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!

laughing at dad

hair...cut

Mama got a hair cut. Schuyler, who recently received her first hair cut, was thrilled. Daddy probably didn't even notice.

la piscine

It is hot. August kind of hot. Sweltering, sticking, substitute-food-money-for-air-conditioning kind of hot. So, lacking a real pool, we decided to hose down the hunk of slippery and kind of flimsy piece of blue plastic that passes for "La Piscine" chez nous. They, of course, don't really notice the difference. For the kids with their enviable ability to live right in the moment, this was the best thing that had ever happened. For about twenty minutes. At which point, Schuyler wanted to hop out and run on the dangerously slick tiles and Charlie tried to practice standing in a pool of water right next to said slippery (head bashing) tiles. I don't need these photos. They are downloaded in my memories.

aquarium (again) but something's different...

So we decided (once again) to really get the absolute most out of our aquarium membership. We even brought the kids (because the law frowns upon leaving them at home unattended). And Charlie got to explore his latest skill: Crawling. He crawled before this but it wasn't quite there. Given his chub, his crawling was a laboured, arm-driven activity that more closely resembled Roseanne Barr trying to escape from prison after being shot in the kneecaps.

But now he does the real thing. You can hear him coming. He slaps his palms hard against the ground as he goes, cooing with delight at his new found independence and mobility. It must be a pretty cool feeling for him. He seems like such a happy, chilled out dude (unless it is 3am) and monitoring his movements is like watching a new species of shark you just tagged: Where will it go? Why is it touching that? Is this a show of aggression or a bonding ritual?

We can't wait for him to walk. Or maybe we can.

get up, stand up

Nearly, 3.2 million years ago, the first hominids changed the path of the species by lifting themselves to stand. Here, in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, our littlest cub has managed the same. Wobbling around on gargantuan legs that look more suited to being the main course at a barbecue, little Charlie drew himself to stand. And, he really can't get enough. Every milestone is bittersweet for parents who are pretty darn sure they are stopping the baby making process here. Every time Charlie says "Dadadadada" or stands up for the first time, we also know in our hearts that this is the last time we will see one of our kids do it for the first time. The milestones in their lives are also etched in ours, marking the beginnings of a real family. Kids, in all truth, adults may look different to you but is soooo many ways we are just like you: We get cranky when we are tired or haven't eaten. We want things we can't have. We don't like it when other people have things we want but don't quite see it the same way when we have things other people want. We can giggle at really silly things. We want to be included in whatever's happening and we don't like it when we are not. We like drawing just for the fun of it (but we never seem to do it as often as we should). We like music and singing and dancing and wish we could still do it in the uninhibited way you do. We still feel young. We still feel like, on some level, we don't quite know what we are doing. But, just like we tell you, we just try to do our best and aim to be kind and good to people. And that is all we ask of you and all we hope you ask of us.