Since You Were Patient

Baby Kisses Back, or Maybe He's Just Yawning in His Brother's Face

The Portrait of a Baby

"Blue's in Orange"

Media: Marker on Paper

Artist: Ellis M. Schek

Year: 2010

I actually found this long after he had drawn it and I asked him who it was and he said that he had indeed immortalized Blue's Clues in marker. I have to say the proportions aren't that far off.

Lest We Forget Our Ellis

This morning, Ellis was trying hook a car onto his matchbox tow truck. But, the car had no place where he could gain purchase with the tow truck hook. After much fighting to find a way to hook it up, Ellis said with a sigh, "I guess we are gonna need a flatbed."

For Now and For Later

As many of you know, Ellis has wanted to name the baby "Blue's Clues" for quite some time now and he has been dogged since the birth in attempting to ingrain that name. We have told Ellis that the baby might not want to be named after a children's show when he is a grown up, so Ellis has allowed us to pick a name for the kid to use later. Whether Ellis knows it or not, the name for being a grown up will go on the birth certificate. And that name is "Maddox Henry Schek".

Best Eye Open Pic Yet

Before The Rivalry

9 pounds, 22 inches, No Name

Both Rachel and the baby are doing well.

I will take some better pics and get them up tomorrow. The camera flash wakes him up and he really hates it. I guess I would too if I had lived in near total darkness for 9 months and then someone started flashing bright lights in my face.

Ketchup Post

I have been doing a fair number of projects that I have been intending to post about.

This is a knockdown workbench I made with Orrin at the end of their Christmas visit. It turned out very well and has been quite useful.
The knockdown bench is useful (it is over to the right in this picture) but I also wanted a really firm bench. This is made of spruce with a 3/4" press board top. The legs look really funny at this angle, but they actually are quite stout. The bench is attached to the wall and the outside rails are cantlevered. The legs ride on two of the members that make the torsion box top and they are set back 8 inches or so form the front of the bench, such that you aren't kicking them as you move around and work. They are made in two pieces so I can adjust them should the floor or wall move with the weather. Since the garage floor is sloped outward, the legs are pretty different lengths.
Over a couple weekends I also made this little table for our mudroom. We needed something to be our catchall as we come in and out.
I guess the slots are for mail or papers and what not. They were more for the thickness than for function.
The open trays at the ends are for Rachel and I to each have a place to empty our pockets. You will notice that mine is already crammed with stuff (including a bottle of wood glue*) while Rachel's is empty.
And, I made this little caddy for Ellis's crayons and markers from the left over bits of the table for the mudroom. Only one divider is glued while the rest are pressed in to allow for some reconfiguration later.

*Wood glue freezes at a surprisingly high temperature and our garage is very cold. (I built that new bench this weekend in 20 deg. F weather.) Therefore the wood glue is kept just inside the house. Frozen wood glue is annoying, but if you microwave it, it goes from frozen to molten in the blink of an eye. If you then spill the molten glue on your skin it burns and sticks and this is very unpleasant.

Grandma's Talents

Ellis is enjoying having Grandma here while we wait for #2 to show up. They made a bunch of pierogies for the freezer on Friday. Ellis was actually able to contribute fairly reasonably.
We have been quite remiss in not putting up photos of Ellis's room that Grandma redecorated over the Christmas holiday. The room has a space theme which includes this gigantic mural of the planets. It is slightly out of data in its inclusion of Pluto. Its like the solar system is wearing its throwback uniforms in Ellis's room.
My favorite part of the room is the dark blue wave around the room which is further decorated with glow in the dark space items.
The baby will no doubt be here soon. Ellis has been in truly rare form. Here is a small taste:

Ellis comes in at 6:15 AM today and jumps into bed. I ask him, "what do you want to do today, maybe help me build the workbench?" Rachel chimes in, "Maybe daddy could take you ice skating." And, Ellis says, "First I want to know what we are having for breakfast!"