Stella Walker, Texas Ranger

Stella is now a full time walker. It took her about two weeks from the first step to the cruisin' round the house phase. It is a whole new world of independence for her. She got really sick about a week ago, Seth and I were so amazed and amused at how dedicated she was to walking in the few minutes we could get her fever down and she was up to moving around. Her dedication has paid off. Check it out:

Even Bigger News

I feel like our blog has become a pulpit of big announcements. Well here comes another one and this is the biggest yet. The youngest member of our family is officially walking. Stella took her first steps on Sunday (at ten months and one week). Since that time we have been trying to capture it on camera. Today we finally caught her. It is so fun watching her grow up.

Flag Day Yea!

We are going to the Philippines!

Seth is finishing up his foreign service orientation and today was the day the class assignments were announced: Flag Day. It's like this -- they pile everyone into a stuffy auditorium and hand out assignments with flags. This is more exciting than it sounds because that little flag represents your life for the next few years.

Manila, Philippines was on the top of our bidding list, so we were pleased with the result.

And now, assignment in hand, Seth begins the rest of his training and we prepare to leave the country in July. We will be in Manila for the next two years, and then return for some more training and another posting. This is only the beginning, and we have many more countries to visit.

Stella Playing Tag

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Nerd Alert

I will admit when Seth wanted to rent Battlestar Gallactica I thought it was like Deep Space 9 or some other Star Trek knock-off that would be boring. Oh, my, gosh was I wrong. This show isn't just the best show on television. It is a social commentary on our times. And if you aren't watching it you are missing out. Tonight was the premiere of the last season.

Here is the premise of the show:

In a distant part of the universe, a civilization of humans live on planets known as the Twelve Colonies. In the past, the Colonies have been at war with a cybernetic race known as the Cylons. With the help (knowing or unknowing) of a human named Baltar, the Cylons launch a sudden sneak attack on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations. A few thousand of the human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only military ship that survived the attack. Under the leadership of famed military leader Commander Adama, the Battlestar Galactica and its crew take up the task of leading the ragtag fugitive fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth.

Still sound nerdy? Well it may be but it still is the best show on tv. Highly recommended from us.

100 Best Picture Books

I am dying to find out where we might be going. I feel this urge to start planning and purchasing for two years in advance (you should have seen me at Costco a few days ago). The problem is until I know where we are going and what resources we will have there, it is difficult to plan. Despite this, I am still going to try to get a leg up on the books I will get for Stella. Right now she only can read board books, and mostly with supervision because she eats them. When she can control herself I love watching her study the pictures, feeling the pages, and lately smelling them (this is new and sorta weird but very cute). Below is the list of the top 100 picture books I am trying to aquire. Suggestions and donations are welcome.

BEN'S TRUMPET Rachel Isadora.
BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL Robert McCloskey.
THE BOSSY GALLITO: A TRADITIONAL CUBAN FOLK TALE Retold by Lucia M. Gonzalez. Illustrated Lulu Delacre.
BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES Russell Hoban. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban.
BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? Bill Martin Jr. Illustrated by Eric Carle.
CAPS FOR SALE; A TALE OF A PEDDLER, SOME MONKEYS AND THEIR MONKEY BUSINESS Esphyr Slobodkina.
THE CARROT SEED Ruth Krauss. Illustrated by Crockett Johnson.
A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER Vera B. Williams
CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
CORDUROY Don Freeman.
CURIOUS GEORGE H. A. Rey.
THE DAY JIMMY'S BOA ATE THE WASH Trinka H. Noble. Illustrated by Steven Kellogg.
DEAR ZOO Rod Campbell.
DOCTOR DE SOTO William Steig.
FARMER DUCK Martin Waddell. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbery.
THE FORTUNE-TELLERS Lloyd Alexander. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.
FREIGHT TRAIN Donald Crews.
GEORGE AND MARTHA James Marshall.
GO AWAY, BIG GREEN MONSTER! Ed Emberley.
GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA Peggy Rathmann.
GOODNIGHT MOON Margaret W. Brown. Illustrated by Clement Hurd.
GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY Allen Say.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOON Frank Asch.
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON Crockett Johnson.
HARRY THE DIRTY DOG Gene Zion. Illustrated by Margaret Graham.
HENNY PENNY Illustrated by Paul Galdone.
HORTON HATCHES THE EGG Dr. Seuss.
I KNOW AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY Illustrated by Glen Rounds.
IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE Laura J. Numeroff. Illustrated by Felicia Bond.
IS IT RED? IS IT YELLOW? IS IT BLUE? AN ADVENTURE IN COLOR Tana Hoban.
IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE: A YIDDISH FOLKTALE Retold and illustrated by Margot Zemach.
JOHN HENRY Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
THE JUDGE: AN UNTRUE TALE Harve Zemach. Illustrated by Margot Zemach
JULIUS Angela Johnson. Illustrated by Dav Pilkey.
KOMODO! Peter Sís.
LEO THE LATE BLOOMER Robert Kraus. Illustrated by Jose Aruego.
LITTLE BLUE AND LITTLE YELLOW Leo Lionni.
THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED AND OTHER NURSERY RHYMES Lucy Cousins
THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO WAS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING Linda Williams. Illustrated by Megan Lloyd.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Retold and illustrated by Paul Galdone
LUNCH Denise Fleming
LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE Bernard Waber
MADELINE Ludwig Bemelmans
MAISIE GOES SWIMMING Lucy Cousins
MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS Robert McCloskey
MARTHA CALLING Susan Meddaugh
MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL Virginia L. Burton
MILLIONS OF CATS Wanda Gág
MISS NELSON IS MISSING Harry Allard and James Marshall
THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE Retold and illustrated by Paul Galdone
MORRIS' DISAPPEARING BAG Rosemary Wells
MOUSE PAINT Ellen S. Walsh
MR. GUMPY'S OUTING John Burningham
MUFARO'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS: AN AFRICAN TALE Retold and illustrated by John Steptoe. Lothrop
MUSHROOM IN THE RAIN Adapted from the Russian of V. Suteyev. Mirra Ginsburg
THE NAPPING HOUSE Audrey Wood. Illustrated Don Wood. Harcourt.
OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA Peggy Rathmann
OLD BLACK FLY Jim Aylesworth. Illustrated Stephen Gammell
OVER IN THE MEADOW John Langstaff. Illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky
OWEN Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow.
PAPA, PLEASE GET THE MOON FOR ME Eric Carle
PEREZ AND MARTINA Pura Belpré. Illustrated by Carlos Sanchez
PIERRE: A CAUTIONARY TALE Maurice Sendak
THE POLAR EXPRESS Chris Van Allsburg
THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE: A TREASURY OF 386 TIMELESS NURSERY RHYMES Selected and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.
ROSIE'S WALK Pat Hutchins.
ROUND TRIP Ann Jonas
RUMPELSTILTSKIN RETOLD AND ILLUSTRATED Paul O. Zelinsky
SEVEN BLIND MICE Ed Young
THE SNOWY DAY Ezra Jack Keats
STONE SOUP Retold and illustrated by Marcia Brown
THE STORY OF BABAR, THE LITTLE ELEPHANT Jean de Brunhoff
THE STORY OF FERDINAND Munro Leaf. Illustrated Robert Lawson
STREGA NONA Tomie De Paola
SWAMP ANGEL Anne Isaacs. Ilustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
SWIMMY Leo Lionni
SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE William Steig
THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT Beatrix Potter
TEN, NINE, EIGHT Molly Bang
THERE'S A NIGHTMARE IN MY CLOSET Mercer Mayer
THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF P.C. Asbjfrnsen and J.E. Moe. Illustrated by Marcia Brown
THE THREE ROBBERS Tomi Ungerer
TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO Retold by Arlene Mosel. Illustrated by Blair Lent
THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS BY A. WOLF As told to John Scieszka. Illustrated Lane Smith
TUESDAY David Wiesner
TWO OF EVERYTHING: A CHINESE FOLKTALE Retold and illustrated by Lily Toy Hong
THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR Eric Carle
WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT Retold by Michael Rosen. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS Adapted and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN THE MOUNTAINS Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Diane Goode
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Maurice Sendak
WHERE'S SPOT? Eric Hill
WHISTLE FOR WILLIE Ezra Jack Keats
WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLE'S EARS: A WEST AFRICAN TALE Retold by Verna Aardema. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
ZOMO THE RABBIT: A TRICKSTER TALE FROM WEST AFRICA Retold and illustrated by Gerald McDermott.