I came around the corner into the living room last evening to discover Emmett — who, only seconds before, had been sitting in the middle of the floor — standing at his sister’s blackboard easel. He had his hands on the chalk tray and a piece of chalk in each palm. I pried the chalk from his hands, yanked him away from the easel, and plopped him back down on the floor. It wasn’t until I was walking back to the kitchen that I looked over my shoulder and saw him chewing (well, gumming) on something. Sure enough, one of the pieces of chalk he’d grabbed was wet on the end and showed telltale signs of baby gnawing. I fished a little piece of pink chalk out of his cheek and then stood up so I could stare down in wonder at this little rascal. Chalk contains some essential mineral, or something, doesn’t it? Right?
This video is fresh out of the camera today. I hope Emmett isn’t one of those kids who walks before he crawls. I hear they have all kinds of problems as a result.
This is the first image in Ava’s 2010 set on flickr. It seems fitting to feature her here first in the new decade, since this blog wouldn’t be here without her.
Leah, as you know by now, dislikes these photos of Ava where she’s sporting a pensive look. But I think it’s a perfect expression, given how our little miss has been feeling lately about her bro. I only hope her love for him eventually wins out over her feelings of abandonment. I trust it will. Doesn’t love always win in the end?
You’re starting to figure out how to coordinate them in your endless quest for trouble, little brother. Though you’ve been creeping and stomach crawling for a couple of months now, this afternoon we hit a milestone: You crawled all the way across the rug on your hands and knees! Huzzah! What a grand way to start the new year! [Read more →]
Your dad always accuses me of never writing anything on this blog, so I thought I’d better log on quickly, at the end of this lovely Christmas Day, to document a few small, sweet moments from our recent celebrations. The first is a remark you made yesterday, after attending an afternoon children’s service at your grandmother’s church. (Though your dad and I don’t belong to any organized religion, Gramary has been sharing some of her beliefs with you, so you’re always surprising–and sometimes alarming–us with what you’ve heard.) You came running breathlessly through the door, in your velvet Christmas dress, and said, “Mom, I got to light the candles–AND I got to see the ACTIVITY scene! There was a baby in it who looked just like Emmett. His hands were just like Emmett’s!” [Read more →]
Gosh, I bet I’m the first person to ever title a blog post this way. Cool!
Weekend before last we went over to a friend’s house so Ava could make a gingerbread house. We had to amscray early to make it back for a play date (for Ava) so didn’t even get a chance to build or decorate the house. Thankfully, the hostess for the event went to the trouble to deliver the finished house and decorating materials to us yesterday; Ava made quick work of them.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to take a picture that’s so cute, it makes the viewer vomit upon seeing it. Wouldn’t that be weird? Anyway, if this turns out to be that picture for you, I apologize in advance.
My mom usually takes Ava to and from school during the week. Sometimes, when the two of them are at Gramary’s house in the afternoon, we get an electronic message from Ava. Like this one we received today:
She digs thje Zapf Dingbats, as you can plainly see. Also, please avoid paincones, if you’re able.
Took some holiday photos at home over the weekend. Leah still wants to go get professional shots done, and frankly, I’m just tired of hearing about it. Until she schedules our sitting, I’ll share some of the shots I got yesterday. Enjoy, if you can….
Oh, also, if you’re reading this, you’re on our Christmas card list, so stay tuned for our amazing annual Christmas letter. It’ll get you up to speed on all the happenings in our family over the last year, and it may even include a couple pictures.
Fresh snow trumps freezing temps. Either that, or Ava has some undiagnosed nerve damage that makes it impossible for her to feel cold. Oh well. So long as she’s having fun….
Over the past weekend we secured and decorated our Christmas tree. It’s nice to have out of the way. The new addition this year was a popcorn garland that I thought Ava might delight in making with me. Like my plan to make pap(i)er mache ornaments, this one turned out to be a bit beyond Ava’s patience level. And, like the pap(i)er mache ornaments, I ended up making the entire garland myself (L did offer to help, but it was clear pretty quickly that popcorn garland making was maybe not her cuppa). [Read more →]
I spent the day at home with Emmett yesterday, as a mild fever kept him out of daycare. It was mostly good times. Even now, the boy seems to have a good sense of humor, an observation based mostly on the fact that I can get him to laugh, heartily, without even trying. [Read more →]
Tonight your brother had a fever, and I was talking to your dad about the situation in front of you. Though we didn’t realize it at the time, this made you feel a little jealous and sad. When I came into your room to chat beneath the stars on your ceiling, you first told me your stomach hurt. Then you asked me what the doctor would do if YOU had a fever over 100. Finally, you announced, in a very small and bitter voice, that I only cared about your brother and his fever and not about you. [Read more →]
We’re up in Madison this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving at Aunt Rachel and Uncle Kevin’s house. One of the photographic highlights thus far, IMO, is this shot of Ava wearing an owl sweater Leah purchased a couple years ago and stored away for just such an occasion.
I suspect there may be more pictures before we leave town on Saturday. As always, they’ll be here. I hope everyone is having a nice day, wherever you are.
I suppose if I were a little kid who was into dolls, and I had a new sibling, feeding that little sibling would be about the coolest thing in the world. Turns out being fed by your big sibling is pretty cool, too.
I have thousands of $ worth of camera gear sitting around, and all I use it for is to take pictures of my kids. And sometimes my wife, if she’ll let me. I can’t decide if that’s a tremendous waste or one of the coolest things ever. I know what Leah would say.
I tend not to stand on tradition. No set way of doing anything is so hallowed in my world that I won’t abandon it in a heartbeat if it’ll make my life easier. And I tend to think of myself as unsentimental (ask my wife). Still, I was looking forward to hosting a Thanksgiving meal at our place this weekend for my family, even if most of the food was coming from Hy Vee. [Read more →]
