Handy Dandy

Emily and Franklin picked up some (washable, thank heavens) paint and paper the other day, and we gave the little man the chance to make his mark.

Did I mention how wise it was of Emily to get washable paint? :)

But a couple handprints ended up looking pretty cool. Maybe the best of the bunch:


Meanwhile, he's made the leap to technology, and is now using those hands to feed himself with a spoon:

Also using the spoon to fling applesauce, but ate an impressive amount yesterday. Quite a guy.

Finally, Magen the other day shared these great photos of the Iwanski kids using some pretty sophisticated tools. Snorkel set:


And a diaper on an Elmo doll:

My favorite part of that might be the response I got when I asked if Elmo was in fact wearing a diaper: "Elmo IS wearing a diaper...one that was a part of Amelia's birthday gift from you guys. Evan actually loves to play with Amelia's doll...so this was a way that everyone could enjoy changing a diaper :)"

Speaking of, I've got something to do. Until next time!

Oh Hi, MOHAI

Spent a fun and informative afternoon at the Museum of History and Industry (you can call it MOHAI if you'd like) last weekend. Even more fun since we were able to tour alongside Tyler, Jenn, and Jeff.

Franklin was pretty comfy touring some exhibits with Jenn and Tyler.

We didn't see half of the cool stuff they mention in the New York Times review that ran when it opened in December, but we're definitely looking forward to visiting again soon. If you happen to be in the area, you really have to see the exhibit on the Seattle Fire: the singing and lights seem silly at first, but all of a sudden I realized I had just learned a ton about the fire. And I got to see Franklin bop around and clap to the music, so that's not so bad either :)

I also really enjoyed the interactive topographic map that showed how all the canal building and regrading have shaped the city. Super cool and a little mind-blowing.

Meanwhile, Jeff had some fun with the green screen in the temporary exhibit on cinema in Seattle:

And just by the way: boy do I wish movie theaters hadn't replaced movie palaces. Anyway...

Since then, it's been kind of hectic, but fortunately Franklin and I have been able to enjoy some quiet walks in the rain. And I love how helpful he's been lately:


Finally, it's February, so we've got a big day coming up! Many of you may be too far from Seattle to make it, but in case you're curious here's a shot of the invite we sent out:

And if you would like to stop by and wish him well, reader, let me know & I'll put you on the list!

And the Whole World Smiles with You

I mean, come on. :)

So, what else is knew? How about this excerpt from the newsletter at Franklin's daycare? He finally agreed to pose for a photograph!

ILC-Newsletter.pdf by Yancy Hughes Dominick

(On p.2)

While the scanner's humming, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share the drawing Amelia made me over the holidays:

We're not seeing too many sunny skies around here lately, but after 12 days of weirdness I'm pretty happy for 40's and rainy, even if there aren't any rainbows outside.

Of course, as the song says, there are some smiles that make the sun come shining through (for which, see above).

So anyway, first day when the rain returned, Franklin and I grabbed our coats and went for a walk. Excellent. And I was happy to see I wasn't the only one out with a baby recently:

Okay, that's about all, but you'll be glad to know Franklin's now big enough for the KU onesie that the Lee's got him last summer when we rolled through Kansas:



Until next time, gentle reader.

Art for Art's Sake

Franklin's daycare was open late on Friday for a "parents night out," which is a pretty cool idea. Turns out that us getting a car to take advantage of that was not the greatest idea... But on the upside, I was finally able to get an up-close look at some of the young man's art that they've got hanging up there:


And how great is it that he's got an outlet for this that doesn't involve me cleaning up any chalk or marker? :)


Meanwhile, we've had a weird, cold, dry, and very foggy week. Franklin and I enjoyed seeing St. Joseph church emerge as we approached on our walk yesterday:


Glad to see the robins undeterred by the strange weather:


But of all the fog photos I've seen this week, this time-lapse video from the Seattle Times roof is making a strong case for my favorite.

Speaking of other people's pictures, I was pleasantly surprised to see these shots from last weekend's rally & march show up on Flickr:




All right, reader, we may have heard this tune before, but I'll let our young artist play us off:

Cheers