Paintin' the Glass

I hate to admit this: I’ve always tried to keep Reed’s attention away from the painting area at our children’s museum. I am, by nature, a fairly messy person, but food messes and art messes are enough to mess with my mind. And so I happily agreed to document Reed’s first foray into the painting station as his mother assisted and supervised.

Video Games

Some random footage from today:

The Ya-Yas Have It from chris k on Vimeo.

Off the Top of His Head from chris k on Vimeo.

Slide by Slide

The slippery slope of an actual slippery slope is that the toddler cannot make his way up to the top of the incline, and so he is reduced to a fitful, crying, and inconsolable mass at the bottom of that slide, which puts an abrupt end to our visit to the playground.

Shamrock Star

Hybrid owners are as obnoxious with their vanity plates as doctors are. And I’m speaking as a guy whose plates tell those on the road to BE GRN. That message, as it turns out, is suitable for other audiences, such as celebrants of St. Patrick’s Day.

Elmo's Hurled

You're seeing the messy results of Reed stuffing his stuffed animal monster with the stuffing of his burrito. He probably would have had better luck with his Cookie Monster doll.

Check Me Out

You know those posters at libraries that say “READ” at the top? The ones that feature a celebrity—local or otherwise? Well, I was thinking about making a poster that features our son playing at our local library, one that reads “REED” at the top. Any of the pictures below will do.

Japan

I was born in Japan. My father is Japanese, and was just recently there to attend his father’s funeral. My mother speaks Japanese and lived there for years. My grandmother and uncle still live in Japan.

The news of yesterday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan has received special attention in our home. My parents—who are here until Monday—and I have been glued to the television and our computers for updates on the situation. My grandma lives in Tokyo, and we were finally able to connect with her via Skype this evening. She told us that she was entertaining some friends at her home when the ground started to shake—not an altogether uncommon experience in Japan. One of her friends remarked half-jokingly that they should seek cover, which they quickly did when the shaking failed to cease. She reported that the next three to four minutes were the most frightening moments of her life.

All things considered, my grandma sounded incredibly composed and strong-willed. She told us that the headmaster of my uncle’s group home had informed her of my uncle’s well-being, and that her home didn’t appear to have any major structural damage. I hope that I have half her inner peace if and when I’m faced with a moment of major crisis.

My thoughts are with the people of Japan in this most difficult time. The intersections of natural disasters and humanity always leave me slack-jawed and heartbroken—those feelings are intensified this time around.

Family Food

My parents have been here for nearly a week to visit with us and help sort through the chaos that comes from being around two young children. Their services, patience, and assistance will be in greater demand now that Beni has left for her weekend-long jaunt to San Antonio and Austin to meet up with a friend from graduate school.

I’m so thankful for their presence—as are the kids—but they’re also thankful for their presents, which they opened as part of an early celebration of Reed’s arrival nearly two years ago. No birthday party is complete, of course, without cake, which Reed selected for the occasion.

Jumping for Joy

When Reed’s challenging gravity like this, he’s obviously doing so from a place of happiness, but his actions also envelop us with a joy that is rarely rivaled in the realm of experienced human emotions.

Spring(ing)...Is in the Air from chris k on Vimeo.

The Hug Life

When a pacifier, blankie, and teddy bear just won’t do, a mother’s warm embrace carries the day.

Huevos Reed-Cheers-'Oh!'

After that stretch of a title, I don’t have much to add, except that Reed really enjoys eating eggs for breakfast.

Pain in the Ear

The sight of an immobilized Olivia is as rare as an uncooked steak. But slumped on the couch is where she was from the end of the school day until right before her bedtime, at which point I took her in to prompt care to find out what was ailing her. She was diagnosed with an ear infection, prescribed some amoxicillin, and told she could go to school the next day if she was feeling better.