From the Phone Collection: Dec 18, 2019 – Jan 15, 2020

It’s time once again for Yen to clear off the photos from his phone. This post will be a real hodge-podge, but I think you’ll like it.

Mina has a Hello Kitty that she named “Picky Beans” because “she only likes to eat beans!” and a unicorn named “Picky Peas” because “she only likes to eat peas!” We call them The Pickies, as if they were an old couple living next door. The Pickies are her (often ill-behaved) babies, and Linus has to help out with the parenting. Here they are reading some stories to them.

As I said, the Pickies are often naughty and have to sit on the stairs with a timer (which can be seen on the step above Picky Peas). I think Picky Beans must have been extra naughty, as she is also stuffed into a jar.

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As Linus often reminds me, he likes “fluffy stuff.” This includes Mina and his jacket, as well as Bartleby the manatee.

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Here’s Mina all decked out in her birthday gear – barrettes and a unicorn backpack from Co Ba. Linus looks like he’s admiring the backpack. When I first saw this photo, I thought she’d gotten into my makeup again (and done an admirable job on her eyes!), but no – that’s just her natural stunning beauty.

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This winter we’ve been going through cold after cold, and that requires some serious napping. Linus looks like a tiny baby curled up next to Yen.

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Yen and I have never doubted our decision for him to stay home with the kids instead of sending them to daycare. But occasionally we’ve worried that they weren’t getting enough “socialization” (the parenting buzzword of the decade) because at parties, they just sort of ignored the other kids. But as they’ve gotten older, they are playing beautifully with the other kids in our social group. Here you can see them having cake next to Ethan. Lately Linus has been asking us to invite friends over more often so he can share his toys with them. So I think we’re in good shape!

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Now speaking of naps… One particularly cold Sunday the entire family crawled into bed for a nap. Yen was squished onto the edge and isn’t much of a napper anyway, so he documented the event. Can you believe I’m fast asleep with a hand on my face? Just used to it now, I guess.

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And this is rare indeed – probably the real reason he stayed awake. Mina is usually too on-the-go to sleep, so we don’t often get to see her asleep. Isn’t she lovely? By the way, that’s Charlie behind her. Mina tells crazy stories about her adventures – we think she’s actually living vicariously through her. One of these days I’ll put together a post with some of those.

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Snow selfie! These kids don’t let winter stop their fun. Every morning after breakfast they bundle up and go outside – whether we’re up for it or not.

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Another favorite activity: visiting me at work. Here’s Linus conducting a meeting, assigning action items to all of us.

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This video really cracks me up.

The moment the driveway is free from ice, they hop right back on their bikes. I think we need to get them some little lobster-claw gloves for braking.

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Both kids are getting pretty good at skating. Linus is better than me now! Maybe I’ll be better when I finally get new skates.

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A couple of weeks ago we went to a giant bouncy house – big enough that adults are allowed in too. There was a terrifying place where you climb way up and then can jump straight down onto a big marshmallow-like pillow. If you don’t hit it right in the middle, you plop onto the side and find yourself squished against the wall. I hated it so much!!! But Linus loved it and kept going over and over again just to scare me.

The kids have advanced to the next level in gymnastics. Here’s Mina learning the mechanics that will lead to a back-flip one of these days.

And I’ll leave you with this poorly lit but funny video. They are playing a game in which Linus names things and Mina announces whether she would eat it or push it away. All while jumping.