Archive for the ‘family life’ Category
Vox hunt: SMS show and tell
Show us your last text message.
Sent from her dad’s cell phone…
Hi mom it’s Mira how are you doing today we are in ohio we just ate. We were in a big storme last night it was scary because we heard hospital cars.
My girls are visiting their Grandma in Ohio for the next few weeks. They had pretty hellish travel yesterday! Their dad works for an airline so he can fly them on standby for a very small fee. Thing is, what with airlines cutting flights and it being summer travel season, getting standby for a 3-4 person party is TOUGH. They missed out on two direct flights before they finally got on board a flight with a Chicago connection. Then it stormed en route to Columbus from Chicago. The girls were pretty frightened, they said – they were in the thunder and lightening as they made their descent. Ack! I don’t think that’s even happened to ME and I’ve flown lots.
The storm continued well after they landed all during their one hour drive to Grandma’s house (apparently a tornado also touched down in the Columbus area). They left their dad’s house in Phoenix around 9 am PST yesterday and arrived at their grandma’s at 2 am EST.
Ughhhh.
Anyway, all is well, but it made quite an impression on them…
How to eat a cracker
Spraying crumbs is required protocol…
Mr. Adventure
Can you believe this boy? Here is Jake’s latest trick, just starting today. I about had a heart attack the first time he attempted it, because he’s been faking me out with pretend nosedives off the side. He sure is an adventuresome little sprig. If he could figure out how to get atop the highest point of the couch, no doubt he’d be dropping over the side from THAT height. I think he needs a rappelling set for his birthday…
Bicycle: Baby on board!
Disclaimer: I don’t think Jake is ready for anything more than a little pedal around the ‘hood (especially since he hates the helmet we recently got him), but we went around the block today and he LOOOOOOOVED it!
I can’t wait until he’s ready for more!!
(And, yes, I wear a helmet and real shoes on a bike ride! We just took a spin around the block and my 12 year old B already lectured me on breaking that iron-clad helmet rule. 
Peek-a-boo and a tandem bike
These are particularly low quality pix, but so cute I had to share. Jake LOVES peekaboo and it’s so cute how he hides!
Where’s Jake…?
THERE he is!!!!
Scott and I are going to give THIS a try:
It’s a dog – got it for dirt cheap on Craig’s List (funnily enough the seller lives 5 min down the road from us!). If we really enjoy tandeming, we’ll get a better bike later. But this bike was cheaper than renting one, so a good way to try it out.
We spent a good part of the weekend talking to our neighborhood bike shop people (the owners tandem) and researching. I think Scott and I will be a good team.
Funny thing the bike shop owner told us they say about tandeming, though: “Whatever direction your relationship is headed, tandeming will get you there twice as fast.”
Baby milestone: Maybe walking is fun?
Since he was mobile at 4 months and crawling by the time he was five months old, we thought for sure Jake would be walking by 9 months. But, nope – until very recently he hasn’t been all that interested. He’s quite a fast and efficient crawler. He’ll cruise around furniture, of course, but as soon as he needs to move away from the furniture, he drops to his knees and scrambles off.
But Jake hit a new milestone last night… just as recently as the weekend he would resist when I’d try to “walk” with him by holding his hands. He’d always want on his knees so he could crawl at high speed.
Something clicked last night though and he couldn’t get enough of walking around this way – he thought it was SO FUN and kept approaching me and grabbing my hands for more! more! In the past week he’s also started being more daring with his cruising – sometimes he’ll let go and stand unsupported for a few seconds. And we’ve all seen him take an unassisted step or two while cruising – tho it’s definitely a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and we wonder if we can even believe our eyes.
Piano lessons
Mira is making progress.
Cute snaps of Jake and daddy
Jake with his new “iPhone” – I had gotten a protective sleeve for my phone – I keep dropping it augh and this cardboard representation of the interface was part of the packaging. He carried that around with him for days. Cardboard/paper is his favorite toy.
I just LOVE these next shots – got them just last night after dinner… my boys in the kitchen. 
The milestones keep coming!
Here’s Jake’s latest skill – one that really saves me from multiple daily heart attacks when he dares to lunge head first off beds and couches…
He has LOTS of opportunity for practice because my office is a half step higher than the master bedroom and he’s been constantly going up and down that step since he got mobile at 5 months old. It’s a very small, deeply carpeted step, but I guess he got tired of the endless face plants.
Hangin’ out…
Oh! Daddy showed me something interesting on the floor. I want it!
Mama thinks she needs to spot me…
But she’s crazy, because I have it under control!
Mission accomplished!
Push toy fun
Daddy fixing up the walker…
So it will work as a push toy on the carpeting!
Mom to 4 kids and 2 stepkids, I am a writer writing in the heart of chaos. I am the co-founder and former editor of 
