Category: Uncategorized

Art and Pops go to the fair.

Arthur and I went to the fair on Monday, its last day. I probably should’ve taken Lewis, too, and sorta feel bad about it. Sorry Lewis! There’s great value in having some one on one time with a kid I think. For the parent and the kid. But Lewis knew he was missing something fun and cried as we left.

Art went the day the fair opened with our neighbors Cathy and Linda and was really excited about going on the rides again. And showing them to me. As soon as we got there he wanted to go on some really big roller coaster. I asked him lots if he was sure or if he’d be scared. Told him once we were on we couldn’t get off. He said he was feeling brave and wanted to go. And he WAS brave.

Then, in a highly anticipated move, we stopped for a snow cone. Art just loves them. We sat at a table for a long time as he ate the entire thing in tiny bites. Even tipped back the wet paper cone and drank the syrupy water. “It’s SO good, Papa.”


And then we saw some horses and, luckily, a charro doing fancy tricks on his black stallion. That was actually pretty cool.

Make a note of this…

Today I had a surge or productivity as a nester.  Now that I have officially passed the gestational period during which I was on bed rest with Lewis I have magically gained a lot more energy and confidence as a mobile, giant pregnant woman.  I washed my porch windows.  I made a decent dinner.  I organized a bit more upstairs…  Basically, I nested as much as my size would allow.  And I've been super hungry all day.

I only write this because Ben did ask, after I told him about the windows, if I was going to be having babies tomorrow.  I sure hope not.  As excited as I am to meet the two girls – and to NOT be pregnant anymore – I would like them to get bigger and stronger and more plump.  At this point they are still super skinny and maybe hairy, too.  And not ready to live outside the womb.  So, I'll drink a lot of water and keep my feet up the rest of the night.  Sorry, Ben, I am not cleaning the kitchen tonight.  But the trade off is a rested, still-giant pregnant wife.  (He understands.)

Daily Corndog minute videos.

So I just finished a somewhat brutal amount of work and stress producing 12 daily one minute videos from the Minnesota State Fair. It was actually a real fun challenge and something I feel good about looking back, but I was also a little unrealistic about the amount of time it would take (sorry Jessica!). Anyway, if you have 12 minutes, here they are in their entirety.

or skip directly to Jessica’s favorite:

Back at school.

Art started Willow preschool again this week. It’s such a wonderful thing for him and our whole family (Jess is now able to nap with Lewis earlier in the day!). Art has some close friends and will be making some new ones. Ms. Jen, the teacher, has three chickens in her backyard now, and she even added a super cool loft in the basement. Art said that it was a boat and he had already taken a few trips to places in it.


Si plays a sweet ballad for his classmates.

Our boys are different.

This post is part of the recent Lewis Fest on our blog, but it also just celebrates the differences between Parker Garvin boy #1 and #2.  

When Art was Lewis's age he was sleeping in a bed with a guard rail, kinda like Lewis is now, able to get out any time he would like.  But he never did.  I think he might have been three years old or more before he would consistently just get out of bed on his own.  Instead he would call to us from his room, "Mama!  I'm awake!" or "Covers!  Covers!"  We would try to show him how to pull his own covers up, we would tell him before he went to sleep to go ahead and get out when he was done sleeping, but no, he would stay in until we came to meet him there.
Lewis, being second and also just being a different kid, is a different story.  He has been getting out of bed on his own since he was released from his crib and he has been taking care of his needs by himself, too.  He will trudge over to the bathroom, reach up to turn on the light, groggily sit on his potty and go, then he'll often come in and ask for helping getting back in bed.  Or, like the other night, he will let himself into the bathroom, pull out the stool, grab a cup and fill it with water!  Maybe I should start putting out eggs and a pan in the morning and just tell him, "Go ahead and make breakfast, Lewis".