Critter adventures

Now that the temperature has dropped around here we have some tiny furry friends trying to share the house with us. We have been finding mouse droppings in various areas over tha last few weeks, and in the beginning the warfare was moderate--put all the food in containers, wipe the counters with bleach, make sure there are no water sources, etc. I read on the Internet that mice abhor peppermint oil and will stay away if you put some on cotton balls and drop it where you think they are coming in the house. It sounded like a humane enough idea, so I tried it. Also installed a sonic deterrent in the kitchen.

The next day, more poops, right on the countertop under the sonic deterrent. The house has a lovely smell of peppermint to mask the unsightly countertop turds. So we ramped it up a bit and got some catch and release traps, still trying to respect these creatures' right to life. No luck after several days.

The turning point came one night after dinner. We usually put our dishes on the counter, put the kids to bed, and then clean up afterwards. So a few nights ago I put Cora to bed and headed back into the kitchen to do the dishes. As I'm standing at the counter a mouse ran right across a plate and jumped behind the refrigerator. That was the last straw. I wanted that sucker dead. His right to life ended when he licked my dinner plate. He poked his nose out from under the fridge a few times to see if we were still there, so I turned on all the lights to keep him there. At this point it became clear to me that mice must pass on two golden rules to their young:
1. If you smell peanut butter, don't eat it. It's a trap.
2. Never let the humans see you in their own house. Then they will REALLY try to kill you.

I could tell this mouse knew he had violated the second sacred rule and would shortly be dead. Happy to oblige, I went to Lowe's for what the salesman called the "mouse electric chair" and some glue traps. I surrounded the fridge in a ring of death, went into the living room, turned on a movie with Kate, and waited. Not three minutes later we heard a "squeak, squeak!" and found the varmint stuck fast to the glue board. Kate wanted to peel him off the board and set him free. I assured her that wouldn't be feasible. If he had only gone into the electric chair it would have been so much easier. But we had to throw him in a trash bag and take him to a dumpster down the road, to asphyxiate slowly or freeze in the night. I felt bad for a little while--it doesn't feel right to extinguish life--but sure felt good knowing there was one less mouse around. I put a glue board behind our entertainment center and another beside the fridge and we went to bed.

The next morning we were happy to find clean countertops and no sign of mice anywhere. We made breakfast as usual, Cora ran around while Oliver played in the living room. Kate and I ducked our heads in occasionally to check on him and he was always playing contentedly with some toys or pulling up on the bookshelf. I had just checked on Oliver not even two minutes before when Kate looked into the living room and didn't see him. She went in to find him and I heard an "Oh no! Brian, come here!" I ran in to find Kate pulling Oliver out from behind the entertainment center, his hand glued to the mouse board. Turns out there's just enough room for a baby to get back there. He's an observant little guy--never been back there before, but then again there's never been a glue board to play with. Obviously the mouse wasn't the only curious critter in the house. Luckily it was non-toxic glue, we pulled Oliver out of it, and he's still in one piece. And we haven't seen any mouse poops since then.

Fam in the leafpile

Fam in the leafpile
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Now that Christmas is over life has resumed some of its normal rhythms. I've been able to take off from work most of the last two weeks, which helps blunt Cora's impact on a single caregiver.

We started getting estimates for the work on our roof and other parts of the house that are falling apart. The first guy came highly recommended and it was an interesting visit. I learned several things from him in the course of a 30-minute housecall:
1. He has a good account with the local animal hospital.
2. He can do anything and everything well.
3. His daughter was conceived on a pool table in a biker bar.
4. He was the manager of the biker bar at the time.

And the list goes on....it felt like a two hour visit by the time he left. Nice guy, but a little too much of something.

Merry Christmas!

Family Christmas
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

The kids are all nestled snug in their beds, and Christmas 2005 comes to an end. Suddenly all that Christmas music sounds tacky. So yesterday.

We had a great Christmas here. It's sooo nice to be able to stay in town with two little ones. The festivities started yesterday on Christmas Eve with Christmas dinner at G'ma and G'dad's house in the afternoon. That meant Cora had to withstand the anticipation of the event for most of the day. She struggled. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" really threw her off her game. The notion that he knew what she was doing, when she was doing it, and whether she was being bad or good definitely frayed her nerves. By about two in the afternoon she was crying uncontrollably. She looked at me and said, "Santa understands that everyone is going to have a bad day sometimes!"

About that time our roof started leaking, and I ended up on the roof in the rain with a tarp while Kate suddenly tried to corral the kids for Christmas dinner on her own. After a trip to Lowe's for better tarps I lashed them down with the help of my Dad and figured they weren't going anywhere. There's only so much you can do on Christmas weekend.

Once we got to Christmas dinner everything went well. Cora was giddy with excitement and could barely wait her turn in the gift giving before tearing into another present. After our eyes glazed over from a fantastic meal we packed the kids home to get ready for Santa and another round of Christmasness.

Cora was up a little before 6am, ready to go. We hit the ground running with stockings and started in on presents once Anne got here. We had three waves of opening to pace ourselves, and Cora did well. Opening some presents on Christmas Eve seemed to take some of the manic edge off. Oliver slept through most of the unwrapping festivities but woke up in time to thrash through boxes and paper wrapping.

G"ma and G'dad came over bearing instruments in the afternoon and set up a family quartet--Sally on cello, Mark on violin, Anne on recorder, and Kate on flute. Cora added an extra spice with accompaniment on triangle and drum. It sounded wonderful.

Words!

oliver's crawl
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

The crab crawler has his first "real" word--light. He says "ight?" in a singsongy elfin whisper and gazes at the ceiling in every new room. He first said it on Thanksgiving day sitting in Granddad's lap. Oliver suddenly lunged at the lamp over Granddad's shoulder and said "Aight!" like he had just put it all together in his mind. He's been saying it constantly ever since. He also said "hat" when Anne walked in yesterday wearing--you guessed it--a hat.

It's neat that Granddad was with Oliver when he said his first word because "light" was my first word too. Deja vu!

Hmmm....

On the way to school this morning Cora said,

"Dad, it would take one hundred days to drive to the sun."

"Really? How would you get there? That's a long way."

"They should put some gravity in outer space and then we could put gas stations there. I'd bring a biiiiiig bottle of glue and we'd glue them down."

Cora's Message to Elise and her parents

g'ma carol and cora
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

"To Elise and her parents:
I like you and I hope I see you at the beach at my birthday party. And I hope you have a very good time with me at the beach. It's fine over here but Ollie is crumpling up my stuff and eating my books. He's really good to me but he's just a little too silly for me. He sticks out his tongue but I really don't like seeing his tongue. Elise, I'm already four. Oliver is already almost standing up.

Love,
Cora"

(Transcribed verbatim)

Slackin'

Yikes! It's been a slack November on the blogging end of things. Not that things have been dull around here; on the contrary, we've just been trying to keep up with ourselves. We went to Kentucky for a mountain retreat a few weeks ago and had a grand time. Winter is slowly encroaching here and we're seeing colder days and nights. The full moon seemed to disrupt the emotional equilibrium of at least half of Nashville last week, and we slogged through several days of emotional sludge. But the experience did provide some valuable insights and all has been much better since then.

Happy Halloween!

Cora had her first real Halloween tonight. Last year in the apartments we went to our upstairs neighbor and got a packet of Goldfish. Maybe that was two years ago...at any rate, one packet of Goldfish was her cumulative lifetime Halloween haul so far.

This year there are too many friends at school who know what Halloween is all about--loads of candy. So lest Cora feel betrayed when she goes to school in the morning (and because it's fun), we hit the neigborhood for some real trick or treating. She dressed herself in her Ladybug costume, discarding the color-coordinated red pants and shirt in favor of her own blue stripe shirt and flowered pants. We went to Anne's street and visited about fifteen houses in all, her pumpkin bucket sagging at the handles by the end of the night with the weight of her candy.

Baby talk

Oliver now has three words:
"Ma"=Mommy
"Da"=Daddy
"Buh"=Buh-bye now.

He's added "buh" to his waving, so we're pretty sure he knows what he's saying. Or he knows that he's imitating what we're saying.
He has enjoyed an explosion of freedom in the last two weeks after mastering the slithery crawl. He also shimmies on his butt with one leg straight out to the side. He cocks his left leg out straight, curls his right, then starts bouncing up and down, propelling himself forward. He developed this technique after constantly ramming his head into cabinets and couches when trying to get close to objects on the floor. The "dropping" game is also a new favorite. Oliver has learned that when he drops things off the high chair they disappear and then someone will pick them back up.

Cora's World

We got a chance to visit Cora's home away from home tonight as Abintra Montessori held an open house. Anne and Grandma Sally came with us to see what Cora does with all the time she spends away from home.

Here Comes Fall

"Ma...ma!"

Oliver finally said it today; the word every mother longs to hear after she has faithfully nursed and nourished her young offspring and he has been saying "da-da" for a month already. We were in the car on the way to Cora's school for an open house. Oliver was hungry and lunging enthusiastically at Kate's chest as she sat between the two kids in the back seat. As he waved his arm in the direction of her torso Oliver said very clearly "maaa...Ma!" And he kept saying it the rest of the night, usually when Kate was around. He's also starting to wave at us--he does the wrist swivel wave like a dignitary on a parade float.

Grandma's Little Helper

Da Kiddos

Oliver is in a pitiful state right now... he got his current round of shots at the doctor yesterday and his body is feverishly fighting off a volley of diluted but nasty bugs. He couldn't sleep last night and had trouble napping today too, so by 5:00pm tonight he was a woozy drunk, babbling incoherently in a half-cry, half-moan. And somehow he's still sweet. Not happy but sweet.

Cora got a full dose of boys tonight and couldn't be happier about it. Fog and Sarah had a party at their place and as luck would have it there was a five year old and and a six year old there. They all played hide and seek and streaked through the house, the boys taking turns either ostracizing or including Cora. One minute she was in the game, the next it's "Eww, girls! Get away!" "She's only four! We're five and six!" Of course I'm standing there feeling bad for her, forgetting that this is how the game of boys and girls is played, that cooties and rejection rituals are all just flirtation building blocks and certainly not taken seriously by the kids themselves. I was reminded of this when Cora sang all the way home in the car, making up lyrics to songs and opening the window to let the wind blow her hair. She was one happy kid.

Cora's past life

Yesterday morning Cora looked at me and said, "I was born before, you know. Before this."
"Really? Tell me about it."
"I was born in Twenty-Six. Before, when I was God, the first wind was invented by invisible fans. The wind you feel comes from big fans that you can't see. I invented those."

The kids eating snacks, Oliver eating trash

The kids eating snacks, Oliver eating trash
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Sarah's photos

Click on the "Aunt Sarah's Photo Album" link in the upper right of the page for some new pictures of the kids...mainly Ollie and his man-boobs.

Oliver pulled up into a standing position on the couch yesterday. He's still not crawling per se, but scuttles his body across the floor like a fat crab. His physical progress is what strikes me with him, while at this point in Cora's infancy it seemed I could already hear her brain pulsating eagerly in her skull. It was about this time that Cora started responding to words and saying "oof oof" when we asked her what a puppy says. Oliver, on the other hand, doesn't seem drawn to intellectual pursuits just yet. He is intent on the tactile world, moving his body around, sticking stuff in his mouth. He eats like a horse already; Cora didn't really start solid food until she was a year old. When we wave and say good-bye to Oliver he just looks at us blankly, then at our hands, then back to our faces, as if he's thinking "there they go again flailing their arms around." He doesn't seem to think about doing it himself. Maybe he's relieved he doesn't share our arm-flapping affliction.

Cora's Bud

This morning we were eating breakfast and Cora was dawdling a bit, not too interested in her food. I passed her a cup and said "Here you go, Bud." Her eyes lit up and she said "Can you be Elise?" I agreed and finished the rest of breakfast as Elise. It was amazing. I didn't change my voice or anything, just said "bud" at the end of every sentence.
"Have more eggs Bud."
Are you going to finish your cereal, Bud?"
The effect was magical. Food gone.

Cousin Elise--priceless. And missed by her little bud.

Oliver's Travels

Oliver discovered the kitchen cabinet this morning. The silver knob caught his eye and he crawled over to examine it. As he pulled on the knob the door swung open, and as it did his weight shifted and he swayed to the side. He did this for a few minutes, swaying side to side, opening and closing the door, without realizing there was anything inside the cabinet. Then he changed his focus and I saw the lightbulb dawn over his head. Aha! There's stuff behind this door! A big bag of cayenne fish rub went right in the mouth. Luckily the bag stayed closed, but it was a sign of things to come. Time for cabinet locks!

Another milestone for Oliver

It seems the developmental milestones are falling fast and furious right now. In the past two days Oliver has mastered the Art of Sitting Up From a Crawl. It's almost creepy how easy it looks already. Sometimes he is snooching across the floor, pauses, and then he glides into a sitting position as if someone picked him up by the shirt.

His second tooth broke through the gums last night, so he's got two on the bottom now. He's always running his tongue over his tooth (now teeth) and jutting his bottom jaw out to feel it on his top gums. He's a trip.

He's a little less super mellow now--starting to get into "where's Mommy?" at times. Aunt Sarah kept him for a few hours this week and he screamed the whole time.

Cora is doing great, happy to be back in school. She's got a major crush on a boy named Daniel. He's twelve. Too old. Probably as tall as Daddy.

Not so sure about this...

Not so sure about this...
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

As you can see, Oliver has passed another threshold, away from baby land and into the world of normal humans. Real food. That means big stinky poops for Mommy and Daddy. Cora has been feeding him at dinner, which is a good way for them to bond. That second tooth will pop through any day now....

Oliver's Fisher Price Ad

Oliver Swing3
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Oliver is seen here hanging casually in the swing in front of Aunt Anne's new house. He hung out a lot this weekend as the family did an extreme makeover of her bedroom while she was catering a wedding in Florida.

Change is in the air here as Anne will be moving out in a week or two. She closed the deal on her new house this week. Her new house is exactly two-tenths of a mile away from us. I'm said to say we still can't walk there without circuitous backways due to the lack of sidewalks for pedestrians and sense for drivers. Her house is very cute. Three bedrooms too, which we covet. Oliver now sleeps in our bathroom. He's not old enough to know the difference yet, but one of these days he'll wonder how he drew the short straw and sleeps next to the toilet.

Cora and I had karate class tonight. She lined up some stuffed animals as her audience and we performed a variety of kicks and punches. She has been intrigued by it since we saw some demonstrations this summer. The picture is of Cora's best karate pose, showing off her muscles for the camera. I think next summer might be a tae kwon do summer.

Oliver's first tooth....

Oliver's growing up now I guess....no more babies, just big rowdy kids after this. His first tooth popped through his bottom gums two mornings ago, and the second looks ready to push through as well. He's been drooling like a faucet for the last few weeks, so it was a relief to see he had a good reason to drool constantly. He's sitting up well too, but not so well that we don't surround him with pillows. Crawling is a commando-style belly crawl/lunge, often with one arm outstretched for a desired object. He remains humble despite these great accomplishments and seems to still appreciate the presence of his parents.

We're back!

Faces
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We've been away for a while--from the computer mostly. It's been a flurry of activity the last few weeks as summer vacation drew to a close. Cora started school again last Wednesday. Kate and I drove with her to school. Some kids were screaming and crying, Cora was absolutely giddy. We pulled into carline next to one of her classmates from last year. She rolled down the window and yelled, "Hey Alex! Are we friends now?" She has been happy as a clam all week.

I went to a workshop for orthopedic massage in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago...amazing. The instructor could assess and treat complicated pain conditions that had been present for decades. I have a lot of studying to do.

It's hard to believe we're over halfway through the week already. Last weekend was a whirlwind of fun and family as we flew into Philadelphia for my cousin Adam's wedding. It was a blast for many reasons--first of all, Cora is quite the traveller. She adores airplane travel, particularly the snacks. But the best part was seeing all the cousins on the Davis side get together for the first time (for us at least). We are now faced with the enviable task of having to figure out how to take enough vacations each year to see everyone. We may have to start mixing sides of the family to get it all in. But it's clear that a beach trip in the summer is a necessary tradition that needs to continue from when we were kids.

Sarah took some great photos of the trip. See them here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cree/sets/721679/

They're Ba-ack!

Kate self-portrait
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

SuperMom and her progeny made it back safely last night after a whirlwind trip packed with adventures. Cora was happy to be home and even shed some happy tears when she saw her Daddy again. Happy tears all around.

Cora started in on her stories as soon as we got in the car and hasn't missed a beat since. W've been playing hard all day, playing Captain Hook and doing sidewalk chalk and having treasure hunts. Clearly she has grown accustomed to a new level of service from the big people in her life.

There is a photo album online of selected pics from the trip; just click on the picture and it will take you to the page. Look to the right of the screen for the "Kate and Cora and Oliver Road Trip" folder. Kate will be adding comments soon.

The Epic Journey

Kate and the kids are in Maryland now on the last leg of their epic trip. From all reports they have had a grand time so far. Cora has been caving, fishing, horseback riding, kayaking, eating, and loads of other stuff to keep her engaged. It is scary to see what her idea of a "good day" is--nonstop activity from dawn til dusk.

Equestrian Cora

Equestrian Cora
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Things are a little different in West Virginia...the yard animals are much bigger. Cora's bike helmet came in handy as equestrian safety gear yesterday. She also went fishing and roasted marshmallows. From what I hear she had a fabulous day. At the end of the day Rena asked her to make a wish. Cora said "I wish this day would never end."

Kate had a great day too; she took Oliver to Morgantown to visit with old friends. It was good for her to get away from Cora for a little while and catch a breather.

Safe Travels

Kate and the kids set sail for Baltimore bright and early this morning. Thankfully the plans for a true road trip (i.e. car) were changed to air travel (despite Kate's insistence that she would be fine in the car for ten hours with two squirming kids smearing the windows). We got up and out on time and I left them at the security checkpoint, waving and smiling as Kate walked through the metal detector with Oliver on one hip and Cora holding onto her sweater. Then the metal detector went off. I know at that moment even the security guards thought, "This poor woman. She'll kill us if we stop her. Wave and smile." They didn't hassle her too much, and once Kate got through security she could put Oliver in the backpack again.

They're in West Virginia now, safely ensconced at Pop-Pop and Grammy Rena's house. And so begins their 11-day adventure.

Aunt Sarah's Flickr page

If you click on this strange white rectangle, it will take you to Aunt Sarah's Flickr page. Look to the left of the page for her "Sets" of pictures, including over 50 snapshots from Cora's birthday party.

Technical Note on Comments

I have changed the settings on the blog so you can comment without registering or leaving vital personal information. So comment if you like; we're glad you're here!

Eating Cake

Eating Cake
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora finally had her big day today--her "real" birthday party with friends her age instead of the other one with only grown-ups around. She has invited half of Nashville to her party over the last few months. Talk to her for more than two minutes and she'll invite you to her party.

We had a great time. The kids mixed well and we had just enough guests for our house. The kids were playing in the sprinkler within minutes of arriving, running naked soon thereafter, followed by dress-up, playing house, a pinata slugfest, and of course sugar overload. Cake and ice cream and chocolate (and a good time) was had by all. Aunt Sarah took a lot of pictures. Once we get them we'll post an album in our Flickr account. Just click on this post picture to go there.

Sarah Siskind show

Sarah Siskind show
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Sarah played a show with her band at The Family Wash in East Nashville Saturday night. I had a big week of bodywork and wasn't sure if I would make it through both sets of music. I brought along my buddy Lew from work, who had had a longer week than me. We were kind of pitiful on our way out to the show. Two young guys feeling old and complaining of low back pain.

And we stayed the whole time. I went to bed at 1:30am. We had a great time. That's the beauty of a good show in a good venue with good people and three full glasses of good locally brewed Yazoo beer on tap. It makes everything all right. All good.

Feet and flowers

Feet and flowers
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora has been taking some pictures with the digital camera lately. This one is my current favorite. Click on the image to see it closer and to go to our Flickr account where we have photos stored online. There is a folder of her "selected works". We'll be adding more as the muse strikes her.

Dan and the new 'phew

Dan and the new 'phew
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We miss you Uncle Dan! See you at Christmas!

Back in Business!

We're back online after a hiatus of several weeks. Our dial-up connection crossed us for the last time--I was cut off twice in the middle of posting the account of Cora's birthday celebration, losing everything both times. As George W. Bush says, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.....uhh, don't fool me again. Or something like that. At any rate, we now have a cable modem and I am reasonably confident that it will not boot me off in mid post.

This picture is one from the vault--Cora at around a year old with us out on the balcony at Cumberland Retreat Apartments. A lot has changed since then to be sure.

Kate made some big plans with the kids today. They're embarking on an 11-day trip up to West Virginia on July 20th to visit Grammy Stella and Pop-Pop. Not long after they get back we go to my cousin Adam's wedding, and then in August I'm going to a five day intensive retreat for orthopedic massage. We're taking advantage of summer vacation while it's here.

Cora's new favorite word is "eventually". She usually uses it correctly, but yesterday she walked outside and, with the confidence of a grizzled farmer, exclaimed "Shew! It is eventually hot out here!"

Fam Pic!

Fam Pic!
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We loved having Uncle Dan come down for Cora's birthday. Click on this picture to see some other B'day pics on our flickr account.

Cora's B'day was a big success. We had lots of fun with the family and she also performed a great rain dance on the deck.

Back in town

We're back in town and recovering nicely from our trip to California. We all had a fabulous time, and it's easy to see why so many people are willing to cram themselves on top of each other to live there. We saw glimpses of Las Vegas and Phoenix during layovers, and the prevailing impression was that of a splat of humans in the middle of a sun-parched desert. Southern California took all the good elements of a desert climate (low humidity being the main plus) and left out the searing heat and lack of any plant over six inches tall. Cora loved the palm trees and swore she would tell her teachers all about them when she got home.

Uncle Dan is in town now for Cora's birthday tomorrow, so the party continues. Cora is quite excited to be four years old. Fireworks started last night, so it looks like the Independence Day festivities are taken seriously in this neighborhood.

california!

Here we are in california. I am posting this on Mary Pat's blackberry...a cool device but a little alien...not used to typing with my thumbs. Today it feels like California...no humidity, blue skies, palm trees and beautiful vistas marked by junior sized mountains. More like ambitious hills. We are near the town of Perris, which is about ninety miles out of San Diego. The reunion is at a great camp-rv park place called Wilderness Lakes Resort--swimming pools, game rooms and the works.

Yesterday was a full travel day. At one point Cora said to me "Is George Bush still our President?"
"Yes."
"We don't want him to win. I want Ham Lincoln to win". The trip itself went as well as could be expected, considering it takes all day to get to california, and traveling with a four year old is like carrying a wet monkey in a sack. A little unpredictable and scary with some potential for entertainment.

Enough of the alien keyboard for now.

bed bouncers

bed bouncers
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

We're off to California tomorrow for the 5-year Meyer family reunion. Cora's so excited she can hardly stand it. Airplanes and Cousin Elise are the main reasons for her enthusiasm.

She worked out some energy this morning with a vigorous bed bouncing session. Oliver was enchanted; he squealed and squawked at her the whole time and lunged back and forth on his chunky legs. His admiration for her is growing daily. He still has a smile ready for the big people, but he reserves the biggest belly laughs for Cora. She has been great with him lately now that it's obvious that he's such a big fan.

God's sedative and G'ma birthdays

Summertime has arrived, and with it comes the blessed arrival of God's finest sedative for children--the swimming pool. Cora and Kate swam for hours yesterday at Cumberland Retreat, the apartment complex we lived in before we moved into our house. An advantage of having cute and articulate offspring is lifetime swimming passes granted by the property managers who can't stand to see them go.

Cora napped hard in the car on the way home and at the end of the day actually requested bedtime last night. That almost never happens. Then this morning she broke all records by sleeping in until 8:00am. We were getting worried that she might have expired in the night. Needless to say, we're taking her swimming again today.

Last night was family dinner at the Wingate G'parents house, this week celebrating Sally's birthday. Happy birthday Mom! Cora helped Aunt Sarah decorate the cake and managed to resist eating it along the way. Some chocolate icing did mysteriously appear around her mouth though. An accident no doubt....

G'ma Carol to the rescue

G'ma Carol to the rescue
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Father's Day was nice and all, but the deciding factor this weekend was the grandparents. Gma Carol flew in for the weekend and rescued us from the spiral of sickness stress that has marked the past month. She cooked, cleaned the house, cleaned babies (see photo),shopped, and everything else in between.

We lounged on Father's Day at G'ma Sally's and Granddad Mark's. What started as a brunch turned into an all-day affair enjoying the covered porch and wraparound deck. What a day.

dust bustin

dust bustin
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

There hasn't been much to report this past week as much of our time was marked by numbing sameness--coughing, coughing, more coughing, with occasional episodes of spitting, some retching, and gasping for breath after any or all of the above. Cora was the main victim with Oliver and Kate getting some coughs in there as well. The mood is lighter now--Cora is getting her energy back and we are able to go outside again. Her eyes are both completely bloodshot from the force of coughing, which will take a while to heal. This morning she donned sunglasses and proceeded to clean her room. We know she's feeling good when she cleans.

grinnin' in the rain

grinnin' in the rain
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Oliver has to have his walks you know, so Aunt Anne strapped him on even in the rain, complete with umbrella for protection. He's a lucky guy, and we're lucky to have Anne living with us right now.

In other news, this sickness thing has got to stop. Cora has been steamrolled by whatever Oliver had. She woke up yesterday morning with one eye completely bloodshot and growing black eyes on both sides from so much coughing. It is a brutal bug. We'll be happy when it passes.

Clean Baby!

Clean Baby!
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

It's amazing how quickly a baby gets stinky...lots of nooks and crannies for cheese to settle. Oliver has now mastered the Art of Rolling Over, which he was practicing diligently after his bath this morning. Now he's starting to arch his belly up off the floor, working those abs in preparation for crawling. He also truly recognizes his hands as a part of his body, although he's still a bit clumsy with them.

Dynamic Duo

Dynamic Duo
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Tired of ruffians ruling your neighborhood? Petty crime out of control? Help is only a call away with this new generation of crime fighting superheroes. Agent-C stuns her foes with her intellect (note the smirk) and affable sidekick (complete with sidecar) Ollie kills 'em with kindness (note the friendly wave).

Sibling sharing and other notes

Cora has contracted Oliver's cough...he is improving but she is now experiencing racking nighttime coughing fits. No fun...we've all gotten whatever bug this is, but it has definitely hit the kids much harder.

On a lighter note, Sarah and Sally were in the video shoot for Alison Krauss' new single, Goodbye is All We Have, which happens to be Sarah's cut on the album. Look for the video to start popping up in a few weeks! They should be visible as "low-key" extras.

garden dress-up

garden dress-up
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora has indulged two abiding joys lately--gardening and dress-up. Recently she combined her interests to create a style all her own. Note the stylish white high heels that nicely complement the oversized "junior miss" garden gloves.

ollie supersmile

ollie supersmile
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Ollie obviously loved having Aunt Sarah over for dinner last night!

b'ballin

bballin
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Oliver and I have developed somewhat of a nightly basketball ritual now that the days are getting longer. After about twenty minutes of my astounding b'ball skills he falls fast asleep every time.

Bedtime

We just got Cora in bed after a big visit from an old Omega friend of ours who has a child of her own. Paige came down from Louisville with her husband Eric and daughter Eveline and they hung out with us for a few hours. Cora was already exhausted when they got here and spent most of the evening bouncing off the walls. Oliver, of course, spent most of the evening as he always does-- fat and happy.

The offspring

The offspring
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

looking into the future...

sidewalk art

sidewalk art
Originally uploaded by Wingates.

Cora's random bedtime questions

Cora has been stalling at bedtime lately with random questions. Tonight
Cora came out of her room and Kate guided her back to the bed.
Cora: "Mom, do they have any more beaver puppets?"
Kate: "What kind of puppets?'
C: "you know, beaver hand puppets. At the store."
K: "What store?"
C: "Krogers."

The next time she came out:
"Mom, can you kiss me on the leg?"

Purpose Statement...of sorts.

We are now slowly entering the 21st century and also owning up to the fact that we are not always the best at keeping in touch with our extended network of friends and family. So....now that Kate and I can hardly keep up with the daily antics of our children, let alone remember them long enough to pass along, we thought this page might serve as a net to catch a few memorable moments.