Easter Butterflies and Aliens

Well every family knows about the Easter Bunny. But Gigi introduced us to the Easter Butterfly and Easter Alien this year! Of course she called them bunny ears and froggie eyes all day. We told her that she was not allowed to teach Brenden and Kate their animal names. And for that matter, maybe we should limit her explanation of holidays too. At any rate, it made for some very cute photos.

Picture Gallery

Kate really likes her new Exersaucer! Mommy loves it too--I can move it into the kitchen while I'm cooking or upstairs while I'm cleaning or showering.


Kate really loves Shayla! She looks for her everywhere. As soon as she sees Shayla Kate gets all excited. And when she actually gets to touch Shayla -- oh, boy! does she laugh and enjoy that!!

A pose for her sixth month photo shoot!

With the warmer weather, Kate has enjoyed getting outside more often. Here is she on a stroll with her friend Esther Hutchinson. (Esther was sleeping and not really interested in the camera.)

Kate is almost ready to sit up by herself. She can sit on her own for a minute before toppling to one side. The upright position has introduced her to a new world of toys! Kate is really getting interested in toys and playing with things. Here she is exploring Brenden's large supply of gadgets and noise makers!

Here's our little lass at 7 months old! Much to her displeasure, she's spending a lot of time on her tummy! She'd much rather be on her back or in her bouncy seat. Mommy says she needs to get those back muscles stronger for sitting and crawling, so Tummy Time it is!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Spring is in the air - Finally!!

I feel like I've been locked away inside the house with the baby all winter long. So the arrival of spring is even more exciting this year! On Thursday Kate and I took our first springtime walk with little friends Jack and Ella and their mom, Teah. I am looking forward to more walks for the little one and me. I've always loved spring! It was the season Josh and I got married. It is the awakening of nature. The colors are vibrant. The air is crisp but the sun is warm; it's a welcome change from the dreary winter.

I was introduced to this poem in college by William Wordsworth. It's simple, but the imagery of daffodils dancing comes to my mind every time I drive by rows of yellow flowers bending in the March wind.

"Daffodils"
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced;

but they out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

~William Wordsworth (1804)

In anticipation of spring's arrival here are a few visions of spring that bring me much joy.

I love the first hints of bright green that announce the awakening of the trees. I search for the lime hints as I drive around town. When I do see this brilliant color poking out of barren branches and my heart leaps with excitement. Spring is coming!

Tulips have always been my favorite flower. April boasts of beds and beds of vibrant colored tulips! Spring has begun.

And this is one of my favorite celebrations of spring! The beauty of the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. is breathtaking. Cherry Blossoms surround the entire area and announce in a loud jubilant voice that spring has arrived.

It is here - finally.

Let Levi Ride!! (in the 2008 Tour de France)

I know this is a long post -but please stick with me.

There are some important links at the bottom!

Josh has been a cycling fan for years; he even competed for a while when he was younger. But since being married I have surprised myself with an avid interest in cycling as well. The Tour de France is a huge event in our house every July, and we even follow the smaller races as well.

Many of you may be aware of all the controversy over doping in cycling; it seems like there's not a sport around that hasn't been marred by the use of steroids. To give you a little more history, the Tour de France has been dealt some big blows over the past few years. In 2006 to the shock and amazement of race watchers some of the Tour's top riders were pulled out of the race before the start because of associations with a 'doping' doctor. In 2007 doping controls were at a new height and teams were rigorously being checked; however, one team in particular -Astana- flew under the radar. Their top contender tested positive along with some other members of the Astana team. The entire team was removed from the race the following day.

Okay... fast forward to today. One of the race's leading team managers, Johan Bruyneel (formerly of team Discovery fame), has lead men like Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer to victory over the past several years. Since Discovery is no longer a team sponsor, Bruyneel decided to revamp team Astana. He "cleaned house" as teammate Levi Leipheimer stated, bringing on many new riders including Leipheimer, thrid place winner of the 2007 Tour de France, and defending 1st place champion Alberto Contador. Bruyneel also implemented some of the Tour's toughest anti-doping controls on the new Astana team. The new 2008 Astana has been completely remade - from manager to riders.


That's why it's disturbing that the ASO (the organization that owns the Tour de France and several other major races) recently announced the ban of the new 2008 Astana team from the race based solely on last year's controversy. Riders Leipheimer and Contador cannot defend their titles. Bruyneel is leading the way in anti-doping initiatives, but the ASO is banning him based on a past team's behavior of which he had nothing to do with. It is an extreme and discriminatory action by the ASO.


Petitions are being sent to the ASO on behalf of Leipheimer and Contador. Please consider signing them by visiting the links below:

Let Levi Ride and Contador al Tour

(Hit the English tab at the top of Contador's page.)

Levi even gives you directions on how to write an e-mail to the president of the ASO -

should you feel inclined.

Natalie MacMaster Live and in Person

On Wednesday evening, March 5th, Kim and I got to go see Nova Scotia fiddler, Natalie MacMaster at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda. Natalie is the fiddler that for many people has defined the traditional music of Nova Scotia. I've loved her music for more than 10 years, and on rare occasion, I've even attempted to try to play it. When I heard that she was coming to town with her band, I immediately bought tickets to see her. I made arrangements ahead of time to meet with her to show her some of my hand made bows.
Kim and I were let in to meet with her two hours before she performed, and this meeting turned out to be the highlight of the evening for me. In the back room at the Strathmore, we got to meet Natalie, Donnell Leahy (her husband), Mary Frances (their 2-year old daughter), Nat Smith (amazing 14-year old cellist), several of the band members, and a number of her support staff. When we walked in to show her my bows, I was thinking that it would be a fairly quick visit (because she was taking the stage in less than 2 hours), but she was so generous with her time. She played three of my bows, and then handed her fiddle to her husband, Donnell, and he played through the bows. They both preferred the same bow, although for slightly different reasons.

It was very touching to see Natalie with her daughter. At one point, she picked up Mary Frances and was holding her in her lap. For Kim and I, it just made the whole experience very real to see one of my favorite players with a bit of baby spit-up on her sweater. These days, Kim and I often have a little evidence of our 6 month old on our clothes. Just before the concert started, Donnell walked through the performance hall with Mary Frances in his arms heading for a seat. At intermission, I saw him heading up the aisle with her totally asleep on his shoulder. These are things that make these performers very real to me, and I will remember them whenever I listen to Natalie's music.

I'm not sure if Natalie played my bow in the concert (our seats weren't close enough to the stage), but she played with her usual flair and gusto. Between the sets of tunes, Natalie addressed the house with commentary, jokes, and even dedicated her performance that evening of Josephene's Waltz to Kim and I.

Here is a YouTube video clip of Natalie MacMaster at a performance in Boston. Well worth the 8 minutes it takes to watch it!


Check out Natalie's website: http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/index.htm to read more about her and to purchase her CDs.

Let's Laugh

Katherine has only recently started to play with her toys. She's always been drawn to the bright colors, but now she is reaching for her toys (only to put them in her mouth) and learning to play with them.

Much of the time Katherine is a very serious baby. It seems that whenever we pull out the camera to try to take pictures, we have to jump up and down and wave our arms to get her to smile. Just yesterday, Papa G worked for at least an hour trying to crack a smile (without any luck I might add). She has this new skeptism when visitors arrive that says, "I'm not sure I'm going to relax-- Mommy and Daddy might be leaving again". Fortunately, there are numerous times that she can't stop laughing. And we just happen to catch it on video for you.

So this video is dedicated to the Ross clan: hit play as many times as you want! Cousin Kate can't wait to play with you all in person.

Here's another video to remind us all to laugh more often.