test garvin wordpress

Today Art, Lewis and I took a walk around the block and Art told me the most beautiful story.  Man!  Did I wish I had a tape recorder, or a piece of paper or a phone or anything that I could use to record what he said.  He saw a robin and talked about how the robin was getting food to take into the tree and give to Mama.  I wish I could remember it better, but he said something else about flying in the sky and going in the tree.  Then he said, "When Mama was a little bird she could fly in the sky....  I want to fly... in the sky."  Oh, it was so lovely. 

This is Lewis at 6.5 weeks. He's been smiling for more than a week, but this is our first documentation of it.

Art and his neighbor friends Alma and Maura spent an hour in some sand, gravel, and dirt left over from making a patio in Alma's yard. They were so earnest in their work that it really did look like they were little construction workers.

This is an undated old photo of my brother (left) and I being held by our grandma, Nana Giles (my father's mom) in front of our home in Arkansas. She's a wonderful sparky woman who, when she learned that I was dating Jessica years ago, said over the speakerphone with Jess in the room, "So are you still dating that broad?"

Jessica took the kids to the children's museum. Apparenly Art played with this thing for 15-minutes straight.

Before bed tonight Art and Ben were playing in the living room with a big comforter, pretending Art was a bird in a nest.  To get Art to agree to go to bed I told him we could make a nest out of his covers and he could sleep in the nest.  He agreed.  We brushed teeth, read books and I tucked him into his nest real tight. Now it's about 10pm.  Ben just went in to check on Art and rearrange him in his bed and we got a hearty laugh because while he was in there Art opened his eyes for just a moment and, before closing them again, commanded, "I want to sleep in a nest!"

Today Art and I went to the Woodlake Nature Center to a. have fun and b. give Jessica some time at home with Lew. I realized when walking in the woods with Art that I haven't really done that with him before. We live in the city and do city-ish things. Seeing him be entirely entertained by climbing trees, pretending to be a bird, staring for 5-minutes at a turtle on a log, and using a walking stick was really wonderful. He loves the woods! Where's Art?

I was noticing the other day that Lewis' hands are in proportion to his general size! I can't say the same for Art. His hands, and arms for that matter, have always seemed a size or two bigger than the rest of him. Check it out close up . And here are a couple bath pics. Can you tell who's who by looking at the faces? Alright, Art's hand (oversized hand!) in the second pic is kind of a giveaway. Too bad these babies won't face the camera when bathing. I'll try again another time...

This morning I went in to check on art around 7am. I peeked in the door and saw an empty bed. Then I spotted some little skinny legs poking out from behind the curtains. He was standing in front of his window watching and listening to birds on a bright pink tree outside his window. He was talking quietly to himself. I went to get dressed and came back in 10 minutes to find him back in bed, sleeping some more. It was wonderful to eavesdrop on his little life.

Jessica saw a woodpecker the other day and remembered this wonderful little poem: --------------- Woodpecker Woodpecker is rubber-necked But has a nose of steel. He bangs his head against the wall And cannot even feel. When Woodpecker's jack-hammer head Starts up its dreadful din Knocking the dead bough double dead How do his eyes stay in? Pity the poor dead oak that cries In terrors and in pains. But pity more Woodpecker's eyes And bouncing rubber brains. - Ted Hughes

The other day Ar, Lewis and I went to the Woodlake Nature Center with our friends Becca and her daughter, Alma. Lewis slept in the sling the whole time. Art and Alma had the most fun climbing around an outdoor seating area, but they also enjoyed expoloring. We saw a goose family and some ducks in their natural habitats and also a snake and turtles in the indoor learning area. We'll go again, for sure. It's only 10 minutes away and free!

This was a little post-dinner ball chasing in the backyard tonight.

Two days ago Arthur and I were throwing rags up and down the stairs and making loud yelping noises when I noticed he got pretty excited and needed to pee. I quickly picked him up and whisked him towards the bathroom when he started having a fit. "Wanna do it by yourself!" he cried. No problem, so I put him down near the bathroom but he was still going crazy, falling limply to the floor and yelling. Jessica came over to tell me that I should take him back to where I first picked him up. So I carried him back to the stairs, set him down, and happily trotted off to the potty. Jess and I had a good laugh.