great

The cruel gate of separation

When I was a kid, my great-grandmother was the maker of afghans and the best pancakes I've ever had. She had a crush on the pope, a very soft lap, and taught me to crochet. Though I can't remember it, she took care of me while I was an infant so that my mom could go back to work.

Liam, in the throes of yet another tooth, takes comfort in a lap and a chew toy

Yesterday my grandmother made the long flight out here so that she could meet her great-grandsons. She cannot crochet or make pancakes, but she has held babies and tickled their bellies until they laughed like crazy. While I slept, she helped Charlie feed them this morning. When Dash was crying she asked him quite pointedly what the problem was, and he stopped and started laughing instead.

Dash with his perennial sassy tongue

She has never been to Seattle, never read the newspaper on an iPad, never had polenta. And in 24 hours she has done all of these things with an inquisitive grace I can only hope to possess when I am 86 years old.

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In other baby news...

Liam is still obsessed with Charlie's cookbooks

no really, give me the cookbook.

Dash strikes hilarious playboy poses on the floor

Januweary

Why yes, we have persisted into the new year past Jan 1. After being walloped by post-holiday exhaustion, relentless illness, a bout of infant hospitalization, freak snowstorm, car getting whacked at a stoplight, and just about whatever else you can think of, things are starting to get back to normal.

I will leave you with images, since our power is flickering and I don't know how much longer this is going to last:

the Bodkin kinder wearing their holiday dresses, crafted by mom and I during an August visit. They worked out perfectly! Calliope's cape was part of another present from Gabriel.

Dash hanging out in a pot. Hey, we wanted to see if he would fit!

Dash modeling one of the girl's Venetian masks

Dash looking remarkably like young Marlon Brando. Well, maybe a raver Brando with a pacifier.

Liam sitting in his green throne. Trust me, he is thrilled. Maybe it's the missing sock.

Bathtime Liam thinks oh my god it's Full Of Stars

The aforementioned snowstorm. Luckily everyone flew out right before it happened.

new year

On the 25th day of christmas, I got my awesome family.


And my family got smaller by one. Pop-pop, I'll remember our walks to Turkey Thicket and your huge polka and german music collection that I inherited. And mostly this picture which always makes me smile.

Dec 22

On the twenty-second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a slow green tortoise, one brown bird, a pink ornament, one blue tree ball, B is for Brown!, a tasty candy cane, one green tree, a nut-eating squirrel, tasty purple grapes, a frosty white tree, one sly grey cat, a charlie brown ornament, one jaunty snowman, a lone acorn, one golden bell, a festive wreath, one goldfish, batman, a sparkly white snowflake, one delicious looking gingerbread man, a happy bluebird, and one cute disembodied santa head.

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Mom started with the gift giving early this year. She pulled out two seuss hats tonight and much fun was had.



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the blur of the photo is a great representation of the sibling....enthusiasm over who gets to hold a baby.

Dec 21

On the twenty-first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: one brown bird, a pink ornament, one blue tree ball, B is for Brown!, a tasty candy cane, one green tree, a nut-eating squirrel, tasty purple grapes, a frosty white tree, one sly grey cat, a charlie brown ornament, one jaunty snowman, a lone acorn, one golden bell, a festive wreath, one goldfish, batman, a sparkly white snowflake, one delicious looking gingerbread man, a happy bluebird, and one cute disembodied santa head.

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Yesterday got lost in the rush of even more family arriving. Today we made solstice cookies and ran around at a park while there was a break in the rain. Playing on the swings is always fun!

Dec 19

On the nineteenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: one blue tree ball, B is for Brown!, a tasty candy cane, one green tree, a nut-eating squirrel, tasty purple grapes, a frosty white tree, one sly grey cat, a charlie brown ornament, one jaunty snowman, a lone acorn, one golden bell, a festive wreath, one goldfish, batman, a sparkly white snowflake, one delicious looking gingerbread man, a happy bluebird, and one cute disembodied santa head.

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Sappho demonstrating her baby-holding skills

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We took advantage of a beautiful clear day to go for a long walk.

Liam took a ride on Nicolaas' chest, and enjoyed noshing on his own fist and drooling everywhere.

The girls ran and jumped in puddles

Sappho went stump-surfing

Dash slept on me

Fenric took in the world from Gabriel's back...

...and smiled up at the sunshine

Dec 18

On the eighteenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: B is for Brown!, a tasty candy cane, one green tree, a nut-eating squirrel, tasty purple grapes, a frosty white tree, one sly grey cat, a charlie brown ornament, one jaunty snowman, a lone acorn, one golden bell, a festive wreath, one goldfish, batman, a sparkly white snowflake, one delicious looking gingerbread man, a happy bluebird, and one cute disembodied santa head.

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Calliope and Sappho help Charlie make meatballs for dinner...

interlude

just a little tease of snow

the real snow

Our snowy family interlude is over....Charlie's family came for Thanksgiving and were greeted by our first snowstorm of the season. Exciting if you don't have to leave the house, not so much if you have to pick up your parents at the airport on a hugely busy day when the entire city has gone snow-mad. With reason this time at least. Usually it's a general "sweet nellie, one inch of snow!" hand waving, but this time there were full on slow-motion ballets of cars smashing into one another, impassable hills, and traffic traffic traffic. It took them most of the evening to get home but thanks to the Yeti with his snow tires it was accomplished. That car once again earned his keep, getting us in and out of our unplowed and iced over neighborhood to pick up Charlie's sister and niece from the airport.
The Yeti got pressed into service one more time on Thanksgiving. Our friends had to park at the beginning of our neighborhood and I drove down and ferried them up to the house. We enjoyed a frenzy of food and kids.

I have mastered the double baby carry. They are a little cramped and there's some complaining, but it's two babies hands-free! And what's that in the background?

Then there were people holding babies, feeding babies, wandering around the mall and people watching on black friday, the fireplace always going, and Christmas being allowed to unfurl in the house. We have a strict no-holiday rule that releases on the day after Thanksgiving. We both love the holidays so much that it's hard to wait sometimes. Then on friday morning, the huge holiday playlist was accessed on the ipod, I put on socks with candy canes on them, and we went to pick out a tree.

Yay! Let Christmas 2010 begin!

The new throne is ready, your majesty.

out with the old

There is precious little more daunting than going to a person's house and having them tell you that the guest powder room is "the dodgy one." Ever since we've moved in, the toilet on the main floor has been off. First it didn't reliably flush. Then it didn't reliably turn off after filling. It was a pit of despair. So we decided to replace it! With grand fanfare and much research I ordered a replacement from a local plumbing supplier.

Here it is! The new NO-FLUSH option. You just crouch over that appealing red funnel and do your duty. No water is wasted and your contribution to the environment is minimized!

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Ok, the red funnel wasn't the final solution. The dual-fush concept is something that hasn't caught on completely in the states. But when we were in Australia it was clear that people who were interested in conserving water demanded a toilet that used applicable amounts with reference to their, ah, deposit.

in with the new

Today I picked up the new toilet and installed it. I wish that I could teach a new homeowner's seminar. I would entitle it "switching out your toilet is the easiest thing ever and will make you feel master of your domain. " There really are many things you can do to your house without professional help. Changing out a toilet, or even just the guts of the thing to improve flow and water conservation, is near the top of the list.

The new toilet is in. It is lovely and water conserving and so very discreet in it's function. Exactly what I wanted!

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welcome to the world, new baby for the Magal family. I was privileged to hold you a mere 4 hours after your birth. You are already a champion thumb-sucker.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 321

New Year

The Yeti looks more and more handsome with each passing day. He is the only reason that we can leave our house at all. I kept thinking that the snow would melt and it keeps on stubbornly laying about. We got another 6 inches or so last night. A few days ago I shoveled off our cars and started them both just to make sure everything was still working. We're both getting impatient for the road to clear off...me because I'm tired of getting horrible gas mileage and Charlie because he misses driving his fast car. But no real complaints here! I am just happy that we can get groceries and Charlie can make it to work.

Some Christmas memories before too much time passes:

the elves filled stockings

the tree and a mound of gifts

Sienna's holiday dress

Sienna and Kevin looking relaxed and happy

Spirit wondering when Sienna is going to drop some more cheerios

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Sunday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Saturday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Friday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Thursday: 3
Eggs laid this year: 18

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Eggs laid in 2008: 399

Lally Campaign Promise

Harry is patiently waiting. He is the only one.

It was my sister Gabriel that came up with the idea. She'd drink her very first Long Island Iced tea if Obama won the election. If McCain won, she'd drink two. One to celebrate and two to drown the sorrows.

On the east coast, my parents are ready.

contents of my "campaign promise" care package

I'm ready too.

whoever invented this beverage was just trying to get in someone's pants

I think I'll wait a little longer to mix my drink, but here's looking to only having to drink one!

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 2
Eggs laid this year: 294

Proof of Florida

To remind myself that it wasn't just a dream:

Sand like sugar


Seafood seafood everywhere

and pruned fingers to prove it!

feed the fish hanging around the docks...

...so they can grow up to feed these fish, which you can catch and eat

Forget your sunscreen? Spray it on with this crazy car-wash-hose looking thing!

Marvelous invention: beer in a metal can so you don't have to worry about breaking it. Now if only they would start serving Stella Artois in those cans instead of american beer...

No trip to florida is complete without a pilgrimage to chick-fil-a

Wait an hour for dinner? Sure! We're game! At least there was a bench to sit on while we waited, and waited, and waited. Then when we got inside we waited another hour for food. But the fried shrimp was still delicious.

Sienna, how sweet you are.