I'm at work, which means no pictures again. This is always my dilemma. The only place with time and non-children space to write is at work (apologies to The Man for writing in this blog on his dime), but our flickr site is blocked (Riddle me this: I work at an insitution of higher learning and yet I cannot access about 7/8 of the Internet).

So no picture. If I could share two pictures, they would be these:

1. Matilda, poised on her two unsteady legs, a look of determination or "don't leave me!" or joy on her face. Or all three. Which is to say, she's gone and done it. She walks. Justlikethat! We were completely surprised by this development as she just recently decided to become mobil. She never really spent a lot of time using furniture to cruise around the place. She just stands right up in the middle of the floor and bam. Walking like a little drunkard. She really didn't like getting left in the dust by her older brother. Off she goes.

2. Jeff as a kid about Ossie's age, lying on the floor next to his trucks, looking at them the way kids do. I could show you that exact picture of Ossie, with that exact look of rapt attention on his face.

Ossie has been alternating charming and dreadful this summer. The charming: he walks me to the car in the morning as I leave for work. Once, he shut the door for me and said, "call us if you need anything!" Ha! So cute! He said to Jeff yesterday, as Jeff purchased train tickets for their big boys train ride to DC (happening in August), "I love you very much." Which killed Jeff, I happen to know.

But the dreadful is very dreadful. Typical toddler harranging and whining and throwing oneself against the wall because the terrible parents happened to have opened the popsicle from the wrong end! Or grabbed the chips out of the bag instead of pouring them!

Next update to include finished deck photos (yay! deck!) and/or picture from our upcoming last minute journey to DC this weekend. This is probably a terrible idea (last minute travel plans with a newly walking baby and a tempermental 2 year old? What?). But we're a-doing it anyway. Fun!