Blah blah bloggie blog
I don’t want to write today
So I’m not gonna.

(Clearly, I’m in a blogging funkety funk today. You should check out these amazing pics of my friend Kasey’s amazing kids instead.)

So here is Simon doing his favorite thing (standing*) and playing with his favorite toy. When I first busted out this musical thingy (I believe the formal name is Learn and Groove Musical Table) a couple of months ago, he really couldn’t care less. But he’s grown into it, and now he can’t seem to get enough. This is charming enough except that the songs and musical flourishes that go with the words (e.g., “Da da da Uuuuuup!” “Da da da dowwwn,” “Ding ding ding ding ding do do do do duh duh duh duh duh Lights On! Lights Off!”) are quite distinctive and they get stuck in my head. Even that is okay, except that the table is programmed to interrupt whatever is going on when another button is pushed. Simon just bangs away, so what I get sounds something like this: A-B-C-D-E Yellow Yellow Green 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 Red Green Green Blue A-B Yellow UP! High! Down! Up! Green Yellow Yellow A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O Green. You get the idea. It just makes me feel a little more scatterbrained than usual to be humming the alphabet and then suddenly interrupt myself with “Green! Yellow! Yellow!” (all in my head, thank goodness).

* I would usually save this for Simon’s next monthly letter, but I’m just so proud I have to share: today he used the table to pull himself to a standing position from his tummy. I don’t know that it’ll be a regular thing quite yet, but I was pretty impressed. When did my baby get so big?

What are we looking at here?

Stay tuned for the answer. Meanwhile, check out this fun video Ben put together, and while you’re on Renee’s site, check out the preview of photos of Simon. (Thanks, Renee!)

As we were out and about today, I saw three different signs that bugged me for various reasons:

1. On a KFC sign: “MOM WHAT IS A GIZZARD? $4 FOR A BOX. FRIDAYS ONLY.” This one struck me as too chatty.

2. On a billboard for Scheels: “gear. passion. sports.” None of these is like the others. I don’t get the connection. I thought maybe it was supposed to be some kind of progression, but that doesn’t work either.

3. At the library’s bookdrop: “Adult’s.” No, this is not the worst misuse of an apostrophe (and I suppose it could even be justified if the other bookdrop weren’t labeled “Children’s”), but anyone who works at the library should know better.

Okay, so these are not exactly worthy of FAIL Blog, but they made me kinda grumpy nonetheless.

Just a quick picture tonight—I am exHAUSted. Simon and my sister and I took a quick trip up to my grandma’s house in Laurel, Nebraska, this weekend. I think northeast Nebraska is some of the prettiest country I’ve ever seen—I especially love the fifteen miles south of Wayne on Highway 15. This shot was taken between Laurel and Wayne on our way home.

I saw this on a friend’s Facebook page and thought it looked like fun. The way it’s supposed to go is that you post your name and I’ll do all these things for each of you, but when I first read it, I misunderstood the rules: I thought that for the first commenter I would do the first thing, for the second commenter I would do the second thing and so on. So on my blog we’re going to play it my way because that sounds easier to me. Of course, I may not have nine readers, so in that case maybe I’ll play by the original rules—ah the possibilities!

Post your name and I will do each of the following:

1. I’ll respond with something random about you.
2. I’ll tell you which song or movie you reminds me of you.
3. I’ll pick a color I feel suits you.
4. I’ll say something that only makes sense to you and me (if possible. If not, I’ll say something that only makes sense to me.)
5. I’ll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I’ll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I’ll ask you something I’ve always wondered about you.
8. I’ll tell you my favorite thing about you.
9. I’ll tell you my least favorite thing about you.
No need to fear #9.

Simon’s favorite part of every meal:

If you grew up in an evangelical household (like I did), chances are that at least once you woke up, couldn’t find anyone in your family, and became convinced the Rapture had occurred and you had been Left Behind. This article made me smile.

I’m jealous. Whenever I post a plea for reading recommendations, I get a handful. And not that I’m not grateful for those, because I am, but Abraham got 134 (and counting).

Soule Mama has started a new project called Mama to Mama with the purpose of “connecting handcrafters with mothers, families, and children in need of a little handmade love.” The first project is making infant caps for newborns in Haiti.

Sarah recommends Maxed Out, a film about the dangers of credit card debt. And Jeff has started a blog with ideas about how to enjoy dining, travel, and cultural opportunities on a tight budget.

I would love to do all my Christmas shopping on Etsy. They’re kind of random, but I find these coffee sweaters charming.

The Weepies are Muppefied. I so want Muppets of our family!

I spend a good deal of time these days thinking about teeth—Simon’s in particular. I suppose it’s not that strange given the fact that he is teething again (or at least we think he is—it’s a good all around excuse for any unexplained fussiness and whatnot).

I probably think almost daily about how weird it is that we are born without teeth and that, weirder still, we eventually grow not one but two sets of them. I can see our Creator’s good reasons for it, but that doesn’t make it any less odd.

I am/was so in love with Simon’s gummy smile that I admit I had a little bit of fear that teeth might muck things up, that he might be ever so slightly less cute once the inevitable pearlies came in. (Why do I continue to admit in a public forum how crazy I am?) Of course, I needn’t have worried: so far, so good—the cuteness is still pretty staggering. (I also, more sanely, feared that he might bite, and he does sometimes, but he’s pretty good about understanding “no!” at least in that context.)

We got Simon a little toothbrush, and for some reason, having a third toothbrush in the stand is a good reminder that Simon is a whole little person—with his own personality and needs and quirks and teeth. That has always been true (except the teeth), but sometimes it just seems less abstract.

We try to get down to Nebraska City at least once every fall to look at the leaves, visit the orchards, and hang out at the Lied Lodge. We were a little late for the foliage this year, but it was a beautiful, relaxing Sunday afternoon nonetheless.

This was my favorite moment of the day—I only wish the picture came with a soundtrack. There was a slight incline, and when we let the stroller go, Simon laughed and laughed.