A Cerney Periodical

Brock loves the el trains. We have a favorite spot on the walk to Wicker Park where we sometimes sit and wait for trains. Today everyone had a sit. One of Brock's favorite lines now is to add "long time" or "really, really really long time" at the end of things he likes, including watching the trains.  He is quite focused and could have stayed much longer, but all of our butts were getting quite wet. I guess he just has more wet butt stamina than the rest of us.

Brock likes Matt to draw specific images for him. Today was particularly entertaining as grandpa Larry makes the list along with Murray facade for all participants. Kinda long, but has some juicy parts and some bang on artwork from Matt.

Chance had it that the nature museum has monthly representation from a reptile club and Brock got up close and personal with some new cold blooded friends. There were some really cool snakes too! The club visits the first weekend of each month... we'll be back! Oh man, that's a big booger. Sorry little dude. Turtle man in action.

Brock is getting into organization and baby fung shui. The past few weeks he has been manifesting his found art gallery throughout the house. Here is one of his first collections. "I call it, Rody Across Antiquity. It's very now. You wouldn't understand". "Still Life with Broom and Duck. "Cluster of Zen Nothing". No work is complete without Elmo chair. I take that back. Turns out it needed an immersion chiller.  and, that is all.

Northwest ho for Eugene Oregon, my college alma mater some some and then some years ago. First thing in the morning, upon Brock's request, we head to donuts. Not just any donuts, Blue Star donuts!  Far more delicious than the competition, Portland's famous pink-boxed institution, Voodoo Donuts. Forget them. Blue Star is where it's at. We got the fresh bits right out of the fryer! Here Brock and Matt watch the masters at work (they are kneading dough behind Brock's giant white head, pretty terrible picture, they always seem to look different in the blog than from the identical image captured on my phone's screen. Oh well.) Portland is the city of roses, so we naturally had to pay a visit to the famous rose garden in Washington Square. Roses schmoeses, they got stairs!!  So many flavors! Here is the Twilight Zone varietal.  and Cherry Parfait. A fun play ground amongst Oregon's breathtaking and very tall trees. It goes waaayy

As Brock continues to get more verbal and repeats more of what we say, Holly and I have been actively awaiting the "I love you"s to roll in. About a week ago, I had the good fortune to be the first recipient. Brock and I were chatting on the stairs (a favorite hangout) and I told him I loved him. He immediately parroted "I love you," and I melted. I couldn't be sure he even knew what he was saying, but it was wonderful regardless. Mommy was in the kitchen, and I spent the next couple minutes trying to convince him to run up to mommy and repeat the magic words again, but to no avail. There were snacks to eat, and trouble to make. The very next afternoon, Brock and I were playing in the living room when mommy came home. Brock had been on a pretty strange stretch of being very unwelcoming to mom. He'd be very focused on our play and not wanted it interrupted, so Holly would frequently come home to cries of, "no mama! no mama!" This day Brock