My Dad, The Engineer, Part 1

My Dad, the Engineer, circa 1972.

My Dad is an engineer, which means that as a kid, whenever I would go to him with even the simplest of questions, I usually got encyclopedic material in return. This made for a lot of eye rolling on my part, particularly in my teenage years. In my early 20's, however, as I was living away from home for the first time, my whole notion of my Dad changed--with a single phone call home. The story (slightly embellished) goes something like this:

I was attempting to cook something and discovered that the eggs I needed to use in my recipe had expired the day before. Worried that I might die from salmonella or botulism or some other horrid food borne illness, I decided to call home to ask my mom her advice as to whether or not I should use said eggs. Dad answered the call.  

"Is mom home?"

"She's out shopping. Can I help you with something?" he asks.

Now, this is a dangerous situation and I can sense it. It's just a question about an egg. Do I risk the chance of getting a lecture over something so simple? On the other hand...Dad doesn't cook a lot. What could be the harm? I proceed cautiously and explain the situation. Eggs. Expired yesterday. Will they kill me? Yes or No.

There is a pause on the other end of the line. And then a question. 

"Do you know how bridges are built?" he asks. 

(Insert major eye roll here.) Bridges? Really Dad? It's just a question about an egg...

"No Dad. Tell me how bridges are made." I concede. 

What followed, however, was such a simple and appropriate answer (and lesson in civil engineering) that it occurred to me, in my twentieth-something year, that my Dad was pretty much a genius.

He explained to me that civil engineers build in a safety factor when designing bridges. A sign posted next to a bridge announcing that it can support 1 ton of weight, for example, is actually built to hold more like a ton and a 1/2 of weight. And so it was (most likely)** with the expiration date stamped on my carton of eggs. It (most likely) included a safety factor and therefore was (more than likely) safe to use.

**Disclaimer: Although my Dad's egg/bridge analogy was merely a hypothesis, and was never scientifically proven--and still isn't to this day-- I totally bought it.

I had a whole new level of appreciation for my Dad after that phone call, for not only did I not die of food poisoning, I also gained a lot more confidence traveling over bridges, and for life in general. So, thanks, Dad, for being the nerd that is you. I love you.

Westwood Hills Park

A Few of My Favorite Things (Family Edition)

In the early days of January, we made our way to Loomis, CA  to have our photos taken by Vanessa Hunt, a friend of a friend. We'd never had our family pictures taken professionally, so this was kind of fun. I loved how they turned out. Everything looks better with a barn as a back drop. No?

Isabella was a ham. Getting her photo taken was just another way to display her ham-ful nature. Did I mention it was cold? This is one of my favorite photos of her. She's even a ham when she's cold.

I wasn't sure what shoes to put with her dress for the photo shoot. She left our house in her too-big rain boots, but I had a couple other pairs of shoes in mind. When we arrived in Loomis, I asked my friend we were visiting which ones she should wear. She immediately suggested the rain boots. I'm so glad I listened! They are so Isabella.

And this is probably my favorite one of Baby M.

This is the one where Mark was telling me something really, really, funny. Or not. I don't actually remember.

And then there's THIS one. My babies. I'm going to show them this picture every time they fight or get annoyed with each other as they grow up.

I don't know why I love this picture, but I do. I'm pretty sure it was a mess-up since our heads were cut off, but I still love it.

A Few of My Favorite Things (Matthew Edition)

It is such a delight to watch this baby figure out the world. Having Matthew is like witnessing life unfold in slow motion--and it's a beautiful thing. You take for granted how quickly babies figure stuff out and may never even know the work that goes into building each muscle, so that the next milestone can be reached. Matthew is a reminder of how amazing that process is. At 15 months, he sits, and rotates while sitting, and gets on all fours and rocks. He pulls himself forward in an army crawl; he is just now figuring out that lifting his backside and pushing off the floor with his feet is more efficient than pulling himself along with just his arms. But now he has to build the muscle and coordination to be able to balance on all fours so that then he can actually crawl. He may in this stage for a while, and we get to enjoy the ride.

Like all babies, Matthew likes anything that isn't a toy. So I try to indulge him. I opened up the cupboard where I keep a lot of my baking ingredients on the bottom shelf. Most items are in cylindrical containers and covered with plastic lids. He pulled out the unsweetened cocoa, and then he rolled it. And then he chased after it. And then he rolled it again, and chased it, again.

Before I knew it, he had moved past the kitchen table into the playroom. He was so focused, and so entertained. Granted, the rooms in our house are small, but this kid rolled the unsweetened cocoa around the train table (I did have to move a few obstacles), and back into the kitchen.

All the while building muscle that will help him move onto the next phase. Amazing!

Love my boy!

Ringing in the New Year

 Family :)

 The Men

 The kids, the auntie, the uncle.

 The New Year's star cake with sprinkles on top.

Happy 2013!

Creek Walkin'

In order to go creek walkin' you need a few essentials: 

1) lots of rain to fill the creek.

 2) Neighbor-friends to go walkin' with.

 3) a good, solid walkin' stick to help you with your walkin'...

 

...or for picking up green goo from the cow's trough.

4) rubber boots to protect your feet (even though what's really fun is to overflow your boots.)

 4.5) a cute little brother

 5) and big, blue sky; puffy, white clouds, and green fields.

  It all makes for a perfect afternoon of creek walkin'.

Christmas Day

 Following our Polar Express adventure, Santa did indeed visit Christmas Eve night.

 Proof.

 He brought Isabella just what she asked for: a dump truck and a trencher. He threw in a grader, too.

 Baby M got a play center.

 But still, the best gift ever has got to be... The Box. Man, whoever came up with that idea...genius.

 

 After opening presents and playing out in the cold rain, we headed for Mill Valley to have Christmas lunch with Mom and Dad. Isabella wanted to wear her bathrobe, hold her PE ticket, and bring hot chocolate and popcorn again. I agreed to the bathrobe and listening to the music. I didn't want to ruin the magic of the previous night--but I was so happy she loved it so much. (We had hot chocolate at Nana and Papa's and watched the Polar Express, of course. )