Halloween

I know, I know, It's November 21st.  Here are Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (Aviva and Ben) and an Angel and Spiderman (Keely and Max).  Thanks to Elizabeth E.  for the smashing Flinstones costumes (including Bamm-Bamm's adorable hat).  She just keeps amazing me everytime I turn around.  

First Snow

Since Kristin only has time for posts on her food blog -- and yes, it is that important -- then I will post pictures for Ann Arbor's first fallen snow.   Yes, it is only mid-November.  

Watching Max eat the snow reminded me of being a kid and reminded me how I've become my dad.

Me: "Max, don't eat the snow, it's yucky."

Max: "It not yucky, daddy, it yummy."

Me: "No it's yucky.  It will give you yucky poopoo."

Max: "No it not.  I be careful.  I show you." 

And then he showed me.   We'll see who's right.

UPDATE:

Indeed Max's poop was yucky.  But, it's hard to tell what caused it.  I think we'll call it a draw. 

"Dah???"

Aviva can't quite say Max's name.  At all.  Instead, she calls him "Dah."  When Aviva awoke this morning, the first thing she said (still from inside her crib) was "Dah?" -- as in, where's Max?  I told her, Max is still asleep, but she didn't seem to understand.

So after a bottle, what did she say?  "Dah?"  Where's Max.  

After playing for a while with the toy door and some other toys, Aviva heard a thump from upstairs.  "Dah!" she exclaimed as she ran for the stairs.  Sure enough, there was her Dah.  She was so happy she started screaming (her happy scream) and ran up to meet him. 

I'm really glad Aviva likes Dah.  It makes me real happy.  

Good news . . . or Great news?

First, the good news. I passed the Michigan Bar. It helps that I can keep my job and pay the bills. It was an uncertain outcome because I did not leave a lot of time to study for the bar -- only about 10 days. Plus, I hadn't been in school for several years, and let's face it, even while in school I wasn't that studious. So all things considered, this is quite the blessing.

Also, if you'll recall, I passed my first bar in 2005 and told recipients of the then-titled Ellis Family Newsletter (or EFN) that I had passed in a November 20, 2005 communique. In that very same newsletter, Kristin touted my support for one Barrack Obama. Yes, that's right, before there was a bandwagon, there was me. Here's an excerpt:

"Abram had previously asked Kristin for only one christmas present - the domain name, www.mormonsforobama.com. With their encouragement, Abram is already strategizing how to get in touch with fellow Obamamites."

Over the following few months, my adoration of Obama continued and finally, for the first time in my life, it looks like (and I really shouldn't post this out of fear of jinxing the outcome) I will have supported the eventual winner of the presidential election. That's right, I (like Ben Affleck, if you watched SNL) have always supported the losing candidate. Here's how it went:

1992 -- I supported Bush 41. I know, it's unexplainable really, except that I can only applaud the brainwashing efforts of my parents (kidding) and the pulpit (kind of kidding). I also liked Ross Perot, but that didn't really help either.
1996 -- I was on a mission and was really just mourning the death of former French president Francois Mitterrand.
2000 -- supported Gore as I finally embraced my Blueishness
2004 -- half-heartedly supported Kerry

We will see what happens tonight, but I am very excited about the prospects.