Children of the Light

Eileen, this is the scarf you gave me from Romania. Thank you!
I love it. Jackson and I danced with it today.

Bearded little Elf

A beard appeared just as I feared.
After he consumed, chocolate I presumed...

Adventures in Sheila-land

Jackson and Emerson had Friday funday festivities at Sheila's apartment tonight.
Nikki and Sheila prep for a dinner party while Jackson scopes out the place-- and proceeds to tear into everything he sees. Em just casually peruses the "Travel Venice" brochure. Probably making mental calculations on how to exchange American money into Italian money.

Breakfast Date with Elmo- Cuddle time with Em

Mood temperature this morning for Jackson was "highly affectionate with chance of spuratic smooches"
I'm always amazed at the fact that no one taught Jackson how to show affection. It's innate. It's part of humanity. Brian and I never had "the talk" with Jackson about how to hug. Living creatures are affectionate. I'm still getting my head around seeing someone grow in these things from day one...
Anyway- Jackson had his usual breakfast date with Elmo, ... and I thought I'd get some pics. I'm so glad I left my camera out-- the real play date came soon after . When Jackson met Em on the floor. Out of the blue, as I'm folding laundry- Jackson starts cuddling Em.

A pirates life for me.

Tatoos !!

- Emerson is obviously posing his meanest, most pirate-y face possibly conjured.

Jackson will be proud to show off his chiseled biceps now.

Brian has also inducted us into this band of menacy brothers. I did not have a choice. It was the ink, ... or the plank. Argh. Mate.

Em's new posture

Yesterday marked Emerson's first day sitting up by himself. No hands bracing him, no crooked crunchy rolly polly falls. Just sitting tall. Papa, that's your little general.

A generals hide-out

New Camo Toychest... (Can you even SEE it!?)

Brian and I found this cool shelving unit in our basement and I recently re-painted it for the boys to store their books inside.

WILD family fun-day

This marks a historic event. Jackson went to McDonalds. I think he's the only child on the planet that doesn't like to eat grease. He didn't really dig the meal- (fries stood a chance) but he loved climbing with Daddy thru the play yard.

For dessert:
Enter new word in Jackson's vocab: soft-serve. He loved it. Duh.
Emerson got his own taste of all that there is to look forward to when the milk runs out.

Saturday Morning Secret Forts

This morning, Jackson and I made a fort. He was interested in going OVER the fort- while I was busy building a fort he could go UNDER. I had a foreign feeling enter my life-- Annoyance. I felt like I was 10 years old, annoyed that Jackson was wrecking "my fort" and I wanted to tell on him to someone who could show him how to correctly USE a fort.
In the end, since no one was around to step up to bat for me and the cause of my fort etiquette- I folded under his uneducated sense of "real fort fun". He was never the lesser for it.

Pic of Em- just cuz he's been MIA lately.

The empowering new sandals

Jackson loves his new sandals. "An--doos" is how it sounds when he says it.

I wanted to teach Jackson the valuable life lesson of "stopping to smell the roses" today.
He caught on very quickly- and moved past that lesson to "stopping to slash the roses". He's very advanced.

Picture of Pat's (neighbor) hollyhocks. They reside down the alley beside our garage. Hollyhocks bring on this swirl of goodness everytime I see them, because the in-house shampoo and conditioner and lotion from the American Club
www.destinationkohler.com were hollyhock flavor. We still have a couple sample bottles stashed away somewhere.

Mr Potato Head

This morning Jackson's found a friend in Mr Potato Head. Not until Mr Potato Head had found his smile and his glasses, however, did Jackson see him as a potential buddy. But once all the peices were in place, Jackson's love was relentless. Left arm : sippy cup, ... right arm: M.P.H

Ravina- Steve Miller

I wasn't sure before I went to the concert whether or not I actually liked the Steve Miller band. Without fail, everytime I heard the "joker" song, I had flashbacks of Bob Dwyer- a musical mad-man from highschool- but outside of a song I loved about peaches-- was there anything I knew about this band?? No.
I've concluded that I DO NOT like the steve miller band. They actually fall on my top 10 least favorite bands on the face of the planet list.
I DID however Love Ravina. It was our first time to the outdoor concert grounds - and seeing the sea of people set up their realm of romance on picnic blankets. I felt as if I should've packed a flare gun just incase someone needed to find us. Next time.

ANyway, here are the pics ... Ben and Heather and The Bri and The Linz

Before

April 2004

Progress...

After- Pics of the Driveway, Garage and Back yard

July 2006