Wedding day

Before you read today's post, please click here to see Rachel's and Nathan's first wedding photo. Then read on for an update.






Things you should note about this picture: Quite a lot of thought and preparation went into this. Rachel even changed her shoes. She is draped all in lacy white. Nathan looks even happier than he did in the pink ribbon wedding photo of yore. He opted for a multicolored gown and veil. Most of the garments are held on with silly bands. The wedding included a flower girl and ring burier (both imaginary). There was a real kiss (on the cheek) and a reception complete with cake made out of clothespins. The groom prepared all the food. For their honeymoon, the happy couple is going to their friends' house. Don't you love imagination?

Daddy's Home

One of the best things about spring's arrival is getting to be outside to wait for Daddy.

Lah-di-dah!

Rachel invited us to have a fancy dinner at home the other night. Nathan rose to the challenge.

Clomp!

The lure of Mommy's shoes lives on.

Friends Hangin' Around

I just love watching Rachel and her friends interact. Yet more evidence of how much they are not babies any more!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I've wondered for a while if Rachel's eyes would look even greener if she wore green. Of course, getting her to consent to wear anything green is pretty much a once-a-year thing. Today's the day, and even with a dark green shirt, her eyes are greener! Top o' the morning to you!

Sweetest moment

Eyebrows

Nathan has apparently inherited Daddy's expressive eyebrows and spends a lot of time "flashing his eyes" (waggling his eyebrows).

Warm Texas!

We had an awesome time visiting grandparents in Dallas not long ago. Besides all the fun we had with Grandmerr and Grandpa (which was considerable) we enjoyed the chance to dust off our light jackets and venture outside without gloves! Nathan spent a lot of the time we were there making casseroles out of 30-year-old Fisher-Price people (someday we'll show him Soylent Green, but not for a while) and serving them to us--they were delicious, 1979 F-P being a fine vintage! Rachel's favorite pastime was arranging throw pillows into long dining tables and assigning seats to various dolls and toys.

And, of course, we got to sample some real Tex-Mex food, which is hard to find at home. Nathan and Rachel liked it--they are their father's children!


One highlight of our visit was a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium (If you're ever in the Big D, make sure to stop by--it is unlike any aquarium I've ever visited--there were as many monkeys and birds as there were fish, and it all felt very organic and ecosystem-based.) where Rachel and Nathan learned to "Do the Flamingo."


Rachel wanted to take this photo of a lizard for Uncle Dan.


Nathan, in his current fashion, demanded to spend a lot of the time "Uppah!" In fairness, most things were probably easier to see this way than from his usual vantage point.


Our little world travelers did a great job on the plane. They also displayed a remarkable talent for finding big open spaces in airports in which to run around being airplanes themselves, which is a very useful skill.

Thanks, Grandpa and Grandmerr, for a terrific visit! (And happy birthday!)

Hats off!

We played outside today! In the sunshine! Without hats and gloves! (Well, Nathan's mittens are attached to his coat, so he insists on wearing them all the time, but he didn't need them.) Springtime, you are welcome here any time!

Pop!

We went to the planetarium the other day, and look what I found popping up out of the planet we were exploring! If only their faces could express it when they're having fun...

Sleeping standing up

Rachel's twinkle toes class has been preparing for their big recital, coming up next month. She practices at home sometimes, and Nathan likes to dance along with her. Here they are, sleeping on a cloud!

Winter Fun

We went to the Auto Show for the first time this year. I wasn't super-enthused at first, probably because I am such a car buff that I have read up on all the new models and done virtual test-drives of most of them and didn't really need to go look at them. (And if you believe that, well, then, I guess you've never met me!) But let me tell you, we had a great time! Nathan (who doesn't really remember what summer is, since it was so long ago and he wasn't talking a whole lot last summer) got to experience a sunroof up-close and personal--and he got some awesome silly bands from the friendly and family-oriented people at the Mazda booth! (Funny, I didn't feel the same way about the women in dangerous-looking boots at Ford. Guess we know who's marketing to moms and who still thinks the dads decide which car to buy!)

Rachel got to test-drive a Mini.

So did her brother.

And it was fortunate (for many reasons) that we were there on a weekday when it wasn't too crowded--great wide expanses of carpet just cry out to be danced upon!


We also had a preview of spring when we visited a very different kind of sunroof at the conservatory. Lots of spring flowers to see and smell and feel hopeful for, a preview of Nathan's curls in summer humidity, and even a few puddles to splash in! (Sidenote: we saw snowdrops yesterday! Not blooming yet, but up, above ground, and green! Many thanks to our wonderful neighbor, Margaret, for planting a beautiful garden where we always watch for the first signs of spring. (She lives a couple of blocks to the south of us, so spring gets to her house first.)

Here Rachel is diligently holding onto Jack, whose mother had told him he had to stay by Rachel and not run off. Baby-sitter in training, I think!

I love seeing these two hold hands. They really are sweet kids.

Godcousins

Our cousin and niece Natalie was baptized last month--a very joyous occasion, which we celebrated thoroughly. (When my brother Tim called to run the date past us and I told Rachel what we'd been talking about, she said, "Of course we're going--we're being the godparents!" (Italics hers!) Not so clear on everyone's roles, apparently, but still cute.) And if you look closely at these photos, you'll notice some things. First, Natalie is a gorgeous and lovable baby--and doesn't she look holy? Second, the deacon was not the only one doing the baptizing that day. Nathan made good use of the font, too! (Rachel did, also--even had her sleeves rolled up so she could get serious about it--but we didn't get a photo of that.) Third, someone at some point must have told Rachel that to hold a baby you must support its head. Click here to look at a similar photo of her with baby Nathan so long ago! Rachel and Nathan are shaping up to be very good cousins to Baby Natalie. She is often on our minds. Nathan frequently says--apropos of nothing--"Natalie not walkin'." It usually takes me a minute before I figure out what he's saying, but then we talk about how little Natalie is and what she can't do yet that he can do, since he's such a big boy!

Okay, here are the photos.

These newfangled multi-level fonts are so handy for keeping godcousins entertained!

Hello, head support!

That's better!

She's gaining on him fast in size, isn't she?