Uncle Kent 1954-2010

As lots of folks' thoughts will be on Uncle Kent this weekend, we wanted to give a tribute to the wonderful Uncle he was -- to the Koschmann brothers and, later, their wives; and even more recently, to Alden and Max. In his interactions with Alden, Kent clearly lit up -- and we all lit up watching the two of them happily stare at each other. It is through an amazing series of photos (below) that we got another glimpse of Kent's incredible grasp of light and human nature -- and we will treasure these forever. As he grows up, we will remind Alden often of Kent -- the dude, our friend, an epic uncle.

mom braves the elements

The Northwest weather got you down? Feeling a little restless from that 28th consecutive rainy day? Worry no more.

This purple and blue-themed ensemble can be yours. Assembly is simple -- first apply mutiply layers of tights, leggings, neck warmers, and rain jackets to yourself. Next, assemple your child into two to three layers of clothing, and then stuff him into the carrying device of your choice. Please re-start when your child spits-up or poops during assembly. Then, simply sew a waterproof blanket, complete with loops to caribeaner to your childs carrying device. For serious rain, add an umbrella to the mix. Now get out there in the dark and drizzle!

growl: the movie

As it happens, Alden has appeared in some feature films. He is a very versatile actor -- he is able to growl. He can also snarl. . . . what else, did we mention that he can growl?

Here's some of his best stuff. . .

Nanny Sara!

We are now a bit overdue in introducing one of Alden's closest friends -- Sara! We are thrilled that Sara has entered or lives, as she has already proven herself to be a master Alden-Whisperer. The two of them spend long days together talking, walking, singing, and listening to NPR, and Sara is now a complete pro at getting Alden to take long, revitalizing naps. In fact, sometimes we think she might be better at that particular skill than we are! We are so glad to have you around, Sara! We look forward to all you will bring to Alden's life and to ours.

happiness = facing out in the bjorn

skype with nasty/max

4 koschmann males (all not working) = long hours goofing off on skype.

starfish hits the slopes

Alden got bundled (perhaps gratuititously) for an afternoon in the mountains. We were joined by bob and ali (who took these photos). Mom strapped the bear too her chest -- and the boy responded to his first winter sporting by sleeping most of the way through it. Bob/ali charmed the boy with their expressive faces / ipod apps / and new nicknames ("Ursa Major" = Big Bear; the starfish = too bundled too move arms).

fish tank TV

Alden tends to stare at the television even if its barely in his field of view. Being the crunchy parents that we are, screen time is off limits. Our son should only interact with grass-fed, free range animals, and live action entertainment -- all of which our found in the fish tank. Fortunately, for now anyway, Alden finds the fish tank just as good as MTV . . .

Rainy Day

This is Elizabeth writing today... It is pouring out, but I wanted to go for a walk anyway. So we got all suited up: I put on sweatpants, sweatshirts, socks, rain pants, a raincoat, and boots. Alden put on long underwear, the big blue bear suit (which is not so big on him anymore), boots, and a hat. We put on the ergo and put us both inside my raincoat. Then I got out our umbrella and we headed out into the wind and rain. It was cold, but he was so snuggled up that he fell immediately to sleep. I just didn't have the heart to make him take his nap outside in the cold when he could be at home in his bed instead. So now we're back, 10 minutes later, and he is asleep -- still all suited up. Oh well, we'll walk another day, I guess.

3.5 months

As Alden turns 3.5 months, dad gets a light month at work --excellent to see how much the dude is growing up. More interactive, a better napper, still chubby, awesome. .

doo wop

Grandpa Fredo introduces Alden to doo wop. As the video shows, he and Alden got along grandly this week. . .

Grandpa Fred Comes to Visit!

What a joy to have Grandpa Fred out visiting this week! Already he has proven himself to be a top notch grandfather -- giving Alden his bottles, going for walks with him around the neighborhood, taking him to his first hardware store, carrying him through the house, and reading to him from his favorite book. Now we are just awaiting the first philosophy lesson...

conversations

Alden tells us about his adventures . . .

feet dance