January 27, 2012
Nathan's 5th birthday
Nathan's birthday last week was a success, but very demanding. I spent a lot of time and energy planning it, buying stuff, etc. I am glad it went as well as can be expected for having over 15 children and their parents crammed into our house. Considering it rained the day before and the day after, we got very lucky with the January weather.
I feel pressure (mostly from myself) to do a good job at providing Nathan with a rudimentary social life. I remember feeling socially awkward and want to spare my kids as much as a mother can. I know at some point he's going to have to take charge of his own friends and social life, but for now, it is pretty much on my shoulders.
Otherwise life is good. Can't complain. I'm gradually lifting more weights, but doing less cardio. It is nice to mix it up a bit. Next week I plan to run a 5k with some friends. I may shoot for a long bike race in May.
January 19, 2012
Nathan's videos
Here are two of Nathan's film projects. One he wrote and directed while I handled the camera. The other video he does it all, with a special guest appearance by his brother.
January 12, 2012
Yes, the boys love chocolate as much as Gary and I do. These pictures were taking after an evening of s'mores.
Work is slow and busy at the same time. My schedule is so light, but things keep popping up like emergency patients who need tons of extra hand-holding. I'm also putting the finishing touches on a IRB to start a small research project.
Benjamin can now say his own name, it sounds like "Ben -a -min" and he can say Nathan's name as "Na-fen." Benjamin also moved up from the toddler class to the preschool class.
Nathan loved watching Cars 2 Pixar videos on Youtube, professional and homemade. Once I explained to him that he can make is own videos, he has embraced the idea. It only took him a few minutes to master our family camera to shoot his own little videos. He's made over a dozen short movies, some with scripts, some improvised, all staring his toys.