Toys, toys, toys

Last Wednesday, I attended a local "consignment event" called Duck Duck Goose. It's a five day consignment sale that takes place twice a year. Since I am a new mother (Anna is under a year old) I was able to attend the pre-sale a day before the general public. It was still a zoo, but all things considered, it was organized extremely well. Much of the merchandise was already picked over even by the time I got there (sale workers get first dibs, even before new moms) but selection and quality were impressive even so. Among my finds were an Exersaucer, some toddler toys, and a few clothes, especially pajamas. Anna seems to be enjoying the Exersaucer:





I didn't realize it at the time of purchase, but this contraption plays not only animal sounds and Classical music, but says animal names in BOTH Spanish and English. Mommy can even learn from this thing!

And we're still getting lots of mileage out of the Anna's other play things as well:

Seven Months Old!

We can't believe it. Yet another month has gone by. Here she is with Lambie at seven months old.

A is for Apple

I promise we won't post an update every time Anna tries a new food. At least, I don't think so. But Anna's new favorite food by a wide margin is applesauce, and how appropriate given the time of year. Notice how excited she gets between each spoonful--hurry, Mom, hurry! More! More! She finished off a whole jar in one sitting, which is a new record for her. (By "whole jar" I mean baby- food-sized jar, mind you, but that's still an impressive display of enthusiasm).

Free Stuff!!

Anna's first installment of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library arrived this week:





All children up to age five in Knox county qualify to receive a free book each month from this program. Not bad. I think we're going to enjoy this quite a bit.

What's up, Doc

Last night we introduced Anna to carrots. They were a big hit--much more so than sweet potatoes. Here are the highlights:

Michigan invasion

Grandma and Grandpa VanDyke and Aunt Rachel came for a visit last Friday and stayed with us until Tuesday afternoon. We had a great time! Anna enjoyed flirting with everyone, and though she was shy about being held, she loved swiping Grandpa's glasses off his face. Also Grandma brought a walker for Anna, so she is having lots of fun figuring that out. We all enjoyed exploring the local bookstores and Ben's new office, and we even found a Five Guys Burgers and Fries for lunch one day. So thanks for coming, Grandma, Grandpa, and Rachel! We miss you guys already!

Tusculum College

Ben had his first class last Thursday evening. He has his second one tonight. As many of you know, his class meets for four hours in the evening once a week, so it is quite a chunk of time. Despite the late hour, however, he is enjoying his class and fitting in well at Tusculum. Here are some pictures of his office and classroom on the Knoxville campus.