Here is a video of Mudpuppy playing on the changing table:
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Snow shoes
One of the many things being offered at Lake Lodge near our home is snow shoe rental. Actually, it's free, so I guess it's not a rental. Anyway, I took the girls out onto the lake:
Jaybird would like to report that she definitely did not have fun. "This is the worst day of my life," she said. Repeatedly. Along with other things I won't record. At the top of her lungs . . . for the duration of our time outside.
Still, I had fun, and so did Mouse. Next week, if the weather cooperates, we might try snowshoeing at the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge, which also has free snowshoe rental.
BTW, I have more to post, but it will have to wait until tomorrow, because it's too late right now. I spent a good chunk of the evening working on a DVD of the kids from November, which I hope to send out within a week.
 |
| The girls in the middle of the lake. |
Jaybird would like to report that she definitely did not have fun. "This is the worst day of my life," she said. Repeatedly. Along with other things I won't record. At the top of her lungs . . . for the duration of our time outside.
Still, I had fun, and so did Mouse. Next week, if the weather cooperates, we might try snowshoeing at the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge, which also has free snowshoe rental.
BTW, I have more to post, but it will have to wait until tomorrow, because it's too late right now. I spent a good chunk of the evening working on a DVD of the kids from November, which I hope to send out within a week.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mudpuppy's first words
Well, we've been waiting for some definitive first words from Mudpuppy -- he doesn't really enunciate anything quite so clearly yet, but he has definitely begun to repeat some sounds that he associates with certain situations.
"Da da" -- when he first started saying it, this was more of a random babble; now, I think he associates that word with me, partly thanks to the encouragement of others in the family.
"There he is!" -- He will consistently repeat this phrase after we use it. We say it when we're pulling on a shirt: "Where's [Mudpuppy]? Oh -- there he is!" And he'll laugh and laugh and say something that sounds sort of like "der e iz." It's pretty consistent, so we don't think we're imagining it, but I think we'd be the only ones to recognize it as a phrase.
"Alleluia" -- He definitely says this word, and pretty clearly at times, too. We often work a sung alleluia into our family prayer, and his face lights up when we sing it. Once it sounded like he was trying to imitate it a few months ago, the kids and I jumped on it, and have been saying it to him repeatedly ever since. "Say 'alleluia!'" So, now, he does.
He clearly understands many words as well -- banana, eat, drink, mama, and the names of his siblings. His face lights up when I mention his siblings' names -- for instance, when we're getting in the car to pick them up, I might say, "Should we go get [Bear]? And [Mouse]? And [Jaybird]?" And he will smile and his eyes light up for each one; he'll look off to the side to see if they're around.
"Da da" -- when he first started saying it, this was more of a random babble; now, I think he associates that word with me, partly thanks to the encouragement of others in the family.
"There he is!" -- He will consistently repeat this phrase after we use it. We say it when we're pulling on a shirt: "Where's [Mudpuppy]? Oh -- there he is!" And he'll laugh and laugh and say something that sounds sort of like "der e iz." It's pretty consistent, so we don't think we're imagining it, but I think we'd be the only ones to recognize it as a phrase.
"Alleluia" -- He definitely says this word, and pretty clearly at times, too. We often work a sung alleluia into our family prayer, and his face lights up when we sing it. Once it sounded like he was trying to imitate it a few months ago, the kids and I jumped on it, and have been saying it to him repeatedly ever since. "Say 'alleluia!'" So, now, he does.
He clearly understands many words as well -- banana, eat, drink, mama, and the names of his siblings. His face lights up when I mention his siblings' names -- for instance, when we're getting in the car to pick them up, I might say, "Should we go get [Bear]? And [Mouse]? And [Jaybird]?" And he will smile and his eyes light up for each one; he'll look off to the side to see if they're around.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
More breakfast conversation
Mouse (over cereal): Mom, are raindrops really the tears of God?
Me: No, they're not.
(pause)
Mouse: How about sweat?
Me: No, they're not.
(pause)
Mouse: How about sweat?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Temptation in a nutshell
So, Bear is asking me questions about spiritual warfare and original sin at the breakfast table. (Don't they all?) After bemoaning so much evil in the world:
Bear: "Sometimes, I just wish I could kick the devil in the face."
Me: "Well, son, I think you really ought to let God take care of that. You stay away from evil and trust in God."
Bear: "You mean let God kick the devil in the face?"
Me: "Yes. Basically."
Bear: "Yeah, but, it would be so much more satisfying if I could do it."
There, my friends, is the essence of temptation in a nutshell.
(Catechetical moment followed.)
--Starling
Bear: "Sometimes, I just wish I could kick the devil in the face."
Me: "Well, son, I think you really ought to let God take care of that. You stay away from evil and trust in God."
Bear: "You mean let God kick the devil in the face?"
Me: "Yes. Basically."
Bear: "Yeah, but, it would be so much more satisfying if I could do it."
There, my friends, is the essence of temptation in a nutshell.
(Catechetical moment followed.)
--Starling
Sunday, January 09, 2011
A bit of a rough day
It has been a bit of a rough day here, with both me and Mudpuppy sick. I spent much of the day in bed or dozing with a bad cold -- or maybe it's the flu? It's not so much sneezing and stuff, more achy-ness and tiredness.
Anyway, Mudpuppy got the worst of it with a short-lived stomach flu. He threw up twice, and spent most of the day trembling and/or crying. Very unusual for him, poor thing.
Before he got sick, though, we went to church, where he was his normal cheerful self. I know I'm always saying this, but it keeps happening . . . after church, we had a woman come up to us a detail everything Mudpuppy had been doing. I tell you, we have got to stop sitting near the front -- this smiley kid is distracting half the church, apparently! After the Dec. 26 Mass, a woman came up to us and said, "My kids visited over Christmas with their eight grandchildren, and I had to tell them sorry, but that's the cutest baby I've ever seen." Meaning Mudpuppy, of course.
Anyway, Mudpuppy got the worst of it with a short-lived stomach flu. He threw up twice, and spent most of the day trembling and/or crying. Very unusual for him, poor thing.
Before he got sick, though, we went to church, where he was his normal cheerful self. I know I'm always saying this, but it keeps happening . . . after church, we had a woman come up to us a detail everything Mudpuppy had been doing. I tell you, we have got to stop sitting near the front -- this smiley kid is distracting half the church, apparently! After the Dec. 26 Mass, a woman came up to us and said, "My kids visited over Christmas with their eight grandchildren, and I had to tell them sorry, but that's the cutest baby I've ever seen." Meaning Mudpuppy, of course.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Things Mudpuppy can do, #3
Besides learning to walk (see below), Mudpuppy has been brushing up on his gardening skills. Like every true gardener, he loves spending the winter months sitting in a cozy chair, planning his garden and dreaming of warm summer days. Only five more months, baby!
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