Haircut

(5/31/05) A handful of toys makes the pain go away. Henry won't go to my barber but Jill takes him to Kids Cuts, almost always with Grace, and he's ok. He looks at least a year older when he comes home with a new haircut.

Memorial Sunday Cookout

(5/29/05) We had a great event today. After stocking up on supplies at Costco this morning, Henry helped me prep limes for the margaritas while Jill prepared the meal. As the guests arrived mid-afternoon, everyone gathered, inexplicably, around the playhouse for a drink.

Then it was time for a pool party and a flank-steak cookout. After dinner entertainment was provided by me, doing my best Johnny Cash impersonation. The Wenzels came with their friends Charlie and Faith, and their kids, as did the Smiths, and Dee Anne and Hilary. Henry went to bed at 10:30 after saying goodbye to Eden, and Hilary and Dee Anne stayed in the cottage and joined us for breakfast.

Dinner with the Swarts

(5/28/05) We shared a meal of Fran's homemade spaghetti with the Swart family, including Andrew's mom, Priscilla. Daniel was a favorite of both Henry and Evelyn.

Morning Hike

(5/28/05) Henry and I take Case and head up the hill to the hiking trail. We climb along the creek for about 30 minutes. Henry falls and hurts his knee so I carry him back down on my shoulders. Jill and Evelyn arrive home at the same time we do, back from the Saturday Farmer's Market.

Roadbuilder

(5/26/05) Henry's construction activities have reached a new level--mastery of the individual pieces of equipment and integration of each into the larger project. Here he's building a road. He uses the backhoe to clear large rocks and load them

Henry P. Dewey, Photographer

(5/24/05) "I wanna take your picture, dadda. With your camera. With your big camera."

I reluctantly handed him the Nikon and showed him the shutter release.

Has he been practicing?

Joyful Noise Preschool

(5/24/05) I wanted to get a couple of test shots with my new Pentax camera, so I brought it to the school dropoff. Here another day begins, as they all do, with Henry jumping into a car (or sometimes on a motorcycle) and cruising around the patio.

Happy Baby

(5/23/05) At home, playing around in the afternoon.

Evelyn's Baptism

(5/22/05) We baptised Evelyn today at our church, Trinity Episcopal, in downtown Santa Barbara. Mark Asman and Anne Howard officiated. It was a fun ceremony in which our friends Pete and Betty baptised their daughter, Kate. Henry and Grace were part of it, too.

After church we all had a picnic in Willowglen Park, right next to the Wenzel's house.

First Laugh

(5/15/05) Today was really hot...a scorcher! Evelyn and Henry were both in their diapers in the late afternoon. As it finally cooled off and I was putting Evelyn's clothes on, she started giggling as I buttoned up her shirt. I tickled her on her sides just to be sure, and she kept giggling.

Elvi's 84th

(5/12-13,05) Jill and Evelyn met Maxine and Jan in Chicago for the drive to Union Grove, Wisconsin, to celebrate Elvi's birthday. She was delighted with the festivities and really had a bond with Evelyn.

(I'll put the official "four generation" photo here when it comes back from the photographer).

Attentive and Responsive

(5/10/05) Evelyn's personality is beginning to emerge. She is very aware of her surroundings, and has a reaction to anything that happens in her vicinity, whether it's a smile, a look of surprise, or a gesture of comfort. She is so much fun to look at. When she sees you, and she recognizes you, she'll stare right at you, wave her hands and kick her feet, and smile. Then, oftentimes, she'll talk. "OO-ah" is her favorite expression, but she does have a knack for mimicry, changing her sounds, volume, and speed to match yours.

Breakfast on the Beach

(5/10/05) We had breakfast on the beach today, at East Beach Grill. We had the famous wheat germ pancakes, minus the blueberries, which daddy forgot to order...

Henry

(5/9/05) This morning Jill and I met with Dee Anne, Henry's speech therapist, and Pat, the adminstrator of the country program that oversees her work. We all agreed that as of his third birthday, Henry was done with the program, having met or exceeded all of his goals. He started the program at 18 months, verbalizing next to nothing. His one consistent utterance was "aga". He progressed rapidly with Dee Anne, but even 6 months ago our goal for him was to be at the norm by his third birthday. According to Dee Anne, Henry has far surpassed the norm now and is gobbling up new words, phrases, and ideas like a plate of goldfish crackers.

Last night, in the car, Henry said "Do girls have 'ginas?".

"What?," either Jill or I said.

"Do girls have vaginas?".

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, girls have a vagina and boys have a penis. That's how god makes us," Jill explained. We looked at each other, ready for him to spot a bulldozer by the side of the road or ask about dinner. Instead, the questions got tougher."

"Do some kids have two boys for a daddy or two girls for a mommy?"

Wow. This is advanced stuff. We thought we had another ten years before these kind of questions. "There are all different kinds of families, and some families have two daddys or two mommys".

"Oh".

I can't get over the fact that in only three years, he has grown from a helpless infant to a little person (not so little really) who has feelings, thoughts, ideas, opionions, and lots of questions. This is truly the miracle of life.

Mother's Day

(5/8/05) We celebrated Mother's Day by attending church and then having brunch on the outside patio at Elements, a new restaurant right across from the courthouse.

Henry and Evelyn both gave their mother picture frames, and Henry made a handprint craft for her at school. Daddy gave her a half-bottle of champagne.

Henry's Birthday Party

(5/7/05) In contrast to last year's party, which was, literally, a circus, this year we opted for a low-key affair that followed the guideline of one child for every year of life. That's three children, including Henry, for the third birthday. We invited two of his best buddies, Eden and Grace, and their families, for a few hours of fun. Jennifer Snider, Henry's babysitter, stopped by, too. The kids played in the "jumpie" and the sandbox, and the adults sat outside, enjoyed to good weather, and ate bbq.

Trolley Ride

(5/2/05) While taking a walk in downtown Austin, Henry spotted a trolley and wanted to ride it. So we all jumped on and took a tour of the town--we saw the statehouse, the Texas museum, and the University of Texas. The trolley dropped us off a block from our hotel.

Birthday Golf

(5/2/05) Henry played his first-ever hole of golf today, on his third birthday. The hole is the par 4 12th, on the Fazio course at Barton Creek Country Club, which we jumped onto in the late afternoon when the golfers had (mostly) finished, accompanied by Henry's new friend, Ethan, and his mother, Susan. Here the admiring gallery watches.

This is it...the first-ever tee shot. It was a great 30 yard shot...not bad at all for a guy who's 39 1/4" tall and weighs 35 pounds. He does seem to have a love for the game, and a talent for it. He easily reaches the green in maybe 8 strokes.

After reaching the front fringe, he decides that the sand trap would be more fun than the green, so he hits into the bunker. After a few tries getting out (over an 8-foot lip), he picks up. Then he take a few moments to rake the bunker before going back to the green and putting out.

Posing at Barton Creek Resort

(5/1/05, Austin, Texas)

Rollover!

(5/1/05) If you place Evelyn on her tummy on the bed, with her hands underneath her, she'll roll over. Over and over.