Daddy Dearest

Yes, Adelaide's first official word is "Daddy." She has been saying dada and mama for some time now, but without making distinctions about their true meaning. Tonight, however, she actually said Daddy at dinnertime. We looked at each other and said, "Did you hear what I heard?" And she indulged us (OK , indulged him) by saying it again! Boy, is somebody proud...

Climbing the walls and hanging from the rafters

When Adam's brother, Matt, was married a few weeks ago, we heard quite a story at the rehearsal dinner. Apparently, when Matt was about five years old, he climbed onto the rafters of the Kradels' garage and was just balancing on them unbeknownst to his parents--until his mother walked into the garage and almost fell over from shock. Somehow she managed to convince Matt to come down and he did not break any bones. (We also found out that Matt busted the spindles in his crib and his parents had to lock his door from the outside to keep him in his room.)

For almost three years now we have been wondering where our son derives his energy and his love of climbing and moving. We now have seriously pinned all the blame on Matt.

Above Matt is reading to Elias in his parents' garage (of all places) before the Rehearsal Dinner. And a few pictures of Elias reveling in the bunks at Camp.

Move Over Lance Armstrong

I'm Afraid of the Sermon

I think this has to be the most creative way of getting out of a church service. Nice try, Elias.

Seven Years Ago Today

It's hard to believe that when saying our "I will's" in Little Compton on July 28th, 2001 we would have ever imagined these sweet fruits of our marriage. Here are the apples of our eyes!

Computer is Back and Healthy

It has been two weeks since we got home from vacation. Interestingly enough, Adam's cell phone, the answering machine, our computer, and my watch all broke during that time. My IPOD was also stolen. So, I haven't had much luck with gadgets lately.

I still wanted to post pictures of our visit out East. Here are some pictures of Adelaide and her great-grandmother Coffield. Both Adam's and my grandmothers are alive and thriving and are the same age. It was wonderful to introduce Addie to her.

Camp was another true success. One of the fun things that kids did was participate in the duck races in the Creek. We each bought a duck for a dollar and had our child's name put on it. Then all the rubber ducks were thrown into the creek. The one to reach the end first was the winner and that child got to go through the line first at dinner. Yeehaa. Rubber Ducky you're the one!

"It Takes A Hell of a Lot of Time To Live"

My grandfather used to say this. And I couldn't agree more. We have spent the last few days scraping, sanding, staining, and painting our deck. This deck had been an eysesore for quite some time with peeling and chipping paint. Now is the time to spiff up our deck and our yard so our house can be photographed and be ready to be sold next spring.

Doing major chores means somebody gets to work like a dog and somebody else gets to work like a dog--just doing different things. Adam took the 12 hour shift yesterday outside while I did the sand and stroller tour. This morning I painted while he negotiated the Farmers' Market. This afternoon he painted while I made peach cobbler and a salad for a picnic. Then we both took the kids for a stroll and picnic supper at the lake. We notice that chores take up much of the weekend and then once we accomplish them there is little time to just rest on our laurels--maybe by the time we retire we can do so.

Elias got in the act a bit and helped Daddy. He said this morning, "I really like your sander and your wirebrush, Daddy." We feel we have the right to abandon all child-labor laws because we just got a bill from the plumber and the description read, "Retrieve toothbrush from the lavatory train deposited by toddler" Eli, you owe us $90!

One more wedding picture

Bring Food to Old People?

Last year, around this same time, I was pregnant with Adelaide and my mom was visiting. I had volunteered to do Meals on Wheels and my mom accompanied us. We weaved our way around all kinds of streets and through various neighborhoods bringing food to mostly elderly people. Elias stayed in the car with his Bibi and ate snacks and tried to be patient. This year, my mom wasn't in town so I figured I would not take the kids. However, I remembered how much Elias talked about taking food to old people that I thought he might enjoy going with me as a big boy.

So, Elias and I did our first service project together. He did a great job of carrying the cold food items to the doors while I managed the hot. He loved ringing the doorbells and introducing himself. We only got mildly lost in the Allied Drive neighborhood; I guess we stuck out being white and driving a VW Passat because the person who was waiting for his food waved us down and yelled, "Over here!."

Each year I reminded that Madison is not just a bobo hippie town. There are many elderly living in very run down homes, which are usually reeking of cigarette smoke. These homes range from the Midvale neighborhoods and even into Nakoma! Yes, there are the poorer complexes in the Allied Drive neighborhoods, but for me it's sometimes harder to see the day to day poverty of very old folks. I'm often reminded of the adage that you learn a lot about a society by the way in which the old are cared for; I'm not sure if I'm encouraged by what I see.

Computer Troubles

Dear Loyal Readers,

We are experiencing technical difficulties. We will be with you shortly--we hope. We appreciate your patience. Please visit us again.

Sincerely,
The staff at kradelkids

Allergic to Camp Food?

While we had a great time at camp, the food left something to be desired. Iceberg lettuce. Frozen fish sticks. Sloppy joes on stale white bread buns. Need I say more?

Our hungry girl, however, seemed to eat everything she could get her little hands on. She no longer will eat any baby food and needs to feed herself all of the time. The highchair at camp soon carried a layer of Cheerios and applesauce at every meal. I was very proud of both of our kids for waiting patiently for food as the lines went down to get grub. Unfortunately, after the second day at camp, I went to get Adelaide up from her nap (in the bathroom) and she was soaked. The little girl had thrown up all over her pack n play and had hives on her torso. Luckily, our friend who was there with us is a pediatrician. She helped me clean Addie up and checked her breathing for signs of wheezing or other problems. She seemed just fine and was for the rest of the camp. The frustrating thing was we don't know what brought this on. The only thing she ate that was perhaps a first for her that morning was a pancake. Our pediatrician friend thought she might be allergic to eggs. I don't think so because she has had waffles and meatballs and other things with egg in them. But, our own pediatrician at home wants her tested because of Elias' peanut allergy, which makes perfect sense. I called yesterday and the earliest appointment they have is not until September 4th. So, my poor girl will have to be carefully watched with regard to any foods until we are able to rule out what did or did not cause that allergic reaction. I sure hope she does not have a food allergy. One in the family is enough.

My sweet angelic ringbearer

On July 5th, Elias had his debut as a ringbearer. Personally, I would never have Elias in my wedding, but my brother-in-law and his fiance were set on inviting both of their nephews to dress the part and carry rings to the wedding party. From the beginning, I had qualms. After all, this is the child who tries to run away from us every chance he gets and still doesn't know what it means to walk--he runs everywhere. This is also a child who is easily distracted; every stick he sees is a weed wacker and then he is busy weed whacking. I was filled with trepidation that Elias was not only going to carry a ring, but in a wide open space and quite a considerable distance on his own. His father and I would have already arrived at the foot of the steps where the ceremony was to take place. He was to start from the parking lot and precede the bride and the flowergirl--along with little Aidan, his partner in crime. To make matters more complicated, there was a full sized boat in a barn right next to the entrance to the garden. Once Elias saw that, he desperately wanted to play in the boat. If you look carefully at the first picture you can see the distance he had to go. The little guy eventually walked in with me and his sippy cup. He stayed at my side for about a minute and then made his way back to the boat where one of Adam's uncles said something to him that scared the daylights out of him. For the remainder of the ceremony, he was perched on the shoulders of Adam's cousin. I had promised him a lollipop if he managed to walk in and the pictures show him in a tranquil state enjoying his lollipop before he got to pulling hostas out of the garden at the reception. After his little dig, we took him home, put him to bed, and enjoyed the party. What a great wedding!