Bad Mommy

This post is called "Bad Mommy" because if you look closely at the picture of Jacob you can see that his left forefinger has a bandage on it. This because he cut himself with a pair of supposedly kid-safe scissors purchased for him by his "bad mommy." I thought they looked a little bit sharp, but I figured what the heck, they are kid safe, and the next thing I knew Jacob had cut a small piece of skin off of the side of his finger. Otherwise Thursday August 30th was a pretty good day. The weather finally cooled off to about 84 degrees and so Casey, Jacob and I took a walk to the Star Bagel Cafe and Jacob and I played a little bit at the playground across the street from the cafe while Casey played on her blanket. As you can see she can get up on all fours. She seems quite determined to crawl. At an outdoor production of Shakespeare in the Park she crawled and rolled from one side of a big blanket to another many times! She is fierce!

The Baby Gym

The baby gym is a beloved play toy in our house. It was a gift from Rich and Amy when Jacob was a baby, and Jacob spent many baby hours with "Ollie the Octopus", pictured above. I wrote a song about the Octopus that I sung to the tune of the verse in "Holly Jolly Christmas."

Ollie the Octopus
Lives above your face
He wants to play with you
Don't spray him with mace!

It's a silly song, but it seems to have survived into Casey's use of the toy, which is frequent. Now we all sing her the Ollie song---even Jacob! Jacob likes to get in the gym and get down on Casey's level. These are some great pics of their loving interaction.

Week at Grandma and Papa's house

Happy Anniversary

Fun weekend in Cullman, Alabama

We had a wonderful weekend with Grandma and Papa Gregson as well as with Joe and Nancy. Josh and I got out to see the Bourne Ultimatum and then Mexican food with Nancy, and Jacob spent most of the weekend in the pool. Casey loves her brother so much---she can't take her eyes off of him when he is in the room. This weekend Grandma Gregson gave Settlers of Catan (our favorite game) another try, and she won both times. So now she is LORD OF CATAN. PS. I stole these pictures from Grandma Gregson---she did a great job of photographing our cuties!

Casey in cherry dress and hat

This picture was taken about one month ago by Grandma Gregson in Alabama. It reminds me of pictures of Nana Panush and her twin sister, Susie, when they were little girls in Seattle and Montana.

Radnor Lake

This past weekend Joe and Nancy Gregson made the 2 hour trip from Cullman, AL to visit the Newman/Gregson family. On Friday night we played our favorite game with the Gregsons and one of Josh's work colleagues (along with her family members). On Saturday morning we went to a nature preserve called Radnor Lake. It was swelteringly hot, but also really beautiful. We didn't get very far because Jacob (like his mother at his age) doesn't love to walk. But I know we will return often to this great spot. Later that night Nancy won her first game of Settlers, and on Sunday Joe won. Josh and I are so happy to have converted more Settlers players! Currently, Joe is LORD OF CATAN.

Potty Power Party

Josh had the idea that we celebrate Jacob's near miraculous transformation into someone who effortlessly uses the potty all by himself. So I made a cake in the shape of a toilet, and offered decorations of cocoa covered mini marshmellows and yellow frosting. Jacob loved the party---especially the cake!

Jack's Market

Casey attracts a lot of attention when we are out and about. One day I walked a few blocks to a small market near our house with Casey in the baby bjorn. The owner of Jack's Market asked me how old Casey was, and I said "3 months." He reached into his till a pulled out a pristine 2$ bill. He gave it to me and asked me to save it for Casey. "For the baby," he said. I walked out somewhat stunned by this gesture of generosity. Jack's market, which is chokingly smoky from Jack's cigarette, also has home grown tomatoes for sale next to the beef jerky. I'm warming to the South---it's a weird blend of kindness, agriculture, Christians, and cigarettes.