Mwah!

It's official: ZEKE GIVES KISSES.



Zeke will be four months old on Friday. How FUN FUN FUN and CUTE CUTE CUTE this stage is. Zeke is so aware of everything and everyone around him; if he's not too tired, laughs that good, hearty, baby laugh if you tickle him or say "boo" in his face or make his feet bop together; flashes his dimply grin at anyone who will pay attention to him; and yes: We discovered tonight that if you go at him with puckered lips he leans forward with a big, wide-open, slobbery mouth to give you a kiss. Mama got a few. Grammy got one, too. Why are baby kisses, chock full of drool, so irresistible?!?


Going back in time to a series of photos we stole from Poppy and Grammy's camera... A classic shot of what Luke spends much of his time doing at their house: bustling around organizing a game of "toys." He generally has an agenda of what he wants to do during a particular play session, and if you start to play with the "wrong" toy or even if you do the "wrong" thing with the right toy, he will correct you. And if you pause for even a moment, he will yell at you: "PLAY!" And if you dare talk to someone else while you are playing toys with him, he will tell the other person to go away. And so it goes.


On this day with Grammy, Luke made a line ("LINE!") of many, many toys. A delightful combination of tiptoes, balancing, organization...


...self-amazement...


...and uncontainable thrill.


On a recent Wednesday, Zeke got to meet Sarah's best friend, Affifa. She is so great with babies! As you can tell, Zeke was thrilled.


Although we had a whole blog post about Picnic Day, we lacked some key photos. They were on other people's cameras. Sigh. Like this one. Awesome. Stranger, Zeke, Siena, and Jeremiah, all ready for the parade.


Waiting for the parade to come, Siena revels in Poppy's attention while Zeke spends some alone time. Who needs attention when you can suck on your own fists?


Babies weren't the only ones all ready for the parade. Grammy spends a rare moment babyless before she cuddled with Zeke and taught Luke how to conduct a marching band!


Sunglasses: red, sunhat: red, shirt: red. Who's surprised?


And our pictures of Steam Engine Day were devoid of some key photos, too. This one is classic.


Grammy introduces Zeke to a very charming friend.


A few close-ups of Ezekiel. First, happy with his fists.


Big-eyed at the camera.


Fully browed.


Totally cute.

By the way, we'll say it for the eighteen millionth time: That brow of his is soooo misleading. Really, Zeke is the sweetest, sweetest little fellow. He is kind of like one of those rough and gruff old men that you get to know and then realize is a big teddy-bear at heart who cries at Disney movies. Don't let that brow deceive you. He's a melter.


Tuesdays are now one of our very favorite days. We get a vegetable box! Full of local, organic produce from a family farm in Capay Valley (Bethany's old teaching land--the very mention of it warms her heart). It has done wonders for our family. We eat out less (for good golly, we have vegetables that will go bad!), we eat more healthily, we eat a greater variety of foods, we try new recipes, we go grocery shopping less, we save money... And it's fun. It feels like Christmas every Tuesday. Farmfreshtoyou.com. Try it.


It even makes Luke happy.


Daddy with the boys, on an early morning before work. Luke is still pretty out of it, Zeke is nearly naked. Kind of typical.


Sometimes the only thing that will get Luke out of his waking-up grumpies is Zeke. Mutual Admiration Society at its sweetest.


Zeke watches Luke's every move and clearly adores Big Brother. And he already tries to fight back if Luke gets in his face!


Luke's potty training continues to be a finished work. Bethany's harsh lecture worked, apparently. Now he even has a blast on that potty (not usually literally). Here he investigates a book that Ra-ree picked out at the library just for him! He loves to read on the pot, and at night will sit there and ask someone to go poo-poo with him (him on his baby potty, parent on the big potty) and will give the parent a surf book and himself another surf book, and will sit there pointing out all the surfers, waves, seagulls, etc. It is hilarious!


"Grammy thinks I'm asleep, but I'm noooooo-t!" :-)


Hee hee! (Poor Grammy's eye! No, she wasn't beat up by anyone--well, she was beat up by the dentist. She had to get gum surgery. But even when she was in a lot of pain, she played and played with her little guys. Thanks, Grammy!)


Zeke pays a visit to Auntie Sam's house.


Cousin fun.


Cousin love. (Siena is SUCH a good sport with all of Luke's "affectionate" antics!)


Here goes Haley's hat again. (We love having winter babies. They get to wear hats for so long!)


Zzzzzz.


One recent morning, Luke picked up his Old MacDonald man and cow, walked determinedly to the bathroom, got some squares of toilet paper, and declared that he was putting them ny-ny. So here they sleep.


So cool we don't even know what to do with him.


The Naked Guitarist With An Old, Old Hat. (Could be a country-music song.)


Well, hello!


One of those melter shots.


Not yet four months old and already thinking Mom's weird?


Toys aren't to play with. Everything's to chew.


Luke abandoned his best friend, Giraffe, early in his life; but now Giraffe is consoled, with a new BFF in Zeke.


"Mom, Mom, MOOOOM, what is he going to do to me?!???"


Just hangin' out.


"Mom, I didn't do anything to Zeke, I promise!"


Luke at about 4 months...


...and our little hand-me-down man, two years later.

"All" for now!