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Art has really been getting into pretending his stuffed animals can talk, think, eat, poop, pee, dance, or, as seen here, eat a cinnamon roll for breakfast. This crocodile was a birthday present which Arthur named "Crocco." Cleaning up after making icing. Jessica made a beautiful chocolate cake.

About that last post. Jess and I are feeling alot better. In part because Arthur has been back to his normal loving self all day, but also because that was a feeling we felt and aren't as much now. My mother and Jessica's Aunt Nance, after reading the post, also gave us some wonderful motherly advice and support. I hope Nance doesn't mind me sharing some hers it here: ---------- "Part of the joy (and sometimes sorrow) of being a parent is watching your kids turn into different people as they grow up and develop and learn about the world they want to be in. What's fascinating is not knowing who that person is going to be eventually...  I can say, though, that generally kids turn out better than you could ever imagine, especially if they know they are loved and will always be safe with you. " "After Art has one of his crazy moments and knows he's made you mad and then feels really bad about it, talk to him about how he's feeling and let him know th...

It's hard to describe, but being around Art lately has been really sad for both of us. Watching him grow up from a baby to a walking thinking toddler has been a joy. He could get absorbed with an object, and idea, or us. But in the past couple weeks it seems as though he's become more self aware, and experiments with his boundaries with less reservation. He'll hit Lewis, make noises he knows are too loud, or talk in nonsense words and dance around when we ask him to get dressed or brush his teeth. Giving him a time-out or getting mad with him confuses him, even scares him. It's almost like something takes him over and he doesn't know what he's doing. And by the time he realizes it it's too late, Lewis has been hit or his chance to go to the zoo is past. And he cries really hard and in a way that's especially heartbreaking. Jess and I just had a good little cry about it. Right now it seems like something wonderful about Art has been lost forever. In time ...

Jessica made these tonight. Oh so tasty. Although Art at a hot dog instead. But more for us! Recipe is from Real Simple magazine. zucchini stuffed with quinoa, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, almonds, olive oil, and garlic.

He wants to crawl. We want him to crawl. But he still just wiggles and smiles and stays in place.

Jessica took these funny photos.

This summer I played in an orchestra for the Durufle Requiem. During the dress rehearsal I thought to myself, "This is fun, but what I really want to do is sing in that choir..." They were having auditions and I got in! I'm waiting for someone to realize I don't really know what I'm doing, but so far so good! Art came to the concert for the last two pieces, but when we got to a loud part he started crying and Mike took him out to find Ben and Lewis in the lobby. The first thing he said to me when he and Ben found me after the concert was, "Mama! Mama! The music was really loud and I didn't like that!" He asked me why the music was so loud. He also did some sweeping motions with his arms and asked me, "What was the man doing with his hands?" I was lucky to have a great, supporting audience for my first venture into choir. My mom, Lewis and Art's aunts Emily and Ashley, their uncles Mike and Josh, grandma Bubbe, my stepmom Joann...

Art and I (and a sleeping Lewis) drove down to the huge train yard in St. Paul and saw lots of trains (en route to Jessica's concert). We actually saw two trains moving, which was real fun for Arthur.

Lewis has two new teeth on the top.

Those pictures from yesterday are a tough act to follow! But the show must go on... I had another mothering milestone the night before last. I gave a coughing son grape flavored medicine from a spoon. Just another one of those moments that feel like a true parental rite of passage. I remember tearing up the first time I shook my keys for Art when he was a little baby, or having him playing with a toy at his high chair while I cooked dinner. Well, the boys have croup and the other night I was hopping from one coughing child to the next in the middle of the night, taking temperatures and giving medicine. I got out a spoon from the silverware drawer and watched Art take a little medicine and had to urge him to finish it. That was a big time mom moment for me.

Arthur has begun to enjoy looking at the screen on our camera to instantly see what his silly face looked like. Today were were playing in the basement and he asked me to photograph a block, a ball, and a duck. "Take a picture of that duck, Papa." The he wanted to take pictures, too, including one of his Papa.

Lew post-snow.

After Art finishes his ice cream he makes a wonderful five minute clinking noise as his spoon scrapes his empty glass. He works with incredible focus until every last bit of sweetness has made it out of the glass and onto his tongue.

Art, Lewis and I took the Light Rail Train to the library for story hour today.  Art didn't want to hear the woman "sing the songs" and said he didn't want to go to story hour.  I insisted figuring he would probably have a good time after he got there like he always does.  So we walked from the train to the library, about two blocks, and Art said he was getting cold so I said, "Let's run!"  and we slollumed past some flagpoles.  Then he fell.  Ok.  He recovered once I asked him to push the handicap door-opener button. We sat in the story hour for about five minutes and he looked at me and said, "I want my snack."  I told him we could go back out to the lobby and eat it, we can't eat in the library.  "You can't eat in the library?"  I again said that we couldn't.  Then he stood up while the woman was still reading the story and said loudly, "Can we eat a snack in the library?"  She didn't respond, but I was ...

Jessica just e-mailed this recipe to some family, but it's too tasty not to be shared with the wider world. It's THAT good, really. 3 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp ground pepper pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, or more to taste 1 qt chicken or vegetable broth 2 cups water 1 cup red lentils 1 large carrot, diced juice of 1/2 lemon or more to taste 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro in a large pot heat olive oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne and saute for 2 more minutes. Add broth, water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer then partially cover and turn heat to med-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. taste and salt as needed. Using an immersion or regular blender puree half the soup leaving the rest as is. Stir...

Two poems by Jack Prelutsky that were read at least six times each before nap today: --- One old owl upon a tree high atop a hill, watched the forest silently while the night was still. One old owl looked around, while the moon was bright, flapped its wings without a sound and flew into the night. ---- Baby in a high chair, baby in a bib, baby in a stroller, baby in a crib. Baby with the giggles, baby with a smile, such a lovely baby, happy all the while.

Ok, 6 month check up today.  Well, six months plus one month - I was a few weeks late... 28 1/2 tall!  Taller than 89% of other babies his age! 21 lbs 15oz  Heavier than 92% of other babies his age! And then there's the head measurement - 18 1/4 cm, which I never really care about, but that bigger than 94% other babies.  Basically, he's big but nicely proportioned. 

Lately Art goes to sleep with a book leaned up against the wall, open to a page of his choosing.  Usually it's a Richard Scary book.  He just stares at it while he goes to sleep and I've seen him sit up and look at it as soon as he wakes up from a nap.  Tonight he wanted it open to the "corn page", where the pig family visits a farm.  He had said while we settled in to read books tonight, "I like the grain harvester," and when I turned off his light he rolled over to look at the corn page and said, "No!  I can't see the wheels so I need the light ON!"  I pointed the light down so it wasn't too bright but bright enough to make out where the wheels were.  I love that.  I love that sometimes I've come in after a nap and he'll say, "I want to ride in that one!" pointing to a truck on the page, or that he'll be staring at the "park page" and want to go on "that jungle gym".  He really is visiting a diffe...

So Art said he wanted to eat popcorn tonight, but it was after the last call for snacks before dinner and I wasn't planning on having dinner for us until 6pm.  But he kept going on and on;  He needed popcorn because he loves popcorn, it's his favorite, he needs more wait...  What?  Wait?  You need more wait ?  He repeated it again, slowly.  He needed white.  What?  White ?  OH!  This smart little devil was lobbying for popcorn because he hadn't eaten any white yet today and we talk about eating lots of different colors.  Smart, huh?

"I helped make dinner for you, Papa!" said Art when I came home.

It gives me no pleasure to announce the passing of our faithful spatula. For more than two years it's been slobbered on, chewed on with no teeth and many teeth, and never once did it object. But tragically, just yesterday it snapped when I unwisely used it to stir chocolate chip cookie batter. In honor of it's heroic death, I've posed a few photos from it's life snapped short. DOB: unkown. Death: Nov 8th, 2008. Cause of death: Very tasty chocolate chip cookies. RIP. Many Arthur's. Lewis and the late spatula. Arthur and Spatty.

I just went in to kiss my children after hearing Barack Obama give his victory speech.  There were tears in my eyes.  Obama asked what changes will his children see if they have the good fortune to live 106 years.  What changes can we, Americans, make in Art and Lew's lifetime?  Just think of it now.  I'm so proud that they get to grow up in this time.  I'm so proud of my country right now.  It feels really good.  I can't wait until tomorrow to hear what's next.

Art wanted to wear his frog costume tonight.  We putzed around the house in it, I threw him on the bed a few times in it and finally brushed his teeth while he wore it.  He said he wanted to wear it to bed.  Fine with me!  So he went to bed in it.  Then he called me back upstairs.  He wanted me to pull the flipper pockets over his hands.  "Ok," I said. "But how will you do your gackoos?" (He likes to switch them back and forth.)  "I just do it this way,"  he said, just managing to get one in his hand.  Then he paused and said, "Maybe we should take the flippers off."

This morning Art and I rode my bike over to our polling place. On the way up the stairs I tried my best to explain what voting was and who we could vote for. "You can choose John McCain or Barack Oba-mama." A few minutes later as we were walking down the hallway in the school he said, "I want to vote for John Cain." I cringed and glanced around to see if others had heard this. "Ok," I said, "It's your decision." While we were waiting in a pretty long line he changed his mind and said, "I want to vote for Barack Oba-mama. "Ok, that sounds great," I said, trying my best to make it sound like his final decision. It was.

Art and Ben went to vote this morning.

He drew this this morning on the etch-a-sketch at a little cafe we like to frequent. "They're stairs," he said.

So, it's 5:43am and I've been up for almost an hour with Lewis. It's Fall Back day but no one told my kids that they could sleep in an extra hour. Ope! Gotta change a poop...

After trick-or-treating Art got to choose one thing from his loot to eat. He picked a tiny box of Dots , probably because he liked that the box made a sound when he shook it. So he worked hard chewing each dot diligently. After bedtime he wanted a song. I barely got through the first verse when he said with a big smile, "The Dots were pretty good."