I've had one cell that made it through a two-year contract in one piece. It was the first one I ever had. It probably helped that it was the size and weight of a brick. Since then not a single phone has passed the test. One didn't survive its trip into the shower, another fell into the toilet and a few were dropped. Lately, they've just been committing suicide before I have the chance to off them. I think they're on to my...

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You came to me a hand-me-down A couch much loved and old. Your stitching still immaculate Your color still so bold. I took you up to Lausanne 3 (The pimpest room of all) And put you in a place of pride Right up against the wall. You soon became an icon there, A bright orange installation. We brought to you our brand new friends And some infatuations. You were on the receiving end, Of many a co-ed butt. And even under all...

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Ryan met our kitty-corner backyard neighbor lady this afternoon. Neighbor: Do you have a bird? Ryan: Like a pet? Neighbor: Yeah, an exotic bird. A cockatoo maybe? Ryan: Nope, no bird. Neighbor: Hmm. Someone around here does. Ryan: Really? Neighbor: Yeah, we can hear it every so often. It's like they take it out for a walk or something. Ryan: ... And on the other side of the continent, Marty...

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He's made a lot of progress since we first were reading this book. (It's only the first half of the book because of the upload limit on blogger. Rest assured he does know what the sheep, donkey and owl say! Donkey is my personal favorite. Next time you see Cael you'll have to ask him to demonstrate....

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We're working on potty training Cael. It's going very, very slowly. He'll go in the potty if he happens to have to go when it's time for a diaper change, but other than that he's pretty much a diaper guy still. In an attempt to encourage pooping in the potty, we flush his poops down the toilet and tell him that's where poop belongs. He likes to wave goodbye to it when it goes. He's actually pretty...

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Cael no longer flips out when you try to wipe his nose! This is huge progress. Instead, you can simply ask him to get himself a Kleenex. He'll pull one from the box, wipe his nose (to varying degrees of effectiveness) and then... stuff the tissue back in the box. We're working on dropping the last part, but he's pretty insistent. So, for the time being, the Carty house is B.Y.O...

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Don't you wish I'd brought the video came...

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Cael and I were playing on the floor of the dining room and Finn started crying. I said, "Sorry Cael, I have to go feed your brother now." He jumped up and said, "No!" Then he ran to the door to the living room and shouted, "Bye bye, baby!" before slamming it clos...

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The back wall of our house is entirely windows, but that's never been a problem. The only time my privacy feels invaded in this giant fishbowl is when someone is at the front door. The sliver window there is one-hundredth of the size and a hundred times more revealing than the rest of the windows combined.The placement of this window is between the door and the doorbell, ensuring that every person who comes to call has to lean...

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He certainly doesn't need the shirt to tell us he's still a baby.....

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Usually Cael's bath with Ryan ends with them both calling, "Mama!" That's when they're ready for towels. Occasionally the call will come in early if Cael starts drinking the bathwater and needs a cup of tap water instead. The other day, however, the call for Mama came for an entirely different reason and was accompanied by a panicked, "Help!" I ran to the bathroom and found Ryan practically crawling...

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