Zak's had too many awesome quotes today not to save them for posterity. So without further ado, I give you Zak:

First the ones I already shared on facebook, just to keep them handy:

Me: Zak, can you help me pick up your toys? We're having someone over for lunch and we want it to be clean.

Zak: Ok, but no singing! Read more »

Background: Zak, being the observant boy that he is, has noticed me making our grocery list every week, and associates the phrase, "What do you/we need?" (and just the word, "need") with making a list. Sometimes he'll roleplay with me that he's going to the shops and asks me what I need while pretending to make a list. Read more »

This afternoon I got home to find a Hadeda Ibis in our back yard. Some friends came round to clean up the garden yesterday, and the birds seem to love the shorter grass.

Zak absolutely loves Josiah, and takes his role as big brother very seriously. A few days ago as I was getting ready in the morning, Josiah started crying. I spoke soothingly and hurried to finish my toiletries and getting dressed, but Zak quickly took over for me on comforting Josiah. Zak gently put his hand on Josiah's head and said "It's ok, Josiah, it's ok Josiah, it's ok..." (repeat 15+ times). After a minute, Josiah stopped crying and just looked at Zak. Zak then looked at me, raised both arms in the air and said, "I did it, Mommy, I did it!!" Read more »

I've just installed and set up a new commenting system on our blog. We're now using a commenting system called "Disqus" (pronounced "discuss"), which enables visitors to log in using Facebook, Twitter or Google, rather than having to actually register on the site.

Happy commenting!

I tried to write Josiah's birth story last week, but lost it after getting nearly to the end (because I accidentally closed the web page when I switched to another tab). So here's my second attempt (now being written safely in a text editor on the computer and NOT on the Internet!). Read more »

As we've previously noted, Zak enjoys listening to music as much as I do. Almost every time we get in the car I turn the music on, and with this Zak expects to hear music.

The other day he and I went shopping, and as I pulled off Zak said to me, "Music please Daddy!"

So I obliged and pulled out the radio face. As I plugged it in, I asked Zak, "What do you want to listen to?" Read more »

Today Raoul made an extremely delicious cottage/shepherds pie (mmmmm, nothing better in winter!). Zak's not always a very good eater and lately it's been frustrating because he takes soooooooooo long to finish his food (even food that he likes perfectly well). Well, Zak seems to be a big fan of cottage pie because he ate it well at both lunch and supper. Tonight at supper, he scooped up a huge spoonful proclaiming, "BIG dinosaur bite!" (Anything particularly large or impressive is "dinosaur".) He then proceeded thusly: "Wooo Woooo ch-ka ch-ka ch-ka wooo woooo! Read more »

Zak, like any other toddler, is learning anatomy as he grows up. We have many notable moments of hilarity when Zak announces certain anatomical and medical "facts" to us.

When Zak was sick a little while back, Hannah taught him about how the "white blood cells fight yucky germs" and so he often announces that to anyone who will hear him, including little old ladies in the grocery store.

The one day, Zak proudly announced to me, when I was kissing him goodnight in his bed, that "white blood cells fight yucky germs in the nipples!" Read more »