Cool Once Removed

Patricia Drew is Lydia's babysitter. She is amazing with kids, and Lydia adores her. She is also an incredibly talented musician and sings and plays the viola in a band called The Soldier Thread. She was featured in this mini-documentary about four musicians trying to make music the center of their lives. Check it out here. While Lydia isn't in the video, the little girl down the street is!

While we blame parenthood for making us somewhat boring, we really were never super-hip. Thanks to Patty, we are at least one degree away from cool!

Date with Dax

What do Dax and Lydia do on a date, you ask? You may remember this back in July:

But times have changed, my friends.

Now, they socialize at the picnic table.

He serenades her with a song on the piano.

And he chauffeurs her in the Red Rider.

Classic Summer Day

I have deemed it Summer in Austin. I will be spending exactly four hours with students this week, and the rest of my time at week will be spent packing up my classroom in preparations for its use during summer school, grading tests and projects, and doing routine end-of-the-year activities. Vacation is so close that I can taste it. I get giddy at the thought of reading my book during Lydia's naptime, taking some of the reins in the kitchen (gasp!) while Robin and I switch out roles, and I become Lydia's primary caretaker and the one who clocks more hours at home.

This weekend, we are embracing summer. Robin took his bike out this morning, and Lydia and I went for a breakfast taco date. We ran errands, and Lydia took two champion naps. We didn't really eat on a schedule and did fun things as they came to mind.

What came to mind, you ask? We busted out the sprinkler!!! (There's a video at the bottom of the post.)

We played in the wading pool! (Click on this first photo to enlarge it and see Lydia's great facial expression!)

And I got what I have been dreaming of for AGES...

Pigtails!


We wrapped up our day having dinner with the Luthers and their birthing group friends at what is possibly the most child-friendly, parent-friendly place in Austin. What a fantastic summer Saturday!

Pigtails!!

-- Post From My iPhone

Quintessential Lydia

The Nifty Fifty

Today I received an awesome package!! With the help of my Grandma Gloria and Uncle Rob (who works for National Camera Exchange), The Nifty Fifty, otherwise known as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, has made its way to my camera bag, and I am loving it. It is too late to call my grandma and thank her over the phone, but since she is possibly my most devoted blog reader, I will thank her here and call her in the morning. I read about the lens in this article at Becoming Mom, and I am in love with it so far. I need to practice with it and get used to using the manual focus, as well as adjust to the fixed lens that doesn't zoom in, but based on the little bit I got to play tonight, I feel like a whole new world of photography is opening up for me (and, in turn, for you as blog readers--get ready for even more photos of the Lyds). Here are some shots from this evening:

Desperate for a subject before Lydia got home (she hung with Jessica--thanks!!--so Robin could get some work done, and we could go shmooze with developers at an open house), I focused on inanimate objects.

The puzzle...

My basil plant...

Lydia wasn't in so much of a posing mood, but she was in the mood to eat her hammer... And hang with Aidan. Aidan was pretty much in love with the Radio Flyer car... And he loves Lydia, too. He gives her hugs, first very carefully getting her into appropriate hugging position (the photos are out of focus, but the hugging was too cute not to post)
And snuggles her on request.Lydia wrapped up her night with a bath and went down without a peep. Thanks, Grandma Gloria!!! It was too late to call and thank you, so until the morning, this post will have to do!

DIY: Dining in Style

About a month ago, I discovered the website Knock-Off Wood. In search of a summer project, I immediately was taken with visions of outfitting our home in furniture made by yours truly. I showed the site to Robin, and we picked out two projects to begin with. Here is the first. We have since added a final coat of paint, but I figured my audience would prefer a photo with Lydia to a photo of a better painted table sans child. The link to the entry with the plans is here. The paint color is Enchanted Coach Ride from the Behr Disney series. Lydia chose the color. Seriously.