A weekend in phone pictures

Zombies




Funny cars, police, and zombies at dinner




U of M MFA crawfish boil



Workin' in the garden


Dog work




Be gentle!




Proud zoo members




Peep-eye! The illustration on the menu is Leila's daycare classmates.

-Daddy

how to make a baby

I came across this at designmom.

 

Just another Friday night

Tonight Leila didn't even get to get out of the car at home after school.  Instead, Daddy pulled into the driveway and Mommy jumped in the car, ready to lead the three of us on a night of fun.

First, we went to the Art Museum at the University of Memphis to see Lea Alexander, Chase Malone, Brooke Foy, and Eli Gold at their show 2x2.  You see, two of them are sculptors and two are painters.  All four are great friends and awesome artists so we were really happy to see their work come together so spectacularly.  Leila was also pretty interested in the show that was up in the ArtLab which featured, among other things, a painting entirely covered in star shaped cut-outs and a sculpture of the word "FUN" covered in silk flowers.

After that we were sad to have to decline an invitation to the campus international festival.  Instead we booked it downtown to see some of the zillions of art shows that were opening on trolley night.  We even got a great print at Raleigh Rodger's show at Art Village Gallery on South Main, which was conveniently located next to a trolley stop.  Trolleys are free the last Friday of the month and all of the art galleries throw parties to celebrate.

After we saw all the art we could handle, we hopped on a shiny red trolley to head back to the car.  As soon as we got to our stop WE WERE ATTACKED BY ZOMBIES!!!!!  We saw zombies of all ages covered in blood and gore!  There were executive zombies, fairy zombies, prom queen zombies, a werewolf zombie, fast zombies, loud zombies, roller derby zombies . . . and they were all covered with "red paint."  Luckily for us, Pritchett brains are not considered a delicacy to the Memphis zombie community (I guess there are just too many brains in our heads or maybe they're just not tasty) so we just waved as they GRRAERERED right on by.  We recognized quite a few of the zombies and even stopped to chat to a beautiful blue-faced mommy zombie, a scary daddy zombie, and their sweet little girl baby in her stroller.  The baby girl was not a zombie, said her parents, just a "snack."

After the zombie terror, we went to eat at Pearl's Oyster House.  We got a table right next to the window, were we could watch the craziness on the street outside.  From our seats we could see trolleys, zombies, several different pony-carts and carriages, a silly car with an outhouse tied to the back, several giggling officers of the law, and some very confused-looking tourists.  

On the way home Leila explained to us that zombies are funny and they say "GAARRR."  She also described to plot to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to us about three dozen times.  Apparently she wanted that to be her bedtime story because as soon as we got home she was out like a light, sleeping soundly with a smile on her face.  (ok, maybe she spent a good hour more after lights out talking about caterpillars, daddy's pink shirt, and the fact that it gets dark at night)

radio poetry

 I heard this on the radio this afternoon and thought it was lovely.  It doesn't have much to do with Leila, but I thought ya'll might like it all the same.   April is poetry month you know.

Field Guide

by Billy Collins

No one I ask knows the name of the flower
we pulled the car to the side of the road to pick
and that I point to dangling purple from my lapel.

I am passing through the needle of spring
in North Carolina, as ignorant of the flowers of the south
as the woman at the barbecue stand who laughs
and the man who gives me a look as he pumps the gas

and everyone else I ask on the way to the airport
to return to where this purple madness is not seen
blazing against the sober pines and rioting along the
   roadside.

On the plane, the stewardess is afraid she cannot answer
my question, now insistent with the fear that I will leave
the province of this flower without its sound in my ear.

Then, as if he were giving me the time of day, a passenger
looks up from his magazine and says wisteria. 

"Field Guide" by Billy Collins from Questions about Angels. © William Morrow and Company, 1991. (buy now)

Easter Weekend with Grandmama

Leila had a huge Easter weekend - nearly five days' worth!  GrandMama arrived by car on Thursday night just in time to say hi to Leila as we put her to bed.

On Friday morning Leila went to story time with GrandMama and Mommy while Daddy went to work.  Friday afternoon the four of us (five counting Frida) dyed Easter eggs in the back yard.  We had green and orange to work with, and Leila especially liked dyeing eggs first green and then orange and then green again.

Saturday morning we all went to the Dixon gardens (pictured at right, more photos here) to see flowers, plants, a few stray easter eggs full of candy, and a pond with frogs in it.  Daddy and Leila were both very tired after this so we took a long afternoon nap which caused us to miss the Memphis Botanical Gardens' easter egg hunt.  This turned out to be just fine though - when we woke up we discovered that the Easter Bunny had visited our own back yard!

Leila found plenty of paw prints and eggs full of ponies and candy out back and she had a great time hunting for it all.  The grown ups had to hold several eggs in our hands and follow Leila around because she wasn't really excited about putting them in her basket so much as finding them and redistributing them.

Saturday night Leila stayed home with GrandMama while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a Memphis Redbirds baseball game complete with barbecue nachos, margaritas, a giant pretzel, and an exciting fireworks display at the end!

Leila woke up bright and early Sunday morning to find the Easter Bunny left her a cardboard carrot with a clue on it on Daddy's night stand (next to the cheep cheep).  The clue led us on the first of a six-step Easter scavenger hunt.  We think the Easter Bunny must have been talking to GiGi about a fun way to hide a golden egg in Leila's house!  We all had fun running about the house behind Leila as she searched for clues and goodies by the TV, the mailbox, the toothbrush, the laundry room, the computer and the kitchen sink.  At the end of the road we found Leila's Easter basket in the kitchen sink with a giant golden egg inside.  We spent the rest of Easter eating candy and cooking and eating an Easter brunch including a group-decorated Easter Bunny cake (pictured at top, more pictures here).

Monday morning Leila had a bad tummy-ache (too much Easter candy!) and stayed home with GrandMama.  Monday afternoon the three of us toured a nearby Montessori school that Leila plans to join in June.  She spent half an hour on the playground meeting other kids and learning how to use their toys.  We're all excited about the "big kid school" and all of the new friends, toys, and games Leila is going to be learning from.  They even have a fish she can feed!  We capped that trip off with a messy visit to the nearby Three Little Pigs barbecue.

Tuesday morning GrandMama left for Auburn to see Great GrandMargaret and cousin Ben.  Thanks for helping to make Leila's second Easter special, GrandMama!

Grandmama's coming to visit tonight!

Redbirds picture thanks to gatesofmemphis

Leila is excited at the prospect of seeing her Grandmama tonight and throughout the weekend.

We're looking forward to touring a Montessori school tomorrow afternoon in hopes of enrolling Leila this summer.  We've also looked at Zoo events - we've renewed our Memphis Zoo membership for the third or fourth year in a row.

Mommy has identified a Memphis Redbirds baseball game WITH FIREWORKS as a possibility for Saturday.  Mommy loves baseball, Daddy loves the BBQ nachos at the park.

Stay tuned for pictures and stories!

time-lapse playing baby

This is the mess a baby makes BEFORE he starts walking:)

Getting Muddy's

In lieu of a long blog post today I uploaded a few hundred pictures to the family gallery and did chores.  

Daniel hammered and sawed and crowbarred some boards on the back of the house and did chores.  

Leila worked in her garden--She and I just bought some flowers at the Dixon plant sale this afternoon that she wanted to plant with her own pink shovel and garden fork.

It's a good thing that we got Muddy's cupcakes last night or we might think we needed a treat!  We're tired!