sputnik; 108 months in orbit

A few weeks ago, our very own Samwise turned 9 years old. Nine!!! Okay, so have y’all watched The Good Place? It’s a great show; watch it if you haven’t. Anyway, there’s a character on that show named Jason Mendoza. At first blush, Jason seems like the ultimate space cadet. He is not paying attention, […]

lessons in autism

After running some errands this morning the kids and I were discussing where we should stop for lunch. “Can we go to Freddy’s?” Sam asks. “We are nowhere near Freddy’s,” I reply. “Yeah, but can we go to Freddy’s?” he asks again. “Baby, we are nowhere near Freddy’s!” I repeat, a bit exasperated. Sam dramatically […]

ten year old taco

Y’all . . . that is one super old taco. Once again, this has been a year of changes for Lydia. The physical changes have not been quite so dramatic as last year, but they are visible just the same. The slow but inexorable turn towards teenagerdom has been at the forefront, especially the past […]

sputnik; 96 months in orbit

A little over a week ago Sam turned eight years old. Old Man Sam! Sam’s birthday falls right on the cusp of changes: his birthday heralds in the beginning of Kid Summertm and our annual changeover from one grade to the next. Now, Kid Summertm doesn’t really mean much in this household — we keep […]

nine year old taco

Wow. I didn’t think nine would be a big change, but oh lordy. Look at this girl. Look at her! Now compare her with last year: Wow. Wow. Wow. I’m not sure what has changed more — her hair or her teeth. The hair change happened in January when Lydia decided to go for a […]

sputnik; 84 months in orbit

Wow, 84 months in orbit! That’s seven Earth years! Just before his seventh birthday, Sam finished up first grade, so he is now officially a second grader. First grade was Sam’s first year of real, bonafide school work and he did really well with it. The first few weeks were a bit of a struggle […]

i have a kaiju problem

I’m not sure if Sam just lucked out by having naturally nerdy parents, or if he gets obsessed with nerdy things because of his nerdy parents. Either way, he is one lucky dude. His preoccupations become the entire family’s preoccupations — I hunt for toys and books for him, Steven finds movie soundtracks and pertinent […]

eight year old taco

Another year, another taco post. And the years just fly on by faster than a spinning teacup. Lydia has continued to grow and mature in her eighth year in ways that never cease to amaze me. Eight short years ago she was this petite wiggly baby. Now she’s an exuberant kid who loves fashion, art, […]