Memory Day: Snapshots

This photo was taken 7 years ago today, on September 28, 2015.

This was the halcyon era, pre-kids, when the afternoon might take an unexpected turn towards the couch resulting in a two hour nap. We had three cats at the time, Booty (who weighed as much as two cats), Sydney (who stayed for a year while her owners moved all over), and Amber (unpictured, scared of the rest). Booty and Sydney hated each other but liked sleeping on people, and this was about as close to each other as they would ever get.

I'm reading Shift, the 2nd book in the Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey. It was okay, but the whole of the trilogy was never quite as good as the first book, Wool. Shown is my brand new Kindle Paperwhite, which is still an excellent e-reader.

Weekend Wrap-up

This post is delayed because we took a three-night vacation into the country (and when you announce it in advance, hooligans show up at your house and steal stuff). We went to a crazy farmhouse outside of Front Royal. The family was accompanied by my mom and our friends, Car and Jordan.

We tried to have Ian sleep in the giant cedar closet because it was so dark but he hated it, waking up twice a night. This sunrise picture is from the first full day, when he was fully awake by 6 AM. There is an outtake version of this picture where he faceplanted on the driveway. He fell over a lot this weekend and his face is currently covered in tiny purple bruises.

Every room was chock-full of tchotchkes to the point where some rooms were toddler hazards. Maia and Rebecca played a game about making coffee, and also Monopoly Junior, which has a much better ruleset than normal Monopoly. For one, each game ends in about 20 minutes.

Ian started this fire WITH HIS BRAIN.

We made morning s'mores on this fire and then scrounged up a grate and two lengths of rebar to grill artisanal sandwiches.

We also found a way to get on the Massanutten Trail directly from the property to avoid crowded parking lots. Maia made it to her first overlook (Passage Creek) and only had to be carried down for a short distance.

Maia's Art Day

Even at 4 (this was painted in May), Maia was better at watercolours than I ever was.

A rare crossover fiction between Bunnytown and Cattown. They are sharing near a volcano.

This is a bunny family with a baby bunny hopping in the background. You can see the action lines.

Maia drew this bunny with fancy coloured pencils at her grandparents' house.

One of Maia's first Kindergarten assignments, she decided that the squiggly line was the butt of a fish.

This is a tree at sunset. The tree was handcrafted and artisanally cut by Maia as well.

Ian Year 1 Month 5 Battle Report

Ian has made it five months past his first birthday.

He walks well and likes climbing unsafely on chairs, tables, and high beds. Things with wheels are still his favourite and he'll always point out the wheels in books, even the books most unlikely to have cars in them. He likes picking Maia up at the bus stop in the afternoon and yelling "BUH!" when the bus rolls down the street.

He still only has 4 truly visible teeth although there have been signs of other indecisive ones near the gum line. Teething as a kid that is old enough to understand pain a bit seems rough -- he'll wake up crying in the middle of the night and won't always be able to get back to sleep.

He doesn't speak much but understands plenty. He can sign "please" and "more" and his most common real world is "nononononono". He'll wave goodbye to anyone, especially me as I disappear down the stairs to the basement office each morning. He also tries to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and his rhythm and relative pitch is surprisingly recognizable.

He loves hanging out with Maia and doing whatever she's doing, especially crayon coloring or playing "DVD Store" with our ancient movie collection. He can get hangry very easily, but after a solid meal, he'll wander over to the bookshelf and entertain himself for a long time. If Maia watches something on TV, he'll dance to the theme song and then get bored and wander away.

His daily schedule: Up around 6:30 AM, off to Stroller Strides or the Sterling Library midmorning, an hour nap around 11 or 12, 40% chance of a half hour nap around 4:30 PM, and then in bed by 7 PM. The parent trade-off occurs sometime after I stop working for the day, usually 2 or 3 PM. Then, Rebecca will go off to work two nights per week or we'll all hang out as a family for dinner.

Easy Photos Day

Walking past the wildflowers at Claude Moore Park last Thursday.

Ian enjoying the bounce house at our neighbour's 2nd birthday party on Saturday.

Back at Lake Anne Plaza with my parents on Sunday.

First kayaking trip!