The State Of Tate

Play Ball!!

Happy Birthday Tate!!

What do you get when you cross Pebbles Flintstone with a Pink Monkey?

Mmmm, Drugs

My gums hurt! And I HATE this new chair!

Ahh, Baby Tylenol, sweet, sweet nectar of the Gods...

Our New Computer Arrived!

FINALLY! Now I can share what I've been up to the last few weeks. First off, I've been watching a LOT of something called "Preschool Musical" online. All my mom and dad have to do is hum the first few bars, and I go c-r-a-z-y!

But I've been doing some growing up too. I've started drinking. Mostly just the clear stuff - vodka, everclear, absinthe... I put it in these little sports bottles so I can take it to restaurants without raising any eyebrows:

 

I've also spent some time teaching Grandpa Rob how to read - he struggles with some of his tractor terminology (roll bar, dual wheels) but he's pretty easy to work with. Plus he doesn't mind if I forget to wear pants, and he doesn't make fun of my mullet:

 

I've also discovered the hilarity that is cat kibble in bulk:

But mostly, I've just been hangin' around in my Kung Fu suit, lookin' Kung Fu cute:

Nothing New Here...

Just, ya know, standing up. Whatev.

 

And getting basted for my swim:

Daddy's computer died

...which is why you're not looking at an adorable picture of me right now. Thankfully, mommy is going to buy us a new one. I hope it has even more buttons to mash than the last one.

Pie Crust Lake QT-Pies

 

My Vacation to Pie Crust Lake

I just got back from Pinecrest Lake, and boy are my arms tired. Huh? I don't get it. Actually, my parents' arms are tired, since I now weigh 30 lbs. But anyhoo, let's move on, a lady does not discuss her weight. You can never be too fat or too cute, I say. Pinecrest Lake, or Pie Crust as we like to call it, is just a couple miles east of  Mi Wuk, CA. No? A stone's throw from Strawberry, CA, then. Nothing? Well, it may not a place you've heard of, but I give it the "Weebert Anne" (or "Weebert Marie" when I'm bad) seal of approval. I had a great time staying in a cabin with my Uncle Chris, Aunt Mac, Cousin Samantha, 'Ramma Mary and Grandpa John. My parents came along too. We packed a lot into four days:

I played peak-a-boo with Sam, in a rainbow necklace my mom and Sam made out of felt beads:


I loved playing in the lake! Here I am waiting for Uncle Chris to pick me up and help me swim in the water:

Cousin Sam is a real fish in the water:

Sam and my mom had a great time making a sand-mold path on the beach:

One morning before breakfast, I made a "family sandwich" with Chris and Sam...it was fun, but it couldn't hold a candle to 'Ramma's oatmeal-applesauce-cottage cheese-fusion:

 

First Shiner

This week I am transitioning to the toddler room at baby school. That place is CA-RAY-ZEE! There are no less than THREE kid-sized vacuums in the new room, plus little cars to ride in, books, puzzles, and a real table and chairs to sit at for meals. I sleep on a friggin' cot! As in , no sides! This is the big time, people. The kids are older, rougher, and can scream louder. I really like my new teacher, Ruth - she is a billion feet tall, strong as an ox, and makes helps me stand up all the time. I come home with paint on my shirt, food in my hair, muddy knees, and just yesterday...my first shiner. No one even knows how it happened because I didn't cry about it. In one week I've turned into a tough old bird.

 

Cousinpalooza

I visited with my second cousins Jack and Lily this weekend. Lily taught me the importance of a well-fitting shoe, and Jack challenged me to a staring contest. I tried not to be adorable, but I failed miserably. Sigh.

 

 

Defiance, Thy Name is Broccoli

"Yes. I have broccoli all over my face. Yes. I am deliberately placing broccoli and ravioli on the end table. You wanna do somethin' about it? The question is, do you feel lucky, PUNK? Well, DO you?"

Group Nap

I Got Into The Snack Tent!!

Thanks to everyone who supported my efforts at AIDSWalk 2009! I got over $300 in donations!But more importantly...I got a free popsicle!

Support My First Fund-Raising Effort!

Mom and Dad were talking about "AIDS WALK 2009" and I had no idea what that is. Something about  walking and giving back. Well, I'm still learning how to walk, and I'm not real good about giving things back once you hand them to me. So I basically tuned them out. But then I heard the magic words...

"There are free snacks".

I'm SO THERE!

Will you help me out? Apparently I need to raise money to get into this thing. The money helps to find a cure for HIV and support people living with AIDS, but more importantly, it gets me into the snack tent. The Deadline is July 18th.

Click here to donate.

Mom and Dad say we appreciate any donation you can give, no matter the size.

Thanks for your support!

[Edit from Dad: We don't have the heart to tell her there won't be hurdles or judges at the event.]

I Rode An Ostrich

Need a Stand-In Birthday Girl? I'm Your Man!

Great-grandma Margaret couldn't make it to her own birthday party because she didn't feel so hot. Luckily, I was available to act as her stand-in. So I got the balloon, most of Granny G's dinner, and all the attention. Get well soon, Great-grandma! (But not tooooo soon, I mean, you know, take it easy, don't rush back in to your old habits to quickly, you could sprain something.)

 

Happiness is a Warm Crust

On Sunday Mornings She Likes To Read "The Times" AND "The Observer"

I KNOW! I'm As Shocked As You Are!

How I looked when they told me my mom WASN'T laid off today after all:

Now please don't make her commute to Menlo Park. See, my mom says that since the larger team is in Mountain View, the smaller Menlo Park team should relocate to Mountain View, not the other way around, and I know for a fact that my mom is a very wise and reasonable type lady and is also always right when it comes to matters of corporate relocation.

Mastering the Spoon

Donutz Make Me GoNutz

Today, my dad went to Psycho Donuts in Campbell. He returned with a plate of pure insanity. Call ME crazy, but I did the math: 3 donuts, 3 of us (not including Shroebean, who is allergic), so ergo, 1 for each. After exactly zero deliberation, I chose the Banana Cream Pie. I had just barely grabbed my first banana chip off the top, when I was told that, no, I was horribly mistaken, that I would not, after all, be partaking of 1/3 of the donut platter. Shocked does not even begin to describe my feelings.

 

A Lesson In Direction

Watermelon Girl Demonstrates "Paci-Toe"...

...It's sort of a poor man's Ring Toss, and works best when one's hat fully coordinates with one's double-collared bubble suit.

The Lower Lip That Ate Manhattan

18 Months of Pure Cuteness

Today, Tate is 18 months old. And for the first time since she was about 3 or 4 months, her clothing size contains her ACTUAL AGE. You heard me, 18-24 months on the outside, 18-24 months on the inside! She went to her check-up today with her beloved pediatrician, affectionately called "Remi" 'round these parts. And as it turns out, not only is she back on the chart, she is only in the 95th percentile for weight. I'll spell this out for you: FIVE PERCENT of babies her age are BIGGER THAN HER. Who ARE these mutant behemoths? She is 90th percentile for height, and 50th for head circumference, for those of you keeping track. And her cuteness factor? Well, I'll let you come to your own conclusion, but here's a hint:

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

We have similar interests, my brother and me:

Spring comes to State of Tate

First swim of the year:

Extreme footwear:

Playing With The Shoes (a nightly pre-bed ritual), and modeling a sweater knit by her Grandma Debbie:

Career Aspirations

Dad thought it was time I got some practical skills, so he signed me up for classes at Master's Trucking Institute in San Mateo. I feigned interest in the Big Rig Simulator 3000, but to be frank, the idea of a life on the road, with its greasy spoon dining, cheap women, crystal meth, and gallons of Mountain Dew, did not exactly light my fire:

I have other dreams. Dreams of sailing through life on a flying trapeze, my lone curl trailing out behind me. Nothing but some sand and my mom's arm for a safety net:

And if that doesn't pan out, I always have my safety career: rabbit statue:

First Haircut

Before The Haircut, I was a common tart - strung-out on cherries and showing leg to any guy with a decent mustache and fifty cents to his name:

But after The Haircut, I am a changed woman! Deadly serious, studious and intense, vowing to solve the world's problems one knobby farm animal at a time:

It was all going well until mom hit "cow", and then I realized she might be crazy

Sometimes I like to hide from mom and dad

It totally freaks them out when they can't find me.

She's mobile!

Her New Favorite Activity

We'd put this activity center away for a while and when we brought it back out, it was like a whole new toy for her:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Which one is for me?


The top one, the bottom one, AND the middle one!

Baby's First Puffet

"Puffet" = quiche for babies. It went OK. She ate about half before she rebelled.

Play Ball!

Breakfast at Flames

I like to go to Flames because they have good milk:


I also like to wear their lettuce:

From Uncle David's iPhone

Eating Leaves is Funny

We went to the park today. First we got in the swing. I LOVED it!

It's funny when mom pushes me and makes faces.

Then we sat in the grass. I tried to eat leaves.

They don't taste very good.

But it's funny to watch mom and dad freak out when I try to eat them:

It was a good day.

Miss Mootz Models Her New Car Seat

 

Thanks Granny G!

Bonus Pic: Dinner at 'Ramma's

 

Christmas Day

When I woke up this morning, I found...PRESENTS!!!

Dad and Mom helped me open them.

Mom and me next to Grandpa/Grandma's tree:

Merry Christmas To All, And To All A Good Night...

My Christmas Eve outfit this year included velvet knickers with a rhinestone button - my first bling!

I don't know it yet, but all these presents are waiting to greet me on Christmas morning...

Celebrity Lookalike, Part 2: Boo, from Monsters Inc.

Thanksgiving

I got all dressed up for Thanksgiving. I was really looking forward to celebrating:

But then Dad ruined it by telling me a story about Small Pox Blankets - I was SHOCKED!!:

The Afterparty

Well, I celebrated my first birthday the same way many babies do, under the watchful and adoring eyes of my grandparents... the difference is, I have five sets of grandparents, many of whom were once married to others of them. But they all behaved very nicely at my party — no hair-pulling and only a modest amount of name-calling. I, on the other hand, behaved very BADLY, by painting a nice Danish end-table with frosting:

But later that night, when I was all cleaned-up, I was sooooo cute and adorable in my PJs that my mommy and daddy had to forgive me:

Now that I am 12 months old, my teacher at school, Miss Gina, has decided I'm ready for a proper hairdo. So when mommy arrived to pick me up this week, she found me styled thusly:

The craziest part was, when we took out the rubberband, my hair just kinda...STAYED that way:

Whelp, I'll leave you with this final thought: could I BE any cuter?

Happy Birthday to Tate!

Happy first birthday, Tate! We love you very much.

Shroebean INSISTED on matching costumes...

...And then acted all aloof during what turned out to be the most difficult photo-shoot in history. Tate was aghast at his ill-mannered beastliness.

Frankly, the whole thing left her quite exhausted.

Stretching Out the 'Ol Hamstrings...

She Gets A Little Silly Right Before Bedtime...