2 boats and a helicopter

Leila blowing bubbles. Or eating bubbles.

Which just saves us time from having to wash her mouth out later.

Cousin Abby in a rare moment of solitary reflection.

Light as a feather, Stiff as a board.
Nyssa'd had 2 weeks of swimming lessons and it really showed.
She loved being in the water, kicking with Nana or her inflatable kick board. 

Kaitlyn, Star, Soldier

Leila also loved the water, until she was bitten by a fish.

"Fish. Bite."

I cannot know if this was dance class, day care, work, or going on vacation.
I do know that she has a fashionable hat

Countering stereotypes at such a young age.  Here Leila is en-captured in her
big sister's favorite game, The Indianapolis 500.

Not on vacation. Just so beautiful and cute. Katy and I have to work hard to
get out of her way and let her be who she wants to be.

Because this is what happens when we do. (or when she gets exactly what she
wants which is almost the same thing)

I told my friend Darci on Tuesday that we had a flash flood past our house.
And she didn't believe me.  This is not a photo of Tuesday's flood, the picture is 3
years old. Tuesday morning (and then Tuesday night)'s floods were larger than
this, but it is the only daylight picture I have.

This I took Tuesday night, it doesn't do the depth or speed of the water justice
The water went completely around our neighbors house (and his neighbors as well)
and if you could look to the right it would broaden out to lap at our driveway
and garage.

This just shows how the water flooded back up the street to the base of our
driveway.

Proving you do learn things as a parent.

Man is that treacly! And the best thing is right at the end Leila is climbing over me to give Nyssa a hug.

I came down the stairs the other day and found this:

This is what Leila looks like when she is sick. 

Springtime pictures without any flowers

A bunch of pictures from springtime.

Here is Nyssa with her first sort of drawing of a body.


Ruby, Cole, and Nyssa at Ruby's house.

The siblings: Cole, Leila, and Greta


Sisters and Brothers


These pictures are old. Old enough for Leila to need a sweater.


What follows are a bunch of pictures from Nyssa's first dance recital:
"Every girl can be a princess."


I can't prove to you thats Nyssa, but the girls entered the stage on tip toes
running to their designated spots.


Nyssa missed most of the classes leading up to the performance
but she was still able to spin and bow along with her friends.


Not just a princess, but one with a wand.


She learned quickly that if she didn't know what to do she
could look at her teachers off to the side.


At the end they had all the dancers come out for a final bow.



Nyssa really liked the girls in red, the peppermint patties,
I'm impressed with my photo-taking skill.


ooops! Back in time. Here is Leila at Easter.


Nyssa and Josie


Nyssa, Leila, and Jo-Jo


Josie and Nyssa flashing the secret sign.

Back when Nyssa wanted to ride her bike, before she realized 

again it went to fast.

Neither Katy or I remember when this picture was taken
but Leila is so cute with her chubby fingers.
 

More chubby fingers! This picture might have been taken

anytime till mid-may, when the stockings finally came down.

 

This was in April, after Leila took her first ever pee'p in the toilet.

Not yet to be repeated, so she's no Fullin

 

Here is Nyssa, showing how.

 

a new hair cut

I have intended to post videos and pictures of a lot of diferent things that have happened in Nyssa and Leila's lives the last month or two. We have many cute pictures and Leila can say lots of sunny words. But I haven't had the time and I think part of me does not want to remove my dads obit from the top of this site. It has surprised me how I've liked to open the link and see the picture of him holding Nyssa. And I am also surprised by how much he is still with me, a part of my thoughts. That is what happens I guess.
Anyhows, these are pictures from the last couple of days. Mostly taken with Alicia and her babies-- Ruby and Leila, and mostly taken with her camera.

Leila's great skill right now is collecting dirt around her mouth.

And by around I mean ear to ear, eyes to chin.

The other (less great) thing about Beans is that she is soooo
Cute, and tries to smile big for pictures but often it just looks
like she has been caught farting into a balloon.

I do not understand bloggers new picture user...and I fear I can no
longer upload video (And if that is the case it will be a great example
of the "bundling of features and what I hate about technology and why
for "all its freeingpossabilities" it will be____ (How the hell would I
know what it will be? why it will be __ just another feature of capitalism.
 The girls are (L to R) Ruby, Leila, Greta, Leila. I don't know why they
are stretched out like this. I blame google (which I do more and more:(

What I loved about watching these pictures be taken was how
excited the girls (but especially Leila) were to get their pictures
taken.

Ruby, Greta, and Alicia are raising chickens--much to my delight and
Katy's rightful concern. they came to the post office as 1 day olds in
a cardboard box full of holes. The girls have like 60 of them and Alicia
is super good about showing them to the girls, even bringing some to
Childserve to show the kids. 

At first the chick would start to flap its wings and Nyssa would startle
and stand up, dropping the chick like 4 inches. Alicia was great at
explaining they were just practicing flying and wouldn't hurt her, and
eventually Nyssa got comfortable enough that one of the chicks flapped
up onto her forearm and sat their like a raptor on Dan O'Brien's arm.

But Nyssa is 3 and so eventually got bored. "I'm done," she said.
And Alicia took the chick from her. "Can I hold the other chick?"
Nyssa asked, because language is a great and funny thing.

I am not worried about Leila's over-sized hands I am just glad
that the chick got out of their without being crushed.

This is a perfect example of the trouble of taking Beans' picture
she is not pooping, she is not nervous, she is saying "cheese"
Can't you tell?

I tried to take a quick MacBook picture of Nyssa's hair but Leila 

wanted part of the action so we didn't really get the full effect. I 

Tried to take like 4 photos and they all stunk. Mostly because of 

the face in the bottom left, but also Nyssa's loving on Leila got in

the way as well.

So I got out the camera and tried to get a good picture to post.

Unfortunately I'd just given her a pudding (partly for the story below).

I can't take photos. But whats worse is even though Katy told

me Nyssa'd gotten a hair cut, when Nys ran into the house and began 

hitting me--a rich mans 3 year old hug--and I hugged her too, I didn't

notice anything. The poor girl had to stand next to me for two minutes 

chanting, Hair, Hair, Hair, before I noticed. Whatashitfucker.

I wanted to take pictures not only because she looks so different

than she did this morning but because she looks almost like an

 entirely different girl. Look at the pictures with the Popsicle, Nys 

is a big girl, she looks mature, but something about her now looks 

old. I know I will laugh at that when Nyssa is 6 or 7, but that doesn't

make it untrue tonight.

Of course she is doing something with her upper lip. I think just trying 

to show her teeth.?. but I can't be happy and proud of the whole proces.

Can I.

So Katy steps in thinking she can do better. Which you can argue she did.

She removed the pudding. Placed her in a lighted room. Showed some

of the stains on her shirt. And fianally allowed her cute-ass arms and hands

to take a part of Nyssa's perfect personality.

A final aside: I really am so proud of my girls not just what they can do but just also what they try to do. They try and try and try and it is wonderful.

A second final aside: When Nyssa is (hungry, tired, nervous? we aren't quite sure) she'll say, "My tummy hurts like a butterfly flew into it." What the hell kinda diagnosis do you give that? Last night Nyssa told Katy, "My bottom hurts like a butterfly flew into it." 

A third final aside: I really love these kids. I mean look at their faces. Look at how easy and giving and clear there eyes are and how great there cheeks and how angelic Nyssa's hands look. And then listen to Leila saying, "No."or Nyssa yelling as I try to answer one of her 1,000 questions, "That is not

what I was asking." Their great!