Sara Joy is on the move now, inching her way toward whatever looks interesting. She's been following the older two around in her walker for weeks now--all the tile floors here + wheels = alot of fun for Sara Joy. I'd sum up her attitude toward life as I know what I want and I will figure out how to get it. But she loves people (especially her family) and has the most rewarding smile. She's eating pureed stuff, cereal, baby cookies, bread, pancake bits and mommy milk.
Matthew loves his baby sister and is really good at interacting with her, keeping her happy, making her smile. I can see similarities in how they are both really attuned to the people around them. His make-believe world is ever-expanding as he learns. I wasn't prepared for how different a four-year-old is from a three-year-old! He likes to know why (not just ask it, really get an answer) and makes crazy connections (like his daddy, the ultimate connection maker). Much to the joy of the world around us, he has decided he will learn and use some of the local language. His production is still basic, mostly just polite phrases in low-stress situations, but after 2 years of non-interest, it's great!
Anna, on the other hand, is generating thousands of words in English, some of which I can even understand. While Matthew is living out of his idea-filled world, she is here on earth just wanted to play tag or to jump on Daddy. She takes care of her baby dolls, is trying to figure out how to be friends with Sara without injuring her, and is generally a little bundle of curly-headed energy. Sometimes it surprises me when she is shy in a new situation, but she can be. She's almost three, but she's still my little baby girl :) Oh, and if I let her pick her own hair things, she usually picks about 10-15 different things for me to clip in her hair!
This picture is taken from an old settlement on top of a hill where people lived in caves until the late 90's. There are several old buildings, one of which is a very old church. I increased the contrast in this picture considerably to bring out the detail. The city at the bottom is the "modern" city.
Here I'm playing with abstract art. This is an old wall. Clearly it is in disrepair, but probably has lasted longer than most any wall built today. I decreased the color to heighten the black/white contrast.
Here is a very old grave yard. What I love about historical sites in this country is that you can go right up to them. But there are some restrictions. The sign to the right reads, "having a picnic in this place is forbidden." The sun was very high in the sky, so it wasn't ideal for taking pictures. But I increased the dark shadows to give it more depth.
Another picture similar to the first one. I like the stick and rope because they frame the picture and draw the eye up and down, but I think the subject lacks clarity. You can see some previously inhabited caves in the lower right.
