Here’s a photo of Jessica drinking it up at a wedding of a friend we went to on Saturday. It was at the Loring Pasta Bar and the reception was at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. I tell you, when Jessica and I can get away for a few hours we have a lovely time. It’s simultaneously become far more difficult and far more important for us to spend quality time together. Jessica, btw, looked stunning and super fine in her dress and fancy new shoes which you can’t see here. We hit the dance floor and showed off our mad swing dancing skills we learned from a recent community ed course we took. We really were pretty impressive.
On Wednesday’s Jessica holds a little music class at Willow, Lewis’ preschool. And Wednesday happened to also be his birthday. So it was a big fun special day for the little boy. Here he is jumping around in his new birthday shirt during a jumping song.
Lewis just turned four on Wednesday. We gave him what turned out to be an extra appendage–a ‘robot claw’ that he can pick stuff up with. He has barely parted with it since he got it. The gift was Jessica’s idea, and it’s made Lewis really happy. He’ll be sitting at breakfast and reach across the table to grab a tissue. As I drove him to school he’d reach up from the backseat to grab something off the front seat and laugh and laugh. So funny. But the claw caused a problem this morning. He work up way too early around 5:30am demanding that we find his claw. ‘I really want my claw!” he said through tears as Jessica and I laid groggily bed trying to figure out how deal with the situation (the claw is sorta loud and everyone else was sleeping). Jessica ended up giving a big long hug as he sobbed and sobbed and then got into our bed and snuggled.
He’s having a little birthday party tomorrow with a few friends.
In loose chronological order here are some photos from our busy Easter Sunday. My brother Josh called and wanted to hide the eggs for the boys, the same foil covered chocolates our parents did when we were kiddos. So while were at church the ‘Easter bunny’ came hid eggs.
The loot.
At church there was an especially delicious pancake breakfast. Here our friend Gregg is having a word with Netta.
Here’s Bailey sitting on Lewis in the ‘cry room’, a room for quiet stuff or crying babies.
Al, right, does the weekly smudge. I was chatting with him after service and told him how much love watching him do his thing. “It comes from core of my soul,” he said. And it does, you can tell.
LAZY BABY SLEEPING ON A PEW!
I put these three photos together so you can better appreciate Lewis’ finding skills. He has an amazing ability to find just about anything. Art’s lost toys, tiny little and important Legomen, anything of importance he’ll find it. Notice the egg on the fence behind Art, who’s COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS! And then Lewis bounds in for the snipe…
After egg hunting we had Easter dinner with family friends and went to the Rose Gardens to, among other things, climb trees.
For the past three or so months we’ve been attending Walker Community United Methodist Church. It’s a been a real joy for our whole family and a place I think we’ll be at for years to come. Super open, liberal, expressive, musical, loving people abound. I always viewed church with skepticism but ever since having children Jessica and I have both longed to have a weekly moment to reflect and be with people we love and with people that love us and our family. Our children feel safe and welcome as they explore the old creaky church playing with new friends and, during the sermon, as they learn about world religions or talk about things that ‘make them feel joy’ or whatever else their topic is during Sunday school.
It’s a Christian church in the loosest terms. They’re having a Seder next week, read from Lao Tzu every Sunday and have a weekly smudge ending with a shout out to Gaia. Weird and wonderful. The church has a long history of social activism and community involvement and is packed with thoughtful progressives. And musicians! Every week church starts with a half hour of singing backed up by a unpredictable collection of instruments. Trombone, trumpet, clarinet, recorder, banjos, drums, violin and guitars accompany songs by Dylan, Garcia, Lennon and one of Jessica’s favorites, “Long Haired Radical Socialist Jew.” Just today a friendly teenager came up and asked if we need a babysitter. Yes! We are suddenly part of a real community and it’s a gift every week.
Here’s some singing this morning during the Easter service (sorry for the shaky camera, I was holding a baby…):
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