63 Ax hANdLES HiGH

happy halloween from paul bunyan...



















...and his blue ox, babe

Marine Corps Marathon

this past weekend my good friend erin
ran the marine corps marathon in dc.
the kids and i went to root her on
while alex continued cramming sessions
for the big test.
erin did an amazing job,
making 26.2 miles look like the easiest thing,
and the race had such a fun, 'proud to be an american'
energy to it that i found myself getting misty-eyed.
the kids were great sports about it all with the exception
of crying on almost the entire drive there and back.
hutch endured being in a stroller
way longer than any toddler should be expected to,
and i am eternally grateful to all of
the low-flying airplanes and helicopters
for keeping him entertained.
the only time he got upset involved
trying to exit the metro at the marathon stops.
it took over an hour to get out because of
all of the people. everyone was pushing
everyone else and the h man got
a little freaked out.
it was like a herd of cattle
and reminded me of a similar situation boarding a ferry to
vieques, puerto rico that prompted
eric to say, "pretty much don't like kids anywhere."
in short, was it a lot of fun? yes
will i go on a road trip just the kids and i anytime soon?
ummmm, no thank you.

yAy FaLL**

strolling along the rivanna path

GoinG PrIVaTE

we've decided to
make our blog
private starting next week,
which just means
we need your email
registered
in order for you to view it. (don't worry, your email will remain private as well)
we're adding all the family
and friends we
think like to look at the site,
but aren't sure if
there's other folks we may miss in the process.
if so, just email alex or i or leave a comment here and we'll add you on.
thanks for checking on our family.
love to you all.

i LOVE tHiS GUy!

looks like a mcguire,
acts like a jehle

TwO MONths**

our sweet bug elsa
is two months old!
lots of smiles and adoring gazes
radiate from her,
and she is a fabulous cuddler.
elsa is just
a perfect addition to our little family.
hutch constantly wants to know
where she is and is always
offering commentary of her actions:
'baby eat, baby cry, night-night baby,
eye off (her eyes are closed), etc.'
he certainly has moments of jealousy
(i don't think the baby hair bows i found in the
toilet this morning got there on their own),
but hutch seems to bond with her more every day.
we love our ladybug!

COOLEST GIFT EVER

courtesy of the bakers.
(a beautiful bebe and alice toy and a blanket were also included
but are in the room of a sleeping baby,
so i dare not go in to take a picture of them)

sUNdAY bESt

since we are living
in the land
where dressing up for church
is essential,
i couldn't resist posting
pics of the kids in their
finest.
forgive the deodorant in the picture of hutch.
the only way i can get him
to pose these days is
by bribing him with such phrases as,
"show mama the cool deodorant you have."

20 months and on the go

thanks to the coors
for introducing us to the
micro-scooter.
the kid
is in love with it and
won't stop
(until he hits the curb).
as our neighbor karen said,
"he's so young it looks unnatural,
like those talking baby commercials."

tx In REviEW

while alex worked and studied and studied and worked, the kids and i spent the past few weeks in texas. as i mentioned before, we came right after ike hit, so the first week and a half were spent with sean and tara in college station while waiting for power to be restored in lake jackson. they welcomed our brood open-armed and ready to entertain, and we love them to bits for it. tara captures it all quite creatively here. it was so wonderful to spend time with sean and tara since we don't get to see them as often as we'd like.
lake jackson greeted us with easy, breezy, cloudless days. our schedule involved lots of time outside, cocktails on the porch in the afternoon, and plenty of exploration time for hutch. between my parents' huge yard, shrimp boats, the zoo and mini-train, and the envoys of utility trucks in town, the kid had the best day of his life every day. it only would have been better if daddy were there.
now that we're back, hutch is seriously missing all of the attention he received in the weeks after elsa's birth from both sides of the family. he'll do roll call of every name he knows and constantly asks where everyone is. he has two adaptations of names that are the best and most appropriate i've heard in awhile. in trying to call my mom 'grandmommy', he says "McMomma," and our dog burt is officially "Burp." he's even been bringing me the camera and requesting the person he'd like to see a picture of. the kid's a people-person.
sweet elsa began smiling while we were gone and really hasn't stopped whenever she's awake. she's sleeping through the night, bless her soul, and continues to think her car seat is a torture device.
we had a great, great trip, and it was a huge chance for alex to focus on his test, which takes place in two weeks time--hey-o!

wE miSs DaddY..

..and both look a little freaked out

sweet elsa

SHivERs

the best snowcone place on earth + unc and aunt rara - (dietary restrictions) =
one happy boy

wHeN NOse MeeTS ConcRETE

scene- dr.'s office, two and a half weeks ago

dr: does hutch have a helmet?
me: yeah, and he loves it, actually.
dr: good. this kid's gonna need it

**awesome**

nana and 'ampa' j

this post was delayed due to technical difficulties,
so forgive me nana and grandpa.
alex's parents came in town three weeks ago, one week
before the texas trip.
they showered the kids and ourselves with love and attention
and gave me the ultimate household chore gift:
clean and folded laundry. ahhh.
we went to carter mountain apple orchard
for our annual apple-picking,
giving fall permission to arrive.
elsa put on a great apple picking dress
but proceeded to nap throughout the hoopla.
hutch just couldn't figure out why we
bothered taking apples off the trees when
there were so many perfect brown and rotting
apples on the ground to pick up. yummy.
thanks for the wonderful company, folks.
you've given us more great memories.