Give Me Grace ~ Monday

"Give Me Grace" by Cynthia Rylant made it to Buby Land via Grammy DJ last week. It's such a perfect little puffy board book for our wee ones. I devoured it immediately--as I do with most of Buby's tomes--and found it to be delightful + inspiring. But it's a book of days, starting today, so we waited until this morning to read it together. I promise you will adore the short rhymes and pretty artwork as much as we do. I'll post new pages as we discover them each day.

Click here to buy.

i heart

Buby likes to sit in the middle and deal the cards around him.



this weekend



i love the sight of: a bright + happy play space, My Sweets back on his Harley, videos of our niece Lily crawling for the first time, Buby's long legs dangling down as his daddy carries him up to bed, a Novak print with pink, yellow, green + blue wildflowers {know it?}, empty laundry baskets, a full fridge, Jazzy downstairs {meaning dog-hair-free 2nd and 3rd floors}.

i love the sound of: uncontrollable giggling, car conversations, really smart follow-up questions from my 2-year-old, my mom calling just to say hi, an insistent "NO, I WANT TO DO IT!," Buby stopping whatever he's doing to turn and say "I LOVE YOU, MOMMY" {he's so bubbling with love}.


i love the scent of: white lilies in my foyer {thanks to my mo-in-law}, coffee grounds {in our back room to mask the smell of a dead something that crawled between the walls}, our garden blooming in spring {c'mon garden!}.


i love the taste of: chicken noodle soup with crackers, hot red sauce on meat tortellini, pineapple chunks, blueberries.


i love the feel of: stretching, Buby climbing into our bed in the morning... even if for only 20-30 minutes of cuddle time, Bebe going to sleep when I go to sleep {instead of partying in my belly all night}, being done with work deadlines after Wednesday, knowing spring weather will be here for real very soon, knowing Bebe will be here for real very soon.

So Lovely

Isn't this Shirley Novak print so lovely? It's called Meadows Suite I. I love the blue, the green, the pink, the yellow. I am impressed with tall, fragile stems standing so free in the wind. So open to take it all in. It sort of reminds me of our little girl to be. Of her sweet nursery. Of how someday... she may just love paint + nature as I do. I stood in Michael's on 2 occasions just gazing at it in 24"x24" poster form.

Preschool: Check

Yes, it's true. It's really true. Buby has chosen a preschool. Alas. Something to check off my list. I'll never tell how many tours, interviews and applications went into this. I'm embarrassed at how thorough I was. But whatever. That's me. We wanted to find the right fit for our Little Dude + it's a process. We realized you can't go on word of mouth alone. You and your babes really need to visit a school in person, talk to the teachers, the director, and have some foundation for comparison.

In the end we only liked 3 schools. Out of sooooo many. Two of those were quite a distance away, so we weighed the pros + cons of that and the 5-morning-a-week commitment. Finally, we gave up our spots and went with a third progressive private school that just felt right. It's a yummy 16 minutes away, offers 3 mornings a week, and shares our whole-child approach to education. The school has a strong foundation in community service, learning by doing, nature appreciation, imaginative play, and free-form artwork. It has a best buddies program which pairs each child with an older student for special projects throughout the year AND it brings in the most talented music, art, and Spanish teachers every week. Buby really connected with the classroom, the flow, and the super fun teachers during our last visit. Parental involvement is so encouraged, thus the whole family feels connected to the school. Whatever he may not get there, I am confident Buby + I have will have it covered. He loves to learn from me, and I love to challenge him. image: google

The Belly Doctor

In week 37 now. Bebe could come any minute or hold on another 3-4 weeks. I think this is the most anxious time for My Sweets. Not knowing. I guess you just have to be ready + cool with whatever happens. I'm not quite ready. Or cool... just yet. So we'd like her to wait until mid month at least. The doctor's notes from yesterday. Happy weekend!!

• Head is down
• Heart rate 140
• 50% effaced
• Cervix is nearly dilated to 1
• Measuring perfectly
• Step B results back soon
• Gaining 1 lb/week {that's me}
• Need to go back on Friday

Game On

Oh the games we play. I'm so thrilled that Buby shares my love of the game. Right now it's a 12-piece wooden Memory set, picture Tic Tac Toe, and Crayola's Go Fish cards. But someday I just know I'll have an eager partner for Scattegories, Catch Phrase, Trivial Pursuit. Someday...



Cousins Sid + Lily sent Buby the Memory game, and Grammy DJ arrived this week with the other two. I LOVE that they are all thinking + interacting games. We lay on the carpet and play them together, and it's magic. Nothing compares. Watching Buby learn and reason and sweet talk his way through is a riot. I lost count of his many matches with Grammy DJ. And how many times he pleaded "PRETTY PLEASE GRANDMA, CAN I HAVE IT?" as he reached into her pile and snatched a card while laughing hysterical.



This is exactly the kind of mini go-anywhere amusement I like to see around Buby Land... instead of the big + plastic sort that Buby abandons after a day + I trip over for a year. Grammy DJ has a wooden domino set for preschoolers {supposedly with animal pics} which she'll bring next time.

Old Photo Friday

Spring 1996. On The Farm with My Sweets. 12 years ago. Hard to believe.

Postcard Project, VII

Grammy DJ from New Orleans on 3.13.08

Quiet Moments

I caught Buby in a quiet moment this week. He was in his blue rocker {made by Uncle Billy + Lauren} reading his "Beep, Vroom, Zoom" book.

Good Intentions

We bought these wooden eggs intending to finger paint them for Easter. Buby picked out one for each of his lovies and was psyched at the prospect of what might be. But it was a big week and we didn't finish. So for now I will hold onto the eggs, which are quite pretty in their raw form.

Bounce

3.22.08

buby + bounce = happiness

Playroom Fun Stuff

Spent yesterday afternoon at IKEA. Buby picked up plenty of fun stuff for his new playroom. IKEA is ginormous, and you have to go prepared. And preferably not on your own with a toddler. So we planned to start driving just after Grammy DJ arrived in town. Buby thought we were at an amusement park as soon as he saw the big blue and yellow sign. We had lunch, drank from the "WATER MACHINE," and walked through an amazing children's art exhibit. Buby mixed it up between his stroller, holding hands, playing chase {not recommended}, and flipping off his shoes to ride in the cart at the very end. Here are a few of our selects. The room is neutral, so we went bright! Blue for Buby. Green for Bebe.



Exhausted

Counting Eggs

This is how Buby spent much of yesterday morning. Dumping plastic Easter eggs from his big orange bucket onto the playroom floor, counting aloud, oohing at all the colors, and then scooping them back up with his mini fishing net. We were home sick, but I think Buby was too preoccupied to notice we had missed his favorite class. I'd love to keep these in his playroom year round, but won't that make Easter less exciting for him next year? Perhaps just until summer.

i heart

3.22.08


this week...

i love the sight of: Buby running toward eggs on the grass, swings at the park and his pillow at night, children's art on the walls, horse farms, muddy rain boots by the door, the Clintons squirming, Buby surprising me by going potty standing up and explaining "DADDY DOES THAT"

i love the sound of: me saying "Buby, you know i love you" and Buby replying "Mama, i know everything," Buby singing softly before closing his eyes, birds chirping {1 or 2 birds, not 1,000}, baby jazz + blues playing in the car

i love the scent of: springtime, tulips left on my doorstep by a dear friend, a just-opened jar of Emerald dry roasted almonds, firewood burning, whatever Denise put in Buby's hair, valencia orange candles

i love the taste of: salt bagels toasted + buttered, sparkling pear juice, jello with fruit, lemon pie, Lucky Charms {i swear i'm eating good stuff, too}

i love the feel of: my son hugging my leg out of the blue and saying "I LOVE YOU, MOMMY," moving our bedroom upstairs so we are on the same floor as the kid{s}, laying on the playroom floor doing puzzles {yes, this from the anti-puzzle girl}, completing a freelance project {1 more to go before Bebe is born}

New Heights

He's at the top. The point of no return. And still he's contemplating whether to go down. We don't usually wait in line at events for these crowded, too-scary-for-a-2-year-old inflatable gym things. They are always overrun with older kids, and I've seen too many kicked in the face. But this climber/slide enforced a strict two-at-a-time policy and made sure each child was in the clear before sending another up. Plus, Daddy was with us Saturday when Buby asked if he could do it. So we sent him up and waited on either side to catch him. Twice in a row Buby zipped up and down without incident. He's hooked.

Best Egg Hunt, 2008

Egg painted by Hannah + Cooper

After church on Easter Sunday, we headed to a friend's house for an egg hunt and a yummy brunch. Hannah is Buby's first friend. She was 1 year old... he just 1 hour old. Hannah + little bro Cooper have the perfect Easter yard with lots of acreage for eggs and trees for hiding baskets. Jason + Heidi made the afternoon special for all the kids. Buby was just so thrilled to collect eggs, play with friends, and run with "JAKEY" the big black lab. In Buby's basket was his first field hockey stick. He wouldn't put it down and kept saying, "I'M SWEEPING, DADDY. I'M SWEEPING." Here are just a few of my favorite photos from the day.

Saddest Egg Hunt, 2008

Quite possibly the worst egg hunt ever. It was a good day with LOTS of fun to follow, but a sad afternoon for many 7 + under. Luckily we do 3-4 hunts a year and don't put all of our EGGS in one basket. And Buby was none the wiser, thanks to Daddy's last-minute save. But the massively publicized hunt was supposed to start promptly at 11am. There were several hundred families there {early} from all over, including Buby's BFFs Gillian, Lillian, Grace, Hannah, + Cooper. Everyone was in position and ready to race, but Mr. Easter Bunny was a near no-show. You could hear the succession of cries from a distance as the wait became too much for all the tired/hungry babes. Finally, Mr. Bunny + friends showed up on Harleys. Okay, that was kinda cool, but points off for the massive tardiness. Literally the second the ropes came down, the eggs were all gone. ALL GONE, I say. I thought the 2-egg limit was bad at last week's affair... we couldn't even get ONE here. Buby searched and searched. If we had any idea, us moms + dads would've stuck a few in our pockets back at home. All the kids wanted was the plastic eggs we'd promised. Buby and galpal Gilly--emptyhanded--were all "Where are the eggs?" after we'd thoroughly scoured both fields. Daddy ran off and pieced together a bunch of discarded halves he found on the ground for the kids to "find." Phew!


Buby + Gilly

Happy Easter!

We took the scenic route home from church. Geese crossing the street on Easter Day.

So we got out and chilled on the stone wall for a few minutes. I wanted an Easter shot.

Color Me Happy

Buby & Co. colored eggs on Saturday afternoon. It was Buby's very first time. Last year my brother and his family spent Easter Week with us, and though Spencer + Grace stayed up {barely} for coloring {Grace was half asleep on the counter}, Buby + Parker were already down for the night.