peter, paul, and mary meets schoenberg

BTW, his head is just fine.

what nate thinks of us

I'm stealing this from facebook, because it seems more appropriate here. I conducted an interview with Nate to see what he thinks of Thad and I. I'm not sure where all the tv answers came from, since we really don't watch much tv when Nate's around. Perhaps he'd prefer we watch more? I deleted a few questions from the FB version because Nate doesn't have the attention span for a 20-some question interview, but here's what I learned before he took off running:

What is something Dad/Mom always says to you?
Dad: I found your hammer
Mom: Nate

What makes Dad/Mom happy?
Dad: a kiss
Mom: a kiss

What makes Dad/Mom sad?
Dad: I don't know
Mom: me sad

How does your Dad/Mom make you laugh?
Dad: maybe a tickle
Mom: I don't know

What was your Dad/Mom like as a child?
Dad: What's that flying there? (looking out window)
Mom: [blank stare]

How old is your Dad/Mom?
Dad: maybe six?
Mom: 6 7 9... ma, and pa, and penny and pickles are ready to go on a picnic!

How tall is your Dad/Mom?
Dad: 9
Mom: [blank stare]

What is Dad/Mom's favorite thing to do?
Dad: make cherry pie
Mom:eat

What does your Dad/Mom do when you are not home?
Dad: I don't know
Mom: go to chorus

What is your Dad/Mom really good at?
Dad: pie
Mom: tv

What does your Dad/Mom do for a job?
Dad: he's a scientist!
Mom: work

What is your Dad/Mom's favorite food?
Dad: cherry pie
Mom: cherry pie

What do you and your Dad/Mom do together?
Dad: watch tv with mommy and daddy
Mom: watch tv

How are you and your Dad/Mom the same?
Dad: lizards
Mom: lizards

How do you know your Dad/Mom loves you?
Dad: me!
Mom: [blank stare]

Where is your Dad's favorite place to go?
Dad: Vermont
Mom: [Nate runs away]

not quite picasso, but...

Nate seems to enjoy drawing and has for a while now. He drew his first few representational pictures a few months ago (I'm annoyed at myself for not writing the date down, but I think they were in October or so.) He'd take the marker and make a bunch of straight lines, proclaiming that each was a worm. Then he'd often add a flourishy scribble to complete the drawing.






































Just this past week, Nate has a new style and is drawing some pretty awesome circles (in the opinion of his artsy fartsy mom, at least). And he even used his new circles to draw a family portrait!

frogs

We went to the new frog exhibit at the Museum of Science this weekend and it was pretty cool. There are some crazy frogs. This white one is the most poisonous creature on earth. And this monkey frog was just hanging out on this branch. While we were there, we also had to say hi to Nate's new friend, Cliff, the "pie-cer-ih-tops."

mardi gras

Halie hopes you all enjoyed Mardi Gras this year

jacques pepin makes good pears

I'm having trouble telling the difference between general toddler curiosity and things that are of particular interest to Nate. For instance, he can name virtually every kind of truck and has memorized all the names of the Thomas engines, but this is a really common thing amongst kids these days. On the other hand, he really seems to have a special interest in food and cooking, and I'm starting to think it's a bit unusual. For instance, he would probably tell you his favorite spice is paprika, and per his request, we have spent many an afternoon looking through our pantry, smelling and feeling all the different ingredients. For months, perhaps even a year, he could correctly identify penne in a pasta lineup. He often asks us to list the ingredients in whatever we're eating. And just a few days ago he said, "Jacques Pepin makes good pears." While this is quite accurate, it also got me wondering how many other two-year-olds know that Jacques Pepin not only exists, but that he cooks good things? So, that's a little atypical, right?

something fishy

I've got an update on the longnose butterfly fish. It turns out that there's a picture of one in a book at my parents' house. So it seems Nate remembered the fish from that and, upon seeing it at the Aquarium, properly identified it. Can you believe that?! I can barely find a matching pair of socks, and my kid can identify a random variety of fish from a book he read a couple of times?!