The Wingding Whoopee!

The Owl and the Pussycat

2010-05-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

E3 already has the GQ look down (where did he learn that?)

2010-04-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Emmet's artwork was chosen for the West Springfield HS Pyramid Art Show! Exciting times.

Preview of Gabe's teen years....

2010-03-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

"Time to get dressed, Gabe."

"I don't wanna get dressed, I wanna live!"

electrified on a saturday

2010-03-06T13:01:00.001-08:00

dave's books and movies for february

2010-03-06T13:00:00.001-08:00

Books:
7. La traducción, por Pablo de Santis (narrado por Fernando Flores) - Thriller involving a conference of translators on the coast of Argentina, lost and forgotten languages, and a series of mysterious deaths. 4 CDs 7/10
6. The Titan's Curse, by Rick Riordan (narrated by Jesse Bernstein) - More Greek gods and monsters, etc. 6/10 [my review]
5. As She Climbed Across the Table, by Jonathan Lethem - Physicist falls in love with a black hole (sort of, not really). Her anthropologist boyfriend stays in love with her. Academic farce and other stuff ensue. 7/10 [my review]

Movies:
17. Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian) (DVD) - God gets sick of humankind and so comes to earth to find a saint to replace him for a while and learns things from the people he travels with. Beautiful Brazil, some nice comedy and insights.
16. Whip It (DVD) - Ellen Page (Juno) finds herself in roller derby as Babe Ruthless. Some cliches, but overall very fun. 8/10
15. Invictus (theater) - Rugby in South Africa with new president Nelson Mandela. Very exciting. 8/10
14. The Invention of Lying (plane) - A world where no one knows how to lie except Ricky Gervais. The portrayal of a world where everyone is - by turns - brutally or pathetically honest is very funny. Great cameo by Philip Seymour Hoffman 7/10
13. An Education (theater) - Great reflection on coming of age, disillusionment, what an education is for; great performances. 7/10

Some shots from the February snowstorm

2010-02-28T15:04:00.001-08:00

EEE and some Sunday afternoon legos

2010-02-28T14:59:00.001-08:00

dave's books and movies for January

2010-02-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Books:

4. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson (read by Alan Sklar) - Great historical narrative combined with epidemiology, biology, city planning. 8/10 my review

3. O Clube do Anjos [The Club of Angels], by Luis Fernando Veríssimo - Gluttony, vengeance, mystery. A group of foodies meet once a month to eat and are gradually killed off. Existential, but fun. Not as good as Borges and the Eternal Organgutans, by the same author. my review

2. Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan (read by Jesse Bernstein) - Silly, fun entertainment 6/10

1. Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem - I really like Lethem. Crime novel with a very creative twist; the detective has Tourette's. Reads as a great crime novel but as a nice metaphor for alienation. 9/10 my review

Movies:

12. 9 to 5 (DVD) - Has aged well. Very funny film. Lily, Jane, and Dolly deliver the goods with some help from Dabney. Nice extras. 7/10

11. O Auto da Compadecida [A Dog's Will] (DVD) - My favorite Brazilian film with my favorite character to date. Two poor, rural tricksters seek to cheat everyone from the baker to the town boss to the priest and - finally - the devil himself. Funny and thoughtful. 9/10 my review

10. Avatar IMAX 3D - Best non-sensical film I've seen! Wonderfully entertaining. 8/10

9. Funny Face (DVD) - Fred Astaire is a million years old, Audrey Hepburn is 18. Weird, lame movie. 4/10

8. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (theater) - Wonderfully zany, creative exploration of ... imagination? story telling? I don't know, but a good ride. 8/10

7. Lula: Filho do Brasil [Lula: Son of Brazil] (theater in Rio Branco) - Hagiographic biopic of Brazil's wildly popular outgoing president. Not all that, but interesting. 6/10 my review

6. The Other Boleyn Girl (DVD) - starts out fun court intrigue, ends up stressful and disturbing. blech. 4/10

5. Sahara (DVD) - incredibly silly action film. thank you crazy Steve Zahn for making this watchable. 6/10

4. The Princess Bride (DVD) - what can i say? 9/10 (but Inigo Montoya does seem to recover from his wounds quite quickly there at the end)

3. Tootsie (DVD) - awesome classic 9/10

2. Nothing Like the Holidays (DVD) - Lame! Very Brady Christmas but with all Puerto Ricans. About two funny lines. (thanks, Freddy Rodriguez) 4/10

1. School of Rock (DVD) - classic! 8/10

The Blizzard of 2010 and legos

2010-02-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

This winter we've had the most snow since 1899. And to think last year I complained that there wasn't enough snow all winter to go sledding! Now if I don't walk on the paths we made in the back yard, the snow is up above my knees. After the back-breaking shoveling, it is pretty fun to sled and make tunnels and snow angels in the back yard. Too bad Dave missed all the excitement - when the storm got really menacing - as he sat in meetings in sunny Rio. Not to worry, this snow will be around long enough for him to enjoy.

Emmet makes his own space police ships.

sledding in the backyard

2009-12-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

Nephi and the brass plates - lego style

2009-10-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

This morning E3 and I shot this short lego filmstrip. You may have to turn the volume Way Up.

e3's birthday party

2009-09-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

dave and diana's new york getaway

2009-09-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

While friends J&C and Diana's mom looked after the boys, Diana and Dave went to NY for a weekend wedding and lots of family & friend catchup!

dave's august trip to brazil - five states in two weeks

2009-09-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Fruity frolicking

2009-08-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

I just heard my 2-year-old singing that familiar cowboy song: "Home, home on the range/Where the deer and the cantaloupe play...."

Summer vacation in Ithaca, Chicago, and other delightful spots

2009-07-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

G sings How Firm a Foundation

2009-07-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

and plays the piano!

This was in Chicago at the home of Dave's bro J and his family.

Celebrating the 4th of July in Ithaca

2009-07-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

As part of our summer vacation, we drove to Ithaca and celebrated the Fourth with Dave's sister C and her family. Niece R and C decorated the Fourth of July cake and we sang a patriotic song.

a couple weeks ago at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden

2009-07-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

My brother Dan came down to help us move, and we visited the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden with cousin Hannah, who took this sober pic.

Late-night antics

2009-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

G has been crawling out of his crib for quite some time. Tonight I was upstairs on the computer when I heard him call out, "Mom, I'm covered in...." Uh-oh. I found him sitting on the area rug in our kitchen with a raw egg shimmering in his lap, empty shell in hand. (At 10:30 pm, no less.) He was fascinated with the yolk. "Mom, it looks like yellow ice!" I said, "That's the yolk." Back in bed again, G said, "Mom, I thought it was a egg, but it was a yellow yoga."

...And then just for good measure he added, "I smell some noodles."

reading stories to a sicky

2009-05-29T16:40:00.001-07:00

father-son campout

2009-05-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our Church had a father-son campout to celebrate the restoration of the priesthood. I went with E3 and with G, and we were able to take another good friend, R, whose father couldn't make it. Here you can see E3 and R, with G tucked into the corner. (First to fall asleep, first to awake - at 2am, and at 2:45am.) Anyway, we all had a grand time.

E3's virgin voyage with the camera

2009-05-24T14:43:00.001-07:00

taboo

2009-04-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

with cousin drew and brian, and with dave's alternative rules (constantly shifting teams, individual scores)

bend

2009-04-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

179th birthday of the Church

2009-04-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

For Family Home Evening tonight, we had a birthday party for the 179th birthday of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We...

Sang a new song, composed (okay, adapted) for the occasion: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?docid=d9z4rh4_43dch59qcf&hl=en
had everyone put their favorite story of the Restoration in a hat, then Papa (Dave) did improv puppet shows of two of the stories
Watched that great video of the growth of the Church: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIqG_LM7Ls8
Read D&C 135:3
Shared testimony
Sang Happy Birthday and ate cake (maybe my first cake from scratch ever)

good times

E3 reads a book

2009-03-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

No awards for papa's cinematography, but still...

G reads the alphabet

2009-03-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

make sure you turn up the volume, and note that A stands for cAntelope

Awaiting Family Photos

2009-03-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

We had a friend do a photo shoot for the boys at a nearby park. Here's a sample of what's to come. We're excited to see the rest!

halloween picture

2009-03-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

movies for January & February

2009-03-01T09:52:00.000-08:00


.	Title	Dave rating	Diana rating	Venue	Date
.	Penelope	7	6	dvd	1/2/2009
.	War Dance	9	8	dvd	1/9/2009
.	Doubt	7	saw in 2008	theater	1/10/2009
.	Australia	-	7	theater	1/10/2009
.	Wild Hogs	4.5	-	dvd	1/16/2009
.	The Duchess	7	7	dvd	1/19/2009
.	Eagle Eye	5	-	plane	1/25/2009
.	City of Amber	5	-	plane	1/31/2009
.	Luck By Chance	6	7	theater	2/7/2009
.	Coraline	8	8	theater	2/21/2009
.	Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land)	8	-	dvd	2/27/2009
.	Billu Barber	7	7	theater	2/28/2009
.

bedtime conversation

2009-02-26T18:00:00.001-08:00

This evening, as I finished singing songs to our two boys, our four-year-old E3 asked me,

Papa, what happens to us after we die?

to which I answered that our body dies and our soul goes to the spirit world, etc. Do you understand?

Yes, papa.

At which point our two-year-old G informed me,

Papa, my penis is moving.

By itself?

Yes.

Well, if it leaves the room without you, let me know.

Good night!

a tie means we both lose

2008-12-20T19:57:00.001-08:00

This morning I arrived home from Senegal at about 7:30am. As I made breakfast, our four-year-old E3 said

Papa, after breakfast let's have a pillow fight. It will be a tie: we both lose.

You mean we both win?

No, we'll both lose.

family dance

2008-12-12T04:12:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the boys in kenyan garb

2008-11-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

complements of my old friend roselyn, my boys dressed in true style

sort of star wars

2008-11-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

and then this weekend Diana went to visit some friends in California (much needed vacation after lots of double-time mothering to go along with lots of travel on my part).

This afternoon two friends came over and - while G was napping - we made a little movie. It's inspired by Star Wars. Sort of.

3 pigs, a wolf, and a pumpkin

2008-11-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday Diana went to visit her sister, I took the day off and we made a movie. Look for us at the Oscars.

pictures from the montana wedding!

2008-08-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

So some vigorous dancing has put our photos from the event in jeopardy, so we're taking the liberty of posting a few photos that some friends (D&M) took at the wedding of B and M that we traveled to in July. (We've left out photos of OTHER people looking silly, leaving that for them to post on their own blogs.)

[As always, click the slideshow for Super Size.]

from baby batman to ... little boy batman

2008-08-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

When our eldest son, E3, was in the womb, there was much talk of naming him Batman. It didn't work out (due to my having married a sensible woman), but in July in Ithaca, it seems the womb-talk has played out in subliminal choices. That and another dress-up moment below; note that even in the second, the batman theme remains. (Click the slideshow to see it Super Size.)

camping and other fun with dave's brother

2008-08-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend Dave's brother D came to visit, and we have had an awesome time. We went to the Smithsonian (modern art + Jim Henson exhibit), saw a documentary (Man on Wire, very good) and ate Chinese food with Cousin D, went camping, played mini-golf, rode a train, had a picnic, broke a pinata, and enjoyed a dinner with many cousins. We're glad he'll be nearby (NY City!).

[Click on the slide show to see the pictures on picasa.]

Great Country Farms

2008-08-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went hiking at Hidden Pond, but last Saturday we went to Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA, with Diana's brother S, his daughter, and some friends. We had a great time. See a few shots below...

evidence that dave is a VERY long-winded home teacher

2008-08-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of my companion C and I in the nth hour of my message. If only you could see the people we were visiting!

[For non-Mormon readers, here's a definition of home teaching.]

at the dinner table this week

2008-08-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

E3 stated: "No no no, Candyland is the Kolob of worlds." (In response to my assertion that Chocolate World may hold that esteemed position.)

Bet you wish you were having dinner with us!

[And a quote from a few months ago, not at the dinner table: "Mom, there's something strange in the toilet, but you can't see it because it's camouflaged. It's a walking stick!"]

family reunion!

2008-07-27T18:08:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we attended a wonderful family reunion in Ithaca, NY. Here is a photo of the whole gang, plus one of our little family
.

Spring update

2008-06-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of fun things this spring, including visits to

exhibits at the Kennedy Center during Japan Week

tulips and cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin

Washington National Cathedral and gardens

as well as the last day of preschool and antics at home.

Our Picasa album of spring photos are at this link:http://picasaweb.google.com/dianahindsevans/ForBlog02

visit from abuelo and abuela

2008-05-26T04:12:00.000-07:00

Early this month, we had a lovely visit from my parents, who made the trek out to DC. (To our children, Diana's parents are nyanya and babu - the swahili words for grandmother and grandfather - and my parents are abuela and abuelo - the spanish words for the same.) We spent a long weekend at a beach house in Chincoteague, we saw Iron Man, we had a giant lunch with cousins, we saw a documentary about reconciliation in Rwanda, we enjoyed dinner at Diana's mom's house, hit some museums, and much more. It was a wonderful visit.

Here are some photos (here's the slideshow).

photos from schools in sierra leone and the gambia

2008-05-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

from the other blog (for the benefit of those who only read the family news):

Over the past few weeks I visited several primary schools in Sierra Leone (Freetown, Port Loko, Mayimba) and the Gambia (Bakau area and Mansa Konko
area).

Sierra Leone photos (or click here for a slideshow)

The Gambia photos (or the slideshow)

Here is a preview:

egg coloring

2008-03-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

This morning Diana's mom and Aunt G hosted a wonderful egg coloring party.

g's a walkin'

2008-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

This isn't brand-new news, but since around the first of February, G has been wandering on two feet (and no hands!). Experience his superb nonchalance in the video clip below.

the weekend, with a silent story reading

2008-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was packed! On Friday night we babysat our two young friends L & G, which made for a very large storytime (silent video clip below).

On Saturday we spent the afternoon at Teddy Roosevelt Island with my writer cousin D and his partner B. B is a biologist and so kept leaping off the trail to upend logs and look for animals underneath: He achieved moderate success, and we all had a grand time. Then, today, we went to Diana's mom's home for a big dinner with relatives from out of town, plus cousin D and B again. We played my favorite board game (Life Stories), and laughed a lot.

[Below, E3 with his first-cousin-once-removed D, picnicking at Teddy Roosevelt Island.]

G the Luchador

2008-03-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday G decided he wanted to wear E3's underwear. He tried to put them on by himself and couldn't, so I took pity on him. I mean, why not have an attractive John Deere Luchador toddling around the house? El Tractor!

how i keep e3 excited about spanish books

2008-03-04T18:31:00.001-08:00

I go to the library by my office and pick up about 15 children's books in Spanish at a time. Every night, I bring home two new books. As I walk in the door, E3 runs up to me and asks, Papa, Do you have a new book for me? (We're working on Papa, Tienes un libro nuevo para mi?)

Only one backbreaking library trip every week or so. Totally worth it.

Dave's trip to Sierra Leone and the Gambia

2008-03-03T17:55:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I returned from a work trip to Sierra Leone and the Gambia. Here are links to some photos I took:

Gambian primary schools

Sierra Leonean primary schools

By my hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone

A parade in Freetown

Miscellaneous photos from the Gambia

For stories from the trip, you can scroll through my other blog for the end of January and the beginning of February.

E3 sings the hits

2008-03-03T17:38:00.001-08:00

Here is a video of E3 singing Nephi's Courage, a catchy children's song from our church. (Nephi is a righteous character in the Book of Mormon.)

Welcome to our new blog!

2008-03-03T17:29:00.001-08:00

We finally tired of Microsoft's making it near impossible to upload photos, so we have migrated to le blogspot. Welcome to our wingding whoopee!