Children

I love the baby curls on our 20-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable -- his mom has to use conditioner and detangler on them, but we're clinging to them as long as possible!

Children

At almost 20 months, grandson Capt. Adorable hasn't quite yet grasped the concept of "if the shoe fits ...!"

Shopping and Style

Children's clothingOh my goodness. My husband always cautions me against turning into a Styleblubbering grandmother and overwhelming you all with photos and praise of grandson Capt. Adorable, but I just can’t help it. And you know I think all of y’all’s children and grandchildren are adorable, too. I really do.  I always want to hear more about their cuteness. And I’m not posting these pics because I think my grandson is the most adorable and cute of them all. Oh, no. You know that’s not the case here, I promise. I’m just posting these pics because … well … let’s see … uh … hmm … because I want to talk about children’s clothing. Yes, yes — that’s it. I want to have a completely objective discussion about little boys’ clothes and how they wear the exact same thing that big boys and men wear but somehow it just looks so especially adorable on their little 19-month-old selves. I mean, have black sneakers, dark cuffed jeans, a white untucked oxford shirt and a knitted sweater vest and matching scarf ever looked so cute? Somehow even though a grown man could wear the exact same thing, it just wouldn’t look the same, would it? Baby Gap and Old Navy excel at this look — translating grownup style to toddler chic at affordable new-parent prices. Until I had a grandson, I always thought that little girls’ clothes were far more fun than little boys’, but now I head straight for the T-shirts and cargo pants and don’t even notice the pink lace and ruffles across the aisle. See, now we’ve had our discussion about children’s fashion and I didn’t once mention our model, Capt. Adorable. It’s just a coincidence that he’s wearing the exact same thing I wanted to talk about, really it is.

Shoes

Shoe Tree on U.S. 72 WestYou have to look carefully, but when you do, you’ll see that Shoe Treethis tree on U.S. Hwy. 72 west, just west of Cherokee, Alabama, is full of shoes. It’s been this way for at least a couple years, and nobody is sure how it got started — or why. Or at least, nobody’s telling. You’re just driving along and then you look up and there are dozens of pairs of shoes nestled in and dangling from this tree. It’s a true mystery. I drive past it at least twice a week and I’ve never seen anybody adding their contributions — yet the Shoe Tree grows and thrives. Some say the Shoe Tree has its origins in the infamous wave of Shoes Thrown Over the Power Line in downtown Florence, Alabama, several years ago. This was a power line across from a local coffee house that was a hangout for the youngsters (actually, the sidewalk in front of the coffee house was the preferred spot) and every once in a while the within-tossing-distance power line would sprout a decoration of tied pairs of shoes. Did those Shoe Throwers grow up and now commute on U.S. 72 every day? My investigative-reporting skills have failed to find the answers. But that’s OK — I’ve got my eye on a pair of black stiletto pumps if I can just figure out how to get to the top branch.

Food

I love food that comes in shapes — makes eating all that much more fun, you know? Yes, I know that marks me as holding on to my inner toddler. That’s why I’m so glad  I’ve got Captain Adorable, my 18-month-old grandson, around now so I’ve got an excuse toHalloween marshmallows Heart sandwiches  appreciate goodies such as these ghost-shaped marshmallow/graham cracker cookies and these heart-shaped peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches. Actually, the cookies are from the dessert and bread chef at Crocodile Ed’s, a newly opened restaurant in Florence, Alabama, http://www.crocodileeds.com. She makes delicious breads, cakes, pies — and handmade marshmallow/graham cracker cookies — that she sells from the restaurant and at the Jack O’Lantern Farms market on Thursdays and Saturdays, http://www.jackolanternfarm.com/. Her Apple Ring (what I call an apple tart) is beyond marvelous, believe me. And the peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches? My daughter, Capt. Adorable’s mother, made them for lunch for me and the Captain one day. I did share!

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday!Sunday was Younger Daughter’s 23rd birthday, which is absolutely amazing to me. I mean, how did she get to be 23??? Wasn’t she watching Sesame Street and playing with her My Little Ponies just yesterday? (No, seriously, wasn’t that just yesterday?) Unreal! But what’s truly amazing is the talented, funny, smart and caring young woman she’s turned out to be. I am in awe of the things she’s accomplished and the impact she continues to have on the lives of people lucky enough to know her. In fact, both of my daughters are beautiful inside and out — proof that nature triumphs over nurture! I cringe when I look back and think of all the parenting mistakes I made. Yet, here they are: Two strong and capable women with so much to contribute. That truly is amazing! Younger Daughter is set to graduate from college in December and right now she’s facing those familiar young-adult questions: What do I want to do with my life? What can I do with an English degree? And why-oh-why are there so many bugs in my apartment??? I helped her with the last question — exterminators and bug traps — and I’m confident she’ll get the other ones figured out. After all, she can lead an entire university marching band, successfully battle miserly landlords and deal with rude and obnoxious restaurant customers — all valuable life skills we all envy her for. Happy Birthday plus one, sweetie!

Madison, Alabama

Madison Street Festival Saturday, the town of Madison, Alabama, officially welcomed fall with Madison Street Festival the annual Madison Street Festival. A gorgeous early-fall day brought out thousands of folks to shop arts-and-crafts booths, eat that tempting fried festival food (funnel cakes, anyone?), catch up with their neighbors and be entertained by folks like Older Daughter, who performed with her Huntsville belly-dance troupe. She is an awesome dancer (and that’s not just maternal pride Madison Street Festival speaking), and the group’s repertoire included a piece she had choreographed herself. Even 18-month-old Capt. Adorable seemed to recognize his mom onstage. At least, he sat still and watched in his stroller for about 15 minutes. Or maybe he was just fascinated with the balloons we tied to the handles. Balloon-decorated strollers were everywhere, as you can tell by the line parked outside the festival’s raptor show — balloons and pets were prohibited, although I guess young children were considered safe! Capt. Adorable almost came home with a pet, since he made friends with the oh-so-adorable puppies at the animal-shelter’s booth. I’ve got a feeling there may be a new addition at the Captain’s house soon. Read more about the festival at http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/10/madison_street_festival_draws.html and http://www.madisonstreetfestival.org/

Children

Talking ElmoOur grandson, 16-month-old Capt. Adorable, Sesame Streetloves his Elmo Live. I mean, this Elmo really is amazing — he sings, he dances, he has jazz hands, he sneezes, he tells jokes, he asks for help getting up after falling over and then thanks you for helping him. It makes for a fascinating and entertaining 10 minutes or so …  until the Captain decides to figure out exactly how this thing works and what he can do to make it un-work. That’s when Elmo goes back up on a very high shelf and it’s on to the next thing, like what happens when you dump out a whole box of Cheerios on the kitchen floor.

Reading

Capt. Adorable

The only thing my 16-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable, sits still for is "reading."

Grandparenting

It was that classic moment in “The Shining,” when Jack Nicholson peered through the cracked-open door, combined with every scary babysitter movie ever — I had just put almost-15-month-old grandson, Capt. Adorable, in his crib for the night and gone out to my daughter and son-in-law’s den to watch TV when I heard a door creaking … and there was nobody around who should be opening an door. Yikes! Find out what happened at my weekly newspaper column for the TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090626/ARTICLES/906265007. (Hints: Capt. Adorable has been walking since he was less than 10 months old — and he was not happy to be left alone in his crib without his mom or dad around that night.)