"What you mean I can't go down the snowslides with Finn?"
"I am mad now, Mommy. Mad."

Click on the picture above. You won't regret it. Finn's expression is priceless.

The perfect apres-slide treat.

"I didn't get on the slides, but I guess this isn't a total bust."

"Although, somehow, I still feel cheated."

"I don't know what she's complaining about. I had a great time."

On the weekend, we ventured to a pet store. And we left with a pet. I guess that was predictable. Anyway, the fifth member of our family is not the kitty Finn so desperately seems to want.

(He even claims he'll clean up the "kitty poo." Uh-huh. I need more poo to clean like I need a hole in the head.)
So Finn is now the proud owner of Blub the Fish.
Long live Blub!

Being crafty! There are some amazing kid-craft blogs out there that I venture to looking for some inspiration. Hell, I think we all need a little inspiration in deep, dark February. I guess February was invented to make us appreciate July.

Stupid appreciating stuff.

Recently, we made a robot from construction paper, felt, googly eyes -- no craft is complete without googly eyes -- and a whole lot of paint. Idea was found here: http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/

Hmmmm...this robot is missing something.

I think he needs some paint.

That's what I thought. Now with red paint pouring out of his neck, the robot is complete.

Previous crafts:
Plate-spider guy. He looks awfully happy for not having enough legs. I guess he appreciates stuff.
This is a puppy, but I suppose you got that already considering it's spelled out very clearly in glitter glue.
This was a good craft. Finn painted the paper, and I constructed the butterfly. This butterfly has only one eye. He used to have two, but one got picked off. He looks a little forlorn about the whole eye situation: not appreciating stuff.

I don't know if I've mentioned this
but our daughter is

a little bit
HAPPY!!!!

Thanks for the Elephant, Ada!
All the clothes rock too!

If there is an amateur reader still left in the world -- or anybody who just reads and runs -- I ask him or her, with untellable affection and gratitude, to split the dedication of this book four ways with my wife and children.

Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction by J.D. Salinger

I still read and run and always think of this dedication when I do. I walk the stacks of my library and pick books randomly or for their jacket color or their titles or because I like the illustration on the cover.

It's a great system really, and it is how, as a young teenager, I found The Catcher in the Rye. I remember wondering what horses had to do with catchers.

Anyway, I don't think this book has made all the difference, but a difference it did make. Bye J.D. Salinger

"Ooooh, Finn's Elmo hat!"
"At last, I get to wear it."
"Hmmmm..."
"I am sorry, Daddy. This hat just isn't me."
"You wear it, Mommy. I have some hugs to enjoy."

"Yup, definitely suits Mommy."

"Mmmm...Daddy hugs."

It's with a heavy heart I am posting these pictures. There are some images I've seen from Haiti I cannot get out of my mind: little girls broken and bruised with lost limbs, little boys clinging to life. It's very hard to see these things and not feel how truly, truly lucky we are.

Life goes on, though. Rosemary is starting to stand, and Finn won't take off his Elmo pjs.

This is Sheepy, so named by Finn.
It's all very cute, but now I have too loveys to keep track and pray don't get lost.

We went to the Rideau Canal Sunday. And, um, I had hoped it would be a great outing and make a good blog post: cute pictures, beautiful scenery, happy children, but it didn't quite work out that way. If you asked Rosemary how her first skate on the Canal was, she would probably tell you it was the worst day of her life. "Worst. Day. Ever. Mama."

Poor little thing. She was bundled in her stroller. She was having a reasonable time being pushed around, and then -- well, let's just say "skating on the canal" quickly turned into "screaming on the canal."

It was colder than I thought, -5, -11 with wind chill. We didn't bring the stroller cover. Finn thought nothing of winter when he was a baby, still doesn't. I just didn't even think she might not like being cold. Well, I won't be making that mistake again.

When we got home, I gave her some nursing time and placed her in the crib with her favorite toy*, "Sheepy," heater cranked. She clutched Sheepy, sighed that post-gigantic-cry sigh, and never looked so happy to see nap time.

At least we got tons of cute pictures, right? Nope, nope, Dylan forgot to put the memory card in the camera. Sigh. It really is incredible skating, but just don't ask Rosemary.

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*There are pictures of Sheepy. Grandma gave Rosemary her sheep, and Finn gave the blanket with a lamb's head a name. Anyway, Rosemary is very attached to said sheep now. It's all very cute. In the morning, when I get her out of her crib, she's always standing there holding onto the bars. As soon as I open the door, she very quickly bends down and grabs Sheepy. "Quickly Sheepy! Our ride is here. You don't want t o be left in this prison all day." Adorable.

We watched Coming to America last night. I don't really know why, but since you're wondering, it's actually watchable. Eddie Murphy is actually funny. Unexpected, I know.

It's a hell of a lot better than The Hangover, another "comedy" we've seen recently. About 10 minutes into that horrible, piece of crap, I stopped paying attention, but apparently, people find The Hangover really funny. Dylan's co-workers were even going on and on about how hilarious this movie was. Huh?

Maybe it's just me (probably.) Maybe it's my kind of humor (definitely.) Maybe Dylan's co-workers have terrible taste in movies (undoubtedly.) The Kids in the Hall, now that's funny to me. Is anyone watching their new show? It's ludicrous and crazy, but I happen to like ludicrous and crazy. Okay. I'll admit it. When we streamed it late Wednesday evening, I was only kind of watching Death Comes to Town, but that's only because I'm reading this, which is completely absorbing and fascinating. Really, but that's whole nother post.

If I went to see The Hangover in the theater, I would have walked out. Immediately. Of course, if I saw The Hangover in the theater, I probably would have felt like Homer Simpson after the green crayon was removed from his brain. Remember?* As a child, he crammed 15 crayons up his nose, and one remained stuck. Scientists remove it. Homer survives, and his IQ goes up from 55 to 105. With his newfound intellectual powers, he goes to a movie, a "comedy," and realizes, "Hey! That's not funny. Why are you all laughing?"

Anyway, back to Coming to America, I liked the late '80s memories: the big earrings, the crazy sweaters, neon lights as decor, the technology. "Hey! That's my camera! I had that camera! I loved that camera. What happened to that camera?"

Mostly, though, I found myself this morning wishing I could call all my friends and family on a hamburger phone. A hamburger phone! (I know. I know. There was a hamburger phone in Juno, but the one in Coming to America was just there. It wasn't retro cool. It was simply cool.)

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*If you don't remember that episode, it's Season 12, Episode 9, "HOMR." It makes the Jenn's Top 10 Best Episodes Ever.

At the end of the episode, Homer wants to be dumb again. He's intelligence has alienated him and ruined everything he once enjoyed. He asks Moe to put the crayon back in his brain.

Moe: All right. Tell me when I hit the sweet spot. (Puts the crayon up Homer's nose)
Homer: Deeper, you pusillanimous pilsner pusher!
Moe: All right. All right. (Hammers the crayon in)
Homer: De-fense, uh-uh! De-fense, uh-uh!
Moe: Eh, that's pretty dumb. But uh... (hammers the crayon more)
Homer: Extended warranty? How can I lose?
Moe: Perfect.