first sushi

At 10 months, Sadie got a wooden sushi set and training chopsticks.
At a year, she received not one, but two copies of My Little Book of Sushi for her birthday.
I can't believe it's taken this long to get around to introducing the real thing!

Selecting ingredients

Immediately before stuffing a big piece of king crab leg in her mouth

Mommy jumps in to help roll 'em up

Adding the finishing touches

Yum.

Might need a little work on the etiquette.

Kanpai!

puppy tv

Don't miss a second of the live action:

watch here
(requires flash)

It's better than the evening news or reality programming, at least.  

Actually, I guess it *is* reality programming...

big news

Well, for me anyway.

(No, we're not pregnant.)

I got Lasik! Finally, after 20+ years of glasses, then contacts, then glasses again: FREEDOM. In keeping with the motto of Change, I had surgery the day after election day. New beginnings indeed.

Just now am I able to stand long periods of time in front of the computer, a fact that makes earning a living as a software developer a difficult task. But things are on the mend (aside from a wicked case of dry-eye), and I've jumped from 20/500 to 20/25 vision in two weeks, with things improving daily. It is, in a word, AMAZING.

Reid was able to watch the entire procedure on a 6-ft x 9-ft screen in the viewing area (complete with comfy couches). Here's a pic that he snapped on my cell phone:
Crazy, huh?

beware the candy monster

We've been coaching Sadie on her trick-or-treating technique for a few weeks now. I expected her to have fun, but I didn't think she'd get the hang of it quite THIS easily:

The child has no fear, especially where candy is involved. She'd knock on one door, say "Trih-treee!", clean out the treat bowl ('Sadie, just ONE, ok?'), and run to the next, seemingly unphased by the creepy spiderwebs and grimacing pumpkins:

'Mommeee can haz more?'

We hit about 10 houses before the Peacock and the Bumblebee were demanding to be carried. (That, and the parents were getting thirsty.)

Note Avery's dainty little treat bag compared to Sadie's, which is bigger than her head. It's no wonder that when we got home, the terrifying and ravenous Frankenpeacock reared her plumage:

"MUST...GET...OPEN..."

Although we didn't have any intention of actually letting her EAT the candy, we didn't see the harm in letting her play with it. Clearly we underestimated the steely jaws of Frankenpeacock:

The candy was removed and a full-scale tantrum ensued, shortly followed by bedtime. Finally, the parents got down to a little trickery of their own!


Battle of The Bands: Guys vs. Girls then commenced...

Good times. The next morning? Not so much.

Happy Halloween!!!

phinally!

Life's tough being a Philadelphia sports fan. Let's take the Eagles: they've never won a Super Bowl (as my friend Brian, a Steelers fan, never ceases to remind me). Or the Flyers: they haven't won a Stanley cup since the Broadstreet Bullies days circa 1974. Not being a Sixer (or basketball in general) fan, I can't really comment on their past performance or potential, but do I know it's been at least 25 years since a title of any kind came to the city of brotherly love.

But the Phillies did it! They gave a much needed shot in the arm to a diehard, but desperate, sports town.

Now, I don't claim to be much of a baseball fan. In fact, I find it rather boring unless I'm at the park with a beer in one hand and a dog in the other. But as a child, the Phillies were the team I grew up with. I remember clearly my grandpa sitting on the front porch every summer night listening to games on a little transistor radio. I wasn't much interested in the score---just how soon the ice cream truck was coming---but the crackly sound of the announcer's voice is what sticks with me. That, and the Phillies Phanatic, whom every kid loved:

Watching the games this past week, I was glad to see the Phanatic hasn't changed a bit. (It also occurred to me that he was probably the model for the Capitol City Goofball on The Simpsons.)

If there's one thing about Philly sports fans, it's that they're never surprised when their team loses. In fact, we're only surprised when they win. Maybe that all changed this week. It's possible my Dad even knew something the rest of us didn't way back in May when he gave Sadie this cheerleader uniform:


Hooray, Phillies!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Notice something else about this picture? Sadie can now reach the kitchen countertops. And stove knobs. Time to put away the knives!)

hugs & kisses

There's just no denying how cute Sadie and Sophie are together.

with no further ado

I've been trying to capture the ABC song on camera for at least a month. Finally...here it is for your listening pleasure:



She used to sing the final verse, too ("now I know my ABCs....") but it has gradually morphed into just one, long, continuous ode to the alphabet, over and over and over....