Tuesday

The Mayor took a few pictures before heading back to work after a super-long weekend.
Here's the little hobbitling girl.

And here's the Boookie, who's all wet from chasing the Mayor around the yard so he could play in the hose while the Mayor was trying to water the plants.
Here's the Mayor and Boookie hanging out in the hammock after dinner.
Snuggling with Daddy!

Memorial Day

The upstairs residents of Michael Delving spent the lovely day traveling down south to see relatives. First, we stopped by to see Great-Grandpa and Helen to introduce Ela to them, and vice-versa. Here's a picture of Helen holding Ela.Here's Ela sleeping in Helen's lap
Here's Boookie and Great-Grandpa
After that, we went down to GranDma and Apu's house, where we enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Boookie was enraptured with Apu's tractor. He kept asking about it, and would only go down for a nap when he was assured that he could play with Apu's tractor afterward.
After the nap, Apu let him drive the tractor around the yard. Boookie REALLY didn't want to stop, but Apu made everything OK by showing Boookie how to put the tractor away in the shed. Boookie loves order, and although he was sad to say "bye-bye tractor," he understood.

Hammock Fun!

To adequately celebrate the long weekend, the Mayor hung a hammock between two trees in the front yard at Michael Delving. The Bergin family (friends from college and now neighbors) came over for dinner. They have two little girls, Fi (four months older than Boookie) and Avery (four months older than Ela). Here's a picture of Fi and Boookie swinging in the hammock.
"So Boookie, what's new with you?"
"I dunno - my new sister, I guess."
Boookie and Ela in hammock.
Oh my gosh!
Please, Mister Mayor - make the photo session stop!

Weekend, Day 1 of 4

Today was the first day of what is to be a four-day weekend for Michael Delving. The day was celebrated by sleeping in, playing, sleeping some more, and then going to a retirement party for Bob Roglund, who was one of the hobbit wife's favorite teachers from high school.
Here's the hobbitling lad with his "new" car, which the Mayor recently found in a garbage pile, washed up, and presented to an ecstatic lad.
Although it may look like there's some kind of connection going on here, the photo was followed up with a request from the lad, "Baby A-sid off-down?"
S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g on the couch
The hobbitling lad posing with the school bus that the hobbit wife rode in high school. Boookie was ecstatic to meet a real bus up close.

Catch-up

This last week has been quite busy, which is why the Mayor hasn't had time to take or post pictures. On Thursday, however, the Mayor was able to finish his work responsibilities for the week by noon. To celebrate, the residents of Michael Delving went to Carkeek Park to enjoy the beautiful day with an early picnic dinner. The hobbitling lad played extensively on the swings, slides, teeter-totter, and ran across the lawn. As the picture below illustrates, he was not entirely cheerful through it all. However, as the Mayor learned from Grampz, "The presence of whining and tears does not exclude the occurrence of education/fun."
The Mayor was right - here is the hobbitling lad playing with "dirt" and "rocks."
Here's the hobbit wife looking beautiful, with the hobbitling girl in a sling.
The hobbitling girl enjoying the womb-like sling.
The whole family at Carkeek Park.
The Boookie kept pointing at the sound and saying "bath." The Mayor had to explain that it was the ocean, and not simply a large bath. The Mayor is aware that it is actually Puget Sound and not the ocean, but he is content with that simplification for now.
There's the ocean!
Dirty hobbitling feet.
The Mayor and hobbit wife preparing to go out on a date. They had never gone out for drinks before, so they went to a local Mexican restaurant for nachos and mango margaritas.
The hobbitling girl, staying home with the hobbitling lad and Auntie Jen. While her parents were enjoying drinks, she was enjoying an extended gas session (hence the smile).

Nice weather

Here's a picture of the Mayor and his hobbitlings. In his defense, the picture of the Mayor was taken after a 14-hour work day that began before 5AM.

One week

Here's a couple of pictures. The Mayor survived his first day back at work, but everyone else had a great day.

One year

One year ago today, the house that was to become Michael Delving became the property of the Mayor and the hobbit wife (and of course, the bank). God has used this house to be such a blessing to our clan, for which they are so thankful. What an amazing and blessed year it has been.
To celebrate the occasion, the residents of Michael Delving invited our sylvan elf friends, Jonathan and Janelle over for a yard cleanup party.
Here are Jonathan and Janelle posing with the 25 yard bags that were filled with debris from our yard. Several things were discovered today. The concrete driveway actually extends all the way to the fence at the bottom of the driveway (due to the 12+ inches of accumulated soil and pine needles, it seriously looked like a flower bed at the end of the driveway). It was also discovered that the ground is level in the corner of the yard below the end of the driveway (there were about 3 feet of accumulated pine needles and branches in that area).
The Mayor and Jonathan, pondering how much work was accomplished in a few short hours.
Here's Auntie Jen feeding the wee hobbit from a bottle.
Proud grandpa Apu holding his first grand-hobbitling girl.

Day 4

Today, the Mayor has been focused on getting the Boookie settled back down into a routine so that the hobbit wife can survive once the Mayor returns to work on Monday. The hobbit wife is doing fine, but there aren't many picture posted because she spends much of her time either nursing or pumping, neither of which make for good blog fodder. The Boookie will frequently walk up to her and inquire about "baby muk?" The hobbit wife has to inform him that he wouldn't like it. He is adjusting well to his little sister, and is learning how to be gentle around her.

Here's the caped hero, "Super Favorite Boy"
Here he is playing with the airplane that Auntie Jen got him.
More airplane.
Here is the little princess catching some rays.
Uncle Matty and Ayano stopped by to see the little hobbits. Boookie wouldn't say her name, but as they drove away, he kept saying "Bye-bye, Ayano."
Uncle Matty holding his little niece. When asked to say his uncle's name, Boookie kept saying what sounded an awful lot like "Got money?" He was probably trying to say 'cle Matty (leaving off the first syllable). The consensus was that this was the first, but definitely not the last time Boookie would be hitting up his uncle for the goods.

Day 3

Boookie and Ela
Boookie opening up presents
(Great) Aunt Rebecca, bearer of gifts.
Great-Grammy, bearer of more gifts
The hobbit wife corrected the sign that the Mayor purchased with an apostrophe
The Mayor building a bed for Boookie, since the hobbitling baby will be dispacing him from the crib shortly.