Here’s a picture from tonight when Maura was over. I got to babysit her for a couple hours. I had a lot of fun, and barely did any work at all. I just watched them play and walk around and stuff, but I smiled so much my face hurt. Maura’s a couple months older than Art and she’s a girl, so she has some more refined skills than Art does. She can screw lids on and off things and she cradled Art’s anatomically correct boy baby doll in her arms and rocked it. So cool. She also picked up Art’s pacifier and put it in his mouth for him. Isn’t that thoughtful?

Ben’s in Arkansas finishing a story for the paper. Art misses you, Ben. He kept hitting the couch and I could just tell he wanted me to throw him on it, but it’s just not the same when I do it. Get some good pictures down there!

(I can’t figure out how to sign into the new blogger, so this is really Jess even though it says it’s Ben.)

http://www.bengarvin.com/awholeyear.wmv
this video is three and a half minutes long.

Here are a few pictures to illustrate the expertise with which Art now gets himself up to standing and proceeds to walk on his own – with a picture of him falling down in the middle, just for good measure.

Adria (known as Bubbe to Art) babysits on Saturdays, and she’s seen here picking up her grandkid.

Click here to see the short video!

Here’s Art’s monster profile.

Your Monster Profile

Brutal Destroyer You Feast On: Lasanga You Lurk Around In: The Backseats of Cars You Especially Like to Torment: Dentists

No way of knowing yet if he really torments dentists, but he definitely lurks in backseats and he LOVES anything pasta. And he does enjoy pulling things apart, knocking things down and dumping things out.

Today Art, Ben and I went to the big Hennepin County library. We were playing with the toys in the children’s area when a big kid, maybe 3 or 4, came over to play with us. Ben and the kid were playing with this big bead toy for a while when the big kid said, “Hot air. Hot air.” Ben said, “Is there hot air?” and the kid said, “Daddy’s full of hot air.”

And that’s why you have to watch what you say!!