mystery machine

Grandpa spent his last morning in Texas creating a present for the children: a treasure hunt, or "mystery," in their terminology.  This consisted of a series of drawings, gnomic clues, and poems which the kids took turns solving.  

While each of the children loves the challenge of a good mystery, Gwennie is particularly interested in riddles and codes these days, partially because of her reading enthusiasms.  She recently produced a code letter for a friend who is departing Texas for Rexburg, suggesting that they become pen pals (but stipulating that each letter involve a new cipher).  Anyone interested in becoming a coded confidant?

You can always tell how excited Casper is by the rate of his running.

hard to get

Before Grandma and Grandpa arrived, we were a little worried that Margaret would take some time to display her native charm.  She's become a little reticent, a bit more guarded around people she doesn't see consistently.  We thought that this stage -- call it separation anxiety if you like -- might pose a problem during the visit. 

It turns out that we shouldn't have worried.  While it took her a little while to truly warm up to her grandparents, it was nothing that a little wooing couldn't solve.  (Plus, Grandma likes a challenge.)  She was soon very comfortable with them.  They, in turn, were smitten.

book history part 4

Teaching our session about historic illustration and woodblock cutting.

Presenting the Library's 19th century abolitionist wood engraving block to students.

Preparing to plane newly-cast type to ensure that its height is accurate to one thousandth of an inch. 

Prepping the woodcutting and wood engraving tools for the students' use.

Concentration.

book history part 3

book history part 2

book history part 1

Since I'm going to be continuing my fifteen-hour days, leading & prepping the classes Dad and I are teaching this week, I thought it would be appropriate to present some images of the children, who came to the workroom a week or two ago to help warm up the presses.

party of ten

We get Grandma and Grandpa in Texas this week, even though the kids may not see much of Grandpa (since he will be spending most of his time with me at the Library, where he is helping teach our Workshop in printing and book history).  The boys and I drove to Austin, where we picked them up and rushed back for Gwendolyn's piano recital.  We made it in plenty of time, and were able to fit in a trip to the snowcone shack (Gwennie's choice) before welcoming our great friends over for another culinary challenge.  (Tonight, the difficult choice was whether to eat homemade pizza with cheese, or without.)

you take that diaper off your head

 

For every great portrait shot like this one (depicting what is doubtless our placid, immaculate life), I get a few others that reveal the real state of affairs around our place.  I don't recall who it was that Jen was reprimanding in this picture, but I feel confident that they begged her pardon and obeyed her instantly.

round back

These pictures are a little old at this point; we may have already crossed over from the early green Spring to our wilted Summer.  But each year we get a glorious week or two when the honeysuckle is blooming, and we do our best to spend all our time in the yard.

lucky ladybug

 

hijinkster

Casper, mishearing our description of my pressroom as "pez room," asked to be taken to the place where we stockpile our candy.  I had to lift him up and show him behind the presses and type cabinets before he believed that we didn't have a secret hoard.

Casper: Daddy, will you go punch Linus in the stomach?  It feels like he broke my leg!

gobblin' face

Greta's still following a dairy-based diet, and the occasions in which we've prepared solid foods have generally not been met with enthusiasm.  While she's accepted pureed sweet potatoes, she still gives us horrible faces when presented with other vegetables (especially pre-prepared baby foods).  But Margaret loves to lick and suck on fresh fruit (mainly apples) and vegetables from the garden (cucumbers).  Well, we're happy to share until she's ready to eat on her own.

Mama, her day

1. What is something Mama always says to you?
G: I love you.
L: Please.
C: Clean! Or Pick Up!

2. What makes Mama happy?
G: When we listen right away and clean up without being asked.
L: When we obey.
C: When we pick up or clean.

3. What makes Mama sad?
G: When we just sit around instead of working, and just play.
L: When we keep playing when Mama asks us to do something.
C: When we just play instead of working, and we just ignore her.

4. How does Mama make you laugh?
G: She says silly things – just little jokes.  She makes them funny.
L: Tickle. 
C: A tickle.  Or jokes, but I do not know.  I forgot them.

5. What was Mama like as a child?
G: I think she was kind of like me.  She liked to read a lot, and she was a little outgoing.  She liked the same things as me.
L: She liked legos, and going outside and getting in nature.
C: She liked to play games like jumprope or Uno or in a playhouse made of wood.

6. How old is Mama?
G: 38
L: 27.
C: 17.

7. How tall is Mama?
G: 5 or 6 feet, something around there.
L: Pretty tall.  Tall enough to get games down from the closet.
C: As tall as she needs to get down suitcases.

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
G: The news.
L: Probably Avatar the Last Airbender.
C: Wild Kratts.  Does that say Wild Kratts?

9. What does Mama do when you're not around?
G: She eats chocolate and candy and watches movies with you.  I know because she tells me.  And does work on her computer.
L: Cleans.  And plays with Greta.
C: I know what you do.  Do your exercise things sometimes in the night.  Mama doesn’t do those, though.

10. If Mama becomes famous, what will it be for?
G: Texting the most in her life.
L: I have an idea.  Cleaning the house. I know it’s kind of a crazy reason, but yeah.
C: Get down suitcases.

11. What is Mama really good at?
G: Having babies and being nice.
L: Playing with us, like attacking us and tickling us.
C: This is just like cleaning up the house, right?

12. What is Mama not very good at?
G: Not being nice.  And not sharing.
L: Daddy, I’m just joking around with this one: cleaning the house.  I’m joking.  Probably crafts.
C: Bending down.

13. What does Mama do for her job?
G: She’s a Mama, and she watches us while you’re at work.  She tells us what to do and takes us fun places and she teaches us school.
L: Watches us at home.  She talks to us, and does school with us.
C: Aha! She plays and works for us, to help us to become . . . a great cleaner.

14. What is Mama’s favorite food?

G: She likes a lot of foods, I don’t really know.  Some kind of soup.  With brown rice and 

tomatoes and vegetables.

L: What’s that big dish that has so many fruits in it?  Not fruits, but vegetables, that you

guys like to eat. With the brown rice?  Stir fry.

C: Chili’s.  No . . . it sounds like pickle.  Pee Wee’s!

15. What makes you proud of Mama?  

G: She has a really awesome coin collection of cool coins and old coins and coins they don’t

make anymore, and I like that.

L: How nice Mama is.

C: Making it so we can go to places, like fun places that we like.  The zoo or  . . . to Sam’s

Club! 

16. If Mama were a fictional character, who would she be?  

G: Professor McGonagal from Harry Potter.  Or Sandstorm, from Warriors. 

L: Kitara in Avatar.  Or Leafpool, from Warriors.  She’s a medicine cat from Thunder

Clan.

C: Hmm.  Hmm is the character.  No, she’s like George the mouse in George and the

Dragon. 

17. What do you and Mama do together?

G: We talk about stuff, things that I’m worried about or want to know more about and

am wondering about.

L: Probably play games, like the new one I got: Shut the Box.

C: Play.  Definitely not roughhousing games.  We play Trivial Pursuit.

18. How are you and Mama the same?  

G: We both have just totally blue eyes with no other colors in them.  And we both like cats and reading,

a lot, even when it’s our bedtime.  And we like talking, even when it’s our bedtime.

L: We both like red hair.

C: Mama’s hair is like down, and mine is down too.

19. How are you and Mama different?  

G: I take gymnastics and I haven’t had any babies.  And I don’t wear glasses or have

black hair, yet.  Black . . . and gray.

L: Mama doesn’t like pancakes as much as me.

C: Sometimes her hair is up, and mine is down always.

20. How do you know Mama loves you?  

G: Because she says it all the time and I know because she wouldn’t be as nice to us if she

didn’t love us.  Yeah . . . she loves us.  Definitely.

L: Cause part of me came from Mama.

C: Sometimes she says “sweetie.”

21. What does Mama like most about Daddy?  

G: That you love us a lot, too. And that you love her.

L: Cause you’re her husband.

C: Because she married you.

22. Where is Mama’s favorite place to go?  

G: To bed. And to sleep.

L: To take us to the Children’s Museum with friends.  One reason I picked that is she

could talk to the friends’ mothers.

C: Out for lunch or dinner or . . . what’s the thing that’s after lunch or dinner?  Dessert!

23. What is Mama’s favorite song?

G:  I Am Like a Star Shining Brightly.  I think.

L: I’m just guessing on this one, okay, Daddy?  Maybe, I Am a Child of God.

C: Help!

24. What is Mama’s favorite book?

G:  I think she liked the Sally Lockhart books [by Philip Pullman, which she indeed read,

about six months ago].

L: In the Night Kitchen [by Maurice Sendak].  That’s a good one.

C: The Pale Green Pants ["What Was I Scared Of?" in The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss].

25. What is Mama’s favorite show?

G:  The shows of when we were babies.

L: Those animal videos that are all about Life.  Those.

C: Life [the nature documentary].

26. What would Mama do with a million dollars?

G: I think she would use it so we could all go out and do fun things together, like travel

around the United States. 

L: Get food.  If it was nearing Christmas or something, probably fancy food.  But not stuff

we don’t eat.

C: Buy clothes for us.  This kind of shirt [pointing to my Gwendolyn roach shirt], only

smaller.  It would still have a roach on it.

glowing

One of the great things about being a mother, says Jennifer, is having someone who is endlessly excited to see you.  I don't think it's a matter of dependence, but it must be a boost to have someone break into a wholehearted grin every time you enter a room.

ginger-esque

Linus: You can take a volcano that's erupting with lava and asthma -- wait . . . what's it called before it's lava?

L, to Casper, who was climbing over him: Ow! That was my legpit!

L's favorite word these days is the all-purpose "thingymajidjit."

goblinface

This hideous, hilarious grimace is a new expression which Greta introduced during the past week. It's so fleeting that it's been difficult to capture.  It usually appears when she's a little frustrated, but our attempts to solicit it have largely met with failure.  Fortunately, I had the camera to hand on a few occasions when it started so we could add it to our family record.

(As far as I can tell, this expression means something different than the other children's Pharisee faces.)

no kissing!

Casper, walking into a room where Jennifer and I were standing: I don't want to see any kissing! . . .  All right, I heard two kisses.

lovely reader

Like all the best rooms associated with books, this one is hidden: Gwennie created a reading nook (which she so named) in a corner of her room today.  Though she wasn't able to rig a sliding bookcase, she secreted her book paradise behind our puppet theatre and a pair of blankets.  Large pillows, a footrest, her lamp, and a gigantic pile of books filled out the space. 

Also overheard a few days ago from Linus: Daddy, can we listen to "Lovely Reader"?  I listened to that one a lot yesterday.  I think it's Mama's favorite [Beatles song].

hoodie

This charming outfit was the gift of one of Jen's great friends, who originally gave it to her before the birth of Gwendolyn.  Svenja, Jen's friend, was very stylish and discerning, and this little dress and hoodie combination has long been one of our great favorites; in fact, one of the finest photos we have of Gwendolyn shows her in a very similar pose as this first image.

I also have to mention that one of Greta's favorite games is to sit on the bed or the floor, as below, and to slowly rotate her feet in circles.  It's one of the most charming, funny things we see from a little girl full of those sorts of tricks.

everything that rises must converge

The only drawback to this game, as Jen has learned to her sorrow, is the dribble problem.

century

There's a large live oak on the college campus which is thought to have been planted around the turn of the twentieth century.  It's so big that many of its limbs rest on the ground.  Local lore holds that those who walk under the tree with someone they love will be bound together forever.  (As a result, we frequently see engagements and wedding photos taking place under its limbs, as was the case when we walked over for this photo.)