31 May 2008
28 May 2008
Music Appreciation
(WARNING! If you are looking at this post and thinking you've read it before so you don't need to scroll below it for new posts hiding below it, please scroll down anyways.....I've been post-dating my heart out, and we've finally hit late May!)
------------------
It is interesting to watch how Iain and Ria are, at the same time, both strikingly similar and notably different.
They both love their music, and currently the greatest joy in the car for both of them is to listen to Oysterband singing "Put Out the Lights" and/or "Our Lady of the Bottles".
However....Iain prefers, and ALWAYS has, that everyone is quiet while he listens. Ria likes to sing along. Iain HATES it when I sing along to his favorite songs (which often include EVERY song on a CD), but Ria seems to prefer for me to so.
There's no pleasing both, eh?
(I will return you to your previously scheduled pre-dated posts with photos shortly ;-).
------------------
It is interesting to watch how Iain and Ria are, at the same time, both strikingly similar and notably different.
They both love their music, and currently the greatest joy in the car for both of them is to listen to Oysterband singing "Put Out the Lights" and/or "Our Lady of the Bottles".
However....Iain prefers, and ALWAYS has, that everyone is quiet while he listens. Ria likes to sing along. Iain HATES it when I sing along to his favorite songs (which often include EVERY song on a CD), but Ria seems to prefer for me to so.
There's no pleasing both, eh?
(I will return you to your previously scheduled pre-dated posts with photos shortly ;-).
22 May 2008
Ria Walks! (Finally!)
At Ria's 18 month pediatrician visit, the doctor said that if she hasn't bothered to try walking by 20 months, we should bring her in so we can decide what to do about it. Ria, clearly not wanting another doctor visit, decided to bring it in under the wire.
She finally took her 1st steps at 19.5 months, on 22 May 2008. Of COURSE she couldn't do it at home with us, she did it at Rachel's house, with Ryan's help. Luckily, Rachel managed a video of it!
(Note: The video is really loud, and when I view it it has a funny tinny sound ever since I edited it to add the caption.....so be sure to turn the volume down pretty low before hitting go!)
She finally took her 1st steps at 19.5 months, on 22 May 2008. Of COURSE she couldn't do it at home with us, she did it at Rachel's house, with Ryan's help. Luckily, Rachel managed a video of it!
(Note: The video is really loud, and when I view it it has a funny tinny sound ever since I edited it to add the caption.....so be sure to turn the volume down pretty low before hitting go!)
17 May 2008
Trees and Water and Grass and Sun
In mid-May we did some "Extreme Gardening".
In our backyard we had (1) a small privet tree - but in our minds the only good privet is one that isn't there (lots of litte seeds, and little baby privets, ARGH!), and (2) a number of walnut trees (think lots of sharp walnut husk shards all over your grass, and add young children trying to actually play on the grass, OUCH!). In addition, the neighbor had a dead privet overhanging with lots of ivy.
With the goal of having our tiny little patch of lawn in the back yard be something that is actually pleasant to be on....we had the sources of the walnut husk shards removed. In the goal of no longer having a source of ongoing privet weeding in our own yard, we removed our small privet. In the goal of not having a dead privet fall on our children in the back yard, we had that one removed from the neighbors yard.
The result was....a REALLY SUNNY BACK YARD! eep! Not the ideal for a hot California summer.
Also, with the lack of trees all along the fence line, the whole back yard is kindof unbalanced....heavy near the garage, and highly open at the fence. If we'd known we were going to have kids at the time we landscaped the back garden 8 years ago, we'd have placed the patio on the other side of the garden to balance it all out, but there we are.
Finally, with the trees out, we had the nasty lawn ripped out, and resodded (with a nice little chicken wire layer down below the sod to keep those moles from ruining the lawn 2 days in, as they did last time!).
The lawn is gorgeous. the plants are loving the sun. i don't really like the feel of the backyard (hence no proper pictures at the moment to show how it looks now), and i don't know what to do with it to fix it....*sigh*....but we'll get there!
Here's the kids enjoying the chipper-shredder show:
With the back lawn newly sodded, we played in the wading pool in the front yard with our buddies Sarah and Perry.
1st: Ria enjoying the water. She clearly doesn't have Iain's early fear of water, eh?!
And, Ria in her Super-hero alter-ego visage:
And, (Iain picked these pictures ;-), Iain and Perry with inflated little donughts in their mouths:
And to finish the water fun pictures, we also have Iain and Sarah with inflated donughts in their mouths (do you note a theme?):
Finally....due to the status of the back garden....we put off the celebration of my transition to "over the hill" until the lawn could be rough-and-tumbled upon....early June. Photos of flames coming up soon!
In our backyard we had (1) a small privet tree - but in our minds the only good privet is one that isn't there (lots of litte seeds, and little baby privets, ARGH!), and (2) a number of walnut trees (think lots of sharp walnut husk shards all over your grass, and add young children trying to actually play on the grass, OUCH!). In addition, the neighbor had a dead privet overhanging with lots of ivy.
With the goal of having our tiny little patch of lawn in the back yard be something that is actually pleasant to be on....we had the sources of the walnut husk shards removed. In the goal of no longer having a source of ongoing privet weeding in our own yard, we removed our small privet. In the goal of not having a dead privet fall on our children in the back yard, we had that one removed from the neighbors yard.
The result was....a REALLY SUNNY BACK YARD! eep! Not the ideal for a hot California summer.
Also, with the lack of trees all along the fence line, the whole back yard is kindof unbalanced....heavy near the garage, and highly open at the fence. If we'd known we were going to have kids at the time we landscaped the back garden 8 years ago, we'd have placed the patio on the other side of the garden to balance it all out, but there we are.
Finally, with the trees out, we had the nasty lawn ripped out, and resodded (with a nice little chicken wire layer down below the sod to keep those moles from ruining the lawn 2 days in, as they did last time!).
The lawn is gorgeous. the plants are loving the sun. i don't really like the feel of the backyard (hence no proper pictures at the moment to show how it looks now), and i don't know what to do with it to fix it....*sigh*....but we'll get there!
Here's the kids enjoying the chipper-shredder show:
With the back lawn newly sodded, we played in the wading pool in the front yard with our buddies Sarah and Perry.
1st: Ria enjoying the water. She clearly doesn't have Iain's early fear of water, eh?!
And, Ria in her Super-hero alter-ego visage:
And, (Iain picked these pictures ;-), Iain and Perry with inflated little donughts in their mouths:
And to finish the water fun pictures, we also have Iain and Sarah with inflated donughts in their mouths (do you note a theme?):
Finally....due to the status of the back garden....we put off the celebration of my transition to "over the hill" until the lawn could be rough-and-tumbled upon....early June. Photos of flames coming up soon!
11 May 2008
A Day in the Life of a Duck
For Ria's pseudo-preschool for the fall (1 day a week for a couple hours....and I'll be there with her) we needed a family photo to put on the wall of the class. Here we are!
And....William and Iain determined that its not only Ernie and Bert that can be stuck on one's face, we've got a duck that's willing too!
Needless to say, Ria also wanted to give it a try.
And....William and Iain determined that its not only Ernie and Bert that can be stuck on one's face, we've got a duck that's willing too!
Needless to say, Ria also wanted to give it a try.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)