best bath

big juicy prunes

One of Schuyler's favourite special treats is a "big, juicy prune". We actually have to ration her to one or two a day. Her parents, understandably (look at those things!), are revolted by this love of dried plums. Hmm, dried plums sound so much better. Lots of things are accomplished with the simple mention of a big, juicy prune: "Finish your pizza and you can have a prune. " Never thought those words would be coming out of my mouth.

sibling entertainment

spicy

So one of our favourite moments in life is when we finish our Bath Time, Pajama Time, Reading Time and settle in for Our Time. We kick back with a glass of wine and just relax on the porch and contemplate our own dinner. Normally, we are assured an evening to ourselves. And we love it. However, recently, The Girl has taken to knocking on her door, shouting out for "Daddy" or otherwise making enough noise to awaken The Boy. It's one of those trade offs. Ignore it (as we should) and risk waking The Boy or give in and let The Boy continue to sleep. We've opted for letting The Boy sleep. And bribery. Schuyler has an affinity for Cinnamon Altoids. Yup. She can't get enough of them. So this is our currency. For every night during which she doesn't call out or knock, she gets one "spicy".

sweet mobility

bread & fishes

When there is ten minutes to spare before bath time, there is always time to ensure the fish down at Tom Moore's are well nourished.

flying baby

It may not be the safest thing to do with your tiny baby but he sure does love it.

growing up

The Dynamic Duo

One of the many, many reasons we will miss Lucy full time is moments like this. Look at the smiles on those faces. Lucy bought them each a policeman helmet and then put them in the stocks (presumably as a punishment for imitating a police officer). These two have spent the better part of two years raised essentially as twins who live in separate households and it is heartbreaking that they won't be in the same class at the new school but at least they will get to play together in the Enrichment Progamme (i.e. the programme for kids whose parents work full time).

Facetime

Touchscreens are great. Except that they are fun. And appealing to toddlers with Cheerio encrusted hands topped with drool.

Charlie shows off his cruising skills.

Skyping Kim and Wardie Baby while they show off their new boat.

Charlie Bear vs Green Bear

bonding

It's a common event in our house. We'll hear Schuyler making some vaguely violent noises in the vicinity of Charlie and see her trying to remove his left arm or something and we will move to stop her. Then, right before the words hit our lips, we will see that, for some reason, Charlie finds this the most hilarious thing ever done to a human being in the history of hilarious things. Eventually, it usually gets to a stage where authorities have to step in but in the interim, enjoy little Charlie.

dancing with dad

One thing that is constant in our household is music. "All de family" love it. We've danced for these kids hundreds of times while they sat eating and they wobble back and forth to something approximating the beat of the tune in their high chairs. But now Schuyler is old enough to go solo. So much so that she often admonishes others for dancing while she has the floor. She LOVES it. She dances in a way we all need to. No worries about things like other people's judgment, rhythm, or safety. Just dance. So lucky Daddy got penciled in on her dance card. We've got a long way to go before we are on Dancing With The Stars (we have to become famous and then become really unfamous first - preferably with an arrest or two under our belts) but we love it. Let's hope we improve before your wedding, Schuyler.

playtime

She looks at rest but the red cheeks tell a different story.

A selection of Schuyler's babies: Dee Dee and Charlie.

Alex, Dee Dee, and Charlie await further instruction from their Overlord.

Schuyler practices base jumping from the couch arm. This is one of those conflicts as a parent. As the legal keeper of this child, it is hard to resist the urge to scold her, to warn her of how dangerous this is, and to threaten time out if she doesn't stop. As a human being with that inner child buried only a millimeter below the surface, it's hard not to want to join her because I totally remember how much fun that is!