and if this video doesn't work, cut and paste this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CxDHAvyBRc

here's something frustrating: i just watched the video in the preview screen! why doesn't this work for everyone else?!!!!(the extra exclamation points are for susan)

if this isn't CUTE, then really, what is?


baby cass and her cousin, baby noah. will they ever outgrow those names? we call her baby cass because there's an older cass -- big cassie. and baby noah may have to be referred to as baby noah for a while so as not to confuse him with the noah of biblical proportions.

some photos from the last few days:
a day at the park (after a very windy walk)





he loves honking that horn!

a superhero and his sidekick

sometimes being faster than a speeding bullet is tiring

this is entitled: yo. 'sup?

wow, nothing like a landslide. congratulations are in order. first to cassie for the great name, and second to massen who now has her very own blog name: maasenyourface.blogspot.com (i would give you a link to click on but this doggone blogger takes my link and only types "a", see the link below that doesn't work) the blog is actually up and running! hopefully we'll get some awesome insight into the life of our beloved typing hero, angela maasen (every time i hear her name i think of tony danza). i'm stoked, and apparently you are too! check it out!

a

yeah, that's the "link" you're supposed to be able to click on. what happened to my posting skills? cut and paste: http://www.maasenyourface.blogspot.com

it has been brought to my attention that i overlooked the pocket tee in the recent photographs. so, here, check it out:



he wants to be like his buddy sam, isn't that so cute? sam is one of two non-family members on the fridge. the requirement to get on there is simple: give us a picture of yourself. ahem... (i only wish i had a picture of sam in one of his 400 gray pocket tees. that's hyperbole, not exaggeration, right sam?)

also, thanks to sammy's girlfriend (can i call you sammy?) for the maasenyourface concept. she's a creative girl and it looks like people are really appreciating it. she might call it a collaboration, but it's pure genius on her part. keep votin' folks, it's good practice.

one more thing: don't forget to vote for maasen's blog name. see right side panel.

also, a new video of baby cass in the exersaucer. it's pretty cute. she pulls out her peewee laugh and frantic bobbling. it's been determined that she's an extrovert and most likely will take after tom more than me. that's alright, i've got wyatt to be quiet with...

(you'll have to cut and paste. since blogger "updated" it's not as user friendly)
http://www.youtube.com/beahblake see: "'saucing it up"


and here's big guy, sporting a new look, levi's jeans that tom found in a thrift store years before we even met. doesn't he look great?


notice the orange tag.


and the ever-growing curls.


with his blue eyes we're thinking he may be paul newman for halloween.



posst script: this post is brought to you by coca-cola classic. the drink that keeps you awake at night when everyone else, including your sometimes tempermental daughter, is sound asleep. and you should be too.

currently i'm uploading a video of bro in-law paul cutting down a branch in our backyard. with a chainsaw. on an aluminum ladder. over a power line. at our house. it's dangerous, and i warn you, lauren, you may not want to watch.

don't worry, he doesn't get hurt. no, he almost got severely hurt cutting down the limb prior to this video recording. that's when he cut the branch his ladder was leaning on a little too close to the ladder. i'll let him tell you about that one.

watch the power line. the dialogue goes like this:

paul: i'll wait till you've moved all the way out of the way.
tom: thank you.

tom: wait, which one are you doing? where's the dog?
paul: ready, tom?
tom: yeah.

paul fires up the chainsaw...

leah: oh my goodness. oh my.
paul: hey the lights are still on.

(again, cut and paste)
live action at http://www.youtube.com/beahblake

like it was said at the beginning of this whole adventure: never climb trees near overhead lines.


this is all really good advice. for more safety tips, go to http://www.kcplkids.com/bb_2007winners.htm

there's one day left to vote on your sleeping behaviour, so don't miss out on this opportunity to vote -- it's oh so important.

it's 9AM, do you know where your kids are?

mine are back in bed. the opperative word being BACK. yup. cass got up at 5:15, ate and went back to bed, then they both got up around 7. and this shouldn't really be too shocking, since they both went to bed around 7. but this morning was too much.

it's not really that surprising for cass to be asleep again, she's a growing infant. wyatt is another story. let me tell you one thing: when the little guy starts to crab about everything -- changing his clothes, not being played with, being played with, hitting his chin on the counter (oh wait...) -- i know he's done with being up. or maybe i should say, out. when i say, do you wanna go nightnight? he usually says, no. but not an adamant NO!, more like, what are you offering. so i suggest the little guys from bob the builder, bob and wendy, and the magnetic blocks they go with (thanks landon) and we mosey on back to the bedroom. he's still not sure so i pick up some other little favorites, cowboy carl, a little person, and his drink. the clincher is the pacifier.

now, leah, i thought you broke him of the pacifier. well, we did, until he could put it in his mouth by himself. that was the real problem; it would fall out and then he'd cry for it because he wasn't able to get it himself. now that he's bigger he can do it alone. sometimes i wonder if he is too big for a pacifier, but i see kids older than him still sucking their thumbs and fingers, so i'll wait till i get a month's worth of good sleep and then tackle that. i can't wait till we have to teach cass not to suck her thumb...how do you do that exactly?

so, while i can still hear wyatt playing in his crib, i'm stoked he's not crying or crabbing and just chillin'. it's a good feeling. if only he would just do that at 7 instead of yelling MAMA!

but on a cute note, here's baby cass in her breckenridge shirt from auntie rachey. she's trying to pull off rachel's comfy but cute look. see the velour cargo pants. now that's style.



i'm off to take a shower. praise the Lord for cribs and hand-me-down toys. and generous cousins. and mima's who come to watch little kids so moms can go out and be free for a couple hours. and papa's who work hard. and...

stay tuned, wyatt's wearing a pair of levi's tom got at a thrift store years ago and he's looking a bit like my ol' flame, mr. cool hand himself.

hats off to everyone reading and commenting. so fun! i might have a part time job here. i only wish there was some kind of way to put a monetary value on the fun of blogging and having people enjoy it.

...On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Sukkot, seven days for the L-RD. -Leviticus 23:34

here are some cute pictures of the kiddos in the sukkah, aka tent. we celebrated sukkot, that is until the threat of hail came on sunday and we took the tent down. but we celebrated in our own gentile way. the kids enjoyed it.

i like to think this is their early start to modeling. cass certainly has the pouty look down. and wyatt's just a dreamer with long locks.


here's an awesome and important feature of the sukkah. you have to be able to see through the top in case Messiah comes. and tadah, we have a built-in see-through roof. it made for some wonderful time of reading and eating strawberries, not to mention the glorious weather.

here's an assignment. our friend maasen is an avid reader of the blog network. whilst encouraging her to blog herself, she commented, "i don't have a name." she said if i came up with a name then she would blog (oh that it was this easy to get everyone to blog) this theme of needing a name seems to be a common problem. i've been informed that tom doesn't like to comment on other people's blogs because it comes up as "tom & leah" and most people assume it's me. i stole his name, essentially. canoeamericana was his idea.

1) what's a good name for maasen's blog?
2) should i give tom his blogspot back and find my own? will it really change anything?

i got in an accident last thursday. doesn't the truck look sad. it's like my front light is frowning.

obviously everyone is okay. we're waiting to see if the car will be as well. i was coming off of the ramp from i-35, getting ready to turn onto 95th street when a guy ran a red light and i slammed into his passenger side door. the babies were both in the car and didn't really know anything had happened. but boy did i know, and the car that got hit knew for sure. there was a woman riding in the passenger side and she was a bit disturbed by the whole thing, but physically okay. i pray she's doing alright. the man admitted he ran the light and the police officer took our information, and gave me the man's and i thought, well this is easy.

turns out he's not on the policy number that i have. i'm waiting for the police report to be available to get more information. we're praying that we'll have some sort of recourse, because the front of the truck is a bit off-center. at first glance he looks alright, but upon inspection you'll notice the disfigurement. looks like we're driving ol' jasper till it's time to put him out to pasture. i'll keep you "posted" (haha) on the insurance fiasco. isn't this so interesting?!

this is tom trying to get wyatt to ham it up at the end of a song. his cousin abbie can pose like there's no tomorrow, but wyatt's just not as into it.

can you see where wyatt gets his good looks?