Going Private

We've been meaning to do this for a while now, and I am still working out the logistics. But for now, we'll say that in 2 weeks (Sunday, August 8) we will go private. If you want an invitation, please leave your name and email address in a comment. I won't publish the comments with emails in them--just collect them to send out the blog invitations. Going private is only to prevent the cyberspace public from viewing our life. We want ONLY our friends and family to view the blog. To put it another way, ALL of our friends and family are welcome to view our blog--so please don't hesitate to ask for an invite.

What We've Been Up To

Power wash, scrape, haul ladders, tape off, replace rotted boards, go to Home Depot no fewer thean 23 times in a week, spray primer, get winded out, go get more primer, finish spraying primer, get rained out, spray paint, go get more paint, back roll, keep spraying paint, go get more paint again, paint trim, cut windows open from paint seal, scrape windows, paint stairs with oil based paint, watch it rain on wet oil based paint for 4 days, see our new beautiful home and feel so glad that we were able to paint it this summer. Before and after pictures are coming--we have to paint the front door, then we'll post the reveal. In the meantime, here are some action shots.

The transformation begins from bright white primer to a medium tan. When we picked up the paint, we saw a neighborhood teen in the parking lot. "What are you up to?" We're getting paint for our house. "Oh yeah, what color?" Tan. "Is it a tan like that (pointing to a building) or a cool tan?"

A cool tan, Ian. Definitely a cool tan. We love it!

Let it be known that I use the word "we" very loosely in the above list of chores.

My #1 chore was keeping him:

off the ladders, out of the paint buckets, and out of the street. We took walks to the park, watched through the window, ran errands to Home Depot, took the high chair to the front yard for dinner hour, even sat in the car and watched Daddy work. He wanted to be in the middle of the action. Oh, how he wanted to be part of it all.

For the most part, I was good at keeping track of him. Occasionally, he slipped past the line of defense. I didn't grab the camera when he had a paint brush full of paint, running full speed across the yard with splatters of paint trailing behind. He knew his time with such a toy was limited, and he wanted to nothing with those precious few moments but sprint out of reach. 

We have evidence of some other mischief, too:

At least it's very cute evidence.

Mr. Giraffe

David has a large stuffed giraffe that he loves. It's one of the three chosen stuffed animals that have a spot in his bed every night.

When we were teaching David how to pray, Mr. Giraffe was a big help.

He showed our little one how to fold his arms. Every night for family prayer, Mr. Giraffe folded his arms and stayed quiet.

I wonder if Mr. Giraffe could learn to keep his eyes closed, too!?!

This Program is Brought to You by the Letter "T"

T is for:

"Tado"--As in avocado. Another creamy textured food keeps our boy happy, and always asking for more.

"Tattow"--Which of course means he is asking for a cracker. He'll eat the first 2 or 3 bites, then he'll start crushing them. I think he likes the texture of crushed crackers in his hand. Fun for him, messy for mom to clean up. *sigh* I just remind myself that someday I'll miss crushed crackers and the chunky little hands that made them that way.

"Tih-to, Tih-to"--David goes for any bare toes he sees with his wiggly fingers and scrunched up nose while repeating "tih-to tih-to tih-to." David has always had a thing for toes. He used to put his mouth on them and attempt to bite or suck them. I've had to pardon my baby's behavior a time or two when he went for toes sticking out of sandals. That was awkward. The toe tickling is cute--much cuter than the alternative.

"Tudoh Tudoh"--Definitely one of our favorites, usually said when he brings you something soft to join the party. David is asking for a cuddle.

And the number two, which is the minimum number of times David will say a word. He repeats it as if the two words together are just a single word. "Bathbath" is one of our favorites.

And of course our proud sponsors, and viewers like you. (not really on the sponsor part . . . but sharing with our viewers is a great motivation to keep up on blogging!)

Mischief

Dinner wasn't coming quickly enough.

 Rearranging ladders and gutter in our backyard: 

 Taking stock of our food storage:

A little too anxious for a bath:

 But I can't say I really blame him:

My favorite part about this photo is that my brother and sister definitely knew I was in trouble. 

No smile for the camera, just a "She's gonna get it now" smirk.

I don't remember getting in trouble--just running to jump in the water and the camera coming out.