More Wishes

For the brother on August 2.

Wishes

For the nieces on August 1.

Pretty Fantastic

Where we spent last Sunday. The gorgeous green bridge separates New York and Pennsylvania and runs along the Delaware. The village is quaint and bustling with the stuff of big cities... artists, craftsmen, designers, boutiques and cafes. All walkable. Yet it sits smack in the middle of cow country + cliffs. It's impossible not to adore it here.

Photo Gallery: Sprinklers

Old Photo Friday

1930s. My aunts Carol + Marilyn {YaYa} modeling grass skirts.


Our vacation starts today, and the first stop is Family Land for an authentic birthday luau for nieces Sid + Lily. We are psyched to spend some quality time with family over the next several days.


Then it's onto Canada to introduce Buby + Bleu to the awesomeness that is Niagara Falls and MarineLand. We're going to feed dolphins and get splashed by whales. Aquariums are sooo Buby. Admission is free for both kids, and we found the coolest lil' retro cabin accommodations for cheap. Camping... yahoo!!


Now back to packing + cleaning. And baking myself a dozen super sized chocolate chip cookies for the long drive.

Down the Garden Path

Bleu Stripes

This week. She leaned into the dress-up bin, pulled out Buby's conductor outfit and threw it on. Of course, she soon found herself in a tangled tizzy. I helped her arms through, she thanked me with a smile, and off she went... in search of the matching hat. That she put on all by herself before resuming her daily stroll with Bitty and Baby {Buby's doll}.



P.S. Thank you to Aunt Mel for the doll stroller.

Birthday Wishes

On the farm in 1996. I think.

To Shawn. He + Tommy have been BFF since 7th grade, and we've all had some VERY hilarious times together. We love this guy.

Little Swimmer

Switching from group to private swim lessons was one of the best decisions we've ever made. I love to see Buby's progress.

A Few More

7.7.09

Dearest Bleu,

What a difference a year makes. Last summer you were in 3-month onesies and bare feet. And a frilly yellow jumper, because that's the summer I fell in love with all things frilly and yellow. You curled up, clasped your hands and drifted off in my loving embrace. Every night. So peaceful. You rarely fussed, except when I buckled you into the car seat. You picnicked in the park, rolled over for the first time, and smiled back at your sweet brother. You studied him closely. You found your thumb, for a while. You had SHARP nails.


You nursed every hour or so and startled easily. You slept lightly and in spurts at night. You had GERD, so you barfed a lot but still never lost weight. You enjoyed cool breezes. But fireworks, tractor parades and the Jeep top off... not so much. You were frightened of men for some reason. Cried when they tried to hold you. But otherwise you were utterly content. You were itty bitty and adorable, and I could hardly imagine you any other way.


Fast forward to now. You wear 24-month dresses, big hats and goddess sandals that you picked out yourself. You are confident and clever. I'm just in awe of you. You run through mud puddles and jump in pools. You want for adventure. You are a combo platter of girly girl and tomboy. You sit on potties {not my idea}, chalk on driveways, slide down slides, and color with crayons. You dig through the imaginary play bin and layer up. You hop on Buby's tricycle when he's not looking. You help me with laundry. You are ticklish. You are the messiest eater on earth. You like to use forks and spoons and do it all by yourself. You need a bath after breakfast.


You dig at the back of your neck when you're tired. You walk into the bathroom after you've filled your diaper. Because you know the drill. You grunt + mumble + point when you want something. You build block towers and knock them down. You cross your feet. You sleep on your back. You do splits {as of this morning}.


You love ice water, listening to guitar and rubbing sunblock on my arms. You cry "Mama? Mama?" in a panic when I walk out of the room. You think anything with a handle is a purse. You run from me when it's time to do your nails. You hear a motorcycle across town and yell "Dada!" You elbow me to get down. You wear two backpacks at a time. You are learning the stairs. You get spooked when others approach too fast and cling to my left leg in crowds. You plant kisses on request. You brush your FOUR teeth twice a day. You dance with your daddy to upbeat chick songs. You CLIMB.


You eat veggies, fruit, cheese, yogurt, bread, and meat. And no-salt Saltines. Those are yummy. You will try anything, except milk out of a cup. That gets thrown on the floor in protest. I've tried everything. You have a raspy voice that's so unique to you. You like to follow directions. You rarely shed tears for boo boos. You are easy going and flexible, yet one of the most determined people I know. You smile while shaking your head "NO," like you know exactly how cute you are. You stand for diaper changes. Always have. You love your Bitty Baby. You close doors + gates that are open. You don't like to see Buby cry. You sleep pretty well. You are 15 months today. In one short rotation of seasons you have become such a little girl. I'm thinking motocross next summer. At this rate.

Oh Happy Day

Sunday through Wednesday was semi rough here. Okay, it was pure rough. Buby was uncharacteristically, inexplicably crankers {short fused, dramatic, moody, highly sensitive}, and we just couldn't seem to find our way back to bliss. I was all out of ideas. And before you say it, I KNOW. I know he's allowed to have his days. And so is Bleu. And so am I. That's life at home with wee ones. But simply knowing this doesn't make the 14-hours-straight roller coaster ride any easier. Especially when it's not the norm.


By Wednesday night I desperately wanted my well-mannered, even-tempered little gentleman back. I missed him so so much. My Sweets walked in the house with a master plan and headed right upstairs for a heart to heart with his buddy. There was some bribing thrown in for good measure. I didn't mind at this point. Anything to sweeten up our Thursday. The deal was if Buby had a good day the next day. If he was respectful of me and Bleu. Played nice. Listened. Didn't whine {too much}. Daddy would bring home a super secret special something edible from the city. I was skeptical it would work, but boy did it peek Buby's interest. He was all ears.


The next morning was a complete 180. The four-day cycle of crazy was broken by 7am. Magically. Buby was mostly HAPPY again. Which made me completely HAPPY again. And Bleu? Well, she's her usual go-lucky self. Almost nothing can bring that girl to tears.


My Sweets called for an end-of-day report before leaving the office. He got an enthusiastic "thumbs up" from yours truly. Buby couldn't wait to see what he'd bring. Around 8pm My Sweets arrived home with this wonderfully cute chocolate porcupine mousse cake. So perfect for our {usual granola-eating} Buby, who had just read a Donald Duck book about a pesky porcupine about 400 times in a row. My Sweets knew this, of course. Buby screeched in excitement and let us put it in the fridge until morning. He and I shared it twice already and even saved two bites for the briber.


Today was 100% total AWESOMENESS. We walked in the morn. We picked new books at the library. We played tennis. We chalked up our driveway + checked on the garden. We ate lunch + talked birds. And bees. And bugs. We cleaned. We read. We painted for our friends. We {meaning the 1 year old} napped in peaceful surrounds. We {meaning the 3 year old} only melted once all day. I think we have officially crawled out of our funk and returned to the serious business of SUMMER. Turns out it was nothing a talk with Daddy and a teeny chocolate porcupine couldn't fix. Hurray for My Sweets!

Take Back the Park

7.23.09






Our beloved village park has been taken over by Summer Camp kids {hundreds of them!} and their prepubescent counselors. It's really messing with our morning routine of pretending like the park is our own private backyard. They haven't actually kicked us off the grounds, but they might as well have.


Bubster can't get in any slide time. Bleu can't get out of her stroller without being run down by a bunch of rowdy 10 year olds tackling each other. Saying things I don't want the kids hearing. I'd love to take back the park, or at least a small part of it, for all the displaced itty bitties in our town. And their moms. For now we're bypassing and going straight to the river or just steering clear altogether until at least 4pm. Buby is dealing.

Our Week, In a Word

Moody.

Go Fish

Our big fish "Monty" died on Sunday. It was sad, but he lasted almost 4 years. Tuesday I took the kids to a nursery to pick out a new one. Buby named him "Small" and put him in the outdoor pond with "Blumbly."


Our third fish, "Orange", lives in a great little tank in Buby's bedroom, with a light and filter.

Jazzy Starr

Happy Birthday!

Creating

Something spectacular, no doubt. He described the finished product as "a big jet in the sky with footprints all around."

Project Onesie

Spotted these diy iron-on onesies on Cookie's nesting blog and hope to create my own. I have two girlfriends who are preggers with their seconds, due around the same time, so I'm thinking what a lovely gift for the mama who has been there/done that with all the baby gear.


Click here for contributor Jordan Ferney's simple step-by-step.

Carousel, part II

Carousel, part I

Near the zoo. Always a fan.

Buby's Zoo

We asked him Friday night what he'd like to do with us on Saturday morning. Anything you want, I said. Without hesitation Buby responded, "My zoo! Let's go to my zoo." He loves it there, and we hadn't been in a while. The weather was perfect. My Sweets strolled a curious + content Bleu while Buby and I {literally} ran from exhibit to exhibit. I couldn't keep up. Later I asked him what his favorite part was and he answered, "The zebras." Um, there are no zebras at our zoo. I said, "Maybe we should go a little slower next time." Ha. You think.