Quote of the Day

Addie was watching our "pet" tadpoles this evening...

Addie: Mom! That one's poopin'!

Me: Yep. Everyone poops.

Addie: It's poopin' an "O".

Me: Do you poop "O's"?

Addie: No. I poop "1's".


Nathan poops differential equations.

Life As We Know It

...has forever changed. One of the blessings and curses of being a firefighter is the rotating work schedule. Up until now our family has operated around Steve's random work schedule. We didn't have normal weekends, which gave us a lot of freedom to do "weekend" things on other days of the week. It seemed almost indulgent to have a family outing on a Tuesday morning when we knew most of the rest of the world wasn't able to. But now that Daniel has started Kindergarten 5 days a week, our family's schedule is becoming incredibly normal. It's a little sad.

But exciting at the same time. Daniel loves his teacher, Mrs. Wisdom (awesome name, huh?) and only has 5 kids in his class. 4 crazy boys and one sweet, yet spunky girl. The kids are going to become close friends over the next year and I'm eager to get to know their families, too.

Here's Daniel at his desk:

Addie started preschool this year. She LOVES it and asks to go every day. Her teacher is Mrs. Visintine. She seems like a real pro; not too tender, not too strict, and incredibly patient. Addie is giving up her afternoon nap to attend school so I am concerned she will throw herself on the floor and scream when things don't go her way...even more than usual. But so far so good.

The kids think it's really fun when they see each other in the hallways at school.

On the days that Addie is home, she is busy smothering and mothering Nathan.

And Lindy-dog tries to figure out where she fits in our ever-evolving pack. Poor dog is an emotional wreck.

Nathan: Month One

Nathan's one month checkup: 22 inches, 10 lbs., 11 oz., big 'ol cheeks. Thinking it's time to get him on a schedule since school starts for the big kids next week.

Nathan William Hahn

On July 28th, 2010 we welcomed Nathan William into the world at 9:35 a.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 inches. Cute little face, big soon-to-be-brown eyes, full head of hair and skinny little legs with wrinkly knees. Big brother and sister have been most attentive and loving to little Nathan; holding, feeding and kissing him. Addie loves to pick out new outfits for him. And Daniel pats his head every time he walks by and whispers, "Hi, little buddy."

Nathan, we are so happy you are finally here to complete our family. It will be the 5 of us from here on out. We've been waiting for you. Ready? Let's go...

The CSA Box

Because my very good friend moved to San Francisco a few years ago and became a hippie (by St. Louis standards) and suggested I read books and watch movies about the origins of the food we eat, I signed up to purchase a half share in a CSA crop this year. Each week, I pick up a small box full of sustainably grown veggies harvested from a farm about 45 minutes from our home. And each week the farmers are kind enough to send a newsletter explaining the contents of our box, which is great because half the time I have no idea what I'm looking at. Have you ever heard of garlic scapes? And since many of these veggies are new to our household, I'm spending a lot of time searching for new recipes. Sometimes this leads to pleasant surprises, like roasted beets. Yum. And sometimes it leads to a severe dislike of grilled yellow zucchini. Using everything before it spoils has been a challenge and when pickling cucumbers showed up in last week's box I felt like I was given extra homework.

Here's hoping the produce becomes a little more familiar as summer wears on...

Nesting

Today I spent close to 3 hours cleaning what will be the baby's room. It was full-on I can't possibly let my baby be born into a world with baseboards as filthy as this! nesting. While I was wiping off each tiny slat on the cold air return, I wondered why women do this. Is this a hormonal drive that dates back to creation, to help signal to Eve that her baby was coming soon so she better start gathering soft grass and making a few fig leaf diapers? And why is the modern manifestation of this drive a desire to clean things that our babies will not even touch until they are probably 6 months old, at which time we won't really care if they get a little dust on their hands and more dog hair in their mouths? What a waste of energy. And the crazy thing is that once I left the baby's room and looked at the rest of my filthy and cluttered house I didn't care.

Daniel is FIVE

Daniel's 5-yr check up was a little late this year so I just got his new stats, but let's back up to the fun stuff. Daniel wanted a Transfomers Birthday this year complete with a light-up Bumblebee banner and Optimus Prime Cake. Lots of blue lips and teeth after indulging in Optimus.

It was HOT the day of his party so we all crammed into our tiny living room to open presents. This photo makes me think 2 things: an open floor plan is a must in the next house because look at how ridiculous this is, and Steve has not played that guitar in over a year. If we put it in storage we could fit 2 more people in our living room.

Daniel got lots of cars, Iron Man toys, Transformers, a fishing pole, a skateboard and tons of other fun games and toys. Despite the heat we had a great time with family and friends. Even Great-Grandma and Cocoa joined the celebration.

Our gift to Daniel was his first trip to Six Flags. He and Steve had a great time together. Daniel was tall enough to ride on many of the roller coasters, including the Screaming Eagle, which he said was his favorite. He also loved getting soaked on Thunder River.

Yep. He loved it.

So, Daniel, you're five now. You are 46 1/4 inches tall and 52 lbs. In case you're wondering, that means you're huge. You love cars, rockets, swimming and PBJ's. And you ask us at least once a day if we can have a battle. This usually involves some kind of weapon (toy or imaginary) and lots of laser and explosion noises. You always defeat us.

You like to talk...a lot. And you have all kinds of interesting theories about God, the world, and life in general. Sometimes you like to hear what we have to say about all of those things, but you usually want to stick to your own version of things. It's fun watching you figure it all out. I wonder if your mind ever rests.

You've crossed into the stage of boyhood where Mom snuggles aren't as sought after as Dad wrestling. But you still humor me every once in awhile. I love you, my sweet boy.