Michael Delving

overheard

2012-02-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

"no, ela, russia used to be the biggest country in the world. now the biggest country is texas."
-boookie, age 6

motherhood, chapter 942

2012-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

in which i learn the importance of uncovering children's ears before proceeding to educate them.

today i helped the hobbitlings dress themselves for playtime in the beautiful february sunshine: ski hats, mittens, star wars ponchos-- all the must-haves for proper cold weather adventuring. as i braided the long blond curls wildly escaping from underneath ela's pink snow hat, she repeatedly assisted me by smoothing the braid with her mittened hand. finally, i warned her, "it's best to keep your mittens away from your hair, princess: they could cause static electricity."

under the brim of her snow hat, ela's big eyes suddenly grew bigger. her little face grew paler. her munchkin-like voice grew squeakier as she ventured the all-important follow-up question:

"what... in the world... is stomach electricity?!?"

everyone's a critic

2012-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

this morning, while getting ready for a grocery shopping excursion, the hobbitlings debated the development of various enigmatic characters from "the lord of the rings." let it therefore be known that:

ela thinks sean bean's depiction of boromir "was handsome and beardy, but he shouted too much."

boookie delights that his parents did not name him "merry" because "it sounds like 'merry christmas' and it's still a girl's name, even though it's spelled differently. which means it's a homonym."

ela believes boookie's criticism of gollem's incessant schizophrenia is unwarranted, and she defends hotly, "gollem doesn't have a good brain, okay?!"

(i really, really like my kids.)

that word above all earthly powers

2011-11-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

last night, the residents of michael delving ate a hearty second-breakfast for dinner. for afters, boookie requested a loud sing-along of his favorite hymn, "a mighty fortress is our God," complete with much banging of fists and dinner plates upon the tabletop.

then the two eldest hobbitlings trooped-off for jammies and teeth-brushing, all the while discussing the finer points of martin luther's poetry.

"what do you think it means that, 'one little word shall fell' the devil?" asked boookie. "what 'little word' does that?"

to which ela confidently responded, "the word 'please'."

Halloween!

2011-11-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Although it was not a tradition for the Mayor or the Hobbit Wife growing up, Halloween has become a fun time to dress up and have fun. This year, the festivities kicked off with a CrossFit Kids costumed workout at one of our favorite places to hang out as a family, Locals Gym. Here's the class doing burpees with Ela leading in the middle as Super Coach Carrie's special helper.

Here's Ela helping lead the class with shoulder shrugs, or "I Dunnos"

Here's Boookie sprinting along with fantastic running form.

Here's Ela posing with her "Spirit of CrossFit Kids" award. She's not the fastest or the strongest, but she always does her best and encourages others.

After the workout, Boookie donned his Clone Trooper costume to play for a bit and so he could pose with Darth Vader. The look on the face of all the kids was priceless when Darth Vader walked into the gym at the end of their workout!

For Halloween, we stayed close to home and dressed up to hand out candy, making brief rounds to visit our neighbors. Ela was a ballerina, although the black tutu is somewhat difficult to see in the dark.

Here's Boookie in his Clone Trooper costume. Glow sticks have become part of our tradition; Boookie is wearing his on his helmet and in the barrel of his blaster to make it look like it's firing.

Seimi was overjoyed to be able to enjoy the bounty that the other hobbitlings brought back home.

The Mayor getting in some post-Halloween celebration for a job well done.

happy saint crispin's day!

2011-10-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

today is october the 25th.

today i will eat welsh leeks and sing the "non nobis."

(forsooth, it is a potent combination. keep thy distance.)

this day marks the 596th anniversary of the english victory at agincourt. (to commemorate its 600th anniversary, i'll probably do something, like, seriously awesome. you have four years to brace yourselves, people.)

this year, however, i settled for a bold recitation of shakespeare's "saint crispian's day speech." fifteen years have elapsed since my fifteen year-old brain was steeped in the battle cry of good king henry the fifth, and it is yet "familiar in [my mouth] as household words." my three precocious hobbitlings were a quiet and captive audience. (they had no choice. they were strapped into a minivan doing 35mph.)

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;

It yearns me not if men my garments wear;

Such outward things dwell not in my desires.

But if it be a sin to covet honour,

I am the most offending soul alive.

No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.

God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour

As one man more methinks would share from me

For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!

Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,

That he which hath no stomach to this fight,

Let him depart; his passport shall be made,

And crowns for convoy put into his purse;

We would not die in that man's company

That fears his fellowship to die with us.

This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,

And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,

But he'll remember, with advantages,

What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,

Familiar in his mouth as household words-

Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,

Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-

Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in England now-a-bed

Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

after a few moments of silence, boookie spoke in a hushed and reverent tone:

"i think mommy is practicing to be a protocol droid."

a happy saint crispin's day to us all!

...ooo...kay?...

2011-10-20T15:53:00.001-07:00

the best & the b-sides

2011-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

(with many thanks to a skillful, prodigious, and enthusiastic photographer. :)

Vacation!

2011-10-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks now since the residents of Michael Delving returned from vacation, and an awesome vacation it was. We went down to beautiful Coronado with GranDma and Apu and spent a week there. Uncle Goose played gracious host and helped make us comfortable at our lovely beachside cabana (thank you, US Navy!). It was rough, and this picture of San Diego Harbor and Coronado captures the extreme suffering and hardship the hobbits suffered.

The cabana was practically brand new, on the beach, and is actually larger than Michael Delving, so needless to say, we had no trouble thoroughly enjoying it. Here are the hobbitlings enjoying a movie on the high-definition flat screen - a real treat when movies are usually watched on the Mayor's laptop with a single, 1-inch speaker!

The Hobbit Wife took wonderful care of meals, and the Mayor also helped, so she got at least a bit of a break.

We enjoyed some delicious food from our new favorite cookbook, The Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals

The Hobbit Wife brought an extensive collection of spices to liven up our mealtime. If you haven't done so, you have to try Smoked Paprika or Smoked Pepper - they will blow your mind!

After playing on the beach and running around every day, the hobbitlings were prime candidates for frequent baths!

Here's most of the residents posing at San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Zoo. Our overall review can be summarized in one word/gesture: "Ehhh (said with a shrug)" Woodland Park Zoo is actually more fun, in our humble opinion.

And now we come to the absolute highlight of the trip. It was all of our first time visiting the best theme park in the world - LEGOLAND! We actually visited twice - the first day, LEGOLAND was closed, so we drove home amid a shower of tears. The return visit was a non-stop overload of awesome!

The hobbitlings loved the Star Wars Miniland section. Here they are, pointing out details from "The Fairest Moon of Endor"

Fairest Moon of Endor

"Look! There's AT-AT-AT walkers!"

Boookie surveying the hangar (but not the scene) from which his nickname was derived. "Han, Han Ma Boookie..."

Seimi signing "More!"

Boookie sprinting ahead to the next thing

Ela is brave enough for any of the rides, but sadly, only just hit the 36 inch mark, so wasn't able to go on all the roller coasters with Mommy and Boookie. When she was sent off the teacup ride due to height restrictions, she sadly said, "Is it OK if I don't watch them on this ride? I'm too sad." The Mayor then took her off to enjoy some rides that nobody else got to go on, and that seemed to cure her sadness.

The best playground in the world

The boys on the best playground in the world

The residents of Michael Delving at the best playground in the world

The day we went to LEGOLAND, it was delightfully warm, so we were able to enjoy all the water attractions

Yes, Seimi is indeed drinking deeply from the free-flowing fount, which was closed a mere 10 minutes later due to "unexpected unsanitary conditions." For the record, said unsanitary conditions originated from a child not connected to our party, and the water was highly chlorinated.

Playing with the water cannons

The Mayor and the Hobbit Wife discovering at the same time that the water cannons can reach bystanders!

Princess Ela on her steed.

Princess Ela got the full princess makeup treatment, which sent her over the moon!

The Mayor, Chewie the Wookie, Boookie, and Princess Ela

Hobbitlings posing with their favorite Sith Lord

The hobbitlings posing with their favorite astromech droid

Princess Ela bending over "to give R2D2 the DVD"

Back at home, Princess Ela was delighted to get to feed her little brother, "When I give food to Seimi, it's like I'm Princess Leia and he's R2D2!"

What vacation photo would be complete without handstand pictures? Hooray for CrossFit Kids!

The Mayor is still perfecting his handstand.

A little snapshot of the excitement of the place, as provided by Boookie

Goodbye, LEGOLAND!!

The aftermath.

on this, our first monday back from vacation...

2011-10-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

...the hobbitlings recommend the cod "livid" oil.

nothing says "back in the saddle" like a shot of visceral aquatic fury.

lemony-fresh, of course.

a lesson in specificity: part 2

2011-09-23T16:13:00.001-07:00

what i said to ela:

"what a beautiful card you are making for your friend's birthday! now you just have to sign your name!"

next time:

i will remember to tell her to stop.

a lesson in specificity: part 1

2011-09-23T15:52:00.001-07:00

what i said to boookie:

"pick-up all the small things from your bedroom floor and put them in this plastic box."

next time, i will add:

"mineral only. no animals wearing vegetables."

pool party!

2011-09-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

this is our above ground pool.

and these are our water fowl. we are raising them for their blonde plumage...

and their cheesy ham bones.

we are also observing the beginning of football season. here is seimi behind his offensive line with the sun tucked under his brawny arm.

the sun gleaming off seimi's helmet head

there is nothing like a ~~cool~~ warm (the temperature just hit 98.6 around seimi) dip on a hot september day!

godliness with contentment is great gain indeed!

elasaid ruth

2011-09-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

lank

2011-08-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

the leg room is always greener on the other side of the prison bars.

in other news, our little baby longlegs has officially christened his favorite blue blanket. ladies and gentlemen, please meet "lank."

and yes, we are aware of the irony!

a sight to bring joy to a father's heart

2011-08-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

grunge of legend

2011-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

our faerie princess and her watermelon juice/dirt five o'clock shadow.

our totally ripped man-child and his sun-kissed biceps of awesomeness.

when asked to comment on its new status of "grossest thing ever," our bathtub only wept and refused to have its picture taken. no word yet on how our toilet feels about all this.

one for the fans

2011-08-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hi There!

2011-05-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy, busy, busy here at Michael Delving. Here are a few things to catch you up on what's happened since January.

Here is Seamus outside for his first snow day.

Here is Bookie Hood posing with his bow.

Here is Princess Ela hosting a tea party with her dolls.

Here is "Boookie Fett." You can't see from this angle, but he has a "rocket packpack" consisting of a small broom shoved into his shirt.

Boookie and Ela are best friends and love adventuring together outside and inside.

Boookie is a huge Lego fan, and Star Wars Legos are a constant theme of conversation.

And last but not least, Mr. Seimi (shay-mee) is finally transitioning out of infancy. As Boookie says, "Seimi stole all the cuteness from the other babies!"

Basement Remodel

2011-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

On January 2, 2010, the big room in the basement looked like this:

Now on January 1, 2011, the big room in the basement is now a medium room, a pantry (storage shelves plus freezer), and a wine/root cellar (cool room with passive exterior vent). The medium room still needs some coats of drywall mud before it becomes the family room, but there is now heat in the basement.

Cozy!

2010-11-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that the residents of Michael Delving are starting to enjoy the cool weather of fall.

parfait choucroute

2010-10-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

six and a half pounds of farmville-fresh cabbage....

makes nine pounds of gorgeous sauerkraut...

which is nearly one gallon of exquisite, wild fermentation.

welcome to the church of holy cabbage. lettuce pray.

Not Even Close to Catch-Up

2010-10-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

So what have the residents of Michael Delving been up to? Portraits drawn by the Hobbit Wife on a wall (with descriptions provided by hobbitlings).

Well, with summer coming to a close, a very brief harvest was in order. Due to the incredibly wet and cold summer, the harvest was something less than bountiful. Our entire crop of cucumbers is shown below, with a toothpick provided for scale.

With colder weather approaching, the Mayor has been working off-and-on in the basement (since January, to be honest) to make the large utility room into a family room, pantry, and root/wine cellar. No sooner does the Mayor get a section done than the rest of the family descends, pencils in hand, to draw on the new wall.

Michael Delving is now on week two of homeschooling. Five-year-old Boookie spelled this a few weekends ago. In case the phonics are too obtuse, the Mayor was informed that it says, "Eat Up Your Breakfast."

Michael Delving was delighted to be the host location for a recent gathering of former room-mates from the days of the Bach's Office. The Sylvan Tree House residents and the residents of Michael Delving bade farewell to good friends who are off to become tropical island people.

And in conclusion, one of the primary family activities at Michael Delving lately has been the gym. Specifically, CrossFit. 3x weekly with a family of five is a major undertaking. It takes a special woman to homeschool two small hobbits, nurse a hobbit baby, and prepare dinner before heading off to do CrossFit. The Mayor wishes he could post a picture of the Hobbit Wife doing honest-to-goodness Oly lifting moves, but the Mayor has an even greater wish to live. So, pictures of the hobbitlings working out under the Mayor's supervision will have to suffice.

Hobbitlings sneaking in between workouts to get some time on the rowers.

Uncle Matty topping off his workout by providing a down-and-back ride on "The Prowler."

Boookie rolling while Uncle Matty hangs batlike in the background.

Saturday mornings

2010-07-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, glorious summer Saturdays at Michael Delving. Plenty of time to enjoy hiking in very nearby woods.

Plenty of time for smiles...

And some time to rock out with the music way too loud...

s'mores!

2010-07-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

our five-fold hobbit family is jumping back onto the blogging bandwagon...
and we begin with our 4th of july excursion to visit grandma and apu on fox island.

these hobbitlings had no idea what s'mores were - only that s'mores involved a humiliated coat hanger... junk food... and fire. bring it on!!!
and, no, there is nothing wrong with your computer screen. those are indeed pink marshmallows. princess ela was beside herself!

here is uncle goose demonstrating the time-honored method for perfectly toasted marshmallows.
some results may vary.

apparently, boookie still loves his daddy even though daddy set fire to his marshmallow on purpose! sugar heals all wounds.
(is it just me, or is this picture teetering dangerously on the brink between sweet and totally campy?)

our resident firefighter/paramedic was on site to assist with beginner-level s'moring lessons and to shield little eyes from wayward smoke.
first bite!
let the stickiness commence!
summer fashionistas agree - black is the new pink.
s'mores get all over your fingers, but that's what makes them fun...clearly, miss ela had a wonderful time!

seamus enjoyed the blustery festivities from within his cocoon. so cozy! hi, little son!
the simple, sticky joy of s'mores cannot be improved upon... at least, not without a beard! right, mr. mayor?

to our dear readers...

2010-07-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

thank you for your patience as updating our blog once again takes a back seat to the joys and challenges of REAL LIFE at michael delving! we four hobbits promise to resume regular posting...
...just as soon as we can stop smothering THIS latest, littlest proudfoot with millions of kisses!

(or, at least, as soon as we figure out how to smother and to blog simultaneously...!)

Seamus Henry Bailey

2010-06-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Seamus Henry Bailey was born on Monday, June 14 at 6:01PM. He weighed 8 lb. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. Mommy and son are doing great.

one more month...

2010-05-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

cast away

2010-05-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

the schizophrenia of spring

2010-05-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

the merry month of may has arrived!
for hobbits of the shire's northwest farthing, dramatically unpredictable weather is a perk of late spring. we dress in short sleeves under our waterproof outerwear, and we keep sunglasses in one pocket and mittens in the other.

here are the hobbitlings on a balmy friday afternoon. towering thunderheads growled at the brilliant blue skies overhead, and we whiled away the eighty degree weather at green lake's "basket of robbers" (as boookie called it) where the hobbitlings had their first sample of the 31 flavors.

when selecting "princess ice cream," it is the colour and not the flavor which is of principal importance. thus, ela chose fat-free watermelon sorbet with gummy "chocolate" watermelon seeds. (and her mommy chose not to watch her eat it.)
she may look like the joker from batman, but this little girl takes her sugar consumption very seriously.

boookie selected raspberry sherbet and proceeded to mug more faces than a basket of robbers as he consumed it.
contemplative:
vicious:
pachyderm:
enthusiastic:
envious? or mildly concerned?
either way, this was his reaction to noticing the slimy brown warts in his sister's ice cream. can you blame him?

the following tuesday, it was wet, windy, and bitterly cold. the hobbitlings enjoyed their outside playtime only after they were reissued their winter regs.
three little mittens as sweet as kittens...
...and one possessed by the evil cast monster!

the following saturday featured the only weather "typical" of spring in our corner of the shire: grey. for the uninitiated, grey weather is not too warm or muggy, not too rainy, windy, or chilly. it's benign, and some may think of it as bland. we hobbits love it! and we celebrate it with flip flops outside and fuzzy socks inside, with coffee and soup, and with such outdoor pursuits as should not wait for weather more "perfect."

here is the hoodie brigade...
...planting this year's crop of zucchini, yellow squash, peas, and sweet peas in the narrow bed along the fence.

like all good hobbitlings, they know that serious work...
... can be oh so very much fun! (and don't you just want to munch those sweet, fat little fingers?!)

ice cream, mittens, and seeds - the springtime possibilities are endless! of course, there are a few activities our schizophrenic spring weather cannot affect. a nap is for all seasons!

verdict

2010-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

a thing of beauty...
...is a joy for as long as it takes a hobbitwife to find her tape measure and PROVE to a nonplussed world that she IS NOT CRAZY!
seriously? eight and a half inches long?! what a load of... small nuggets! ::sigh::

okay. i'm moving on now. for real.

remember this picture from several weeks ago?
once my parsimonious opinions had been countered by the general populous and the nuggets and i had reached a tentative detente, there still remained to me the arduous task of troweling forty feet of boxwood hedge back to respectability. my thirty-four week pregnant self was not looking forward to it.

last weekend, the task was completed. and i did not a whit of it.

behold, my knight in shining work shirt!
while i and my fish-tail weed "popper" harvested dandelions from the front lawn (this is the world's easiest and most therapeutic outdoor chore), the selfless mayor of michael delving spent hours turning sod, pulling up tufts of angry crabgrass, and finally spreading the much-maligned small nuggets so that his hobbitwife did not have to!

here is the finished product. and while i'm certainly still getting used to it...
...the small nugget look is finally starting to grow on me.thank you, hobbitses! you are my hero!

the borders of faerie land

2010-04-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

as we enter the thirty-third week of pregnancy with our third hobbitling, a familiar phenomenon telltale of the third trimester envelopes me yet again -

insatiable craving for literary fantasy.

perhaps it's due to the physical weariness of being "great with child." perhaps it has more to do with the immortal theme of springtime drifting in through open windows as i prepare the nest for another little one. (now that i think about it, all my third trimester experiences have taken place in the spring.) whichever the cause, i once again want to spend all my free time waddling about the lands of myth, faerie, middle earth, narnia, or even hogwarts.

this is not without precedence. five springs ago, when i was in my third trimester with boookie, a vintage copy of beowulf was the inspiration for changing his name from the traditional scots-gaelic spelling.

three springs ago, when i was in my third trimester with ela, i actually caught myself talking to the faerie residents of my lenten rose after rereading the story girl.
(to clarify, my embarrassment was due to the fact that i was talking to faeries in the middle of the afternoon when, of course, they were trying to sleep.)

this spring, my third trimester travels in faerie land have been renewed but with this distinction: i no longer travel alone. every morning at michael delving, a guided tour of faerie land begins another twelve-hour installment, courtesy of the hobbitlings and their budding imaginations. it is sweet to my literary soul! grown-up responsibilities usually prevent my taking advantage of the entire tour each day, but even these responsibilities are made much more pleasant if performed while eavesdropping on a world where plastic swords defeat evil foe and where sparrows are lured to bedroom windowsills with high-pitched singing.

here is ela, not lolling in the grass as it may seem, but taking an out-of-doors "princess nap" in the style of every illustrated faerie tale known to man. the shimmery princess crown is one of her two favorite head ornaments; the second is a pink baby blanket which instantly transforms her into disney's vixen maid marian. currently, ela's favorite song is "the islander" which chronicles the tale of earendel the mariner and his princess elwing. ela calls it "the song of sad elves."
when her alfresco couture has just the right amount of twirliness, ela spends hours outside answering only to the names "cinder-ela" and "little queen lucy." one of her very favorite things to do is to stroll around and around our lamp-post sweetly calling, "aslan! aslan!" this makes our neighbors cluck their tongues and giggle; it makes me remember the Lion's paraphrase of john 10:27...
"you would not have called to Me unless I had been calling to you."

as far as boookie is concerned, why stroll when you can slaughter? his imagination has been utterly captured by broadswords, hooded cloaks, faithful companions following him into battle, and dragons gloriously slain. here is our fearless warrior, in full armor, jousting with a dark and faceless enemy. (note the lopsided lamp-post crossbar. that was the work of a single thrust bulls-eye, thank you very much.) also note the red windbreaker worn under the breastplate. this is a deliberate part of the uniform. boookie thinks it makes him look like prince philip from disney's "sleeping beauty." when he's not verbally compiling a code of conduct for all "good soldiers" (they always let ladies go first, for example, and they never, never wet their pants), he spends much of his time devising the perfect stratagem for undermining and capturing maleficent the witch.

the good soldier/ prince philip/ sir peter wolf's-bane/ high king peter/ king aragorn. when he's wielding a claymore, please address him as one of the above. or pick two! he's feeling generous!
"the Lord is with me; He is my helper! i will look in triumph on my enemies!" psalm 118:7

spring's beckoning to me from the borders of faerie land has never before been such a source of joy, nor has the road to faerie land been peopled with finer fellow pilgrims! each day i learn a little more from my hobbitlings' creativity; each day my genuine enjoyment of their company deepens. i marvel at their imaginative capacity (and feel a surge of pride over their emerging literary taste!) this spring and this third trimester, i have traded solitary waddlings in faerie land for the privilege of watching my hobbitlings wander its forests and fields for the first time.

and all the delight of faerie land is mine!

my dear reader,

2010-04-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

i humbly apply for your opinion on a matter of some delicacy:

this is my boxwood hedge.

currently, it is undergoing rather significant dewinterization. (i think i made that word up, but i'm sticking with it.) weeds and renegade grass have so overgrown my poor little boxwood plants, the mayor had to stake a plumb line before i could clearly see demarcation between the lawn and hedge bed.
it's not pretty. my troweling and weeding muscles are getting a good work-out.

to preserve my efforts - and to help insure that my boxwood hedge will never again be so disgraced by winter's neglect - we hobbits purchased bags of landscaping bark from our local hardware store about a month ago. they were spectacularly on sale! consequently, the word "nuggets" on the label didn't really catch my attention.
(you did see the word "small" on the label, too, didn't you? small. as in, of unobtrusive size.)

well... behold the small nuggets in action! i have peeled russet potatoes smaller than some of these so-called small nuggets.

just so we're clear, this is not a close-up, bug's-eye-view of my hedge bed. this photograph represents accurately the visual perspective of an irritated albeit somewhat vertically challenged hobbitwife.
small nuggets, i believe i disdain thee!

for three weeks, i have lived with and stared at this portion of weeded hedge bed thinking that the small nugget look would eventually logjam its way into my heart. well, it hasn't. my hobbit sensibilities continue to snarl. the small nugget look recalls to mind those hideous, rust-coloured, synthetic lava stone bits venerated by californian landscaping twenty years ago.

nope. i like it no better from this side of the fence.
perhaps it's just me, but shouldn't respectable hobbit landscaping boast of something a wee bit more subtle, a wee bit more earthy than these small nuggets?!

all right.
now that we've established my dislike of the small nuggets in my boxwood hedge bed, here are a few other details you, dear reader, should know:

1.) the small nuggets do not bother the more level-headed and equally aesthetically-minded mayor of michael delving one bit. (this astounds me. but i think it is critical to small nugget defense.)

2.) we have nuggets aplenty for the entire hedge bed. they were, as i've said, spectacularly on sale, and i'm not sure we may return sale items at this juncture.

3.) using a different landscaping material - beauty bark, for example - would require additional purchase of said material (money) as well as the removal and immediate torching of all small nuggets currently lodged in my hedge bed (time and effort).

4.) irked as i am, i must fairly admit that the size and weight of the small nuggets will likely preserve my weeding efforts much more efficiently than any landscaping material of finer grain - beauty bark, for example.

so now, my dear reader, i am anxious for you to voice your opinion. is my disdain for the small nuggets warranted or not? should we honour the boxwood hedge with a more hobbitlike ground cover? or should we give these unduly maligned small nuggets a chance to earn their keep and, in so doing, accept them as fitting residents of michael delving?

at the end of a long week...

2010-04-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

... these are what made everything worth it!
(and this too!!!)

hi!

2010-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

i'm an itty bitty guy,
and sometimes i wonder why...
...i took so long to sprout
while they misted me in doubt.
though my stature's small indeed,
boy! you should have seen the seed!
i'm mighty proud to be me!
i'm a basil plant you see!

of things which break and bend

2010-04-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

shortly after 5pm on good friday, we hobbits began a five hour tour of our local emergency room.

our impromptu visit came at boookie's rather vocal suggestion. he took a nasty tumble from his bunk bed ladder, breaking his fall with his left arm, which also broke. it was the mayor who wisely and calmly diagnosed the injury. excellent daddy that he is, he had us across town and filling out paperwork at stevens hospital within twenty minutes.

here are the hobbitlings on easter sunday morning admiring boookie's temporary splint.
boookie had broken his left radius and bent his corresponding ulna. the x-rays looked almost sickeningly bizarre to me: i hadn't until then appreciated just how flexible are children's bones. the radius did sustain a small fracture, but the unbroken ulna looked like robin hood's bow after an archery tournament.

monday afternoon, the splint was replaced by a proper cast. in honour of the occasion, boookie wore his finest star wars shirt under his black velvet cloak.
from a colourwheel of options, boookie chose construction cone orange for the hard fiberglass coating of his new cast. then a nurse named mark, who greatly appreciated boookie's polite inclusion of "mister" in his addresses, found himself captive audience for boookie's extensive conversational abilities during the thirty minute proceedure.everyone complimented boookie on his cheerful demeanor, calm disposition, and articulate questions. ("why is that guy in the corner wearing a whole bunch of casts if he's dead and that means he can't get better?")
(in case you're wondering, mister mark said the dead guy's name is george.)
after the cast was applied we waited for an appointment with radiology to confirm that everything still looked good inside the cast. we waited...
and waited...and waited...
and got in some target practice...
and a few electric guitar riffs...
and waited, and waited, and waited.
finally, boookie got his x-ray. and ela got her turn viewing scenic edmonds from the exam table.
the doctor was very pleased with boookie's bone placement and even commented that the fracture was already healing fast! in celebration, we all got stickers...and complimentary shreds of cotton bandage from the exam room floor!
we have a follow-up appointment next monday to make sure those flexible little bones continue healing properly. we will keep you posted. until then, thank you for keeping boookie in your prayers.

and may the force be with you!

6:57am

2010-04-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

i spy... with my little eye... something monday.

growth...

2010-04-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

...in the fungal arts. this is ancient sourdough starter, a gift last year from our sylvan elvish friends. it took days and days of anxious tending to resurrect it from refrigerator death. see how nice and bubbly it is now?!

...in anti-phytate warfare. behold, michael delving's very first successful soaked whole grain sandwich-worthy loaf! i am bouncing off the kitchen walls with joy!
verily could i write an ode to its lovely crumb!
real sourdough schmeared with celtic sea salted butter and raw honey! eat your heart out, yellow cookbook lady!
(by the way, i no longer need my extensive collection of foolproof recipes for soaked whole grain doorstops, cobblestones, and shot puts. perhaps i should craigslist them. my poor family can recommend them for hours of tooth-shattering entertainment!)

...in our green thumbs. say hello to our rainbow chard!
and our lovely pickling cucumbers!

...in our hobbit feet. ela has grown into boookie's "house shoes" from last summer, and boookie is growing into his new "house shoes" for the summer ahead. (they should fit him in time for the warm weather, inside-outside play time, and dirty floors of mid-june; in the mean time, he's complaining that we need to buy him bigger feet.)

...in girth. this is an attempted self-photograph of my own hobbit feet. thirty weeks and counting!

...in grace. happy sixth anniversary, my love!

...and in joy. welcome to a rejoicing world, miss elanor elisabeth! we cannot wait to meet you!

the ascot op'ning race!

2010-03-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

it! has! begun!
mustard bitters take an early lead...

with tender lettuce sprouting close behind...

it's still anybody's race!
(except for the basil which seems to be taking a serene, almost buddhist approach to the race.)

"c'mon, broccoli, move yer bloomin' coleslaw!"

other munchable sprouts at michael delving:
they are simply delicious with butter!

patience

2010-03-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

"clear, somewhat mournful eyes met mine. at least, that is how they impressed me; but i could see very little colour or outline as we sat in the dark and rainy shadow of the tree. the face seemed very lovely, and solemn from its stillness, with the aspect of one who is quite content but waiting for something."
george macdonald, phantastesearly spring at michael delving feels to me like anodos' beech tree nymph: delicately colored in rainy shadows, contented, and waiting for something not yet at hand.

the days slowly lengthen...

timid leaves gradually follow bold daffodils and crocuses into the cold, coaxing sunshine...

and hobbits remember how much they love growing things in good, tilled earth.
spring's labor begins! reviving the yard from its winter apathy is a new part of the daily routine.

choice weapons.
the quarry. weeding five gallons a day takes a while, but it keeps my vitamin d levels up and my neuroses appeased.

the young apprentice affixes lattice-like grids to our square foot gardens.
it wasn't until these pictures of my four year-old and a power tool were uploaded that i realized - no daddies are visible. one of the many, many things i am slowly learning from the mayor is how to teach hobbitlings without irksome smothering. in this instance, he set the screws, showed boookie how to use the drill, and then patiently supervised from a respectful distance while boookie "did it all by himself!"
just look at this proud little boy!
when the grids had been expertly secured, the planting of twelve kale sprouts launched this year's gardening endeavors. thank you, stacey!
and in the kitchen, small hobbits hover over 102 tiny seeds and offer frequent reminders for grown-up hobbits to mist the soil. in ela's words, "some things are just taking such a very long time!" we are all learning patience.
fortunately, patience is the province of early spring.

coup coup kachu!

2010-03-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

i want to type good morning even though it's half past noon. but i'll settle for pouring my thrice nuked cup of coffee (bleh) down the drain and brewing a fresh cup while i contemplate how best to take-over this blog.

with few exceptions, most people i know share the opinion that blogging is a colossal waste of time. posting blogs wastes time. checking them wastes time. despair.com says what we're all probably thinking each time we sit down in the fish-belly glow of our computer screens to update or to blogroll:
"never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few."
(by the way, same goes for facebook and twitter.)

we hobbits at michael delving have spent the winter months busily living real life. and we truthfully haven't missed utilizing this blog except on rare occasions.

like when ela stepped outside into the nasty early morning of daylight savings time sunday, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "it smells like beautiful!"

or when boookie woke up in the middle of the night wailing, "it's asleep! it's asleep!" the mayor rush to help reengage whichever little limb had lost circulation. "what's asleep, son?" boookie pointed weakly to his own chest and answered in a devastated squeak, "ME!"

the potential beauty of blogs (at least the ones i waste my time with) remains in their celebration of small things. and i think that is why and how this blog will be recommissioned. it is for family, and all those who might as well be family, to see pictures of our hobbitlings as they grow. but it is also a chance for me to look at my mundane world with the expectation that i will find things worthy of celebration. "no doubt to others, our ways seem quaint,” said a famous (and overly-quoted) hobbit on the big screen. “but, today of all days, it is brought home to me: it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life!"

three more days until the simple life of spring begins and, with it, a new leaf of our blog at michael delving.

Fall at Michael Delving

2009-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Summer Days

2009-06-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

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.

Friday!

2009-03-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week at Michael Delving, but fortunately, we've been able to get some down-time here and there.
Today, to celebrate the start of the weekend, the Mayor took the hobbitlings down to the shop to play with blocks. Not any old blocks, mind you. These are the coolest blocks ever. They were custom designed by one of the Mayor's grandpas and built by his other grandpa. There are four sets; the Greek-inspired gray set was the Mayors, the black Roman-inspired set was Uncle Andrews, the light brown Roman-inspired set was Uncle Matty's, and the brown Greek-inspired set was Auntie Alexis'.
Here's Ela playing with Uncle Andrew's blocks on the floor of the shop.
Here's Boookie being an engineer, just like his daddy and the great-grandpa (and namesake) who designed the blocks.
And finally, here are the hobbitlings settling down for bed.

Another March Update

2009-03-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Last week, the hobbits of Michael Delving celebrated St. Patrick's Day. The Ela hobblitling and the Hobbit Wife got their nails painted orange to celebrate the day.

The Ela hobbitling walked around for days afterward showing off her hands and saying, "See? Is so pity!"

Last Friday was the fifth anniversary for the Mayor and the Hobbit Wife. They have made big plans to take a trip this summer, so the event was kept low-key. The whole family went down to ride the South Lake Union Streetcar (not to be confused with the South Lake Union Trolley). A fun time was had by all, but especially the Boookie, who loved riding the train down to Westlake Center, where he got to eat pizza and watch the monorail. As a special anniversary gift, knowing full well that the fifth anniversary is Wood, the Mayor went ahead and bought the Hobbit Wife...Metal. The picture below shows the bottom element of the Hobbit Wife's oven earlier in the week. The Mayor had awoken to discover bright orange flames filling the oven. Apparently, the oven element had burned through - did anyone know that oven elements could burn? The Hobbit Wife has assured the Mayor that his gift of Metal is entirely appropriate for the Wood anniversary.
Speaking of wood, on Saturday the Mayor built himself a cart for under-the-stairs storage. One doesn't attend Crosspoint Church for this long without learning all about carts!

The Ides of March

2009-03-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Michael Delving has seen more fun and relaxing lately, giving the residents time to do important things like making Duplo space helmets, ...
...putting olives on our fingers, ...
... and wearing our hair in very small ponytails!
The Mayor spent all day Saturday building his workbench and pegboard. This is the Mayor's very first work area that is his very own. He keeps disappearing to the basement for undefined errands, just to go stand in the shop.
The Mayor now has a place to hang his sword and shield from Afghanistan. He received an iPod dock from his company as a 5-year anniversary gift, and is enjoying filling his space with his music.

1Q 2009

2009-03-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here are highlights from the last months at Michael Delving. Let's see - in December we had Christmas...
The hobbits got presents like a baby doll from Auntie...
Legos from Grampz and Grammy...
Automoblox from Uncle Matty...
Earlier this year, Auntie moved out of the basement, which means that the hobbits now get their own huge playroom!
GranDma and Apu gave the hobbits a tent/tepee/tunnels playset for the new playroom!
With the extra space in the basement, the Mayor decided he could finally fulfill a lifelong dream to have his own shop area, which started out looking like this:
The Mayor enlisted Boookie's assistance for painting.
What was the Mayor thinking? The shop is now painted from floor to ceiling in "Man Cave Gray," and is waiting for the Mayor to build his workbench.
For the Mayor's birthday, he got a 2-person unlimited annual pass to the Space Needle - $30 web special!
And finally, last weekend, the Mayor rented a flatbed truck from Handy Andy...
...and with Uncle Matty's assistance, disassembled and brought home a huge playset from a friend's backyard. This is not the first time the guys have seen this particular playset, having built it in about six years ago for another family! The Mayor felt a peculiar sense of goblin-like joy at recovering his handiwork!

Snow Day!

2008-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here are the hobbitlings sort-of enjoying being outside in the cold sunshine.
And really enjoying hot chocolate in the warm indoors.
Enjoying every last drop of rich, creamy chocolate sunshine.
The Mayor was home from work today due to the snow. The Mayor sliced up last summer's wading pool to make this winter's sled. The Mayor is excessively proud of his creation.

Pre-Christmas Post

2008-12-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Again, just getting caught up on posts.

Pre-Thanksgiving Update

2008-11-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Mayor is just going to get caught up with pictures.

No Camera!

2008-11-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here's Ela enjoying her loot from trick-or-treating.
Here's Boookie with his pumpkin (grown for him by our neighbors). He went as a tow truck for Halloween, but unfortunately we didn't get any good pictures!

Here's what we've been up to since last post:
* Synchronized morning potty time for Boookie and Ela. This morning witnessed great success on both the big potty and the little potty.
* Boookie now has three imaginary friends. There are now two Little Boys (still no name for either). There is also a Little Girl (!) When asked about her name, he gets embarrassed and tries to change the subject. We suspect our lad has his first crush, and we think we know who she is, too.
* Ela was told on the way home from church that she would have to wait to get a drink of water. She looked out the window with a forlorn expression and was overheard talking sadly to herself, "No tag, No wadee." What a little drama princess!
* Boookie went to the Husky football game with Auntie and the Mayor. He ate snacks the first quarter, ran around the second quarter, screamed "GO HUSKIES" the third quarter, and slept the fourth quarter. He didn't miss much during his nap as the Huskies collapsed again.

October!

2008-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time for the Mayor to put up a new post. Michael Delving has been a happening place this last month. The month started with a kitchen party; for an evening, our tiny home played host to 18 people, a huge pot of soup, a large plate of cheese sandwiches, numerous instruments, and a night of making music. The experience was delightful and Michael Delving will certainly be hosting more kitchen parties.
The Mayor has been quite busy (one might even say overwhelmed at times) at work, but everyone still found time to go to a pumpkin patch. Here's Ela enjoying snacks in the stroller.
The Mayor and Boookie took a ride in a tractor train at the Farm. Boookie loved it, and after the ride shouted, "Thanks for the ride, Farmer!" The Mayor woke up the next day with a sore back that seemed somehow connected with squeezing into a barrel with a squirmy 3-year-old.
Boookie got to pick out some pumpkins.
Auntie decided to make Haloween costumed for the hobbitlings. Below is Ela modeling part of her costume. Ela has been learning so much lately. She learned how to stand and she walked for the first time last week at church. The hobbit wife seethed when the Mayor slid back into his seat after watching the little hobbit girl during the sermon and whispered, "She walked for me - six times!" The little hobbitling girl has also been learning how to communicate with signs and words. After months of vigorously resisting, she recently discovered that it is actually to her benefit to be able to tell us what she wants and what she is thinking about. Some of her favorite things:
* "Tag" - her blanket, the most important part of which is naturally, the tag. "Tag" must always be spoken in a low growl, for that is her proper name.
* "Pup-pup" - her Beanie Baby husky puppy. She loves to delightedly shriek his name, grab him, and then mercilessly beat him and fling him away. The Mayor and Auntie feel that Pup-pup must have some kind of voodoo connection to the Husky football team, since that's kind of what it's been like attending Husky football games this year.
* "Wadee" - her water bottle, or anyone else's water bottle.
As long as she has these three items and someone to hold her/take her out of her crib/retrieve things for her, she is happy as a clam.
It was just discovered the Boookie has invented an imaginary friend. For some time, we thought that "The Little Boy" referred to him, but it has recently been confirmed that "The Little Boy" refers to someone else entirely. Boookie has long conversations with his friend, takes him places, and otherwise entertains himself at times by imagining things The Little Boy is doing. Here are some facts we know about The Little Boy:
* He doesn't have a name. He's just The Little Boy.
* He has red hair. And blue and orange.
* He is getting taller than Boookie, but is also known to fit into Boookie's "soupcase" cars. Boookie has a suitcase for Matchbox cars, which he calls his "soupcase." When Boookie needs to take The Little Boy somewhere, he pinches him in his fingers or holds him in his hand.
* He lives on a school bus. He doesn't sleep on the bus - he just lives there. Boookie sends him away on the bus every night when he goes to sleep.
* He doesn't eat food. He just eats crackers on the bus.
* He likes it when Boookie picks him up and puts him onto the slide and swing and bus and trucks (especially the milk truck).
* He doesn't like to play with any of Boookie's favorite toys.

Getting out of debt...

2008-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

...The Mayor owes a lot of cute pictures, so here they are, in roughly chronological order. Or not.

Here's Beothan watching with rapt attention as the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill team goes by in the annual parade in Mountlake Terrace. He loved every aspect of the parade. Every aspect. He loved the motorcycles. He loved the marching bands. He loved the fire trucks and ambulances. He loved the clowns. He loved the Seafair Pirates. But his favorite part was the local politicians driving in convertibles. "Hey Daddy! They're saying 'Hi' to me and waving!" It doesn't take much to secure his vote!
Here's Beothan waiting patiently for dinner to be served at Cedar's. He has the coolest cars and trucks and equipment - the Mayor would have been extremely jealous when he was that age. Come to think of it, the Mayor is currently jealous of the Boookie's car collection!
Here's the Mayor and Ela waiting for dinner to be served at Cedar's. Guess who lives wrapped around Ela's little finger?
Here's Ela with Grammy.
Here's Ela admiring herself in the mirror. She loves to crawl into her parents' room to admire her clothes but especially her shoes. She loves shoes. Almost as much as she loves food!
Here's the little girl looking so cute in her newest pair of shoes - pink sneakers! From Old Navy, so Auntie Alexis should be happy.
Playing outside in the pool.
Playing outside in the toy cars. Beothan is driving Shebe car (also known as the fire chief truck). Ela is driving "other Shebe car" (also known as the pickup truck).
Ela on the "motorcycle"
Beothan running through the octopus sprinkler.
Beothan on a tricyle at the Tanders.
Ela in the bounce house at the Tanders.
The Mayor is working on a unique project involving construction using marsh buggies brought up from Louisiana. Beothan loves looking at pictures of marsh buggies, and last week, his dream came true and the Mayor took the whole family to go see marsh buggies.Beothan passed out in his carseat after going to see marsh buggies. It's exhausting to have one's dreams come true.
Ela in her carseat. She still has energy since she doesn't care about marsh buggies, so it was just another ride in the stroller for her!
Uncle Matty assisted the Mayor in building a swingset in the backyard. The swingset was a generous present from Auntie Jen for her hobbitling neice and nephew, and they love it!
Elasaid in her princess race car swing.
Here's a video of the hobbitlings enjoying their new swings.

Finally!

2008-08-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

We here at Michael Delving haven't been slacking off, although one might infer that based on the infrequent/nonexistent posts. After many weeks of prep work and four days of furious painting, Michael Delving looks like a respectable hobbit dwelling at last.
Here's the south side after prep work was finished...
South side primed...
West side prepped...
Priming done...South side painted...Painting mostly completed...
It's nighttime on day four, but the house painting is finished!
Here's what the house looked like when we moved in:
The first morning of being a respectable hobbit dwelling.
Here's the back of the house as it looked when we moved in:
Here's the back of the house as of this morning:
Here's Popz hard at work painting:
The Mayor could not have finished the painting without the help of Popz, who gave up a week of vacation to help save our hobbit home from the distinction of being the eyesore of the neighborhood. Uncle Matty volunteered Saturdays, working with no hope of reward except for concert tickets, knives, CDs, and delicious food. Apu came and skillfully pressure washed what portions of the siding that could be safely washed, with no leaks inside. Uncle Andrew...hmmmm...was a great help with painting one morning. Mr. Tander also aided greatly through the loan of painting equipment. The Mayor would also like to thank the Academy...

Beothan's Birthday...

2008-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

...has come and gone. Work and house painting preparation being what they are, the hobbitling lad was not made aware of this fact. His birthday will be celebrated with great fanfare at some later date.

Holiday

2008-07-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Mayor decided to make it official and declare himself on holiday from blogging. He promises to post regarding the young Boookie's birthday in August.

Dancing Hobbitling

2008-06-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

The little hobbitling ballerina loves to crawl around and play on the living room floor, but she was positively beside herself on Sunday morning when the Mayor dressed her in tights, dress, and ballet slippers. She kept spinning 'round and 'round, stopping only when she was scooped into a car seat.

Hot Weather Fun!

2008-05-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying the beautiful hot weather this weekend. Boookie decided to take up surfing...
...and Ela decided to take up swimming!
We all went to the U-District Street Fair. Ela wore a new outfit given to her by Mrs. Littles.
Beothan in the Bouncy Castle.
Beothan on the slide.
Here's a video of Ela stalking the camera.

Here is a video of Boookie enjoying some Chocolate Milk.

Elasaid Turns One!

2008-05-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here's Ela greedily enjoying a delicious cupcake from GranDma. She ate the whole thing!Boookie got to enjoy a cupcake of his own!
Here's Ela in a post-cupcake stupor.
For parish group, Auntie and Mrs. Littles made flowerpot ice cream cake.
Once again, Ela showed that she can really put it away!
IT'S ALL GONE - SHE'S MAD!!!!
Ela enjoyed eating cards for her birthday.
Ela's examining her new dress from Grammy. This particular dress has a distinguished history, having been started when Auntie Alexis was still a baby. See the post about the bed below - perhaps the entire "taking a long time to finish a project" is hereditary!
And here's Boookie enjoying one of the many DVDs from Great GranDma Ruth. There's no face like a TV face!

Miscellaneous Fun Times

2008-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here's Boookie and Daddy washing She-be car.
Here's Boookie walking "Roadie," our neighbor's pet possum.
Boookie's making cookies with Daddy!
Hooray for bar soap! We love to put it in our hair, but we have a tendency to howl when we rub it in our eyes, as happened scant seconds later.
Here's Boookie and Georgie, practicing for their upcoming fight. Mr. Lyle insists that they will be fighting in the octagon at the next UFC fight night. With fists like that, we wouldn't be surprised!

Playing Together

2008-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Auntie recently got matching water bottles for Boookie...
...and Ela Bug!The siblings that drink together, play together!
Playing with Ela toys in their room.
Fun times together (Boookie's new bed in the background)!
Beothan has been taking good care of his little sister. When she starts crawling where she shouldn't be, he grabs her legs and drags her back. If you know the old Disney movie "The Happiest Millionaire," you'll know why Ela's new nickname is "George."

Boookie's New Bed

2008-05-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Almost exactly one year ago, the Mayor started building a bed for the Boookie.
A full year later, the Mayor finally got around to finishing up.
Here's the Mayor reading a bedtime story to Boookie in the new bed.
Now that Boookie has a big boy bed...
Elasaid has a crib! The Pack 'N Play has been packed away!

Holy Snugglies!

2008-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Boookie's new favorite expression (derived from Daddy's "Holy Schnikies!") best sums up our freakish weather. Some of us got sunburned last weekend, and now, this!

Post Tax Day Post

2008-04-16T17:28:00.001-07:00

We at Michael Delving are celebrating the arrival of spring... sort of. It was over 80 degrees last weekend, but sleet was falling on the Mayor as he drove home from work at 1AM on Tuesday.

Ela greatly enjoys feeding herself and can't seem to get enough yummy food. (If you look closely, you can see her little pigtails in this picture.)
She enjoys her vegetables - she's shown here with some particularly good broccoli.
Boookie is warming with the weather to the idea that socks, shirts and long pants are articles of clothing, not articles of faith. You wouldn't believe the racket that ensued when we dressed him with no socks, no shirt, and shorts!
For the past two weekends, we hobbits have engaged in some major yard work. Uncle Matty may have taken things too far - he's shown here tossing Boookie into the yard waste container.
And here's Ela stalking her prey through the tall grass like a pink-striped tiger baby.
Look out world - she's got a convertible!
Maniac baby driver!
Here's Boookie stealing the last of Ela's toys. (Notice the armful of toys he's already taken).
Nobody knows why, but Boookie kept telling Uncle Matty about the "space needles." We finally figured out that he was referring to earthworms.
Uncle Matty spent his last weekend as an unemployed bum doing yard work for Jobenstein Jr. Matty and the Mayor dug up a corner of the front yard and built an herb garden for the hobbit wife.
Here's the finished herb garden. The proximity to the street testifies to the legitimacy of the herb.
The Mayor also planted a boxwood hedge along the fence and some ground cover along the driveway. He was considering planting English laurels just to hear Grampz say, "What?! Those things grow to be 30 feet tall?! When the Allies invaded German-occupied France..." In all fairness, the Mayor does credit Grampz for giving him a lot of valuable experience with yard work!
And finally, we debut video on the blog! Here's Boookie performing one of his favorite songs. He kept asking Auntie if she could "help Boookie smell it" Auntie finally figured out that she was being asked to hold a microphone so he could sing into it.

And here's Boookie practicing his lead guitarist moves. He still has some refining to do on his stage presence, but we're working on that!

And here's our stylish 11-month old, in gaucho pants, showing her range of vocalizations as well as her sitting and scooting skills.

Another March Post

2008-03-24T08:02:00.001-07:00

Hooray - The Mayor has now posted thrice in the span of one month! So what have we been doing since the last post?
We have been eating leftover chocolate frosting when the hobbit wife isn't home (Boookie loves it when the Mayor gives him "special supwise")
We have been laughing at the way the littlest hobbitling looks after she's had her hair up in pigtails. Boookie laughs and says "Sissy has silly hair!"We've been going for walks. Boookie has almost mastered the use of his tricycle. He is shown here on the campus of the UW taking a turn with pushing (and steering) himself.

We've been out and about being sweet...
...looking up lovingly at Daddy...
...or whining. This was an "I don't want to hug sissy!" moment.Uncle Matty came over two weekends ago to help the Mayor install flooring in the living room.Naturally, since it's Uncle Matty, there was much flashing of boxer shorts.
Ela is shown here playing on the new floor.
She gives the new floor her hearty approval!
This last weekend, the Mayor finally fulfilled the hobbit wife's long-standing dream to have a computer desk with the cords hidden away. The Mayor designed and built the desk himself. You can't see it (which is the point), but under the desk are several shelves containing the router, modem, FM transmitter, and all the associated wiring. The Mayor also cut down a cabinet and installed it above the desk, fulfilling his long-standing dream to have financial papers somewhere more accessible than underneath the laundry basket.
On Friday, we went to Fremont for a fun day. One of the best parts was buying Boookie his very own orange ukelele.
He fell in love with it instantly. Prior to this, he had to resort to playing a plastic shovel whenever he felt the urge to play along to good music.
The Mayor, inspired by Boookie's musical enthusiasm, pulled out his guitar. The Mayor is shown here diligently practicing while Boookie stands in front: cool, poised, ready to rock out. He doesn't have to practice because he already knows all the songs.
And here are the guys, rocking out to Boookie's favorite song "Glory on Display."

Progress on House

2008-03-03T18:03:00.001-08:00

The Mayor has been making steady progress on the Michael Delving remodel. Here is the Boookie marveling at the new window blinds.
The Mayor had a tree service come in and cut down the two large cypress trees located at the front corners of the house. The house is shown below as it was when we moved in.
Boookie was beside himself with excitement when the tree service (or "chainsaw guys" as he calls them) took down the trees. When you're a 2 1/2 year old little boy, it doesn't get much better than a crane, a chipper, big trucks, and big tough guys with chainsaws - all coming to your front yard to put on a show! Below is the house after "the chainsaw guys made a big mess." The living room is of course, taking a while to finish up. It is shown below in its state shortly after we moved in.
And here is the living room in its current state. It still awaits flooring and trim, but I think you'll agree it's at least a slight improvement over its original state.

March Post

2008-03-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

The Mayor presents photo documentation of what we've been up to at Michael Delving.
Here are Ela, the Mayor, and Boookie enjoying green beans - the first time all have enjoyed a meal of the same food.
As you can see, Ela is quite enthusiastic about feeding herself. She fills her little fists with green beans and then squeezes them out into her mouth (or onto the floor) like a little food dispenser.
Auntie got Ela some adorable little bell-bottom overs.
Auntie also got Ela an embroidered blanket. Here is the blanket posing with little hobbitling and doll feet.
Beothan is quite the little train engineer. It took him all of 30 seconds to grasp how to connect the wood train tracks and he enjoys making elaborate tracks and playing with his new train.
The combined residents of Michael Delving and Tanders spent this last Saturday at the Children's Museum at the Seattle Center. This was to celebrate a certain milestone event for the young Auntie Jen (shown here playing "goalie" for a virtual soccer game).
There were so many fun things to do, including driving a bus, a fire truck, a safari truck, and a moto taxi.
Here is Boookie taking his friend Georgie out for a spin on his moto taxi. Gideon is tagging along as a chaperone, making sure everything stays above-board.
There were many fun activities, including a construction area. Auntie is shown here teaching Boookie how to tighten a bolt. The Mayor was out fetching lunch, or else he would have been tending to this important task.
Here's Boookie rocking out with the Mayor on an electric guitar...
...as Gideon plays along on the drums...
...and Georgie supplies the vocal talent.
Fun was had by all in the painting studio. The smaller ones got to paint, and the older ones got fine artwork to hang up in offices and on refrigerators.
The Boookie has a thing about everything needing to be organized. He quickly figured out what to do with the colored shapes on the light table...
...stack everything neatly!
Here's the Boookie and Georgie manning Mission Control.
Here are assorted pictures of the littles...
...and the not-so-littles.Overall, it was a super-fun family time.Trust us - Ela is thrilled.Family picture time as the hobbitlings pump fists in excitement.After spending a day at the Children's Museum, the gals and kiddos spent the evening together while the Tims went to watch Ultimate Fighting. Good times!

February

2008-02-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go with what has become the monthly posting ritual. Michael Delving has been struck with repeated bouts of illness in the last month. Springtime - you may come at your earliest convenience! Despite the illness, we have found time for some fun, such as shopping for books (thanks to Grammy). Here is Boookie reading his new favorite book "Smash Crash." It is a gripping tale of Jack Truck and Dump Truck Dan as they smash and crash their way around town.
Here is Elasaid mugging for the camera and showing off her little curls.
Smiling at Mommie (off camera)
And here is Ela with her Christmas present, a dolly that Mommie, Grammy, and Auntie Jen all helped knit. Her name is Chloe Dolly.
After a long break, the Mayor has resumed remodeling. Here he is shown mudding the "bum" wall (so named because he painted "bum" on it the second day we owned the house, and then never adequately painted over it). The glow on the Mayor's head is not an angelic halo as one might suppose, but rather one of the recessed can lights the Mayor successfully installed last weekend.

Best Sick Day Ever

2008-01-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

Michael Delving has been struck by a nasty cold bug. We spent today as a sick day doing the following.
Elasaid sacked out in her carseat...
Beothan passed out in the middle of playing...
...which allowed the Mayor and Hobbit Wife to spend the day watching "The Office." Best sick day ever!

Goodbye 2007

2008-01-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a long-overdue post with pictures from Christmas. The Mayor had the best of plans to post this a long time ago, but rather than wait any longer, here are the pictures, in no particular order.

Snow! (Early December)

2007-12-03T20:06:00.001-08:00

We've enjoyed getting snow fairly regularly this winter. Here are some pictures from the first snow of the season.

Farewell, November

2007-11-29T20:02:00.001-08:00

After an eventful few weeks, it is time to upload pictures. Grampz and Grammy came up the week of Thanksgiving, resulting in much rejoicing.
Here's the little hobbitling girl loving to be held by her Grampz.
And here's Grampz attempting to indoctrinate Boookie into the Cougar way. The second day of the visit, however, the Mayor was delighted when Boookie greeted Grampz with a big "GO HUSKIES!"
Here's Elasaid enjoying being held by her Grammy. The littlest resident of Michael Delving was ever so happy to get lots of grandma loving .Glossing right over the Apple Cup...
The day after Thanksgiving, the hobbit wife got a custom-ordered day after all her hard work preparing the Thanksgiving feast. She chose to start it with coffee and a picnic lunch at the park.We then went on a walking tour of Ballard, spending some time at the locks. Beothan informed us that seagulls say "Hi, Beothan."
We ended the day doing some long-overdue shopping for the hobbit wife. Beothan got to ride in a race car stroller for the shopping trip.
Here is the Boookie being "Baby Beothan."
Floor hobbitlings!
The pretty little hobbitling lass. She is growing fast, and has sprouted 1-1/2 teeth. She is also starting to use sign. She made the Mayor so happy when she repeatedly did the sign for "Daddy" until he came over to play with her.

Fall

2007-11-12T15:25:00.001-08:00

It's officially fall around Michael Delving. We went for a nice long walk in (light) rain on Saturday to enjoy the weather. In keeping with the falling theme, the Mayor decided to finally cut down the diseased hawthorn tree in the front yard.
The Mayor is still working on cutting up the downed tree, but the yard is much lighter now.
The basement was finally organized, which allowed the Mayor to dig out some buried treasures. Here is the Boookie playing with the train set, which the Mayor's grandpa made for him when he was around the same age.
Although it has taken some time, we've finally settled on "Ela" as a nickname for the littlest hobbit. Here she is enjoying some egg yolks.
While the Mayor was home sick today, he hung up balloons on the walls of the hobbitling room. The balloons were a gift from Great Grandma Ruth.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

We actually got ready and did stuff for Halloween this year. Here's Boookie practicing his wand work to conjure up treats. Accio Candy!
Coloring his pumpkin. When Auntie presented him with a few markers, he asked, "Please may I have more choices?" The fact that he got a lot of marker on himself is explained by the following dialogue:
"Can you color a face?" Yes, his own.
"Can you write 'Beothan?'" Yes, he can write on Beothan.
"Use the other hand." So he colored on the other hand.
While Beothan was coloring his pumpkin, the hobbit wife was carving pumpkins.
The pumpkin masterpieces by day.
The pumpkin masterpieces by night.
Michael Delving went trick-or-treating with the Bergins, who have two children near the age of our hobbits. Here is Auntie Jen pushing the stroller with the two dressed up, but not trick-or-treating girls.
Fiona and Beothan in action.
Fiona the bunny and Beothan the fireman.
Elasaid with her pumpkin.
Beothan with his pumpkin. Thumbs up for Halloween!
On the trick-or-treat trail.
Happy flower!
Happy Halloween from the happy hobbitlings!

We're Dancing!

2007-10-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

We're happy and wearing our dancing shoes around Michael Delving. The Mayor took his Professional Engineering exam on Friday (8 hour comprehensive test of civil engineering) and is quite hopeful that he passed. We are looking forward to returning to normal life (or some semblance thereof).
As an addendum, we're also tired. Taking the PE exam and potty training is tiring work.
Here's the Boookie after his brief nap on the job.