Towne Family Blog

Other current events

2007-11-20T21:10:00.001-08:00

Helena is still enjoying being a big sister for the most part. Unfortunately, poor Ada is now being treated like a doll which really gets on Ada's nerves.
Ada has decided she wants to cook. She is such a little "girl's, girl"...she loves shoes, hats, strolling her baby around, and yes, trying to cook. I don't know where she gets it... Naturally, she pulled up the stool & did this own her own when the man fixing the furnace was here (he probably thinks we are nuts b/c we were taking a picture of her rather than moving her when he came up).
The family was really excited about going to my art show....
Ada has finally figured out the best way to deal with Liam. I think he better watch out...
Two really important developments here: with Helena now in kindergarten, the kids will go longer amounts of time playing & not fighting. They love go fish & Liam even wins sometimes (which Helena HATES...she is so competitive). The second notable thing is that Liam is wearing stripes... he is ONLY wearing stripes & refuses to wear anything else!

the return home from Halloween adventure....

2007-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

And the night continues....

with a Towne mishap. Poor little Ada was running in the costume (I mentioned it was too big) and tripped. She landed right on her face & she & I had to come home and take of her bloody costume. Here is her battle scar.

As they entered the door Liam had his costume off in all of two seconds & as you can see Helena was right behind him. Here are part of the goods...notice Ada is trying to get in on the action.
As Liam and Helena were sorting thier candy, Ada vanished. I noticed she wasn't around & found her behind the kids blue chair in the living room. She was totally quiet and was in the process of eating a lollipop (it was her first & she had more paper in her mouth than candy).
Ada's new discovery is a big hit as you can see. After this she was taking lollipops out of their baskets and running away from me with them for about 2 weeks.

Halloween

2007-11-20T20:21:00.001-08:00

Well, here are some new pictures of the kids from Halloween...Smiles from Helena & Liam who understand candy is on the way... Ada is not at all Happy.
This is a serious sport....
My little lion....
This costume is one Liam wore year before last & as you can tell, it is too big. That will cause yet another "Towne Disaster" later in the evening.
Three of my four kids off on their way to get candy. Ada is working so hard to keep up, Liam is looking at Helena, & Bill is not quite as pouty as usual (costumes make him happy...he stole the knight's shield from Liam's toy box as well as a sword...he still hasn't given them back.)

Last Post

2007-10-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Can't you just see Bill making this face while he wrote this....

I've been updating this blog for about two and a half years now, but I've just passed the reins to Dalen.

Since the rest of the family wanted the blog to be private two weeks ago, only two people have signed up to view it. Plus, to make it private, it must rest on Google's servers, not mine, so I lost lots of control over its appearance, all the formatting was lost, not to mention hundreds and hundreds of photos. I was pretty pissed about it, but I thought that it was something that I could live with. Two weeks later, I still had no motivation to begin again, so I told Dalen that I've made her the admin of the blog and she can do what she wants with it. She said that she might work on it once she gets her Master's degree done. In the meantime, you can visit her art work blog, where, ironically, anyone can see paintings of my wife nude.

Addition:

As a final kick-in-the-arse, I just got this message when posting this letter:

Helena's Day at School

2007-10-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Helena took some photos at my school one afternoon.

Mr. Porter's bike.

Ms. Paige
Front of the school.

Flowers.
Front yard of the school.

One of the school's rocks. It is outside my window - two of my former students surprised me with this.

The other rock. South High Tigers are our rivals.

Someone spilled paint on our new parking lot. Probably Chinese high-lead paint.

Squirrel....see it?

There is goes!

Mr. McMayer

Apple Picking

2007-09-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Photos from Home

2007-09-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

Ada asleep on the couch.Helena's first homework assignment. Due the first day of school.

Ada on the floor.
Helena and Liam during a civil moment.

Helena's Photos

2007-09-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

All the photos here were done by Helena except a couple. Most were from our trip to New York.

Here is a self portrait.

On the road.

Little brother.

Best friend.

At the Ground Round.

On dad's birthday on the way to the zoo.

Liam again.

Helena Loses a Tooth

2007-09-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Mom has been telling Helena to pull out her tooth in front for a long time. Helena really began working on it tonight when she realized that it was really loose.

Back in June, Helena fell outside and made her two front, bottom teeth loose. Apparently, her mouth thought that her baby teeth were gone, so her adult teeth began to come in. So there isn't a huge gap in her mouth because there have been two teeth in the back already up just waiting for the old renters to finally move out.

The tooth fairy only gave a dollar. If you see her, please call her a cheapskate.

I should mention that Helena was very excited when her tooth came out. It was just before bedtime, and she couldn't stop laughing and talking about it. I'm not sure how she ever got to sleep.

Dad's Birthday

2007-09-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

With the official Towne birthday hat on.

I'm not sure what I'm making a face for.

Liam enjoying the cake. He usually takes one or two bites of sweets and then stops. Not this time.

Daaaaad.....
Dalen not in her correct seat.

Dalen looking smart.

Dalen looking not so smart.

Ada's face was scratched up because of a big fall at the zoo. No pictures of the zoo this year because the camera was left in the van.

Nice picture of Helena.

Helena Goes to School

2007-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

I don't have any photos of her first day except for the one below of her getting off the bus in front of my school, where she'll be going everyday after school for the next 13 years (as long as I'm not fired before then). But here is how the day sort of went.

Helena was a bit nervous before she left for school in the morning. I packed her first lunch ("peanut butter and jelly sandwich - not the kind with the peanut butter and jelly mixed, but just plain peanut butter and strawberry jelly" - in her lunch box, and put it in her backpack with her sneakers.

When on the back porch before leaving, she told Dalen that she didn't want things to change, which, of course made Dalen cry. But when I took Helena to school, she was pretty good. She goes to Minneapolis Kids at the school (in a trailer adjacent to the school, actually) in the morning, which is a day-care type of thing. I stayed with her for about twenty minutes, but she was a little nervous about playing with the other kids, although most of the other kindergarteners were the same way. So we played with some My Pretty Pony toys before I left for work. There weren't any tears, and as far as I know, there haven't been any at all since.

She gets a cafeteria number that she has to know in order to get food. Minneapolis Public Schools no longer accepts cash - all accounts must be paid for online or before school in advance, so for a week I made sure that she knew her number. As soon as she got to school, they had a name tag for her with the number right on it, anyway. Turns out that Helena didn't go to breakfast because she said that she wasn't hungry. I was convinced that she was too nervous about going into the cafeteria (fear of the unknown) because Helena isn't one to turn free food down. (She has since gotten used to it and has gone in for breakfast, although she is quick to point out that the egg-muffin sandwich isn't any good).

At lunchtime, I went back down to Minneapolis Kids to walk her to Kindergarten. Since Minneapolis Kids walk her over there each day, I was just going to walk beside her. When I arrived, she was playing with the other kids on the playground. I think every kid was playing by themselves - Helena happened to be climbing. They called all the kids over to line up and they took them inside the trailer to get their backpacks. I talked to two other parents who were there as well, but when the kids came out, Helena wasn't there. Something got mixed up and she ended up in the wrong group, so I went in to get her and walked her over myself.

Ms. Sisler, her kindergarten teacher, asked the kids to sit down in a circle, which they all did (amazingly, only about 12 of the 25 kids were there on time - I still can't figure that out) and she gave the kids directions about what they need to do each day when they come in (pick up their attendance stick and put it in the blue cup, put their backpacks in the cubby, clean their hands with the sanitizer, and then write their names down on a piece of paper on her desk). She was given a t-shirt with her name on it (I haven't seen it since) and asked to draw a picture. I gave her a kiss and she told me goodbye. She seemed to be doing really well, although very quiet (just like the others).

Dalen went to Lake Harriet to help Helena get on bus number 3 which would take her to my school which is where she gets dropped off (there are bus stops here in Minneapolis - kids aren't necessarily dropped off at their homes). She sat in the front seat. Dalen drove to my school and we both were there to get her off the bus. Helena told us about the older boys (grades 1 and 2!) that were in the back of the bus chanting, "We like girls" over and over.

Other than that, she didn't give too many details of her day. Now, after seven days of school, she lets out a little bit more each day (what the boys say in the back of the bus, she mentions friends like Olivia, Cozette, and Cole, and how she doesn't like Ms. Sisler's substitute). She has me make lunch for her every other day now, and buys lunch in the cafeteria on the other days.

The worst thing that has happened from my perspective is the day she got on the wrong bus. After she got going, Helena did realize that she was on the wrong bus and told the drive, "I'm on the wrong bus!". The driver radioed the correct bus, and they both met back at the school and Helena got on the correct one. But it didn't seem to faze Helena that much. On Thursday of this week (day six of school) the bus driver missed the stop in front of my school. As the bus went by, I saw Helena in her front seat, but she didn't say anything to the bus driver. The bus went around the corner of the school rather than stopping at the next block. I assumed that the driver realized his mistake and was going to go around the block. I went into the school to look out the other side to see if I could see th bus, but I never did. So I walked out the door by her stop once again and began talking to one of my new students while waiting for Helena to be dropped off.

After talking to her for a few minutes, she asks what I am doing waiting outside, and I tell her that I'm waiting for Helena. She asks how old she is. I tell her five. My student then says that just before I came out of the school the second time, she saw a little girl running up the hill and going in to the school. Yep, Helena was waiting in my room. She was dropped off two blocks away, but found her way. She was quite excited that she looked both ways before crossing the road.

The next day I called the school to make sure that she was dropped off properly, but as I waved frantically at the bus driver, he drove right past the stop again (but he did wave back!) I ran the two blocks as quick as I could in my work shoes, and somehow did catch up before he drove off after dropping Helena off. He checked his route schedule and realized his mistake, so it shouldn't happen again.

Helena told Dalen a story while picking out clothes for the next day about older boys making fun of her because her underwear was showing on the playground. Then Helena said that she just made it up so that she wouldn't have to wear jeans that she didn't like. I believe the first story, but Helena is smart enough to pull something like this off, so I can't be entirely sure. If it is true, I'm going to kick some first grader's ass!

My students have warmed to her. She was the most popular kid at the football game on Friday. Having her at a neighborhood school that isn't part of her own neighborhood will cause some headaches, but so far she is doing really well, except for forgetting her lunch box and jacket almost every day.

Daycare Pictures - Helena

2007-08-22T09:59:00.001-07:00

Big smile. She might be up to something.

With friend Zoe at Painter Park.

Dress up.

The future. I'm sure of it.

Rare day with Chubby at daycare.

Reading with Mary Grace and Lark.

Helena draws pictures and puts them in envelopes for mom and dad to open.

Climbing trees.

With Ada.

Helena hasn't met an animal that she hasn't liked.

Pajama day.

Daycare Pictures - Liam

2007-08-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Playing at the park.

Liam loves playing with water. Having him wash his hands in the sink after dinner could be a 45 minute task.

With nemesis, Max.

Sorting.

Liam's third birthday.

Being silly.
"I'm not your little boy, I'm Grandma Laura's little boy". Mariama looks comfortable.

Another of Liam's favorites: Playdoh.

Liam got to do the little poster for "A" week.

Taking a break. I imagine that he was playing with the cars. This year has been an exciting one at daycare because of the Lyndale Avenue construction project outside of daycare. Liam loves the diggers, bulldozers, steam rollers, and other trucks.

Liam likes throwing balls around too, often with disastrous consequences.

Liam caught being nice to his little sister.

I have no idea what to think of this one.

Happy. Probably a good snack.

Wet again.

Two more happy pictures. I wish he were happy when we drop him off at daycare.

Daycare Pictures - Ada

2007-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is the first photo of Ada at daycare. Such a beauty, too.

Sitting up.
With Celeste. Looking at Celeste's shirt, I think daycare providers should get a dry cleaning allowance.

Smiling Ada.
Playing with her feet again. This is a common pose of hers ... she would seemingly always sit with feet up a bit.

Easter.
With her sister. As nice as Helena is to Ada, she can't help smothering her at times.

With the grandmas.

More Photos from New York

2007-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

After we arrived in Gloversville without a key, I had to search a bit for one (never found one). But Helena did spot this deer peeking in through the window, and she had to see it.

I took this picture of the kids in pop-pop's chair. Okay, I drew pants on Helena)

Libby with Ada.

Helena putting Libby's makeup on.

Helena wanted a picture of Sue.

Ada, stop touching that outlet.

Not listening!

Dad took a picture of Dunkin' Donuts. None out here in Minneapolis.

Ada's New York Birthday

2007-08-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

Man of the house.

Ada likes being sung to.

Mom more excited than the kid.

Sugar high....

and sugar low.Ada in her new pool.

Adirondack Animal Land

2007-08-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Just after we entered into the park.

Helena liked the petting zoo. Liam was really scared so we had to leave and watch her from beyond the gate....

...where he watched the chicken that got out...

...until it began to move!

Helena in front of the giraffe.

Here are photos of Helena in 2004 and 2005. We didn't go to New York in 2006 because Ada was about ready to pop out.

and Liam too. Liam was too tired and grumpy to have his picture taken in 2005.

The highlight of the afternoon was the giraffe (since there were no pony rides).

Drinking their "Puppy Slushes" before the safari ride. I didn't get a photo of a camel kissing me all over the back of my neck, which Helena and Liam loved quite a bit (as well as the other people on the ride)

Helena Toenail Has Finally Fallen Off

2007-07-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Helena's toenail a couple of days before it fell off. It finally fell off in the pool at Bryant Square Park. Its whereabouts is unknown. She was a little upset that she couldn't find it because I told her that the toenail fairy would have come and left a peanut-butter sandwich under her pillow.

What it looks like now.

My cute daughter.

My other daughter (sigh)
Ada finally is sleeping in her crib.

Liam is turning into an artist. He can write his name now as well.

July Photos

2007-07-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ada tearing the kitchen apart

Liam getting ready for a ride. We went to the Bastille Day block party and then for ice-cream.

Helena and Liam on the Grain Belt bridge (Hennepin Ave) on July 4th. Helena was more excited about the cotton candy.

Liam likes looking out the window at the traffic. I think he knows the bus drivers by heart now.

Mommy reinforcing gender roles.

Helena reading.

Helena's Toenail

2007-06-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

The doctor told Helena to keep her toe as clean as possible and then just wait until the nail falls off. (She slammed the car door on it about a month ago after seeing Seussical)

Most of the time it doesn't bother her, though.

Easy Bake Oven

2007-06-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

At dinner, Ada was eating really well. I sat down with her and began feeding her while Dalen was finishing matzo balls in the kitchen. She ate like a horse. When Dalen came in, she had finished her oatmeal and sweet potatoes so Dalen gave her a cookie.

She was sleeping with the cookie after just a few minutes. She never even gave us a warning.

While I went upstairs to read while Ada napped, Helena and Liam made cake with their Easybake oven.
OK, it isn't a new one.
Finished product.
Helena is happy

Helena doesn't like chocolate very much, but Liam does.

Photos from the Past Week

2007-06-28T20:16:00.001-07:00

I tried to get a picture of Helena's toenail that is falling off after she slammed her toe in the door of the car a few weeks ago, but it didn't turn out. We'll all have to wait a bit longer for that!

Helena's view of the lagoon from the bike trailer.

Liam at "the flowers"

Liam's hairdo after nap. I've pretty much given up trying to fix it.

Helena and her friend, Zoe.

Ada looking out the window at Liam.

Ada eating a Freezy-pop.

Helena likes shucking corn.

Liam likes it to, although Helena doesn't like Liam doing it.

Liam takes it quite seriously.

At the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Train Ride

2007-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

We took a two-hour train ride on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border on Saturday which the kids absolutely loved. We almost had the entire train to ourselves - there were probably about 7 or 8 families on the whole train of about the same number of cars. The following short video is from one of the box cars where we spent the most time.

Portraits

2007-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was going to take portraits of the kids for the wall in the entrance to our house but it didn't go well. I accidentally deleted Helena's pictures, and Ada wouldn't cooperate.

At the Flower Garden and at the Lake

2007-06-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

The kids like to "go see the flowers". Unfortunately, about half of them will have to make way for a new housing development. In the meantime, we'll go two or three times a week.

Helena sees a bee.

Helena at Lake Calhoun.

It looks like Liam is looking the wrong way, but he's watching Helena play at the playground.

Helena learning new tricks.

Liam not learning new tricks.

Southwest Journal Readers

2007-06-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you that came in through the Southwest Journal article, thanks. I was just reading it tonight and noticed my name. I began wondering if people would come here looking for anything interesting about southwest Minneapolis. Well, besides some pictures of the area that my daughter took, there isn't much.

If you are wondering what blogs are, or what they are used for, please feel free to look around. My family is in New York, and my wife's family is in North Carolina so this is how we can "send" pictures and news home without stamps. Yes, we still use the phone and email, but this seems easier for this type of correspondence.

You can look at my websites if you are a complete time-waster!:

Or my other blog

MathOnline Classics (where we post some unusual questions and answers)

Thanks again,

Bill

Some of the Latest Photos with Helena's Camera

2007-06-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is the Chinese Zodiac as done by Helena.
Mommy doing something.

Dad and Ada.

Liam's goofy face.

A rare moment when Liam is just being cute. Yes, I took him to get a haircut.

Ada the Tormentor.

What Ada will look like if she smokes cigars.

Ada is on Her Way to Walking

2007-06-04T18:15:00.001-07:00

Video

2007-05-18T22:01:00.002-07:00

2 hours and 20 minutes just for you, Libby!

Easter Eve

2007-04-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Playing PBSKids.

Ada's usual smile.
Not quite Anne Geddes.

Working on Easter eggs.

Somebody missed her nap.

Ada has a few more bits of energy.

Helena with dad's Southwest Lakers egg.

Helena's Kindergarten

2007-04-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Lake Harriet School, Minneapolis. She'll begin in September with half-day kindergarten.

http://lakeharriet.mpls.k12.mn.us/

Family Photo

2007-04-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Helena's Ballet Recital Pictures

2007-04-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

I was in Atlanta, so I couldn't go, but Dalen took some pictures.

Recent Pictures

2007-03-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Helena takes good care of Ada, and Ada loves Helena. We have to keep Liam from Ada quite a bit.
Helena in one of her cute moments. Her hero is Pippi Longstocking. When she gets mad at us, she'll tell us she was like Pippi and wouldn't have to have parents. That's my kid!

Liam is pretty shy of the camera, but often poses with Helena, who he looks up to.

Helena likes being outside. Here she is taking it upon herself to shovel.

Here is Liam after another daycare accident. Max threw a truck at him.

Ada has learned to sit up. She has to have a pillow behind her, but she can usually sit by herself for awhile. Now she is getting used to being on her stomach. Crawling isn't too far away.

A portrait of Ada.

Helena wearing a hat that she had when she was about Ada's age, but fits better at 5 years.

Gravity defying snow.

Car caught in a snowdrift.

Sickness

2007-02-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

Daycare calls Dalen, who calls me, and tells me that Helena is sick. It is a Friday and the secretary can't find a substitute. So I go get Helena during lunch and go back to school to find people to finish my day for me. While sitting at my desk playing PBS Kids, she pukes all over my desk with 34 teenagers in the room.

Well, it is easier to get the secretary to find me a sub once a kid throws up in class, so I get to go home. By Saturday, all three kids are sick.

Liam's Birthday

2007-02-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

Liam likes his train cake.

Blowing out his candles while wearing the official Towne Birthday Hat

Mmmm. Cake is good.

Helena thinks so too.

Ada....not so much.

Liam arranging the presents....just so....

Dinosaurs!

Here was the favorite gift of the night. A microwave. As he was opening it.....

....it made noise!

Liam got a new Thomas shirt. After dad spent an hour and a half putting his tractor together that his aunts and uncle got him, Liam decided to do a little redecorating.

Great Liam Story

2007-01-28T22:32:00.000-08:00

Helena and Liam can get a little carried away with silliness at the dinner table. On two occasions I told that one of them would have to go sit in the kitchen to finish eating. The second night was Liam's turn.

I'd go in to check on him every couple of minutes. As usual, he isn't touching his vegetables. But Dalen and I insist that they eat them. So I tell him to eat his carrots, and I leave. I come into the kitchen a couple minutes later and he's done with the vegetables, so I tell him "Great job!" Little did I know.

The kids get cleaned up and go to play. I'm doing the dishes. For some reason I open up the drawer with the washcloths in it and find the following (click on the picture).

I had to show my disappointment with Liam while he cleaned them up, but it was impossible to keep a straight face because I was laughing so hard. I had to go stand on the stairs to the cellar while he cleaned them up in perfect Liam form...one carrot at a time to the trash.

Ada

2007-01-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

Most people say that both Helena and Liam look like me. But they say that Ada looks like Dalen.

I agree.

Artwork

2007-01-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

Helena after painting her horse that she got as a gift.

She's proud of it.

Maestro!
Ada's vocal arts. Sounds a little like Yoko Ono.

Helena's Play-doh sculpture.

Once again, pretty proud of it.

Puzzle makers.

Helena got a little mad at Liam because she didn't want Liam in the picture. Poor Liam.

Liam's Latest Daycare Injury

2007-01-18T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sammy did get a time out.

Day 0

Day 1

Day 2
Day 4

Helena's Artwork

2007-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

These are my favorites - not artwork, really, but notes to Dalen and I.

"Can we have girl time? today if I am good"
"Dear Mommy I wish that we can go to Energy Park."

(Energy Park is really an indoor park in Edina)

A milk truck.

Helena used to do this often. She'd write her name and then fill in the spaces (along the side)

She was never too keen on keeping her coloring in the lines, but she's much better now.

Zoe is a friend of Helena's.

I miss Helena's coconut trees.

Photos of Helena

2007-01-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

Helena's birthday party. Zoe and Lark look on as Helena tries to blow out her candles, which was very difficult. Mary Grace is in the foreground and can't be seen.

Helena's official yearly photo in front of her growth chart with one of her favorite birthday presents. She didn't pose with the horse Libby and Dori got her because its hoof hit Helena when she was walking down the stairs.

Helena being silly.

Photos of Liam

2007-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Liam looking cute.

Liam and Pop-pop playing with trucks.

OCD Liam.

Ada

2007-01-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Sleeping

Eating.

Laying down with daddy.

Christmas 2006

2006-12-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

The calm before the storm. Singlehandedly, we've kept America's economy moving forward.

And they're off!
Decisions, decisions.

Oooo! Trains.
Liam, what did you get? Good boy!

Helena liked her comfy pants.

Just like his father, Liam wonders why people get slippers.

The onlookers.

More of them.

Helena's "favorite present".

Ada gets in on the action.

And begins to eat her gifts.

Aaron with Ada.

Liam takes a break from opening presents to play with his favorite new toy. Aaron 1, Santa 0.

First Snowfall

2006-12-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

Liam threw snow all around the back yard.

Helena and I made a snowman. It didn't last too long, because Liam knocked it over. Helena cried, and we put it back up, but then the weather got warmer... the warmest December on record.

Good News!!!

2006-12-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

A Couple of Pictures

2006-12-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

My best guess as to what Helena will look like in 2018

2006-12-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

Doesn't she look like a teenager here?

Helena's Hand

2006-11-30T19:59:00.001-08:00

Helena likes crawling around on all fours.

Helena likes taking ornaments off the tree.

Sometimes the two don't go together really well. Carrots can hurt, really, really bad.

Ballet

2006-11-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Helena's last day of Beginning Ballet went well. Bill took pictures with a zoom lens, so not much came out. Dalen took the video camera and we watched a video of the floor later in the week. Here are some shots that turned out okay.

The class. I was thinking that this would be the day everyone was going to be ontime, but they weren't. The class began at 8:30. Luckily the presentation began at 9:00, or else some wouldn't have made it to their first recital.

Helena concentrating?

2nd position! (or third)

The train.
There is daddy glowing in the background.

Helena was one of the younger kids in the class.

Helena dancing (running) around the dance floor.

Some Photos of Ada

2006-11-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

On her playmat. She's finally swatting at things in front of her, unfortunately, she isn't swatting Liam yet. He needs to be.

Daddy and Liam playing Coo Coo the Clown game....

and Ada giving directions.

Ada on daddy's legs. Whenever we do this, I end up with spit all over my knee (as you can see).

Putting the Christmas Tree Together

2006-11-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

Getting into the bags with the ornaments.

Blank slate.
Liam playing the trumpet ornament.

Discussion.
Liam found the deer first. Helena was jealous...luckily she found the other one. I'm sure that they won't be on the tree for long.

Ada isn't up to anything unusual.

Liam being silly.
Liam is trying to put up a stocking. He thinks that they just stick to the wall, apparently.

Proud
Our final product. You won't be seeing this one on display anywhere.

Uncle Mark

2006-11-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

came to visit the day after Thanksgiving.

Helena's Dentist Visit

2006-11-24T19:19:00.000-08:00

Dalen's New Hairdo

2006-11-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

Pictures and Halloween

2006-11-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Dad, "Heads or Porch"?

2006-10-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Now I Know Why Jerry Seinfeld Called It Quits

2006-10-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Helena and Liam - Best Friends

2006-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

This morning Dalen and I woke up at the same time, a bit before 7:00. She was going to begin to get the kids ready while I took a shower. Ada was still sleeping. On our way out of the bedroom, we heard Helena talking to Liam. But they weren't in their room, but sitting together on the floor in the bathroom.

Helena told us that she had to use the bathroom, but Liam decided to come with her. Apparently, after she was done, they just sat down and started talking.

Some Random Pictures

2006-09-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Santa Claus

She sleeps during the day (sometimes). Mostly sleeps at night, too. The last couple of days....not so much.

Liam finally wearing his conductors hat.

Helena's Word List

2006-08-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Helena is working (when pressured to) some sight words. She gets these correct:

a	can	go	little	play	to
all	come	he	look	see	two
and	do	I	of	so	up
at	dog	if	on	stop	we
be	for	is	one	the	you
but	girl	it

Words she doesn't have yet:

are	in	she
boy	not	some
had	said	was
his	saw

Painter Park

2006-08-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone hears about Painter Park, so I took the camera one night.

Liam climbing. He would get stuck a couple of weeks ago, but he seems to have the hang of it. Ha ha!

Helena and Liam climbing slides.

Liam likes hanging as long as he isn't too far off the ground.

Having fun together.

Helena scared out of her wits. I have her hold on to the ring at the top (which spins) and then give her a good push.

The kids love coming down this slide and getting shocks from me.

Up high.

Helena can make friends really easily. "Don't talk to strangers" is something she just won't ever do.

Like here:

Liam climbing again. He's finally getting the handle on this one. Helena was just on it with some other girl that she met.

Liam climbing high again. This one makes him a little nervous the first time, then does find on his own, which makes me nervous.

Random Pictures

2006-08-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Helena's tatoo. It has been about ten days, but Thomas is still hanging in there.

Princess.

Liam holding Eda.

Still pretty small. Liam feels about 20 pounds heavier now that I carry Ada around.

Giving Ada frosting on her one-week birthday.

Liam at Dinner

2006-08-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Liam didn't want to eat dinner Monday night. I sat down at the table with Helena and Liam, but he just pushed his plate away and said that he wanted to get down. I told him that he would have to wait until Helena and I were done eating. He gave his grumpy face, and kept it there for a bit, so I thought that I would get the camera.

While I was in the kitchen, I heard Helena say, "Awwwww....I think I see a smile", which, of course, made him smile even more, despite trying to still frown to show how displeased he was. Anyhow, I took shots of him all during dinner. It is amazing how many moods and faces this kid can go through in fifteen minutes at the dinner table. And he isn't as expressive as Helena...just more moody.

Ups and Downs of Parenting

2006-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Helena and Liam were playing with their trains today, but arguing the entire time. "That's my train!", "That's my shed!", "That's my track". Dalen told the kids to play together. They continued fighting.

After a few more minutes, I told them that I would put the train set away if they didn't stop arguing. They did for about 30 seconds, then I went into the kitchen to make dinner. A couple of minutes later, Liam throws a train at Helena after getting mad at her.

So I walked into the dining room, and began to pick up the tracks while they sat there and stared. Just as I was putting the last of the stuff into a box, Liam was clutching his Henry and its tender, and he says in the sweetest voice, "Daddy, are you going to take James?" I said, "Yes, I have to."

Liam starts bawling. I felt so bad, I really wanted to give him the train back, but knew I couldn't.

But later, I took Liam to get measured for his tuxedo. The one he tried on didn't fit at all, but he looked so good/funny/cute. I can't wait to see him all dressed up. Even Helena said that he was handsome, and they played 'Mommy and Daddy' while I was getting measured.

The Name "Ada"

2006-08-21T18:25:00.001-07:00

Some people have wondered what "Ada" means. Depending on where you look, it is English (or Germanic) origin and means "noble and serene".

I liked the name Helena because of Helen of Troy, Liam obviously got his name from his father and grandfather, but I just liked the name Ada. Not many people name their kid Ada anymore, though it used to be quite popular. The chart at the right shows the relative popularity of the name. (You can click on it to make it larger) That being said, I had a Latina student "Eda" last year.

When I was making a short list of names to show Dalen, I didn't put another old name that I like on it, not because I didn't think Dalen would like it, but because the kid might be made fun of. I hardly ever see kids make fun of names of kids, but if the kid is a bit weird and has a strange name, then there is some teasing. Like that girl Venus in high school that didn't resemble the goddess one ι. (Math people will get the joke). I had a girl named Sif in class last year, and she was cool, so everyone liked her different name (Sif was a Norse goddess).

Anyhow, here is the other name that I like and its popularity. I still like it, but I already can't see calling Ada anything else besides the name that we gave her.

Ada's First Ten Days

2006-08-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Libby was here when Ada was born, so dad got to stay at the hospital with mom. Ada did fairly well, although she never wants to burp, so she was up quite a lot those nights. She did stay in the room with us both nights rather than the nursery. I think Liam was the only one we had in the nursery one night. I remember Helena being a lot worse with gas. I think that in the first ten days of Helena's life, we went through six bottles of Little Tummies gas drops. I believe that we are on our first bottle with Ada.

Ada has been pretty good at night, although apparently, she only liked one breast at the beginning. She wouldn't eat from the one breast until Dalen took her to the nurse to tell her about it, then she began to nurse from it like nothing was the matter. It has been fine ever since.

Her favorite place seems to be walking around on people's shoulders. Her little head is often seen peering around my or Dalen's shoulders, bobbing her head back and forth. The kids yell at me when I hold her up in the air and let her feet and head hang down. "Mommy, Daddy is holding Ada like a rag-doll again!" I've taken her on a couple of walks so far. The best was from a gay guy stopping at the corner in his car. His passenger side window was down and he yells out, "Is that a brand new baby?". I tell him that she is a week old. "Awwwww.....welcome to the World little baby!". He seemed genuinely pleased with a new addition to the Earth for some reason. Sometimes I go by the coffee shop with Ada, and everyone peers out with the "Oh, how cute" look, too.

Helena and Liam have been really good with the new kid. We have to say "Be gentle" around them all the time, but they haven't done anything to hurt her (yet). Liam and Helena do tend to crawl all over Dalen and I, so it is only a matter of time until they hurt Ada if she is sitting on one of our laps. Liam likes rubbing the baby's head and sticking his head right in front of hers and smiling. Helena likes making funny faces at her.

The big news around the house yesterday was that Ada lost her cord, so the other kids were comparing belly buttons with the newborn. Now that is exciting.

Libby left a week ago today, but we are still eating her food and there is still Silly String all over our back yard. Libby also suffered through "Day Out with Thomas" with me, so I should apologize for that. Even the kids never say anything about wanting to go back, although when asked about it, Liam will tell anyone that "Thomas went backwards".

Dori left yesterday morning, and Helena and Liam want more cookies. Dori and I went to the zoo with the kids. They remember the buffalo pooping in front of them, and the train ride. Helena will mention the water balloon fight every once in awhile.

I tell the kids that we will see them in October at Pop³s wedding, so it won't be too long. I'm still not sure if Dalen and Ada will be there, but it may happen.

I'll leave a big space at the bottom of this post for Dalen to contradict everything that I have written.

Oh, I should point out that Ada is in her mustard poop stage now. Horray(?)!

Ada is Home

2006-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Ada sleeping after staying up all night long.

Getting ready to come home. I guess she'll have some time to outgrow this seat.

The kids excited about bringing the new baby home.

Ada gets in on the celebration, too.

Libby punching the newborn.

Just kidding. She loves her, too.

Ada Lynn

2006-08-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

August 10th, at 9:13 am

7 lbs 15.5 oz

20 inches long

13 inches head circumference for the hard-core scorers

Labor was about 6.75 hours (Dalen here...actually it started at 10:40pm & ended at 9:13am.). Bill slept through about an hour of it. Dalen got to pull the baby girl out of her own womb, which made it extra special for her. She didn't say the kid was "beautiful", but, "slippery".

Here is Dalen at about 3:00 am

Here is Dalen banging her head against the wall after an hour or so (an hour after we got to the hospital... 41/2 hours into labor).

Here is Dalen after her epidural. Notice the frown upside down.

Don't scream too loud at the nurses...they'll literally tear your tongues out...I found these hidden in a drawer.

The air conditioning was set at about 45°. Perhaps this is to make it easier for the baby to attach for feeding.

Here is the first photo of Ada Lynn, just out of the oven. Nice set of hair, huh? She weighs just less than 8 pounds. Since the nurse guessed that she weighed 8 pounds, she decided to round up on the official papers so that she would be correct.

First meal for Ada. Dalen hadn't eaten in quite awhile.

Ada's first big cry.

The first decent photo of her that I got. It was hard to get her to open her eyes.

Future Sumo wrestler?

She didn't like her first bath one bit.

Aunt Libby, the Savior of the week. She took the whole week off to help us out, even though she knew that the baby might not come this week.

Mom feeling much better.

Libby was the first one to cry when she saw Ada. Maybe she saw a bit of me in her?

Liam liked being gentle with the new baby.

Two new doctors operating on the new baby.

Two happy (for now) older siblings.

Mom, bursting with energy!

My goodness, what happened?!

18 years of this?

Libby's best shot of Liam and the baby. She was pretty proud of this one.

Helena (kind of) holding the baby.

We're Off

2006-08-10T00:36:00.001-07:00

Helena's World

2006-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

We were going to pick Libby up at the airport after being at the bookstore and while driving down Xerxes Avenue, I said, "Helena, there is mommy's favorite store" as we passed Target.

She says how much that she doesn't like Target, but spots another store nearby, and says "I like the Pippi Longstocking store!".

Dalen says, "That's a Wendy's, honey"

Math Major

2006-08-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps only math majors would be excited about the bike below. It was quite a thrill riding it. Unfortunately, it didn't have any brakes, and the first time I rode it I stopped rather abruptly when I reached the end.

We're Number One!

2006-07-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

But I don't want to be. It is pretty icky here.

Puzzles

2006-07-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

Helena has been into puzzles lately. She was quite proud that she could do this train puzzle by herself. So pround, indeed, that she did it about five times in a row.

Summertime

2006-07-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

I took the kids on a bike ride down to the lake to see the milk-carton boat races and the sand sculptures that take place during Minneapolis' Aquatennial. I thought it was a decent morning, but it turned out to be hot and humid...over 100 heat index...and then it sprinkled a couple of times to make matters worse. But it was a nice day at the lake.

Helena wouldn't let me take her picture, so I have two of Liam. Between Helena and Liam, this bottle of water was finished in 45 seconds.

The kids weren't interested at all in the boat races, but they got to walk around a bit in the lake, so they were happy.

The next weekend was the Intermedia Arts Art Car Parade. Another terribly hot day. I took the kids on the bike to a market on Lake Street, and we watched the parade from there. Helena was miserable, she complained of the heat over and over again until a couple of cars threw candy out the window to her. Then she didn't want the parade to end.

This little car is actually one of Galactic Pizza's delivery cars. Yes, they do wear their superhero costumes when they deliver.

One of the favorites of the crowd. Even the inside, the trunk, and under the hood was decorated with reptiles.

This is the robot that Helena was scared of. The "official" photographer and filmmaker(?) of the parade was in front of us taking a picture of it. The man controlling the robot (in shorts) make the robot "attack" the photographer. The whole crowd was laughing, but Helena was scared. "What is that robot doing to that man?" she kept asking me.

The Mystery Machine was in the parade, and there was also a milk-carton boat. You would think that the Scooby-Doo movie was actually popular.

Daddy's favorite

Helena next to the cork truck. She was excited that she could touch it.

Helena doesn't like getting her picture taken now, so only once in a long while can I get a photo like this of her.

Here she is showing off her garlic that the Pizza Luce people were giving out to the crowd.

One of Helena's friends from daycare had a car in the parade, so Helena got to go into the car for some water and some crackers.

Helena liked the "fuzzy" part of this car.

In the back of Intermedia Arts there was a large canvas that you can launch paint at. Helena loved it. The green spot in the middle part was her first.

In this one, you can see the small bottle of yellow paint that she just launched.

The whole story is this. At about 11:00 I took the kids to Painter Park. We had a picnic there. Then I decided that we should go see the cars, which I thought were at the Midtown Exchange, where a "mall" of small shops run by immigrants is. But once I got them there, the cars weren't, so I figured that the cars must have been at the Midtown Station, which is another few miles away. Since it was so hot, we just hung out at the Exchange, had some cake and juice, played in the children's area, chased Liam around when he ran away from Helena and I and so forth. Once the parade of cars began, we went outside. Then we had to ride home. Anyhow, it was well past naptime when we got home. Then Helena started to cry because she wanted to go see the cars where the end the parade, so I took her there and left Liam at home, where he wouldn't go to sleep. But by the time Helena and I got home again, Liam was completely exhausted, and fell asleep on the coach and slept right through dinner. Poor guy.

Oh, and he fell again, which knocked out the filling in his tooth that was just put in a couple of weeks ago. Looks like he needs a good nose cleaning, too.

2006-07-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Monty Python's Twit Olympics

Shut Up, Dog - Yeah!!!!

2006-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Minneapolis Scupture Garden

2006-07-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my trip to the sculpture garden with Helena and Liam.

We started in the Conservatory,

and went to see the Standing Glass Fish. I didn't take this picture, I couldn't fit the whole thing in with our lens, so I stole it from the Walker Museums website.

Liam began throwing sand that was around the palm trees...

...so we had to leave.Here they are running toward the newly repainted Spoonbridge and Cherry. I just noticed that the lack of green in the foreground looks like the good part of our front yard. I tore up the other half.

Helena climbed every sculpture in the park, except for the one that said "Do not climb on this sculpture"

It was easier getting up than getting down. I don't think that she realized that she climbed so high. She kind of slid down...quickly...because it was pretty hot.

Then Helena saw the arbor and began running toward the far end of it. I was with Liam, and we walked to the nearer end. Once we were in, we saw Helena running toward us. Liam got a big kick out of that.

Then we walked over the bridge to Loring Park, and Helena saw a sprinkler on, so she had to run through it. Liam at this point was still scared of sprinklers, so he just watched Helena.
He was getting tired anyhow. When Liam gets hot, his whole face lights up.

We walked back to the bridge, and on the way some homeless man told me that he liked Helena...she called her "spunky". Despite being tired, Liam could have watched all ten lanes of traffic for hours.

About the sprinklers. Liam doesn't like getting wet if it isn't below the waste. He loves playing with water in pails. He will stand in the pool at the park, but never get his head wet. He won't play in the sprinkler at home, and runs scared at the sprinkler at the local flower garden despite Helena trying to get him to go through it.

But last night I was watering the lawn with the hose. Liam was in the back yard. He came around to the side of the house I was on and ran through it....just as if it had never bothered him before, and he loved it. He must have went through the hose and the sprinkler I set up afterward for an hour. Finally!

Photos from the zoo

2006-06-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Wild animals
Helena obsessed with a dead snake.

Butterflies
Helena looking at a skeleton head of an ox. She feels bad for anything that is dead, even if it is hundreds of years old. She wanted to know if the ox was nice. I told her that I wasn't really sure, but oxen are usually nice animals.

Bill Clinton in the house!

No comment.
Dad and Liam
HELP!!!
Prarie dogs
Liam before.....
....and after bumping his head.

Playing Together

2006-06-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

This could be one of those books without any words ... just write the story yourself. It all began with Liam knocking over her "castle", which is just a bunch of Lego blocks stacked upon each other. I told Liam to put it back together, but Helena wanted to do it. So I told Liam to let Helena do it if she wanted to since he was the "bad boy".

Some More Photos

2006-06-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

First, the tooth has been fixed:

Our bikeride on the greenway

Helena and Liam playing with their trains.

Liam painting himself

Helena and Liam attacking an entire watermelon.

Helena before going to see Pippi Longstocking.

Liam just acting silly.

Liam is at the Dentist Today

2006-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

He has a chip in his tooth which we just left there until the doctor said that we need to get it fixed.

Here are some other recent pictures

Breaking the Law with Pop-pop-pop

2006-06-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

I took Helena to the lake during a school day because our school has a day there every year for a service day. Since Liam wouldn't make it through the afternoon without his nap, he was left at daycare.

I put Helena in Liam's seat just for fun when we went back to get Liam once the program was over.

After picking Liam up, she wanted to get into Liam's seat again. I explained to her why she couldn't.

Me (to Helena): Liam is still too small to sit in your seat, so he has to sit in his. So you have to sit on your own.

Helena: Why can't we switch?

Me: Because you can't sit in your seat until you weigh 30 pounds, and Liam doesn't weigh that much yet. But he will pretty soon, that is why I bought another one of your seats. And if the police saw Liam in that seat, daddy could get into trouble because it is unsafe. (Pointing to front seat). And you won't be able to sit up there until you are really big.

Helena (after a long pause): Uh oh.

Me: What's wrong?

Helena: Remember that time that Pop-pop-pop took me in his funny car? I rode in the front seat.

Me: I know, pop-pop didn't know.

Helena: Yeah, he could have gotten in a lot of trouble.

Me: Yes, I suppose he could have.

Pippi Longstocking

2006-05-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

I took Helena to her first play, today. It was Pippi Longstocking at the Children's Theatre. She loved it. I'm surprised that she made it all the way through without getting tired, having to go to the bathroom, or getting bored.

Buffalo Sabres Chances of Winning the Cup

2006-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Buffalo is now the favorite to win the cup. First time ever?

OK, a couple days later they are picked third out of four teams.

Lots More Random Daycare Photos

2006-05-15T17:49:00.001-07:00

I'm just here for the picture.

Being cute.

Trying my best to look like dad.

??

I've always been a messy eater.
I love painting.
Max, my arch-enemy!
Gimme a beer.
Hide and seek
Always with the girls.
Helena not so sure about Santa.
One of many pictures with hats.
Brother and sister.
Helena likes music time.
Being cute.
Helena getting ready for math class.
Hiding with Lark.
With her best friend, Mary Grace.
One big hat.
Punky T and the MG.

Hopscotch with Dalen

2006-04-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Rocky

2006-04-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

Dalen brings the kids home from daycare. I see Liam.

"What happened to him?!"
"What?"
"His eye"
"What about it......oh my God!"

He's better now. We still have no idea what happened while he was at daycare, and neither do the ladies there.

Easter

2006-04-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for coloring the eggs.

The eggs are delivered.
Putting the eggs in.
And pulling them out.
Playing with the dye.
Ooooo!
Wow! Exciting colors.
Dad is proud of his basket too.
Easter morning. Liam usually takes some time to wake up. Helena takes 1/40th of a second to do the same.
Success.
Liam finds one too.
Liam finds one....
....but Helena sees him and rushes over to grab it first. Judge Mom declares that Liam is the one who can put the egg in the tray.
Now fully awake, Liam can smile.
Helena and Liam find their Easter baskets. Liam lets his Pez dispenser open it for him (he calls Pez "Mints")
After his sugar high, Liam gets a little sleepy.
So he gets his bee-bee and begins to get ready for his nap.

Daycare Photos

2006-04-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

I like the pictures of the kids at daycare because I get to see them in a different setting. They gave us a bunch recently, and here are some of them.

Liam's New Phrase

2006-03-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

"I hate you" (with a smile)

Baby #3 Ultrasound

2006-03-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

Double toe?

Anatamy of a Dinner

2006-03-09T18:13:00.001-08:00

Liam, what are you eating?

Liam doesn't like eating too much, so he usually begins throwing food and silverware after two or three minutes. Sometimes we just push his chair back away from the dinner table, sometimes we let him down. Today he stole Helena's fork while she was still eating.

Funny, Liam...now give it back:

Liam loves his big sister, so he brings it back.

News about Chubby

2006-03-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

He is sick. He has "chicken boxes". Poor boy.

We feel bad for Helena. Because Chubby is with Helena 7-24, as Pop-pop says, he is beginning to wear a bit. Helena asked Dalen why Chubby was losing his smile.

The picture of Chubby at the top is one when he was about two and a half years old. Now that he is four years old, he looks much older. Apparently he is about 70 in "Chubby years".

Have a Beer on Me and other news

2006-02-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

The Williamsport, PA Bullfrog Brewery has a Billtowne Blonde beer, described as:

One of those staples is the Billtowne Blonde, described on the brewery Web site as an American-style all-malt lager that's light in body and color and has a low hop bitterness.

There used to be a band called Billtowne out of Colorado somewhere, but the website is nowhere to be found.

My camera is still stuck in New York. Nikon might make good cameras, but their service sucks. So I won't have pictures up for awhile.

Dalen and I went out on a date together for the first time since last March.

Liam is talking up a storm now. He'll talk whenever Helena isn't. That makes it 15% of the time.

Liam's Birthday

2006-02-07T20:17:00.001-08:00

The images were taken with Helena's camera, since ours is still in New York at the Nikon shop. So they aren't as nice as they usually are.

Here is Liam with his birthday cake. I must have put some glass in the frosting (pink frosting per Liam's request) because the flash reflected off it so badly.

Liam, done with his cake, with his "blowout" (I think that is what they are called - I had to look it up):

Helena will not be outdone by her little brother (or anyone else):

Art teacher on drugs:

A truck!!!

Another truck. This one will be the highlight of the evening for Liam:

Here he is with his new truck. An auto carrier:

Helena got a new toy from her Aunt Libby as well. Liam is less than happy about it.

Liam ignoring the rest of his gifts.

Lots more, little boy:

More Liam with his truck. Half the pictures have Helena in the way because the time between my finger taking a shot and the camera taking a shot seems like an eternity.

Dalen opening up presents. She's more excited about it than Liam:

Look what I....er....you got, Liam!
Yeah, okay, mom.
Mommy opening more presents:

Finally, Liam plays with something else:

Tomorrow he'll discover all his other new presents, and forget about the truck.

More Pictures of Baby #3

2006-02-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

Due to the miracles of modern medicine, we have 3-D images of baby #3.