Food Storage and other quirks

Calvin makes the most of his wardrobe by storing up for those times when you never know if your mom is going to remember to get you a snack.

Another Calvin quirk that we recently discovered: he talks to his fingers (and his fingers talk back). Yesterday we were taking him to some friends' house to be watched while we went out, and on the drive over there his fingers were asking some questions about where they were going and Calvin was reassuring them.

I couldn't help but remember Bryn's imaginary friend Humpty Dumpty when she was Calvin's age. She took him everywhere and even buckled him into the car. I unwittingly sat on him more than once, and was severely scolded for it.

Coolest thing out my window today

This rather large bird swooped over our balcony and into a nearby tree, probably scoping out our beloved pet Chippy the Chipmunk(s). Any takers on identification?

Peter's new look

Peter surprised me by getting a new hairdo, among other personal changes. Doesn't he look so handsome?

The Rope Swing of Infamy

While we were up in Vermont, we hit the rope swing of infamy again. This is the same rope swing I shattered my finger on in 2002. Peter pulled some pretty cool stunts on it; I was just happy to swing on it again and not break any wee delicate bones.


yup, that one's me

Campout (lucky) number 7

We attended our 7th annual AW campout up at Sharon, VT this weekend. We were fortunate to be joined by Peter's sister, Becca, and her family and spent our days hiking, swimming (pond and river), touring the Joseph Smith Birthplace Visitor's Center, eating gourmet camping food (including a three-course dutch oven dinner), gazing at stars, roasting foodstuffs on rollo-roasters, hammock naps, and other such revert-to-nature activities.

For the first time in a long time, the weather cooperated all three days and not a drop of rain fell.

Restaurant Week alla Marco

Restaurant Week in Boston is not to be missed. Some of Boston's finest (and most expensive) restaurants open their doors with prix fixe menus at a fraction of their regular prices for a few precious days of the year.

This year I ventured to Marco (an Italian restaurant in the North End) with Laura and a couple of friends. The food was as aromatic as it was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy and uncluttered by the usual North End gaudy decor, and the dessert was divine.

clockwise starting in upper-left corner: Pork Milanese, Truffled Mushroom Risotto, Shrimp Scampi Pasta, and Chocolate Panna Cotta.

Paper Crafting

With all the rain we've had lately, Bryn and Calvin continue to obsess about paper, pens, scissors, and tape (almost entirely unaided and uninspired by adults). Here are a few of their most recent creations:
Dinosaurs: Bryn's is a T-Rex

Wolf to scare Calvin (by Bryn)

Post-it note person (Bryn)

Pants for Calvin (Bryn- they were disappointingly too small)

And finally, a blown-up nitrile glove drawn upon with red marker. Note: Crayola non-washable markers do not stay put on nitrile- we now have some lovely red handprint accents on our walls.

Reason #478 to love the library

You can learn ballet while your little brother takes a nap!


p.s. Mom, I think Bryn has quite a Johnson smile in the second photo. Now if only we could do something about the hair...

Resident Birding Expert

Calvin informed us today that the Cardinal Bryn spotted 10 feet out our front window was, in fact, really a chicken. He is very insistent about it.



*photo from Google Image Search

Night Games and other Outdoor Activities

For me, nothing says summer like outdoor games like Sardines and Kick-the-Can. I'm in the process of sifting through photos from our Family Reunion in June, and found these golden shots. The games were instigated by Peter's mom and dad.


Some of my other favorite night games are:

* No Bears Are Out Tonight
* Wave
* Ghost in the Graveyard
* Hide-and-Seek (of course)
* Buffalo
* Capture the Flag

What are yours?