Brandon & Chaci

Philly at dusk

2011-12-22T08:07:00.005-05:00

Our favorite Sunday afternoon activity here has been walking around the art museum grounds. Tanzen and Makett request the Rocky stairs frequently. We went right as it was getting dark, which is my favorite time of night because you get to watch the city lights come on.

Ryme didn't mind the cold...and I love cuddling her, especially when she's dressed like a giant peep.

Tanzen and Kett love chasing each other

Christmas at Macy's

2011-12-21T21:50:00.002-05:00

The Macy's in Philly is in a very cool old building-- it has a famous organ, the Wanamaker organ, that is a national historic landmark. They have a Dicken's Christmas village, which the boys found rather frightening last year, but they liked better this year...at the end of walking through the village, which takes awhile to walk through and has figures telling Dicken's Christmas Carol. Santa is at the end, and they have an awesome set up-- you meet with Santa in a special little room, and Santa magically knows the kids names when they walk in. We didn't pay the $20 for our photo, so this is the best we have:

Tanzen and Makett are asking for big boy underwear (yay for potty training?!) Santa asked me if they needed socks too. No thanks Santa, just the underwear will be fine. We'll take advantage of this excitement as long as we can :)

Brandon and the boys enjoying the light show...I like that it's an old fashioned light show...I can only imagine how exciting it was in it's time.

The famous organ ends the show and is awesome!

Pigs, blankets and Santa? Yup!

2011-12-21T21:46:00.003-05:00

One of the patient's told Brandon about a Christmas party at a pig farm. Since Tanny's favorite toy is a plush pig, and his favorite food is pig (or ham/bacon, as I prefer to think of it!) we thought it'd be fun to take them.

It was great, but quite different from what we expected-- it was a potbellied pig refuge, where they keep potbellied pigs till they're adopted...people were sporting shirts with sayings like "Pigs are friends, not food" and wearing pig hats. We didn't tell them about Tanzen's favorite food.

Instead of pigs in barns, we found pigs in a house, in stalls filled with blankets and pillows. I'm ignorant when it comes to pet pigs...I assumed potbelly pigs were small and domestic looking, but they were pretty big-- and I couldn't quite imagine having one on my couch cuddling with me. I learned that pigs are extremely intelligent and clean...although some of the pigs in the shelter had some potty training to learn! They cuddled with each other, which was cute.

This baby pig is 2 months old, and was more the size I was imagining for an indoor pig pet.

Tanzen and Makett enjoyed it, and Tanzen got a pig Christmas ornament, which he carried around for a week.

We had given up on waiting for Santa, but were lucky to meet him walking up the dark dirt lane as we were walking to our car. It made the boys' night!

Visit to a pig refuge in rural Pennsylvania? Check!

Santa's Apprentices

2011-12-21T21:12:00.004-05:00

Makett and Tanzen's favorite imaginary game of late is playing Santa.

They take turns ho-ho-ho-ing and putting toys in each other's Christmas socks. They're getting really good at delivering presents. Keep them in mind Santa!

Comparing...

2011-12-11T20:33:00.002-05:00

People usually say Ryme looks like Tanzen--pretty sure it's their eyes. I'm often asked which one she resembles the most, so I thought I'd compare pictures of them all at 8 months.

Tanzen

Ryme

Makett

One thing I forgot--the boys were chubby! This phase of their physique certainly didn't last long.

Most pictures I try to take of Ryme end up like this:

I was able to get a few though...

Her current tricks include waving, dancing, and wanting to do everything her brothers do.

2011-11-27T15:53:00.002-05:00

Ryme's latest (in addition to 2 very sharp teeth) is pulling herself up and 'cruising' around the furniture. I think she's looking quite grown up!

Tanzen wanted to make sure Ryme had enough tracks and trains to play with

She loves her brothers!

Tanny loves sorting things lately...he sorted the crayons all around the couch edges

Ryme benefits from having brothers who know how to use the chairs to get Cheerios out of the cupboard. The dog benefits too.

Visit from Grandma

2011-11-27T15:40:00.001-05:00

Brandon's mom came out to visit his brother and came up to see us for a day. We loved seeing her!

Ryme's carrot juice mustache

Uncle Tosh

2011-11-27T15:26:00.002-05:00

My brother came to visit! I was ecstatic-- he hasn't been here for 4 years, so it was about time! Unfortunately, he decimated his foot before coming out, so he was somewhat limited in what he could do.

We took the boys to Amish country to go for a train ride...only to find out they were fixing the tracks in preparation for Thomas to come, and the one train that was running was sold out.

Makett had been counting down his train ride for days and was very excited...then devastated. We were walking around looking at the trains when a man who worked there came and whispered to me that if we hurried we could see a certain blue engine...so we ran, and we overjoyed to see men working on Kett's dear friend, Thomas.

Finding the coal pile was also exciting.

Before Tosh's injury I bought us a Groupon for a Philadelphia Walking Tour...and Tosh can't walk! There was a very sweet Vet in our group who insisted on pushing Tosh in his wheelchair. I didn't realize how bumpy and un-wheelchair friendly the old city streets are!

It was an awesome visit, thanks for coming Tosh!

Halloween!

2011-11-27T15:08:00.003-05:00

The boys helped me plan a Halloween dinner for daddy...and helped with the cooking too! Here's Tanzen making 'mummies'.

A trunk or treat at our church...Tanzen thought it was pretty cool when a baby tiger showed up in his exact costume!

Our first stop Trick or Treating was to our awesome neighbors. It took a few stops for the concept to sink in-- the boys were amazed that they just had to say "Trick or Treat" and someone would give them candy!

Lady Ryme...and Makett and Tanzen's costumes may look familiar... I think they think they're always supposed to be a tiger or dinosaur, although next year we'll have to try something new.

Our Halloween dinner by candlelight

The great pumpkin left presents in exchange for their candy.

Thanks and bless you Great Pumpkin!

Picking "punnkins"

2011-11-11T21:28:00.002-05:00

We went on an "educational hayride" with some friends. It was the perfect fall activity. The boys loved seeing where vegetables grow-- as did I. I'd never seen a cauliflower plant before, so it was educational all around. The fact that they were riding behind a tractor sitting in hay was fun too.

Hayride to the Witch's house...

2011-11-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

We took the boys to Linvilla Orchard last year and it was a great hit-- they still remembered it, so of course we did it again. We went on a hay ride to the Witches house, complete with a fire, marshmallows and cider. They loved it even more this year.

We were very impressed with the witches!

Ryme stayed awake the whole time....

I'm not thinking about not being able to go with our friends next year...ug.

The witch gave the boys cookies. Kett's was gone in an instant...Tanny saved his, then slept with it that night, then carried it around the whole next day.

Soccer!

2011-11-01T14:16:00.002-04:00

Makett and Tanzen have started soccer.

Here's Kett:

And here's Tanzen:

And here are the gorgeous Pennsylvania fall leaves that I'm continually distracted by:

(Notice the classic stone PA house behind it? I'm going to miss them.)

After a little bit of bribing (water ice), we got this action:

After soccer we got a little of this:

(Mango water ice, if you're wondering...something else we're going to miss!)

2011-10-31T15:58:00.002-04:00

I love it when we're running errands during naptime and I'm relieved Ryme's asleep. Most of the time when I peek under her cover I see this:

Those big blue eyes...definitely not sleeping!

3 years?!

2011-10-18T20:50:00.005-04:00

We have 3 year olds living in our house. Several times a day, one of them will ask, "Mommy, I still 3?"

Brandon told them I'd make them each whatever kind of cake they wanted. I am no cake artist, but I did my best. My friend Tonee came up with this genius Thomas cake, since sculpting Thomas is clearly above my skill level. Her's was way cuter and more complex.

Tanzen requested a piggy cake, one that look just like his piggy.

I know you could guess what Kett wanted without my posting a pic...

Tanny supervising to ensure the cake looked just like Piggy.

We had a birthday party at the park with their friends. Ryme cooperated with the hat long enough for a picture...

Tanny wanted to eat every bite of his piece of piggy cake-- the other kids had long been on the playground and he was still working on it.

Kett playing "Engineer Says"...a very creative game, rather similar to Simon says.

They were really excited about their cakes. We were getting ready to leave our house for the party at the park, when Kett ran up excitedly holding his cake...frankly I was impressed he even managed to get it off the table! He slid it so Thomas crashed onto the cake, oh well!

Ryma-Ryma!

2011-10-18T20:34:00.004-04:00

Ryme definitely has some major personality! She is determined to keep up with her brothers, and she's good at it! These chairs are her favorite hang out spot, she loves climbing them.

She insists on always standing up in her crib...sometimes this creates problems, as she'll stand up during the night and doesn't know how to let go in the dark.

This is my favorite Ryme smile, but it's hard to catch. It's a smile of pure delight-- she can't keep all her happiness in and opens her mouth to fully express it. She usually tucks her chin down right after she does it.

She loves to eat-- she often eats more than the boys at dinner...and prefers to have exactly what they're eating.

Fall leaves

2011-10-16T21:13:00.003-04:00

We've been waiting anxiously for the fall leaves to start changing. My last fall on the east coast; I need to savor it as long as possible.

One day we'll rake piles of leaves off our grass and jump in them. For now we'll settle with running through them on the sidewalk.

My friend Katie joined us on our fall leaves walk-- the boys had been begging all day to go. This house is a favorite stop on our neighborhood walk-- I love all the little statues. The boys could look at them forever. I just love that the owner takes the time to put each little statue out on the grass.

Awesome.

2011-10-16T20:55:00.003-04:00

What's more awesome than your dishwasher dying 9 months before you sell your house?
Having a friend who will help you install it's replacement...on his way home from the airport after being gone from his wife and kids for almost a week.

Thanks Larry! Makett and Tanzen would love to help you with another project...although we'd prefer it be a little smaller, like hanging a picture or something.

Run for Cancer!

2011-10-13T20:33:00.007-04:00

Join us!!!

Well, we have to be there in spirit only...but join Radiating Hope!

ps...the cute guy in purple is my brother Tosh :)

Sorry, I'm sure this is getting repetitive for some of you! Just to summarize, Brandon started a non-profit, Radiating Hope, whose mission is to get life saving radiation equipment to developing countries where cancer is a crisis. For example, in Africa cancer kills more people than AIDS/HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. 7 out of 10 cancer deaths globally are in developing countries. In the US we have one radiation machine for approximately 125,000 people. In Senegal, Africa, they have one very outdated machine for 13,000,000 people...and service ten surrounding countries as well.

We have a machine for them! But we need money to get it there! The linear accelerator is valued at over 1 million dollars, and we need to raise about $30,000 to get it there. This 5K is working toward that purpose.

Another way we raise funds is through the sponsoring of Tibetan Prayer Flags. For as little as $40, people can sponsor a prayer flag in honor of a cancer patient. The cancer patient’s initials are placed on the flag, and Radiating Hope’s mountaineering team carries these flags to the tops of peaks around the world, waving them at the top in the cancer patients’ honor. Patients and sponsors can follow the flags’ journey on our blog. More information about our prayer flag project can be found on our website.

Radiating Hope also has a mountaineering guide service. People of any skill level can raise tax-deductible pledges to climb with us. They can pick the climb and it’s associated pledge amount, raise the money, then use the gift card that comes with the package to get gear and enjoy a life changing climb with our guide service. Information on our climbs can be found on here. It's an awesome, almost free way to climb cool peaks like Kilimanjaro, Rainier, Aconcagua etc. People of all skill levels can find a climb that's right for them, with the bonus of helping those in other countries get the cancer care they need! Definitely a win-win!

Thanks!!! Help us spread the word to anyone who may be interested?

Oh- and check out our website, www.radiatinghope.org

Drinking buddies

2011-10-05T22:25:00.001-04:00

They actually drink like this quite frequently.

Except their sippy cups are usually touching.

?

2011-10-05T22:21:00.001-04:00

Not sure what the thought process was here, but it made me laugh! I love finding random things like this around the house...

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

2011-10-01T21:33:00.004-04:00

"Art should not be segregated in museums; it needs to live free among us."

-Isaiah Zagar

We took the boys on an incredible tour of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, which, try as I might, I couldn't capture in photos. You have to experience it...the pictures don't do justice to how extensive it is.

Check out this map of the murals Isaiah has all over the city.

This mural is of Isaiah's wife

As you walk through the various mosiac murals done over forty years, it's interesting to see how his work has evolved. It's cool to see all the various components...he'll push doilies into clay and paints the shapes they leave behind. Companies and people donate scraps of tile and glass for him to use.

I didn't realize we were going on such a long tour- there were alleyways, walls, and murals all around South street.

Did you know Philadelphia has more murals than any other city in the world?

Cars drive down these tiny narrow streets...

This building used to be a fire station, he left the brick exposed as a reminder of what it used to be, and the mural is in dedication to it and the civil rights movement. Fire houses used to be segregated, and this fire house was for black fire fighters. I had no idea.

Isaiah's artist statement:

I am 72 years old. I clearly remember the day I first saw Clarence Schmidt's rambling sculpture environment on a beautiful and breezy June day. I thought to myself, What is this? I had no categories, no frame of reference for it. There I stood, a third-year art student and I didn't know that I was looking at art. That was 1959.

A lot has changed in the art world, and a lot has changed in the real world. We now have a category for Clarence: vernacular artist. In 1970, after not seeing Clarence for five years, I visited Woodstock, New York where he lived and worked. His first words to me were, "I hear you are copying me in Philadelphia."

It is true to a certain extent; I have been copying Clarence my whole career, trying to make a total encyclopedic vision that has no parameters and no end. My work is marked by events and is a mirror of the mind that is building and falling apart, having a logic but close to chaos, refusing to stay still for the camera, and giving one a sense of heaven and hell simultaneously.

It is an impossible place, but strangely you can visit it and smile at that which you knew existed somewhere. Now you know that place is in Philadelphia, and you knew it all along, didn't you?

A Saturday morning with Daddy- finally!!

2011-09-21T20:28:00.003-04:00

While we enjoyed feeding the birds in the past, they were a bit more intimidated this time around.

The otters are our favorite-- they're the most exciting to watch!

Great Salt Lake

2011-09-21T20:27:00.003-04:00

Visiting Uncle Tosh at Work...

2011-09-21T20:25:00.002-04:00

Academy of Natural Sciences...

2011-09-21T20:23:00.002-04:00

Butterflies...lots of them...

(notice the mosquito bites on Kett's arm? They, and Brandon, get tons everytime they go outside. They were outside for 5 minutes and I counted 22 on Kett and 24 on Tanzen. I didn't count Brandon but he probably had at least 20 too)!

Mini-golfing...while learning about the environment...

We're big mini-golf fans now, in case you're wondering.

Irene's Visit...

2011-09-21T19:24:00.003-04:00

K, I'm a bit late posting but guess what? It hasn't stopped raining since Irene left, so I figure it still counts, right? Seriously, it has rained A TON!!! Luckily I like rain...maybe not my favorite when I'm bringing kids and groceries in from the car or when our roof leaks, but other than that I'm a fan. I digress.

We were actually looking forward to having an August snow day-- Brandon's work had prepared for the possibility of not being open Monday, church was cancelled, we had plenty of flashlights, water, food.....I was a little concerned about the power being out for more than a day, but was ready for a bit of adventure. It pretty much just rained a ton (7 inches during the night) and was windy. This was the only hurricane I planned on being in so I was hoping for a little more, maybe, but safe and sound is good too :)

Sunday night we ventured out to see what Irene had done. She flooded the roads. Actually, the tropical storm the following week was worse-- it took me 40 minutes to get across the bridge by my house-- that would be 40 minutes to drive .7 miles, if you were wondering.

Hmmm....

2011-09-21T14:13:00.002-04:00

I think we need a bigger kitchen table?

Ryme really wants to be a big kid-- she would throw fits every time I tried to feed her in the bumbo, she ONLY wanted to eat in the boys' high chairs. We caved- luckily they stack!

Rocky Jr's...

2011-09-18T20:37:00.004-04:00

These boys love the Rocky statue and stairs...we're still working on their timing for the Rocky steps. If you haven't been to Philly (or especially if you have) you should watch Rocky. You'll get a great feel for the city...

It's about time!!!

2011-09-18T20:07:00.003-04:00

The day Tanzen and Makett were born our church announced they would be building a temple in Philly. We were so excited! There has been a lot of red tape, such that it's taken 3 years for the groundbreaking, but it finally happened yesterday. It was an awesome experience, there was a wonderful spirit there. I couldn't help but get a little teary- this temple has been dearly prayed for for a long time.I think the design matches the city so well! Actual construction won't begin till the spring, I was really hoping they would start on it sooner. We're sad it won't be finished while we're here. The temple is in our ward boundaries, and, last I heard, they're going to put a church meetinghouse inside it, so we would go to church there. Darn red tape!

Makett and Tanzen were very excited for the groundbreaking. I tried preparing them that tey wouldn't actually start building the temple, but nonetheless during the ceremony they kept asking when the tractors would come. They were really disappointed that the only construction was a few shovels. Kett cried all the way home, saying he wanted them to build the temple now. I hear ya buddy!

Wake up calls...

2011-09-14T14:08:00.002-04:00

This little girl is very loved......she gets personal, cribside, wake up calls...
...from 2 very cute little boys. Who could ask for more?

I just tucked my little darlings in...

2011-09-08T22:29:00.003-04:00

Kett did his reading...and practiced writing (see his Thomas Magna-doodle on the right?)Tanzen tucked in his Baby Bear, Piggy, Doggy and Soft Bear (creative names, I know, but he came up with them himself)!
And Ryme? She's getting attached to her blanket

Mt. Rainier take two. . .

2011-09-05T16:44:00.002-04:00

This month we were back on Mt. Rainier! We attempted Rainier last year and had to turn around at 11,000 feet due to poor mountain conditions. This year we were back on the mountain, determined to make it to the top. Our team consisted of two roped teams of three, Cecil, Brandon, Luke, Larry, Chris, and Jeff.

We got an early start on day one and made it to base camp, Camp Muir, in record time and were able to secure a spot in the shelter and even practice crevasse rescue (repelling into a 100 + foot crevasse). After boiling some glacier snow, eating a dehydrated meal and getting a little shut eye, we made our summit attempt at 11 PM. The mountain was in great condition, and after crossing several crevasse and climbing the steep, steep trail. . .

We were on the top of Mt. Rainier, 14,411 feet, by 8 AM. The Radiating Hope prayer flags flew very naturally in the high mountain winds. For those who have not visited our website, please see RadiatingHope.org and see how you can get involved and help cancer patient globally.

"Camping"...in the backyard...

2011-09-04T22:32:00.004-04:00

Brandon has been longing for a 4 season tent since he contracted his Mountaineering obsession. He found a great deal on one on Craig's list...he needed a tent for his upcoming Aconcagua trip, so he was really excited to buy this one. However, (I love this--it's a classic Brandonism) he wanted to BUY this, then RENT one for the trip, because he didn't want it to get dirty or hurt by using it on the mountain. That's my man for you. Anyway, it was decided that he could buy the tent, as long as he USED it on the mountain, which he is going to do.

Just an FYI, a four season tent goes down to -60 degrees. It will be -40 on Aconcagua. Sound fun, anyone?

Tanzen and Makett couldn't wait to break the tent in! They pitched it in my parent's backyard and had a sleepover.

Fun times!

By the way, Makett and Tanzen are NOT allowed to go mountaineering anytime in the next decade and a half, just putting it out there right now.

Scooter-ing

2011-09-04T22:26:00.003-04:00

Tanzen LOVED riding scooters when we were at my parent's house. It took him awhile to get the balance and coordination down, but he didn't give up! He got it down and enjoyed zooming around the drive way.

Ryme loves being a part of everything that's going on-- she loves watching her brothers and is interested in everything they do.

Opposites...

2011-09-04T22:20:00.002-04:00

Makett and Tanzen have always been opposite sleepers. Even when I was pregnant with them they were awake at different times. The contrast continues--while they're now on the same sleep schedule, they certainly have different sleep preferences.

Figure 1: Makett. He prefers the floor. I'm surprised the blanket is touching his head- he usually insists on having it under his stomach, and will wake up and flip out if a blanket is on him...I keep trying that as I worry he's cold, and he wakes up and makes me take the dreaded blanket in the hall.
Figure 2: Tanzen. In his bed. Buried in blankets. If he could, he'd have all his blankets on simultaneously. I usually go in once he's asleep and pull blankets off him, he's always drenched in sweat. His beloved Piggy is always under the blanket with him, usually tucked safely in his arms.

Long Beach Island

2011-09-04T21:13:00.009-04:00

Our incredible friend Katie was so kind to invite us to her parent's awesome beach house in Long Beach Island. We had a blast, although our trip was altered a bit by an unfortunate event...more to come on that later...

Remember Kett's fear of sand last year? I was prepared for a similar situation, however, he loved it. We had to drag them in for dinner.

They could have played forever...

Tanzen got to sleep in this huge bed by himself...with a little company from Reba, Katie's sweet dog.

Kett slept with me...because of his Owie.

Kett's Rite of Passage to Boyhood

2011-09-04T21:03:00.004-04:00

After a fun filled day in the sand we got our pj's on and were just settling down, looking forward to a beach day in the morning.

Unfortunately, after having a blast making forts with the couch cushion, Kett collided with the coffee table...

...so we ended up here...

It was an awesome four hours in the ER. Katie and her mom had Ryme and Tanzen, I wasn't planning on being gone that long and was worried about Ryme needing to nurse. Kett was very sweet and brave. I'll admit it-- I cried when they were sewing him up--he was screaming and all I could do was touch his toes, heartbreaking! I just kept thinking about Moms whose kids deal with major health problems.

When Brandon decided to be a doctor I was relieved I would have him to save the day with all health concerns and emergencies. Problem is, he's always gone when these things happen! I'm sure if he was there, he would have pronounced his favorite phrase lately, which is, "Don't ask me- it's not cancer." All the same, we were really wishing Daddy was there!

His eye was quite swollen for a few days...

Then he had a cool black eye

2011-09-01T22:07:00.006-04:00

Brandon studies in our basement. One of the quirks of living in an old row home with the original wood floors is that we have big gaps in the floor--they laid the wood planks right over the beams without a subfloor.

There's a particularly good hole that Tanzen and Makett love to look through to see Daddy "working." Brandon sometimes sticks treats through the hole for them.

Miss Ryme LOVES to eat, definitely her Mama's girl in that regard. I started feeding her solids a little earlier than planned because every time we'd eat in front of her she'd want a bite too. When I gave her her first bite it was like she'd been starving, and she was so excited for another bite. I'm glad to have someone around here share my love of food :)

Thoughtful Brother

2011-08-29T22:05:00.002-04:00

Maketty came in the other day while Ryme was napping and proudly proclaimed that he had given Ryme some toys. Yup. She's surely entertained! This happened several times while we were staying at my parent's... I was just relieved she slept through it!

First hang out spot

2011-08-29T21:44:00.002-04:00

The boys loved this rock in the front yard at my parent's house. They'd go outside every morning and just chill together.

Fireworks!

2011-08-29T21:33:00.002-04:00

Brandon isn't a fireworks fan, but he acquiesced to taking the boys to Penn's landing for fireworks on the 4th. It was all Makett and Tanzen talked about all day, they were so excited, and it surely didn't disappoint. They played music along with the fireworks, and shot them off of a boat in the Delaware river. At one point during the Star Spangled Banner they made the fireworks look like a battle, and you could clearly see the ship. It was really moving, I loved it!

See the ship? Cool!

I love that we each push our own stroller when we go out.

Ryme Rides

2011-08-29T21:24:00.002-04:00

Ryme is a lucky girl to have such attentive brothers...(most of the time :)
Makes for a happy girl!

Buckets

2011-08-29T21:18:00.002-04:00

Tanzen loves carrying things around-- he's all about accessories, pockets and bags. He went through a phase where he put all sorts of random things in a bucket. I loved going through the contents-- several rocks, his piggy, a penny, a stick, a book, his blanket several cars... he knows how to pack it in. I need to be better at checking his pockets when I do laundry...
I love that Makett and Tanzen are old enough to recognize their friendship. The other day someone asked Kett who Tanzen was, and Kett replied, "That's my friend Tanny!" I want them to always be close.

Aw!

2011-08-22T01:01:00.002-04:00

Niagra!

2011-08-22T00:04:00.005-04:00

While we were checking out upstate NY we decided to spend the day at Niagra Falls. We took the boys on the Maid of the Mist boat tour...We donned fantastic blue rain bags, which felt awesome in the humid, hot weather

There was so much mist we could barely see as we got closer. Kett was terrified of the boat.
He stayed crouched down and clung to the edge of the boat

Kao, my mom and I

So hot!

Long day!

Palmyra

2011-08-20T18:49:00.008-04:00

We went to the Hill Cummorah Pageant while my Mom and brother were in town.

The next day we checked out some of our church's historic sites in Palmyra, NY. This is the Joseph Smith farm.

The boys like the water trough-- except they thought it was a boat.

Hard to believe this tiny cabin housed a family of ten

This is called the Sacred Grove...it is a very special place with an incredible spirit and Brandon and I put it as one of the top places we've ever been.

Our church has a temple in Palmyra

Pony Rides

2011-08-20T18:42:00.002-04:00

We stopped in upstate New York at my aunt's fiance's amazing farm--it's huge! Don was kind to let the boys ride a pony. Kett wasn't a fan at first....
Then his daughter Ellen rode with Kett and he loved it!

Bugs at Bartram's

2011-07-27T10:09:00.002-04:00

We went to Bartram's Garden for their Little Explorer program...it was a wicked summer day-- a hundred and something plus humidity, but we enjoyed it anyway. We were exploring bugs, of course it was fun!Bartram's, like most places in Philadelphia, is historically significant. It was the farm of another of America's firsts- the first American Botanist. John Bartram was a quaker farmer, who, while plowing his field was struck by the beauty of a daisy, and was inspired to devote his life to learning all he could about plants. He identified and introduced into cultivation more than 200 of our native plants. He lacked formal schooling but taught himself so well that he was recognized as a royal botanist by King George in 1765.
Tanzen observing water bugs...
Ketty on the cool old house...
We made our own butterflies...

Kett's Dream Day

2011-07-22T16:48:00.003-04:00

My friend emailed me a while ago...with the subject line "Ketty's dream day." Thomas was coming to town!

To say Makett loves Thomas is an understatement. A few weeks ago I asked Ketty after he woke up if he had had any dreams. He said yes. I asked him what he dreamed about, he smiled and exclaimed, "Thomas!"

Thomas watches him sleep. Thomas watches him eat. Thomas waits by the window for us to come home. He is the bedtime story of choice. Kett goes to nursery to play with the big Thomas. He can create tracks for hours for Thomas to ride on. See Thomas cuddled up to Kett's cheek while he sleeps?

I was slightly concerned that Kett would hyperventilate when he saw his beloved engine in person. He almost did.

Then he got down to business-- their Thomas train tables had all the engines Kett loves. He was thrilled beyond words to be able to hook 5 James' together. I used all my tricks and still couldn't get him to look up.
It was $18 each to ride Thomas for 20 minutes...and $14 for all of us to ride the regular train. Since they rode on parallel tracks we got a better view of Thomas than those riding behind him.
It was definitely Kett's dream day...and Tanzen liked it too :)

Kett Makeovers

2011-07-22T16:20:00.002-04:00

Maketty has quite a mischievous streak. Tanzen will follow, but always with a little trepidation of the possible consequences.

The other day I walked in the room to see Tanny dive under the coffee table. Clue number two something was up (clue number one was the giggles, followed by silence). Ketty jumped out laughing and proud. It took a minute to coax a penitent Tanzen out.

Tanzen was quick to say, "look what Kett did". Sounds about right!

R-A-I-N....

2011-07-22T15:03:00.002-04:00

We started out just watching the rain in our pj's...
Then we needed to just stick our heads outside...
Then we just needed to see what it felt like...
Ah, how we love the rain!

4 months!

2011-07-22T14:41:00.001-04:00

This girl loves to smile! When she's good she's very very good, and when she's sad she's gonna make sure you know!

Panama

2011-07-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

As part of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) to improve cancer care in developing countries I was able to travel to Panama and work with the Radiation Oncology center there. We teamed up with Panama’s Instituto Oncologico Nacional (ION), and ALATRO (Asociacion Latino Americano de Terapia Radiante Oncologia), and were immersed in the different modalities of care available and were really able to see first hand how over worked, and underserved this area really is.

View from the patients room.

Cancer hospital.

Radiation vault and Linac.

We visited local cancer charity houses, such as La Casita de Mausi: This is a local charity house for cancer patients in Panama. The house plays a key role in allowing cancer patients to get their treatments, providing housing for cancer patients that don’t have social security and live a considerable distance from the city. To learn more visit, www.casitademausi.org.pa

During the trip we were able to work with ANCEC and Activo 20-30: The Associacion Nacional Contra el Cancer is a National organization in Panama that promotes cancer awareness in developing countries, www.ancecpanama.net, Activo 20-30 is anorganization encourages outreach service in order to create a better future, and focuses on multiple levels of service, such as building schools, hospitals, clinics, gardens, and playgrounds, visit www.activo20-30panama.org

Last, but not least, the nonprofit I started up, RadiationHope.org, was able to donate various radiation items to improve the cancer center there. We seeks to advance radiation oncology and cancer care in developing countries.

Sunday Afternoons...

2011-06-26T16:46:00.006-04:00

We love to walk around Fairmount and the Art museum on Sunday afternoons. We took my sister there, and she tried out her new camera...

The boys know Rocky's statue and love to run up the stairs. They're pretty fast!

We tried to keep the boys out of the fountain...

Didn't work!

This was the day before we cut their hair. I love it long but it was just too hot!

Visitors!

2011-06-26T16:38:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to get my sister to visit forever, so I was way excited when she came with her boyfriend Lenny (Yes, they wanted to see us...but the real reason? She had a week off of work and they wanted to go on vacation together and needed a chaperone). We were thrilled to accomodate!

The best news? Lenny isn't Kenzi's boyfriend anymore. He's her fiance, and that's way better!!!

August 11 is their big day. Yay!
Touring all the Philly landmarks...
Fairmount water works...
Valley Forge...
The zoo...
Thanks for the visit! And welcome to the family Lenny!

A Favorite Game...

2011-06-09T17:56:00.002-04:00

Jumping from the bed onto the giant bean-bag. I love seeing the one waiting for his turn against the wall. Hours of bedtime fun...especially fresh from the tub.

Just some pics...

2011-06-09T17:34:00.003-04:00

Maketty loves to rock in my glider and sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby"

Gotta feed the dinosaurs

Is it me, or are Tanzen and Makett looking really old these days?!

Makett loves hugging Ryme

Desperation breakfast...

2011-06-09T17:28:00.004-04:00

What do you do when you're really hungry and Mommy is giving the baby a bath? You cross your fingers that Daddy left some raw oats on the counter...

Use your new found climbing skills to pull the oats and some bowls down...

And start chowing!

No liquid necessary.

If your Mommy offers to cook them, say no...

Raw is healthier, right?

They really ate the entire bowl.

"Helping"

2011-06-09T16:56:00.003-04:00

I noticed that Khylo's bowl had been continually filled with food, and assumed Brandon was doing a good job keeping it full, since I may have forgotten to fill it up, uh, a lot lately.

I stumbled on the real reason...

Awesome helpers!

Except maybe they went a little overboard...

Tanzen just ran up and pointed to these pictures and said, "Woa Mama! That's me making a mess!"

Copy that kiddo.

Peaches

2011-06-09T16:55:00.002-04:00

Brandon planted a 5 foot tall, scrawny peach tree 4 years ago. Today is is HUGE! Love this fertile Philly soil. It is completely loaded with peaches, wonderful right? The squirrels agree! We have yet to taste a single peach. Brandon decided we might as well get some use out of them, so he and the boys picked some.

Tanny loves carrying things around, and carried them in a bucket for a week. Everywhere Tanny went, the peaches went too... diaper changes, reading stories, bathtub (thanks Daddy!)...they had quite a week, Tanny and his peaches.

He loved counting them. Who knew we'd get so much use out of them? If only we could eat them!

I'm still finding random peaches all over the house.

7:30 Tuesday morning...

2011-06-09T16:48:00.002-04:00

We were all doing what we love...

Tanzen with his glasses and his "eating" blanket...the edges are totally chewed and slightly gross...

Ryme watching her brothers...

Makett in his Thomas world...

In the Senate?

2011-06-04T21:26:00.003-04:00

Last week we were walking by the art museum and an Indian guy stopped me...you have to imagine his accent for the full effect:

Man: "Oh my! What a looooong tongue she has!"

Me: "Ya, it's pretty long..."

Man: "She will be a great speaker one day. We shall see her in the Senate!"

Our Favs

2011-05-19T16:17:00.010-04:00

Here's what we like!

Love to laugh

Love to accessorize

Love Thomas

Love the Please Touch Museum

{Perhaps we like time out too much? This one spends a bit of time there, that one, not so much...Ket will put himself in timeout if he deems it necessary}

Love pockets (and fill them with the most interesting things!)

Love baby Ryme

(Makett climbs right on in, regardless of if she's finally just fallen asleep, he's always certain she needs a big hug or big kiss)

Love helping make cookies (who doesn't love this part, right?)

Love making train tracks

Love watching out the window

Really love watching Daddy come home!

Love riding bikes...even share the same one!

Love playing on our train table

Love it when Daddy is home!

Love drinking carrot juice and watching Dora or Barney

Love playing trains with Daddy

Love being held by Daddy

Love sleeping

(or should I say, Mommy loves it when Ryme is sleeping...and Mommy would love it if Ryme slept a little more!!)

The Little Lady

2011-05-19T15:33:00.008-04:00

We love this girl!

Still trying to figure out sleep...but generally doing well!

Doesn't love Tanny's sunglasses as much as he does

The morning of her blessing I was lamenting that I didn't have a headband. My brother Chaz, 21, said he'd make her one, and wa-laa! Twenty minutes later she had this cute headband and flower! He also made her booties, pictures of those later.

My first headband lesson as a new mom to a girl---You have to take the headband off when she goes to sleep or she may wake up like this:

Things I'm going to miss...

2011-05-14T17:06:00.005-04:00

With a little over a year left in Philly, I'm really appreciating everything I'm going to miss here...

SPRING! I LOVE Philly's spring. It's breathtaking...blossoms everywhere. And Azaleas! Oh the Azaleas! I can't begin to describe their vibrant colors, bursting everywhere. These pictures don't begin to do them justice. If you haven't seen an azalea bush google them, you'll be in love!

Love seeing these blossoms out of my window...

See the blossoms all over the road? Not gonna lie, Philly has lots of garbage in the streets, so springtime blossoms are a welcome change!

Know what else I'm going to miss? The train. The train tracks are at the bottom of our street, and if I was a train commuter, I'd miss the quick walk to the train. Since I'm the mom of two year old boys, I'm going to miss walking to the end of our street after naps and sitting on the steps of the tavern to eat snacks and watch the evening commuter trains go by.

I love the old houses...I'm tired of living in one, but I love looking at the houses in my neighborhood, wondering who lived in them a century ago, thinking how different life was when this neighborhood was built, with all the residents working in the mills along the river.

**Notice the beautiful Azalea bushes in the picture? :)

Old churches!! In just my little neighborhood there are six. I love seeing them all-- some in old stone buildings, many with cool architecture, others in dilapidated old row homes. Whenever I'm somewhere with an aerial view of the city I love seeing all the church spires dotting the landscape.

Notice all the wires? I love seeing squirrels running along them, and the boys love the shoes that hang from them. Keep forgetting to take pictures of those...but something else that we love.

I could go on about more things that I'll miss in Philly, but I'll save some for another day. It can be rather sad to think about!

Don't even get me started on all the people I'm going to miss...

2011-05-14T16:15:00.006-04:00

I was so glad Ryme wanted to be Brandon's study partner so I could get something done with 2 arms!

Don't remember what he did, but for some reason Makett decided Daddy needed to go in time out

Every night we clean up and go to bed in beds...and every night the toys and books magically appear and Maketty takes his pillow to sleep on the floor next to Tanzen

Tanzen is all about his blanket and piggy...I love how he cuddles with them while he sleeps.

Easter

2011-05-14T15:35:00.005-04:00

It was fun dying eggs for the first time with the boys...they loved it! Brandon used his artistic talents to help Tanny create a pig egg (Tanny loves pigs) and to help Ketty create a Thomas egg (It would be an understatement to say Makett loves Thomas).

...Try to ignore the carrot juice on Ket's shirt...

Tanzen was so excited for the Easter Bunny. Somehow Tanny thought the Easter Bunny was going to come inside and play with him. He spent thirty minutes Friday afternoon looking out the window for the Easter Bunny's car, and got out a matching game to play with the Easter Bunny. He was very disappointed when we explained that the Easter Bunny was going to come while he was asleep.

The Easter Bunny left a note...

As soon as Makett found an egg he opened it and dumped the contents in his bucket, throwing the empty eggs on the floor.

Tanzen carefully collected eggs, and saved the candy as long as possible.

Our awesome friends, Matt & Liz, joined us for an Easter dinner.
Liz made this gorgeous bunny cake, which the boys LOVED. Makett couldn't keep his fingers out of it!

Amazing Kate

2011-05-14T15:11:00.004-04:00

My wonderful friend Katie comes to visit us almost every Tuesday. Last time she came she brought all the supplies to help the boys plant zucchini seeds, and they loved it!

Thanks Katie!!!!!!!

Fabulous Ocean City!

2011-05-14T14:45:00.005-04:00

We had an awesome weekend in Ocean City with our friends, the Daugherty's.Makett loved walking right up to the ocean, then running away before it could get his feet wet. Tanzen loved playing with shells and digging in the sand.
Ryme was only 3 weeks old, but she loved it too, I'm sure...not that she saw much from the infant carrier...

Makett hates putting his feet in the sand, so he loved having closed toe shoes...last summer he wouldn't touch the sand.

Racing down the board walk

We rented a surrey and raced the boardwalk with Daugherty's...we won, and I'm sure it had everything to do with our strength, and nothing to do with them having a bigger, heavier surrey.

Tanzen and Makett were in heaven-- ice cream cones...

AND cookies? In one day?!

Sand volleyball...

And a replica Thomas, to top it all off!

This is how we watch TV...

2011-05-14T14:30:00.004-04:00

Tanny wears his helmet...

And Ket stays by the door, so he has a fast exit just in case something frightening happens

Ketty went through a scared phase...he is absolutely obsessed with Thomas, but suddenly refused to watch Thomas shows. He would go ballistic if he saw Thomas on TV and we were mystified. After months of this we realized it was because he was afraid Thomas would crash. I heard him yesterday telling one of his friends to keep Thomas on the circle track so he wouldn't crash.

Snow fun

2011-05-14T13:52:00.004-04:00

**Ooops! Meant to post this in January!!**

Tanzen and Makett had quite an adventure at my parent's cabin. We had to snowmobile in and break a road through huge snow drifts...which resulted in the sleds constantly being stuck. Let me tell you, being 8 months pregnant, holding Makett on my lap...it was crazy!

Tanzen LOVES the snow and constantly wanted to be outside. A favorite activity was blowing the snow in each other's face.

Snow shoeing...

It was 4 degrees outside so I was determined to bundle them up well. They were warm!

Tanzen also LOVED the snowmobiles, he would have been content to ride them all day. Makett wasn't such a fan.
My brothers made snow caves, and slept in them. Remember it was 4 degrees outside? Brr!
Coincidentally the boys' snow gear matched the sleds

The moves

2011-05-14T13:10:00.004-04:00

There's no denying these boys have some moves! They dance just like their daddy :)

Characters!

2011-04-14T14:22:00.004-04:00

Oh Tanny! He's all about the accessories, from the Thomas slippers to sunglasses...

Ketty was going through a pant less phase

Gotta wear the bike helmet while eating breakfast...and no pictures please!

Helping Daddy study...all Brandon does now-a-days is study for his boards. We are all very excited for them to be over!

Juice time!

2011-04-03T15:33:00.005-04:00

After nap we make carrot juice, and the boys get to watch Dora or Barney...this saves my sanity so I can make dinner! Anyway, Khylo decided it was time to reassert his place as a member of the family.
You'll notice these were taken on different days...Tanny's still wearing his gear!

Ryme

2011-04-03T15:00:00.004-04:00

No more pictures please!

Makett

2011-04-03T14:35:00.007-04:00

Makett loves dipping most everything in olive oil and balsamic-- he knows the difference if you try to substitute. When I pour the balsamic he always says, "It's dark mom, I can't see!"Ketty is quite mischievous-- the upside of this is that he immediately puts himself on time out-- or, as was the case here, Tanny put him on time out.
Ket loves baby Ryme...it's a full time job trying to keep his well-intended hugs from smothering her...or from bouncing her out of her bouncer, or shoving her paci down her throat in his attempt to 'help.'Case in point of his helpfulness--he was trying to nurse Ryme, with his belly button...

Ket is determined to do things by himself-- to quote, "No! I do it-do-it!" Another favorite Ketty quote is "O-kye"...you have to hear him do it for the full effect.
Oh-my-Thomas! Makett is obsessed with his Thomas trains!

He put about 15 puppies in this tent in Ikea's showroom.
We love our Ket!

Tanzen

2011-04-03T14:32:00.007-04:00

Tanzen loves his piggy, and takes it all around the house. Oh, how I love these big blue eyes!

He loves accessories...he's been wearing his bike helmet all week, along with these awesome sunglasses, and his mittens. We're curious to see how this will develop...
Tanny loves play dough, coloring and painting. This is his snowman sculpture.

Tanny is a very sweet and gentle big brother...
St. Patty's day green eyebrows...this is his cheesy grin.

My friend loaned us this potty, and while we're not ready to potty train yet (especially me!) Tanzen couldn't wait to try it out.

After watching my parents eat with chopsticks, Tanny insisted on using them too. He did really well!
We love our Tanny!

Daddy Time

2011-04-03T12:48:00.003-04:00

The weekend before Ryme was born, I was lucky to do a quick weekend trip to New York with my friend...and the boys were lucky to get some Daddy time!

I shouldn't have been surprised that he decided to take them rock climbing? And they really did climb, although Ket wasn't a fan!

While they were sleeping...

2011-04-03T09:55:00.006-04:00

We love checking on the boys when they're asleep because they're usually in an entertaining pose of sorts...

This is a common one-- it's often hard to open the door because they'll both be asleep on the floor blocking the door. In addition, this particular night Ket had taken off the bottom half of his pajamas.

Tanny loves his piggy and his blanket...

Ketty loves Thomas...

It grosses me out completely, but for some unknown reason Tanzen chews on the corners of his orange blanket--not on any other colors, just the orange one.

Wetnurse...

2011-03-07T19:21:00.002-05:00

I forgot how time consuming nursing is... if Makett could be successful, we'd get a lot more done around here!

She's here!

2011-02-26T13:16:00.007-05:00

Ryme

2.22.2011

12:49 am

6 lbs, 8 oz

18 3/4 inches

vbac!

The story...

(it's poorly written as I'm just trying to get it down, feel free to skip it!)

We were really hoping to have her over the weekend. When it was Monday and I was still pregnant we were getting worried! My mom was here to help, just needed the baby! I'd had pretty intense contractions Sunday night and was sure I was in labor but they tapered off. Brandon went to work on Monday and said he'd be coming home at noon to take me to the hospital...at ten I told him not to plan on it, since I was barely having contractions at all. My mom and I took the boys to the Please Touch museum, hoping chasing them would get something going, but to no avail. Brandon was determined I would go into labor and came home at 11:30 to drive us to the hospital.

We went for a hike --seriously, a 90 minute hike in the mud in the Wissahickon-- which was enough to bring contractions every 10-15 minutes, but nothing like they'd been before. We ended up calling anyway and went in, although we almost changed our mind since they were clearly nothing like the labor contractions I'd been having the night before. We got to the hospital at 5:00 and I was at a 3. Since I'd had a c-section with Makett they wouldn't induce (it increases the risk for needing a c-section). The Dr told us we were welcome to stay for a few hours to see if anything progressed. An hour later I told Brandon we should go home since it didn't seem like I was in labor, but he said we might as well wait to get checked one more time so we did. To our great surprise, when she came back I was dilated to a 6 so we were admitted around 7:00.

At around 10:30 I was only to a 7, so they broke my water. When they checked in an hour I hadn't dilated further, so they decided to put me on the smallest amount of pitocin they could. After a few minutes on pitocin my contractions stopped and the baby's heart rate dropped. Suddenly there were five doctors in the room and I was concerned! They said if things didn't change in a few minutes they would need to do a c-section, which I was terribly wanting to avoid. They unhooked the pit and we tried different positions and her heart rate went up and the contractions returned! She was facing up so they tried to turn her and managed to get her facing sideways. I only pushed for about ten minutes and she was out!

Here's the best part...we had the sweetest nurse on the planet. I had told her that I still feel bad that I didn't get to hold Tanzen and Makett until 14 hours after they were born, and asked that I could have Ryme as soon as she came out. They gave her to me right away and cut the cord while I was holding her, then everyone left Brandon, Ryme and I alone in the delivery room. It was so peaceful-- it was snowing outside, the room was dim and quiet, Ryme was alert and started nursing, and it was just us. They let us stay as long as we wanted, so it was two hours until they took her away to get measured and bathed and we moved rooms. Wonderful!

The birth part was pretty much perfect! A nice change after Tanzen and Makett's birth!

The next morning I started getting an excruciating headache and figured it was from straining my neck when I was pushing. Two days of flexerol, motrin and percocet did nothing to phase it. Thursday night I was afraid something serious was happening- that I had a tumor explode in my head or I was having a brain aneurysm...I was pretty scared. We ended up back in the hospital and found out I was leaking spinal fluid from the epidural-- who knew a little spinal fluid could cause such pain?! They did a blood patch (took lots of blood from my arm and put it in where the epidural was) and the relief was immediate! Thank heavens! Just a few residual back problems but my head is better, and I can't even describe how wonderful that is!

Anyway, we're all doing great now! There will certainly be lots of adjusting and I'm nervous to figure out how to juggle Tanzen, Makett, Ryme, and house stuff once my mom leaves, but we'll manage. For now I'm just focusing on how nice it is to have this cute little baby here!

Mount Washington

2011-02-05T22:21:00.008-05:00

Mount Washington is the highest mountain in the Northeastern US. It is famous for its dangerously erratic weather, and long held the record for the highest wind gust measured on the Earth's surface at 231 mph. They often claim they have the world's worst weather.
We carry prayer flags for cancer patients, to learn more go to Radiatinghope.org
We started with some ice climbing on routes called Bob's Delight, Chia, Rock Finish and Pegasus.
The next morning we woke up early to conquer Mount Washington. We then climbed up the Pinnacle route, which was exhausting but amazing.

We crossed the long alpine desert, eventually making it to the summit.

____________________________________________________________________

Cozy

2011-01-28T21:12:00.005-05:00

Just in case you were wondering how many animals, blankets and kids you can stuff in a toddler bed...

Look closely- can you see Ket in the top left?

Our totals were: 3 pillows, one giant dog, one large bear. 4 medium stuffed animals, 5 small stuffed animals, 2 pillow pets...oh, and 2 toddlers, of course!

Catching up...

2011-01-23T21:16:00.005-05:00

We were happy to have Brandon's parents come and visit in October

Feeding ducks in the Wissahickon...

Valley Forge...

Amish Farm and House

Thanks for a great visit!

Transitioning...

2011-01-20T21:40:00.002-05:00

We got the boys toddler beds so they'd be out of the cribs before the baby comes.

They each have their own bed, however, we often find them sleeping like this:

Cwanta-Claus!

2010-12-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving...

2010-12-27T23:15:00.004-05:00

We loved spending Thanksgiving with our phamily, the Daugherty's. Our friend Liz came too, and it was wonderful!

Mischievous

2010-12-13T21:34:00.004-05:00

With the joy of setting up the tree came the challenge of keeping it decorated. Makett and Tanzen were continually dragging chairs in to pull off the ornaments whenever the opportunity presented itself. The top foot of our tree is still decorated...the rest, not so much. We've had 3 ornament fatalities to date.

The look on Ketty's face is one of my favorite Ket expressions-- it's his, "Yes, I'm deliberately doing something I know I'm not supposed to. Aren't I so cute and funny?" look. I have to try really hard not to laugh every time he gives it to me, especially since it's usually accompanied by a high pitched little voice and giggle as he tells you what he's doing.

Tanzen gets a kick out of it to, as you can see.

Patience

2010-12-13T21:25:00.004-05:00

Makett and Tanzen are my sous chefs. We made muffins the other day and they were SO excited for them to bake. They dragged their chairs in and watched the oven eagerly in anticipation.

Makett grew disinterested, but Tanzen waited patiently.

Hobbies...

2010-12-12T14:58:00.006-05:00

Tanzen loves making necklaces. Lately he has been impressing me by grouping all the Fruit Loops in order- he picks out all the reds, then the purples, etc. Haven't taken a picture of that yet though.

Ket loves eating the necklaces. We've been working hard to get him to string the Fruit Loops on. He's very practical-- why bother going through the effort of getting it on the string if you can save time and eat it now? He doesn't seem to appreciate the whole 'refining fine motor skills' aspect.
Love how long Tanny's necklace is- he did it completely on his own. See Ket's? Mommy gets most of the credit...This is how I feel when I try to find the right maternity clothes lately...it doesn't quite fit like it used to. I think Ketty found this box more comfortable 6 months ago.

We temporarily moved the bean bag in the boys' new bedroom. It THRILLS me to see them picking out a book and reading it on their own. Yay! Makett loves reading too, I just didn't have a picture of him.

Imaginations

2010-12-12T14:45:00.003-05:00

In the past few months Tanzen and Makett have started doing a lot of imaginary play, and I love listening to them and the things they come up with.

Racing grapes down the track...their idea, not mine!
Coloring

Playing in the "tunnel"...they're very into tunnels and bridges right now, and were disappointed at the lack of them in Utah when we visited there.

Tanny is holding his "oinky", his current favorite toy. He loves taking care of it, whether he's feeding it or putting it in time out for major infractions of house rules.

Aw!

2010-12-12T14:43:00.001-05:00

I came home from a church meeting to see this... looks heavenly, doesn't it? Especially with the chihuahua?

Sharing...

2010-12-12T14:10:00.002-05:00

Remember these days?

We're still not quite over them...

Remember these days?

Dudes

2010-12-05T13:50:00.002-05:00

Glasses make everything cooler...especially orange giraffe glasses!

A daddy choo-choo train

Artists

2010-12-05T13:43:00.003-05:00

Makett and Tanzen went Trick or Treating to our awesome neighbor and friend, Liz's, house. She knows us well, and gave them play-dough for their treat, which has gotten a lot of use!

It should be noted that Makett likes watching us play with his play dough, and has gotten more adventurous, but doesn't love touching it and usually just pokes at it hesitantly with one finger or with a tool to avoid getting his hands salty.

Brandon is the preferred play-dough partner (and our official family picture drawer- when Mommy tries to draw Thomas, the boys say, "No, like Dada!"). His creations are much more pleasing to the eye...and easier to identify!

Hugs

2010-11-14T21:16:00.001-05:00

"Cumpins"

2010-11-14T20:54:00.005-05:00

Makett and Tanzen loved all things Halloween. We loved expanding (well, technically, creating) their Halloween vocab, and they loved finding pumpkins, witches, and ghosts around town. Pumpkins, aka "Cumpins", were their fav, and they were ecstatic when we bought some to bring home.

The squirrels kept nibbling on them, so we figured we better officially carve them before the squirrels finished them off.

They were shocked when Brandon started cutting into the pumpkin- I love the look on Ket's face.

Tanny was brave enough to get his hand gooey in the pumpkin...Ket watched with a look of trepidation. He doesn't like getting his hands (or feet) dirty. Really-- has the same issue with play dough and sand.

They wanted a happy pumpkin and were very pleased with Daddy's smiley Cumpin.
Lighting them became a nightly ritual, they loved putting the fire in and then trying to blow them out.

It's been 3 weeks since we had to throw the pumpkins away, and they're still asking for them. If Halloween decor was so much fun, I can't wait till Christmas!

Light Drift

2010-11-14T20:37:00.003-05:00

There was a 3 day, interactive lighting installation along the banks of the Schuylkill river which we loved seeing. There were light chairs along the banks with sensors in them, which interacted with the floating orbs in the water.

The artist, J. Meejin Yoon, described the installation:

"The resting state of the field is a constant state of green. When a visitor approaches a land orb, the orb will start an “enticement mode” by pulsing between blue and green. If a visitor sits on the orb, the pulsing will transition to a blue state. The water orbs that align with the land orb will change colors at the same time, creating a linear extension of blue lights in the water."

Tanzen and Makett wished we could take one of the land orbs home!

Walking the dog

2010-11-07T20:53:00.002-05:00

Yes, we still have a dog...Khylo just isn't featured as prominently since Makett and Tanzen came into our family. They love taking Khy for walks.

The great kite rescue

2010-11-07T20:32:00.005-05:00

Our fantastic kite flying days had a tragic ending a month or so ago. Not to worry, Brandon came through for us! Makett and Tanzen were pretty traumatized when we had to leave our kite in the poison ivy covered tree it got stuck in. Brandon was determined to rescue it, so, armed with his rock climbing rope we headed back to the park.

The boys watched in breathless anticipation...the tension was palpable, could Daddy do it?

Brandon's Search and Rescue training paid off-- after several attempts, the kite was freed!

It was a joyous reunion.

Brandon paid dearly for this rescue...turns out the kite was in the tree long enough to get poison ivy, so Brandon had his fourth or fifth case of poison ivy since we've moved to Philly. What dedication!