Lewis has two new teeth on the top.

Those pictures from yesterday are a tough act to follow! But the show must go on…

I had another mothering milestone the night before last. I gave a coughing son grape flavored medicine from a spoon. Just another one of those moments that feel like a true parental rite of passage. I remember tearing up the first time I shook my keys for Art when he was a little baby, or having him playing with a toy at his high chair while I cooked dinner. Well, the boys have croup and the other night I was hopping from one coughing child to the next in the middle of the night, taking temperatures and giving medicine. I got out a spoon from the silverware drawer and watched Art take a little medicine and had to urge him to finish it. That was a big time mom moment for me.

Arthur has begun to enjoy looking at the screen on our camera to instantly see what his silly face looked like. Today were were playing in the basement and he asked me to photograph a block, a ball, and a duck. “Take a picture of that duck, Papa.”
The he wanted to take pictures, too, including one of his Papa.

Lew post-snow.

After Art finishes his ice cream he makes a wonderful five minute clinking noise as his spoon scrapes his empty glass. He works with incredible focus until every last bit of sweetness has made it out of the glass and onto his tongue.

See these pants?

Art was 13 months when we was wearing the blue pants in this picture. Lewis wore them today. Lewis is 7 1/2 months. Big guy.

Art, Lewis and I took the Light Rail Train to the library for story hour today.  Art didn't want to hear the woman "sing the songs" and said he didn't want to go to story hour.  I insisted figuring he would probably have a good time after he got there like he always does. 

So we walked from the train to the library, about two blocks, and Art said he was getting cold so I said, "Let's run!"  and we slollumed past some flagpoles.  Then he fell.  Ok.  He recovered once I asked him to push the handicap door-opener button.

We sat in the story hour for about five minutes and he looked at me and said, "I want my snack."  I told him we could go back out to the lobby and eat it, we can't eat in the library.  "You can't eat in the library?"  I again said that we couldn't.  Then he stood up while the woman was still reading the story and said loudly, "Can we eat a snack in the library?"  She didn't respond, but I was already shuttling him along to get out to the lobby.

We spend the next 30, 40 minutes sitting in the library cafe eating snacks – string cheese, carrots, drinking milk – while Lewis sat on the floor playing with his stroller wheels. Then we left to take the light rail train back to the car.

While we walked through the flagpoles Art said, "Are we not gonna run so we don't fall down?"  Well, that wasn't really why we were walking, but I said yes.  Then we saw the train and I said, "We can get on that Light Rail Train if we run.  Do you want to run?"  "Yeah," he said, and so we ran.  He said something about holding his legs.  I thought so they wouldn't get cold.  But I asked him again, "Why are you holding your legs?"  "I hold my legs so I won't fall down while I run."

And that, my friends, is how to avoid falling.

Jessica just e-mailed this recipe to some family, but it's too tasty
not to be shared with the wider world. It's THAT good, really.3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, or more to taste
1 qt chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
juice of 1/2 lemon or more to taste
3 Tbsp chopped cilantroin a large pot heat olive oil over high heat until hot and shimmering.
Add onion and garlic and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir
in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or
cayenne and saute for 2 more minutes. Add broth, water, lentils and
carrot. Bring to a simmer then partially cover and turn heat to
med-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. taste and
salt as needed.Using an immersion or regular blender puree half the soup leaving the
rest as is. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro and serve! Drizzle with
olive oil and light dust of chili powder for extra niceness.