Fun At Cherry Park

The last time I went to Cherry Park Cyrus pretty much just wanted to sit on my lap and watch the other kids. This time Saeed came with me and although Cyrus still wanted to watch some kids at first from the safety of Saeed's lap it wasn't long before he joined in the fun.

Cyrus people watching while Saeed enjoys a motionless Cyrus on his lap.

Getting a little help on the slide.

Wheee!

Do it again please.

Cyrus rode the toucan for a while...

... then played with the giant abacus.

This little girl was fascinated by Cyrus.

I think the feeling was mutual.

Apparently she didn't mind sharing Cyrus with her cute friend.

Cyrus made all sorts of friends.

Before going home Cyrus got to swing next to some silly burping boys:

Everything's Growing Like Crazy

In May I posted an entry about going to the farmer's market and buying three tomato plants. It is now about five weeks later and not only have they grown tall and lush, I have blossoms! In this picture you see the plant on the deck, but because Cyrus would love to pluck those yellow blossoms off...

...we moved them up to the deck railing. See the pretty orange hibiscus flower on the lower left? Further below are closeups of it.

Monday I noticed I had more than just flowers.

Whoa - this branch has gone crazy!
Will each of those blossoms turn into a tomato?

Beautiful.

the hibiscus flower below my tomatoes

closeup

I saw something white in the hibiscus pot...

... not unexpectedly, a mushroom has sprung up. It's been very tropical here lately, raining every afternoon or evening, so lovely.

Hopefully soon I will be able to take pictures of red tomatoes. Better yet, hopefully soon we will be eating red tomatoes!

Our 31st Wedding Anniversary

Last month we celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. Last year we had "loose" plans (planned but no reservations made) to celebrate "big" (big for us - a weekend in Asheville) but that trip got swallowed up in all the excitement of Cyrus' birth. This year we celebrated in the manner to which we have grown accustomed and truly enjoy the best - a simple picnic meal at Winthrop Lake and a stroll near the lake.

The anniversary couple sitting on a bench.

Our view from the bench. The weather was gorgeous but a bit cool and windy. By the time we were finished eating, the bench was in the shade and we headed toward the lake where it was still sunny and (hopefully) a bit warmer.

I never get tired of taking pictures at Winthrop Lake. The scenes are so idyllic that I can't resist snapping the same basic shots each time I go.

First a mallard trio swam by.

Then we noticed a beautiful Canadian Goose family swim our way.

As they neared we noticed the two separate families, one with older goslings and one with only one gosling. The single younger gosling must have been the sole survivor of his brood.

The older goslings have already become less yellow, less fluffy than...

... Mr. Fluffypants.

They seemed to be swimming away from us but soon swam back towards the bank we occupied in order to begin their evening baths.

I think anytime I need to relax I will just watch these three videos.


Stay with this shaky, unclear video; you'll get to see Mr. Fluffypants' cute little stubby wings.


Everything you wanted to know about how to take a bath in a lake:


Three lessons learned:
1) hold the camera steady when shooting video (duh)
2) zooming results in unclear images (double duh)
3) don't plan big anniversary celebrations; the low key celebrations always turn out the best, especially if they're at Winthrop Lake.

Trip To The Library

Since Shirin, Gabriel and Cyrus are visiting friends in Raleigh this weekend I have the time to put up the last batch of pics from last week. It's become clear to me that my perception of time is a bit off. I always think I will be able to get more done (such as doing blog entries) in a day than I do. I also thought Cyrus would be ready for a trip to the library. Oh he liked it alright, but I think the lady behind the desk was happy we didn't stay too long. Evidently my perception of time in terms of child development is also a bit off! It was fun though, and we had Grandpa with us today for the first time.

Kitty-watching while waiting for Grandma to get dressed.

Look at all these books for me to pull off the shelf!

Reading upside down.

Be quiet? What does THAT mean?


The girl that walked by gave us a dirty look as Saeed shushed Cyrus but he thought she was beautiful anyway and watched her walk by. He's a real people watcher!


Leaving the library for now, but we'll be back when he's ready.


Grandpa feeds Sniffy Joe some yogurt before his nap. Notice that "all done" is pronounced "da da" which is not unlike Shirin's "doh doni" when she first tried to say "all done."

Fewell Park

The girls went to Fewell Park frequently when they were little. Back then Cherry Park was new and very hot because the newly planted trees there were still small and provided no shade, so the older, shadier Fewell Park was a better choice. The day Cyrus and I went we had it to ourselves - how nice. Cyrus enjoyed the slide a lot but I couldn't videotape with one hand and keep him safe with the other. In the video you'll see he enjoys walking around in the leaves almost as much.

Grandma sat me on this reptile tail...
I'm not sure I like it too much.

Outta here man!

Obi The Scavenger And The Pool

In my first Grandma entry I mentioned that Obi lies in waiting under Cyrus' highchair for a food donation. Earlier this week I caught him in the act:

He was unhappy at this meal - only a measly piece of bread.

Then, full of breakfast, King Cyrus went for a ride in the wagon.

Getting the pool ready for when mommy comes home:


I thought the water would be lots warmer by the time Shirin came home but it was still pretty chilly. Cyrus didn't care!


It's probably just as well Shirin still had her scrubs on; the better for the little bubsy to hold onto:

A Swim Team Member In The Making?

Saeed and I have fond memories of taking the girls to the pool for the first time when they were very young - four months old. I believe the current recommendation is that you wait till babies are older due to increased risk of ear infection, so Cyrus is only now being introduced to the joys of a pool of water. Cyrus being a bit wary, Shirin decided to don a suit and get in first which worked; soon Cyrus was in there with her. Funny thing though, it was the surrounding stones that were the high point of interest! You never know.

If only Cyrus knew what a good swimmer is Mommy is!

The arm on the right is Tita's (saving a drowning bug)

Busy Baby, Busy Grandparents

This post is really just a bunch of videos showing some typical activities in our lives now that we have a baby in the house. I think he's really really cute, so there will be more videos as soon as they're ready. One day I'll be thinking and speaking more like an adult again, but for now I just say "deh" and "adah"!

Biggest Surprise EVER!

Since my video of Shirin coming home from work the other day was of poor quality, Shirin called on Friday to say she was on her way home and could we please meet her outside to get "take 2" with the correct setting. Dutifully I went out with my camera and when Shirin got out of the car she said, "I have a surprise for Cyrus in the back seat - guess what it is!" I suggested a puppy since she had just come (supposedly) from the clinic, but to my amazement Anahita came out of the back seat. I was truly speechless. The only other time in my life I was that speechless was when I had my ultrasound and was told I would be having twins. Well, the twins were together again and we were all together like old times with the excellent addition of Gabriel and Cyrus.

Video of Tita's arrival:


Can you see how flummoxed Saeed is?

One of the girls' favorite things to do when Tita comes home is to look at the photo albums of when they were babies. Tita couldn't get over the similarities of the facial expressions of Shirin (as a one year old) and Cyrus.

Of course we taught Tita "The Settlers of Catan."

Although Cyrus was shy of Tita at first it wasn't long before they were playing like old chums.

Tita is amazed as Cyrus hollers in glee!

At Shirin's excellent suggestion we took a picnic lunch to Winthrop Lake. Cyrus was so cute as he went from person to person to get a morsel of their Gardenburger... Saeed...

...Tita...

... Gabriel...

... Shirin ...

...and me, but I didn't take my own picture. This picture of Gabriel and Cyrus is one of my favorites of them together.

An exhausted Shirin tries to grab a nap, to no avail:


Saeed teaches Cyrus some Persian wrestling techniques:

That night Tita cooked us a delicious exotic meal that she had made up and cooked once before. It was so delicious. I happily ate some of the leftovers tonight for dinner. I'd tell you what's in it but it's her secret!!

Here she is serving it up for us:

Shirin lovin' her dinner.

Here I'm getting some advise on how to eat it.

Gabriel, who has lived in Japan, ate it the way Asians eat long sloppy noodles - get right up next to the bowl!

My interview with Saeed on how he liked it:


We were having such a good time and laughing a lot at the table. This brought on a series of imitation-laughing from Cyrus which just made us laugh more:

It's a bit early but a Father's Day present is always nice to get. Anahita made and framed an 8 x 10 of one of her favorite pictures of her and Shirin as one year olds...

... and there's nothing a Dad likes more than pictures of his little girls.

How can I express how heartwarming it was for us to have everybody home together again. I know Shirin has been campaigning for Tita to move back since she left! We so hope she'll move her life back to the Atlanta area so we can hang out like this more often.