Spain Dad, a baby blog

Make friends with families in our neighborhoodThis summer I thought we would have no problems making friends with families in the neighborhood. Most afternoons we were at the playground chatting with other parents. Then came fall, and it got cold. Kids and their parents stopped coming to the playground. We still go, probably because we’re [...]

Alleke had some friends over yesterday to help her decorate her first Christmas cookie. Watch Christmas Cookie Decorating on Vimeo.

Alleke stood next to me and watched as I hung the last ornament on the tree, then reached over the back of the couch and plugged in the lights. The corner of the room danced like a hundred fireflies, especially after April got up and turned off the rest of the lights in the apartment, [...]

Pumpkins Photo by Tambako the Jaguar. I stood at the doorway to our bedroom in my slippers and watched as April lifted Alleke into the stroller, set two warm pies wrapped in tin foil in the back, and rolled into the hallway, closing the door behind her. I stood there for a moment smelling the [...]

Last Thursday we decided to go to the zoo with Alleke and Grandpa and Grandma. Cha chaaaan!Photo by JuliusTheCat. The DolphinsWe sat at the edge of our seats, saying “Did you just see that?” to each other and pointing at the dolphins jumping through hoops and bouncing beach balls on their noses. We all wondered [...]

Yesterday Alleke played with power tools. She sat perched on Grandpa’s knee and watched carefully as he helped her squeeze the trigger on the drill, the motor whining as the screws turned into the end of the wood plank sitting on the living room floor. They were building a shelf for our DVDs. Grandpa had [...]

buttered and lightly toasted, please Photo by Lex in the City. “Happy birthday,” I said. April yawned, nodded, and shuffled past me towards the kitchen. I was sitting at the dining room table with my laptop, and I watched her open the fridge and pull out a box of orange juice. “Why don’t we go [...]

Alleke and Cousin Josie Photo by kellyandapril. “Good to see you’re carrying through on your New Year’s Resolutions,” Jeff said to Josie. Josie slid a plate full of nachos onto the table and climbed into Grandma’s lap. She picked up a tortilla chip and put it in her mouth. “What was her New Year’s Resolution?” [...]

Us and Ang Photo by kellyandapril. Marrying April is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done–of course because she’s a great listener, she’s intelligent, she’s got a cute squishy nose, and she loves me, but also because my wife happens to be cousins with half my high school graduating class. We are from Iowa [...]