Video and More

We have finally replaced our camera - yay! New photos are up on flickr (click on the link to the right), as well as some from our trip to Maine back in August (they had been stranded on the memory card). I've also managed to get one video up on-line (despite our slow internet connection). I am having trouble uploading directly to the blog, so check it out here on youtube. Enjoy!

Dad returns!

After a long hiatus, Dad is back to report on this little maniac of ours. Gwyneth, Iris and I spent this weekend getting ready for Thanksgiving, which is creeping up! Getting ready mostly meant eating up all the things in our fridge before we leave later this week to hang out with Grandma Kathryn (my mom) in Cummington, Mass. We just subscribed to a CSA, and so eating up all the perishables in three days is actually going to be quite difficult, as we have monster bags of carrots, fruits, and all things tuber. Maybe the tubers will keep until we return...

The weekend's food-centric activities started as they always do with a trip to the neighborhood farmers market where we ran into some good friends, bought several delectable dairy products (homemade egg nog anyone?) and played in the leaves. The market is right next to a large park where we often relax after shopping and nibble on our loot (zucchini-cranberry muffins - yum).

It's good to spend this time outside because when we're in the house, Iris wants to do only one thing, and that thing is play-doh. Actually, that's not quite correct, she wants us to make play-doh shapes while she tells us what colors to use. I had some success there making blocks instead of animal shapes, but then Gwyneth started making fabulous peacocks and that was that. We're looking forward to having a few quiet days over the holiday, which won't actually be quiet, but at least it will be a change of pace. Apart from seeing family and friends, which will of course be wonderful, we're eager to make use of my mom's new sauna, and to have some free babysitting as we go see the new Harry Potter movie!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Halloween etc.

Well, it is already November, which I find hard to believe. We have still failed to replace our digital camera, so the photos we have are from my smart-phone. A couple highlights below, and more (though not as many as usual given the afore-mentioned constraint) are up on flickr (see the link to the right). Iris spent last weekend at her Grandma Kathryn's house in Western MA. They had a blast. We arrived back in New Haven in time for a neighborhood Halloween party. We didn't actually go trick-or-treating - Iris is still a bit young for that and her Mama din't want candy in the house (Iris wasn't going to eat it, so . . . ). She did, however, happily wear her giraffe costume (sans the head/hood). Now, when we read about a giraffe in one of her books, she goes over to pat the costume (yes, it is still hanging by the door - putting away is not my strong suit). :)

In other news, she is learning many new words. Her pronunciation leaves a fair amount to be desired - pretty sure that Matt and I are the only ones who understand her. Nevertheless, she's got a lot of the colors: purple, of course!, blue, green, red and white. When in doubt, the answer is always purple. She also uses her new word "now" with great gusto. As in, it's 6:45am and she wants to go downstairs and outside. Mama says, 'we'll go outside later.' Iris retorts 'NOW!' Turns out the whole speaking thing is a double-edged sword. :) A nicer addition to her vocabulary is 'night,' as in good-night, which she now bids us as we put her to sleep.

A guest post from Mr. Daddy is promised soon, and now the photos: