The Facebook Song (& River in the Rain)

I made Andrew do the Stake Musical, and I'm only partly sorry. His two numbers were the two show-stoppers (as I heard from less-biased audience members). Here they are:

Be My Friend (The Facebook Song)

River in the Rain

Bonus footage of Benjamin

 

Father and Son Duet: Both Age 3

This was a fun project. I'm glad I'm raising Abe instead of me. I was not very cooperative in the making of this montage. And neither of us have the words exactly. But whatever the case, enjoy the good old summertime!



In the good old summertime, in the good old summertime.
Strolling through the shady lanes with your baby mine.
You hold her hand, and she holds yours,
and that's a very good sign.
That she's your tootsie-wootsie,
in the good old summertime.

Cool Supper Recipe for a Hot Day

DC is in the middle of a heat wave right now, so I'm busting out the ol' Gazpacho.  This is the real deal, as I had it in Spain.  Enjoy!

Gazpacho

Number Of Servings:8-10 servings
(so 1/2 the recipe if you need to!)

Ingredients:
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
6 lg. ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
1 1/2 c tomato juice
3 eggs, lightly beaten. (Sometimes I use one or two)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped.
2 onions, coarsely chopped. (I use about 1 1/2)
2 lg. Shallots
2 lg. cucumbers, coarsely chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 c chopped fresh dill (I use dried dill weed when I don't have fresh)

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, reserved fresh tomato juice, canned tomato juice, and eggs.
2. Puree the vegetables in small batches in blender or a food processor, adding the tomato juice mixture gradually to keep the blades from clogging. Do not puree completely; the gazpacho should retain some of its crunch.
3. Stir in the cayenne, salt and pepper, and dill. Cover,and chill for at least 4 hours
4. When you are ready to serve, stir the soup, taste and correct the seasoning, and ladle it into chilled soup bowls or mugs. (Serve with good bread, or the slightly less traditional croutons)

Bonus: Abe's quote of the day, "Croutons taste like lions in the zoo!"

B-Jam's B-Day.

Little Benjamin turned 1. A few observations from his Father follow:

• No one on earth has a more effective smile
• And by effective I mean infectious. 
• He can't contain the light within him. I'm a grateful recipient every time I come in the door after work. 
• He loves his Mama and calls to her any time he is not in her arms.
• He loves his brother and laughs with him more than anyone else.
• He's going to be an explorer when he grows up. Probably will find some new Portuguese island.
• He loves adventuring. Whether climbing up couches, learning to walk, going out anywhere into the world, crawling on hard cement through splash pads, or crash-splashing bathtubs, Ben is up for anything. 
• And when he bonks his head or bruises his arm or topples down or gets clobbered by something or someone bigger than he is, he gets right back on the horse. Benjamin "Resilience" Marshall. 
• I love him. He's one. He's fun. I'm done. Blun. 

Do yourself a favor and enjoy the pictures and video below. 

Cheeks.

 

Thrift Store Score

I have found some pretty amazing things in Thrift Stores in my day. But this getup pretty much beats them all.  Introducing . . . Aquaflatable-Desinkable, Swimmy-Floatable Abe!

 

 

 And his trusty side kick . . . Turtle-Toughs, Puppy-Pooch, B-Jam!

  

 

 

Abe's 3.

 Abraham Craig Marshall.

Turned 3.

Imagining life without Abe is like imagining a Jedi without his/her lightsaber or Spidey without his sense. He is part of me. I want to highlight a few things that have impressed me with Abraham lately, as part of this birthday tribute.

Spiritual Sensitivity. Abe's sensitivity keeps me in check. Rather than telling him what's right and wrong, something I once thought fell into the natural duties of parenting, he teaches me right and wrong. If the music is too crazy at Five Guys, we leave. If something dark or scary is in a book or movie, we skip it. And on the other hand, if something naturally attracts light, Abe embraces it. Abe loves positive, uplifting, virtuous books, movies, theater, and activities. It is clear that he has come from a divine place, and my goal is to preserve that sensitivity throughout his childhood. Not by sheltering him from opposition or the world, but by supporting him as he continues to choose truth over error and that which edifies over that which destroys.

Love. Abe loves. He loves his family a lot. He loves his Mommy-o and Daddy-o and expresses that freely and frequently, without prompting. He takes care of his brother and shows his love for him by sharing, trying to calm him down when he cries, laughing in the back of the car with him, and generally looking out for him. Yesterday, as I was with the boys while Ariel was at a girls' night out, Ben was fairly inconsolable. That is, until I put him up into Abe's bed. Then all I heard were two identical giggles. Abe loves Ben and Ben loves Abe. Another pattern we'll seek to continue throughout both of their lives.

Intellect. He picks up on things quick. Today as we were singing the "I Lived in Heaven" primary song, Abe said, "When I lived in heaven, did I help create the world?" What a question! He's not just in tune to spiritual truth, though. Due at least in part to his daily school time, he knows the alphabet and can write it, has memorized countless songs and nursery rhymes, knows the days of the week, and has the vocabulary of a 28 year-old (uses the words "wonderful," "remarkable," and "fascinating" freely). His mind is all of those adjectives, and I stand in awe as I watch it develop each day. I probably should add that for the life of him he can't count to 20, or write to 20. I know that Mr. Lyons or Mr. Flaherty wouldn't be surprised to hear such news.

Fun. But don't think that Abe stops at sensitivity, love, and intellect. The kid is a blast! He is filled with wit and humor and loves to laugh. His hilarious sense was in high gear this evening at dinner. Ariel asked Abe if he wanted an "olive" and he said, "Yep. Olive it!" with a laugh. I'd have way more friends at work if I could pull one-liners like that out of my hat. For more where that came from check out the updated "Out of the Mouth of Abe" sidebar on the . . . side . . . bar. And/or check out the video interview at the bottom of this post.

For Abe's birthday I took the day off and of all of his choices (zoo, swimming, hike, museum, etc.) he chose a hike. So after our birthday cereal, birthday Mickey cartoon and morning books, we took off to Greenbelt Park for a hike. Abe is really in his element in nature. Just like his mom. We had a party later that evening with Uncle Neilamus' and Aunt K's family. Abe needed a little time alone when he saw so many people march in, but came out by the end and accepted a happy birthday song. He got plenty of presents from friends and family and clearly felt very loved.

 

 

Watching Abe movies of course (Abediana Marsh-which starred each of them!)

This last week we threw Abe a friends birthday party at the train park. He invited his best friend, Calder, Calder's Mom Camilla, and his two Nursery leaders (well, one is now a former Nursery leader) Bryant and Mary Angelos. We had a great time on the train, the merry-go-round, the playground, opening presents, and having cake. Another good time had.

 

 

We love you, Abraham! Keep on, dear friend.