Big Girl

Summer Days

 A busy summer. 

We moved into a new house and Uncle Ali came for a visit shortly after that to help us get settled in.

This is a good looking crew! 

We also took a trip to California to visit Grandma and see lots of family.

Rye and Grandma enjoying the sand.

Rye loved the pool time. 

 Finn got some Uncle Ali time in too.

We came back to Denver just in time for the county fair. Rye got to experience her first petting zoo. 

Summer Fun!

Working Hard

Rye enjoyed "bring your child to work day."

The Crusty

We call this sort of an expression a "crusty." Rye has a pretty good handle on how to give one. I've been trying to capture it on film for a few months now. Success!

House Issues, Smashed Toe, and a Shoe Obsession

First things first...we had to pull the plug on house number one after the inspection.  I'm going to spare the details here, as it was a difficult few days.  The good news is that we are under contract on a house that we believe will be an even better place for the Little Girl to grow up.  It has it all.  We're close to getting past inspection and will close on May 18 if all goes according to plan.  Here's what it looks like:

Now, let's talk about Rye.  This is her showing off her boots:

Last weekend, Rye dropped a lid (see picture) on her big toe.

It wasn't pretty and it happened on my watch.  It sure was hard seeing the Little Girl's blood.  She's fine now.  I don't have a picture of the toe.


Apparently all kids go through a shoe obsession of some sort.  Rye is no exception.  Here's a video of her hamming it up.  This one is called "Shoosahn."

An Easter Basket full of Adorable

A Spring Update

I've been a little lax on the blog posts.  It is not because there hasn't been anything going on worth sharing.  So let me catch you up.

We are under contract on a new house.  It took a couple of months, but I think we found the perfect place for Rye to grow up.

Rye is well on her way to adulthood at this point.  Here is some visual evidence:

Reach for the stars

Getting ready for a wig party

At the park

Sure-Footed

Skeptical

Planning a hike

Modest

Bubbles

Hiking with Mom

Dodging the paparazzi

Tasting the new bed-fellow

And a quick video of the Little Girl enjoying some Arcade Fire:

And I call this one "Wadoo."

Fishy

Climbing

What's in a Name III

If you are familiar with the Little Girl, you probably already know that she is her great-grandmother's namesake.  It was an honor to pass that name to her.  Hearing her say it is something I don't really feel confident trying to describe, but it reaffirmed my already constant elation at the idea of being her dad.

Her's what it looks and sounds like:

Sure wish I could figure out how to make these videos higher quality.

Seriously!?

I know I lack objectivity on this issue, but this is, I think, why the word "adorable" exists.

Christmas

We quietly celebrated Christmas this year in the company of some family and friends over the three day weekend.  Rye has given me a new perspective on the holidays that I'm not sure I've felt since waking up Christmas morning on a comfy floor pallet amidst my cousins in the garage apartment behind my grandma's house. It's been awhile since Christmas felt mysterious and filled with anticipation. It's nice.

Rye had me decorating a tree, building a rocking horse in the "wee hours (around 9pm)," stuffing stockings, you know, doing all the things my parents did to make Christmas Christmas. I'm not really sure I can fully commit to Christmas music at this point, or that I can look forward to mall santas and office Christmas parties...but I look forward to at least a decade of seeing it all through the Little Girl's eyes.