Eleven Months Old

To mark the conclusion of Col's eleventh month on earth, I've posted two videos on YouTube for your viewing pleasure: here and here.

Honestly, most of the pictures in the last two weeks have been of Tor. We'll have to try harder for Col's upcoming birthday!

Loving the backyard trampoline and each other

Finding a perch--and a croissant--at The Perch Beer and Cider Festival

A new bike for Tor! Thanks, Oma and Opa!

"You know, guys, my bike is red because red is my favorite color."

Big Yoda gets a piggyback ride

Father-son time at a street fair

Picnicking at a 14th-century church near our house
(yes, the windows date much later)

In touch with history

Noted this week; having a preschooler around really makes you watch what you say, since he's such an imitator. The other day Tor told me, "Mom, focus on what you're doing!" Today he told Lars, "Hang on, Dad--I can't hear you because Col is talking."

Goodbye, Summer

A few photos from the past few weeks here--very hard to believe it's September! My dear friend Sharin' came to visit, with her husband one weekend and solo the next, with a conference in between. We enjoyed mostly good weather and took the kids out to the Oxford Botanical Gardens one day. Tor wanted to pick us flowers and had a tough time understanding that he shouldn't, until we told him it was like a museum for flowers.

He then contented himself with gathering leaves
and trying to feed them to disappointed ducks

Showing off his five teeth

Ah, to be a baby

Back home: least focused fisherman ever

"Big Yoda," a third-birthday gift from Brian and Tiffany, has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity for the last few weeks. Here he is in Tor's wellies ( = rain boots).

"Mom, I need to keep Yoda's feet dry."

Tor recently enjoyed painting a set of wooden dolls that Rhonda and Tamer gave him. It's been wonderful to have them in town! One bonus is that we now have the ability to invite friends to do last-minute things, which is more how we generally like to do things but less how folks around here roll.

"This one is surprised, because she has really big eyes."

Col has been starting to drink cow's milk at work, sometimes mixed with breast milk and sometimes just on its own. I'm trying to cut back to pumping every other day, and my body is slowly adjusting. Solids are going great, and I'm pretty sure he could survive just off them if he had to. This one is a cheeky eater, giving you the side-eye and dropping his food off his tray as often as putting it in his mouth.

"Half for me, half for the floor"

Finally, as I do, Tor has started to say, "It's not my favorite" instead of "I don't like that [food/movie/etc.]" This week Tor and I were hanging out in Col's room while Col was watching his mobile, which has fish revolving around some seaweed. Tor pointed to the seaweed and asked, "What's that?"
Me: It's supposed to be seaweed.
Tor: It doesn't look like seaweed. It looks like tentacles.
Me: Oh! What kinds of animals have tentacles?
Tor: Octopuses.
Me: Yes. What else?
Tor: Jellyfish.
Me: Yes. I was thinking of squid.
Tor: Ugh! Squid are NOT my favorite.