Dearest Oliver,

Thank you for being you.

~ Mama

Hailstorms in June

Before this week of perpetual thunder, we kicked off our summer with several extended periods of sunshine. It was beautiful. The two exceptions were Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 17 when we were hit with the most extreme hailstorms I've ever seen.


Both days it was close to 90 degrees. Both days I was out with the children, unfortunately, and they wailed in horror as the sky suddenly opened, a gust of wind knocked us around, and our car was pelted with golf-ball size ice for over 30 minutes. I took the photo above almost an hour after it all began last Friday. I could not believe my eyes. Our yard was covered with perfectly rounded balls that we could pick up and throw.


Such a weird weather month for us. Part of me loves the extremes. Keeps things interesting. But I'm praying it doesn't follow us to the beach next week. A week of relaxing, UNinteresting weather would be nice for a change.

Thunderstorms in June

We pass the prettiest little farm on route to the market. I've pulled over countless times to admire electric pink sunsets from this very spot. The photo above is from an hour ago.


This morning was our first without a massive thunderstorm since Tuesday, though it's been threatening torrential rains all afternoon. Right now the sky is turning a menacing shade of midnight blue. By 4:30 p.m. it will be dark inside our house. Again.


We actually have reservations to go tent camping in the mountains tonight and tomorrow. Lucky for us, My Sweets has a board meeting in the city and we are spared one night of wet and cold. Regardless of the weather we will head up first thing in the morning to meet our friends and stay until Sunday afternoon.


Our children are good to hike/fish/camp rain or shine, but thunder and lightening is another story. Buby and Bleu are both crazy scared of it, and they've had their fill this week. So fingers crossed... Happy weekending.

End-of-Year Concert

6.8.11



I tried several times to upload video, but Blogger just wouldn't have it. You'll have to settle for a snapshot of Buby {in blue} and his friends just before the concert began.

Temperament

My only girl. Since birth. Smart. Obstinate. Complicated. Sweet. Mostly happy but prone to random outbursts. Controlling. Runs hot. Tendency to obsess. Shockingly witty. Loving. Loyal. Creative. Dramatic. Older than other children the same age. Wants to be everyone's mama. Responds only to positive reinforcement. Channels energy well. Surprisingly strong. Observant. Detail oriented. Forgets nothing. Leaves us asking, "where did she hear that?" Crushes on older girls. Falls in and out of love with people so fast it makes my head spin. Bread. Milky Brie. Olives. Fish. Father's elegant taste buds. Aversion to anything physically restrictive. Decisive. Unwavering. Immune to consequence or bribery. Insensitive in all the ways that Buby is sensitive. Painter. Crafter. Homebody. Acrobat. Die hard. At three years old wants to have five babies and be a photographer. The one feisty in a family of mellow.


Goofball. Fake laugh. Fake cry. Makes me laugh even when I really just want to cry. Gives best squeezey hugs. Kisses on lips. Good eater. Good sleeper. Loves to be carried. Refuses to play independently. Draws rainbows. Talks about friends nonstop but has a hard time letting them in. Competitive. Persistent. Non sentimental. First to jump. Likes to learn but lacks patience {this will come with time}. Refuses socks. Goes shirtless in car. Hears "no" and shuts down. Inquisitive. Chatterbox. Loves brothers. Bosses Buby. Protective. Imaginative. Attached. Likes to say thank you. Doesn't like to say sorry. Doesn't like doctors. Doesn't like strangers. Holds grudges. Chooses pink. Gets excited. Cries loud. Contagious zest for life. Awesome, uncontrollable giggle. Works at being a little bit flexible. Isn't always successful. Denies responsibility at first. Tests. Most joyous outdoors with room to breathe. Easy to cuddle and love. Difficult to parent.


At Bleu's three-year well visit her pediatrician {whom I've known for many years} told me it's an issue of temperament. Hers is just different from ours. Not so much a phase or age... but in her case a natural predisposition. DARN! I already knew it though.


Bleu was this determined the day we met her. She does everything early and on her own terms. She quickly challenged all that we had learned as parents the first time around. She sprints over egg shells and leaves me depleted most days. She may always be "spirited" {I say good for her... we would never crush that}, but it's up to us to choose our areas and to help her navigate through them. Her nature is slightly more amplified now that she's a middle child, but the trickier aspects of her personality will be major assets later on. So they say.


Oh my girl. Even describing you is exhausting. I love you so much : - )

Rainy Days

It's been thunderstorming here for days with no end in sight. Please send the sun our way.

i heart

This photo of my girl chasing butterflies through our village.

My Favorite Tree

Surely I pass a thousand trees just like it every day, but for whatever reason this one captivates me. I have swooned over its rounded shape and peculiar home on the side of a busy country road for five years now.


Finally over the weekend, while following My Sweets on his motorcycle to a yummy Mexican restaurant, Buby offered, "I know why you love that tree so much, Mama! Because it reminds you of an ice cream cone!"


He has a point.

Fishing for Minnows

I snapped these photos at the lake around 5pm tonight. It was the end of a big long play date for Buby and his bestie; he hunted for minnows until the very last second.

Check Out This Tie

Handcrafted Father's Day card courtesy of our Kindergartner.

Happy Father's Day

I am so blessed to share parenthood with you. To watch you give yourself to our children. To make them giggle and squeal. To feed their mouths and their souls. To be their finest example of a devoted husband and father. Thank you.


Blue Lily photo of My Sweets + Bleu in May 2009.

Headshot 3-in-1

Buby's teacher took this picture of him in the school yard last month {for a Mother's Day project} and later emailed it to me. I love that she was able to capture my boy's tender disposition/ disheveled hair/ preference to button up all in one shot.

Bleu's Bubbles

Into the City

Image from here.



Yesterday morning Buby woke up, put on a t-shirt and tie and tiptoed out of his room careful not to wake the little sister. I packed his commuter bag full of goodness and skipped down two flights of stairs at 7am to see him off.


These trips into the city, to Daddy's office, are going to be something Buby remembers always. He looks so forward to them. This time My Sweets kept the invite hush hush until the night before since it was dependent on his meeting schedule, and also so as not to make Bleu jealous. Lately she has been getting sad/mad whenever her big brother ventures off without her. {She will def have her chance to go, but she needs to be able to last a whole day without a major fussdown, and we aren't there yet.}


Anyway. I imagine Buby went to bed Wednesday night with visions of Le Carrousel twirling around in his head. You can look down on this landmark from Tom's office, and it's a must-do every trip. From what I hear the boys worked side by side for many hours, ate lunch in Bryant Park, rode the carousel, read two books at the New York Public Library, ducked into a toy store quick to empty Tom's wallet, and hurried to the world famous {in Buby's eyes} milkshake place on the way to the train. Alas, they were one minute too late and the shop closed. Bummer.


When they arrived home shortly before 9pm I ran down to the kitchen for kisses and reactions. First thing Buby said to me was that his thorn was missing Bleu. How sweet, considering that her thorn was missing him.


Watching my Bub there at the counter stool way past bedtime going on and on about his adventures... he looked older. He sounded older. I'm so glad that My Sweets has the type of job where he can make this happen every few months. Though... I have a feeling it wouldn't matter where he worked or what he did, he would find a way to bring Buby into his world. That's just the father he is.

Girl Power

Highlights of today's play date with two sisters: gymnastics class, a farmer's market, powdery treats, a rustic loaf, fresh berries, broken tree branches, hide-and-seek, pirate lingo, and full-body tackle hugs {Sorry, Madison}.

Make Room

There's a new kid on the playground.

My Daredevil

Tonight she jumped from the top of the slide platform all the way down to the ground. Just for fun. I so admire her spirit and athleticism, but I explained to her how much it would stink to be in a cast at the beach this summer :)

Mardi Gras + Yummy Earth

My Sweets took Buby and Bleu in his Jeep to the annual fish parade in the mountains and came back with these fun snapshots for me. I call it the Mardi Gras of the Northeast. I just love creative people, don't you? The day was pretty cold and rainy, but our offspring are die-hard festival junkies who held out to the end.


We go to this event every year and knew the floats would be throwing candy we didn't want the children to have. Plus, the night before we were out late at a birthday party and had to discard the goody-bag treats we found. So as a peace offering for all the junk we would not let them near, we traded them each one pomegranate-flavored lolli for the weekend. Buby and Bleu happily packed them into their parade bag and waited patiently for the festivities to begin.


Ever since Bleu's dreaded 3-year well visit, I've kept a bag of Yummy Earth lollipops hidden in our pantry so that I could drop one in my purse for emergencies... Like when the nurse offered her a lolli for being so brave, instead of saying "no thanks" again I could slip her a healthier version.


Yummy Earth lollipops are USDA certified organic and made with real fruit extracts. No corn syrups, no artificial dyes, and the flavors are 100% natural. It might take us years to get through the bag at the rate we're going, since we don't like to promote sweets on a regular basis, but I must say it's handy to have something in-house for desperate times.


P.S. Later that evening Bleu went fishing and caught her very first trout. I can't believe I missed that.