Brown Out

Original abstract in Crayola Gel Paints by Buby. Dated: 4.28.07. Origination: Buby Land. Special Thanks: Mama. Value: Priceless

review: Crayola Gel Paint

Crayola's washable No Drip Gel Paint is awesome in that you're not likely to spill it onto the floor like other paints. (Though admittedly Buby still tested this product from inside the tub--I'm a patient mom, not a crazy one!) There are three strips of color, so you tear the package into three sections along the perforated line, then peal off the plastic seal over that section. The brush is good size and quality and colors vibrant. Two Buby & Co. complaints: Once you peal the plastic off a strip of color, there is no way to reseal it. We painted many canvases to use it all up, since it was essentially trash-bound after one session. Secondly, and this is just Buby & Co. preference, the color pockets are so close together that Buby inadvertently mixed them all together to make one not-so-pretty tone. Now we have BROWN canvases coming out of our... well, you get the idea. This won't matter for older kids who show more color discrimination and control.

Time Out

Say hello to Buby's "Time Out Chair." My sister-in-law and I recently stumbled on this petite perch at a wonderful antique shop run out of a garage. Nice solid wood. It's a perfect match for Buby Land, so as soon as she passed on it, I snagged it. We only use it on rare occasion when Buby deliberately acts out (usually harassing our dog Jazzy, either pulling her tail or sticking his fingers in her eye balls just for kicks). What can we say, he's approaching 2 and likes to test us. I ask him to go to the chair and then I plop down on the floor next to him. There's a brief starring contest. He's smart and knows exactly why he's there. He whines but waits patiently. The facial expressions are so cute I sometimes have to turn my head and laugh into my sleeve. I count to 10. Only after he signs "Sorry" do I let him down to continue playing. If his feet touch the ground before 10, I start over at 1. Isn't that cruel? The whole process takes about 20 seconds, but it has worked so far.

Steal of the Week

SPLURGE: Hickey Freeman Beach Stripe Blazer, cotton size 3T, $325

STEAL: Children's Place Stripe Blazer, cotton size 3T, $4

Buby & Co. was tickled rainbow stripe when we found this summer blazer for Buby at Children's Place. It's was $4 on clearance. That's FOUR DOLLARS! What a steal, considering the nearly identical version from Hickey Freeman (available through Best & Co.) is $325. Two buttons instead of three, big whoop! Hickey is Dada's suit brand, but it's a luxury he has earned. You won't see Buby rolling around in Hickey until he's also rolling in dough.

Poster Perfect

Bull by Shino Arihari, $15

Shiro by Shino Arihari, $20

Care by Shino Arihari, $25

The mantra at Thumbtack Press is "So Hip It Hurts." And it almost does. The retail site gives starving artists a voice. And they sell direct hundreds of original, high-quality prints on the cheap, without looking like it. Buby & Co. chooses three Shino Arihari kid-friendly posters to feature. But there are 113 in all from various artists... and way more than that geared for us old folks.

Street Cred

Buby & Co. likes finding fun shoes for boys. It isn't so easy. Here are three funky suede designs for toddlers, called Character Shoes, from Western Chief. My sister-in-law has the right idea when she tells her three kids "If you can see it on TV, it shouldn't be on your body!" I'm going to have to agree... no cartoon obsessions here in Buby Land. But whimsical and lovable creatures of an unfamiliar sort are totally welcome! Saught out, actually. Western Chief is a supreme source for affordable rain boots, too, offering more variety than Buby & Co. has ever seen in one place. And they carry umbrellas, backpacks, and rain jackets TO BOOT!

Snazzy Skincare

Noodle & Boo's oh-so-pretty packaging is undeniable. Still, $28 is a lot to pay for sunscreen, even for your sweetie's Bubylicious skin. But I like that 20% of the proceeds goes to children's charities, including St. Jude's. Noodle & Boo is an ultra gentle luxury skincare line for babies. Shampoos, lotions, and bubbles are also on their menu.

Il Cocco di Mamma

Il Cocco di Mamma means "Mama's boy" in Italian, and it is also our Featured Friday Shop (a day late). Excellent source for the worldly set. Il Cocco di Mamma's owner, Donna, sells these wonderful and timeless wooden blocks embossed with letters, numbers and pictures. The hook is that you can choose English, Italian, Russian, Hebrew (below), French, Spanish, OR Greek. I think it's fantabulous, whether you live in a bilingual household or are just looking to expose your own little ones to the larger world. 27 pieces for $35.

The Sweetest Thing

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the sweetest friends ever. The most thoughtful gift awaited our return from the hospital this afternoon on our front porch courtesy of Buby's gal pals Grace, Gillian, Shaelin, and Lillian. Homemade lasagna, fresh-baked olive bread, salad, dressing, and veggies for din din. Wow, four 1 1/2 year olds did this? Impressive even for this precocious crew! Buby's Dada is a total foodie, and he said hands down it is the best lasagna he's EVER HAD. Grace's mom, who I now know to be a fantastic cook, used organic meat and mozzarella. Nice touch. Buby & I shared a big bowl and can't wait for leftovers tomorrow. The spread was accompanied by pretzels for Buby and the most delish homemade frosted sugar cookies I've ever tasted. And tasted. And tasted. Scrumptious. The best part: Each girl painted letters for a big sign--in their own artistic medium--that when put together makes a "Get Well Gavin" banner. The painted letters are cut out and stapled onto orange circles, which are cut out and pasted onto bigger blue circles (like this "G" from Shaelin) and attached to a string via clothes pin. Thanks again to the girls AND YOUR MAMAS, TOO! It's such comfort to be around good people. And you are good people.

Brave Little Buby

Buby's surgery went well today. We have a long night ahead, so here's a quick update for family we may not have time to call. We woke up late this morning (big surprise after only two hours of sleep!), thus we had to leave the house in less than 10 minutes flat. Thank goodness I laid out our clothes the night before and had already packed Buby's play and food things. I'm not a morning person. Just hated waking him up, but no choice. He amazingly didn't fall back asleep. Wide awake the entire car ride from 4:30am on. The hospital gave Buby a pretty paper ankle bracelet and soft blue gown that opens in the back. His first. Once we got into our private waiting room (where the above shot was taken), we had to keep Buby's mind off food and drink. So while I signed yet more releases, Dada and Buby played catch with an impromptu sock ball (so much for my meticulous packing). Buby loved touching the IV bag and zoom zooming his little cars all over the carpet. Dr. R. (pediatric eye surgeon) entered sporting an m&m bandanna--very kid chic! Buby liked it lots. And she so admired his attachment to his Crocs that she let him keep them on for the surgery. The surgical nurse told Dada it was the first time in 26 years she has EVER seen anyone in the operating room with shoes on. Go Crocs! We're in love with Dr. R. Dr. Stan (pediatric anesthesiologist), on the other hand, introduced himself and called my Buby "Kevin" several times. That stopped my heart at least once. (In fairness, English wasn't his native language.) Finally... we settled on GAVIN. Then I noticed one of the releases said "both eyes." Oh boy! We're only here for the left eye, people! We were told all along we could be with Buby until he was out, but today they said only one parent could enter the operating room. I wasn't ready to say goodbye and had a moment of Mama Mama Mama selfishness. They gave me the goofy shower cap, face mask, head to toe hazmat getup. I nearly lost it as I carried Buby in his blue gown and army green Crocs down the hall with the surgical team--and left Dada behind. I turned around and said "bye bye Daddy" with a lump in my throat. Buby waved to him, and my knees got weak. I should've let him do this. I'm so scared. In the operating room--an impressively sterile scene (rubber slip-ons aside) that could easily fit the whole cast of Grey's Anatomy, House, & ER--Dr. Stan starting singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in the most God awful voice. His nurse said he willed the kids to sleep with that voice, and I believe it. Put me out! I bear-hugged Buby while Dr. Stan pressed the mask to his face. About halfway through he started to resist, kicking and screaming. I knew Buby could breathe, but I could not see HOW Buby could breathe and it made me lose my composure. I'm talking to Buby all the while. After another minute or so, I was relegated to the waiting room with Dada to wait. AND WAIT. AND WAIT. More awfulness. Less than an hour later, Dr. R. came to get us. I'll never forget how Buby looked swaying back and forth in the nurse's arms, all wired up to IVs and chest monitors. Tears rolling down. He wasn't happy. He wasn't Buby. We were in a recovery room for about two hours, the three of us sitting on the floor together. Buby took turns putting his head in our laps. They told us to feed him, so I set up a Buby buffet extravaganza on the floor--ALL of his favorite treats. (Banana, yogurt, cheese, apple, pretzels, and veggie sticks) He didn't want any of it. Another first. We made it home. He still has a bloody nose, fever, and is beyond exhausted. He'll have eye drops 4xs/day for 10 days. He won't allow himself to fall asleep even for 5 minutes (maybe he's scared if he closes his eyes he'll wake up all wired and messed with... understandable). So we've thrown all Buby Land rules out the window for the weekend. Everything he's NOT allowed to have... sure, why not. Whatever you want Buby (within reason). We're all tuckered out. Buby and Dada are shooting a few hoops before another attempt at bedtime. Dr. R. is calling us tonight. She gave us her cell if we have any questions over the weekend, and our post-op is in her office at 9am on Monday. So all should be good. Let's hope the surgery was a success! Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the awesomeness of our friends and family :) WE LOVE YOU!!

Comfort Zone

Buby's favorites tucked inside his hospital bag.

Lulu. Buby's stuffed French Bulldog. She goes where Buby goes.

My First Pal Elmo. A tiny version of the big one Grams & Gramps got Buby for Christmas. He holds Elmo under one arm and Lulu under the other. Too cute.

Baby Einstein Baby Santa CD. For the 2-hour ride to the hospital. It'll still be dark, so hopefully Buby will sleep. And this will help. He has loved this CD since he was being swaddled. It's holiday music that we keep in our CD-1 slot all year and listen to whenever Buby is tired or fussy. It calms him.

Putumayo Presents French Playground CD. For when he first wakes up. It's amazing. We waited FOREVER for it to come. Totally worth the wait. It's good music, light, more difficult to sing along to since it's French, but Buby loves it as do I. And there are lyrics for every song in both English and French.

Little People Things That Go! CD. For the ride home, when we sing loud and cheery and dance in our seats. Buby should know all the words on this CD by heart. It's in slot-2, and we listen to it every single day. Crazy for Carlos the bus driver!

Playskool Wheel Pals. For entertainment. These are Buby's version of matchbox cars, and he's usually got one in his hand. He'll race them anywhere... on the floor, up your back, down his leg. And always makes the VROOM VROOM sound to go with.

Leap Frog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set. For entertainment between the 6am mandatory check-in and whenever they start prepping for the 7:30am surgery. Not sure how Buby will feel about the wait... tired, hungry, thirsty. But if anything can turn his frown upside down, it's this. There are 25 possible combinations. When you mess up and pair a pig front with cow back, for instance, it plays a silly song. Buby loves it.

Happy Baby Words book by Roger Priddy. For when Buby needs to sit still on Mama's lap, this is his go-to book. He'll flip page by page and ID every single item in the book.

God Bless Me book by Helen Haidle and Susan Banta. For reading in the hospital or car. Buby hasn't even had this book a week (it was a gift), and he's already addicted. It's a close second to his go-to book. Sweet, short, nice illustrations, and it rhymes. Buby LOVES the dog!

Crocs, of course. For his feet.Like he would let us leave the house without them.

Non-skid socks to keep his feet cozy warm under the Crocs.

Goldfish Pretzels (couldn't find a picture of the pretzels) for immediately after he wakes up. It's his #1 special treat.

I Heart Buby

WHY TODAY WAS LIKE ANY THURSDAY:

• Buby woke around 7am and we had breakfast in bed (banana, organic gorilla munch cereal, yo baby yogurt--apple & cinnamon flavor)
• No morning classes or play dates on Thursdays
• We read four books
• A bit of drumming
• Shot some hoops inside
• Grocery store for weekly supplies
• One more book & quiz before nap
• Buby naps / Mama works
• Lunch (strawberries, cheese, bread)
• Danced to The Beatles 'Greatest Hits'
• Lovely Kiki usually comes to play with Buby for 2 hours, but she went home sick from school today (feel better Kiki!)
• Snack time INSIDE Buby's tent (he giggled so big when I fit)
• A fun trot to the park (in his little red wagon)
• Basketball in the driveway
• Drawing with chalk
• Game of "I'm Gonna Get You" where I chase Buby into tunnel
• "Hide & Seek" and smushing our faces against the tinted plastic windows in the tent to make the other laugh

WHY IT WASN'T:

• I spent the entire day counting down the hours until we leave for the hospital. Right now, it's 4--and counting. (Buby is having tear-duct surgery in the morning under general anesthesia).
• Hubby went to Sloan Kettering to donate his blood to a beautiful 2-yr-old named Liam who was diagnosed with brain cancer. He is having surgery on May 4th, and he needs O Negative blood and platelets. For info: http://princeliamthebrave.blogspot.com
• I hugged Buby more, tighter, and a little longer each time.
• Bedtime was later. We were trying to get Buby to eat more, since he can't now until after the surgery.
• Sleepy time prayers were the same as usual, but I said them twice. I wasn't sure if God heard me the first time. I don't want to rush through them just because Buby is exhausted. I want them to count.
• When I laid out his outfit for tomorrow, I switched out the shirt four times. I want him to be comfortable. Not too warm. Not too cold. Just right. I want him to be happier in that outfit than he's ever been in any outfit. Maybe if he is, tomorrow will be a little bit easier on all of us.

And To All a Good Night...

I saw this book recently, and it brought back so many memories growing up. (Remember, Mom?) This was MY BOOK. One of only two ("Black Beauty" being the other) that I ever got hooked on. Over time the thick cardboard pages grew worn and edges bent. "My Goodnight Book" by Eloise Wilkin is a total classic about a little girl who goes through the whole routine of getting ready to sleep. It's funny, since I never did go to sleep. As soon as I heard my parents retire for the night, my secret life of being awake began. The night light illuminated my wee-hour pretend play, reading, writing, list-making. Even at 5, I got a lot done in the middle of the night.

We were busy kids. I don't want to say over scheduled, because we begged our parents to do all the things we did. And we loved every minute! Nothing was pushed on us. But it was non-stop go, go, go for as long as I can remember. My mom had this ginormous chalkboard in the kitchen with columns and rows, and a color for each of us. How else could the folks keep it all straight? Gracing it through the years were various school activities, gymnastics, swimming, karate, diving, track, girl scouts, boy scouts, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, social events. There was no down time. No time to get into trouble, but also no lazy Sundays. No whining "I'm bored!" And my theory is, no time for thinking and dreaming for ME except after dark, when the rest of the world slept.
My parents usually found me in the morning--glasses all crooked--passed out on a massive pile of loose-leaf paper. Pen marks on the bed. I wasn't fun to wake up. Go figure the little girl who didn't sleep is now a big girl who doesn't sleep. I want to sleep. Oh do I want to sleep. And Hubby wants me to sleep. But I've spent a lifetime staying up, so I don't know how to put myself to bed. Or take a nap. I'm as much a night owl as I was growing up, as I was in college, as I was before my baby slept 'like a baby' through the night. 4 hours of sleep and 1 iced coffee in the AM is totally sufficient for me to go at 100%. Ironic considering this was MY BOOK.

Buby is a fantastic sleeper, just like his dad. We're so lucky for that. I'd love to get this book for him, but I'm slightly afraid of jinxing it. I hope he never has a secret night life!

photo: Amazon

Easy Photo Art

Special effects are groovy! If you have Adobe Photoshop on your desktop (ours came with), there are super cool things you can do with any of your color or b&w pics. Last mother's day, Buby's Dada surprised me with a beautiful snapshot of Buby & I framed in this style. It looks like a fine art painting up close. I've since enlarged many other shots from that day at the park in May '06 and added them to a wall collection. This is Buby & Co.'s "Works For Me Wednesday" tip of the week as seen here.
(Dear Allison: Simply open the program, open a photo you want to mess with, and click on the "effects" tab all the way on the right. There's lots of choices).

Gotta Hand It To Him

Original hand outlines in crayon by Buby & Granny DJ. Dated: 4.21.07. Origination: Buby Land. Value: Priceless

All Business

Little Dude trotting around the house in his snazzy new pinstripe blazer and Crocs. And nothing else.

Buby's Bible Study

God is love. And I think Buby knows. If he doesn't, he feels. Our faith is all around us, always with us. Buby has some truly fantastical bibles for babies and young children, a whole bookshelf in fact, courtesy of friends and family. So I would like to suggest a few of our favorites. Each week we will post an entry in "Buby's Bible Study" for those who are interested.

I like "Little Boys Bible Storybook for Mothers and Sons" by Carolyn Larsen. It's a collection of 50 stories written for moms to share with their little guys. Each story is accompanied by a "Becoming a Man of God" section and a page called "A Mom's Touch." The series of course offers a version for fathers and sons as well as the geared-for-little-women counterpart titled "Little Girls Bible Storybook for Fathers and Daughters."

"Blessings Every Day: 365 Simple Devotions for the Very Young" with text by Carla Barnhill and illustrations by Elena Kucharik. I think this book will be around Buby Land for a long time. It's simple, endearing, and--though targeted for 2- to 5-year-olds--not something Little Dude is likely to outgrow. Every day of the year gets a page with a short inspirational story on it, stories a toddler can easily relate to life. In addition, there's a prayer from the bible highlighted at the top of each page and a two-line poem at the bottom. This illustrator happens to be the Care Bears artist, so the book is in a style I immediately recognized from my own childhood. What a great way to say goodnight. The Little Blessings series also includes "Who is Jesus," "God Loves You," and "What is God Like."

images: amazon.com

What a Croc

Crocs Kids in Army, $25

I couldn't find Buby any Crocs in boyish colors for the longest time. They were all pink or girly blue or black--which I didn't want. Finally, I found these at Super Runners Shop in Grand Central Station last Friday. I'm sure they gouged me, but it's okay. Crocs run a little large, and he hesitated to try them on the first day or so. This morning, he slipped them on to take Jazzy outside and refused to take them off all morning. When we got to Lillian's this afternoon, she touched his Crocs and Buby started to cry. He got mad at me for trying to take them off. He immediately picked both up with one hand and hugged them like he does Lulu (stuffed bulldog). So I have a feeling these Crocs be with us ALL summer :)

Ode to Aga

Whoever said "A Messy House is a Happy House" was so misinformed. And didn't have Aga... the crazy cleaning chick from Poland. I love Aga. I mean it. I LOVE HER. And she's all ours. Well, three hours every third Tuesday. I can't function in a messy house. Or a dirty one. And neither can Buby's dad. We like it clean. And for a while let's admit it really wasn't despite my best efforts juggling Buby, Buby's busy social life, freelance magazine gigs, a book rewrite on deadline, laundry, groceries, etc. It LOOKED clean always, but let's just say I freaked the first time Buby put his mouth to the master bath sink basin. At any given 3am last year, you could find me in one of three places: Buby's room nursing or rocking my baby, my home office working, or painting the house. Never in bed.

I got by quite well on no sleep. For a YEAR. And then I realized scrapbooking at 4:30am might seem like a gem of an idea at the time (with my boys snoozing, I could get done all my little Buby projects I didn't have time for during the day), but it was hurting my body. So at the peak of my exhaustion of course I was offered yet another great gig I wanted to at least consider--since they offered to let me work from here. Pretty flexible. That's when I found my Aga. We've been going strong since last January. I still clean the house between visits of course, but she sanitizes, scrubs, mops and disinfects all three bathrooms, both sets of stairs, and dusts top to bottom. Dusting sucks. As soon as she leaves, I run down to breathe in the fresh "AGA WAS HERE" air. Like an addict. Yeah, whoever said "A Messy House... " had no idea. It's a nice sentiment. But a clean house ROCKS!

photo: marthastewart.com

Just Blue Jeans

I can't stop giggling. Buby thinks this denim-clad dude is his Mama. He discovered this full-page ad for Ralph Lauren Paints in the latest issue of Domino magazine, which resides on my bedside table. Now he flips through every morning looking for this particular page. And when he finds it he yells "MAMA, MAMA!" Like I'm a celebrity. I went to the RL site to see the full image... it's totally a man. A MAN! Buby knows I paint, and I do have kind of hairy arms for a girl. But more likely it's the blue jeans. He's hinting I need more in my repertoire than just blue jeans.

I Like To Be Thankful...

A truly heartwarming series of children's books. There's a P.K. Hallinan title for nearly every special occasion (Valentine's, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Back to School, Birthday, Earth Day) and value we want to teach our little ones (Let's Be Helpful, .. Honest, .. Polite, .. Patient, .. Happy). We're still collecting but hope to read more with each milestone. This "Let's Be Thankful" board book was a gift to Buby from his Great Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill on his first Christmas Eve at their house. A big tradition. I grabbed it off the shelf one night while rocking Buby in my arms. He was 4 months old. I used it as his bedtime prayer that night--a million nights ago--and it stuck. I recited it so many times that I memorized it the first week. The rhyming helped. And now it's just part of our bedtime ritual. We add more things we are thankful for at the end, but it always starts out like this:

"I like to be thankful for all I receive, from the tiniest seashell to the mightiest breeze. For when I am thankful, it's easy to see I tend to spend life living more joyfully! So, I'm thankful for small things, like bugs on the ground... And warm little puppies that follow me around. I'm thankful for fireflies that blink in the night and bright little stars that twinkle with light. I like to be thankful for bigger things, too--like seeing a sunrise... Or a trip to the zoo.

____

But I'm also thankful for everyday things, like a nice scoop of ice cream... Or just swinging on swings. I'm thankful for lemonade to sip from a glass. I'm thankful for baseball and thick wavy grass. And I'm thankful for others, who help me so much, like firemen and policemen and soldiers and such. I'm thankful for my teachers and all that they give. I'm thankful for my country--what a great place to live! But mostly I'm thankful for my family and friends who make me so happy.. Whose love never ends. And when all's said and done, it seems very clear... I like to be thankful just for being here."

Tunnel Vision

Anyone see Buby?

Buby's two new loves... tents and tunnels. They are his vehicles for Peek-a-Boo, Where's Buby?, Chase, and other giggle-inducing games we spend hours and hours refining each week. We just bought him the Ollie owl tunnel and Ollie owl tent this past weekend (to go with the boots, of course) at Target. They actually have way cute stuff for munchkins in their seasonal gardening section right now. Both ginormous items are sitting in the middle of our family room at present... but they'll make their way outside eventually.

Chalk It Up

Original chalk scribble on driveway by Buby. Dated: 4.20.07. Origination: Buby Land. Special Thanks: Granny DJ (who wrote the G). Value: Priceless


Original chalk mark on driveway by Buby. Dated: 4.20.07. Origination: Buby Land. Special Thanks: Granny DJ (who outlined the sun). Value: Priceless


Original chalk zig-zag on driveway by Buby. Dated: 4.20.07. Origination: Buby Land. Special Thanks: Granny DJ (zig-zag was ALL Buby). Value: Priceless

Who doesn't love driveway chalk? Your child can unleash their inner Matisse--in a vibrant array of color--whilst you sit back and savor the sun... ugh, I mean the whimsical creations. And smile, knowing that it's not going on your walls, floors, or furniture. The smell of chalk instantly transports me back to 1985 and our heated hopscotch tournaments on the scorching pavement behind the elementary school. (I was a wicked jump roper and hula hooper, too, if you care.) Today even walking by a neighbor's chalked-up sidewalk sends a happy chill up my spine. This is Buby's first season of pavement play, and he really seems to like the chalk. You'll notice his first three designs were modern, simple, unfussy. Ha!

Earth To Buby

Happy Earth Day! Sure we celebrate this in Buby Land. Not in the cutesy tree ornament sense (as with other holidays), but we take the time to appreciate the earth today and every day. As a fam who spends lots of hours in open air (hiking, fishing, biking, strolling, eating, gardening, swimming, park hopping, camping, perusing farmers' markets, and following the festival circuit), I'd like to start some of our own Earth Day traditions so that our Buby has an even broader understanding and respect for nature's bounty as he grows.

I believe you're either a Land Person or a Water Person. I'm a Land Person. Not that I haven't blissfully swam in the ocean, braved the river wild on a raft, and fly fished in a rolling stream. Wave pools have their moments, too. But trees really are my thing. And luckily, Tom is with me on this. We'd sooner retire to the Rocky Mountains than to Florida. (Oh, I just made myself cringe.)

7 Ways To Love Trees
in Buby Land:


We stop to take in their heady aroma. This is a tree-lined street in our village, one we walk down several times a week. There are dozens of these blossoming beauties to admire. When the flowers fall, it is sad. And romantic. Buby and I stand in awe of the delicate pink ground cover. Our photo: spring '06.


We get married in a garden with hundreds of wise trees looking on. It was cold and rainy that late May day, and everyone said we were crazy for not moving it inside. My dress and satin shoes were torn and covered in mud. It was perfect!! Our photo: spring '00.


We fish often and in the most serene places. Here, Tom fished while Buby & I lunched on a blanket and collected rocks (a passion we share) on the shore. The hike in was about 45 minutes, and it was beyond sweltering. But worth it. Look at these trees! I still remember the drive home in our Jeep Wrangler. The top was off. The breezy air put Buby to sleep instantly... and gave him a mohawk. Our photo: summer '06.


We see real potential in a scrawny fake tree and invite it into our lives. This is Buby's potted tree to redecorate every month to whatever holiday beckons. I said I'd NEVER buy fake, but this is an exceptional exception. It is lit with white twinkle lights and inevitably covered in snowmen, lucky charms, Easter eggs, flags, birthday wishes, pumpkins, or turkeys. Our photo: spring '07.


We buy antique paintings of trees. This is one of two works leaning on our fireplace mantel right now. Both from a local antique shop. Oil-on-canvas framed in vintage gray-stained pine. It really inspires me, reminds me a little of laying in the hammock on my father-in-law's farm upstate. And the fact that I know nothing about its history--or where and with whom it last lived-- just adds to its appeal. Our photo: spring '06.


We happily climb trees even in unpleasant times. To say this trip was an experience would not do it justice. Camping on a private island on Saranac Lake, just Tom and me and droves of hungry, noisy night animals. An hour canoe ride to civilization, and barely any supplies. No bathrooms. Stomach troubles. Nasty rain storm. Freezing nights. Tent (with us in it) nearly blowing off the edge of a cliff. You get the picture. We had the best time. Seriously, and the trees around the whole lake were magnificent. But need I say, Tom hasn't planned a vacation since. Our photo: summer '04.


We sing "Under a Shady Tree" by Laurie Berkner in the car, super loud, over and over again. It's Buby's favorite song on Berkner's CD by the same name (probably in our top five CDs). Thanks to our friend Allison, Grace's mama, for introducing us to this hippie songstress and letting us copy her CD. Under a shady tree, just you and me... Buby.
Earth Day photo: google images