We have a little robotic hamster named Hammy. He dates from a time when I worked in a complex of dingy little office buildings connected together by giant, windowed tunnels that looked, for all the world, like hamster tubes.
More than a decade later, little Hammy is still going strong and has become an infant’s toy. Here we see Colin tremendously enjoying trying to eat the hamster. EAT THE HAMSTER! MUST. EAT. THE. HAMSTER!
Nora’s granny bought her this amazing new bike for her (Nora’s) birthday. I overheard Nora telling her cousin Kacie about the bike on skype. It went like this:
Nora: (bragging) my granny bought me a new bike for my birthday!
Kacie: what color is it?
Nora: pink, of course.
Kacie: I like pink too!!!
The training wheels will come off just as soon as she learns not to engage the coaster brake every fifth pedal stroke.
Nora’s granny recently sent her a package full of different dinosaur puzzles. These are excellent because they bring together three of Nora’s great passions:
Thanks, Granny!
Billy’s little brother, Greg, loaned us this fabulous infant play mat and Nora set it up for Colin to use. It’s perfect because it really plays to his strengths of lying on something soft (and absorbent) while looking upwards. It also rewards random, jerky infant arm and leg movements with rattling sounds and swinging technicolor animals. Colin seems terribly fond.
It’s a whale of a good time!
We got Nora a couple of lego sets as a “congratulations on getting a little brother with whom you now have to share your parents’ attention” presents, only not in so many words. She’s an enormous fan of the lego (but who isn’t?) and was thrilled to get a new castle set from Colin and a collection of fantasy minifigs (little lego people) from mommy & daddy.
No one’s peeking.
This one is from Colin.
legos > dolls
Nora noticed, with no small measure of alarm, that her Miss Kitty was suffering from a tragic lack of wings. So, naturally, we hopped in the car and headed to Texas Art Supply and loaded up on construction paper, gold & silver pipe cleaners, pink featherz, and glue stick. You wouldn’t know it from the 1998-style website, but this place is amazingly fun. They have everything a little budding artist (or mad scientist, really) could want.
Nora drew a template for the first wing and then cut it out. Together we traced it to make a second wing, poked holes in them to thread the pipe cleaner through, and built a tasteful-yet-comfortable pipe cleaner harness for Miss Kitty to wear. This was a fun, easy, affordable, and ultimately practical project (Miss Kitty is much more mobile now that she can fly).
Nora’s got a set of lincoln logs at her grandparents house that she just absolutely loves to play with. Here are some shots of her creations (with the architect in the background for reference). It’s impossible to mention lincoln logs without bringing up that they were invented by John Lloyd Wright, son of some guy who designed buildings or some junk.
Here’s another example of Nora’s camera work. The featured model is her doll, Marabelle.
I love this picture. I love this picture. Jen took this picture and it might be one of my favorite things that has ever happened ever (yes, including cookies). Okay so we have Nora’s crazy smile, Julie mouse patting violet bunny on the head (presumably to comfort her for something), Corny Cob looking just the tiniest bit crazy stalker there in the corner, Marabelle snoozing in a Biscuit-blanket hammock, and the disembodied head of Yellow Baby overlooking it all.
