simone's first chuckles

parker's been in cincinnati this week on a job and when he called to check on us today simone had an exciting outburst of giggles. perfect timing.

thanks to lalanya who captured this footage.

according to my calculations...

"according to my calculations, dad is taking advantage of me." nora and dad spend a lot of time together while mom's at work (she's back, part time), and he's starting to affect her style, maybe negatively. also, she has a mild case of hip dysplasia (her left hip socket is a little shallow), so she gets to wear a fashion-forward harness for a whole month (which is almost over), and for another month just at night –you know, slip into something comfortable– and then she should be just fine. although her left hip is mildly displaced (for now), all in all, her hipness is in full effect; pretty soon all the kids will want a harness.

living every week like it's shark week

on our 1st trip to the zoo, we decided to start heeding tracy jordan's advice, to live every week like it's shark week. we also found that we owe a debt to our marsupial pals. spending time out in the bush, we even learned how to improvize our own hats. next time, she'll wear her fox suit. simone has been listening to dad read Horacio Quiroga's stories for niños about jungle animals. -p

sushi fix

i've been jonesin' for some sushi for quite sometime. a friend of mine inspired me to make these deconstructed sushi bowls for dinner. we've made these a few times in the past week. the rice is seasoned with rice vinegar seasoning and we throw on all the veg we have. the wasabi paste and ginger were indispensable as were the strips of nori. i think next time i'll throw in some fried tofu....or better yet, salmon. they're certainly not as fancy shmancy as the rolled kind, but it still has that sushi goodness. -a

a deer licks simone

we had a fun day at the zoo, and even had an encounter with a deer named buttercup.

more unskilled diy fun with old longjohns

this is proof that my compehensive exams have ended. we watched wes anderson's movie version of roald dahl's "the fantastic mister fox", and we got inspired to make 'foxy' improvised bandit masks and outfits, but only simone's is fit to publish. -p

slowly but surely catching the diy spirit

i've had a soft pair of long johns that have been too stretched to fit me, and i finally found a good use for them. check out this swaddle and hat combo. their rough aesthetic is partly intentional and partly due to the fact that i haven't had time to learn how to use my sewing machine yet. still, i think it gives her a certain level of gritty street cred. -p