Busy, busy, busy. We had to get a crib for this boy because he was waking up on the sly from his naps in our bed and throwing himself over the edge with wild abandon. (I should say our bed right now consists of a mattress on the floor, but the hardwoods still don't make for a very cushy landing. The hat is covering some serious forehead bruises. My nickname for him is Evil Kineval.) Owain is loving crawling, pulling himself up on things and standing, playing with and studying Ellis, eating guacamole (really!), being naked, splash time in the hot tub, reading books with dad, time in the backpack, playing outside and doing horse chores with mama, laughing hysterically while trotting on Colby, flirting with his housemates and petting the cats too hard. We're looking forward to all the fun summer on the farm will bring!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Eight months is alright
E&O at Play
Ellis and Owain are having a lot of fun together lately (despite some bonks and tears). We caught them on video this week - nothing too spectacular, but it captures what goes on around here a lot these days. The snow finally subsided and it's warming up now, so hopefully photos and video will give you a glimpse of our long awaited spring outdoors from now on! -Becca
Friday, April 06, 2007
Cousins 3
This past weekend, Nathan and Barbara trekked up to Wisconsin and Minnesota from Chicago with their very happy traveler, baby Sanne. At nearly 8 weeks, she's sweet, expressive, smiley, and hardly intimidated by her jolly green giant boy cousins. The boys were very sweet with her, especially during their g diaper photo shoot. Sanne was a serious sport for these shots, being nearly rolled on a few too many times. (By the way, how is it possible that Owain is almost a year younger than Ellis?! Look at that boy - he's a linebacker, just like his Boompa!)
I should note that I shamelessly stole these great photos of Nathan and Barbara's visit from their blog - credit goes to Barbara, photographer extraordinaire. Here are the beautiful mom and dad with their wee Sanne, after another delectable meal from mom Nordlund. 
Chris, Ellis and I came home yesterday after spending the better part of the week in Minneapolis. It's nice to be home, despite the wicked winds and frigid temps. I'm dreaming about landscaping the garden now. Some ideas are percolating - I've requested a number of books from the library for inspiration - now we just need some warmer, garden-digging weather and a good long weekend to dedicate to the job.
Ellis loves to spend time with his dad in the garage workshop. The photo above was taken there this morning. And I think it's safe to assume the beer bottles were already empty when he showed up. Finding inside fun is a challenge when we've had a taste of spring. Ellis would spend every waking moment outside if he could. But today he kept himself busy for a good half hour, hauling blocks and sticks and toys around the living room in the kettle.
Ellis is a joy and an exhausting boy, as he's always been. He's busy and inquisitive and wants in on everything, from cooking to reading to driving the car. "Auntie!" and "GaGa!" (grandma) have been added to his repertoire of words, which has made for a VERY happy gaga and auntie. He puts words together and even counts to three - something new every day - it's incredible.
We can't wait to take these boys swimming and in the bike trailer and up to our family's cabin... so much yet for Ellis and Owain to discover, and that much more that we get to anticipate rediscovering. What a gift.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Gideon's future work out program
So I've been wanting to get Gideon driving for quite a while, somewhat similar to this guy here. Our neighbor Bill kindly lent us a harness and log skidder last winter (which we used a few times) but what I REALLY want is a wagon. There is still some discussion as to whether or not owning horses can be a truly sustainable practice, but I feel that driving is becoming a lost art, and if we can haul some logs out of our woods and give a few guests hayrides while preserving that art, then for the time being I'm happy.
Jay's cousin Dan, who lives nearby and skids logs with his horses, showed us some harness and a small wagon (called a forecart) he's got for sale, and maybe - just maybe- we can get Gideon cracking this summer! Woo hoo!
Please accept my blog-slacker apologies. My boy is crawling now, and he's a fast little booger! Photo evidence to come, I'm sure....
