Master of Disguise

Yep, that's him.
Mild-mannered baby by day, international master of disguise by night.


Dragon/Dinosaur


Ballot-wielding adult


Baby with teeth

We had a good time with Halloween this year. We celebrated by walking to the library and voting. We figured we'd save a lot of time and hassle by voting early. Too bad about a bijillion other people also decided to save time and hassle. The line snaked through the stacks, with bored waiters snagging books as they spotted an interesting one. Luckily I had a couple books on hold so that I didn't have to search for something to read. I perpetually have books on hold at the library; it's kind of getting out of control. I hear about a book I'd like to read, and request it. Then all the books I've requested become available at the same time, and it's a mad rush to get them all read in time. It's not an option to just return a book unread.

Anyway, back to voting. We voted. We are responsible citizens. And I am so excited for this election season to be over. The end.

I know you've been thinking it. You didn't want to say anything; it would be impolite. And you didn't have to. We know that boy of ours sure is getting shaggy.

Well, no longer. We figured six months was old enough for his first haircut. He didn't like the clippers very much, so we ended up with me holding him while dear father wielded the clippers. We all got hairy.


But what cute hair it is. I wasn't at all sentimental about the first haircut until it was over. Then, "What have I done? My little boy looks so BIG!"


And he also looks clean cut. No more wisps sticking out all directions, up, out, over his ears. And if you'd like to, you may join me in bidding a fond farewell to the ever-famous baby mullet.

And if you someday find yourself missing the baby mullet to the point where you can no longer cope, just come on over. You can sigh over times gone by with the plastic sandwich bag that is the mullet's final resting place.

We just couldn't throw cute hair like that away.

Baby, it snowed outside.

Oh, buddy, did it snow. I was expecting a little sprinkling when I got up Sunday morning, but there was already a few inches. There were a few more inches by the time we got out of church. And it just kept on snowing. We watched the neighbors shovel their (north-facing) driveway, and the neighbor kids had a snowball fight. Luckily, we knew our (south-facing) driveway would melt the next day, so we could be lazy and avoid shoveling.

This wasn't Nathan's first snow, but he wasn't really into snow the day we brought him home from the hospital. He was busy sleeping, or something. Lazy kid.

So, what else could we do but initiate him into the world of winter wonderland, through that time-honored tradition, the Polar Bear Challenge?



No. We. Didn't.

We're not bad parents. We bundled him up carefully, wearing all manner of warm clothing.



He seemed to be mildly interested by the snow. He looked, and touched, and looked, and touched. Then he started to complain. Thought it was cold or naptime or something. I told you, he's kind of a lazy kid. Always taking naps and stuff.



So we brought him inside and further exploited him by dressing him up and taking cute pictures.

The snow made it seem like Christmas. We bundled up, ate soup, and did all sorts of wintery things. In fact, it seemed so much like winter that...

(Being married to a man who would listen to Christmas music ALL YEAR long, I usually try to hold off the holiday-themed entertainment. Moderation in all things, you know. It's for his own protection, really. If I had to listen to "Jingle Bells" all year long, I can't vouch for what I would do.)

So, with that explanation, you will understand the extreme winter-ness of the day knocked my good sense out of whack so much that I actually suggested we watch Elf.

And that husband of mine was delighted, and so we did. It's one of my favorite Christmas movies. I did clearly state, however, that this did not give him free rein for all Christmas, all the time. We have to give fall its due, you know. If only the weather would cooperate.

Welcoming Autumn

Warning: this blog contains no gossip. So don't look for any. (Just to let Michael know we're taking his advice to heart.)

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. It's not hot, and so you get to unpack all those sweaters, fuzzy socks, and flannel sheets. Last night it got so (unseasonably) cold in our house we had to turn on the heater, and I got a little giddy. I never realized before how much I love the smell of warm air coming out of the vents. I didn't even remember that warm air coming out of the vents had a smell. I am such a cold weather nerd. Anyway, it was wonderful.

Last Friday (the day before the torrential rain) we went hiking up Taylor's Canyon (see slideshow below). It was beautiful and crisp. We almost turned back when it started to sprinkle, but luckily we held out, and it stopped after a few minutes. So we kept going. And going. And then the ridge looked so deceptively close that we kept going some more. We kept going so high and so long that before we knew it, Nathan was hungry. Oh, dear. Luckily we were so far up the trail that no one saw us as I fed him while sitting on a rock.

By then it was getting dark so we had to turn back. The ridge that had looked so close got farther away the closer we got (does that even make sense?). So we left our dreams of hiking up and over to Snowbasin for another day. We'll make it sometime.

It was almost dark by the time we made it back to the car. But Nathan was a trooper through it all. He loves being outside, so even though we interrupted his nap, he was happy. He looked and looked and grabbed at whatever he could. I don't know how, but he got hold of a leaf and played with it for a long time, until he finally fell asleep. We're training him up to be another hiking, mountains, outdoors-in-general enthusiast.

I love hiking in the mountains, especially in the fall. It makes my soul feel clean and alive. We'll have to do it more often. Too bad it's SNOWING in the mountains this weekend. Darn winter storm warning.

I've tipped over, but I don't mind

I guess I better start with a disclaimer: I take no responsibility for the content of this blog inciting small children to undertake dangerous activities, such as, but not limited to, driving the car. Parents need to fully discuss with their toddlers the consequences of such activities and maintain an environment where harmless blogs do not give children such ideas.

That was for Jon. Apparently a picture a couple of posts ago gave his two-year-old daughter a very good idea. She started plotting with her five-year-old sister to get the car keys so that she could drive. So, all you parents of small children with big ideas, take my disclaimer to heart.

***

We have a USB drive for copying pictures onto our computer, and it's wonderful. Not only does it make transferring pictures to the computer so convenient, it's also shaped perfectly for playing with it. It's got a little lid thing that I love to play with. Pop it off, snap it back on. Pop off, snap on. You get the picture. Unfortunately, I love to play with it so much that when I'm done at the computer, I carry the very-convenient card reader with me throughout the house, popping off and snapping on. And then I forget where I put it.

So this post very nearly had no pictures. That would be a horrible thing, having to be entertained solely by my writing and not being able to see any pictures of a very cute baby. Oh, dear, indeed. But luckily, I found another card reader on the floor under the computer desk that isn't nearly as much fun to play with. So it's at least close to where it should be. And now you all have an idea of how organized we are, that we keep important computer/camera implements under the computer desk.

***

Last night we decided to start Nathan on food. He's been very intent on watching other people eat food, that we decided he's ready. So, here we go.
He had such a good time. He got really excited and kept trying to grab the bowl. And he loved chewing on the spoon. The only thing he doesn't love about eating, apparently, is swallowing.

Pretty much everything that went in his mouth dripped right back out. But we had a good time. And then we had a bath.

***

One morning Nathan got up about 6:00. He ate, then I put him on his tummy to play. But he was still sleepy, so he just put his head down on his arm and started to fall asleep right in the middle of looking at a picture of a baby (this is usually a very exciting activity). He woke back up when I got out the camera, though. So we took a few pictures and then we both went back to bed. It was great.

An Opportunity Squandered

Today I called Levi at work and told him, "I ruined one of your shirts." He laughed and asked, "One of the Lake Powell ones?" And that's when it hit me: Why am I not a genius? Because that would have been a genius thing to do.

Here's the story. Once upon a time Levi went home for summers and worked for the concessionaire at Bullfrog. His uniform was cream polo shirts with a Lake Powell logo, and denim shorts also embroidered with the logo (you may have seen him still wear these). So you may be thinking "Lake Powell logo, polo shirt, what's the problem?" The problem is that Levi could fit into one shirt approximately one and three-eighths times. It's not a small shirt. After we got married I tactfully suggested maybe he should start wearing clothes that fit him. And he took the suggestion very well, but he still hangs on to those (now reserved for dirty work projects) shirts.

It's become one of those continuous married-couple jokes. So much so that it's come up at dinners with other people. So much so that his first thought when I tell him I've ruined one of his shirts is the much-beloved, much-maligned Lake Powell shirts.

So I'm mourning my missed opportunity. Because the shirt I ruined was the Hillary Fan Club t-shirt (here's a shoutout to all those who still have their Hillary Fan Club shirts). It's not terribly ruined, just a couple small stains, and it's not like he really wore the shirt in public anyway. But still.

On to other news: I ruined the shirt while... staining some tables. I love finishing (or refinishing) furniture. It's very fun. The next time you come to my house, compliment me on the table in my living room. I got it for free from a yard sale, and I rehabilitated it from its dilapidated, water-stained state. And now it looks awesome. They don't make tables like that anymore. At least not that you can get for free.

The latest craze: face-grabbing. All the babies are doing it. So be prepared--if your face gets within range, small fingers are going to probe all available nooks, crannies, and teeth. Nathan even tried to suck on Levi's nose today. Grossness. i guess Nathan has to learn about allergies sometime, right?

Alfresco Living...Idaho Style

I'm not sure where Levi took this picture, but I'm pretty sure it was Preston. And I liked it, so now all you all have to look at it. Anyway, this past weekend was the now infamous Holliday family reunion. It's usually an idyllic weekend full of relaxing, a minimal amount of socializing (you mean I have to talk to people I'm kind of related to?), and a whole lot of good food.

And there was relaxing, socializing, the usual reunion what-have-you. And lots of good food, if you didn't mind that it was cooked in...what used to be a chicken coop. Starting Sunday afternoon, it rained. Our relaxing weekend got cold, dark, and wet. After we got tired of watching the tent drip onto our bedding, we moved to the back of our truck. Which worked admirably--we stayed dry and warm. It was definitely a reunion to remember--I'm sure there'll be skits about it next year.

So this is the Nathans all bundled up. If you've noticed that in many of these photos he seems to have the same expression, his face is not frozen this way. When he's being cute, though, and I get out the camera, he stares: "What is that thing you're pointing at me?" So he usually looks vaguely alarmed in pictures.

He loved camping, by the way. There's so much to look at outside that he doesn't get bored, or even very fussy when he's tired. The first night in the tent he slept great. And he slept almost as great in the truck. He loved camping so much, in fact, that he's staged his own sort of living-indoors strike. He has not slept good all week since we've been home. Not good naps, not good sleep at night. Thus, he's been ornery and I am far from chipper. Sorry to Levi.

On the way home, Levi got a little tired, so we figured Nathan was old enough to learn to drive. He is taller than 97% of babies his age, you know. Driving will probably come very naturally to him as a result. (Precocity in height means that he will automatically excel at everything he tries.)
And I had to throw this one in as well because it's just cute. And he doesn't look scared of the camera.