sakeriver.com

I Voted

I Voted

Four years ago, Juliette and I walked to the end of our block to go vote, pushing our stroller and our three-month-old baby boy all the way. It started raining while we marked our ballots, and we were soaked by the time we got home—thankfully, the stroller had a canopy, so Jason stayed dry.

This time around we had two kids in tow and we had to walk a bit further, but the sun was shining. It turned out to be a pretty good day.

Sandal

Sandal

It didn't occur to me to wonder until just now about the fact that there are jack-o-lanterns in there with the Thanksgiving stickers. Huh.

Evidence

Evidence

I imagine that a normal person would be a bit perturbed to discover a Toy Story band-aid while making his bed, would be at least somewhat fazed by it. My reaction—living, as I do, with a four-year-old—was, "Huh."

Sprawled

Sprawled

For whatever reason, I can't seem to stop taking pictures of Jason while he's watching TV. I look at this picture and can't help but think how big his feet look, how old he looks. Put a little hair on his legs and he could be a teenager. Hell, he could be me.

Halloween

Juliette and I took the kids trick-or-treating with some friends, which Jason had been excited about and looking forward to for weeks. The evening air was mild and the people were friendly. The kids couldn't restrain themselves from running ahead, trying to get to the next house and its candy as quickly as possible. It was sweet and fun, and full of nostalgia for me.

So, of course, I went and made a bunch of pictures with a completely different feeling.

Observing

Jake

Trick or Treat

Shoes

Skeleton

Pirate

Mummy

I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!

Focused

Focused

I've taken so many pictures of Jason by this point that he's pretty much over it. He often closes his eyes or turns away, or makes a face. One of the few scenarios in which I can consistently get a truly candid shot of him anymore is while he's watching TV—he's just too engrossed to notice. Takes after the old man that way.

This one was taken back in June. He looks different now, but his TV-watching face is the same.

Nest

Nest

Several times over the past few weeks, Juliette and I have been woken up in the wee hours of the morning by a small, slightly scared, slightly whiny voice telling us that he had a bad dream. At four in the morning we're usually pretty out of it, and as long as he's willing to go back to sleep we usually don't care if he's in his room. Thus, the above has become a somewhat common sight on the floor of our bedroom. The first few times this happened I'm sure he was telling the truth, but once he started showing up with an armload of pillows and blankets and stuffed animals, I'm pretty sure it had become an excuse. On the other hand, he usually sleeps past 7 on our floor, so I can't complain too much.

Deet

Deet

This is Jason's baby. His name is Deet. (I don't know why.) This was Eva's gift to her big brother upon the occasion of her birth. From what I can tell—and from what Jason tells me—Deet appears to be a nudist. (I don't know why.)

Bubble

Bubble

There were some surprisingly resilient blue bubbles at a birthday party we went to this weekend.

Baking

Baking

On Sunday, Juliette and Jason made some chocolate-chip-banana-apple-carrot-spinach bread. You wouldn't know it from the name, but it was actually quite tasty.