Waiting is the Hardest Part: One Minute Movies

Brad should hear about the contest today. We are also waiting to hear back on Jane's full panel of allergy and Celiac tests. Consider this video as our version of the waiting room muzak we are all familiar with, except shorter. And balder or curlier. And cuter.

Jane sings Mulan.

In case you're wondering what Jane is doing in the foreground of the next movie, she's painting on her arm, just as Mulan does at the beginning of the movie (Mulan writes answers on her arm for her meeting with the matchmaker).


GreyPlays from Bladford Shingley on Vimeo.

Thanks to everyone who supported Brad's project these past two weeks. We hope to share some good news with you later today, but we'll just have to see. But with friends like you, we already feel like winners (cue the cheesy music, group hug, and freeze frame).

Teeth.

Jane went into the dentist for her first visit last week. She handled everything well and seemed to like wearing sunglasses inside and taking rides in the moving chair. She even let them do a full cleaning. Of course, her favorite part was getting new stuff: a new (princess!) toothbrush and toothpaste, and a toy from the treasure chest.



When we came home, she lined up all the toothpaste tubes and called me to come look at her "toothpaste collection."


Jane's toothpaste collection.

Meanwhile, Grey. Grey's one-year molars are coming in, and the night before the dentist he was miserable. Then this already exhausted boy had to wait to take a nap so we could go to the dentist. When we came home, Grey crashed on his favorite blankets a few feet from the front door. He slept there for forty-five minutes.


Grey's crashpad.

In the News

Coffee City, a Seattle Times blog, wrote a story about Mista Barista. You can read it here.
Don't forget to vote!

Vote for Mista Barista

If you've wondered why Brad has dropped off the face of this blog, here's your explanation. He has been deep in a creative animating place. Now that he's done, he have someone he'd like you to meet. I think you'll like him, too.
Introducing Mista Barista, Seattle's own superhero. We hope to make it official, and we need your help.


Part ONE


Part TWO

Mista Barista is one of twenty finalists in the CW 11 Animation Hero contest (from an original 122 entries). This means Brad is up for some sweet prizes--CS4 and a mini-scholoarship at the Art Institute of Seattle. If you like him (or either of us, really) please go vote for Mista Barista here. You will not need to create an account. You can vote once a day for the next two weeks. Your vote will help!
Credits: Thanks to Whitney for creative support and Hayley for the excellent soundtrack.

One Minute Movies: What are you Eating?

Grey loves paper. I don't know how many times we've had to take it away from his crinkling, crunching hands. But he doesn't just love the sounds paper can make. Grey loves to eat it. He'll hold a sheet in both hands and sink his teeth into it, pulling away with a nice bite of white printer paper. Yummy.
Of course we don't really want to encourage this behavior: what would the other kids say at school if he literally started eating his homework? But we don't mind commemorating the quirk on film.
And yes, it has come in handy to train Grey to show us what's in his mouth when we ask what he's eating. Thanks for asking.




Also, we love how Grey says "Hey Guys" at the beginning.

Sunday Best: Jane's First Talk

Jane gave her first talk in Primary about a month ago. She talked about family. We were so proud of her--she wasn't nervous to talk in the microphone in front of everyone and she spoke clearly.
The cute clothes are courtesy of Cassie and Mike. Thanks for getting married, you two! The kids needed new outfits.

Now for too many pictures. I try not to tease the grandparents, I promise!

Jane, 3.5 years, and Grey, 1.0 years.

Someday

Someday her hair will be down her back and she will go to school, away from me for half the day. She will love learning and playing and making school friends.
Someday he will talk in full sentences and climb out of his crib and climb on top of the fridge (hopefully not that last one).
It's hard to imagine how different life will be in one, two years. Children change so quickly, fading through phases seamlessly. I'm excited to see their joy and excitement and growth, but sad that they can't stay like this forever:
Playing pretend, with narration from Bad Guy.
Running across the room to tickle Grey.
Singing all day long, from Mr. Rogers to Santa Claus is Coming to Town to There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly
Writing L's and J's with so much excitement
Drawing heads with stick arms and legs (no torso)
Riding her horse around, playing Mulan or Lisa (from the Australian show "Saddle Club")
Dancing and talking about "nymnastics"
Never getting enough peek a boo or pat-a-cake
Sneaking into the nursery to read books by himself
Growling in response to the blender or mixer
Taking big strides across the room to give us hugs
licks=kisses
"mamamamamama"
shaking his fist wildly to sign "milk"
giggling freely at his sisters antics and tickles.

This is three seconds from our dinner table. The camera ran out of space just as I started taking this, but I ended up liking the editing job.