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(Jessica wrote this post last night. I just took some time gathering photos, new and old, to go along with it.  -ben) "It was a sad day for me, celebrating Art's birthday without my mom. I realized just how sad I was last night as I was planning to put together The Chocolate Cake. Bubbe's Chocolate Cake. Mom loved doing it all up for birthdays - beautifully wrapped gifts that had most likely been collected over the course of several months, dinner of the Birthday Kid's choice, cake of choice... She loved making all that happen and I loved watching her do that for our kids. She really knew how to make someone feel special on their birthday and Lewis even said after Bubbe died, 'Who will make mine birthday cake?'" Ben: This is the last cake Bubbe made just after returning from the hospital, overmedicated on three opiates. We still can't believe she made it, you couldn't even carry on a conversation with her (later she got off the meds she, too, c...

Today was Arthur's sixth birthday. We have a nice little  post prepared about it but are too lazy to finish it tonight. Soooo, in the meantime, we'll share a wonderful photo that captured the real joy Arthur (and Lewis) experienced when he opened his present to find the book  Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates . He had the earlier one , loved it and didn't even know this one existed.

As folks who follow this blog know my grandmother died last week. She was 89. I spent a few days in Wabash, her hometown and where my mother grew up. It was hard seeing my mother be sad but also good celebrating her long life. Anyway, I wanted to post a few photos from our Thanksgiving in Indiana. My mother Nan, center, with her older brother Ken and younger sister Jenny. My cousin Hannah made some loverly pies.  Cousins James and Hannah fought hard in doubles.  There was a moment, captured here by my mum, we all laughed so hard we cried.

Before she left recently I spent some time trying to get a decent photo with her crappy cell phone so she could be cheered by some smiling babies when she makes a call.

This is the amazing medical bill for the c-section my grandmother had when she gave birth to my mama. A whopping total of $166 for eight days in the hospital ($4.50/day). And of course $20 for the surgery. and $2/day for the nursery. Incredible. Notice the courteous note on the bottom: "Should this statement be in error, kindly so advise, that we may rectify it." Imagine Blue Cross saying that on the bottom of a bill.

from an email I just got from Jessica: "Lewis has been practicing his 'triple whip'. I don't know who heard this triple whip phrase, Art or Lewis, but the both of them have been using it all afternoon to describe any maneuver that includes spinning. For Lewis it means he jumps and spins while he's in the air, a tricky thing for a three year old. He even told me that "sometimes you fall down" and that it takes practice. At one point he was triple whipping in his room while I was in the bathroom and he fell. He came to tell me, in a slightly whiny voice, "Momma, I was doing a triple whip and... I didn't hit mine head on the ceiling but... I fell on mine foot like this..." It was awful nice of him to clarify things just in case I was worried about the head on the ceiling, eh?"

This little story is written word for word. "Once upon a time there was a bear and he walked across a field and he saw something orange with sharp teeth and he saw it was a fox. And then he didn't see something. The End. "

We've been looking through some old photos here in Indiana and found this one I just love of Mama and my big brother josh.

Yesterday my grandma Peg Yarnelle died around 2pm. She was 89 years old and lived a long full life. Two years longer than her husband Joe Yarnelle who died at 86. It was clear she was dying a few days ago when I decided to come out and visit. I got a call from my mother a half hour before arriving that Grandma had died. I was disappointed not to be able to see her but I also realized the reason I was coming was to support and be with my mother. She lost her best friend and biggest fan and it's going to hard for her for a long time. My grandmother was a real picture and a good sport, she was always up for anything. And she gave wonderful back tickles. I will miss her. Me with Grandma.

This is an old photo of my hippie parents Tim and Nan with the VW bus. They drove it across country to California, complete with curtains my mom made.

This is an old photo that I'm reposting cause I think it's funny. Jessica and my brother Josh.

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for five days, returning Monday night. Three in Indianapolis to visit my dear grandmother who is dying, the other to Atlanta to shoot the amazing Vikings. I'm especially looking forward to being with my family in Indiana and to be near Grandma. And it's always a fun challenge for me to shoot sports on the road. But I hate to leave Jess alone with the kids for so long. I actually know she'll be fine. More than fine, really. When she's challenged like this she rises up and does CRAZY ASS SHIT. But I will miss her and the kids so much (as sleep in and order room service...).

We ran into our neighbors Hailey and Junior the other day while sledding at Phelps. (Well, not literally. Actually, I do think I ran into a kid at one point. Actually aimed for him and took his feet out, BAM!). At one point we had seven people, me and six good size kids, piled onto a single inner tube. that was so fun. I'm going to be buying one soon, just a big tire tube. It might be that it's just the first snow of the season but all the sudden Arthur is super excited about sledding. He even asked to do it tonight INSTEAD of a tv show. Arthur and Junior head back up the hill.

from November 2007, Art was nearly 2-years-old. Fun for a parent to see and remember stuff like this.

Jessica went on a walk with the girls last week and came back with this nice photo.

It snowed this afternoon. The first snow of the year. In anticipation of its arrival we went on what will likely be our last 'tricycle walk' of the year this morning. Can you tell Lewis is smiling real big?

[update--Jessica thought it looked like he was carrying the squirrel with his hands. He had a couple sticks...] Last weekend the boys and I went to the May Day for breakfast and Powderhorn Park to play, likely our last time before winter. And we met a couple of kids we know from preschool and their babysitter who was real nice (pictured here carrying a tasty-looking dead squirrel). I'm forgetful with names but we all had a fun time playing and feeding ducks. We were even invtied for hot chocolate at his nearby house before riding our bikes home. People in Powderhorn are real friendly. Art rode to the park but wanted a lift back. So I stuffed him into the bike trailer with his bike (see photo), he thought it was pretty funny. Lewis rode what he calls the 'tagawahn', the tag-a-long bike. And that was that.

Lewis wanted to know how to draw paper.  Just one of those random questions that really started out as "Momma..." with no direction until he came up with some obscure thing on the spot.  So then he said, "Momma, what if paper had a head and arms and hands and feet and could draw itself?"  To which Art replied, "Then it would just draw on it's belly!"   I'm sitting this meal out and eating later.  Now they are calling each other stupid over and over. 

Here's a funny video of what we intended to be a photo of our big family crammed into a little doctor's office this morning for flu vaccinations. I love watching Arthur and especially Lewis try to smile. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEUV0DHQpUQ?rel=0&w=640&h=480]

I don't really know what my dad exactly did as a Community Health Director for the Minnesota Dept. of Health.  My sister definitely knows because she is smarter than me about that kind of stuff and because she now works in public health.  A different kind of work, but she's in the field.  Anyway!  My dad was so good at what he did and so good at bringing people and ideas together that "they" named a leadership award after him.  I know there is a national award, too, because I have attended presentations of the Jim Parker Leadership Award in San Francisco and in New York!  Anyway AGAIN!  Here I am with my sister on my right and my step-mom on my left standing with this year's Jim Parker Leadership Award recipient and the Commissioner of public health in Minnesota.  It was the 20th anniversary.  Oh my God.  I probably just messed up all those titles just now, but here we all are just the same.  I am very proud to be my dad's daughter. -Jessica

Remember that night I wrote about a few weeks ago, when I took the kids to IKEA, waited with them in line for dinner and then had no wallet to pay for it?  That was so tragic.  It was TERRIBLE!  Well, I made up for it tonight and totally redeemed myself! Fed everyone an early dinner so we were out the door by 5:05pm and headed for the Big Blue Box that is IKEA.   When we got there I dropped the boys off at the kids' play area and strolled the girls over to return a dish drainer (Hey!  I need that $4.99 back!).  While we waited for our number to be called I played Pull the Babies By Their Pants over and over, each baby trying to crawl away from me and then me pulling them right back along the smooth, shiny floor.  Then we went upstairs, grabbed the cabinet locks we came for and back down to pay. After I paid for our $12 of items (I also grabbed some frozen meatballs!) I went directly to the cafe area and bought three $1 ice cream cones.  Wheeled over to the kids' area where I fo...

I forgot to post these photos from Nora's fundraiser the other night. Lewis and Oscar, Evva's little brother, are turning into friends. It's fun to witness. They actually play together instead of near each other. And, as seen below, they even hold hands and dance together.

They can't walk but they can stand. Netta, at right, has a new expression, too. The squinty super smile!

Jen and Nora. Last Sunday all six of us schlepped down to Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate the short (and eventually long) life of Nora Boss. She's the 2-year-old daughter of our friends Jen and Andy Boss (that's Jen, the Ms. Jen of Willow , our kids' longtime preschool). Nora has Wilms disease, a rare childhood cancer which affects the kidneys (there's a 90% survival rate). She's had multiple surgeries (another was today in fact). Jen posted this on Facebook earlier: "Dr. David Vandersteen is amazing. He got those tumors out. Reconstructed the right kidney and saved 50% of the kidney. Nora was awake for a little bit and is now enjoying her epidural cocktail...sleeping and comfortable. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts." Jen and Andy's neighbor put together the big fundraiser for them at Hells Kitchen (I'm sorry I didn't post about it before it happened). Andy also made a entirely moving plea for help on YouTub...

Jessica and I drove separately to Hell's Kitchen for Nora's fundraiser, allowing me to stay late with Art (and Si). We ran through some skyways, played a little "I'll beat your baby butt!" and went up and down escalators umpteen times. It's always fun to see them together. Hmmm, what to play, what to play. Running through the skyways. In this photo Arthur is telling Si about the woman he saw sitting on top of a bridge in St. Paul. "She was going to jump off, Si! For real!" Earlier in the day Art and I were in St. Paul when I had to make a couple calls and help a photographer cover a suicidal woman on the Robert Street bridge . She came down safely. I had deliver a long lens to the photographer  and Art, with his laser eyes, briefly saw a little figure way atop the bridge.  In the IDS center's Crystal Court.

This morning I lost my cool and I feel bad. I'm sharing here in the hopes that full disclosure might make me feel better and also because I want this blog to be honest. Everything isn't as beautiful and happy as all our lovely photos would suggest!     I was taking Art to school, we were running a little late. I unlocked the car, got in my side, Art his. He was having trouble closing his door with his big poofy gloves. In fact, it didn't look like he was really trying.     "Close the door, Arthur," I quipped.     "I caaaaaan't," he said in a horribly whiny voice as he pawed the door in vain. "I can't do it, Papa!"     Parenting is like addition, things add up. Lewis is going through a hitting phase, his little doughy arm cocks back at the slightest infraction. And then Arthur screams for his life and Lewis delights in his new found power. And Jess and I are left feeling a little helpless as we try to sooth crying and hungry babies. ...

I had the good fortune recently to photograph the wedding of our friends Marti and Jeff and wanted to share some of the photos on the blog. Their obvious love for each other made for especially nice photos. I put in one below of Jessica smiling for a photo with her friend (and Si's mama) Laurel. And that's Ms. Jen, Lewis' preschool teacher an the bottom in blue. Here are a few more photos from their wedding on Facebook.

My mother came to visit last week and planned a 10 day stay. It was cut short after she got a call that the health of my grandma, her mother, had taken a turn for the worse. Not entirely unexpected but certainly a bummer. So she stayed only a few days and drove off to Indiana (you can do that when you're retired, just drive around the country whenever and wherever you like). Mama was testing a new hat she just brought home from Savers. we love it. And the babies can't rip it off the moment you put it on. My mother loves our kids in a way that only a grandma can. She'll do anything for them and us and it's a good feeling. And of course she ALWAYS cries a bit when she leaves. It's inevitable and wonderful and sad. I have a feeling she'll hate this photo but there it is, my mother feeling sad as she gets ready to leave. I don't mean to diminish what she goes through, though. It's a tough thing to come into our lives and feel all that love and chaos and conn...

Here's a very odd song Art was singing about his love for swinging the other day (video from my cell phone). [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnH6Ur_87xw?rel=0&w=480&h=360]

Art and I stopped by the other day to see my brother Josh make boomerangs. He started doing this a long time ago with his good friend Neil (it's call J&N Boomerangs), and just restarted the small business in his basement. You can actually go online right now and buy one if you want, well worth the $20! Handmade from 10-ply Finnish birch, could you even imagine a better Christmas present??? http://www.etsy.com/shop/jnboomerangs