Monkey Girl

Before I cop out on an easy post today, Kate mentioned in the comments that Obama has "scary Nation of Islam connections." Now, I googled that, and all I came up with is blowhard Sean Hannity (well known for spouting half-truths and flat out lies) blathering about it-- NOT ANY ACTUAL PROOF. Obama has a tenuous connection to a church that gave the head of the Nation of Islam an award that Obama denounced, but he, in fact, does NOT have any connections.

Come on, if you are going to say something like that you HAVE to have more than Fox TV commentators to back you up. Please.

Anyway, on a lighter note.

We've had a couple of days of nice weather and since Tori feels pretty good in the middle of the day (unlike at night, where she spikes fevers--last night was 103.2--yikes. God bless infant ibuprofen), we've been hitting the playground. Remember when I talked about the climbing? Well, here's your proof. Tori is not only able to climb to the very top of the big kid slide, but she's now also taught the rest of the under two set at our local playground how to do it as well. :) You'll note the quick shot of Charlie kicking the ball for Hammer, the best dog ever™, in the background at one point. Oh, and my shortness of breath is related to my leftover bronchitis from the trip. Heh.

Comments

[Pamala]

Well wait for them to say he's unpatriotic because he doesn't put his hand over his heart during the national anthem, or wear a stupid flag pin.

You know what, most Nascar fans and teams must be unpatriotic because they too don't put their hands over their hearts during the national anthem.

[Hazy]

There is a problem with the video - I so needed to see the cuteness!

[Heather]

Video doesn't work! GAH!!
Help-I want to see someone other than my little monkey man climb. I was going to compare techniques! HA!

[Carla Hinkle]

On a related note, I was disappointed to see the half-assed way Hillary Clinton dismissed the "Obama is a Muslim" rumors when asked. Using all sorts of qualifiers like "not so far as I know" or "not based on what he has said."

It is of course totally insulting that Obama has to go to great lengths to say he ISN'T a Muslim -- so what if he is? But since that is a prejudice that can do him great damage politically, it was a jerk move of Hillary to not say forthrightly, "No, he isn't."

(On another tangent, could John Stewart be any more of a Hillary Clinton lover??? He was practically salivating over her last night.)

[Hazy]

Yey! Movie working. Go Monkey Girl, go!

[Julie]

Love the way her hair stands on end after the slide (same thing happens to Dylan). I can't get over how big she has gotten!

[Jo-Ann]

We need a playdate at your park next nice day. Boys are missin' Mr Hammer and have been asking to visit "Cecily's Park"

Let me know when you are free

[Jen]

Actually, Carla, I think Stewart is more of an Obama supporter, I just thinkhe's good at what he does and excited about it as well.

[Sheri]

The staticy hair is too much!! lol. So cute. I read one time that if an adult had to match a toddler, move for move and on objects sized to adults like they are for kids, we'd be exhausted after a few minutes. Watching Tori climb... I can see how this can be. Those stairs, in relation to her little legs are huge and she really has to literaly pull herself up and onto some of those higher levels of the slide area. Good heavens... they have tons of energy don't they?

[Amy in BC]

What an "Adventuuuure Girl!!" (what we used to call one of my girls :) Enjoy these trips to the park, I miss them. Thanks for making me smile.

You sound awful. Are you ok? Hate to hear how you sounded the night you went to the clinic :(

[brooke]

i'm not sure what 'scary nation of islam' connections are. cripes - no one seems to want to explore the connection between pat robertson and blood diamonds and then george's connection with ol' pat. my view is that everyone's reactions to obama having connections to islam and that possibly being bad is abominable. if he is muslim who cares? (i know he isn't).

*rant about this nation being founded on principles of freedom of religion and that everyone who says that they believe in that either needs to fully embrace that or cop to the fact that it's freedom of religion for everyone who is christian (as defined by them - some of those folks don't believe that i am christian (i'm a whacky liberal mormon) and no one else counts.*

btw - yes - i am behind obama. good man, i just don't like this muslim thing and everyone's - including his own campaign's - reaction to it.

*rant rant rant* sorry cecily.

btw - adventure grrl - very adoreable. i hope she feels better soon.

[Amie]

Haha! I love the static in her hair after coming down the slide....hilarious!

[liz]

I have officially melted from teh cuteness!

[sheilah]

Tori is braver than my son was at that age. He hated those parts of the playset that moved and I always had to climb around on the sets with him.

And go down the slide. Those slides are soooo not made for fat old ladies (as my butt slapped both sides of the slide).

[The Aitch]

RU sure she's not half capuchan? Her speech is really good too! She's a doll. Oh and I laughed at the earthquake thing, Littles hates that thing at our park and refuses to go over it. Heh!

[Jen]

first of all, are you kidding me with that cuteness? it's too much.

secondly, i can say with absolute certainty that i'm NOT ready for a climbing toddler since i caught myself *reaching for the screen* when tori was leaning too far back at one point.

because she lives inside my computer and i can just reach in there and catch her if she falls.

um, yeah.

[mary]

I am still processing what I think about it, but Obama belongs to a church that has some interesting ideas....not sure this changes my vote, since they aren't HIS ideas, but he does belong to this church.
church website
http://www.tucc.org/about.htm
here is the section on the black value system
http://www.tucc.org/scholarship_pdf/black%20value%20system.pdf

[Kathleen]

I don't see the issue with the links from his church unless we're supposed to pretend that racism is long gone in this country.

Tori! So cute! Between the falling down all the time but climbing higher anyway and the static hair, it's like a return to my own childhood. She is truly lovely.

[Val]

This is how Hilary got my vote: My 70 year old mother said "I don't trust Obama - he's muslin." (She actually whispered the last part).

I told her, he's not an extremist and maybe he can communicate with the crazies better in the middle east. She said - "Oh, I just don't trust him!".

This conversation got my mind spinning. My mom is so much like other senior citizens, and they vote. I started worrying about it being Obama vs. McCain, and McCain winning seeing that the senior set "Don't trust Obama."

I made my decision in the voting booth. It almost to the tic, tac toe vote, but I caved to the thought of McCain becoming president. I cannot last through another Republican. I'd be forced to move to Canada. :-)

[kris]

That Obama thing has gotten my attention too... but seems that in these elections they'll say anything to make someone look bad... I'm not sure who I like more right now. Hilary is still tempting...

That video is so damn cute! I can't wait for warmer weather here so we can take Ellie to the park.

About the fever... we took Ellie to the ER two weekends ago because her fever was up to 105.6. That was f'ing scary. They told us to alternate motrin and children's tylenol every 4 hours or so. Seemed to help and after some antibiotics for an ear infections she's as good as new! Good luck, hope she feel better soon.

[JuliaKB]

So either by a hack or by law Fox noise broadcast background should turn yellow. For the kind of "journalism" they practice. Just saying.

[colleen]

Howdy - Oh how I love your vacation posts! The tantrums and public humiliation of a screaming toddler will fade with time leaving only fun war stories to share with Tori as she grows older.

We've done our fair share of traveling with our boys- more before number two was born. We have fond memories of enormously humiliating outbursts and sometimes public puking at the San Juan PR airport, on a tour bus in Paris, aformentioned puking in the middle of the Tuilleries gardens in Paris, more screaming and puking all over me at a restaurant in Bermuda, middle of the night unconsolable terror screaming in san francisco...I could go on. I just can't understand now why Joe doesn't consider it "vacation" with the children :)

[Tessy]

I feel your pain. My Owen is only a few months older than Tori and I caught him peering over the top of my 6 foot privacy fence in the backyard!

[Kirsten B]

This is very interesting, the whole presidential candidate debate- I'm Australian, so I'm following from afar (and barracking for Obama). Reading the comments thus far, I've got a couple of questions:
1. I followed the links to Obama's church- if he's a member of the "unapologetically Christian" church, how can anyone say he's Muslim? Because he has Muslim ancestors? I truly don't understand this. Surely it's a question of what HE believes, not what his forebears believed?

2. The church in question makes a huge deal about being for the black community. Does this mean that if I turned up one Sunday, I wouldn't be permitted to worship with them, being white? I'd hope not, but that really is the impression I get from their website. And if that's so, how does that square with your equivalent of equality legislation?

I hope I've not offended anybody with these questions; please bear in mind that I'm coming from a very different cultural background and really just want to know. :)

Also, Tori is the definition of turbocharged cuteness. :)

[Laura]

Love the tori video shes so adorable!
Come visit my blog, I have a contest happening. Bring all your friends too as I am expecting GREAT things:-)
Hugs Laura