Well it's been quite awhile since last we wrote but it's time for an update...if you're checking in to get a dose of Marin's lyrical prose then stop right here...it's Kate writing this time and I don't claim to have the writing talents of the taller Dobson.
Anyway, we've completed the final stages of settling into life in Madison with the move into a small and funky old house in a idyllic neighborhood as well as the start of the school year for Marin. The transition from a prestigious private school to a rural public school is everything you would imagine it to be so perhaps the less said about that the better.
On the home front, the boys are thriving and growing into little boys and out of babyhood. A bittersweet transition for us parents in a way. The boys are playing more and more with each other and exploring the world!
Summer seemed to turn to winter in a flash and despite the prematurely chilly temps we are enjoying the fall colours that we have not experienced in several years. My goal is to get out for a run or walk with the boys everyday so we'll see how that goes. In the spirit of the season, here is a cornucopia of recent photos for your enjoyment:
Kate and I went out to eat at a local steak house last night and mused on the topic of where July went. Let's see.....we bought two cars, found a house to rent for the year, picked up innumerable baby gear from a hoary host of online sources and garage sales, trips to library, grandma's for baby pool sessions, trips to the splash park, practiced our "big boy" eating, crawling, climbing, and precarious standing and so on and so forth.
The boys are now eight-months-old and counting. We have realized with a little surprise and a twinge of nostalgia they are not little babies anymore. To feed these grow-bots Kate has been busily making purees of all manner of flora to mix with rice cereals. Most of it ends up in non-mouth places, but incremental progress is being made.
Besides the two teeth visible above, Fin has 6 others to masticate with, and he has been enjoying the occasional dental brushing with a tiny blue rubber nobbed finger. Augie has two little bottom teeth now, a few less than his brother, but he seems to be doing fine with that.
Augie has been perfecting a butterfly crawl that somewhat resembles the dance floor "worm". It's still in the developmental stages....
We are all getting geared up for a big family trip this week (Aug 10 - 17) to NY to visit Kate's family for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary. A very auspicious occasion and gleeful anticipation is in full abundance. We look forward to posting lots of pics and video of the week upon our return. Until then, we'll leave you with this bit of babbled enthusiasm.
"H" is for Homer in this episode of the Single Scoop. One of our major challenges during this move from Hawaii to Madison was to get a vehicle to accommodate our newly enhanced family size. Kate did some preliminary research and we decided relatively early on that we wanted to get a mini van, and in particular, the Honda Odyssey. Unfortunately, there is not a plethora of used Odysseys in the area (which, upon deep reflection, is probably a good thing as something that runs well and long is a valuable commodity not to be traded in for a cow or a few beans), and so we had to search high and low to find candidates. (For the curious and completists, the used - as opposed to new - designation is because we'll be looking for ANOTHER car to act as the commuter-mobile to Fort Atkinson in the weeks to come). Good times!
After a few weeks of constant Craigslisting and visitations to local used Car Dealers we finally found our ride. But it wasn't easy. My favorite misadventure in search of the perfect Odyssey was at a Middleton dealer that I visited early one weekday.....
The salesman, Larry, showed me a used Odyssey with a huge yawn, and off we went on a test drive down Airport Road. He guessed I had young boys in the family and went on to immediately ask if they were circumcised. Slightly puzzled at the forward nature of the question I answered no, they were not, to which he immediately replied, "Good! Good man! That was the worst thing that ever happened to me." Larry then told me about one of his best friends who was circumcised but had recently reversed it, non-surgically. Struggling to keep both hands on the wheel while holding back the laughter, I asked him how that was possible. Larry said it had something to do with stretching but he wasn't totally sure. But anyhow, according to Larry, his friend now enjoyed a "near religious experience" whenever his phallus was put to use.
I already knew most of what I needed to know about the mini-van, but for the rest of the test drive I tossed him some small talk softball questions about how the radio worked or how the seats folded down. Larry didn't have a clue. But he was able to redirect the conversation to his crazy ex-wife, his reconstructed knees, how he and brother grew marijuana while in high school ("plants as high as the ceiling!") and brought it to school stuffed in pillows to get the whole student body blotto at the same time during an outdoor assembly. So I didn't buy the Odyssey from Larry. But it was the most entertaining ride I've had in some time.
In other news, the boys have enjoyed good times and play dates with new friends. Kerry, just one month younger than Augie and Finn, sported some fresh zubaz zebra pants that were admired by all during a recent visit.
Both Augie and Finn are partaking in many solid foods and are putting the high chairs to good use. Kate is chopping up and pureeing avacados, peaches, carrots, green beans, apples and any other flora unlucky enough to wander her way. So far the boys haven't given any nutritious foods the stink eye, which is a relief to Kate and will hopefully save her the trouble of hiding broccoli in cupcakes years down the road.
Lastly, for all concerned about how Lucy the cat is fitting in now with the chaos, hubbub and commotion, we include this video:
