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February 29, 2008
Goals for tonight
(1) End The War.
(2) Put David Copperfield out of his misery.
BTW, this David Copperfield is a very cute little Daniel Radcliffe.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 04:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 28, 2008
We play together
It amazes me how much they've started noticing each other, locking eyes and really interacting.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Lean on Me
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 27, 2008
Coping without Myron
Joanna: Today, we're both feeling a little homesick for Pittsburgh. It lost one of its most colorful characters today, Myron Cope, the voice of the Steelers, the discordant, beloved bard of Pittsburghese and the inventor of the Terrible Towel.
Okay, so I (Joanna) am not a huge football fan, but a Steelers game in Pittsburgh wasn't just about football, it was a huge cultural, community unifying event. I unfortunately lived in Pittsburgh after the era of Myron Cope, but Tim was there from the early days (check out this ardent little fan!). Even so, I was steeped in stories of Myron Cope, the Immaculate Reception, Franco's Italian Army, and the glory days of the Steel Curtain.
Here are a couple great articles on him. And I think this is a great piece of social history. You learn so much about what it means to be a Pittsburgher from these reactions to his passing.
It may be hard to imagine if you live outside of Pittsburgh, but I'm sure the whole city is in its own special kind of mourning, more black than gold at the moment.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 26, 2008
I married Bob Dylan?
Posted by Tim and Jo at 07:41 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Chubby
This post is dedicated to our dear friend Doris who taught us the multitudinous joys of Chubbiness.
Hi. My name is Chubby.
My momma's chubby.
My daddy's chubby
My brother's chubby.
I guess we's all chubby!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 07:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 25, 2008
Lament for an outgrown onesie
Forbear with us a moment while we get melodramatic. Alas and alack. Elanor has just about grown out of our favorite onesie. It's the hippy-trippy mushroom and flowers onesie. Don't get us wrong; we're overjoyed that the kid is healthy and growing but the fact that kids grow is bittersweet. We want our kids to grow and develop and continually learn new things but all the while in the back of our minds we realize that we're equipping them to be independent from us. This made me thing of Kahlil Gibran's book The Prophet. There is a section called "On Children" which uses some of the arrow and quiver imagery in Psalm 127.
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Joanna: On a related note, they're also outgrowing their snuggle time in one swing. Thankfully, someone gave us another swing just in time, but still, it's so hard to resist the temptation to take dozens of photos of them together before this time is gone forever.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Julio & Romiet
"Ahh, the sentimental one, she's wish to play Julio and Romiet" *
Tim: We had a blast of Shakespearean proportions on Saturday night. We went to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern to see Romeo and Juliet (full text!). What a cool place! The theatre is small, intimate and somewhat in the round. There are tables with all the seats so you can dine on excellent pub grub as you watch the play. Joanna had a cornish pasty, I had shepherd's pie, we shared a wild mushroom soup and we washed it all down with a Rouge Shakespeare Stout and a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Porter. During the interval, we had tiramisu cheesecake and coffee.
"Julio, Julio, herefore art me Romiet." *
Oh yeah, and then there was the play. The actors were terrific as they trounced through the text trippingly on their tongues. The period costumes were beautiful, the lighting and staging were good, even the swordplay was pretty realistic (they even bled!). The only criticism I have was that there were too many bawdy jokes. Now there are a LOT of bawdy jokes in Romeo and Juliet (especially in the scenes with the nurse!), but the actors milked sexual double entendres out of every line they could (especially the guy playing Mercutio). Other than that, a near-perfect rendering of a perfect play. One thing I had forgotten in R&J was that Romeo encounters and kills Paris as he enters the tomb where Juliet lies asleep.
"Ahh, my little much ado about something." *
Before the play started when I was in line to get our grub, I looked behind me and saw Professor Peter Saccio from Dartmouth. I said to myself "I know him from somewhere." Then I remembered that I have his two lecture series on Shakespeare from the Teaching Company. I barged into the conversation he was having with some other people and gushingly thanked him for the lectures. I had a real geek moment. Some people get all flustered when they see a movie star or a rock musician. I get flustered over a professor. He thanked me for helping to fund his retirement and told me a little about what it's like lecturing to a camera instead of a class full of students.
Joanna: While we waited for the show to start, I perused the program, which contained audience members' opinions on their favorite characters from plays, wherein I found this quote about Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing-somewhat pertinent to our own courtship...
"[My favorite character is] Benedick. Reason--as a self-proclaimed bachelor for life (who has now been happily married for over 22 years in June!) I understand fully how Benedick's rational arguments and bluster against love and marriage fell to pieces when confronted by a lively, intellectual, witty partner."--Gregory H.
"Ahh, my little lost labor's loved." *
*Quotes from "Past Perfumance" Pepe le Pew, 1955.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 22, 2008
Waking up is a process
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Daddy's beard is fuzzy...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 20, 2008
GRE & seeing the world
Tim: For the past few weeks I've been studying for the GRE. I haven't done algebra (even basic algebra) for over 15 years so the math section is filling me with no small amount of consternation. If fact, I've done my best to purposefully forget algebra to leave room in my brain for other things (there's only so much space in there). Trying to dig up something you've buried in your brain is not a pleasurable task. Now, I am a lover of words and what they can do, but there are certain words that I loathe, words that are like acid in my throat - polynomial, quadratic, factoring, and that unholy triumvirate: mean, median and mode.
On Saturday, I took a practice exam (3 hours of grinding my mental gears). It didn't boost my confidence very much. Joanna graded it and said I did well so that cheered me up.
We then drove to the Dekalb Farmer's Market and this pulled me out of my grouchy mood. With the twins in their slings we wove our way through the crowds of people in search of our favorite delectables. Cheese (Brie, Gouda, Jarlsburg), pain au chocolat, olives, olive bread, pasta, baba ghanoush, port wine, champagne (to make Joanna's new favorite drink - mimosas), etc... We sat down for a lunch of ratatouille, samosas and lasagna, all of which were excellent (and cost less than a meal at McDonald's!). The Farmers' Market doesn't have the atmosphere of the Strip District in Pittsburgh, but we'll definitely be going there periodically to bask in the international grub.
Joanna: I thought it was cool to introduce Tim to some of the the international/immigrant flavor of Atlanta (maybe it will stop some of his southern jokes, at least for a little bit). One of the things I've loved to do at the Market since I was a kid is to look at the employees' badges. The badge lists all the languages the people speak--some of the employees speak five or more languages (!).
While I was there, I picked up some fresh lemongrass, basil, and a couple jars of Thai curry. That night, I made my first successful Thai dinner (the one years ago wherein I blistered the skin off of Tim's mouth doesn't count). I started with a recipe from Epicurious, and improvised from there.
I'm really excited to start learning a new cuisine!!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 07:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Ian & Elanor Celebrate
Ian: Why do they have us dressed up in our adorably coordinating duds?
Elanor: I think it's for our third month anniversary.
Ian: I'll toast to that [with non-alcoholic milk]!
Elanor: And I'll second the motion!!
Later on...
Elanor: Woohoo!!
Elanor: Yeah, baby!!
Ian: Are you sure there wasn't anything in that "milk" they gave you?
Ian: Put that arm down. This is embarassing both of us.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
3 months!
Wow, can’t believe these little guys have been on the outside for a quarter of a year. It seems so long and so short at the same time. Long—because our lives have changed so much that the former life seems like an eternity ago. Short—because it’s hard to believe that the days have piled upon days so quickly.
A few landmarks:
*Last week, Ian started turning over on purpose, tummy to back. He starts by pushing his arms and head up, pushing one arm a little higher than the other, rhythmically bobbing his head to one side, and whoops, he’s over again!
*Elanor has a funny, loud, laughy sound that she makes when she’s happy. She also has a head bob that she does when she’s really happy.
*Ian is a morning boy (like his daddy). He tries to wake up really early. Not because he’s hungry. No, because he wants smile and talk time with mommy (or daddy on the weekends). He’s talking all the time now, with a bunch of different sounds, and he’s started stringing those sounds together.
*They’re noticing each other in new ways. They’ve started locking eyes a lot and talking to each other. Sometimes they’ll reach out and hold hands, or pat the other’s head, or chew on the other’s arm that happens to be flung out in front of their face.
*They both stand up really well if you’re holding them for balance. Ian has a quirky little face that he only makes when he’s standing up.
*They both love the Jumperoo their great uncle gave them. They hold their heads up really well, and dance around excitedly.
*They occasionally deliberately grab things other than their pacifiers, which has been happening for awhile. Unfortunately, they tried out this new skill on the same rattle.
Ian won.
*They both love it when we sing to them. Right now a favorite is “Turkey in the Straw.” I’ve been making up endless verses to it to keep them entertained. There are changing diaper verses, naptime verses, and verses for each one of them. Here’s one of the Elanor ones:
I have a little daughter and her name is Elanor
She likes to laugh and play a lot and wiggle on the floor,
And when we give her bottles, she always hollers, “More!”
I have a little daughter and her name is Elanor.
Little, little baby, little, little girl (2x)
I have a little daughter and her name is Elanor
She likes to laugh and play a lot and wiggle on the floor!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2008
Happy bday from twins & daddy
So....I got my first birthday present from the twins. They picked it out. Really. Look how exhausted they are from shopping.
Their daddy has been busy. He planned out a whole week of birthday surprises. More importantly, he kept these surprises secret, which is quite unusual for him. He's usually too transparent for subterfuge.
On Saturday, my childhood best friend and my cousin Melissa made a surprise appearance. Jennifer brought me candy in quantities of 30 each (I had forgotten how fun pixie sticks were!), and Melissa brought me a purse full of fun Bath & Bodyworks stuff, as well as anti-aging cremes (haha). Elanor stole the purse.
On Monday, another pile of friends came to visit! Ruth made me a chocolate and apricot birthday cake--we share the same middle name and the same birthday.
Elanor found a new friend in Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn was part of the baby countdown last fall. Unfortunately, Elanor said something that Kaitlyn didn't like, and Kaitlyn burst into tears. However, it appears as though they patched it up in the end. I hope they have as much laughter over the years as I've had with her mother and all her wonderful aunts and uncles.
Apparently there are more surprises on the way, so I'll just have to wait...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 04:59 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 11, 2008
Poll: Who does Ian resemble?
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Poll: Who does Elanor look like?
Posted by Tim and Jo at 03:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Accessorizing
Uh-oh, she's starting early!
And she knows exactly which finger her daddy is wrapped around...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Our favorite tax deductions
Tim: Taxes DONE! Joanna did them all. Not only that, she found some deductions which we could have done as credits on our last three tax returns. So we churned out three 1040X forms and are expecting even more $$$ from Uncle Sam. These refunds will allow Joanna to spend (hopefully) another year at home with kids without having to work.
Joanna was in the ZONE. The research skills she acquired doing her dissertation paid off in more ways than one! The twins helped us as well, as you can see by the photograph. Definitely, our two favorite tax deductions.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 06, 2008
Mirror, mirror on the couch
Joanna: The babies are at a really fun stage. They're smiling, and cooing like they're trying to have talk-time with us. They've just discovered themselves in the mirror, too. It's hilarious--Elanor tries to talk with herself, and after awhile, she starts to whine to herself in the mirror, like she's telling that girl all her worries. Many times, she'll reach out to touch the girl in the mirror, knock it over, and start to cry like she lost her best friend.
Actually, this afternoon the two of them seemed to be working on their first fight. I gave Elanor the mirror during the morning play time, and gave it to Ian for the afternoon play time. Elanor whined most of the way through the play time, until I arranged the mirror so they both could see it. Then I wrapped her up for nap time, letting Ian have the mirror to himself. As soon as I picked him up, he screamed his mad scream, one that he reserves for special occasions. They both were fussy until finally I tied the mirror to the swing so they both could look at it. They stared into it quietly until they finally drifted off.
Tim: We took the twins to their doctor a couple days ago for their first round of shots. They were all jolly and gay until the time came for the nasty needles. They were crabby and sleepy during the afternoon but by evening they were back to being themselves. They both have become a lot more responsive in the past week. Ian will smile, laugh and coo back us when we talk to him. Elanor isn't quite as loquacious as him but she smiles and crinkles up her nose, which is really cute.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Few of Our Favorite Things
...or at least two of them!
I've been longing for these onesies since the Things were in utero. A friend of mine with twins just gave us a couple of bags of clothes, including some adorable twinsie stuff!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:14 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 03, 2008
Sunday best
We realized this morning that our kids are better dressers than we are...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:33 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Der doppelgänger
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Homies
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mama's boy
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Elanor does laundry
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack