The Daintys

We started giving Leah some "solid" food this week. First-taste faces are priceless, so of course we had to capture them on film. Despite the faces she's making, she did very well eating her squash. For the record, her bib says, "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Next up: peas!

This week I took my sixth grade class on a field trip to Chicago for the day.  I brought Leah along, and Grandma R. came to help me out by taking care of her while I managed a class full of hyped up 13 year olds!  Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica was our first stop - it's absolutely beautiful.  The kids really enjoyed seeing the replica of La Pieta, which we learned about during our unit on the Renaissance.  Then we went to Lincoln Park Zoo, where Leah had fun looking around at everything.  It was a perfect day for the zoo - sunny and in the 70s.  Finally, we went to the Rainforest Cafe to eat dinner.  Despite the stresses that accompany planning a field trip, and traveling with a 5 month old, the day went wonderfully.  (Fortunately I had help - Thanks Mom!)

In honor of the Red Sox' 8-game win streak, and their first of many victories over the Yankees Friday night, we decided to post some pictures of Boston's newest fan.

Leah was 5 months this past week.  Time flies! She is getting to be so big, and she is learning so much. For example, she is learning how to sit up! And she is grabbing for anything within reach! (Like this "5 Month" sign, my glasses, our dinner, earrings, books, nostrils, Lucy's tail...) And look!  She can read! Well, Ok, not yet...

Happy Easter! We had an eventful Easter at our house because Leah was baptised on Easter morning. It was a beautiful Mass, and her baptism made the joy of Easter somehow more tangible and moving. Once again, we were blessed to have family and friends travel here to celebrate with us. Here are just a few pictures. I don't have too many on my own camera, but we'll probably post more when we get them. (Leah was zonked out after the ordeal...) Leah with her Godparents, Jessica & Greg.

I know what you are thinking. You are tired of Nicole's boring posts about babies and schoolsits and dogsits and whosits. And you are anxiously anticipating Ryan's next entry. Well, my loyal minions, your wait is over. As a sports fan, I cannot help but love this weekend, and really thise whole week. The Final Four, Baseball's Opening Day, The Masters, and, of couse, Wrestlemania. This all got me thinking... Although football may be America's passion, September seldom brings the excitement of sport that March and April boast. The onset of the football season (and the revolting idolatry and debauchery that accompany it) coincides with the death of the natural beauty of the world. The colors on the trees pop and fade. The weather turns cold, and the once beautiful landscape is left barren. Contrast this with the coming of Spring and sports goodness it brings: the richness, the grandeur, and the purity of America's pasttime; the drama and excitement that is March madne...

Today Lucy turned 2 years old! (So that makes her a teenager in dog years I guess.) We celebrated with a new rope toy and a piece of hotdog. The pictures are from when we first got Lucy in June of '07. She was just a 10 pound little creature - so cute! I chose the picture of Ryan wearing his MSU shorts on purpose. I'm hoping he'll wear them this weekend when the Spartan basketball team plays U Conn, though I don't think it's probable. It was also an exciting day today because it was April Fool's day. Being an elementary school teacher on April Fool's day is a frightening experience. All day I was checking my chair for tacks and my back for sticky notes. At one point in the day when I had to step into the school office, I came back to my find my students attempting to tape the door shut. Unfortunately for them, the door opens into the hallway so all I had to do was step under the tape. Sneaky buggers. Perhaps my favorite part of the day was when al...