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Now that Austin is old enough not to try and leap from a moving wagon, we were able to head to the garden center and load up with everything we need for the Halloween festivities. In the wagon; one proud tiger, two pumpkins, and one little kid who refused to wear a costume. You figure out which is which…

In between expressions of comical animation and amusement, there are these; Austin’s more pensive and questioning moments…

…though when I look at this picture, I can recognize that expression for what it truly is; second child syndrome. “What the heck is that big black thing on your face? Camera? What the heck is a camera?”

As an example of what it used to be like taking pictures of Ethan, Austin is – as yet – uninfluenced by his older brother’s sense of drama in front of the camera.

Oh yeah…and Nicole was here too. Hey Nicole!

Ethan had some visitors a little while back, and we ended up with this fairly hilarious picture of him, Ella and Wils…their expressions are pretty priceless (don’t you wonder what Wils is looking at?)

What the picture raises for me, however, is just how tough it is to get a picture of Ethan these days. It used to be that as soon as he saw the camera, he would put on his best smile and freeze. Now, well, it’s a little different. Take, as an illustration, the series that the above photo was a part of…

Yeah, well, that pretty much says it all. It is made no less challenging by the fact that he wants to see the result after every shot. I guess we all have our own aesthetic sense…

It’s not enough that spammers have attempted to post 30,426 spam comments on this blog, they also – I just realized – set up 554 user accounts. I decided not to take my chances, so I dutifully deleted all of the user accounts except for mine.

That’s when I remembered that I had set up an account for Laura…you know, right around the time that I hit “delete” on the last batch of users.

I don’t know if anyone else uses a blog this way, but for me, at this point, this blog represents the closest thing to a comprehensive record of what we’ve done over the last few years as I have. So needless to say, I was a little upset to remember that Laura had used her account to put up some posts when we were in France with Ethan.

That’s when Google saved the day! Since Google caches just about everything, I was able to find all of the posts on Google, then re-post them to the site. A nerdy bit of time spent, but it saved one of my favourite shots on this blog (reposting the picture for good measure!) which – I think – was the exact moment in Ethan’s life when he fell in love with trains…yup, the shot of Ethan on the TGV to Lyon.

Thanks, Google!

n.b. I also love that WordPress lets you backdate posts!

We got a not-so-little wagon for the kids; kind of an urban, father-powered SUV. With spring springing, it suddenly seems like the perfect way to get around.

Austin’s actually grown up enough to hold his own with Ethan in the wagon, though the two of them seem to like it best when Ethan’s pulling and Austin’s holding on like he’s riding a chariot.

When not wagoning, Austin can otherwise be found eating, which has become a constant state for him.

Little Mr. Austin

By which I mean to say, don’t expect to see a photo of him without food all over his face. It won’t happen. Ever.

This is the oh-so-gentle way that Ethan likes to play with his dear brother…with a little sprinkling of commentary on his favourite drink, and some coaching on how I should use the camera…

Some might suggest that – given my extended silence – something ominous has taken place, and that our little American son was “disappeared”. Others might claim that Austin’s birth was an elaborate hoax, and that there is, in fact, no second child to show for that whole faked “pregnancy” that Laura put on.

My goal here is to dispel such wild, unfounded rumors. See exhibit ‘A’, the very real, very post-natal Austin:

 And as for this Ethan character? Despite his rabid support for Barack Obama – who he believes should be his next President – none have managed to silence him.

Indeed, despite the turmoil these days, Ethan has managed to keep a rather sunny disposition, convinced as he is that brighter days lie ahead.

What a wise young man.

We got the chance to head out on the lake today in Chris’s family boat…funny, I almost forgot Toronto was on the lake! Good times were had by all, though some were a little more enthusiastic than others…

Though he hasn’t really extended much beyond burping and pooping, Austin has been pretty fun to have around. Here’s the little dude at one month:

By popular request, here – at long last – is the new addition to the family…

And in case you’re wondering how Ethan is adjusting to his new brother…

At 11:25 on June 3rd, Austin Jonathan Williamson was born, weighing eight pounds and eleven ounces. Welcome Austin!

Pictures to follow…