TJO

Those of you that knew Emily's Dad Tom will know that he was an absolute master of avoiding photographs (in fact, he was something of a role model for me). In any event, I am procrastinating on some lecture note review and have been scrolling through old pictures. I happened to come across a series of pictures from a Harkey family Christmas that are quite unusual in that Tom pops up in the background quite a bit. I just thought they were worth sharing.

This first picture shows him using the classic red dixie cup camouflage maneuver...



But even that classic maneuver was not enough to through this persistent photographer off the trail...



And finally enjoying a good laugh...

Future so bright...

...she's got to wear shades! Now if only they came with instructions...



Almost there, nobody move...



Ahhh...I'm totally cool now...

Easter!

The E-family

Lily, Thatcher, Gator and I are sublimely pleased to announce the return of Emily. And not just in physical form from Chicago, but also her re-entrance into the world of daylight. Thankfully her two-week tour of night float has ended for now, meaning that we are a full family, including E-mily one more!

But, before we get too carried away, I have a couple of pictures left from the Emily-less days, and I think that you all will agree, they serve as a significant reminder for how happy we are that she's back! This first one I had to include for just cuteness though...



Here we are having a little breakfast. When Chip and I were growing up, Mom taught us how to mix peanut butter and honey into a spread for toast. Lily and I did just that, with the exception that we were using english muffins instead of toast...as you can see, it was as much of an activity as it was breakfast! (And no, Thatcher is not photoshopped on the stairs!)





And finally, we are very excited to host Easter for our families here at our house this year. There are a number of benefits to this, not the least of which is attending Grandview where Lily knows and loves all of the staff, as well as her colleagues, at the nursery. Nana and Papa have always been big yard people, and they have graciously offered to help us get in some landscaping here. So, in preparation, I have created a canvas for them. Yesterday evening I went out to finish up some yard work that had been building for a couple weeks. I went ahead and dug out the bed for some bushes, became more and more carried away, and ended up going to Lowes to buy 82 of these landscaping bricks. And let me tell you, I feel everyone one of them this morning!

Nothing Runs Like a Deere

Most of you know that the last couple of weeks have been quite hectic around here. Emily has been on night call (meaning that she works from 5 in the evening until 7:30 in the morning) for the last two weeks. Her last night was Tuesday night....but after only a few hours of sleep on Wednesday morning she took off for a Sports Medicine conference in the Windy City. Early reports from her indicate that there is indeed sufficient reason to refer to Chicago as the Windy City.

In any event, I'm sure she'll be doing the sharing on all of her excitement when she gets back. In the meantime, I wanted to add a couple of pictures from the last week or so. First, we have Daddy walks, where the seat belt in the stroller is optional:



Then there is the cooking. I got a tip from Emeril on an interesting way to cook sausage using apples and onions. I decided to get a little creative with it and tried to cook the sausages and some spiced apples all in the same pot. While it was a good idea, the execution left something to be desired. This is about the best it looked....and don't worry about the white appearance of the sausages, it is simply because they are made from turkey.



As the title to the post suggests, we are the proud new owners of a John Deere lawn tractor. What can I say, other than it is totally sweet. With Emily gone so much, I had to cut the grass tonight after Lily went to sleep....those headlights do way more than just look good!



Here we are this evening eating a little chicken fettucini alfredo. Notice that the boys are now trained to sit on the stairs during meal times.



And if you will humor me, I'd like to make an observation on parenting. I've been at it now for almost two years, and I figure that's long enough to begin to have some reflections. In light of our hectic schedule the past couple weeks, I have been "moving quickly and continuously." And this is necessary, or else there are many things that would not get done. However, there are also moments of pure peace and/or joy, such as the time we spend at the dinner table most evenings. These times are so important for your sanity...and so difficult to enjoy when you are in "hero mode." My biggest challenge, and to some extent accomplishment, has been working on the balance that allows me to get everything done that needs to be, while at the same time enjoying all the small moments of peace and joy.