POTD: Buffet Line

I just dig this photo of Savannah.

This is the Holiday Party at her school and she is considering her next move at the buffet line.

Oh Piggy from Shannon Cunningham on Vimeo.

Savannah asked me to record her masterpiece. This was taken with my Christmas present - my new Flip HD Video Camera - Woo!

Snow Bunny

You guys - it's SNOWING in Dallas. A white Christmas - who'd have thunk it?

Theme Song

I HAVE to get this on video, so I can pull it out at her wedding or the eve of her Nobel speech or something.

Savannah has made herself up a theme song. It's hilarious and adorable.

It goes like this:

"Sa-VANN-Ah! Da da da! Sa-VANN-ah!!! Da da da!! Saaaaaa--VANN-AHHHHHHH!"

It's complete with arm gestures and everything.

Savannah Jane is Four!!!!

Three

Two

One

1/2

Brand new

FOUR!!!!!

Much more to come, but Happy Birthday Savannah Jane!!!!

You are the best four year old that ever was.

The Big Musical Performance

Savannah has been back in music class this semester at the Austin Lyric Opera, which is amazing. We have loved their classes. If you are in Austin, I definitely recommend them.

I was a little sad this time around as the class was for kids big enough to learn on their own - I didn't get to participate, BUT Savannah has LOVED it. She really enjoys music and it's been fun to hear her talk about the instruments they learned about (The dumbek! The trumpet! The pan flute! The harp!) and hear her make up her own songs. Her teacher Mr. Walter is great with this age group (3-5) and she just loves him. She would sit right next to him the whole class and watch everything he does.

To complete the class, they have been practicing for a big performance. I've been hearing a lot about it the last few weeks and here it is!! Savannah is second from the left in the pink shirt.

Skiddamarink from Shannon Cunningham on Vimeo.

Conversations: Oh this is a good one y'all

This year Santa has started to become important. The last few years, Savannah could take him or leave him. However, the realization that he has the power to bring presents has really sunk in.

We were discussing Santa in the car and I brought up that we should leave him some milk and cookies on Christmas eve and maybe a snack for the reindeer too. We talked about how Santa LOVES treats. Then this little gem popped out:

S: 'Santa has a big belly'

Me: 'Yes, he does'

S: 'He should eat healthy food and not just treats! You can't just eat treats all the time! That makes you sick. Let's leave him a healthy snack. White milk and fruits and vegetables.'

Sorry Santa - it's ants on a log and carrots and grapes for you this year.

POTD: More Toy Camera Fun

Conversations

Things could be better in my world right now...but let's ignore that for a moment. Here is the latest conversation of note.

You all know of Savannah's obsession with pigs. She loves them so much. She also loves bacon. Do you see where this is going?

Savannah: "Jonah {a boy at school} told me that you could eat pigs."
Me: "Oh?"
S: "Yes, he said that his dad eats pig ribs all the time!" {Laughing}
Me: "Well, what do you think about that?"
S:" You can EAT pigs too! I love pigs."

Phew. I thought this knowledge would make her a vegetarian for sure.

Football Day

On the plus side:
1. Savannah got a fun morning out with Daddy and Uncle Damian
2. She got to eat cotton candy
3. I got to practice compromise in marriage

On the minus side:
1. I don't think I need to say it do I? You know.

Halloween

A few pictures from halloween - Oh this costume!

Happy Halloween!!

Guess what Savannah is going as? More to come....

The Livestrong Challenge aka The Banana Run

Oh my goodness this was a fun morning!!

I was very nervous about this run as I have been sick or under the weather for about three weeks. It's been one thing after the other (darn you preschool!!) and my fitness level is crap right now. I know it was only a 5k, but 3 miles with a hacking cough and runny nose feels like a half marathon. Good breathing is kindof the key to good running.

It also really hit me last week that I was planning to run a 5K IN A BANANA COSTUME. I love to make people laugh, but I'm not really a person that seeks out attention. I've never wanted to be the star or the leader. I like the trench work. However, I was going to get some attention in a life size banana costume and it made me feel a little uneasy.

BUT, with your help, I raised $1876.00 (at last count - a few donations have been rolling in) for cancer research!!!!! I am so thrilled about that and the feeling of contributing to an amazing cause really did erase any nerves I had. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Austin and Bridget came down for the race. I was so happy they were able to be there. I also have to thank Damian and Claire for getting up early to come and root on their kooky relative.
My wonderful Conor and favorite girl Savannah were also there. Conor had been preparing Savannah for the race and when I heard her yell "Go Mama Go!" right before I crossed the finish line, I almost burst into tears. I couldn't wait to hug her afterwards.

So on to the race itself. I woke up early and got myself downtown. I was carrying the banana suit as I was unsure about when exactly to put it on. (As those of you that follow me on Twitter will know). I grabbed some coffee and thought 'now or never' and suited up.

If you have been to my kooky little town, you know that Austin prides itself on being a little different. Wearing a banana suit actually doesn't get you THAT much attention. I did get a few looks as you can see in the below photo. Check out the faces on the people behind me. The great thing is that it's not a 'freak' look, but more of a 'huh, a banana - OK then!' look from people. Seriously, best town ever.


So I ran and was a little tired coming up the hill at 12th, but overall, it was a PERFECT day for a run - about 55 degress when I started. Plus, a race atmosphere always makes running easier - you have lots of things to look at and other people to pace you. I also felt like I stuck out so much that if I stopped running, people would notice. I didn't want to be the quitter banana.

I overheard a lot of funny things while running. Here is a sampling:

"I'm standing next to the giant banana....No, really... Yeah, she's really cute." Woman on her cellphone trying to find her friend.

"I passed the banana!" Lots of people

"Oh, I got passed by the banana" Less people

"Go banana!" Lots and Lots of people.

"Mom! (or Dad!) A banana!!!" Every kid that saw me.

"Did you lose a bet?" Very fit dude that sprinted past me.

So again, thank you so much for your support of Gaga B and myself. We had a great weekend!

Who Loves Savannah?

Daddy loves Savannah...

This is more toy camera film (this time from my Holga), which was damaged as it didn't wind properly, but I don't care because I love this photo.

Damaged film is part of the thrill of the toy camera anyway.

The Golden Half

I got this crazy little plastic 'toy camera' a while back and darn if it's not the most fun thing ever! It's called The Golden Half and it takes a 35mm frame of film and splits it in two, essentially giving you a diptych, which can be cool or awful. You get 48 shots from a 24 exposure roll of film.

I took it for a test drive the other week and got my film back and scanned. I am really really excited about some film I sent off a few days ago, but I'll post that when I get it back.

I love my digital cameras with their super sharp lenses and amazing low light capability, but sometimes its just fun to push a button and not worry about all that technical stuff. It's been a buuuusy year for me professionally and this camera is just the mental break I need. I mean, it has a plastic lens! It uses film!! I have a feeling I'll be carrying it around with me often.

My New Chair

While cruising around on Etsy.com several months ago, I found the cutest store that recovered chairs and sofas. All of the pieces were traditional in shape, but the fabric was really modern and fun.

To my surprise and delight, that store also happened to be in Austin, about 3 miles from my house. When I found a cool shaped chair on Craigslist for a steal, I knew where I wanted to have it recovered.

The chair was delivered last week and I LOVE IT!!!!!

Thank You Spruce Austin! (http://www.spruceaustin.com/)

Here are the before photos (pardon the crappy photos - these are from the original listing)

And here it is now!!! I love you chair.

POTD: Costume Box

We pulled down all the Halloween boxes last weekend and that includes a box of our previous year's costumes. Savannah has discovered the fine art of mixing and matching.

She has worn this cow hat almost everywhere since she dug it up. I did manage to convince her to take the Harry Potter glasses off before we went out to dinner the other night, but the cow hat stayed. I suppose it was appropriate that we went to Phil's aka 'The Moo'.

POTD: Sing it!

Savannah has been singing up a storm lately.

They are generally songs of her own creation and involve cows and pigs. Sometimes they are songs about birthdays, or rescuing someone. We have also been hearing lots of French school songs, which is very adorable.

She's back in music class at the Lyric Opera this semester and I think she really missed it. I am sad that it's not 'Mom and Me' anymore. She gets to go in all by herself. I suppose this is just the next thing in a long line of 'lessons I will be waiting outside for'.

I have also been weaning her off of kid music. For a while, I was stupid and let her listen to kid-centered CD's in the car and then it got to the point where that's all she wanted to hear and I wanted to kill myself. I've got her listening to a lot of indy-pop. She's also taking a liking to Coldplay's Vida la Vida album and a the new Black-Eyed Peas album.

Our go to compromise is the classical station, which I have no problem with. You should have heard the excited squeal when one of the songs that has been featured on Little Einsteins came on. "This is the Joey song!!!" Actually, it's Handel, but that's a start.

Sing away little superstar!

**Edited to add: Oh she sang me a song tonight about how we would be friends forever. Stay sweet forever little one!**

I'd take the stairs

My friend Sherry sent me this link this morning and it made me so happy! I hope it does the same for you.

POTD: Pumpkin Patch!

We skipped school last Monday and headed to the pumpkin patch. I'm sure it won't be the last time. Somebody LOVES pumpkins.

Thanks to my wonderful friend Lisa for taking this photo.

POTD: Gagas

Ok so these photos are about a month old, but better late than never.

Only Two Weeks to Go!

So my Banana Run seems to have struck a happy nerve here in Austin. I suppose that shouldn't really surprise me. Austinites love a weirdo, especially one running a 5K in a banana costume.


First, I got a lovely email from the Austin fundraising chair of the Livestrong Foundation thanking me for the fundraising work and also mentioning her excitement about the banana costume. That was pretty exciting.


Then, I was getting all these hits to my work blog from a local running site, and when I went to it, this is what I found

I love that the title of the article is "Livestrong Welcomes Running Banana" Yes, that would be me. I am the Running Banana.

I know that pretty much everyone that reads this blog has donated, but if not you can donate HERE.

Also, a HUGE thanks to everyone that is supporting me! I wouldn't be embarrassing myself without you!

POTD: The Trike

Poor Poor Lonely Blog

I promise I will get back to you soon.

The crazy season will end - I know it. Then we will have more regularly scheduled posting.

See you all soon.

French Word Count Update

For the first few weeks of school, Conor and I would breathlessly quiz Savannah about what French words she learned that day. It was as if we expected her to be fluent after 3 days. We were just excited, but it didn't have the effect we hoped for.

An idea has to be Savannah's before it is a good one, so she would stubbornly refuse to tell us ANY French words. 'I won't EVER speak French! Only English for me!'. So we stopped asking and wouldn't you know it, this week Savannah has told us all kinds of French words.

She can count to 15, she knows red, blue and yellow. She says hello and good-bye and thank-you and please. She can sing a song about cleaning up and she can sing the good-bye song. (I only understand the au revoir part of that song, but there is more). The whole thing is quite charming. She even asks the teacher to translate for her. 'How do you say 'This is my orange pumpkin girl?''

I can't wait until she can order for me in Paris.

The French are serious about chocolate

From a chocolate maker's website in France:

"Like a magic potion, chocolate is a source of intense, unique pleasures. In order to fully savor the desirable characteristics of a good chocolate, it should be consumed in a quiet environment. Chocolate unfolds all of its aromas and its ideal texture at a room temperature of about 21°C. Brilliance, roundness, intense flavors, the crunch of the brittle coating that gives way as you bite into it... these are the first forms of expression challenging the senses."

Wow - I have not been appropriately savoring my chocolate's desirable characteristics. I just eat it.

A good question might be "Shannon, why were you on a French chocolate website?"

Well, why not?

POTD: School Snack

I got to take some candid photos at Savannah's school today for the newsletter. It was so fun and interesting to see how things function there during the day.

I honestly didn't know much at all about Montessori programs until Savannah started at this school. I'd heard good and bad. I do think that it's a good choice for her. I like the structure and the emphasis on responsibility. All the kids seemed to be having fun when I got there. It was during 'independent work time'. They are also allowed to get their snacks whenever they want, so there was a lot of snacking going on as well.

POTD: Late summer garden suprises

These popped up in the last week. I honestly thought the bulbs were duds - I guess they were just procrastinators.