We got them taken on June 17, but just got the digital thumbs today. These four are our favorites, but there were nine total shots, which you can see in the Two Year Portraits photo album.
milestones, photography 
Well, it wasn't really a picnic, just dinner on the deck, which is where we eat most nights, but it did rainbow on us - twice. We were sitting there having a relaxing dinner and out of nowhere - wham! - a rainbow. And then, as if one wasn't enough, there was suddenly a second one, much lighter than the first, but just as much a rainbow if you please. Calvin was probably a mixture of bewildered
and excited, and after it faded, and for the rest of the night, we were privy to his continual chorus of "rainbow all gone." It's kind of hard to explain wonder and majesty to someone who is yet innocent enough to see the whole world as wonder and majesty and who has not yet been disillusioned by reality, but we'd take innocence over disillusionment any day.
You may think that this post is mis-titled, and that for the sake of wit I should have titled it "A garden to grow IN" but, no, that isn't a typo, and I will tell you why. Today we planted our first ever vegetable garden, and when I say that I use the term "garden" rather loosely. We have friends who actually plant gardens, and to avoid any laughter at our meager setup, we just want to point out that we know the difference, 
but that doesn't mean that we, Calvin especially, aren't exceedingly proud of our own (miniature, 3'x5') backyard food bearing plot. This is something that we've wanted to do for a long time, and with a little push from my encouraging mother we finally took the plunge. Of course, any plunging that occurred was on the part of our hands, which first ripped into and removed more sod, then broke up the sandy clay ground we have, before finally plunging into the beautiful, dark, composted manure we added to our box. Calvin not only helped pick out the 
plants in an afternoon shopping trip with Gram, but actually helped plant them, carefully taking them from the packages and setting them into the waiting holes. We planted five tomato plants and four zucchinis, and we plan on expanding the area this weekend so we can give them more room, and perhaps add some different vegetables, as well. Next year we see an entire bank of gardens that will home to many different foods for us to enjoy, and that is why I call this is our garden to grow on.
gardening It's not every day that you get to wear your jammies to the library, but Calvin learned something about special exceptions today. 
The children's program at our little tiny library has been one of our greatest enjoyments in our new tiny town - Calvin absolutely loves weekly story time, and throughout the summer they have at least one activity every week to get kids into the library for fun - and the activity this week was Bedtime Stories night. For about thirty minutes pajama clad kids of all ages crammed themselves into the main room of the library to listen to our phenomenal and well loved 
children's librarian read bedtime stories and lead bedtime songs and dances (yes dances). From "No Jumping on the Bed" to "I'm Not Afraid of Monsters" Calvin was absolutely captivated, plus he seemed to greatly enjoy the fact that he was wearing his pajamas out of the house. And since, if we're making some exceptions, we might as well make a few, yes that is a lion hanging out with those farm animals on the felt board (for more information on lions as farm animals, please refer to Pete Seeger's recording of "I Had a Rooster").
activities, community Happy Fathers' Day!
Yes, we know we are a day late, but what with the dance recital and spending an afternoon on house improvements (for the house we have 
on the market), we christened today Fathers' Day Observed and spent the morning at our favorite zoo. It has been a highly unusual year for us, the early part of the spring having been filled with the move, and this was actually our first 2008 Detroit Zoo trip. We have become very attached to that zoo, having spent so much time there over the years, and feel, in some ways, like it is home for us, so it was a wonderful feeling to return and visit our animals. It's a lot more fun, 
too, now that Calvin is older. He knows the names of all the animals, even if he doesn't always get them right (no, the Guanaco is not a llama), and according to him they all have an accompanying sound (ever heard a kangaroo? They apparently say "boing boing"). We were even fortunate enough to be visited by a swimming polar bear while in the underwater tunnel, an occasion that left Calvin straddling the line between fear and curiosity. He was brave enough, 
though, to reach up and touch that big, black polar bear foot, something not every two year old can lay claim to having done. We should also give mention to the aardvark, who was not only awake, but busily digging holes wherever the ground was undisturbed. He was Calvin's favorite sighting of the day, and likely ours, too, since we've never seen him do anything but sleep (a pastime we have come to respect more and more over the last two years).
Zoo pictures are in the June 2008, too album.
family, holidays, humor, photography