Crone's Cottage

The roof of the porch was on when we visited over Summer Solstice. The sun rose directly in front of the corner post with the swing, right in the valley of two mountains.

Year 2

Darvik brushes his teeth.

Darvik comandeers my blue robe (luckily I have 2)

Discovering the rain

Tractor from Pappa and Nana. This is the one toy he doesn't like any other kids to play with

Enjoying the box a new gift came in...

2-year birthday gift from the Glynn family... all the way from Germany! Darvik was into it!!

Month 10-12

We all went to Shaker Village to hear "ghost stories". We spent most of the time picking apples from the orchard. Darvik and Lynn's grandson, Gauge, really enjoyed the apples!

Jimmy & Lucy (Papa & Nanna) visited just before Darvik's birthday... perfect timing!

Jay's brother Jeff traveled all the way up from Florida to install the wiring at the cabin. It had been moving along slowly, but Jeff doing the wiring moved us into the 21st Century! Plus, it's got insulation now so it's actually warm. Brady's adding a bedroom and bathroom and will finish the walls and floor this winter.

Grandad Alan sent Darvik a music table for his birthday. Darvik learned to use it as a walker...

Darvik discovers what fun a hairbrush can be (poor Daddy)!

We can't have a Christmas without going to Florida to see Papa's lights

Christmas Eve ends with the all important reading of "The Night Before Christmas" and opening of the pajamas. Darvik was too tired to put on his new pajamas before he fell asleep.

It only took a couple presents for Darvik to figure out what all the fuss was about...

...the boxes! Jay really, really like the helicopters too.

Jessica, of course, had it figured out years ago.

The next day Darvik was very tired and put himself down for his afternoon nap on his fabric book.

With Christmas comes the Bowl games. Daddy and Darvik were ready for UK to win (and get a peak of Jessica and the band at half time)!

Month 9

Darvik is crawling (on one knee and one foot), babbling a lot, and developing quite a personality. He doesn't like it when he can't do something and doesn't want to be shown (wonder where he got that from?!). He's also cautious, easy-going, and fascinated by everything new. Sorry the videos are so dark! (scroll all the way down)

This month we went to Darvik's first football game at University of Kentucky. We sat waaaay at the top. Darvik had a great time and behaved very well - sleeping soundly during half time when his sister performed with the marching band. He continued to sleep all the way out of the stadium (carrying a sleeping baby down many concrete steps is not easy!)

Lynn's grandson, Gauge, turned a year old this month. We went to his birthday party and had a great time. Gauge is walking - he's my "gauge" for what the coming months will be like!

This month will also be remembered for the hurricane that came through Cincinnati. We lost power from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon due to high winds. More than 90% of the area was without power and some still are, 6 days later. Thank goodness the weather was favorable.

Month 8

Darvik and I had our first mommy and son day in Madison, IN for the Regatta. Melissa Batson (friend from work) has a camper there so we had a great view in a nice shady area. Good food and good fun! I loved the boats and Darvik enjoyed being outside.

We finally took our first flight to visit Jay's family in Florida. Jimmy made his famous ribs. I've heard about them for years but this is the first time I've had them. Darvik had a taste too! The entire family came. It seemed to us like Darvik knew he was around family. He was exceptionally well behaved, was particularly smitten with his cousin Heather, and his bad side only came out when we took that rib away!

Darvik, Jay, Hunter, and I took a road trip to Elda & Shorty's farm in Georgia. This may be the last time we see Denise and family for quite some time as Jim's stationed in Germany for a few years. Darvik had a nice swim with Daddy in the pond and we spent the night in the pond house.

Heather turned 21 while we were visiting Florida. The evening of her 21st birthday we went to dinner at a seafood restaurant on the beach.

A busy July! Darvik camped for the first time at the annual NIPA campout. He did quite well, especially considering all the rain and packing up in the middle of the night to beat the threat of a serious storm! The next weekend was the Bluegrass Festival in Irvine. Shari and Savannah came to the land for the weekend, which was the perfect place to hear the music from the Jenkins' farm across the street. Rusty and Tina and family came up for steaks. It was another hot weekend, so Savannah and Darvik particularly enjoyed the wading pool!

Month 7

On June 28 we went to the land to show it to a couple from Maryland who are looking to buy property in the area. Darvik did his first hike on the property. Our new friend Narges and Harry are a perfect match - they're Unitarian, she's getting her doctorate in Environmental Studies and they're interested in sustainable culture, straw bale houses, organic farming, and chickens! Even if they don't buy from us we hope they'll be our neighbors!

On the way home we stopped at Applebee's in Lexington to see Jessica and meet her friends Brian and Tara. Darvik was smitten by Tara who found it difficult to eat while he was flirting with her. It was difficult to say goodbye.

I thought it would be cute to dress Darvik up in the entire outfit his Papa and Nana bought him - bib, hats, and booties. I think he's got Jay's affinity for hats...

For Father's Day I took pictures of Darvik eating spinach to put in a footprint frame for work...
On Father's Day Jessica, Darvik and I took Jay to the perfect Father's Day restaurant, a Brazilian place downtown with a huge salad bar and all-you-can eat choices of meat. It was great and we ate too much. Here's the result...
When Darvik was just born I would watch him in the pack and play and incredulously imagine him being able to reach the toys on the side. Here he is, playing with the bee's wings. Babies force you to live in the moment; I can neither believe that he was ever that small nor imagine him being any bigger! He's starting to do this butt wiggling thing when he wants a toy he can't reach. Any day now he'll be mobile. Maybe not crawling - he can't stand being on his stomach (not falling far from the tree!).
We attended Mick and Lauri's wedding at the Beach Waterpark. It was luau themed - a full pig roast. Darvik wore the hawaiian shorts his Aunt Tara bought him - they came in very handy! He entertained the guests all day and fully enjoyed meeting new people - I could barely get him back! Here's Linda teaching him how to use a spoon. It was a long day and Darvik eventually fell asleep in his stroller while the DJ kept the party going.

Month 6

Shelly and Mike Weaver-Litten had a dinner party with Bob & Judy Carter's family. Great dinner on the deck. The evening ended with a few games of Wii baseball.

Jay's brother's family, Jeff, Kathy, Heather, and Hunter came to see the land during their vacation at Pigeon Forge. Jay and Jeff spent a lot of time hiking the land and everyone got a ride or two on the ATV. They were excited about the deer that are on the land and maybe someday they'll be back.

Darvik is so good at sitting up now that he gets to sit in a high chair when we go out to eat, making dining out much more interesting for all of us!

The big event of the year is Brady's party near our land in Irvine, KY. To get to Brady's, you drive a little over a mile into the hills of KY, but it takes more than 30 mins to get there. The "road" not only goes through a few creeks but actually turns to go up a creek bed (not a dry creek bed - a running creek!). Along the way cars that couldn't make it were pulled to the side of the road - it was faster to walk anyway! But good ole Suby made it - and Darvik slept through it (thanks to Jessica keeping him from having shaken baby syndrome)!

After a prayer and some good gospel the potluck started - the longest potluck line I've ever seen. Ending with the pig roast, which Brady cooks over open coals starting the day before.

The day begins to wind down when they put the horse on the treadmill to make ice cream, followed by wagon rides for the kids, driven by Brady.

Darvik spent most of the time on the blanket taking it all in while we imagined what the years to come will be like when Darvik gets to participate!

There's Nanma and Jessica in the shade with Darvik
Notice how Brady's cabin looks a lot like ours
Setting up the "automatic" ice cream maker

The kids get a turn first
Then the horse is loaded on. A stick placed horizontally behind his rear keeps the horse from falling off. As long as the brakes aren't on, the horse will keep moving when he feels the stick

Darvik is sitting up for longer periods of time

This is a pretty long video of Darvik "talking" to daddy (~6min)