Charlottesville

We took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Charlottesville, VA, this weekend. Perfect weather, beautiful town, learning-filled day at Monticello. I'm reading Annette Gordon-Reed's Pulitzer Prize winning book The Hemingses of Monticello, which triggered the visit.

The hotel (which was free because I had Hilton points) had an indoor pool and was full of people in tartan because the Clan MacGregor was having its annual reunion. Lily busted a gut at the guys in kilts.

Dumplings in the historic downtown.

UVA Rotunda, designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Rotunda dome

Monticello garden.

Monticello

Monticello

I was impressed that Lily asked why there were no statues of slaves at Monticello. However, my pride at her budding sense of social justice was dashed when she said she hoped they sold refrigerator magnets with slaves on them...a 5-year old sometimes misses the nuances.

Panorama

There are a few more photos on my Flickr account.

And the Kid's a Comedienne

Last night, Lily called out for us in the middle of the night. "Mommy, I need you!" Michael found her sitting up in bed, awake, and this is what she said to him:

What do you get if you cross a cocker spaniel, a poodle, and a rooster? A cockerpoodledoo!

And then she laughed and went back to sleep.

The Kid's Got Style

Lillian Got a Haircut

But she can still get the ends in her mouth. Argh.

Whoa Baby!

A woman in Indonesia gave birth to a 19 pound baby. Read and see another great photo here.

Exclusive Interview

I meant to do this interview with Lily on her birthday, but never got around to it. I got the idea from our friend Joanna, who plans to interview her son every year on his birthday. I figure this will make good embarrassing material for her wedding.

What's your favorite color?
Pink, because I like the light color.

Who is the President of the United States?
Barack Obama.

Who is the Vice President?
Michelle?

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Is Santa Claus a job? Lifeguard. Because I like the beach. [This was a surprise - previously the answer has been gummi bear maker, artist, sign maker, and police officer.]

Are you smart?
Yeah.

How do you know?
I think of a lot of things in my head that are problems to fix.

Who's your best friend?
Ellie. I really really really really really love her. I also like Gina from school. But we just started being friends.

What's your favorite season?
Winter. I like eating snow. Not yellow snow!

What's your favorite food?
Mac n' cheese!

What do you like to do?
Go to the pool. Go to the park. Go to Ellie's birthday party. Go to the library.

Do you like doing anything at your house?
Mommy! I like to play there. And eat.

What do you like better, cats or dogs?
Cats. I like the sound they make better. And they remind me of Ellie because she has a cat. Can I have a cat?

If for one day you could either fly or be invisible, what would you pick?
Fly. Because if there was a tree with a really high tree house, I could get in without climbing.

What's the very first thing you remember from when you were a baby?
Ellie.

What's your favorite movie?
Sound of Music, cause I like the singing and the color of Maria's hair.

If you were magic, what would you do?
I would be wide awake when I was told to so I could be ready even when it's early.

What things don't you like?
Anything stinky.

What are your favorite and least favorite words?
L-O-V-E and P-O-O.

What is the biggest problem in the world today?
I dunno. Oh, yes, how about this? When people are pigs at the reservoir. They leave garbage and Daddy and I pick it up. So garbage, when people pollute. There should be more garbage cans.

What's your favorite joke?
What are you eating under there? Underwear! Hahahahahaha, you said underwear.

Baby Jane

This is what happens if you let Michael and Lily go off on their own at Sephora.