The Amazing Adventures of Alex and Ben

What have we been doing since November?

2012-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, you know, things.

Like posing with Daddy.

Playing in the leaves with our friends.

Rolling out pie crust for Thanksgiving pie.

Learning to play Scrabble.

Eating Thanksgiving dinner.

Decorating the Christmas tree.

Making cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

Reading with cousin Lucy in our PJs.

Playing Christmas-present-games with cousins.

Getting awesome new T-shirts.

Snuggling with Aunt Karen.

Picnicking in January!

Marshy Point State Park & Such

2011-11-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

An afternoon at Marshy Point was cloudier and chillier than predicted, but still fun. The first pic is pre-departure, but features A&B looking unusually twinny:

Then, various marshy things. Alex and Ben decided the marsh grasses were different instruments, and spent the rest of the afternoon making various instrument-noises as they tromped down the trails and boardwalks.

Sawmill Branch Trail

2011-10-23T18:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend our walk in the woods took us to our friendly neighborhood state park, as usual, and featured wriggling worms, wet feet, a big rock to climb, and a garter snake. This time we had Grandma and Grandpa Yoder along, which means more fun AND better photos.

Classic, or Cliched, Fall Adventures

2011-10-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Picking apples and jumping in leaves... some delights of fall (especially when the apples turn into pies).

Alex and Ben Had A Birthday...

2011-10-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, this was some weeks ago now. They were very busy being six. But as you can see, it featured balloons, presents, cake with friends-- the usual birthday suspects, really. The September birthday party for their kindergarten class was, possibly coincidentally, on their birthday, so they got birthday crowns, too. And a special birthday present: zebra finches! Their names are Finch and Olivia.

More to come soon on fall-themed adventures.

Animal Maps

2011-09-13T16:10:00.001-07:00

Constructing maps of continents out of various toys is a popular activity these days, so I decided to get one or two on record. The best part of the first one is when Alex corrects Ben's pronunciation of "Tajikistan". (By the way, if you're wondering, Ben is dressed up as Teddy the wizard from the Magic Treehouse books).

Alex chose to make his map out of stuffed animals, instead. It's of Africa. Unfortunately the camera memory card filled up before he got to tell us the North African countries. (He's dressed as Kathleen, the selkie/wizard from M.T.)

Beach Boys

2011-08-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last week marked the very first beach vacation for A&B, which they and we enjoyed in the company of all the usual Yoderae. Actually going in the water was a bit scary for Alex, but the beach and rental house had many other attractions, including cousins, treats, and lots of sand for digging and shells for collecting. It was a wonderful week!

Burying Mama/Aunt Sarah in the sand

Mole crabs!

Grandpa taking pictures of dolphins

Saving a dinosaur from drowning, I think....

Presents from Italy!

Digging for shells

No one can resist Grandma reading Nate the Great.

There was birding too! Here is a Clapper Rail.

Slipping and Sliding in Cincinnati

2011-08-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to see our friend and mutual geography geek Danny on the way to Cincinnati. In addition to his big world puzzle, Danny has wild turkeys in his backyard, and the National Aviary in his city! What a lucky duck!

Wild turkeys in Danny's yard

Alex, Ben and a sunbittern at the Aviary

Then it was on to Cincinnati, where there was big fun on the slip and slide in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard. Grandpa also showed us a map of their upcoming out-west trip.

Then there was a big party, with lots of aunts, uncles and first and second cousins.

People pile!

Go fish

Cameron and Alex have different pie-eating algorithms.

A Weekend in Raleigh

2011-07-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

We're just back from a wonderful weekend in North Carolina, where Ben and Alex got to finally meet Great-Aunt Linda, Great-Uncle Doug, Aunt Alexandria*, Uncle Brad, Aunt Christa, and cousin Hank (who has his own blog). There was swimming, hiking, food (including pie), a dog... pretty much all the good stuff, especially: family.

* "First cousin once removed," while correct for Alexandria, Brad, and Christa, is inelegant, unnecessary, and a mouthful.

Hank & parents in the pool

A&B in the pool

A&B providing a pro bono bird consult for Uncle Brad

A delicious dinner on the patio. (Brad obviously making an important point of some kind).

Hank scoops some watermelon. Yum!

Alex finding a mushroom on our hike. We also found a toad, some mating frogs, and a lovely summer tanager.

A new play space in the basement

2011-07-14T18:17:00.001-07:00

What to do when you have too many stuffed animals to store in your living room: buy a new house with a semi-finished basement. We got the basement space cleaned up and "opened" for play the other day. (Eventually, we'll refinish it-- anyone feel like taking out a glass-block-and-brick bar?)

River Ridge Trail

2011-07-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

The River Ridge Trail is one of Ben and Alex's favorites in Patapsco State Park (the park near our house), but in winter and spring it often contains an element of disappointment: no, you cannot get in the water. But now, it is summer. Finally: yes, you CAN get in the water.

Found a crayfish

Daryl and the train

Cunningham Falls State Park

2011-06-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed over to Cunningham Falls State Park, in the Blue Ridge. The short walk to the falls was lovely, and when we got there the boys gleefully hopped around on the rocks "like pikas" as Alex put it (if clueless, click here). After which they splashed and played in the lake for eons... and then, while we were eating ice cream, a ranger showed up with a barred owl. And after that we went down to see the rest of the birds in the park's aviary. So, from an Alex and Ben perspective, it really couldn't have gotten better, unless maybe there was pie or David Attenborough showed up. (And the adults had a good time, too!)

Like pikas, I tell you.

(Not a great pic, but it does have Alex, the ice cream, the ranger and the barred owl in one shot).

Cousin Mania

2011-06-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Right after the grandparental visit came a cousinly (and aunt and uncle-y) one. Much water-based fun was had, starting with an impromptu backyard crafts project that involved washing clam shells we dug up in the back yard (leftovers from a clam bake?) and coloring them. Eric was an especially assiduous shell-scrubber.

Ben displaying his finished product

The next day we went to Patapsco State Park, where there was much splashing-- plus we found a millipede, proudly displayed below on Alex's hat.

In a non-watery interlude, Rodney, Lucy and Eric were all smiles on the porch:

Finally, sprinkler fun!

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

2011-06-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Grandma and Grandpa Leupen came to visit. (There can be no excuse for such delayed picture posting, but if there were, it would have to do with the blogger teaching two intensive summer classes while arranging to move from two separate houses, one of which is hundreds of miles away, into a new house). Anyway, here are a few pics:

Reading with Grandma

Ben building a train car with Grandpa

Alex building a train car with Grandpa

With G&G at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis

Ben lost a tooth! Grandma spotted it right away.

Snuggling with Grandma. Awww.

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-18T17:28:00.001-07:00

The skit at preschool graduation was the Very Hungry Caterpillar. As you can imagine we were thrilled when Alex was given the part of the cherry PIE, though he doesn't seem as happy to be ensconced in whipped cream as a person should be. Ben got to be a lollipop. The Muslim kid was given the part of the salami, I do not jest.

Ben won the "Bird Lover Award," no doubt overcoming heavy brotherly competition, and Alex's is "Best Reader."

Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

2011-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Where we heard the laughing gulls laughing, saw shorebirds on the shore, heard a whip-poor-will saying its name in the night, and saw horseshoe crabs horsing around at high tide; and where Alex and Ben saw the ocean for the first time. Not content to leave the beach there, we brought back most of its shells in our pockets and most of its sand in our car.

Flowering plants at the Great Sand Dune

Digging at the Great Sand Dune

Mating horseshoe crabs

Ben's proud collection of horseshoe crab (exo)skeletons

Beach at which we saw dunlins, least terns, caspian terns, black-bellied plovers, red knots, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, dowitchers, yellowlegs, willets, osprey, cormorants, and lots of gulls.

Ben tapping a horseshoe crab

Closeup to the hc's magical ancientness (older than the dinosaurs!)

Tent time

S'mores

Running to see the ocean for the first time.

Birding in Delaware

2011-05-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Excitement without stress is a wonderful combination. Yesterday we had a wonderful birding adventure at Bombay Hook NWR along Delaware Bay, where we finally saw all those shorebirds that we've heard they have at, you know, shores. And stopped by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center on the way home-- where we saw two fledgling great horned owls. The little one peered at us suspiciously from the giant nest: amazing! (Though too far away to photograph and anyway my camera batteries ran out).

Alex, then Ben, at the pond where we saw calling, nesting willets.

Ben climbing a little observation tower.

Blue grosbeak (right out the car window).

On a (higher) observation tower at Bombay Hook.

At the beach at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.

Easter

2011-04-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

While Daryl was off singing today, we dyed eggs and baked Easter rolls.

Ben measuring flour for the rolls

The dough rose a lot! (It's very hot here today....)

Alex shapes the dough for the rolls, or "Look Ma, flour-y hands!"

Look what we made!

The best part

This picture of Ben and Kaloo is from yesterday, but I like it so I threw it in.

Going To A Birthday Party

2011-04-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Before the party:

During the party:

After the party.

Mud Season Continues

2011-04-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the strangely named Soldier's Delight Natural Recreational Area nearby for some more mud-seeking. If two very muddy children is the cost of a two-mile walk in a neat place (a long way when you're five), I'm willing to pay. Soldier's Delight is also a serpentine barren, which is a sort of crazy geological anomaly where the earth's mantle is very near the surface, the plants are all different than you expect, and the rocks are weirdly colored from all the heavy metals in them. The birds were pretty neat too.

First salamander of the year

With Daddy

Stomping in mud...

Jumping into mud puddles...

Throwing rocks into a muddy stream...

The aftermath

This Could Be a Japanese Game Show

2011-03-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

When I was in Finland I would sometimes watch a German-dubbed Japanese game show called Takeshi's Castle (which Wipeout is to some degree modeled after). If the edges of the rug here were, instead, the edges of a big foam platform several feet above a muddy pond, it would be like that show.

One Nice Spring Break Pic

2011-03-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

Mostly I forgot to take pictures on Spring Break, but I'm glad I took this one.

North Point State Park

2011-03-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the two mud-seeking missiles and their parents went to North Point State Park. Much mud was located, and many and assorted things (rocks, sticks, shells, and just mud) were thrown into the Chesapeake.

Unhelpful beavers built a dam just to the right of the trail, flooding it.

Throwing stuff into the bay is exciting!

Throwing logs into the bay: less satisfying?

Mud removal process.

A few things we've been up to

2011-02-26T13:20:00.001-08:00

No exciting adventures lately, so here are just a few less adventurous activities.

My snack creations are superior to my snow creations, at least.

When dinos attack. (Which they did, assuredly).

Note the creative use of characters to try to make up for the lack of Es and Fs in "referred."

Flying a kite in front of our house.

Today we played by the Lafayette statue while Daryl rehearsed at Peabody next door.

American Visionary Art Museum

2011-02-07T16:43:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we went to the American Visionary Art Museum. You can't take pictures inside, but they have some cool stuff outside too.

Biggest Giant Moa ever?

Next door to the museum is Federal Hill Park.
It has a nice view of the harbor.

Too bright to look at the camera, though.

Snow Play

2011-01-30T19:05:00.001-08:00

We walked up to the park today for some sledding and snow-creaturing.

Ben about to go down the hill.

Alex looking happy he's too smart to go down a hill on a fast sled.

Ben at the bottom of the hill, pulling the sled back up.

Alex preferred to go down sans sled. More control.

The slide was next, but I made them pose first.

Well, I couldn't find anything for the mouth. Everything was under snow, people.

As you can probably tell, this is a hippo with an oxpecker on its back. The oxpecker is eating a parasite (represented by the pine branch) off of the hippo.

Giant Moa. Well, a baby one. I do plan on keeping my day job.

Baltimore Christmas

2011-01-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

Following Leupen Christmas in Cincinnati, there was Yoder Christmas in Baltimore. Most of these pics were taken by Daryl's dad John (explaining the occasional appearance of Sarah in them).

Making Christmas cookies

Kiwi!

Finger puppets

Drawing with Grandpa and Grandma

Wearing blankies is very exciting.

Jumping on the bed is even more exciting!

This is what Eric did nearly the entire visit.

Except when good books, such as those about beetles, were being read.

Reading about frogs and toads.

Grandparents and grandchildren

Bird Bingo!

Cincinnati Christmas

2010-12-23T18:14:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pics from our Christmas in Cincinnati.

Putting ornaments on the tree with Grandpa

Reading with Grandma

Sledding in the backyard

Alex is very excited about this snowball he's making!

Bret solving his new V-cube 6

Uncle Jason and Bret teach Ben about Legos

New animal shirts!

Building a house with Grandma

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hooray for a Leupen Thanksgiving in Baltimore.

Karen and the boys

Aunt Karen and her two biggest fans

Is this "pop music," Uncle Jason?

The bridge table

Time to lick the whipped-cream beaters

Not sure if Bret realizes that turkey skin is actually very low in carbs.

The euchre table

Baltimore Museum of Art

Shark Boy

Have we mentioned we like birds, Grandpa?

Philadelphia Weekend

2010-11-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pics from the recent meeting up of the Yoder-Wellses and the Leupen-Yoders in Philadelphia this past weekend. Some events, such as playing in the pool and visiting the Reading Terminal Market (which included delicious pastries as well as lobster-viewing), went unphotographed-- but were enjoyable nonetheless.

Lucy on the rings at Fairmount Park. We spent several hours here on Saturday, enjoying the ridiculously wonderful weather.

Ben and Alex by the mural of the Giant Moas at the Academy of Natural Sciences (#2 in the series, "Standing Next to Our Favorite Extinct Birds")

The Academy also has an excellent sitting-tortoise.

Sorry Grandma and Grandpa Y. We tried several times but couldn't herd these cats.

Digging for dino bones. Lucy's impressive persistence on this task bodes well for future completion of her PhD thesis.

The big kids (and below, Lucy, the best poser-for-pictures) at the Swann Memorial Fountain.

Halloween

2010-10-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Holiday-related activities today were interspersed with a trip to the Cylburn Arboretum, where the Birds of Baltimore are displayed and two or three salamanders can be found under every log.

Each with his own redback salamander.

Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center

2010-10-25T18:56:00.001-07:00

We finally got over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge today. While there we visited the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, which had hiking paths, aviary cages of hawks and owls, and old bird field guides of small, distant places (Birds of Lebanon, anyone?), which is right up our family alley. Next time we want to rent one of their canoes to check out the "water trails".

This looks to me like Ben posting in a catalog for whatever brand of clothes those are.

Every picture I take of Daryl seems to be this picture.

Watching the barred owls.

And some bonus pics of when they were sailing on the Mozambique channel (white blanket) the other day. Below they are splashing water (blankets) on each other.

At the Smithsonian Natural History Museum

2010-10-10T16:37:00.001-07:00

But first, NEW bird shirts-- late birthday surprise! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Yoder!

Ben & the bluebird

Their favorite extinct bird, the diatryma

Reading about how kangaroos jump

The Owls of Washington D.C. (OK, Smithsonian, we know you don't have room to show all your wares. But four floors of nature and no extant birds from anywhere but DC? Mammal-chauvanists.)

Birthday Pics

2010-09-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

A few photos from present-opening. In the evening our neighbors came over for the birthday pie celebration-- I think they got a couple of pics of the actual pies-and-boys, so perhaps those will be forthcoming.

Yes, they are each wearing one half of the penguin pajamas.

A swan for Ben

A sea lion for Alex

Awesome bird mobile from Aunt Karla

Bird-sounds pop-up book (above and below)

Reading a new book with Daddy

Ben's favorite, a raven from Grandma and Grandpa L. (above and below)

Everybody loves bubble wrap

Balloon play with the neighbor kids

The joys of September

2010-09-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Since June, long-sleeved shirts have been forbidden. But a few days ago, the sanctions were lifted. Immediately Ben & Alex both ran upstairs to change into their beloved bird shirts. And looked ever so pleased afterward.

In related news, bread-baking season is also upon us, and the new kneader on the team is looking good in the preseason workouts. The bread was delicious.

Bad Pictures of Recent Adventures

2010-09-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been a great month for photography, but we have been having lots of adventures, so ... here are some bad pictures of them.
Meerkat at the Smithsonian (DC) Zoo
Armadillo at the Smithsonian (DC) Zoo
The Australia exhibit (above and below) at the National Aquarium.

Playing around with animals.
We have tails!
Our new house (above and below).

Alex at Marshy Point Park.
Spotting blue crabs (we must be in Maryland!) at Marshy Point Nature Center.
The nature center has a pet duck.
And all good nature centers have bird books.

New York Report, 2010 Edition

2010-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

This year's trip to White Plains kicked off with a sandbox conspiracy, moved smoothly on to the generational initiation of the kids' table, and was cousinarific throughout. Lucy is especially skilled at mugging for the camera, and Eric is, if possible, even cuter than before.

A Day in the New Life

2010-08-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

After moving, lots of non-visually-exciting things happen, like applying for bank accounts and buying toilet paper. So since no one had taken any pictures since we got here, today we took pics all day long.

We ate breakfast...

Read bird books...

Ben helped Mom make a blueberry-peach pie:

While Alex hung out with his animals.

We went to Patapsco Valley State Park and walked across a cool suspension bridge:

And played in the rocks there:

After that we were tired:

Then more bird books.

Then Mom forgot to keep taking pictures, like of us eating pie.
Then Dad read to us from James and the Giant Peach (the part where the Cloud Men throw hailstones at the peach) before bed.

Goodnight.

Spelling sinister sentences

2010-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

These remind me of those anonymous notes, pasted together from newspaper cutouts, that criminals write to police departments in old movies.

Turtly is the name of the (stuffed animal) turtle, of course. I don't know why the jaguar is sad.

"No visitors allowed exept [sic] if you are one of us [signed] the cats," (very creative use of a line and two numbers when lacking an e) placed outside the Fisher Price house.

"Dear Squeaky [the stuffed dolphin], I heard that a stingray stung you." (Many letters were unavailable by this point (the above sentences remaining on the floor), so several number or composite-letter substitutions were needed.) This one is especially sinister. Suggests the writer thinks it would be a shame if the stingray would have to sting Squeaky again....

We jumped into the swamp again

2010-07-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Alex Spells Bovines

2010-06-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Reading field guides is still the most popular activity for the mini-Yoders, but spelling the names of the animals also consumes hours daily.

Yoder Cup Soccer

2010-06-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Unremarkable behavior in many children, but A&B have so far been so unsporty that half an hour of kicking balls in the backyard was worth documenting.

Kentucky Trip Pictures

2010-06-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our weekend in KY.

Reading animal books while waiting for food in a cafe. (Notice Ben's book is about lions, not birds! Perhaps this is what is giving Alex his shocked expression.)

Outside the wedding reception.

At the pool at Carter Caves State Park.

At the natural bridge at Carter Caves.

Smores!

Bird Quiz

2010-05-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

One of the boys' new favorite activities is playing online bird-identification quizzes. In this clip, after the easy Mallard id, Ben goes for comedy rather than correctness (perhaps worried that Alex would do better than he would). Calling a hoary redpoll a common canary is the height of hilarity in this house, I assure you.

Before and After Jumping in the Swamp

2010-04-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Before

After

Summer in April

2010-04-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

When it's 80 degrees in April, wearing winter clothes is special, dressing-up fun. Couldn't get a good picture of both kids at the Easter Egg hunt. We take what we can get. Last pic: spotting a red-bellied woodpecker on the suet feeder in the backyard.

Speaking of dressing up

2010-03-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

We look cute in Mom's clothes (and pasta necklaces we made at preschool).

For us, this is dressed up

2010-03-05T18:40:00.001-08:00

Not wearing sweatpants or tennis shoes-- we must be going to our friend Adryan's annual violin recital!

Clementine Bird Songs

2010-02-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Bird mania is unrelenting. All the names are of real birds, though sometimes syllables are repeated or dropped (they're not the first to do that when matching words to music).

Snowstorm

2010-02-06T08:51:00.001-08:00

Post-Christmas in Ohio

2010-01-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas #2 in Cincinnati was also great-- there was a new bird book for keeps! Photographic documentation, however, was not up to the Kansas standard, so we give you these meager two pix, plus playing in the snow back home in Delaware.

Christmas in Kansas

2009-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Kansas was VERY exciting, because it had entirely new bird books:

And it snowed on Christmas eve:

(Yes, we forgot to pack our mittens and had to wear socks on our hands).

And for Christmas there were bird shirts:

And new Thomas engines:

And cute cousins:

Even the over-ten crowd had a good time.

Halloween

2009-10-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

The amazing superhero team, Superman and... Bob the Builder.

Leaf Leapin'

2009-10-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Alex and Ben

2009-09-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

New Bob (the Builder) and Wendy! (Thanks, Ebay).

New Bob costume! (Thanks, Evan Seufert).

Ben eating birthday cake.

Playing with the balloons ("loons"-- because it's a bird joke, not because they can't say balloons) before the party.

Birthday cakes before being eaten. OK, these are out of chronological order. Or else the cakes spontaneously reassembled.

Identifying all the birds in the new storybook from Grandma and Grandpa Y.

Matchbox cars (also thanks Grandma and Grandpa).

Toby and Bertie! (Thomas characters. Honestly, what planet do you live on?) Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa L!

Bird Geeks, Continued

2009-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Playing with bird sounds. The book makes bird calls, but since the boys can't find the right number on the bird book to play the bird call they want (without help), they take control of the process by making the bird sounds with the piano, their play-a-sound books, or of course, they can make the sounds themselves.

The book Alex is using here (below) has fanciful rather than species-specific drawings of birds in it, leading him to nice bird-neologisms like "Red-Crested Chickadee," "Falling Falling Bird," "Pileated Owl," and my favorite, the "Spotted Red-Chin." (He clearly has the form down). On the other hand, the sounds of many of the real birds are rather accurate imitations (Willow Ptarmigan, Ring-Necked Pheasant).

Bird Geeks

2009-09-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

The thing to keep in mind here is that we had just returned from the public library with this book, which they had not seen before. (Alex holding the book and Ben doing the identification, largely). Only grandparents and birders are likely to be interested in the entire five minutes of this video (I did delete long arguments about the id of various birds. Incidentally, "Bison blackbird" is the house name for Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. And Alex did correct "Snowy Flycatcher" to Loggerhead Shrike, but it got zapped somewhere in the upload process.)

New York Report

2009-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Highlights of our New York trip for Ben & Alex were playing in the pool with their cousins, eating street food in Manhattan ("I had four treats today!"), chasing (not poisoning) pigeons in the park, and riding a train, bus, taxi, and carousel.

Alex on the carousel at Bryant Park

Come back here, pigeons! (If you click on the picture to enlarge it you'll be able to pick out A&B. Maybe see what book that guy is reading, too).

Alex appropriately reading a Thomas book on the train from Grand Central Station to White Plains

Yeah, we forgot to bring their bathing suits to NY. This picture is family-friendly, though.

I just like this bear statue.

Guest blog appearance by ice-cream-eating cutie cousin Eric

Bird Lineups

2009-08-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ben and Alex have a new birdsong book which is inspiring all sorts of re-naming of stuffed animals. Here, Ben names the "birds" he's got lined up; Alex is listing his last stuffed-animal lineup from memory. I'm not sure how the jaguar got in there, but it might be a pun on "Jaeger."

It's Underwear Season

2009-07-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

In the summer, trumpet-playing, what passes for dancing, and most other activities, are pants-optional. (I know, the dancing is not very interesting, but the accidental synchronous dancing just before the modulation is cute.)

Alex and Ben Go Camping

2009-07-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Making Faces

2009-07-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

Grumpy Alex

Sad Ben

Mad Ben

Excited Ben ("Think of Christmas morning")

Cross Ben*

Mad (Disgusted?) Alex

*anachronistic British emotional vocabulary courtesy of Thomas the Tank Engine stories

Wichita Wonderment

2009-06-29T15:57:00.001-07:00

A few pics, all taken by Grandpa, of our week in Wichita. Such letter geeks are the Yoder boys that they happily played with Scrabble tiles through the whole of the adults' Boggle game. (It only seems like they wore the same shirts all week, I swear).

Pool Time

2009-06-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing special in here-- just a happy time of year: when the pool comes out.

Composer, Heal Thyself

2009-05-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is a tiny piece of a long episode of visiting various Russian-composer and Thomas-train doctors. In this part, Ben visits Dr. Tchaikovsky. Some of the dialogue is hard to understand, so a brief transcript follows.
Alex: "Get on the scale for that," [says Dr. Tchaikovsky.]
Ben: So he [I] climbed up on the scale.
Alex: Oh. He [Dr. Tchaik] said you weigh pretty high.
Ben: Oh. I'm feeling pretty sick, Dr. Tchaikovsky.
...[cut], then:
Ben: I'm feeling a bit sick.
Alex: Oh, that's too bad, said Dr. Tchaikovsky.
Ben: You help me on the job. First, I'll fix you.
Alex: I can fix myself, said Dr. Tchaikovsky.

Even the composers are nesting this spring

2009-05-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Later Tchaikovsky went to the zoo on a plane, and Rachmaninoff put out fires:

Spring Green

2009-05-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

We went to the wildlife area after dinner. It was at peak greenness.

Ode to My Comfort Object

2009-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

A Kaloo bear
Is a kind of bear
That eats colors
And is hot and cold.

(A spontaneous poetical declaration given by Ben this evening.)

Trumpet Boy

2009-04-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

The transmission of Daryl's performing genes is not in question, as demonstrated the other night when the members of one of Sarah's classes came over for dinner, providing an audience for Alex, who had just learned to make sounds on a trumpet. You can hear Ben in the background supportively shouting "Yay!"

(I've heard that "Happy Birthday" is the world's most-recognized song, but I'm not sure in this case.) Earlier, Alex practiced the trumpet in his police hat, which is simply cute.

Stairway Firefighting

2009-04-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

An accurate reenactment of the plot of all children's books about firefighting, in which the firefighters are woken from sleep by a bell, climb a ladder, squirt water out of a hose, and go back to bed (sometimes making pork chops and mashed potatoes first, not shown). Artistic deviations from real firefighting are allowed, as when Alex exclaims, "The tongue squirted out water!"

Our first GQ cover

2009-04-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

This picture makes me (Sarah) laugh. The provider of this context (boys relatively dressed up, pillows on floor) was our neighbor Adryán, whose violin recital (Suzuki Book 2) was held in Ohio Wesleyan's Peale Chapel last night. The boys (Ben in green) enjoyed dressing to "look like Daddy," as they put it:

Easter Egg Bonanza

2009-04-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Did we go to the city of Delaware Easter Egg hunt with hundreds of children? Or did we go to the Ohio Wesleyan Easter Egg hunt with about six? You can tell by our groaning baskets of eggs, and number of other children in the pictures....

Alphabet Soup (with fried fish on the side)

2009-03-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Right after breakfast, our industrious children set out to make supper. Ben's fish fry seemed a bit stalled so the camera followed Alex's letter soup story.

We Went to Alabama, But Not With Banjoes

2009-03-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun things we did in Huntsville, Alabama for our Spring Break: played with a water-squirting frog at the Botanical Garden, walked around the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (though most of the wildlife stopped seeking refuge and headed north a couple weeks ago), looked cute in the backyard of our rental house, and climbed on trains and a fire truck-- and rode a trolley-- at the Huntsville Depot. It was hot, then cold; everything was blooming, and there were mockingbirds everywhere.

Many Mumbling Mice

2009-02-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

In "Alfred's Alphabet Walk," the mole mumbled so much that he [Alfred] could not understand him, so the question naturally arose: what is mumbling? Now that the boys "know" the answer, they like to practice.

Snow Mowing, and Firefighter Ben

2009-01-18T18:37:00.001-08:00

More Music

2009-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Yoder New Year's Percussion Band, organized by a beret-sporting Alex. (The adults look somewhat bored since the performance has been going on for quite a while at this point.)

Singing songs

2008-12-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

Self-explanatory.

Batstravaganza!

2008-12-11T14:28:00.001-08:00

Ben and Alex's favorite part of Mom's Batstravaganza bat-education outreach event last night was probably the bat cookies, but a close second was the Dance of Echolocation, which did not lose its appeal even after three performances. The opportunity to have their picture taken with both the Bat and-- Alex's underdog favorite-- the Moth was the icing on the, uh, bat cookie.

No paparazzi please

2008-11-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

We have all been sick and everyone is too whiny and icky for decent videos. So here are some photos from a couple of weeks ago to hold you, loyal readers, until antics recommence.

Ring Around Ben and Alex

2008-11-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

The song part of the game had degenerated significantly by the time the video camera was turned on, but they're still enjoying themselves.

We went to Cincinnati

2008-10-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

... and had a lot of fun: cooking bacon with Grandpa, going to the train museum, and just hanging around.

Baking is Fun!

2008-10-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Alex enjoying the cinnamon-sugar left in the bowl after helping to put the apple pie filling in the crust.

We're Three!

2008-10-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

I know, we can't believe it either. There were balloons, robes made by Grandma (which were worn straight form 10 am till bedtime), noisy new toys and lots of books. The cakes were also favorites-- both to look at and to eat. (Ben in yellow robe and with Thomas the Tank Engine cake).

Cuteness

2008-09-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

Name Game

2008-09-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly (surprising new competencies being the story of childhood, I guess!), the boys are not bad at all at the name game. Hey, "Armadillo" would be hard for anyone. (Ben in the Oberlin shirt).

Classic Comedy

2008-09-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Popping out of things and falling off things: always funny.

Family Fun II

2008-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

We spent last week in the Hudson Valley of New York with Daryl's family. The highlights for the boys were playing with cousin Lucy, and rides: in the rowboat on the little pond behind the house we rented; in the wagon, pulled down a hill by a parent or uncle; and on a trailer pulled by a tractor at the orchard where we picked peaches. Mom and Dad, meanwhile, enjoyed meeting Lucy's new brother Eric, catching up with family, eating at the Culinary Institute of America, and soaking in the hot tub.

Juliette, Rodney, Eric and Lucy

Rodney and Lucy at the orchard

Lucy and Eric at the hammock at their house

Ben, Sarah and Alex at the orchard

Lucy and Ben about to be pulled by Daryl

Grandpa reading to Lucy and Ben

Everyone at dinner in the backyard

Family Fun

2008-07-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were in Cincinnati and the boys had a lot of fun playing in Grandma and Grandpa's pool (especially with cousin MacKenna), hanging out with various aunts and uncles and cousins, meeting baby cousin Cameron and making a People Pile on the couch. (Order: Alex, Ben, Ben; Alex with Aunt Julie, cousin Cameron, Aunt Pam, cousin Evan, Aunt Karen and cousin MacKenna)

Back at home, we enjoyed playing on the couch with Daddy, and, of course, running (Alex):

Sprinker Fun

2008-07-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Boys giggling. That's pretty much the story.

Hugs and Kisses

2008-07-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Somewhat aggressive (but still cute) affection between the Yoder boys. Ben in red.

Summer Shots

2008-07-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th from Alex and Ben (Alex in the blue hat throughout). The machine is a farm tractor.

Pelepump

2008-06-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

No doubt inspired by the Olympic trials, the boys are already training for the 2020 event in synchronized spinning. "Pelepump" is a house term for falling over. Alex is in blue.

Chugga chugga

2008-06-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

Kids playing with trains in their PJs. Classic stuff, but it's good to know that emergency vehicles can use train tracks when necessary, even getting topped up at the water tower (surely a plus for the pumper trucks). Ben's sporting the sharks.

Superheroes

2008-06-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing much happens in this video (and Alex has to be herded away from the viewer side of the camera, as usual), but toddlers in too-big costumes (handed down from generous neighbors), well, that's just cute. Of course, they have no idea who Batman and Superman are.

Delaware Arts Fair

2008-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Aunt Pam and Uncle Scott at Aunt Pam's booth (check out her stuff at here) at the arts fair today was a lot of fun. There were dogs, balloons, and a great hose. Uncle Scott said it was for draining the water off of Aunt Pam's fair tent, but he made music with it too, and we thought it would be a great nose, fire hose (see Alex carefully putting out a fire in picture #5), and general fun toy.

Flyer Fun

2008-05-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Alex delights in some laws of physics as they apply to junk mail.

Mud!

2008-05-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, Mom's department picnic was much more fun than we expected.

Olé, Said the Backhoe

2008-04-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

I used to think that groups of college friends had the most inside jokes, but they have nothing on toddlers, whose speech even more closely resembles a mishmash of everything they've ever heard or (had) read (to them). Here Alex combines his favorite tasks, car placement and repetitious book quoting; Olé is, of course, what Puddle the Pig says when he is jumping into Woodcock Pocket Pond after getting a postcard from his friend Toot in Spain. Naturally, the river/lake/ocean on their Ikea playmat (thanks Uncle Rodney and Aunt Juliette) is a fine place for backhoes, police cars, etc. to Olé into (sometimes the boys Olé into it themselves, and have to be rescued). As often now, the video ends when the boys come around to the other side of the camera to... watch it.

Handy Dad

2008-04-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our toy box wouldn't close all the way any more, or open all the way; the bottom was falling out, and we pretty much ignored it. So did Mom and Dad chuck it out? No! In less than 24 hours and re-using every piece of the toy box, Dad built just what we needed instead-- a shelf to hold books, and baskets for toys, and park our buses and planes.

Thanks, Handy Dad!
(Note: Dog not real. But we like it anyway:)