What's in a name?

My kids are definitely Eckhouses.

Sunday

We decided Sunday was a good day to let the kids handle raw meet and sharp knives. Also to carve their first pumpkin. Somehow I feel a little sad that they kept asking us to "turn it back on" after we had lit a candle inside and turned off all the lights...

BIG NEWS

Last night the kids figured out how to simulate farting in the bathtub. It was a looooooooong bath.

Random Assortment

Chava has developed a real interest in her dolls. The one with the red hat is "Dolly" (although she names every doll/animal that) and she takes her everywhere. She reads to her periodically and gets upset if Dolly can't see the pictures. Listening to Chava "read" books is a real treat. It goes something like this:
"The girl went there. She went there. And then she came back. Because she was good. So she went there and came back. The end."














But it's still pretty cute.





























The other morning, Chava stripped down to her birthday suit in the kitchen and then complained that she was "COOOOOOOOLD." So Al offered to tuck her in to his sweater until I could get some clothes for her. I think she would have happily stayed there all day.



















In big news, Maddox has mastered zippers! Here, he zipped himself and then helped out his sister.

Maddox, Chava and I made apple-honey cupcakes from the Joan Nathan kids' cookbook we have - they brought them in to their respective classrooms to share on Wednesday.

Chava is her own person

This is what she picked out to wear to Maddox's soccer game last weekend. She would have liked to have worn a tank top, but I exerted some small modicum of parental authority since it was like 58 degrees.

I'm still here.

The blog took a hit while I attended to... well, life. But fall is here (even though it's 86 degrees today with 74% humidity) and I'd like to introduce the first Weisz family soccer player:

We've been having fun

I missed all but one picture of our visit to Crooked Pond:



















But I did manage to get a few shots of Storyland. In this first one, Maddox takes the wheel of the "you drive it" antique car while Al and I sit in back. We narrowly avoided death multiple times.














In this next one, Al and Chavie say "gouda!" while flying high in a Dutch shoe.














I'm not sure who hated the tilt-a-wheel turtles more, Chava or Al.














Maddox surprised us by being adventure boy - he loved the roller coaster, but his favorite ride (as was mine) was the log ride.














Here is an action photo taken from the whale just behind. Stunning photography, isn't it?














Just to prove I was there, here is a picture of me. Maddox was whining because it was time to leave so I suggested we have the "miserable faces" Storyland photo.

A few more vacation pictures

More trampoline fun.













Chava could NOT get enough of Baby Isadora. Maddox just enjoyed watching (close up!) her breast feed. Luckily, Sara was a good egg.

























Ivy falls asleep every night while they read to her. Now, THOSE sound like the sleep genes my children should have inherited.













There was a family who had a house right on the beach that we went to every day. They had a big net that they would pull out, take it way out and scoop up all sorts of interesting sea creatures for the kids to check out. It was high entertainment.

Vernie brings a bit of her camp experience home

If your child is annoying you...

just box him up and ship him off!

The womenfolk decided to let the men handle the "fingerpainting our bodies" activity ...

since it was their idea, anyway.

More Cape photos

Back from the Cape

We had a great week on the Cape with friends Pano, Sara, Ivy and Baby Isadora (who, sadly, did not get enough camera time). Pix will trickle in.

It's not that we all died

Summer is a hard time to post. Even though, for most people, the pace slows, I feel like it speeds up for us. The days are longer so we try to pack more in. We go swimming after pick-up, ride bikes to daycare, and spend long hours in the bathtub trying to get the popsicle dribble off various body parts. We are on the go from the time we get up on the weekends until we collapse in to bed. None of the activity is particularly conducive (to me, anyway) to toting a camera around. Still, a few things not to be forgotten:

1. Chava insisting on putting on her bathing suit first thing in the a.m. and then wearing it all day - for nap, with sandals when we go to pick up Maddox, and out to eat.
2. Maddox refusing to wear clothes as often as possible.
3. Both kids demanding to go swimming (in a BIG pool) at 6:43 in the morning.
4. Little tiny beads of sweat on Chava's nose.
5. The kids playing "Can't Catch Me" with the waves in Scituate.
6. Maddox falling asleep while sitting in the captains seat on Dad's boat.
7. Maddox FINALLY swimming comfortably with Michela and Eli in their pool in Lincoln.
8. Chava with some serious sweaty bedhead after a hot night.
   

News flash!

Chava now in underwear. Repeat: Chava now in underwear. Over.

p.s. anyone interested in about 600 size 4 diapers? Josh?

Firefighters

Maddox recently discovered this great firefighter toy that someone gave him (Nonna, was it you?!). It actually shoots water really far and he loves aiming for things off the back porch (maybe Bob can train him to hit squirrels). He had Chava all convinced to play Firefighter with him the other day but she couldn't find a suitable substitute for the firefighter backpack hose... until she cam upon her pink purse. Perfect for any occasion.

Crazier still

Things get crazy

I think (hope!) this was the result of popsicle eating.

Because it's their job to torture me like I tortured my parents

I gave Maddox some grapes the other afternoon for a snack. He immediately started pouting and fussing. I finally asked him what, exactly, the problem was. He said, "Mom, I do not like these grapes. You know what I like. I like FIRM GRAPES!!!"

(Pictures coming tomorrow. I have some funny ones in the camera I just haven't had time to upload.)

Milestone

Last night Chava and Maddox completely finished off a box of Annie's mac'n'cheese in one sitting.