Fall at Michael Delving

Rather than trying to catch up on posts, the Mayor decided to start with Fall. Here are the hobbitlings enjoying some fresh air out at the Farm in Snohomish.

Ela hobbitling eyes a likely pumpkin.
The hobbit mommy holding her hobbitlings as they pet a kitty at the Farm.
Ela clowning for the camera - this is what happens when hobbitlings are given Laffy Taffy.
This is another picture of what happens when a hobbitling is given sugar.
Hobbitlings looking out the window at Starbucks, waiting for one of their favorite grandmas.
Boookie in his Robin Hood costume for Halloween.
Hobbitlings posing for pictures in their costumes.
Ela with her baby doll.
Boookie playing drums with his new drumsticks.
Ela playing drums with a friend.

2018 update - the Mayor found some gems from summer/fall 2009 and had to add them to this blog post.

Summer Days

Just a few weeks ago, the residents of Michael Delving were bundling up to go on "Nightwalk."And then, summer arrived! The residents of Michael Delving made the first visit to the beach this year.
The Mayor also brought the "A Riddle Aye Day" out of storage to go sailing last weekend.The Mayor had to work through Memorial Day, but was delighted to take a holiday a few days later, when the play group took a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. The residents of Michael Delving spent most of the day palling around with their friends, the Tanders. Good times were had by all.
The hobbit wife is excessively proud of her latest foray into pickling.
The Boookie has a number of commission jobs (a nickel for each job). One of them is to water the plants with the "water cannon."
Ela was finally given a "com-mission job" of her own. The nozzle gets set to "mist" and she gets to hold it for a few minutes to water the plants.

Ela fell and scraped her knee yesterday. While the Mayor and hobbit wife were cleaning it up, Ela happily said, "It's like Elmo," presumably based on the bright red color of both her owie and the Sesame Street character.There is an ice cream truck that makes frequent rounds through our neighborhood. However, the hobbit wife refers to it as the "music truck" to avoid the obvious question of "Can we have ice cream?" When Boookie and Ela are playing in the yard and the truck drives by, they stop whatever they're doing and dance to "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" When the Mayor was a wee lad, he also had a problem with compulsive dancing, and used to claim "I can't help it - the music makes me dance!"

May Update

Well, it's time for some updates. Since the last post, Ela celebrated her second birthday, and one can see pictures from her dessert party here. Auntie Jen bestowed a play kitchen on the household as a gift for Ela and Boookie. Here is Ela cooking in her new kitchen.
And here is Boookie in his "cooker man" costume. He's probably going to get some steak out of the fridge.
The hobbitlings have discovered how much they enjoy playing outside in the yard.
On a not-unrelated note, they have also been enjoying frequent baths. Here's Ela with her best "Cindy Lou Who" hairdo.
Here's Boookie showing off his bathtime mohawk.
And here is Ela immensely enjoying getting to use Mommy's hair wrap.Boookie has started doing "commission jobs," earning a nickel per job (not counting "chores" like getting dressed and putting his toys away). He is saving up to buy a scooter, and he's over halfway there right now. Below is the thrifty hobbitling lad after his weekly payout. He takes his tithe to church in the "Davy Crockett bag," which used to belong to the Mayor when he was a lad. Incidentally, Ela thinks that it's called a "Daveee Quack-Quack Bag."
Here's Ela holding her almost-empty piggy bank. She insists "Sissy need a moh-nee!" but does not currently possess the requisite skills for commission jobs.
Here's the hobbits getting "nice 'n cozeee!"
Here's Boookie showing off his drumming skills, playing wildly along with his current favorite song, Either/Or, by Wild Sweet Orange.

Michael Delving went on an excursion to the U-district Street Faire this last weekend. Here is a picture of some perfectly horrid, wretched little dogs we saw at that had been further mutilated by dyeing. Hint: the dyed monsters are blue and green, and we're not referring to the little girl.
Here's Ela admiring her "pity fah-lahs" while sitting in the Mayor's lap.
Here's Boookie enjoying the bounce house.
Here's Boookie going down the slide at the Street Faire. He was wearing the same shirt last year going down the same slide, and it's amazing how much older he looks!
Ela did not enjoy the bounce house, and she was removed from it after it became clear that her misery was not about to turn to joy.
Here's Boookie riding on Daddy's shoulders.
Here's the Mayor and his Ela.
Here's the pretty hobbitling lass with her beautiful hobbit mommy.
Here's Sissy with her "sah-lasses." She is a true Seattle native; at the slightest hint of sunshine, she begins whining about her eyes and requesting "sah-lasses."
Here's Sissy trying on Mommy's sah-lasses.
Here's the hobbit wife wearing her springtime daisy crown.
Here's Boookie showing off his skills with swording.

Here's Ela showing that she will not be out-done in the weapons category.

And finally, here's Ela showing off her 3 little baby flowers.