Rock Stars

Aiden and Olivia joined their dads for a recent rock-climbing outing. We’d signed up for a parent-child introductory class, where we learned the basics of safety and technique. After the class, we were given time to roam the walls. The kids had a blast hanging on and hanging out; the dads, on the other jittery and clammy hand, had a harder time overcoming their apprehension of altitudes.

Adorn with a Silver Spoon

For those of you who have been around my children, you know firsthand (first-ear?) how clamorous they are. So how do we feed our big- and loud-mouthed kids? With giant eating utensils, of course.

In Memoriam

Max, earlier today

We adopted Max, a retired racing greyhound, nearly eight years to this day. In that time, he logged many hours dreaming of mechanical rabbits; accompanying us on our walks; taking baths; standing stall and sitting awkwardly; allowing kisses and hugs and more hugs; eating treats; and sharing in festive occasions.

He truly was a member of our family. As Olivia noted in a letter to a friend, we used to have five in our family, and now we only have four.

Yet those four will always remember the special times we shared with our special guy.

We miss you so much, Max.

We love you dearly.

Stack Photo

When the odds are stacked against you, just stack the blocks in an odd arrangement, and then knock over the tower with the crushing force of your hammer swing. Repeat 100 times.

Giving Everyone His Vest Shot

Future model?

Year Outta Here

We decided that a family road trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum would be a desire-abe-le way to cap the year. This marked the second time that Olivia has been to the museum, but the first dressed as her favorite president. Reed and I tinkered mostly with Lincoln logs—of course—in the children’s play area, while everyone else logged time in the rest of the marvelous museum.

On the way out, we took the requisite family shot with the Lincoln family. If you look closely between G and Reed, you’ll see the menacing John Wilkes Booth, who Olivia immediately recognized when we first stepped foot in the plaza. I exaggerate not: the kid knows more at age six about Lincoln than most adults do, including yours truly.

Creating Buzz

This has been long overdue because of his long over-do (as in hairdo): we finally took Reed in for his first haircut. I guess you know it’s time when friends and family work a reference of his mangy mane into every encounter. He got through his clipping better than his older sister did for hers, but similarly the pacifying nature of a sucker got him through the ordeal. (The only part that stirred his ire was when the hairstylist used the electric hair clippers by his ears.)

Does Not Shun from These Words

One of the signs of how well things are going for Olivia in school this year is how often she builds on her school assignments at home. For instance, her teacher recently taught the class to look for words that end in –tion, which they call shun words.

As you can see, vacation was no obstruction to the completion of her enumeration.

Reed: Cover to Cover

When not dumping every single book from the bookcase in his room onto the floor, Reed’s bringing us the literature he wants for story time.

Present(s) Tense, Part II

Nearly two thousand years span the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth and the actual one of my wife, but it’s only a dozen hours or so that separates the opening of Christmas gifts from the evening of proffering birthday gifts to Beni. Olivia actually helped me select her mom’s birthday gift this year—a fashion scarf—and so she was insistent on being present to present her present to her.

In the Present(s) Tense

Just your typical Christmas here:

Aunt Liz, G, and Beni score a win in pajamas tic-tac-toe…


…Reed eats himself sick on corn nuts…


…the Christmas nachos are made…


…and Olivia becomes a fan of factbook.

Did you know that a great white shark can weigh as much as 15 gorillas?

(Sick at) Home for the Holidays

When your child misses out on the last-day-before-break holiday coffeehouse at school because of an illness, you must bring the holiday coffeehouse to her, and that’s exactly what Beni did for her ailing daughter this evening. As you can see, Olivia’s spirits rose like the steam off her hot chocolate.