The World of Ephraim

    With all the craziness teenagers bring to a home, it is nice to have a 1 year old.  Ephraim makes me smile! He gets into the most unexpected scrapes,and makes you see the world differently.  For example, why not use the dog as a step stool for looking out the window?

 Or, use the dog as a bed?

   There was a phase where he would climb everything for a few days.  He kept climbing the fish tank over and over... and kept getting stuck at the top.  I'd get him down, and then 10 minutes later, he would be scaling the sides again.

Ephraim has been taught to love mud puddles from Sylvia, who was taught the art-of-mud by Noel. 

 So, I guess it is a family tradition.

   Ephraim suddenly took an interest in Sylvia's violin.  (I think it had something to do with all the hours Asher had been playing getting ready for his recital.)   Sylvia was wonderful as a teacher, helping him to hold it correctly and play it.

Ephraim is also a master lid opener.  He found some paint.. and Why not use it as body paint?

  We spend hours outside during the summer afternoons, getting wet.. which ususally leads to getting muddy.  Here is a pleasant pre-mud picture.

     Often twilight walks are the only way to get him to stop exploring the world.  He runs from sun-up to sun down, not even taking time to eat, unless he is strapped into something.

Sean is a great dad.  During one summer down pour, he took time to play in the rain with Ephraim.

    Our house is over run by books!  Ephraim loves to read and read.  We read hours with him. He has an amazing vocabulary.  He uses 4 syllable words, and tells jokes (accompanied by his own canned fake laughter of "ha ha ha.")    Sylvia often crawls in bed with him and reads to him first thing in the morning.

     Then Ephraim will make his rounds to "see what the guys doing" (as he put it).  If Asher is still in bed, he will crawl in with him and snuggle.

   We are so lucky to have this little guy in our house. I love having the wide ages in children. It was really rough the first year.. but now I appreciate it more. It is fun. Ephraim helps us all to "keep it real"!