hi

Robin likes to climb into the crib with Liam.  (Liam looks like he has teeth in this picture.  I assure you, however, that only the bottom left one has started to cut, not the top two--and he didn't have any when the photo was taken.)

Robin built a snowman with his Uncle Dan before our Superbowl party, while Mama and Dada shoveled the street to make more parking spaces.  At Robin's request, it had two heads.

Where's the baby?  I can't see him!  Blue walls, blue sheet, blue sleepsack, blue pajamas... where is he?

Liam has graduated to sitting in the big bathtub for baths!

Robin wanted me to take this picture while we were doing crafts.

I still love those moments when Robin announces that he wants to hold Liam!

More pictures from Robin's perspective

My parents gave me a fresh tea seed kit for my aerogarden, and I reaped the first rewards in a mug of mint tea the other day.  Actually, I need to drink a lot of mint tea so the other plants have a chance to catch up.

Robin opening the Valentine Toy Story Hot Wheels cars he got from my parents

Liam opening his giraffe

Robin wanting to hold/hug Liam again.  Hooray!

Licking the spoon after helping me make chocolate covered strawberries

Liam thought the best part of receiving valentines was playing with the envelopes

As I mentioned above, Liam has finally cut his first tooth.  He's also becoming a pro at getting around.  His crawling gets stronger every day, as does his ability to pull to standing.  When it began, he only did it in his crib, but he's starting to use other pieces of furniture.  He's also starting to cruise more.  I really do think that his time crawling will be very fleeting.

I think I might have gotten a piece of a real dream from Robin the other day.  I had to wake him up the last time we went to storytime, because he had a hard time putting himself to sleep the night before.  I came into his room, said hello, and started opening his drapes.  He looked at me and asked where the new helicopters were.  Nobody had given him any kind of new helicopter toy that I was aware of, so I'm pretty sure I interrupted a dream there.  Robin dreams about helicopters!

I suppose I might as well get the bad news out.  In April, Dean's job will be ending.  They're laying off 60% of the people remaining in his department, and he's not going to survive the cut unless a major miracle happens (read 70% of the people on the "safe" list would have to take voluntary termination in order for him to still have a position.)  So yeah, things kind of suck right now.  The good news is we have a cushion.  Between severance, savings, and unemployment, we'll be okay for a while.  But we really don't know what's going to be happening on the job front, who will be working, and who will take care of the kids if we both have to work.  It's a big mystery, and not a fun one.  So... well, that's the news from the Rhoadarmer household right now.