Year 5, Day 179

Tonight, as I tried to find some degree of zen in doing the dishes amidst Miles's constant talking and Brie's excessive barking, Jaclyn added to the cacophony when Brie, constantly nipping at her feet, refused to listen to her commands to "sit" and "wait." "Ugh!" Jaclyn groused. "She thinks she's in charge of the house … Continue reading Year 5, Day 179 →

Year 5, Day 169

Movie night snuggling.

Year 5, Day 155

A week in, Miles is still pretty nervous around the puppy, but they are starting to warm up to each other a bit. I'm not sure which one of them is teaching the other about tug of war here, but it's nice to see them getting along!

Year 5, Day 152

Historically, Miles has always been a cautious observer. He's up for just about anything as long as he can approach it on his own terms -- watching, waiting, and finally engaging when he's ready. Of course, he doesn't always have a say in the terms of engagement, particularly when another independent, willful entity is involved. … Continue reading Year 5, Day 152 →

Year 5, Day 149

Great news! Today Miles insisted that Brie is not, in fact, the "family's" dog, but is actually HIS dog. Not mine. Not Mommy's. Miles's, and exclusively so. Well you can imagine how proud I was to see such gumption in the young lad! After all, that meant he would be in charge of taking her … Continue reading Year 5, Day 149 →

Year 5, Day 148

We've had a lot of friends who've had new additions to their families recently, be a first child, second, or two at the same time. And while I've been happy for each of them, the feelings arising in Jaclyn have been...different. Yes, she's happy for the families, but she has also admitted that see all … Continue reading Year 5, Day 148 →

Year 5, Day 85

We paid a visit to Miles's former babysitter, Lisa, this afternoon after German school. Lisa recently had her second child, and as much as Miles loves babies, there was only one question he kept asking all morning: "Will Gertie be there?" Yes, Miles was reunited with Lisa's dog. And Miles wasn't content just to see … Continue reading Year 5, Day 85 →

Year 4, Day 220

After yesterday's high-stress adventure, we tried to take things a little easier today with a trip to the park. Never one to relax for too long, Miles took a page out of his grandfather's playbook and went squirrel hunting. Albeit with a stick instead of a BB gun. He also reconnected with his old friend … Continue reading Year 4, Day 220 →

Year 4, Day 206

With Jaclyn and I out of town for the wedding, Miles was left with his Aunt Andrea and Uncle Scott last night. Given his...nightly tendencies of late, not to mention his general noncompliance, I was prepared to hear that the evening had been taxing and that sleep had not come easily. Perhaps it helped that … Continue reading Year 4, Day 206 →

Year 3, Day 339

As we were riding to daycare this morning, Miles shared his expectations for Jaclyn's upcoming birthday weekend. "What should we do for mom's birthday?" I asked him. "Someone come to the door," he said. He said nothing further. "What do you mean?" I replied. "Hnnnh," he mumbled quizzically. Then he repeated himself. "Someone come to … Continue reading Year 3, Day 339 →