Shepard Thomas, Conversationalist, Alphabet Consultant

Shepard is actually a great dinner companion. Here he is not actually eating, per se, but he is more than holding up his end of the bargain, bursting into song, laughing at my jokies . . . what a guy.

Gravity, or Imminent Peril

Few childhood joys parallel the thrill of jumping of a high surface onto a bean bag. And few offer their parents such corresponding terror. Half of Shepard's flair is that he appears to care not a whit where he lands. The other half is that he claps for himself.

Olivia Thomas, Latke Elf

Olivia's classmate Theo invited his mom to school in to conduct a latke making lesson. Olivia, being my child, got all fired up about replicating these at home. Since they also, in the thinnest way possible, arch *toward* my own family heritage, I thought it would be a great idea. It turns out that we had surplus elf hats on our hands, courtesy of Geoff Wagg, Head Elf, Midatlantic Region. Behold the melange of yuletide cheer and shredded potatoes.

Yogurt

We take no credit for Shepard's eating fervor. That all goes to Pollywog Pond, his school, where Kasia the Owner/Organic Meal Fairy comes down from the kitchen with things like Barley Berry Casserole and Split Pea Soup and apparently the six weelings eat with great delight and fervor. Also: Shepard loves yogurt, it seems . . . EXCEPT for that unexpected bottom part.

Handholding (with a strong undercurrent of tension)

I'm not going to lie. On weekend mornings my children turn into insane, sibling-taunting, whining-screaming MANIACS unless they get outside before 9. Here, I have liberated them and they seem to be turning things around, though Olivia's "guidance," not surprisingly, teeters right on the edge of "torment." Judge ye yourself.

Incomprehensible Friend Language

This may go down in history as one of my favorites. Ella, Olivia's partner in crime and across-the-street neighbor, sometimes peeps out the street-side window, spots her friend, and then does some kind of signaling that they have a playdate soon. Here is how Olivia responded. I have no words.

The "Please" Face

Early(er) in his life, I taught Shepard the wrong sign for "please." It involved putting his hand near his face. Later the hand fell away, but the earnest "please' face remained. Here is a mild version of it. I will try to capture a stronger one before he remembers to say the word consistently and then it disappears.

Poet savant, or song memorizer?

Olivia and I were in the kitchen this morning. She was making thank you notes for her birthday presents. She asked me to write this down for her--she wanted to put it in a card for her sweet friend, Luc:

Should I tell you the secret?

I have been floating

Beyond the sky

Like fire.

What do I do with this?? I have emailed her teacher to find out if it is a song, or song snippets. In "Stripes" class at school they learn about God. Is this one of the songs they learn? I am so floored by the beauty of this utterance, it's bordering on agitation.

The beauty. That child. The beauty . . .

Siblings (and babies)

This video captures siblinghood. First, one sibling engages in sweet, meaningful play with parent looking on (and recording) . . . but it turns out, the toy belongs to THE OTHER SIBLING. Olivia's body position, negotiating voice are both impressive. Unfortunately poor Shepard does not prevail in this exchange, even though I think that he was able, with my intervention, to retain Baby.

Olivia and the Beach Donuts

At Dewey Beach, most things come in size L. When we first went there, I had spied The Fractured Prune, but didn't muster enough momentum to get over there to get some donuts. Well, with my trusty assistant in tow, we went to investigate the mysteriously-named shop in our 2012 trip to Dewey. And boy was the payoff . . . large.

Shepard loves "Tats"

Not surprisingly, Shepard loves cats. (Note to self: post link to earlier Earl-tackling videos starring Olivia.) Here, in August of 2012 (at 15 months), Shepard communes with the cat statues around the fountain at Betsy Ross's house in Philadelphia. (Apparently she also loves cats.) Then, in September, upon waking up from a nap, Shepard has a catfest, including the wonderful naming (and naming, and naming) of Cat, and then the [priceless], true-to-life imitation of Bella's meow.

Olivia's Kindergarten Class: "Voiceprint"

Olivia's class records their likes. Olivia is second-to-last in the class lineup. I won't give away what she says she likes doing first . . . and then repeats at the end. But I will tell you I almost cried.

Olivia saves the toadlets

At the beginning of the summer, we went down to the Skukyll Center in the evening time and saved little toadlets, whose hatching ground and maturing ground are separated by a road. It was VERY exciting. They were VERY small.

Hi-yee! (How I know my baby loves me)

I know my baby loves me because every time he sees me he says "HI" so enthusiastically. (What? He's genetically engineered to do that? Oh, shush it.)

Shepard walking, Natural History Museum

I especially like the end, as he heads toward the elk display . . .

Meditation, or "Why??" hands? (You decide.)

I am unclear whether Shepard is engaging in baby meditation, or silently asking the universe, "Why??" Please let me know what you think is happening here.

In the long tradition of Turner fart humor . . .

Behold, the whoopie cushion playground friendship:

Shepard, months 13 and 14 (photos)

These are some of my favorite Shep shots, months 13 and 14. His hobbies right now include seeking out and then enjoying baby-sized seating, eating ice cream, and wrestling with Olivia. Words include "hi," "bye," "cup" (repeats when asked), "no" (does not need prompting). Emerging signs include "thank you" and "more."

Yet another bath video

Because if you are a parent, you just can't get enough of these . . . (of your own kids, I mean. Not so much of other kids).

Run Toto, Run!

This video captures Olivia's Dorothy phase (4 years old). We are cooking up a Toto costume for Shepard's second Halloween. Stay tuned.