ounces

I envy this child his upbringing. Jules will be well-versed in all things art, literature, and fire trucks and then will be set loose on the streets of Brooklyn under the watchful eye of his elder brother. It will be a fun journey to watch. Congratulations, B & V & L!


And friends go...

Also this weekend, a dear friend from my old stomping grounds gave up the fight and moved on. John Strickland, landscaper extraordinaire and eternal life of the party, died while saving small children, kittens, endangered species, and his grandmother from a burning skyscraper in downtown Cumming. (I really don't think he'd mind having people believe that.)
He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

John and his daughter Emily.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh?

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While I'm on the sober side of things I'd like to at least mention the struggle going on in my future profession. Teachers are having a rough time in the Midwest. It's difficult for me to maintain solidarity seeing as how Georgia does not allow Teacher's Unions to even form, much less vote, still I feel that politics on this matter are moving backwards rather than progressing.

Jules will have a voice. I hope he uses it.

John had a voice, and man, did he use it. 

Teachers should have a voice, especially in this day of scrutiny and high-stakes testing. It is critical they use it.

Life is a struggle and a celebration.

Welcome, Jules. We'll miss you, John.