rotten to the core

ah yes, you know that the academic year has started up again when activity on this blog slows to a virtual standstill and blog rot sets in. i know i'm not alone in not being able to find the time to post once teaching starts up again, and like betsy, we keep this blog as a record of our little family for us as much as anyone else.
without any further ado, here's an update...

eleanor continues to grow bigger, cuter and smarter everyday (in our humble opinion). she enjoys getting into the cake pans and oven mitts that reside in the drawer under the stove.

she also likes feeding herself with her fingers. black beans and rice are a particular favorite...

this past weekend, betsy, henry and clara were in town. here are the girls with grammie.

rob, e, and henry horse around and are the very picture of inter-generational hawkeye fandom.
more love for the hawks on game day...

at the beginning of the month, rob and i traveled to edinburgh, scotland. it was our first trip without eleanor since she was born, which was sad, but we all did just fine. while i was at my conference/workshop, rob had time to do some sightseeing. he took many, many, many photos (this will not shock any who know him) and will likely post further about his adventures at a later date...
here he is at the top of arthur's seat in holyrood park at the end of the royal mile. it's quite a hike.
the lovely landscape at holyrood park. green urban spaces are pretty darn cool.

edinburgh castle was the main attraction for me when i visited for the first time in 1997 and rob spent most of a day there. this was our one sunny day...

an otter carved into a chair-arm in the thistle chapel at the high kirk of st. giles. the chapel is this amazingly, intricately carved space. you could spend hours there and still find new details to marvel over.

yes, we did enjoy some grown-up time in the pubs. this is deacon brodie's on the royal mile. check out the tartan carpet!

**Carrie forgot this pic!