Making the band!

This summer an impromptu band was formed out west. Well... it was more a duo of drummers. But it was fun. On a recent trip to Sioux Falls Grandpa Charlie got to audition for the coveted slot of the banjo player. The band is taking shape! It's too bad the name Motley Crew is already taken...


We also bid Bon Voyage to grandpa.
At 74 he's packing for his first adventures in snorkeling in the islands of Turks and Caicos. It was intended to be his first adventure in scuba diving but the doctor said 'no way'. Good Luck!

Bla, bla,bla...

The official list of words spoken by M at one point or another is now up to 24. That includes words entirely mispronounced by used consistently in some context - such as referring to Rudi as 'Go-go'
I'm not sure what is normal to have as you first couple of dozen spoken words. One might have guessed 'mamma', 'Amy', and 'yes'. You might not have predicted that 'bug', 'hot', and 'woof' (as in what does the dog say?) would be in the early lineup.

Surprisingly, a word missing from the repertoire is 'No'. He is, however, quite able to voice disapproval in other, unmistakable, ways...

Warming up to snow

Over New Years - yes, time slips away - we returned to the north shore of Lake Superior.

Rumor had it they had lots of snow up there.

Well... as it turns out snowshoes weren't quite required but Ericka tried them on principle. After all: when in Rome...

M enjoyed being pulled around in his sled.

He also enjoyed climbing on the pile of snow outside our cabin. But the combination of big shoes and uneven terrain made getting around a bit of a challenge.

Then we went inside for something completely different!

As exhausted parents we made it to just after 10 o clock on New Year's Eve. But 2008 arrived just fine without us.

Happy New Year!

At a crossroads

Life is a series of choices we make.

At some point in the life of a young musician it comes down to this: aspire for Orchestra Hall or Headbangers Ball? It is certainly early to make a judgement of preferences... But I'm thinking MTV will be calling soon.

http://www.youtube.com/v/KyjwwZR3nF0

Sorry for the mood lighting in the video.