Yes, I know. This is not a picture of Collin OR Lilah. It is a teaser, I suppose. If you go from here to the Flickr site you will see many fine, fine pictures of both Collin and Lilah at the event where this was taken . . . Unca PaulanNet's wedding. For adults, those names are Paul and Nanette, and they were married Saturday July 16, 2007 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Stanford Faculty Club. Again, there are many pictures on our site, of the happy couple, of various members of our families, and of course, of Lilah performing flower girl duties and Collin balancing two rings VERY CAREFULLY on a white satin pillow.
This event marked not only the start of Paul and Nanette's life together but many milestones for the Claycomb twins: first plane ride, first time in California, first wedding, first public dance performance--they took to the floor for "YMCA" and "Copacabana" just the two of them and were, well, not shy.
We also saw a long-time and close friend of mine, Mary Hekl, and her family, which includes husband Jason and Macy (3) and Kaitlin (almost 2 at the time) and had a blast with them. Collin was a little dismayed to discover that Macy had toys involving balls and yet didn't seem to know where the balls were. (How could you not know these things??? asks the 3-year-old boy. Macy looked singularly unconcerned.)
Overall, it was a wonderful trip. So wonderful that we left stuff behind at UncaPaulanNet's, so that next time we're there (which may be sooner than they're ready for us) we'll already have staked out space and Lilah won't need to ask (disapprovingly), "Unca Paul, where are all your toys?"
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
What's the reverse of "matriarch"?
Because it should be clear who's in charge in this picture. The youngest female in our family runs the show. Just ask Gramps, pictured here having lunch with her (and her mom) after a morning at the zoo when she was escorted in her stroller past many fine exhibits. In true Lilah fashion, she liked the hippo and the meerkats best. Leave the elephants and the giraffes to other, more trend-following kids.
She enojyed ordering Gramps around and was equally delighted to see his face painted on the wall of the Greek restaurant where we ate. (It was actually Aristotle, as you can see from another Flickr photo, but hey, that's simply a tribute to Gramps' wisdom and erudition.)
The joy of living with Lilah is that you never have to worry about slacking off or falling out of line: she keeps you in it. As evidence, a recent conversation with our friend Dave:
Lilah: Where are your toys?
Dave: Uh, we don't have any now. But [with a new baby arriving soon] we will soon.
Lilah: Next time I come you will have toys.
Dave: Yes, uh, yes, we will.
Lilah: I need you to remember this, okay? Remember.
Now if only she TOOK orders as well as she gave them . . .
She enojyed ordering Gramps around and was equally delighted to see his face painted on the wall of the Greek restaurant where we ate. (It was actually Aristotle, as you can see from another Flickr photo, but hey, that's simply a tribute to Gramps' wisdom and erudition.)
The joy of living with Lilah is that you never have to worry about slacking off or falling out of line: she keeps you in it. As evidence, a recent conversation with our friend Dave:
Lilah: Where are your toys?
Dave: Uh, we don't have any now. But [with a new baby arriving soon] we will soon.
Lilah: Next time I come you will have toys.
Dave: Yes, uh, yes, we will.
Lilah: I need you to remember this, okay? Remember.
Now if only she TOOK orders as well as she gave them . . .
Collin the Intrepid
Well, folks, there are quite a few newer pictures up on our photo pages right now, all of which I of course urge you to run right over to and admire. But I'm choosing this one as the focal point of my newest blog about Collin because it captures both his Batman-Joker t-shirt (now, sadly, so filthy that I threw it out) and his determination to be a BIG boy.
He is a big boy, of course. And Ryan and I wish to affirm this as often as possible. He can climb trees (as you can see), he can dress himself, fill his own cups with juice, brush his own teeth start to finish, including putting paste on the brush and rinsing afterwards . . . he can even hang upside-down on the monkey bars at school.
The problem with all this BIG-ness is the sheer lunatic stubbornness that accompanies it. The child wants to climb ladders by himself, put on clothes that are still zipped or are inside out, fetch things off the top of the refrigerator--"I will get the stool!"--and carry heavy glass jars of things across the kitchen floor. When he is discouraged or thwarted in these designs he becomes QUITE angry.
So it is a good thing indeed that, after he is safe in bed at night, Batman often calls him on the phone to help thwart the Joker's latest diabolical plot. Batman understands that Collin is both intrepid and invincible.
It is also a good thing that, after Collin is safe in bed at night, mom and dad have access to wine.
He is a big boy, of course. And Ryan and I wish to affirm this as often as possible. He can climb trees (as you can see), he can dress himself, fill his own cups with juice, brush his own teeth start to finish, including putting paste on the brush and rinsing afterwards . . . he can even hang upside-down on the monkey bars at school.
The problem with all this BIG-ness is the sheer lunatic stubbornness that accompanies it. The child wants to climb ladders by himself, put on clothes that are still zipped or are inside out, fetch things off the top of the refrigerator--"I will get the stool!"--and carry heavy glass jars of things across the kitchen floor. When he is discouraged or thwarted in these designs he becomes QUITE angry.
So it is a good thing indeed that, after he is safe in bed at night, Batman often calls him on the phone to help thwart the Joker's latest diabolical plot. Batman understands that Collin is both intrepid and invincible.
It is also a good thing that, after Collin is safe in bed at night, mom and dad have access to wine.
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