it's cq.............. adam & laura declercq

bombs away

2012-02-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

No real explanation needed...

actual conversation

2012-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

The following is an actual conversation that occured between an "almost" 2-year old and his parents. For the purposes of this narrative, we will call the child Garrett. Please note that all of Garrett's lines are delivered in the whiny, slightly high-pitched voice that "almost" 2-year olds have made famous.

Parent: When we get home would you like to take a bath?
Garrett: Nooo baaaath!

Parent: How about we read some books?
Garrett: No read.

Parent: Should we rock?
Garrett: No rock.

Parent: How about some milk?
Garrett: No milk.

Parent: Ok. What should we do when we get home? You pick.
Garrett: No pick.

End dialogue.

This is my favorite place

2012-01-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

We had a magical, beautiful night here in the DeClercq home Friday. Garrett asked for a family dance, and Laura and I obliged. It was the sweetest family experience with palpable family love. I was so thrilled by my beloved family that I wished I could have shared it with everyone. Thus I set about creating this short video to best capture that experience.

This is the family that I love:

Music by Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

In the "jammas". "Weading" all by himself.

where did the baby go?

2011-12-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

I don't see a baby anymore. Just a big boy.

Random Decemberness

2011-12-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

December sort of got away from us. However, it was full of all kinds of silliness at our house.

wearing Mama's Uggs

getting artsy with the magna doodle

helping mom make cream cheese frosting

decorating the gingerbread house

cruising on the new trike

Merry Christmas from the DeClercqs

2011-12-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

I know this is posted a little late, but we were too busy enjoying the Christmas cheer. And the Christmas lights.

Trip to the park

2011-12-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

Was it fun?

Terrifying?

Painful?

Of course not!

Yeah for Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa!

Two blog posts in one month! Take that Halversons.

Anyone want an apel?

2011-12-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight after dinner, a remarkably well eaten, mostly whine-free dinner, Garrett asked for an "apel".

Not much later, Garret returned to me, hand outstretched with the apple stem. He proudly said "apel" to which I repliec, "No son, this is no longer an apple. You literally demolished that sucker." Laura tells me that I should be glad he actually returned the stem. Sometimes he eats that too.

Garrett steals the show

2011-11-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of church directory portraits. Garrett and Laura, as usual came out between services to visit, mostly to visit Danna, but also to say hello to me. As you can see, Garrett stole the show!

photo cards

2011-11-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

Adam has been wanting to try to print some photo cards with his work on them. Our first try was with Shutterfly.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Bako, etc

2011-11-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we took an epic drive to Bakersfield. Epic? Why yes, it took us over 4 hours to make the quick 2 hour drive. Lots of traffic, some rain, and a sign indicating a 60 min delay on the grapevine. No snow, just lots and lots of people.
However, once we arrived in Bako, we were pleased to spend 24 hours with our friends, the Halversons. Their son is a mere 2 months younger than Garrett. Garrett was very enamored with all of Bryce's toys. He also slept better there than ever before. He slept in til 9:15. Wowza!
On Monday we went to Murray Family Farm. We toured the farm, which included a giant jumping pillow...

some pumpkins...

Garrett was a little concerned about the wristband

duck races...

and a corn pit...

We also picked some apples and avocados. The apples were pretty slim pickings, but we managed.

The boys seemed to enjoy being pulled around in the wagon.

We had a great time, except for the 7+ hours we spent in the car. So much for avoiding the Thansgiving mayhem on the freeways.

windfall

2011-11-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty serious Santa Ana wind storm on Wednesday. That meant on Thursday our yard was littered with leaves and branches. Yesterday Garrett discovered the sticks. And was smitten and wildly entertained. Yes, I do have a little boy.

Lesson learned for next time... do not request that he show you the stick. He will throw it at you. My mistake.

thank you

2011-10-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you creator of Trader Joe's organic yogurt squishers. Yogurt is fun again. And Garrett can do it mostly by himself!

bandaid

2011-10-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Garrett had his first bandaid-worthy accident. He closed his thumb in the front door, yes the big wooden door.

There wasn't much crying, but it was bleeding. So to protect his Biola shirt and our upholstery, I applied a bandaid. There wasn't a bit of gagging, which due to his aversion to stickers, I expected. However, the bandaid only last about 15 minutes. He pulled it off and threw it in the garbage can.

Garrett's love for cleaning

2011-10-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

Garrett's cousin Kaylin has a fear of vacuum cleaners. Irrational perhaps, she's afraid of them when they aren't even turned on, but everyone has fears.

Wait, no. My son doesn't have any fear. In fact, he has an unhealthy desire to be sucked up into the vacuum cleaner. See for yourself:

Update: Garrett actually is afraid of something, stickers and double sided tape - he'll gag and scream if they come near him.
Laura's update to the Update: Garrett voluntarily reached for double sided tape today. Apparently, even that fear is fading.

favorites

2011-09-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Garrett's favorite things seem to shift from day to day. He is fickle.
However, over this weekend, two things emerged at the top of his list.
First, this book...

We watched a cartoon called Willa's Wild Life. This book is the basis for the cartoon. So, when I found it at a local bookstore for $5.99, I scooped it up. We have read it easily a dozen times since Saturday.

Second, dancing.

G loves to play with our alarm clock. As soon as he pushes the power button, he starts dancing. I will spare you the details of my dancing, and Adam's dancing for that matter. But, one thing is clear, Garrett gets his moves from his daddy.

found

2011-09-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is Crunch.

He has been missing for about 9 months.

But last night, he was found... buried under a bush in the backyard.

Apparently, Bobby took it upon himself to save Crunch for later.

So much so, that I had to rip little roots from his little orange stuffed carrot body.

Never a dull moment.

Laura's awesome birthday voyage.

2011-09-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ahoy thar, matey! This here be an adventure wurthy of th' seven seas.

Shiver me timbers!

keys?

2011-09-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I walked out the door with Garrett. In one hand I had the diaper bag, complete with water bottle and snack. In the other, I had my purse, complete with Bible and notebook ready to be filled with BSF notes. What I failed to grab on my way out the now locked door, were my keys.I checked all the doors, and they were in fact locked. So, my only option was to climb in through a window. You never notice how dirty the outside window sills are until you have to climb through one. I brought Garrett into the backyard, removed a screen, pulled up a chair, and shimmied through. I am also not as bendy as I used to be.
Once inside, I grabbed my keys, let myself out the front door, and ran around back to get Garrett and head for Bible Study. Garrett was nowhere to be found. He had let himself in the house by climbing through the doggie door. I got down on the ground, shoved my arm through the dog door and coaxed my now laughing son back through the door.
Next time, I am sending Garrett in for the keys.

class of 2028

2011-09-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Biola, here we come!

Thanks Uncle Joey for the rockin' tshirt!

last day of summer vacation

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the last day of summer vacation, we had a fun-packed day.We drove to San Clemente. We wandered down to the pier and decided we must camp in San Clemente next summer.

We also met a pelican.

We had lunch at the Cellar. We had the charcuterie plate and a cheese plate. G loved both. His favorites were the balsamic onions and the D'Affinois double creme cheese. I know, I might be raising a baby foodie.

That afternoon Garrett spent some time in the backyard. He got very dirty.

Then, we had ribs for dinner.

McD

2011-08-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

It has been hot here.

So, I decided we needed a cold treat.

We headed to McDonalds.

I am normally vehemently against fast food (In N Out and Chipotle excluded, obviously).

But, I do love McD's iced coffee. And I had a coupon for a free ice cream cone.

Garrett had his first McD ice cream cone.

He loved it... as soon as I removed the paper wrapper from the cone.

G has a strange aversion to things that resemble stickers. Normally there is gagging involved.

Why do kids always want to bite the bottom off of the cone?

We're moving

2011-08-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ok. I lied. We aren't going anywhere. But after a week here, we were ready to pack and make the big move to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. (who da ho? yes, we've heard that one)

We spent a week on Lake Coeur d'Alene with my parents and brother. We rented a ski boat and had a ton of fun being drug around the lake on skis and an inner tube.

Garrett loved the horn.

All three of us. Squint and you can see me on skis.

Garrett's first time on the tube. We went SUPER slow for about 20 ft. No need to freak out.

We also spent a day in the mountains picking huckleberries. I do believe this Chariton-Bostwick-DeClercq family tradition goes back long before I was ever born.

One of the best parts of the whole trip to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, was that Garrett started sleeping in. Until 8 AM! So far, it has mostly stuck since we got home.

his hat

2011-08-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want to wear your hat at breakfast.

Dad, Dad!

2011-07-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Dad. What'ya doin'?

Taking pictures with your camera?

Can I play with it?

Can I push that button?

Let me try. Can I touch that?

C'mon, let me try. How about this? Can I push this?

Dad, look at me. Let me see it.

What's that, Dad? What is it?

Dad? Dad? Can I play with your camera?

this mama needs a bike

2011-07-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just look at all the fun the boys are having without me...

Also, if you listen carefully, you can hear Garrett's new word.

And yes, we know, we need to get Garrett a helmet. And Adam needs to wear the one he already has.

Zoomars Petting Zoo

2011-07-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we headed south to San Juan Capistrano to visit Zoomars petting zoo. I purchased a deal to Zoomars through Plum District and we were pleased with our experience. With our deal, we got 4 entrance tickets, 3 feed baskets, and 2 train rides.

The feed baskets were way more fun than the train.

Garrett thoroughly enjoyed feeding the sheep, goats, pony, llamas, and trying to feed the not interested cow.

The goats were the most interactive of the bunch. They would very enthusiastically rip the lettuce, apple, carrot, or broccoli out of your hand, sometimes head butting each other to get to the grub.

Garrett was nearly lost in a crowd of goats on more than one occasion. But, he was his normal "not to be flustered" self, and was very resilient. That is, until we took him in the pen with the rabbits and guinea pigs. The smaller the animal, the more scary.

Zoomar's website advertises "well-natured" animals, and it would appear that is the truth. Short of one goat bully, all of the animals were pretty gentle and we never worried about Garrett.

We did have a little issue with keeping the feed apples out of Garrett's mouth. Apparently, we don't ever feed him.

16 months

2011-07-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Garrett is officially 16 months old today. I know, how time does fly. Well, the days are long, and the weeks are short. Garrett is busy. Very busy. He loves to chase Bobby and will often point at him and say "woof woof". He loves to be outside. And even more than being outside, he loves water.

He plays with the watering can, watering the grass and pretending to water when the can is empty. He loves to help clean with a rag and a bucket of water (that is an outside activity, actually, most of the water activities are confined to the outside). He loves to stick his hands in the stream of water from the hose. And he loves to be in the pool. He voluntarily sticks his face in the water. He is still learning to keep his mouth closed when he does that. A little pool water never hurt anyone.

He runs and climbs on everything. He spins in a circle until he falls down. Generally, he makes very happy sounds, and lots of them, all day. He is also generally covered in dirt and very sweaty. It is a good thing he loves bath time, because he needs it!

Garrett says ma, da, up, done, woof and quack. Occasionally we hear ball, dog, and wa (water) and an all encompassing word for what and want. What he lacks in verbal skills, he makes up for with very enthusiastic head nodding.

Garrett waves and points, blows kisses, and covers his eyes to play peek-a-boo. He also can be very affectionate, giving hugs and kisses on the lips (still occasionally a head bonk of love). When he feels like it, he can identify his nose, mouth, hair, teeth, ears and toes. He also seems to know what just about everything is, happily pointing to things when asked. Scary how much they understand!

All of this fun rolled into one kid. I know, how lucky are we? I did fail to mention the screaming fits of a little will resisting being broken that have been known to accompany 3 meals a day, and the newly perfected whiny voice that drives me up the wall. Even still, we love him to pieces.

And for those on teeth watch... he has 3 molars. We are still waiting for that stubborn bottom right one. But while we were waiting for that one, the top left canine sneaked in. So, we are up to 12. That molar is literally barely under the surface. It will pop through anytime now... bringing the total to 13.

Hawaii: Here's 10,000 words about it!

2011-07-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

What should we watch tonight? Garrett TV

2011-07-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

We haven't been negle-Okay, we have have been neglecting our blog a little...But we have good rea-No, we don't really have any good reasons...It's because we've been bu-Again, no, we haven't been busy, we've been on vacation and summer break...Oh, yeah, we've been busy raising the cutest little guy ever and recording video to share with you, so here you go!

Here is one of Garrett showing his linguistic skills

Here is one of us playing outside

And here is one of the most precious laugh you've ever heard

Here is a video where Garrett is doing what Garrett loves to do

one little picture

2011-07-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

... to tide you over until we get back on the blogging bandwagon.

and proof that Garrett walked away from the dog "incident" pretty much scott free.

first trip to the ER

2011-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, a woman at church gave me, what I believed to be sound advice. Make a deal with your kids to not sustain any serious injuries unless Dad is home. I thought that sounded brilliant, and Sunday night sat down with Garrett and made the deal. Monday, Adam was off work, and Garrett thought that was license to convince Bobby to eat his face. I am starting to think our deal was a poor decision.

We took our first trip to the ER with Garrett yesterday. Our dog bit him in the face.

[Now, keep your dog bite comments to yourself. This was an isolated incident, Garrett and Bobby share in the responsibility and we are keeping a VERY close watch on the dog.]

Yes, that is a blood stain on his shirt. Thank you Melaluca spot remover- it is gone.

Garrett was a real trooper and bounced back way faster than I did. (Adam was fine. He was laughing about it by dinnertime. I went to bed with a stress headache.) Adam correctly diagnosed me with an inability to shut off the mama bear instinct.

Anyway. We had a great expreience at the ER. They checked for any damage to his eyes (super cool procedure by the way! The doctor put special liquid in and around his eyes, then shone a black light on his face. Everywhere there was a cut, it glowed neon green. He looked like an x-man.) There was none. They indicated that he didn't need stitches (unless we wanted them done for cosmetic reasons, which we didn't because they would have to sedate G and that sounded way more traumatic). A snack and Garrett was ready to play.

We just thought you might want to know how our Memorial Day went.

here fishy fishy

2011-05-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Friday was a special day. Adam took the day off of work, just to be with us. So, to mark the ocassion, we went to the Long Beach aquarium.

Garrett seemed to really enjoy it. He loved watching the fish swim by, although he prefered the tanks that were in well-lit areas. I think the dark areas were a little much for him to process. At one point, I walked with him into a little alcove and he had a little freak out.

He loved watching the seals and sea lions play.

And of course, he loved the petting tanks. Good thing we have been working on "touch with just one finger" so that Garrett was not the child that grabbed the star fish out of the tank.

a boy and his dog

2011-05-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Garrett and Bobby have a strongly forged friendship based mostly on the sharing of food. However, they are slowly discovering how to play together. Garrett LOVES playing with Bobby. So far, Bobby only humors him for so long. Beware: cute baby giggles included free of charge.

Tell me what's better

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

What's better than a night out with the family?

A night out with the family at Downtown Disney!

What't better than a night out with the family at Downtown Disney?

A night out with the family at Downtown Disney and FREE Haagen Dazs ice cream!

Garrett even got his own free cup of Strawberry ice cream. Needless to say, he loved this evening out! Who am I kidding? We all did.

in and out

2011-04-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

I do believe that Garrett is in that stage of development where there is literally something new every single day. He is on the verge of using a whole slew of words, I can feel it.
He is waving and clapping up a storm. But, his newest trick is one we probably should not encourage... using the doggy door.
It started innocent enough. Putting a toy outside, reaching through and pulling it back in. Maybe a sippy cup. In and out, in and out. Wednesday, he figured out how to put himself in and out.

We had our first traffic jam at the door yesterday. Garrett was halfway in and halfway out and Bobby was insistent that he be able to go out. Bobby stood at the sliding door and grunted and huffed until Garrett maneuvered back in the house.

Spring Break family style

2011-04-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am not one to use the word epic lightly. Epic is an amazing word, tiny, yet packs a very powerful punch. You won't find me talking with others and saying things like "That Wendy's frosty was epic!" or "Dude, what an epic car!" I just can't do it. To use epic in such a way robs it of its beauty and power.

So when I say this Spring Break was epic, you better believe that it went well beyond a normal week and into an area where legends are from!

Monday

Story time at the library- Garrett sat quietly and listened to a story and we sang songs and then played with the other kids and a whole bunch of new toys. It was awesome.

Massive bump on the head (see previous post).

Tuesday

Went to kindergym- a raucous romp with kids, play sets, balls, tunnels, bubbles, more songs, rolling down mats, and crawling through rings! A total blast.

This might just be the cutest video we've ever taken of G.

In the evening the Halversons came over for a visit. Garrett and Bryce played. The parents tried to keep up.

Wednesday

Santa Ana Zoo!

Thursday

recovery day - I went to swim practice but otherwise we just stayed home and relaxed a little bit. In the afternoon we went to the park.

Friday

The best laid plans of mice and men often go askew- and so it went with Friday's plans. However, we still were able to spend a lovely day with Laina, Josh, and cousin/niece Kaylin.

Saturday

Cousin Kay, Aunt Lain, and Uncle Josh left this morning leaving Mom and Dad to relax, clean up, and enjoy remaining hours of workless peace. Mom and Garrett went to the park and took a walk while Daddy (that's me!) worked, and then fixed the busted sprinkler pipe. I felt very accomplished buying, cutting, cementing, and completely fixing the pipe that I broke!

And now there is just one more day left before work/school starts back up. I'm thinking I might call in sick Monday.

First major bump

2011-04-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

and it sure was a big one!

The other day, while playing in the front yard, our adventurous son took his first big spill. He's fallen plenty of times, but this spill left the biggest bump and mark by far.

Since then he's learned to be much more cautious. NOT! The other morning he tried to go head first over the foot railing of our bed. We have such a wild littel man.

Close but no cigar

2011-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

What do these two words have in common?

Peclercu
Mcclurdcq

They are both attempts at spelling DeClercq.

As you can tell from our blog site name, it's cq, we have always dealt with the tragic misspelling of our family name. And to commemorate that we have always talked about setting up a sidebar to chronicle the humorous misspellings.

*These versions of DeClercq were provided by Ricky "Peclercu" "Mcclurdcq" DeClercq.

let him eat cake

2011-03-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Garrett had two very different reactions to cake.
The first was during his birthday party. We think he might have been a little overwhelmed with the pressure.

The second was on his actual birthday. And it involved a chocolate cupcake with orange frosting.

See. Nothing to worry about. He is normal after all. He just needed some time to come down off of the party high.

My little baby boy is almost a year old

2011-03-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

My son has been a part of our family for almost a year. Really, that's not much time. Yet, I feel so much more than one year older myself. Still, I can say it has only been a year. A year that has entirely and wholly changed my life, for the better. I can't imagine this world without him.

And here is a bonus

2011-03-10T22:06:00.001-08:00

Fun time with Gramps, or El Taco, or G-Pa, and whatever else you want to call that old man.

Who wants a walking baby?

2011-03-10T21:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we don't have one of those. We have a full on walking little boy!

feeling limey

2011-03-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Despite multiple tries, we could only get one of the lime videos to load to YouTube. We think the other one is funnier, but let's be honest, a video of a baby eating a lime is pretty funny regardless...

We want you to know that I simply held the lime for him; he voluntarily went in for each and every bite.

insert pictures here

2011-02-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

As many of you have heard, our home was burglarized a week and a half ago. We lost our laptop and digital camera, on which we had all of our pictures and videos of Garrett.

Had they not been stolen, we would have pictures of Garrett's first haircut to put right here. So, imagine a chunky baby Garrett sitting on our dining room table in just a little blue diaper. He is holding his toothbrush to keep him entertained. I have a look of fear in my eyes as I hold the scissors and *snip* there goes the first lock of baby hair.

Also here, would be pictures and video of Garrett's first trip to the beach. We spent Valentine's Day in Laguna Beach having a picnic lunch. To say that Garrett LOVED the sand would be an understatement. His job seemed to be to move the sand from one side of my mom, to the other, with the occasional handful in her lap.
He was not 100% sure about the ocean, but he curled his fat little toes in the sand and really seemed to enjoy it.

Disneyland

2011-01-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we were very excited to introduce Garrett to the Happiest Place on Earth. We were able to spend the day at Disneyland due to the generosity of a friend and Disneyland employee.

We were able to meet Adam's siblings there for the day since they all have season passes.

We were shocked to find out how many rides Garrett was able to ride. We were prepared to spend the day in the stroller and on the train.

first ride- the Carousel

wiped out waiting in line for Dumbo

finally flying high on Dumbo

loving the Finding Nemo submarine

stroller mamas

worth a thousand words

2011-01-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

so what else can I say?

How 'bout you say it. In the comments section below write a caption for this beautiful portrait.

Went to Bako

2011-01-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

We went to Bakersfield to meet up with some friends over the weekend. Here is their blog with some great photos of the cutest kids!

http://theadhb.blogspot.com/2011/01/me-and-my-pal-garrett.html

dangerous driver

2011-01-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Garrett received this walker as a Christmas gift. He has not quite perfected the braking or the steering. But, he likes to cruise with it.

just for Grandma Gigi

2011-01-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Sporting the NYC onesie and loving life.

DeClercqs rule

2011-01-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

That is all.

First Snow

2011-01-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, we had the pleasure and privilege to spend four days at Adam's grandparents' cabin in Twain Harte. We had been looking forward to 4 days of absolutely nothing to do long before the waves of flu, ear infections, and throat infections set in. But as we spent the week preceding our trip just hanging on, we clung to the fact that in 5 days, 4 days, 3 days (you get the picture), we would be cuddled up in the cabin, toasty from the heater with nothing to do but just be.

And so, when we awoke on our first morning at the cabin to SNOW, we were beyond thrilled. It brought back Kandern memories, and as soon as breakfast was done, we bundled up our little boy and headed out to play.

Later that day, we shared the snow fun with my mom and dad who came to visit at the cabin. To say we loved it, would be an understatement. Bobby, though, may not have loved the snow.

A very special Christmas

2011-01-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was very exciting for me. I looked forward to it for months, actually. I was so excited to share the wonder and excitement with Garrett, my son. I know he is too young to really get what all the excitement is all about, and I know he won't remember the special gifts his mother and I gave him, still, as his father I took great joy in thinking about the special time with him and with our families.

But beyond the wrapping, and egg nog, and decorated trees, I rediscovered the meaning of Christmas. How cliche is that? I grew up in church where I was annually reminded of the "true meaning of Christmas". I went to a bible college where a minor in bible was required. I know a whole lot about what the "true meaning of Christmas" is truly about. So how is it that at this point in my life I am discovering this once again? Read this:

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

I get tired, cranky, frustrated and then mean towards my son at times. I lose my patience and act unloving toward those I love most. My natural tendencies are towards evil. Yet, I was so excited about choosing a wonderful gift for my son. I was so happy to sit down Christmas Eve and put together his gift. And I was thrilled to help him play with it Christmas morning. I might be evil, but I know how to give good gifts, because I do know how to love my son deeply.

The second part of Luke 11: 13 talks about how our Father gives even more, how he gives better. And as I reflected on this I imagined God giving up His son. I imagined Him as a Father sending His son away. I considered the terms we ascribe: God the Father, Jesus the Son of God. This shed new light on my understanding of their relationship simply because I now understand the father-son relationship in a whole new way. They are father and son (and though the trinity is far more complex than that, they are described as father and son) and God sent his only son to a broken and twisted place. Then years later, God had to watch as his son was beaten, then killed.

He knowingly sent his son away to be sacrificed. With this in mind I repeatedly looked at my son and asked myself if I could sacrifice in that way? Probably not. Then I asked myself if I could sacrifice as Abraham did, by walking his son up the mountain to be a sacrifice. I like to think I could, but I just don't know.

I feel such tremendous love for Garrett. His smile is my joy. His open arms melt my heart. And I cannot imagine what it would be like to send him away. I cannot imagine what it would be like watch him suffer.

So how much greater is God's gift to us? Infinitely greater. The true meaning of Christmas is that a Father sent his Son to save the world. That son was born as a baby without an advantage in the world. That son grew up and was mercilessly killed. That son provided the way for all of us to be reconciled to God OUR Father.

This Christmas those words took on a depth of meaning that I had never considered before. I hope my words can help you consider that depth as well.

(Here's Garrett with the Red Flyer wagon Laura and I gave him. The box is filled with books from us, too.)

eyes

2010-12-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

for those of you wondering if Garrett's eyes have changed color yet, we will let you be the judge.

Fun with puffs

2010-12-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

If you are not a parent of a small child, you may not understand the awesomeness that is a container of baby puffs. Really they are puffed air that dissolve upon contact with any liquid, preferably slobber. They are an amazing baby distractor. Also, they have a serving size of 75 for 25 calories, so if you are on the market for a low-cal munchie, they may be just the thing.

And Garrett loves them.
And they keep us from needing cable television.
Just watch...

What are we thankful for?

2010-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

We are thankful for sunny days at the park!

and slides...

and swings...

and smiles!

What am I thankful for?

2010-11-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

These two!

A little clip of life in the DeClercq home

2010-11-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

I could hear the giggling from the kitchen so I crept up to get some candid video. It is so fun to listen to him laugh!

school spirit

2010-11-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Booster Club surprised us this afternoon with a little something special for Garrett...

Is he not the cutest water polo fan EVER?? Ok, it's not the best picture ever, but you know he's cute.

the Halloween debate has been settled

2010-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

and here he is in all of his costume glory...

that's right, he works at Best Buy.

2010-10-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

As Halloween draws near, the great costume debate has been poked and prodded by my lovely wife and myself. We've briefly talked about the subject a few times, only to move on to more palatable discussions. Well, that might sound a little harsh, it's not like you're a sinner if you allow your kids to dress up. They'll probably go straight to Hell, but hey, its for candy. I kid!

I grew up going to fall festivals at church and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Then my parents went crazy with their extreme conservatism and we boycotted Halloween. Instead of a night around the neighborhood, we packed up and went to a hotel for the evening. I don't know if my parents planned for this side effect, but Halloween became to coolest holiday ever! We played in the pool, ran around like, um...kids on a sugar high in the sauna and steam room, spent hours going up and down the elevators, and, of course, watching cable TV. Ah, those were good days.

Laura's parents allowed her to dress up and trick-or-treat. No "hiding from the devil" in the Bostwick household.

But now that we have our little one, we must start making-AHHH!- grown up decisions. Do we dress up our little Garrett and risk people thinking we dabble in witchcraft? Or do we sideline him from all the fun? Oh, decisions!*

We'll keep you posted as we figure this issue out. Until then, we will celebrate the fall. Here are some precious photos of our precious son!

*No feelings were meant to be harmed in the making of this post.

Your attention please

2010-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

I interrupt all this cuteness to inform you that I will no longer clutter this blog with book reviews. But don't dismay, you can still catch all of my insightful comments here: http://saturdaymorningpeople.wordpress.com/.

Saturday Morning People is my new Wordpress blog dedicated to reviewing books. I'd love it if you would head over there, add it as a favorite and frequently visit. You should also participate, too. It's going to be great fun.

See ya there!

-Adam

I have a beautiful sister who will very soon give me a beautiful niece

2010-10-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun going out with my sister and brother-in-law and shooting some images of them before their big day. And I think they truly got some nice shots. They're probably going to have the second cutest baby I've ever seen.

is it morning already?

2010-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

HELLO

THERE

tooth sighting

2010-09-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we caught the first sight of Garrett's very first tooth. By Monday, there were two teeth in sight.
I tried to capture them on video for posterity. It was a big-time fail.

Adam was able to get a picture of the two little tooth nubs sticking out of his lower gums. Baby Tylenol is our friend, as of late.

DeClercq Family Togetherness

2010-09-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend proved to be one of the most loving in the history of the DeClercq weekends of Loving.

Here's the proof:

(I'm not sure what is going on with Laina's eyes here. She is either thinking "I'm preggo and sexy and I'm turning on the supermodel flair" or "my feet are killing me and I will burn through your skull with my lazer eyes if you don't take that picture!")

And now for a few from the star of this blog:

And now you may leave your comments below to a) tell us what a beautiful, loving family we have or b) tell us what a beautiful son we have. And yes, comments about his fat cheeks count.

Summer Reading Extravaganza: Graphic Novels

2010-09-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

I know, summer is long over. What can I say? Between work and bath time (for Garrett, not me) I don't have much energy (or motivation) for blogging.

Ah, but tonight, I have a small surge of energy and feel I can tackle yet another book review. Perhaps it has something to do with my little brother being a published writer. Regardless, I've got three books to tell you about.

The first is Temperance by Cathy Malkasian. All I can really say about this one is weird. I didn't really get it. The back cover suggests the story tackles lofty themes like how war and enemies interact with culture. It even wonders if conflict helps hold culture together. If these themes are in this story then they were unrecognizable to me. Yes, there was a bad guy. Yes, there was a secondary plot about lying to keep control but in the end neither plot added up to anything.

The story started out with strong narrative promise. A grumpy, violent man, known as Pa, is nearly done building a fortified castle. He believes it is his job to protect his people from the enemies abroad. Two of his people, two young girls, watch him from a distance. It quickly becomes apparent that Peggy, one of these girls, has an ethereal quality. When Pa tries to force himself on Peggy she floats away. Then a few pages later Pa just walks off. That's the last we hear from those characters for a long time.

Instead, the plot focuses on Minerva, the other girl, and how she tries to save her people by taking Pa's place. There was a lot of really good story to have mined here, but Malkasian meandered down stranger and stranger twists to the point that I didn't have a clue what anything really meant. It became hard to differentiate between the real world set up for us and a dream world. Which isn't always a bad thing when done well, but it was hard to get a clear picture of who the main character really were, what they were, and what motivated them. And then the ending had transcendentalist qualities to it, images of nature being so much more than nature and the reality transforming into something so much more. Blah, blah, blah, I'm even boring myself as I write about it. Weird mumbo-jumbo.

The art was impressive. Clear, clean, detailed. It has nice pencil-sketched tones of gray and brown. But no matter how well illustrated a story is it still has to have a story. I'll give this one a 2/5 stars and that feels a little generous.

Up next is the detective noir You Have Killed Me. On my visit to Powell's I was drawn to this book because a) I had read a positive review about it and b) it was an autographed copy!
I enjoyed this book. It is a bit cliche with its crusty, hard-edged private eye taking a job from a lovely young woman who saunters about his tiny, crusty, hard-edged office.

But even with the tried and true story line, it is an fun, familiar ride. The plots twists are simple (unlike many modern thrillers that twist and twist and twist until you can't see straight). The bad guys are bad. The good guys are tough. The women are sultry, needy, and mysterious. The band plays jazz and the backroom has gambling. I'm not saying its original, though the story is interesting enough to keep you reading.

But here is why you should read this: the art is perfect. Done in immaculate black and white, the lines are as sharp as a razor, the shadows have depth, the people look real; this has a classic, reality based graphic form. And it works. The language is tough but clean and avoids any inappropriate use of the visual form in regards to the ladies. If anything, this would garner a PG-13 rating for the mild violence. It gets a 4, maybe a 4.5/5 stars from me.

Then, rounding out my graphic novel reading for the summer is Bottomless Belly Button. This one does all right in my opinion for all the opposite reasons of the previous book. The art in this book is much less refined. The author, Dash Shaw, has more artistic skill than I do, but that's not saying much. I mean, his studies with lines and dots at the beginning and end are cool, but he doesn't pull off people very well. Overall, the art is awkward but gets the point across. Instead, this one has an interesting, surprisingly original plot. Many graphic novels follow a memoir/narrative style, but this one shifts the focus from one family member to another as the grown children react to the news that their elderly parents are getting a divorce. The emotions seem real, the reactions sincere, which is a commendation to the strong story telling abilities of the author. This one read like a novel with interesting character motivations and conflicts.

Be warned, this is not a comic book and is not for children. I give this a 3.5/5 stars.

Next time, I've got some advanced copies I want to tell you about.

green beans

2010-09-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

Garrett is an amazing eater; he has been since day 1. He has done exceedingly well with each of the solid foods we have introduced... except green beans. Now, green beans don't exactly strike me as a "first food", but my internet source assures me that they are. So, I steamed them, pureed them, and offered them. Adam videotaped. The green beans did not receive a warm welcome.

We have given Garrett a break from the green beans. He is eating rice cereal, avocado, banana, and sweet potatoes with no problem. Next up... butternut squash. Then peas. Then apples. Maybe oatmeal or pears. Oh the culinary choices.

As a side note... I love LOVE the kidco food mill my cousin handed down to me. It is
amazing, a little messy, but in a fun play-doh sort of way. If you are thinking of making your own baby food, this a much less expensive solution than a food processor. Unless of course, you really want a food processor, than by all means, don't let me deter you from purchasing a kitchen gadget!

more of our favorite baby

2010-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

Garrett wants to go straight to a big cup. No sippy cups here...

here is our new game:

what we've been up to

2010-08-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

When he wants to be, he is a true rolling machine...

This is his new toy...

Watermelon might not be on the list of foods to feed a 5-month old, but he sure does love it...

Hungry for good literature? Summer Reading Extravaganza continuted

2010-08-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

At some point in the future the United States of America will cease to exist. In its place will be a unified North American government. That will eventually be ripped apart by rebellion which will destroy vast swaths of land and leave the people living in 13 districts.

As a reminder to the people that rebellion will never succeed, and a reminder that the Capitol has total power over its citizens, the Capitol has a game every year. The rules are simple—fight to the death.

Such is the story of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Each year two tributes are picked from each district; two children between the ages of 12-18 are randomly picked to play a gladiator style game where the last person alive is the winner. The Hunger Games is narrated by Katniss Everdeen, a 15 year old girl from district 12. Though she is a skilled hunter in the forest, she knows she will not have good odds of surviving, especially when the boy from her district, Peeta, is so much larger than she. She also knows that other districts have tributes who have trained for years to be killers.

Katniss is determined to survive, though. As she tells her story, she reveals that she is distant, emotionally cold, and very calculating. She carefully considers each and every action by how it will affect her survival. Still, she is very likeable and you will root for her survival, even though it means watching her kill other teenagers. The reader, like the characters, has to walk an intense, fine line between rooting for a winner, (while watching other children be murdered) feeling the excitement of battle, (while understanding that it is simply a tool used by the government to maintain power) and maintaining a human connection (even though it is clear that the game must be played).

Katniss is such an honest and engaging narrator that you can’t help but be drawn into her world. She tells you the events in the present tense (a remarkable stylistic device) which creates the sense of urgency and speed that will rush you along.
This book is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I’ll give you a minute to rush out and get your own copy. (Costco now sells The Hunger Games in paperback, or you could click on the link below and purchase this book from Amazon!)

Okay, got your copy? Good, now read it because the story continues in book two of the trilogy, Catching Fire. This book is as good as the first. I must be careful, however, about how much I say because I don’t want to give away anything about how the first book ends. Just know that as soon as Laura finished the first she jumped into the second. So did I. So did my mother-in-law. So did my mother. So will you too. Just know that it will not disappoint.

Finished book two? Well, I’ve got more good news for you. Book three, Mockingjay, is going to be released this week so you won’t have to wait for the conclusion like the rest of us did.

Have I mentioned that this is a great series? It is. A pesky colleague recommended it. I hemmed, I hawed, she threatened my life, and so I read it. (Well, that's not really how it went but that's how I'm going to remember it.) As a high school reading teacher, I've read quite a bit of Young Adult literature. Some of it is enjoyable enough, but let's face it, it is written for 12-17 year olds. But The Hunger Games is a new force in the Young Adult genre. This is a book for mom, dad, and the kids. Everyone will enjoy it. (And there are no sparkling vampires-so it is a dozen times better than any other YA books on the market.) It was so good that Laura and I bought our own copies of these books. Our copy of Mockingjay has been preordered and should be delivered next week. We can’t wait.

Okay, your turn. Once you’ve read the series tell me what you think. Leave your comments below.

Summer Reading Extravaganza!

2010-08-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Laura, Garrett, and I took a wild ride up and down highway 5 this summer. We spent a lot of time driving, a lot of time with friends, and a lot of time with family. But we also spent a lot of time with books.

One of the highlights of the books experience this summer was our trip to Powell's Bookstore in Portland. That place is amazing. It is my wish for everyone to take a trip there someday. I have mentioned before how I receive daily book reviews in my email via Powell's Review-a-Day newsletter, so I've had an invested desire to visit the actual store at some point. It was more than I could have hoped and it made me desire a good, local bookstore all the more. This place is no Borders or Barnes & Noble. Though organized, there is no simple floor plan, no chairs dispersed throughout the store. It has a gritty, hard edge to it that screams in your face that this is a used bookstore, a proud used bookstore that won't apologize. And it doesn't need to. There is a tremendous selection of books. And one of the best aspects is that new editions are placed right on the shelves next to their used counterparts. So, while browsing, you can decide to purchase a new copy or a cheaper, more loved, used copy. Brilliant! It was so fun, going up and down the stairs and aisles, searching for who-knows-what and finding books on everything (even entire books devoted solely to fountain pens!). We spent about 4 hours in there and it was not nearly enough time. We also spent a pretty good amount of money which was not really enough (but I had to cut myself off at some point.) We walked out having bought something for everyone, but it was the experience I will treasure. Okay, it is really the books I'll treasure, but the visit to the world's largest independent bookstore was special.

As for actual reading, I've done an impressive job of covering some written ground this summer. So I'll just jump right it with my reviews and when I'm done you can tell me how impressive it really is.

Book one: I started Under the Dome by Stephen King the beginning of June. It took me just over a month to complete it. I thought the 1072 pages would take me all summer. But this book really is a quick read. And it is fun. In the author's notes King says "I tried to write a book that would keep the pedal consistently to the metal." He delivers. He most certainly delivers. This books was a thrill ride that starts on the first page and keeps going; which is why it was such a quick read. There were many nights where two more pages turned into 20 more pages. It was just as hard to put down as it was to pick it up (Ha! a joke about its size).

Here's the plot: an impenetrable dome drops out of no where on the small of Chester's Mill in Maine. It locks the people that were in town in, and the rest of the world out. This even happens in the first two pages. The rest of the book deals with the ramifications of people being locked up with ever dwindling resources.

But I would be remiss not to mention at least one of the characters, Big Jim Rennie. You'll hate Jim Rennie. He is a big fish in a small pond and instead of looking for a viable option of getting out from under the dome, he uses the dome as an opportunity to assert his power and agenda over the towns folk.

There are numerous other characters (and a convenient character list at the front of the book). You'll root for the two main protagonists, Dale "Barbie" Barbara and Rusty Everet and all the people that join their side, once it is clear that sides are forming in this small town. But the biggest reaction you'll have is to wonder what you would do in such a situation. You'll wonder how totally out of control life would spin if a dome locked you inside with 2,000 other people.

King's writing is tremendous and I feel terrible for brushing him off as a cheap horror writer. He is an expert story teller. Though intense, this is no horror story. It is a thrill ride. The riot that breaks out at Food City is told with such speed, urgency, and pacing that it was delightful to read; it was really more like watching it in slow motion where you can catch every tiny detail yet it kept the pace and excitement of intense moments of action.

He also makes sudden shifts of narration on occasion which help break up the story. He does it expertly, not in an annoying way at all.

Bottom line, 5 out of 5 stars. The resolution, I think left a little unexplained. I feel he might as well just gone on for another 200 pages to round it all out, but the resolution still worked and did not leave me disappointed. Oh, and the bad guys use bad language and do bad things. The good guys also occasionally let a soft swear fly. And King doesn't shy away from gritty descriptions, but that made it all so real.

I'm realizing now that this could end up being one really long blog post that no one will bother to read. So, I think I will cut it off for now and just like Pastor Ken, will take my one part book review and turn it into a 3 or 4 parter.

to Portland and back again

2010-08-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

We spent only a couple of days in the Bay Area with family before re-loading the car and kid (no dog this time) into the car and heading North again. We drove over two days to Portland, Oregon. We made this massive drive to visit our dear friends the Welbourns.

While there we took in the sights of downtown Portland, namely Powell's Bookstore (more on that to come from Adam, I assure you). We spent 4+ hours perusing the many floors of books. We each walked away with at least one book. Ok, Adam walked away with at least 4, maybe more.

We also enjoyed lunch at Deschutes Brewery, browsing the shops, and just chatting. Garrett was a champ in the stroller and was usually pleasant enough.

We spent one day visiting my cousin in Camas, Washington, just over the river. She and her family live on 6 acre farm. They have beautiful property and gave us the grand tour of their land, complete with chickens, bee hives, 2 greenhouses, and rows and rows of growing veggies. We left laden with delicious gifts- fresh garlic and honey. And a handful of fresh raspberries straight from the bush.

After a week of friends, we made the drive south back to the Bay Area. We spent two weeks just enjoying our families. We went to the pool, went out, stayed in, let the grandparents get in all the Garrett holding they could manage. It was lovely.

Adam had the opportunity to spend 4 days in Yosemite with his dad and brother. Garrett and I were thankful to be at Grandma's house while Adam was gone. Grandmas and uncles are so wonderful! Because then you get pictures like this...

keys and other excitement

2010-08-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Adam DeClercq family of four (because we count the dog) made our first big road trip. We left at o-dark-thirty to avoid LA traffic (the true bane of our So Cal existence) and to get a couple of good hours of driving under our tires before we stopped to feed Garrett. It worked like a charm. We had decided that we would stop when we needed for as long as we needed and just not think about how fast we used to be able to make this drive.
Our first big drive was virtually painless... minus one major incident at a gas station somewhere in central California. I took Garrett inside for a quick diaper change while Adam gassed up the car. He also thought it would be a good time to give Bobby a little drink. So, he walked around the car and in those 2 seconds, Bobby jumped on the electric door locks, thereby sealing him in and us out. Yep, the dog locked us out of the car. Away from both cell phones and both sets of keys. Because who has the foresight to grab their keys as they walk around the car... since you never know, that dog might lock the doors?
When I walked out of the bathroom, Adam was in a near panic, standing over the passenger window that was providentially cracked an inch (another point in the fresh air vs air conditioning argument). When he told me what happened, I just laughed out loud. What else can you do?
We agreed to try and get his keys ourselves before calling a locksmith. His keys were nonchalantly lying on the center console. Adam scavenged a stick and very carefully maneuvered it through his key ring. Just as he was about to oh-so-carefully lift the keys, he lost his grip on the stick. Now, the dog, cell phones, keys and stick were all locked in the car.
He went to find a new stick. He came back with a short stumpy twig, took one look at the window and threw the stick down in dismay, screaming "STUPID STICK" like it was the stick's fault. The next stick was of appropriate girth and length. He was able to lift the old stick still threaded through the keys back up to the window with the new stick. To say we cheered and jumped up and down when Adam snatched his keys through the window would be an understatement.
Luckily the remainder of the driving was much less eventful.

Videos of a cutie

2010-08-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

We know, we know. We've got a lot to blog about, but we really wanted to give you some of the good stuff.

Here is the first:

Here is the second:

Quintessential Postmodern Lit

2010-07-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

The other night I slapped my book closed, flung the bedroom door open and confronted my wife as to why she let me finish my book. She had previously read it and therefore had the responsibility to warn me, to stop me from finishing. Should she have stopped me because it was bad? No. She should have stopped me because it was so darn conflicting that I can't give any kind of recommendation either way! And that is terribly frustrating.

The book in question is Yann Martel's new novel Beatrice and Virgil. Laura and I were both quite excited about this because we were absolutely enraptured by Martel's Life of Pi. If you ask either of us for a book recommendation we will almost certainly include Life of Pi in our list. That book was a masterful tale of survival told with visionary creativity. It was unique and captivating; it thrilled the imagination. And so we both greatly looked forward to the release of Beatrice and Virgil.

The basic plot is this: Henry is a successful novelist who fails at writing a second book. His first novel had animals as the main players. His second novel was about the holocaust. After rejection from his publisher, he walks away from writing, and he and his wife move away and live off his royalties. But Henry is a polite fellow, and so responds to all his fan mail. One day Henry receives a very puzzling letter, a short story and a request for writing help. Normally Henry would decline, but he was very intrigued by the story and it so happened that the fan lived in the same city Henry had just moved to. And this fan calls himself Henry.

Henry, the fan, is a taxidermist. He has a shop not far from Henry's home- Henry, the author. So the author goes to visit the taxidermist and is bewitched by the skillful creations of this taxidermist. The taxidermist has written a play whose characters are animals, a donkey named Beatrice and a howler monkey named Virgil. And the taxidermist needs help.

If you haven't picked up on the postmodernist threads yet, then allow me to elaborate. From the very beginning of B & V, it felt like Martel was laughing at his reader, if only through his Henry. At first, Yann Martel, an author of a wildly successful book starring animals is indistinguishable from his main character, Henry. Henry is an author. He wrote an impressively successful novel. The novel had animals as major players. Henry was called upon to help Henry. Henry is a taxidermist who is also an author. He wrote a play. His play uses animals as the major players. And there you have it, postmodern lit; the blurring, no, swirling of fiction and real life until they seem interchangeable. Though, this book takes the swirling to levels I've never read before. In some ways, this was unique, fun, and enjoyable. In many ways it was tedious, confusing, and seemingly stupid.

To make it worse, the first 20 or so pages seemed like they were written as a mocking apology from Martel to his reader (even if under the guise of Henry): Yes, (in a snooty tone) I'm ridiculously successful, handsomely rich, will never have to work another day because my book is so popular, and oh, I am so tired of being recognized on the streets, everyone wants to tell me how great my book is. I know how great it is.

The rest of the plot bounces between Henry's new life and working with the taxidermist on the play. Working isn't the right word. They never actually work on it. The taxidermist simply reads disjointed parts to Henry. These parts of the play are included for us, the real world reader, but as I said , are disjointed. The taxidermist does not seem to read his passages in any kind of order. Beatrice and Virgil talk about a pear. Then they talk about whether they should leave or not. (For a while, it felt very much like the play Waiting for Godot, but in a bad way.) It is all very strange, and though it is a very quick read, it was hard work to motivate myself to actually finish it. When I did sit down to read I flew through the pages. It was the between readings where it was easy to think about giving up. I think I'm glad I didn't.

I don't want to give away too much about the end because really it is a bit of a surprise ending. What is surprising is how Martel is able to pull together all the plot pieces in a way that made sense. I found this surprise to be satisfying enough. And there were a few parts in the end that almost brought me to tears. And it is because of the ending that I am stumped on forming an opinion. For a majority of this book, I was left confused, unsure what the point was, if there even was a point, and why I cared about the point. But I found the ending to be understandable, even impressive, if not satisfying. But books are journeys and I'm not entirely sure that this journey is worth it.

One last comment about this book's postmodern workings. In the end, Martel, the author writes two books. One is fiction, one is non-fiction, just like Henry's failed second book. And I enjoyed the complexity that Martel's final "fiction story"/game (if you read it you'll understand) and how it lent itself to the postmodern framework.

Beatrice and Virgil is 197 pages.

Up next is Stephen King's brick of a book Under the Dome, weighing in at 1070 pages.

baby friends

2010-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Bryce (6 wks) and Garrett (3 mos)

if only we had thought to put them in matching onesies...

Happy America Day!

2010-07-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July with a road trip to Fresno to see Andrew, Danica, and baby Bryce.
We also celebrated with red, white, and blue cupcakes. (I may be in a cupcake phase right now)
And 5 different patriotic outfits on the baby. It was one of those of days.

Outfit #3

Hat courtesy of Shelly. To protect Garrett's balding head!

Outfit #4

1, 2, 3

2010-06-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

one

two

three months old!

in a stormy mood

2010-06-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have been pining for Germany.

For the rolling hills, the blumen fields, the cherry trees, and the afternoon thunderstorms.
The other afternoon, the mood was perfect for a good thunderstorm. The skies were grey and moody, the air was warm and a little damp, and we were all home with nothing to do.

I sat in Garrett's room and I was sure I heard the pitter patter of rain on the roof. But it was just the ceiling fan clicking with each rotation. Now that I know that the fan sounds like rain, I know not to jump up and look out the window expecting to see rain. Because every time I look, I just see our car in the driveway bespeckled from the sprinkler and the man across the street in his yard with his dogs. He is literally ALWAYS outside with those dogs. I wonder how his wife feels about it. I digress.

I have been looking at our pictures of beautiful Deutshland and it only makes the pining worse.
What I wouldn't give to hike from Riedlingen to Holzen through the forest and the grape vines.
Or to walk into Kandern, through the golf course to buy groceries or maybe just ice cream.
Or to make our way along the winding two lane roads on a drive to nowhere with flowering trees waving at us from either side of the lane.
Or a salad from funfschilling sitting at a community table with strangers clamoring away in Deutsch all around me.

Instead, I look at the pictures and dream of a life that doesn't involve Anaheim, endless freeways, strip malls, and a general sense of concrete at every turn. The rush of Southern California is disenchanting.
I long for an evening where there are no car alarms, blaring stereos from cars driving entirely too fast on our residential road or rowdy neighbor kids...
just the blissful hum of rain on the windows and the rumble of distant thunder.

Okay, back to the good stuff

2010-06-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

And this kid is the good stuff!

The Unnamed

2010-06-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

I have dipped my little toe into the book world and almost drowned. It is an overwhelming torrent of an impossibly large number of pages, blogs, books, magazines and all things penned. Had I plunged my whole foot in I would have been ripped from solid ground and been lost. But in dipping my little toe in, I discovered a book about which there was much hype. That book is Joshua Ferris' The Unnamed. Upon its release every outlet that I follow that talks about books was talking about this one, so I was naturally excited to get it. I believe that the hype was well placed and that this book satisfied as any good story can.

First of all, it is wholly original. The protagonist, Tim Farnsworth, is a powerful lawyer for a powerful firm. He has a beautiful wife who loves him, and a typical teenage daughter who tries to avoid contact with her parents as much as possible. Tim is a genuinely satisfied man. Except for his disease. He walks. And it is this unique conflict that the reader must simply accept, and suspend belief in an irrational, illogical disease. If you are unable to believe in a walking disease then don't bother. But Ferris' words are quite convincing. Tim spontaneously starts walking, while at work, while in court, wakes up from being asleep, and just starts walking. Not even exhaustion stops him, his body carries him further than he imagines possible. After a walking spell he collapses, falls into the deepest of sleep, and then wakes up and calls his wife to come and get him. Wherever he might be.

The second satisfying aspect of this book is that it is about marriage; and that marriage is good. In a society where divorce is rampant and the Christian culture isn't immune, it is stunning and refreshing to read a book that praises a strong marriage, and encourages staying together in the face of struggles-especially in the face of struggles. One passage in particular gave me an image of what I would hope to experience with Laura in 20 years. Tim and his wife, Jane, meet up for lunch after their working mornings, "Later that day at an early lunch they talked about what had transpired since breakfast, which was nothing, really, but they talked as if they hadn't seen each other in a while. They had lived another half a day and that time had gone by without incident and they were together again, and this alone made them talkative." It is the simplicity of this scene that I love. They had been through the most difficult of times and yet here in an unremarkable moment they take joy in nothing more than the company of each other.

But that is by no means the end of the story. Without giving too much of the story away, it is easy to see how Tim's walking disease is really just an allegory for cancer, or Alzheimer's, or some other disastrous malady that can plague a person and wreck a couple and a family. But this story's strength lies in the hope of the strength that a loving, committed family can provide.

At first, I fell in love with the way this book took on the challenge of showing the thrill and struggle of marriage. As it progressed into more of a drama I was surprised but captivated by the plot, and when I was tricked into a sense of sympathetic recovery I couldn't wait to get to the real resolution. I wanted to skip ahead, and I didn't really care about the journey through the remaining pages that I would miss. Except that I did care. I just wanted to stay up all night to finish this story. So I give this book a solid recommendation. There is repeated use of the big eff, but it is grouped into bursts and then ignored for some time. Also, there is sex in this book. There are no graphic, drawn out descriptions, but there are passages about the nocturnal joys of marriage.

The Unnamed is 310 pages.

Monkey

2010-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Mom, there is a monkey on my tush...

Our little SWIMMER

2010-06-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, we tried Garrett's sun hat and swimsuit on him. You can see how thrilled he is with the hat.

Well, we had to make sure it fit for our swim date today. We both donned our swimsuits (scarier for Mommy than Garrett, I am sure!), launched the float toy, and next thing you know, he was swimming. Ok, he was just kicking his legs, but that is sure a start!

Since Adam couldn't be there (someone has to work to pay for the little swimsuits), I was under strict instruction to document the day. So, here is the video proof of Garrett's first swim.

I know what you are thinking...

2010-06-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

that woman is spectacular!

She makes cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate souffle cupcakes with mint whipped cream, chocolate cake dips, delicious corn, delicious sticks. But all those desserts are just the icing on the cake!

Ha!

Icing on the cake...desserts..get it? She is spectacular because she'd also laugh at that joke. Or at least laugh at me while looking at me in a loving/pitying way.

This woman is spectacular because she is a master of finances, keeping our household in the black and still finding ways for us to have a few occasional treats.

She makes my lunches during the week.

She enjoys going to book stores.

She enjoys making delicious dinners.

She is so darn cute!

But mostly she is spectacular because she is an incredible mother. This weekend I've been able to see first hand, many times, just how good she is at mothering. She has been having "tummy time" with Garrett every day and helping him prepare for rolling over. If it was left to me I don't think I'd ever think of such a thing. I'd just keep placing him on his back and expect him to just one day figure it out.

She has conversations with Garrett. She narrates her day to our son and tells him all sorts of interesting things. I'd just stare at him hoping he would smile soon.

She named the stuffed animals in Garrett's room and has him play with them. I'd never think to do that.

Last night, Laura, judge at the church's chili cook-off, was smart enough (and kind enough) to thrill many women by passing him around. She said she was socializing him. Garrett needs to be used to the arms of others, not just Mommy and Daddy.

She is spectacular because, not only is she a great mom, she still makes time to take Bobby out on a walk everyday.

I love this woman!

where's the ice cream?

2010-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Garrett has turned into an occassional thumb/finger/hand/arm sucker...

Scenes from graduation

2010-06-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a very exciting day for the DeClercq family: Ricky graduated from Biola. He is the third (if you count me, except I was a Bostwick when I graduated) of us to graduate. And Joey is prepared to be the fourth since he is transferring there in the fall.
Here are some pictures from the big day...

listening to Joni Erickson Tada speak

Ricky getting his empty diploma cover from President Corey

waiting for Uncle Ricky

there he is

it's bright out there

we survived another outing!

how her garden grows

2010-05-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have long desired to have a little garden. Tomatoes, basil, peppers, that sort of thing. Well, I finally just up and did it. With a little help from my mom, we planted 6 serrano pepper plants, 2 tomatoes, 2 green onions, and basil. I have since added 6 strawberry plants. I also have 2 cilantro and a thyme plant to put in pots today. This whole dig in the dirt, water it and reap the harvest may just be addicting.

And look, two of my little tomatoes have turned from green to yellow... next stop red!

Laura and I agree...

2010-05-22T12:24:00.001-07:00

We should get extra Christmas gifts for this one here:

ARC = free books! (Two book reviews)

2010-05-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

I was a junior in high school when Mrs. Sabraw's English class read The Scarlet Letter. I only have one vague memory of that unit; I made some smart remark how standing on a platform and holding an infant all day while people mocked wasn't really that bad of a punishment. My teacher responded by piling textbooks into my arms, placed a Snoopy dog on top, and then had me stand in front of the class for the rest of the period. It sounds like something I would do to one of my students. And now that I have a child of my own to hoist around, I know that it would be exhausting to stand all day holding a baby. And that the social stigma that accompanied Hester Prynne's A would have been, in fact, a hard burden to bear. (Imagine that, my English teacher was right!)

And it was with this background that I received my first ARC.

I love getting ARCs. An ARC (pronounced ark) is an Advanced Reading Copy that publishers send out to enthusiastic readers (usually booksellers or professional reviewers) to get some media buzz on the new book. I've been fortunate enough to receive a small stack of these. All I had to do was request a copy and the publishers sent them to my home, postage paid and all. Nothing is more satisfying than getting a brand new book- Free! Plus, these are brand new to the market, not even available yet. So I'm also getting the opportunity to read future best sellers before they ever become that. The downside is the risk; the books might not be all that good.

Since I've been so fortunate to get a few of these books, I figure the least I can do is post reviews about them. So here are two ARC reviews. I believe that both are now available for purchase in any book store.

The first would be Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes. This is the continuation of Hester Prynne's story from The Scarlet Letter. I probably should have reread the classic before picking up this second part but I just wasn't motivated enough. I last read The Scarlet Letter when I was a junior in high school, so the details were quite fuzzy for me. I cheated by using spark notes to refresh my memory. Anyway, this novel focuses on Hester and her illegitimate daughter Pearl.

Pearl struggles with being an outsider and an outcast. She is a loner who is much more comfortable exploring the New England forests and seaside by herself than being in the company of the villagers. Hester is a loving mother, though she is frequently caught up in her own isolation and pain. She has also withheld the name of Pearl's father from her daughter. Pearl knows enough of the adult world to pick up clues about her mother's past, knows that the pastor has a strong connection with her family, and knows that the fascinating doctor who just returned from England also has a strange power over her mother. Pearl is just too young and to put it all together.

Eventually, Pearl's wanderings, combined with her curious nature and carefree attitude lead her to a neighbor's home, where she meets Simon and persists in forming a friendship with him. Simon is an adolescent who should be teetering on adulthood, however, Simon is blind and his family is very overprotective of him. These two outsiders become fast friends and Pearl is able to earn the trust of Simon's family.

In order to protect Pearl and try to give her a better life, Hester arranges for her and Pearl to travel back to England as passengers on the trading ship of Caleb Milton, Simon's father. While on board, Simon's older brother, Nehemiah hides Simon away from Pearl. He is very upset because on one thoughtless occasion she left Simon alone on the beach.

Time passes, and the predictable finally reveals itself: Hester and Nehemiah fall in love and marry. I saw this plot line coming a mile away, and though it probably wasn't supposed to be entirely a big secret, it still bothered me that it was so thinly veiled from the beginning. Then, of course, Pearl follows in her mother's footsteps and has an affair (with one minor sex scene that would make any Puritan blush). This bothered me because a) it was predictable, too and b) I had hoped that the character would rise above this. I had hoped that the author has some sort of plan of redemption or of growth in spite of overwhelming temptation. I had hoped that the second generation would learn from the mistakes of the previous.

The author also did her best to craft the story using language that would make Hawthorne proud. At first I found this extremely annoying, but after a while it grew on me a little. I cannont recommend this book, though. It regularly put me to sleep. It was little more than a romance novel, and I wasn't all that interested in the original story to begin with. But there is one lesson that a Christian can walk away from this novel with, and it is that we must love the unlovable. Pearl was an outcast because of her mother's sin. This should be wholly unacceptable in the Christian community. And though we do not need to tolerate sin (and should strive to correct it when we can) we can't hold a past sin against someone forever, we must act with forgiveness.

Forest Gate is a book I can recommend. This was an entirely gripping novel, even if it was one of the most depressing books I've ever read.

Within the first few pages we learn that two friends jumped from the rooftops of two London apartment buildings with ropes around their necks. One boy died. The other didn't.

Meina and her brother immigrated from Somalia. They were able to get out of their home country after their parents were murdered in tribal, political warfare. But in London Meina's brother Ashvin was not able to find any kind of peace.

Peter grew up in London. He was a surprisingly mature and driven young man, considering his five older brothers were arms and drug dealers and his mother was a crack addict. However, he found himself repeatedly dragged back to the life he hated and resented.

And then Peter and Ashvin met at school. They were kindred spirits who opened up and shared everything with each other; their past, their hopes, their fears, but mostly their struggles and angst. So these two friends decided to be done with life. They both felt that all the odds were stacked against them, and that those odds were impossible to begin with.

So they jumped. Ashvin died and Peter didn't.

The author, Peter Akinti, tells a remarkably believable and heart wrenching story as Meina and Peter try to put the pieces of life back together. This novel also employs rarely seen narrative structures. The chapters bounce between Meina and Peter as narrator. There was also one particular gem that I enjoyed in terms of identifying the characters that I'll let you discover for yourself.

Caution, this book makes frequent use of the Big Eff and has some graphic depictions throughout. It is raw, but if you can tolerate it, this book has a powerful payoff.

Sleeping Boys

2010-05-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

I just want to point out that the mere fact this picture exists, someone, namely me, was not sleeping. And honestly, I don't think Adam was really sleeping either, although when I found them, all three were snoozing on my bed.

breakfast belly

2010-05-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

We have been a little lax in our blogging lately. We have just been too busy SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT to post all of the videos and pictures of our son.
Garrett continues to pack on the plump. Sometimes it appears that he actually gets fatter while he sleeps for an hour.
To prove his chunk factor... we have a video of his post-breakfast belly. He may be pooching it out for the camera, but still, that is one big baby belly. And the cutest little belly button you have ever seen.

Recovery

2010-05-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me last week how long it took me to recover from the c-section that brought Baby Garrett into the world in one piece. My first reaction was to respond with the amount of time it took me to get out of bed for the first time: 1 day. Then I remembered how much pain I was in when we returned home from the hospital after 3 days. My pain was mostly gone in just two weeks. And just seven weeks from delivery, I am back in my jeans!

However, upon further reflection, I realized that I may never completely recover from the cesarean delivery. Not only will I sport a physical scar, most likely for the remainder of my days, but, I will keep the emotional scarring that came along with it.

I know that many women have c-sections every day. And that they are so commonplace, we forget that it is not the "natural delivery" method. It is surgery. And I felt as if it robbed me of the opportunity to birth my son. A week ago, I looked at my son and emotionally connected him to me. He came from me, and even though it took an anesthesiologist, two nurses, two doctors, and at least one scalpel to make it happen, I gave birth to him.

He is half me, half Adam. And he is part of our family. There is great joy in that. But I have had to grieve the loss of the birth experience we, and I so desperately anticipated. I had desired a medication-free birth, which obviously ruled out a cesarean. I had envisioned Garrett coming into the world, hearing his first cry and having him put on my chest. I imagined the satisfation that would come from pushing and pushing, and finally hearing "here he comes". And I imagined our families rushing in, to see the newest DeClercq.

But instead, I labored for 22 hours, with 3 epidurals to take the edge off of back labor that drove me to tears. Pushed and pushed, only to hear "c-section". Heard his first cry through a blue sheet to shield me from seeing my insides. My first glimpse of my son was tainted by the surgery that was being finished up on my lower half, while Adam held Garrett to my face. I am not sure I would have recalled it even happened if Adam hadn't described it to me later. Our families had to wait two hours from his time of birth to see us.

It is hard to describe the emotional side of my cesarean delivery. It was traumatic. And yet, I can be thankful. I can be thankful that I and my son are both alive and healthy.

My scar is a reminder of how thankful we can be.

Garrett's Happy Place

2010-05-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Our amazing son, who is quietly sleeping for the time being, loves, loves, loves to hang out on his changing table. He couldn't be happier when he is lying there.

Check it out for yourself:

You probably won't care, but

2010-05-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

I just have to share this. Not only is this review a well written review, but it makes a Thesaurus sound fascinating. If only I had an extra $400 sitting around.

This is from a Powell's Review-a-Day email from The Wilson Quarterly magazine.

"Confess that you regularly consult a thesaurus, and you call your writing skills and even your intelligence into question, such is the ill repute into which this worthy reference has fallen. In a diatribe published in The Atlantic some years ago, Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman (about the making of The Oxford English Dictionary), lambasted Peter Mark Roget , the compiler of the granddaddy that spawned today's myriad online and school-bag versions. Many writers I know scoff when asked whether they ever crack one. Of course, using a thesaurus -- in its basic form, a book that groups words with similar or related meanings -- can result in travesties against the language, and even common sense, when a novice plucks a word he doesn't understand from an entry and substitutes it for thought. But to blame Roget for these crude mash-ups (the improvement of the phrase "his earthly fingers" into "his chthonic digits" is but one of Winchester's amusing examples) is like blaming Henry Ford when a blind man takes a Taurus for a spin.

A thesaurus can extract that word that's on the tip of your tongue but can't quite reach your lips. It reacquaints you with words you've forgotten and presents ones you don't know. It suggests relationships but usually doesn't spell them out -- like a hostess who invites you to a party of well-connected guests where you're expected to circulate and make your own introductions. In our hyper-searchable world, in which shelf browsing and even book skimming are on the wane, the thesaurus reminds us that precision isn't always a matter of predestined calibration. It can still be an informed choice.

The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary (HTOED) -- which contains almost every word from the days of Beowulf to the present, some 920,000 words and expressions in all -- seems the sort of resource that has been sitting on reference shelves for decades. Yet it is the first historical thesaurus produced for any language, and made its debut only late last year. Based on the magnificent edifice that is The Oxford English Dictionary, and also drawing on A Thesaurus of Old English, the HTOED has been in the works since 1964, when University of Glasgow English professor Michael Samuels began plugging away at it.

The HTOED's editors boast that it provides the context other thesauruses lack. It is arranged into three major sections devoted to the external, mental, and social worlds, which are in turn divided into 354 categories (Food and drink, Thought, etc.), and then further categories and subcategories, from the most general to the most specific. (Roget divided his thesaurus into six broad classes, though most casual users simply flip to the index, unaware of his taxonomy.) Each word is listed with the corresponding year of first and, if applicable, last recorded use. Under the word piety, for instance, you'll find a list of words that have meant piety over the centuries, and then sub-entries for words that have to do with, but are not the same as, piety. Sanctimoniousness, a subcategory, lists words including hiwung (Old English), lip-holiness (1591), and mawwormism (1850).

The HTOED is only two volumes -- one consists of entries, the other is an index -- to the 20 that compose the OED's second edition. Missing are all those quotations that make the OED such a wealth of, well, context; it won't offer enough linguistic handholding to stop the abuse that has given thesauruses a bad name. (Thesaurus abusers flock to Thesaurus.com anyway, and likely aren't interested in Old English words for love.) The HTOED's lists, no matter how finely tuned, confirm what wordsmiths have known all along: The variety and coloration of the language make a precision-engineered thesaurus impossible. Reading the HTOED is a fascinating journey through 1,300 years of linguistic history, each entry a series of signposts to not-yet-scrutable destinations. It will send you straight to the dictionary, which is as it should be."

Looking for a Mother's Day gift?

2010-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Then I have to recommend this absolutely wonderful little book. This book alone makes me want to have more kids already. It is sweet, tender, and beautifully illustrated. In it 3 baby bears ask the all-important question of their parents: "Who is your favorite?" The response from Daddy Bear is touching and the response from Mommy Bear will fill you with joy. I can't recommend this book enough, especially if you have multiple kids.
It is a children's book but I think mom's of all ages will love it. There is the book and the gift set with 3 toy bears.

Love

2010-04-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report, especially since we are just happy to be alive after last night's screaming fit...

I just wanted to say that I love this picture. Can you love a picture that you are in? I don't care, because I love this picture.

Welcome to the new page!

2010-04-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

If you've ever talked to me for more than 3 minutes you know that I have an affinity for books and reading. If you've ever been to our home you know that the bookshelf is overflowing with books. And if you've ever talked about sports for 3 mintues I will surely try to find a way to turn the conversation towards books.

This love for books is relatively new for me. Growing up, my mom sure worked hard to instill in me a desire to read. She was moderately successful. As a kid I liked reading enough. In high school I enjoyed it enough to get my assignements done, but I rarely read for fun. And I really didn't do much summer reading. Even in college, as a literature major, I only enjoyed reading enough to complete my studies. By the time I got to college I was reading more often for the pure enjoyment of reading, but part of the problem of being in college is being required to read so much from such a broad spectrum of books. And more often than not, that required reading is tedious, sucking all the joy out of holding a book.

But now I love it. I am almost always juggling two or three books at a time. I read fiction, non-fiction, classics and moderns. And even more recently I've become fascinated with the world of antiquarian books and first editions. My brother even occampanied me to an Antiquarian book fair in February.

It is because of this love for books, mixed with my desire to see my own words in print, that I've started this new page on our blog. Here I intend to write book reviews and share my thoughts on the books that I am reading. On top of that, modern technology and the superpowers that be (Google and Amazon) now provide a way for me to get a little kick back as well. Whenever I mention a book here, say Treasure Island or The Last of the Mohicans I will be able to provide a link directly to Amazon. If you, my beloved reader, are so inclined, you can then click through to Amazon's site and purchase the book. If you purchase the book then I get a kickback! Isn't this amazing! I'm motivated to do this because I know for a fact that previous mentions of books have lead to purchases and readings of said books (Reading Lolita in Tehran and Devil in the White City). And frankly, I'm ready to start getting paid to read!

Come back soon to see what I've got in store for you! (Bear with me while I try to figure out the formatting for this stuff.)

Garrett Central

2010-04-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

What? I know. Who would have thought this blog would have turned into Garrett Central the second he was born. Not me. I mean, I assumed that even with a newborn I would still have the time, energy and motivation to read new novels, try new recipes, and generally maintain our highly interesting lives. Ok, our life has had a serious drop in interestingness since leaving Germany (oh, how we pine for a hike in the Black Forest, a trip to cut flowers in the Blumen fields, a Fenferlei Salat at Funfschilling...). I digress.

I have this desire to still be me. To have something interesting to contribute to conversations that does not involve baby poop, baby spit up, or sleep deprivation. And yet, it seems like my life generally revolves around those three things. That, and laundry. I guess it is a good thing that we don't get out much...

The funny thing is, the only thing anyone wants to discuss with me is Garrett. How is he eating? How is he sleeping? Are you guys getting any sleep at night? Etc, etc. The very things that consume my life, everyone else is interested in too.

So, I will give the people what the people want...

Sleep- we had a rough go for a couple of days... no sleeping during the day, no sleeping at night. We may or may not be directly blaming the week of non-stop cuddling with Grandparents DeClercq for this issue. However, we are on the road to recovery and even got 5, that's right 5 hours of sleep in a row last night.

Spit up- Garrett has christened just about everything in our house. However, it seems like I get the brunt of it.

Eating- this child can eat like it is going out of style. You would think we are starving him (which if you take one look at his chubby cheeks, his roly poly body, or the rolls on his arms, you would know better!) when he eats... he gulps and gulps and then throws his head back with his arms over his head, with a little dribble of milk down his chin and collapses into the sleep of a satisfied man.

What else? oh. You want a picture?

Ok. Here you go...