Mother Goose meets Donald Trump

Yesterday I tried teaching Noah "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none, and this little piggy went 'Wee, wee wee!' all the way home!" He giggled and after 10 times playing the game with his toes, I asked him to try on my toes. He responded with Donald-Trump-Like-Viperesque-hand, "You're a pig, you're a pig, Go HOME!"

Sprinkles: the new Worried

This is Noah's "worried" face. Is he his daddy's son, or what?

Ketchup Communication

We had dinner with the Carlsons tonight. Noah had a plateful of tater-tots and a special request.
Noah: I need a dibbet, Mommy!
Jeana: A dibbet? Do you need a fork?
Noah: No! No fork! I need a dibbet. Please!
Geary: What are you talking about? Are you thirsty?
Noah: No! I need a dibbet!
Then he shook his fist over his plate a few times until we realized he was miming dipping his tots in ketchup. One blob of the red stuff and he was satisfied.

Fun Fact: Mona Lisa Chuckle

I've decided that we need to have a weekly fun fact. I've also decided that Thursday will be Fun Fact day. This way you get to know our little quirks and the random ways we like to amuse ourselves.

Noah has a placemat with the alphabet on it. It's called an "Easy Learner" mat. The idea is that by seeing the letters at every meal he'll begin to recognize them and learn his ABC's without really trying. I have decided that this method would work with anything. Therefore, in an effort to become familiar with great paintings I've hung a laminated poster of Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa in our shower. We're calling it our "Exposure to Art Project." Pun most definitely intended.

Noah James

Our favorite tree at Green Lake

Lessons from Parenthood

Noah informed me that he was "going to work" today. He dragged his little red backpack behind him for one complete lap of our apartment then went to his room and closed the door. I could hear him talking and playing for about 10 minutes and then he came running at me shouting, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!" When he had wrapped his arms around my legs, he smiled up at me angelically and said, "Mommy! I'm back!" I melted. Does God melt when I run to him and shout my excitement, "I'm back! I'm with you! I'm in your presence!" I think yes.

Nicholas & Andrew

Click here to see pictures of the Carlson boys. The site will be up for the next 60 days.

They are SO cute! We hung out with Chad & Cindy last night and Nicholas is the most relaxed baby I have ever seen. I'd forgotten how tiny newborns are! And Andrew seems to be loving his role as Big Brother. He kept telling Cindy, "I need to hold Nicholas! I NEED to!"

The Great Lesson

We ended up watching Stand and Deliver (about a math teacher in East LA who takes a bunch of impoverished students from a 7th grade math level to passing the AP Calculus test with fewer than 4 wrong) and Mona Lisa Smile (about an art history teacher's first year at all girl's Wellesley College. She battles a bunch of snobby rich girls who believe their chief goal at college is to get married). The cool thing was noticing the similarities between the movies. I know, I know...1982-Latino-highschoolers and 1954-Society-girl-wealthy-college students don't seem to have a lot in common. But they do! All of these students, regardless of their affluence, education, or upbringing were content to meet their expectations and never exceed them. The teachers in these movies pushed these kids to want more. They didn't want their students to live dead-end lives or be stuck in the boxes of their own expectations. It sure brings up some good questions about contentment. I hope to always be content with what I have, where I am, and who I am. But in matters like my relationships with God, friends and family, or the pursuit of knowledge or character...I hope I am never content. I hope I will always strive to exceed my own expectations and never settle for mediocre. I guess that's the great lesson of all those "teacher movies." Never settle.

I'm sick today...

Blah. I feel like watching a whole bunch of "teacher" movies today. You know what I mean? But, let's see...what's the best "teacher" movie for a day like today?

Jeana says Stand and Deliver, I say A Man Without a Face??? Or, The Emporers' Club? But can there be anything better than Dead Poet's Society? I just feel like I have it memorized. Boring now. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit is good--c'mon! A singing nun?

Mona Lisa Smile is new but I haven't seen it yet. Coach Carter is in theaters. Haven't seen it yet.

So, what is the best "teacher" movie? We'll do our best to find out today.

A new friend was born today!

Nicholas Rae was born today. Chad and Cindy just called to give us the stats:

Born via scheduled C-Section at 8:31 am

7 pounds 4 ounces

19 inches long

Lots of hair

We haven't seen him yet, but Chad says he looks a lot like Andrew did when he was born. Yay!
Congratulations Chad, Cindy, and big brother Andrew!

Catching your two year old's vomit is overrated...

Trust me, I know. Noah threw up all day yesterday and went through about 7 changes of clothes. I went through 4. Noah seems to be feeling better today. I, however, feel sick at the sight of the pile of laundry we made from wiping up puddles of barf. Oh, the joys of parenthood...

From Edmonds, Washington...it's LINHART LIVE!!!

Hello, family and friends. Welcome to your source for daily (ish) updates on the happenings of Geary, Jeana, and Noah. Our hope is that you will get a sense of what our normal lives are like. Plus it's a really great way to hear some cute Noah stories before we forget they happened. Check in often and please feel free to leave comments. We love hearing from you!