Driftless House

A Shift of Focus

2010-11-04T17:55:00.001-07:00

I've decided to shift gears a bit with my blogging for awhile. You can find us HERE.

The Pumpkin Train

2010-10-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

E and I decided to give Gedion an experience instead of any new toys. Our friends and family took care of that! Thanks all!!

He was so excited.

He held onto his ticket so tight.

So the pumpkin patch was a bit gimicky, it was just a trainside stand, but it was still fun and Gedion loved it.

More Birthday

2010-10-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated with Grandma and Aunt Mary in Wisconsin.

Gedion plays a mean game of Go Fish.

Piano and More Apple Sauce

2010-10-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Gedion likes to get the books out like Daddy does and sit down and play both hands with such grace and composure. All dressed up for a church photo.

And then I made apple sauce for the third time this year. This time with my friend Tonya. And we canned and we dealt with massive amounts of apples.

Hiking

2010-10-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday

2010-10-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

E and Gedion made waffles together for a special treat.

Party preperations.

To the apple orchard with friends.

We came home for a quick gathering.

He was up for the challenge of some tall tricky candles.

It was chaotic and fun and we felt really loved to be with friends. Thanks so much.

E and Gedion playing happy birthday after all the friends are gone.

A good day.

Almost Three

2010-10-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

I love the new generation sitting next to pictures of the old generation.

The turtle had to come to the lakes.

Moving the boat with Uncle C and Grandma.

Little Tucko and everyone out to watch.

We all rolled the boat in on logs.

Papa and Gedion are a good pair. They worked well in the kitchen together. They washed potatoes for Grandma. And got the salad ready.

He knew just what to do with the candle.

Blue team.

The necessary water tower visit.

A quick walk before leaving.

What a wonderful visit. One of the best. So special to have papa there, and my first visit with Tucker. Gedion was a pure joy and delight the whole time. He was so exuberrant and happy, he was looking forward to the trip all week.

Pretend

2010-10-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Going on a boat ride with huggy. Ok. So this was my idea. But he has been having his own ideas. He will pick up a rock and fly it around like a space ship. He will want tents set up. He will make up games. It is fun.

And later that day I started tearing up the floor. I made it look so fun, the boys joined in.

Dance Party

2010-10-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

Gedion is enjoying his dance class.

We walk the two blocks and it takes fifteen minutes. We were especialy early on the day parents could watch and he walked through the little meditation prayer circle.

We watch the big kids tap before going to his classroom. There are two boys. We always have to find the boys.

I am happy with the class. They do rhythm and pattern, big movements, little movements, tondue, passe, releve. Good things. I think they are promoting a real love of dance and movement.

Turtle

2010-10-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, we were at Salvation Army looking at costume patterns. I found a pattern with the choice of a cheetah, turtle, ninja, cat, race car driver, or boxer. I asked him if he wanted me to sew him one.
Yes.
Which one?
The turtle.

So I bought the pattern.

Two weeks later at Salvation Army we find a cute lion costume. I talk Gedion into liking it, barely.

At home he doesn't want to try it on.

Whenever Halloween comes up over the next weeks he says he is going to be a turtle. I say, What about the lion?

He keeps bringing up the turtle. He tells Daddy that I am going to sew him one.

And so I realized that this is serious. He is his officially his own person now. He has his own likes and dislikes that I can't sway.

I happily sewed him a turtle costume.

And he LOVED it. LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED.

It made me feel so good to have him love the costume like that.

Sometimes good things happen when you really listen to your kid.

New Toys

2010-10-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Around Home

2010-10-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

He will only wear this hat for E.

Outgrowing jammies.

E and Gedion do night night every night.

Cooking

2010-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I guess we made applesauce again.

He is VERY new to stove work, but I think he can handle it.

I was without my camera for the week before.

Home

2010-09-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Resting up for a day of chores.

Painted his poster.

For a cleaning reward we got to decorate for Fall and Halloween and All Saints Day.

Cheery

2010-09-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

My lunchmate.

Wardrobe change due to playing in the DOWNPOUR.

Apple Sauce

2010-09-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Apple break in the tent.

My picture record insists that we made this apple sauce the same day we picked the apples. Pretty incredible.

Apple Picking

2010-09-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

He loves picking apples. He picked a tall and skinny pumpkin. I remember Uncle C. liking those. I like the short and squat. We had a good time with friends.

Painter

2010-09-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

The painter keeps painting. He fills up sheet after sheet and lays them on the rug when he is done. I keep cluttering up the house. E hung a shelf for me above the little kitchen and I now have pictures out. I also bought a cupboard.

And then later that day the boys painted dice.

Park and Art

2010-09-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

This isn't "the" Fall hat. But it is okay. Puppet at family art day.

More interested in the park.

Fall Uniform

2010-09-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

You should see this years Fall hat. Oh my. Just wait. I'll have to get a picture.

Play

2010-09-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I facilitate good things. But a lot of the time Gedion loves finding his own things to do.

Garden and Dance Openhouse

2010-09-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Not that this disclaimer is really needed because we don't eat that well. In fact, we eat more graham crackers than anyone should eat. But he got that cookie at his dance class openhouse. We call it the "dance party." No parents allowed. We get to observe in mid October.

Labor Day Party

2010-09-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

With Gunther the dog. Gedion likes to say, "G for Gedion. G for God. G for Gunter."

Good time, good friends. Always worth the drive.

2010-09-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Worst ever first day of school picture. He goes to educare for 2.5 hours on Friday. He loves it.

2010-08-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

He likes to push all the chairs together and make a bus. They are going to the Art Museum.

Driving.

Daddy Projects

2010-08-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

I like to plan projects for Gedion and E. They are pretty good at just hanging out, but sometimes I give them a project to help me out on. They are a pretty good team. Gedion usually helps E out quite a bit.

And then he caught the chicken.

Dried banana snacks. SO beyond better than freeze dried bananas.

Another Brio Commercial

2010-08-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Seed Savers

2010-08-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Bought some spinach seeds and planted them the next day. We'll see if I was too late for a fall planting.

Painter

2010-08-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

Camping

2010-08-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am writing about this weeks and weeks after, but Gedion still likes to talk about our camping trip with friends. He likes to draw everyone's tents in pictures and name who was in them. He likes to make everyone's tents out of playdough and name who was in them. It was a good time.

There was fishing programing the next morning which was fun.

Tea Party

2010-08-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Gedion's brain grew this summer. He started playing more make believe play and it is so cute. He made a meal for Simon and served him and he said repeatedly throughout the play, "Barbecue sauce or mustard those are your choices." I don't say that, but it is the gist of a lot of what is said around here.

He would pretend to squeeze out something out of the lotion into the spoon and then feed it to polar bear, bear, and Simon. Very cute. A very fun age.

Back to School Easel

2010-08-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

We bought this easel from IKEA after the Mehaber. And we tucked it away. We are trying to give gifts for more occasions. But sometimes you need to invent an occasion. So this is Gedion's back to school gift.

Heading Home through the Badlands

2010-08-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

We wanted to take a different route home and I gave E one choice of where he wanted to stop along the way. He picked the badlands.

It was probably 40 degrees hotter than it was in Colorado.

Colorado: Day Four

2010-08-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

We served Mom and Aunt Christy breakfast.

Oh, and I didn't pack enough blankets, so E improvised by wearing layers.

We packed up camp and then got a late start to Mill's Lake.

The sisters, with their maps, trying to figure out the peaks.

We picked up a pizza that we at back at Cascade, let Gedion feed the cascade chipmunks and then were ready to hit the road and start the trek home.

Gedion was in melt-down mode and fell asleep within seconds of getting in the car. We drove for four hours or so to some town where we were lucky to get a room because of Sturgis. E was very excited to be in a new part of the world, and it was fun for me too even though it wasn't my first time through Wyoming and South Dakota.

Colorado: Day Three

2010-08-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to climb Mt. Ida for five years or so. Ever since Mom and Aunt Christy climbed it and loved it so much. Once, Mom, Chris, and I tried, but the snow was packed in too much. Last year, we didn't even try because we needed to be with Gedion. This year Mom and Aunt Christy watched him, he slept at the cottage with them.

Since you are above tree line you need to get an early start, so you don't get hit by lightening during the daily ~2:00 storms.

We really did wake up at 4:30 and were quickly on the road. There was construction that wouldn't let the road open until 6:00 and we were the first one's there, which was somewhat gratifying in itself.

The sign warns that hikers have lost the trail.

Little toadstools.

I was pretty much in heaven.

Only one other couple was in site. They were behind us 100 yards, and we kept pushing towards the top, so they wouldn't pass us and we wouldn't have to stare at their backside.

The views are beautiful for 360 degrees for most of the hike.

Afterwards we paid $5 to shower (since there is no showers at our campsite), and went out to eat at Mary's Lake Lodge for our 5 year anniversary (observed, almost a week early).

We were very happy to see Gedion again.

We cooked dinner at our site and had a fire. I got to read in my hammock for a bit.

Gedion loved playing in the tent and bouncing around.

It was really a wonderful day, save for an episode with dinner since I forgot to pack cooking oil. Thanks Mom and Aunt Christy for making it possible!!

Gedion rode on the tram with them up the mountain to feed chipmunks and they saw two more bears in the distance.

Colorado: Day Two

2010-08-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our camp site was the last one available. We picked Morraine park because it is the only one that you can reserve ahead of time. We really lucked out. Our site was nestled back in a little valley. We loved it.

Gedion and I LOVE hot chocolate.

I had my mom help me carry my hammock all the way to Colorado. And it was worth it. New memories are locked away for the winter. Gedion kept pushing me, in a somewhat sweet way. Then he got ahold of this milk jug filled with water and drank pretty much the 3/4 of the whole thing and had to pee every ten minutes.

A repeat favorite.

The Eldora Cabin. I'll go into details another day.

The rock that my ancestors sat on 4(?) generations ago.

Gedion stayed with Grandma and Aunt Christy for the night while E and I prepared for a harder hike the next day that would require us to get going at 4:30 am.

Our first night apart from Gedion.

Colorado: Day One

2010-08-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Cascade Cottages to meet up with my mom and my aunt. Right away Gedion helped fill up the hummingbird feeder and then we were off to Ouzel Falls trail for a repeat of last year. Gedion was happy to be back in the carrier.

We had lunch in the forest. This picture reminds me that on the way from Loveland to Estes Park, Gedion had a tantrum and grabbed E's glasses and threw them to the ground, chipping them.

Watching a chipmunk.

My mom brought my brother's old backpack for the trip, and Gedion loved hiking with it on.

E spotted a bear. Our first bear sighting in Rocky Mountain. It was incredibly exciting. Only, I didn't have the right lens on. Oh, well. I remember it.

Making dinner at Cascade.

We were greeted by elk at our campground. And set up our tent in the rain.

Des Moines to Kearney to Loveland

2010-08-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

We left at 5 in the morning, arrived to Kearney around 11 and played at the park and ate. We drove from 1 until 5:30, stopped again for an early dinner, and then drove to Loveland.

Ragbrai and Tucker

2010-08-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures of Ragbrai, but we had a great time. We got to see E's mom and bike 10 miles with friends, and see other old friends. E pulled Gedion in the bike carrier. The weather was beautiful in the morning.

We left from E's mom's to stay over at my parent's. Only my dad was home since my mom was on her way to Colorado. We got to see Tucker, who had the biggest beautiful smile when we first greeted him. Gedion loved to rock him in his carseat.

We had pizza up at Fuller's and then went to bed so we could get up early.

The Roof is Done

2010-07-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

E finished the roof. It was a good day. We even had an extra day to clean up before leaving for Colorado. Gedion loved pushing around the big magnet and picking off nails and throwing them away.

E burned through the gloves you can see on the steps. Roofing is rough work.

Banana Bread with Grandma

2010-07-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Farm

2010-07-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

My friend T organized a trip to a buffalo farm. It was awesome. My mom got to come along because I was starting to get overwhelmed with the final push of the roof and not having packed for Colorado yet.

Cody 2. Cody 1 was in Dances with the Wolves and some commercials.

We took a wagon ride out to see the buffalo herd.

They all turned to look at us, and then followed us out until they caught up with a calf that had separated on the other side of a fence.

Then we had buffalo burgers for lunch.

Tomatoes & Roof

2010-07-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Gedion is so proud of his tomatoes and loves to twist them off.

The roof ended up kicking our buts. It did save us money, but it was rough.

There is E in the hot sun.

Friends

2010-07-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Pretty cool that one of Eric's very closest friends has a kid Gedion's age. Awesome.

And they visited us. We took out the free canoes at the Rec. Played some Settlers of Catan. :) Grilled out. Went to see the Nina and the Pinta and hit the farmer's market and the museums free art day. Pretty awesome weekend. Especially when shared with friends. I love the jokes that fly when people have such long shared history. Chris and Eric are two of the funniest people I know. I love laughing all weekend.

So E and I are into boats. We went on the Blue Nose on our honeymoon in Nova Scotia. Our friends enjoyed them too, though I don't have any pictures of them.

A real snake.

Love the concentration.

Dean Jr's Train

2010-07-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

I love how big kids still like trains- if, and only if, they don't have faces on them. Dean set aside all the Thomas. Another reason to love Brio. Oh, how I love Brio trains.

Water

2010-07-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

We had our friends Lucy and Bea over for some water play. Gedion is getting better at play dates. It is still just so dang hard for him to share. He gets defensive, screams, and hits. It can get real tiring, but I feel that we have reached the worst of it and are turning a corner.

Holding baby Bea.

Beautiful girl with a beautiful mind. She was putting toy muffins in the typewriter. I love the world of pretend.

The Robins

2010-07-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Baby robins look like little pinecones to me.

I didn't get to see their first flight, just their first ledge sit. But E saw them fly off and chased one from the direction of the street into the back yard. I miss the Robins. I hope they reuse this nest in our grape vine.

Chickens

2010-07-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

The chickens like their nesting boxes E built them out of the old shelf I got at a garage sale for change. It is nice having the chickens around. Gedion loves them and it feels E's need to tend to things. A good quality to have in a husband. He likes choring animals.

Hiking Shoes

2010-07-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Gedion needed new shoes. He outgrew nearly all his shoes. His toes were hanging over his sandals. He got new sandals at Farm and Fleet that was a huge ordeal because he wouldn't take them off and was screaming so loud in the store that a random old man yelled at him.

We decided to go to Stride Rite because we heard that they fit kids in shoes and guarantee they won't grow out of them for 6 months. I told Gedion he needed hiking shoes for Colorado. He has been so into Colorado this summer. Looking forward to our trip all the time. He was very excited about the shoes then and was so good at the store. Luckily we hit a sale. Phew.

I think he always looks so big in new shoes. Something about brand new clean shoes makes boys looks big. Like they are posing for their first day of school shot or something.

It is Good to Be Home

2010-07-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

He loved how E wrote his name in duplos.

Mehaber

2010-07-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

We drove to the Twin Cities for the Mehaber. Gedion loved it. There was food and dancing. It inspired E and I to keep learning some Amharic.

It was good, and busy. Too busy for pictures.

Baby Robins

2010-07-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Mehaber Prep

2010-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

So proud.

I sewed Gedion a new Mehaber outfit before I realized I had one that fit him.

It is a little big. Maybe it will fit next year.

Tomatoes

2010-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

The tomatoes in the front garden are doing well. Only one of our wildflowers came up. This gorgeous poppy.

More Typing: Overkill Alert

2010-07-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

As a wannabe writer, I just LOVE that he loves this typewriter. He gets pretty into it.

Fireworks

2010-07-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

We take the boat out to see the fireworks on West. Gedion had his USA flags ready. (He also knows the Ethiopian and Minnesota flag too, by the way).

Fourth of July This and That

2010-07-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

Feeding the oriole with Aunt C and cousin G.

Walks with Cousins.

Homemade ice cream.

More cousins.

Fourth of July Fishing

2010-07-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Fishing with E.

To the boat.

Retreat

2010-07-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

2nd Annual Cross Cultural Adoption retreat.

Typing

2010-07-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Raspberries

2010-07-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Looking back on our summer, we did fit a lot in. I knew this at the time and tried to cut back. We did not do everything we did last year, and added in some new things. We missed the county fair and we missed picking raspberries at the raspberry patch. It was just too much. I'm really trying not to overbook us.

We did go for a walk at St. Mary's when raspberries were in season and had a great time, and it was free.

Trike Rider

2010-06-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

We drove to the lake that we usually walk to with Gedion's trike.

He is not ready. We went too far and he refused to trike back and I had to carry him and the trike and I wasn't too happy about it.

But he did a good job of staying on his side of the path, which is important because it is pretty busy.

Ewe the Fleece

2010-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

So I got a spinning wheel for our 5 year anniversary from E. Thanks, E. And I needed a fleece. I found one up in Boyd, Wisconsin and we went to pick it up.

She had a nice spinner's flock. My fleece is from a ewe named Clover.

She used to do beef, but not anymore.

Gedion knows all about holding chickens with both hands (instead of breaking their wings).

Free Ranging

2010-06-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch them in the coop.

Roof is Creeping Along

2010-06-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Couch Time

2010-06-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

Gedion loves getting his cuddles in.

Cherry Pitting.

2010-06-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Can't. Stop. Pitting. Cherries. Even. Though. I. Am. Exhausted. And. I. Keep. Missing. The. Pits.

We've made some cobbler. Canned some preserves with V. And have more in the freezer.

Pizza Farm

2010-06-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Bittersweet. We will miss these guys when they move. But are so happy for them.

Cherry Picking

2010-06-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do. Thanks to Abby's Mom for letting me know her Dad's tree was ripe.

Family Farm Night

2010-06-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Gedion and I invited our friends A and J to Family Fun Farm Night. Right away we saw this little train and I asked Gedion if he wanted to ride in it. He did. There was no line so I put him right in. I thought they would just do circles around all of us standing parents, and at first they did. But then they engineer took off around the outer perimeter of the farm. I was like a lunatic, chasing after Gedion who was doing perfectly fine. At one point I lost site of him for 30 seconds and they were a hard 30 seconds but then he came around the corner smiling and waving. What a sweet brave boy!

We visited the cows.

And the horses.

Drove farm machines.

And a cement truck.

He really loved that cement truck and refused to get out.

E missed out on all this as he was working hard roofing the house. Next year.

Creamery Day Trip

2010-06-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

My good friend T and I took the kids to the Creamery after running around at the park. Gedion ate a whole piece of pizza and got some blue moon ice cream like his friend A.

The Roof Goes On

2010-06-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

A robin's nest.

Non visual Update

2010-06-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Written July 6th, back-dated to work with back logged posting.

I haven't been writing updates because there is only so much time I can put into this blog and because our lives are moving pretty fast. I can't keep track of it all. The pictures do help, but I don't take pictures of everything. So perhaps it is time for a little written snapshot of how things are right now on July 6th.

Since it is summer our days are so long. Gedion gets up around 6:30 or 7:00. He naps from 1:00 to 3:45 and goes to bed around 8:45.

He eats breakfast of toast with E and then E hits the roof. So he is with me quite a bit right now. He gets a 9:30 snack, and a snack after nap and maybe a snack before bed if he his hungry.

Gedion is back into liking to help me do the dishes, though he took a couple month break. Just like with everything, he knows the routine, and tells me all about the steps. "Mommy fill the suds with hot water," etc. etc. "Rinse off the suds." It is like having someone call a play by play of your day at every moment. His play by play includes a lot of crashes. In his world, things crash a lot. During dishes he likes to do a lot of pouring still.

He likes his cars and trucks and trains still.

He is peeing standing up without getting treats, and he has told me a couple of times that he needs to go, but usually I remind him and get him there. I throw in a piece of toilet paper, and then he does, and he pees on those. Very exciting. And then he flushes and tells me how the water goes "Down to the sewer!!!!"

When he eats he says, "it goes down your throat, down into your belly, into the chair, and onto the floor." I think E taught him that. I didn't.

He still thinks he can hide with just a pillow over his head.

He is experimenting with running off in the library again, saying he wants to play hide and seek. It's not good. Luckily, he likes the cart at stores.

He likes to read books.

He cooperates while getting dressed, putting a leg in, arm in, etc, but is not real interested in clothes. Occasionally he screams that he wants a certain shirt. He has refused to wear overalls for a long time, and I sewed him some pants that he thinks are the worst thing ever, and I sewed him some pajama shorts that he loves.

He likes to cuddle in our bed under a specific red blanket. He likes to look behind the headboard and try to find a pretend bumble bee and he thinks that on the other side of the bed there is a toad. He likes to jump on our bed and sing "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around" and do all the actions, while incorporating jumping as much as possible.

He thinks naughty behavior is funny and tells Curious George stories all the time, and so he is getting a break from Curious George because E and I are done with naughty behavior and we don't think it is funny.

He gets timeouts for hitting at least once a day. He gets mad if we can't find the specific matchbox car that he wants. It takes a lot of energy to convince him that it is better to be nice than naughty- but I think this is fairly typical for kids his age. He likes to tell us that naughty behavior is good with a cheeky smile, which we are really really trying to work on and should get under control soon. Usually he is a very good boy. He has a few close friends he he doesn't like to share with, but this is getting better. Just today we were with a good friend of his and he was treating her like you treat siblings in a car, he touched her with his foot ever so gently and annoying as if to just get a reaction. He is kinda into reactions lately, and we are trying to get it under control. He really loves to be funny and he loves jokes and we are trying to teach him some appropriate jokes and silly behavior, and we still rough house with him and tickle him every day. He LOVES all this.

He likes to type on my old typewriter and can figure out how to move it back and forth.

He likes his chickens, and when they aren't loose in the grass he likes to break sticks and stick them through the wire for them.

He loves playing with the hose and watering the plants, and for ten minutes stays dry, but by the end sprays himself in the face with glee. He also likes to dump water on himself in the bathtub to get the suds off and squeal with joy.

He is really into all of his friends and likes to talk about them and has fun seeing them at the park. He likes to carry wood chips around at the park and put them down the slides. He likes his neighbor Arehna.

He goes down for nap and night night real easy after his book, prayer, and milk routine.

He likes to take walks in his stroller, but has developed a preference for going over the bridge first. He has developed quite a few preferences.

He likes to pedal his trike around the block, and likes wearing his helmet. He has something he likes to talk about every step of the walk and it takes quite awhile.

He is so very good in church and hardly says a word and looks through books sometimes, but mostly, just sits quietly and observes.

He knows several types of birds and likes to fill his bird feeder. One of his new silly jokes is to call a Robin a "Bobbin." It was annoying at first, and I'm sure that's why he liked it, but then I realized he needs to annoy us or have us pretend to be annoyed and that this could be a good outlet for him. It is better than the play bites we are getting and the hits and some other really really annoying behavior.

He has a lot of energy he has to get out every day. He needs his bucket filled with some rough housing and silliness. He likes to "hop on pop," do his balancing routine with E, and body slam us, and wrestle on the floor, and jump.

He knows many cars and trucks, especially P T cruisers, like his friend Samuel has.

He likes to run errands.

He still responds well to us telling his stuffed animals, what a good boy he is and he likes us to tell stuffed animals when he's been real good.

He is really into buckling himself. He likes to brush his teeth, he is starting to like to wash his hands more.

He likes to run fast. He likes hugs, especially hugs that run right at you and tackle you or result in tickling or being swung down to the ground.

He has so much fun doing whatever he is doing and if you try to bring it up later, he throws himself back and says in a terrible whine, "Want to do it again."

He likes fiddles probably because I want him to like the fiddle- I like how it is also a violin. How versatile.

He likes golf and has a hole in his backyard that he hits a ball into with a bat. "It's in the hole." He likes to throw his arm back and lift up his leg when he is excited- like when a ball goes in the hole. He likes to shout and sadly, occasionally, scream.

He doesn't like bugs. Bug bites swell on him pretty moderately, and he hates being itchy.

He likes to say, "Oh, my gosh" because I say oh my gosh too much.

He can pretty much say anything, except his pronouns. Probably because I can't shake that terribly fun habit of referring to myself in the third person around him. The pronoun thing really bothers E.

He likes to be in the bike trailer while E pulls him and I rollerblade around both lakes.

He knows about Ethiopia and likes to talk about his story.

He is getting bored with his letters, but he still knows them. He still sees things in his environment that he thinks look like letters and he likes to talk about that. He likes to spell out some words for us, but we think his brain isn't ready for reading and letters won't be as exciting again until he is ready for reading. Letters used to be his FAVORITE thing along with balls and trains.

He stopped throwing overhand and has been throwing mostly underhand for a long long time but now he is throwing them overhand again. Thank goodness. His Uncle B told him, "Always overhand. Always overhand."

He doesn't like to color or draw very much at all right now.

He is into street numbers, and street signs, and still into water towers.

He likes to throw sticks up in to the air.

So there you go, that is a good snap shot.

He really is the most loving, wonderful boy. He loves being with us and we love being with him. He still follows us around all day just wanting to be near us and wanting to do what we are doing or just do his own thing near us. We love him so much and I'm really glad I get to stay home with him and I am pretty sure I am going to stay home with him next year and he won't go to preschool right yet. That said he is a toddler, and the days are really full, exhausting, and try my patience.

He is napping now. Things are always good when he is napping. :)

And I barely have time to do anything I want to do except see friends, because I can see quite a few of my friends with him. So I am very thankful for that. If I have a playdate scheduled my day goes sooo well.

Solstice

2010-06-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

Baking cookies, and then eating cookies.

Obstacle Course

2010-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Reunion

2010-06-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Creek.

Cousins.

Naps.

Picking Cherries.

Kiddie Parade & Root beer float

2010-06-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ethiopian Adoption Connections

2010-06-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

I've been really grateful for my friends through adoption. Even though we don't get together much, it feels really good to know they are there. Adoption is such a unique experience that it is good to connect with others who know the joys and sorrows. Mostly, there are joys lately. We've been blessed.

Picking up candy from the "parade." M's kids went to a parade in the morning and her oldest gave Gedion and K a parade with some of her candy.

Beach

2010-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

And then my battery died.

Just as well. More time to relax and enjoy the beach, and our picnic lunch.

To the Lake

2010-06-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Gedion likes to sit in the old highchair at Grandma's. They had a nice breakfast together.

With the rain he mostly played with marbles at the cottage.

The old people.

I had a real relaxing trip. I finished a book. Rainy days are good for relaxing.

Bluegrass Jam

2010-06-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

He was so happy to sit next to Grandpa. He took it so seriously and was so enthralled. Then he was ready to get up and then awhile later he was getting a little wild. But he did real good and the music sounded great.

My Birthday

2010-06-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I had a great day. I got to meet my nephew Tucker.

I got a spinning wheel and a lesson, which is my 5 year wedding anniversary present early from E. (So many gifts, it is a little overwhelming).

Spending time with my favorite people.

Something scared him. I can't remember what. I love those big expressive eyes.

Picking peas.

Taking home a loom and a spinning wheel.

June 9th

2010-06-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

They were pouring a new driveway a couple houses down and Gedion loved it. Grandma came and visited, which was fun. E was working on the roof mostly, and she helped me watch Gedion and helped E when she could. Thanks.

Then on our way to my parents we went to the ECFE picnic and made Ethiopian, which I only document because we want to cook more Ethiopian and were really excited to share it with our friends. We picked up some injera the day before on the field trip. People liked it! I will have to try some other dishes at future gatherings.

Field Trip

2010-06-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Artisan Bread for Corups Christi

2010-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Homemade bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (my mother's day present book).

The Roof

2010-06-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

It begins June 4th.

Looking for that Great Portrait

2010-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Love that face.

New Lens

2010-06-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I got a new lens. (Thank you, everyone!) It has a lower depth of field so if I can get it focused right, it takes some real great pictures.

I wanted it to capture great portraits. Only thing is its pretty tricky to capture a moving toddler with it.

It doesn't zoom. So I have to zoom by moving my body in and out.

So pictures should be pretty interesting for June. There is learning curve, and I don't quite have the knack. Plus, I should probably swap out to my old lens for some situations, but I haven't gotten into that yet. So I solely used my new lens for all of June.

Memorial Day Weekend at Christy Point

2010-05-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

We saw Gedion's picture for the first time, two years ago on Memorial Day weekend at Christy Point. We are so blessed.

Christy Point Geese

2010-05-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

On my Dad's Birthday

Chicken Chasing King

2010-05-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Farmer's Market

2010-05-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Pizza Farm

2010-05-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Gedion and his friend S love running around the farm. They get along together so well.

Moving the Chickens Outside

2010-05-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Chickens are Here, The Chickens are Here

2010-05-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

We got the call that our chicks were at the USPS distribution center and we weren't quite ready. A quick trip to the store before the post office.

There they be.

We put them in their home.

Down Low & Free Market

2010-05-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Good Hike

2010-05-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Gedion behind our friends who knew about the spot.

The killdeer on her eggs.

Gedion got a bit tired.

But rallied.

The boys.

Being in nature replenishes my soul in a way I shouldn't forget. It is good to get out amongst the birds and grasses. The light seems heavier and richer, more nourishing.

It probably feels good because I can live in my head too much:

The thing that I think is most important at this moment is an awareness of the totality of the person. One of the greatest stumbling blocks that people have today is understanding that one cannot experience life from the neck up... If I could I would wave a magic wand and have them be automatically convinced that brain existence is only a small part of their lives. They are missing out on a whole fantastic world.
-- Jean Berry

Rainy Day in the New Patio

2010-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

The gate and fence allowed us to turn half of our driveway into a patio. We are really enjoying it.

Grandma and Grandpa's House

2010-05-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Gedion and I took a solo trip to A town for my brother and his wife-to-be's Baby Shower. It was a great time. Dad let us take one of these awesome logs home.

We went hunting for morels. We only found five, but Dad had found lots before so we had plenty to eat. Gedion gobbled them up.

Gedion was a pretty good hiker. He found some teeter totters to distract himself with.

He is really into canoes. He likes to see all the canoes peeking out from around all the neighbors houses. He loved sitting in Grandpa's.

We helped throw sticks into the ditch, and then Gedion started sprinting in Grandpas field over and over and over.

The next day we went to Gray's Lake with my brother.

And that is all I took pictures of I guess. I know we did lots more that weekend. Partly it was nice to just relax and enjoy my parents beautiful place.

Outside

2010-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00