June 9, 2010 - Scott
So, Odessa really likes to memorize things. I don't know why, but she gets a kick out of hearing something and repeating it back. Some of you have heard how I taught her part of the Gettysburg Address last year. Last March, I taught her all the US Presidents. We'd learn three a day or so, but every day she'd be asking for more. Anyway, here is a video of her reciting the presidents in 44 seconds:
If you enjoyed that, here is a sample of the numerous outtakes we had before she did them all through:
That part with her saying she needs to think about it is because at one point she was having trouble staying focused and I told her to just calm down and think about it. Well she took that very seriously. At that point she looks like she's not enjoying it, but the truth is she really loves doing these things(or perhaps it is the attention she gets while doing them). I don't want anyone to think I'm forcing her to learn these things or anything.
June 2, 2010 - Scott
Serena and I recently returned from a trip to Colorado. We were very generously allowed the option to make use of the same cabin we stayed at last July, and this act of kindness is essentially the reason our trip was even possible.
We drove, which presented a rather formidible problem: we'd have to traverse the very depths of Nebraska. I have no love for Nebraska or its copious flat farmland, where I have to assume the only crop they produce is despair. The soil there is very fertile and the harvests are always plentiful. I can write this fearless of reprisals from bitter mobs of Nebraskan loyalists because I know they'll never read it as there are no computers in that state.
We braved the toils of the open road and made it to Colorado. We had a very nice time and no one woke up crying in the middle of the night. In addition to hiking and visiting towns and such, we also had dinner with Serena's aunt and uncle, who live in the area. There is a very hilarious story involving flowers, water, a car horn, and my crotch, but we'll just leave it at that for now.
Serena wanted me to show her how to use my old camera, so we spent some time investigating a few of the abundant abandoned mining sites strewn about the mountainsides. You can see what she and I came up with here.
And here you can find a few pictures of our trip.
April 19, 2010 - Scott
Odessa came up to me last week and said, "Daddy, Leo is the best little boy in the world." I told her that she was right, then she said, "And Mommy is the best mommy in the whole world! And Odessa is the best girl in the whole world." I told her she was right, and, feeling a bit left out, I asked her what I was. She said, "Daddy lives at our house!"
Here are some pictures I took yesterday at the Arboretum in Madison.
March 20, 2010 - Serena
This week was our first really warm week, so we tried to spend a lot of time outside. We went for several family walks after dinner and had our first picnic of the year. Leo and I went to a jewelry party on Thursday and I took both kids with me to a Discovery Toys party on Friday. Today Odessa started her second 8 week session of soccer today. We go to a different elementary school in the area, with different kids, and a different coach. So far, I think she's learned more about soccer here than she did in the previous 8 weeks. Today they practiced skills and every time Odessa kicked the ball into the goal, she was so excited. We all cheered and she just beamed. Her soccer coach is British and uses his whistle. During introductions today, the kids had to say their names and favorite food. Odessa was first and said, "My name is Odessa and my favorite food is broccoli."
Here are some pictures from the last week.
March 12, 2010 - Serena
Two children has been exponentially more difficult and time consuming that one child was. I used to feel like I had a bit of a grasp on this parenting thing, but Leo has thrown that all out the window. He is adorable and sweet and we love him to pieces, but he is also quite fussy and demanding and has a penchant for vomiting all over our clothes. Odessa remains enamored with her baby brother but seems to be getting into some "Terrible Threes" in her own right. Bedtimes have become a bit more difficult and often result in a crying three year-old screaming down the stairs that she wants to get up or needs something.
The semester is about half done for me. This is my last semester of coursework. I will start 10 months of clerkship rotations in July and graduate a year from May. It can't come fast enough for all four of us. Odessa has started soccer on Saturday mornings. The class is composed of 3-4 year-olds, so there really isn't a lot of soccer going on. Nevertheless, she loves it. At the end of February, we took Odessa to the circus while some friends watched Leo. Her favorite part was riding the elephant. I rode with her and as the elephant stopped and we were supposed to get off Odessa said, "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Elephant."
We celebrated Scott's 29th birthday by going out to eat lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant and dinner at the Melting Pot. Odessa picked out a shirt and singing stuffed dog as presents. I think they might be the best presents Scott has ever gotten.
Leo just turned 3 months. He is getting so much bigger. He's started to show some interest in playing and will occasionally bless us with sweet giggles. He is often transfixed by watching his sister jump and run and dart all over the place.
Here are some pictures from the last few months.
January 11, 2010 - Scott
A lot of things have happened since I last wrote here. There are actually a lot of things I want to write about, but I'm not going to do very much. I've been tired and busy, though not as much as Serena. Anyway, I've got a few more images posted for you to all look at.
Here are some pictures of Christmas.
Here are some pictures, mainly of Leo and Odessa.
Also, and I'm probably the only person who cares about this, I've posted some pictures that Odessa has taken. I think some of them are interesting. Even the blurry ones I think look kind of neat. But I'm her father, so I'm obviously stupidly blinded by that relationship. I've posted them on my someofmypictures.com, which you can find here.