avablog

ECP — unlike AGP — is very inquisitive about physical things. If it has wheels, he’ll push it. If it rises from the ground, he’ll climb it, then jump off of it. Heh. Boys. What’re you gonna do?

I was in the kitchen (where else?) the other day when Emmett came running in. He pointed to the skillet on the stove and asked, “Is hot, daddy?” in that cute, halting diction of his. “Yes, it’s very hot,” I replied. “OK,” he said, and turned to run back to the living room.
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I wouldn’t trade these two for anything. Not even for a MacBook Air and a Canon 1DMKIV with an 85mm f/1.2L. Really! Honest! Luckiest. Dad. Evar.

After some hesitation, I relented and agreed to take the kids to one of the local swimming pools today.
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It’s not what you think!
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When I look at your adorable child, all I can think about is how much more adorable my children are. I understand it’s mostly just a physiological mechanism that defends me from facing the reality that my children may well, in fact, not be more adorable than your adorable child. So it’s not you. It’s me. And it doesn’t mean that I’m prevaricating when I stand there and say to your face that you have an adorable child. Because you do. But know that while you watch my lips moving, my brain is yelling, “BUT NOT AS ADORABLE AS MY KIDS!”

That is all.

I was editing this image last night when L looked over and said, “He looks like he’s in a musical.” I LOLed. That gal is funny sometimes. I do love her so. Oh, and this guy, too:

Ava finallylost her first tooth last night. That thing’s been hanging on by a tiny strip of gum (I think I’m getting ill) for a couple weeks now, but last evening Ava had finally had enough.
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My ongoing mission to get photos of the kids together bore fruit today at the Iowa City Fire Department. Thanks to Cpt. Hickman for showing us around and for letting the kids sit on the bumper for this shot! Such nice people at the FD….

Last evening, just after I came outside to sit next to Leah on the porch and as I munched on a large piece of raw cauliflower, Emmett toppled down the cement steps to the front sidewalk. There are only four steps, but it appears that he managed to catch most of his weight on his upper lip. It was scary to see him disappear from view like that, but after some ice, nursing, and a popsicle, he was almost good as new by bedtime. Our poor little guy.

It seemed like it thundered steadily all night last night. Ava typically awakens after one or two good booms (Emmett does OK, so far), so last night I stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened between claps for sounds of her crying in her room. Nothing came. Minutes went by, and I waited. I looked out the front door and watched the lightning intermittently illuminate the neighborhood. As I strained to catch even a whimper floating down the stairwell, I realized I was hoping Ava would wake up so I could go and comfort her. It was one of those moments that made me understand anew how much my life really belongs to my kids. Not belongs, really…. Is owed to.

I don’t have nearly enough pics of the kids together. I’m doing what I can to resolve that situation, and here’s proof:

Ah, Arts Festival. What better way to enjoy it than by jumping in a bouncy castle?

I debated posting this, partly due to my modest nature(*cough*), but also because it just sounds so implausible, even now, that I hesitate to strain your capacity to suspend disbelief.
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It was a nice weekend to sit by the wading pool and blowing bubbles. Here’s a shot of Ava, doing both.

It’s too early to tell, but Leah may have pulled off the improbable by getting Ava to agree to going to bed by herself, without one of us lying with her until she falls asleep.
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For the most part, Ava and Emmett get along well. Mostly because Emmett’s good natured enough to let much of Ava’s nastiness roll off his back. He likes to get up on her bed in the morning and jump on her while she hides from him under the covers; he doesn’t yet understand “irritated.” Sharing is always a problem, but — again — Emmett is young enough that we can usually distract him pretty easily if Ava’s not playing nicely. And beneath all their little dramas, it’s clear there’s real affection between them. I caught this photo of the two last weekend in Madison. It features a very, very shy little Tristan Davison.

Today is Emmett’s second birthday. L and I sat on the couch early this morning and marveled at our little guy as he pushed his new backhoe loader around the floor at our feet. What a miracle he is. And not in that “every embryo is a baby” way, either. A quick look back:

Happy birthday, son. I love you.

We’ve been getting only the spent remnants of the storms that pounded Missouri and Kansas, but we did get a short burst of hail the other day. Ava and Emmett ran around the neighborhood, picking stones out of the grass wherever they could find them. Some of the pieces were pretty big!

A little vid of AGP from her last riding lesson. The canter is a new thing in the last couple lessons. At first, Ava could barely hang on when Willie took off, but she’s getting better at her control, now. She certainly never hesitates to boss around that poor old horse (I feel his pain). At least she doesn’t have a crop at home.