Brandeis University
Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) Ph.D. Candidate
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Not Your Average Joe's--delicious dessert with candles just for us!
Brandeis University
Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) Ph.D. Candidate
Happy Thanksgiving
Continuing a tradition begun when we first moved to the area in 2006, my parents traveled up to Boston for Thanksgiving. They arrived on Wednesday along with my sister Moriah and her boyfriend, Craig, who both flew in from Tuscon. Then on Thursday morning, we all drove up to Barrington to celebrate the holiday with the Olivier clan. The meal was phenomenal and included Anique's first attempt at a tofurkey (Craig's vegan and Moriah's vegetarian, though most of the omnivores partook). Consesus: tasty but perhaps a little heavy on the tofu (6 pounds of it). More well received was Anique's vegan pumpkin bread pudding. Popular with Masons and Oliviers alike, this dish might have been sweet enough to have helped forge a more communitarian relationship between the Europeans and the Native Americans. If only we could go back in time. We capped the day with a walk along Swain's Lake and an hour of singing around the fire place.
Having my family here was great and Isaac provided plenty of entertainment and opportunities for the out-of-practice (and in Moriah's case, the uninitiated) to change his diapers, feed him cereal, make him laugh. Special shout-out to my folks who watched Isaac on Saturday night so that Anique and I could go on a special date to the Finland Steam Baths, a favorite spot of ours in Quincy (when you scan down the webpage, keep your eyes out for a picture of Danielle and Zev along with our/their friends, Christie and Charlie). We then returned to the Not Your Average Joes in Watertown for drinks, veggie spring rolls, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing, a decadent concoction. Anique told our waitress that this was only our 4th date since Isaac's birth, and to our surprise, the dish arrived topped with candles and the framed with the words CONGRATS! in peanut butter sauce. And, even better, it was on the house! What a great date. We made it back just in time for Isaac's now-routine 10:30 PM wake-up. Hopefully, once those top two teeth come in, we can get back to sleeping through the night (all three of us).
Having my family here was great and Isaac provided plenty of entertainment and opportunities for the out-of-practice (and in Moriah's case, the uninitiated) to change his diapers, feed him cereal, make him laugh. Special shout-out to my folks who watched Isaac on Saturday night so that Anique and I could go on a special date to the Finland Steam Baths, a favorite spot of ours in Quincy (when you scan down the webpage, keep your eyes out for a picture of Danielle and Zev along with our/their friends, Christie and Charlie). We then returned to the Not Your Average Joes in Watertown for drinks, veggie spring rolls, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing, a decadent concoction. Anique told our waitress that this was only our 4th date since Isaac's birth, and to our surprise, the dish arrived topped with candles and the framed with the words CONGRATS! in peanut butter sauce. And, even better, it was on the house! What a great date. We made it back just in time for Isaac's now-routine 10:30 PM wake-up. Hopefully, once those top two teeth come in, we can get back to sleeping through the night (all three of us).
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Grandma T feeds Isaac
During her recent visit, Isaac's Grandma T showed off her impressive skills serving (and celebrating) squash.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Isaac vs. Squash
As many of you know, Isaac has been a less-than-enthusiastic eater -- like a dieting actress, he prefers all of his meals to be in liquid form. However, he seems partial to squash. And when Isaac eats squash it's a full body sport.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Pepere's Turning 70!
On Saturday, we drove to Manchester-by-the-Sea to celebrate my dad's upcoming 70th birthday. We prepared (and purchased) some of my dad's favorite foods, including tourtiere, pâté, and bread pudding. And, as part of the festivities, the Olivier girls prepared a special song for the birthday boy (see below). A great time. We love you Dad/Julien/Pepere!
Come over here, Dad; this moment is for you
To celebrate your life avec un chason pour vous
‘Cause 70 years don't come everyday
So here is our chance, we won't give it away!
You might not hear the words of this song
We'll give you a handout so you can read along
Turn up your hearing aids or read our lips
Not until ninety will you need new hips!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
To heck with the priesthood; “let’s do it like rabbits!”
Throw off the vestments, she'll take off her habit;
Our families say, “No!” We have no money;
But we’ve got love and a little baby!
Digging up leachfields with one pregnant Jane-y,
Car trips to Quebec, Newfoundland and Maine-y.
Weekends: drag girls to church and chop down trees.
‘Cause we’ve got love and a great family!
Going for bike rides, and walks around Swain’s Lake,
Marking up essays, “This comma’s a mis-take!”
Savory baked beans that make us fart-y
(Fart Sound) No one says, “excuse me” in this family!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
Then we were older in college and travels
You hauled the boxes and fixed things with trowels
E-mails and car trips and weddings galore
Who ever thought there may even be more?
When Ryan was born, you became un vrai pepere
Tree swings, and stories and watching them play
Cole, Tavi, Owen, and Maya all came
Then Isaac and Izzi for your volleyball game
After you’re sixty, you head back to Maine
To kayak with Mom and "Doctor" your name
Up on the roof and learning Hebrew
To connect with the men your daughters ... love
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad
Now as a chaplain, you pray with the dying
Help them through their pain as they are crying.
Inmates in prison and nursing home, too
All of them there and us, we love you!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
Come over here, Dad; this moment is for you
To celebrate your life avec un chason pour vous
‘Cause 70 years don't come everyday
So here is our chance, we won't give it away!
You might not hear the words of this song
We'll give you a handout so you can read along
Turn up your hearing aids or read our lips
Not until ninety will you need new hips!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
To heck with the priesthood; “let’s do it like rabbits!”
Throw off the vestments, she'll take off her habit;
Our families say, “No!” We have no money;
But we’ve got love and a little baby!
Digging up leachfields with one pregnant Jane-y,
Car trips to Quebec, Newfoundland and Maine-y.
Weekends: drag girls to church and chop down trees.
‘Cause we’ve got love and a great family!
Going for bike rides, and walks around Swain’s Lake,
Marking up essays, “This comma’s a mis-take!”
Savory baked beans that make us fart-y
(Fart Sound) No one says, “excuse me” in this family!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
Then we were older in college and travels
You hauled the boxes and fixed things with trowels
E-mails and car trips and weddings galore
Who ever thought there may even be more?
When Ryan was born, you became un vrai pepere
Tree swings, and stories and watching them play
Cole, Tavi, Owen, and Maya all came
Then Isaac and Izzi for your volleyball game
After you’re sixty, you head back to Maine
To kayak with Mom and "Doctor" your name
Up on the roof and learning Hebrew
To connect with the men your daughters ... love
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad
Now as a chaplain, you pray with the dying
Help them through their pain as they are crying.
Inmates in prison and nursing home, too
All of them there and us, we love you!
When the snow falls,
Stack the wood high!
Grab your ice skates, Dad.
When we remember our favorite times
With you -- We don’t feel so bad.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Halloween Get together
Yesterday we "celebrated fall birthdays with hard labor" (that's what I wrote in my Google calendar). It was actually a lot of fun. Josh split wood with my dad's fancy splitting machine and I drove the tractor from the woods and then stacked wood. For a little while, I stacked wood with Isaac in the carrier until everyone around me was nervous for my little guy and I went inside and came back out while my mom was with Isaac. As a family, we did a lot of work and I think my parents were pleased with what we accomplished. At the end of the day, we ate a yummy meal and sang "Happy Birthday" three times: once each for Josh, Jenn and then Owen. Each had their own cake of course.
We continued the social gatherings this morning; we went to my friend Anne's house in JP for a Halloween get together with my mom-group. Husband-attendance and baby-costumes were encouraged so Josh came and we dressed Isaac as a bear. It was fun seeing everyone and catching up. Here is a link to some amazing photos that Matt took (father of the little yellow chick).
http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew.beverly/AnneSNeilSHalloweenParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCLiZ0uW2iJGZAQ&feat=email#
After the gathering, we drove to Babies 'R' Us and bought Isaac a new car seat. Up until now, he has been sitting in an infant carrier that has two parts--a base that stays in the car and the part that Isaac sits in that can be moved in/out of the car. We even set-up the stroller so that the car seat could just snap into it. It's a great system. The problem is that he's gotten too big for that seat. When he's wearing winter clothes, we actually have a hard time snapping the closures. So today we bought a top-of-the-line chair that will accommodate him until he is 70 lbs. It also has steel reinforcements making it very safe. The big question for us right now is will we be able to put Isaac inside his new seat? We have a two-door Honda Civic and it's logistically challenging putting a child in rear-facing. Josh and I may have to face the fact that we need four doors on a car with a little baby. We'll see after we put Isaac in his new seat tomorrow.
Lastly, with all the babies his age today, Isaac picked up a new skill--sitting on his own. Watch the video below to see how he can really support himself for at least half a minute.
We continued the social gatherings this morning; we went to my friend Anne's house in JP for a Halloween get together with my mom-group. Husband-attendance and baby-costumes were encouraged so Josh came and we dressed Isaac as a bear. It was fun seeing everyone and catching up. Here is a link to some amazing photos that Matt took (father of the little yellow chick).
http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew.beverly/AnneSNeilSHalloweenParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCLiZ0uW2iJGZAQ&feat=email#
After the gathering, we drove to Babies 'R' Us and bought Isaac a new car seat. Up until now, he has been sitting in an infant carrier that has two parts--a base that stays in the car and the part that Isaac sits in that can be moved in/out of the car. We even set-up the stroller so that the car seat could just snap into it. It's a great system. The problem is that he's gotten too big for that seat. When he's wearing winter clothes, we actually have a hard time snapping the closures. So today we bought a top-of-the-line chair that will accommodate him until he is 70 lbs. It also has steel reinforcements making it very safe. The big question for us right now is will we be able to put Isaac inside his new seat? We have a two-door Honda Civic and it's logistically challenging putting a child in rear-facing. Josh and I may have to face the fact that we need four doors on a car with a little baby. We'll see after we put Isaac in his new seat tomorrow.
Lastly, with all the babies his age today, Isaac picked up a new skill--sitting on his own. Watch the video below to see how he can really support himself for at least half a minute.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Isaac joins Steelers nation
Out walking on Friday morning, Isaac and I stopped by Growing Up in Belmont--a consignment store for kid's clothes (but it's Belmont, so as their website notes, their more like a consignment boutique)--and while scanning the racks for a Halloween costume, I spotted a Pittsburgh Steeler's jersey onesie, with matching warmup pants and socks. Only 5 bucks! What a score! Isaac wore the jersey today and the Steelers beat the Browns 28-10. Coincidence? You can bet Isaac will be wearing the same jersey (unwashed) for next week's game against the Dolphins.
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