Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Cannonball Smith
A. and I got gutsy and took both kids to see the circus when it came to town. Superboy was very impressed with the man who shot himself out of a cannon, so after the show we went down on the floor to meet him. What a nice guy! David Smith has been doing this for decades, and a few of his 11 children have gone on to become human cannonballs themselves. It seemed to get some wheels turning in the Boy's head when I explained that this is how Mr. Smith makes his living...
Ratty Girl
I wouldn't have predicted that both of my children would have a predilection for toy rats, but, well, there you have it. Supergirl has been working on a hands-free method for transporting the rat around the house. As luck would have it, the rat's anatomy made this a pretty easy method to refine.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Birthday
Superboy lovingly wishing Daddy a Happy Birthday last month
A. giving me his best sincere camera smile. Oh, how he loves to have his picture taken!
Supergirl getting ready for some serious two-fisted cake and ice cream eating!
Shiny Happy Baby hopped up on sugar and chocolate
A. giving me his best sincere camera smile. Oh, how he loves to have his picture taken!
Supergirl getting ready for some serious two-fisted cake and ice cream eating!
Shiny Happy Baby hopped up on sugar and chocolate
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Gingerbread House: The Sequel
This face is so funny. It's just like one his dad makes!
Actually, the fork and knife just didn't cut the mustard, so we broke out a chisel and the hammer that came with an excavate-the-dinosaur kit sent to the Boy by Grandma S. and Grandpa J. Now that did the trick. Why didn't I get a shot of the demolition?
Actually, the fork and knife just didn't cut the mustard, so we broke out a chisel and the hammer that came with an excavate-the-dinosaur kit sent to the Boy by Grandma S. and Grandpa J. Now that did the trick. Why didn't I get a shot of the demolition?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Here goes!
Believe it or not, we are still here and doing fine, despite our disappearance from the blogosphere. For some reason, November and December were absolutely crummy months for good pictures, but it doesn't seem right to just leave them out completely. So, in the interest of getting back in the swing of blog-things, here's a little of what I've got from then. No way to do it but to just dive in! I'm not even gonna go back and check for typos.
Superboy and I were heading out for the library one afternoon and happened upon a neighborhood Christmas parade, so we stopped for a while, and the Boy even ran into a friend.
A very special visitor came by when the Boy's class was practicing for their Holiday program (which I have no still shots of as I was shooting live video. If I ever, ever get around to reading the manual for the video camera, I'll start posting live footage. But don't hold your breath!)
Supergirl intrigued by a display of Mr. and Mrs. after the Boy's program.
This holiday season, like last, we headed to the mountains in pursuit of a wild Christmas tree. See those snowy peaks off in the distance? That's more or less where we're headed, after we make a pit-stop in a rural town to pick up a new outfit for Superboy--down to the underwear--on whom a cracked water bottle slowly leaked about 4 cups of water in the car. Why he didn't say something until he was completely soaked, we'll never know.
We found a beautiful 10-ft. Ponderosa pine, which we slaughtered for a good cause. I always feel a little guilty about that! Here's A. trying to get it back to the car.
Cavorting monkeys. Note that I had the proper foresight to bring snow boots for the Girl, because I am always absolutely on TOP of things!
Where's Daddy?
Supergirl happy and warm and dry back in the sunny car. Not long after this was taken, we got quite stuck. Good thing we thought to leave the chains at home! A. and I had to call on all of our long-latent midwestern snow coping skillz to turn the car around and head back where we knew there was no snow.
Superboy made all of his gifts for Daddy this year, and a darn fine job he did, too! Here he is painting the canisters for a desk organizer he made for Daddy to take to work. It turned out FABULOUS. Note that the Girl is sadly watching on from the doorway, having been restricted access to all of the truly fun stuff.
If you look closely, you can see she is still there, poor little thing!
Our dear friend Dr. A. made gorgeous gluten-free gingerbread houses for the kids, which we decorated with all-natural candy, fruit, and other goodies. AND she volunteered her kitchen for the spectacle, fearless woman that she is. They had so much fun! Superboy does not notice here that J. (a.k.a. "Entropy Girl") is sneaking up on his decorating candy.
Supergirl was more interested in gobbling up all accessible stray bits of gingerbread than she was in decorating anything. Why waste your time beautifying things when you can fill your belly?
Christmas Morning
Superboy's new vehicle, a Skuut bike from Grandma S. and Grandpa J. (as was Supergirl's adorable wheelie bug in the picture above) This is the coolest thing!
Whew! Well, at least that's started. Now, if I can just keep the momentum!
Superboy and I were heading out for the library one afternoon and happened upon a neighborhood Christmas parade, so we stopped for a while, and the Boy even ran into a friend.
A very special visitor came by when the Boy's class was practicing for their Holiday program (which I have no still shots of as I was shooting live video. If I ever, ever get around to reading the manual for the video camera, I'll start posting live footage. But don't hold your breath!)
Supergirl intrigued by a display of Mr. and Mrs. after the Boy's program.
This holiday season, like last, we headed to the mountains in pursuit of a wild Christmas tree. See those snowy peaks off in the distance? That's more or less where we're headed, after we make a pit-stop in a rural town to pick up a new outfit for Superboy--down to the underwear--on whom a cracked water bottle slowly leaked about 4 cups of water in the car. Why he didn't say something until he was completely soaked, we'll never know.
We found a beautiful 10-ft. Ponderosa pine, which we slaughtered for a good cause. I always feel a little guilty about that! Here's A. trying to get it back to the car.
Cavorting monkeys. Note that I had the proper foresight to bring snow boots for the Girl, because I am always absolutely on TOP of things!
Where's Daddy?
Supergirl happy and warm and dry back in the sunny car. Not long after this was taken, we got quite stuck. Good thing we thought to leave the chains at home! A. and I had to call on all of our long-latent midwestern snow coping skillz to turn the car around and head back where we knew there was no snow.
Superboy made all of his gifts for Daddy this year, and a darn fine job he did, too! Here he is painting the canisters for a desk organizer he made for Daddy to take to work. It turned out FABULOUS. Note that the Girl is sadly watching on from the doorway, having been restricted access to all of the truly fun stuff.
If you look closely, you can see she is still there, poor little thing!
Our dear friend Dr. A. made gorgeous gluten-free gingerbread houses for the kids, which we decorated with all-natural candy, fruit, and other goodies. AND she volunteered her kitchen for the spectacle, fearless woman that she is. They had so much fun! Superboy does not notice here that J. (a.k.a. "Entropy Girl") is sneaking up on his decorating candy.
Supergirl was more interested in gobbling up all accessible stray bits of gingerbread than she was in decorating anything. Why waste your time beautifying things when you can fill your belly?
Christmas Morning
Superboy's new vehicle, a Skuut bike from Grandma S. and Grandpa J. (as was Supergirl's adorable wheelie bug in the picture above) This is the coolest thing!
Whew! Well, at least that's started. Now, if I can just keep the momentum!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
E-I-E-I-O
Like many kids her age, Supergirl has been busy mastering various animal sounds, and we all enjoy quizzing her regularly. Often, we'll throw in a challenge question, and when we do, she has proven herself admirably. Witness the following recent example:
Quizmaster: What does a dog say?
Supergirl: Oof! Oof!
Quizmaster: What does a duck say?
Supergirl: Kack! Kack! Kack!
Quizmaster: What does a cat say?
Supergirl: Mwooooow! Mwooooow! (Our Boris does in fact say just this).
Quizmaster: What does a...Supergirl say? (this is the challenge question, in case you hadn't guessed!)
Supergirl: (furrows brow and thinks for a mere split-second) Mama!
Quizmaster: What does a dog say?
Supergirl: Oof! Oof!
Quizmaster: What does a duck say?
Supergirl: Kack! Kack! Kack!
Quizmaster: What does a cat say?
Supergirl: Mwooooow! Mwooooow! (Our Boris does in fact say just this).
Quizmaster: What does a...Supergirl say? (this is the challenge question, in case you hadn't guessed!)
Supergirl: (furrows brow and thinks for a mere split-second) Mama!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Supersuit
This is how I happened upon the Girl the other day. If you don't recognize them, these are the overpants for the Boy's supersuit. I'm not sure exactly how she was navigating; perhaps she was using her x-ray vision.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
On the Road: Parts IV and V
What trip to Flagstaff would be complete without a short detour to Grand Canyon National Park? The scale of the place is simply overwhelming, whether you're talking about the canyon itself or the Grand Canyon Village of the South Rim, which includes a visitor center, grocery store, car repair garage, bank and ATM, post office, railroad station, kennels, campgrounds, lodges, mule stables, library, clinic, day care facility, laundry, gift shop, bookstore, and more I'm sure. Sheesh! Needless to say, there were quite a few people around. Even so, it's a beautiful place. Perhaps the North Rim is a little less lively?
(My) anxiety about someone tumbling off of the edge prevented me from taking many photos here, but we did take a few. We managed to head down below the rim on a short hike before my nerves got the better of me, and I had everyone head back up!
A. and Superboy off in the distance, dangerously close to the edge (in my opinion!).
The Boy at a somewhat more comfortable distance from the rim. Still, I made him promise not to move a muscle while I was taking this photograph.
This one was taken at Walnut Canyon National Monument, where I also took few pictures due to a preoccupation with the sheer drops inches from our feet. A good portion of the path here was closed due to a giant boulder that crashed down last December; they're still working on stabilizing and repairing the trail. Worrying about more boulders crashing down on my little ones did not help me either, but this was a gorgeous place. Virtually everywhere you looked along the inside walls of the canyon, you could see tidy little dwellings tucked under the overhangs. Here is Superboy peeking out from inside one of them.
Lastly, we thought we might check out Meteor Crater near Winslow, but just couldn't bring ourselves to pay the $17.00 per adult admission price. It seems you can't even explore the crater itself except on limited guided 1/3 mile-walks just inside the rim. I can't help but wonder if this would have cost extra! I don't remember what the kids would have cost, and I notice the website doesn't make the admission prices obvious--if they are posted there at all! I couldn't find them, can you? Ah, well.
(My) anxiety about someone tumbling off of the edge prevented me from taking many photos here, but we did take a few. We managed to head down below the rim on a short hike before my nerves got the better of me, and I had everyone head back up!
A. and Superboy off in the distance, dangerously close to the edge (in my opinion!).
The Boy at a somewhat more comfortable distance from the rim. Still, I made him promise not to move a muscle while I was taking this photograph.
This one was taken at Walnut Canyon National Monument, where I also took few pictures due to a preoccupation with the sheer drops inches from our feet. A good portion of the path here was closed due to a giant boulder that crashed down last December; they're still working on stabilizing and repairing the trail. Worrying about more boulders crashing down on my little ones did not help me either, but this was a gorgeous place. Virtually everywhere you looked along the inside walls of the canyon, you could see tidy little dwellings tucked under the overhangs. Here is Superboy peeking out from inside one of them.
Lastly, we thought we might check out Meteor Crater near Winslow, but just couldn't bring ourselves to pay the $17.00 per adult admission price. It seems you can't even explore the crater itself except on limited guided 1/3 mile-walks just inside the rim. I can't help but wonder if this would have cost extra! I don't remember what the kids would have cost, and I notice the website doesn't make the admission prices obvious--if they are posted there at all! I couldn't find them, can you? Ah, well.
Friday, November 14, 2008
On the Road: Parts II and III
While A. was meeting with a faculty member at Northern Arizona University, the Superkids and I checked out the Museum of Northern Arizona. If you're ever in the Flagstaff area looking for something to do, this is a pretty cool little museum. We particularly liked the geological exhibits and the exhibit about the Mystery of the Sickle-clawed Dinosaur.
The next day, we set off for a picnic at Sunset Crater National Monument.
You know, despite events some of us remember, such as the eruption of Mount St. Helens, I believe we so easily think of volcanic eruptions (and typhoons, and earthquakes, and floods, and landslides, and wildfires...) as things that happen off in lands far, far away, not here. Even when the media compel us to face the fact that such things can and do happen here, once the sensationalism of the event has died down, such realities fade from our view, and we're back to sticking our heads in the sand (Think Katrina? Many don't realize that this storm killed more than 1,800 people; I believe many others are still classified as "missing"). Perhaps this is an all-too-human tendency. At any rate, the crater we saw was formed in an eruption that took place less than 900 years ago, and although many of us may not truly grasp the fact, there were likely plenty 'o' folk around at the time to witness it. Which is what I found myself thinking about at our next stop, the Wupatki National Monument. There is more information about this beautiful and thought-provoking place here. Check it out!
At Wupatki's Citadel Pueblo. Isn't it gorgeous?
Supergirl set free!
In front of Citadel Pueblo. This spot has been excavated, picked over, reconstructed, and I assume most artifacts of interest have already been removed, either legitimately or illegitimately. Still, the site was covered with pottery sherds--some of them patterned, stone tools, flakes and other fragments. The architecture itself and the sheer number of remaining artifacts give you an idea of what a lively place this once must have been, and of how sophisticated its residents were. We're not talking an small isolated band of cavemen-like nomads here, people!
The kids got a big kick out of the blowhole at Wupatki Pueblo. You can see from their hair that air was really blowing out that day from deep beneath the ground. This blowhole can also suck air in, depending on conditions. Find out much more here.
The next day, we set off for a picnic at Sunset Crater National Monument.
You know, despite events some of us remember, such as the eruption of Mount St. Helens, I believe we so easily think of volcanic eruptions (and typhoons, and earthquakes, and floods, and landslides, and wildfires...) as things that happen off in lands far, far away, not here. Even when the media compel us to face the fact that such things can and do happen here, once the sensationalism of the event has died down, such realities fade from our view, and we're back to sticking our heads in the sand (Think Katrina? Many don't realize that this storm killed more than 1,800 people; I believe many others are still classified as "missing"). Perhaps this is an all-too-human tendency. At any rate, the crater we saw was formed in an eruption that took place less than 900 years ago, and although many of us may not truly grasp the fact, there were likely plenty 'o' folk around at the time to witness it. Which is what I found myself thinking about at our next stop, the Wupatki National Monument. There is more information about this beautiful and thought-provoking place here. Check it out!
At Wupatki's Citadel Pueblo. Isn't it gorgeous?
Supergirl set free!
In front of Citadel Pueblo. This spot has been excavated, picked over, reconstructed, and I assume most artifacts of interest have already been removed, either legitimately or illegitimately. Still, the site was covered with pottery sherds--some of them patterned, stone tools, flakes and other fragments. The architecture itself and the sheer number of remaining artifacts give you an idea of what a lively place this once must have been, and of how sophisticated its residents were. We're not talking an small isolated band of cavemen-like nomads here, people!
The kids got a big kick out of the blowhole at Wupatki Pueblo. You can see from their hair that air was really blowing out that day from deep beneath the ground. This blowhole can also suck air in, depending on conditions. Find out much more here.
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