1 week ago
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
The First Day of December
Sophie Loves Shoes
Matt and his Dad, Jim
This is my favorite picture of Jim, and one of my faves of Matt as a child - very peaceful and innocent.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Memories of Jim
As many of you know, Matt's dad, Jim, passed away last week in a tragic car accident. We are so sad and shocked. His funeral was this past Monday and I had the chance to share a few memories of him. I thought I'd continue my tribute by attaching my comments here:
I love Jim and I would regret it if I didn't take this opportunity to express my respect and admiration.
Jim was a man who lived simply and took pleasure in simple things. I remember one conversation with him when he described one of the most delicious things he had ever eaten. It was a peach picked fresh from the tree. He told me how sweet and juicy it was - so juicy that when he bit into it, the juices ran down his arm all the way to his elbow. After he told me this, I decided that I would try to find him a peach like the one he described. I remember after one attempt he told me, "it was good, but the juices didn't reach my elbow." I love that he took pleasure in such a simple thing, and every time I buy a peach, I always think of Jim.
My last conversation with Jim was when he called me to offer up a free plane ticket he had earned. I didn't want to take it, but he said, "it's a gift, and I wouldn't give it to you if I didn't want to."
Jim seemed to enjoy being "Grandpa Jim" or "Big Jim" as Josh taught Emmy to call him. He made it a point to be here for both Emmy and Sophie's blessing days. And they both enjoyed naps in his arms as infants. I am happy that at least for a short time, he was able to enter the pink world of little girls. Playing dress-up and baby dolls was a first for him, and he seemed to enjoy it. He was the kind of grandpa who would really get down on the ground and play. I found an email he wrote me a couple years ago, describing a few hours he spent with a two-and-a-half year old boy in his ward. I'll read you what he wrote, because I think it shows how he was with his own grandchildren:
"We crawled through cars in the garage, threw rock salt, chased birds, went down slides, had pillow fights, played hide and seek, went for a walk, ate dinner and that was all within two or three hours. It was a good learning experience for me. I now have more appreciation for moms."
When he was with Emmy, he seemed to look at the world through her eyes. He taught her to say "dog" and she remembers that when they would play dress-up, he would wear the fire man's hat. When Sophie is bigger, I will tell her about how her Grandpa Jim fed her chocolate cake when she was only 9 months old to keep her happy at Emmy's birthday party.
I always liked the sound of Jim's voice - kind and genuine. He would often ask me very thoughtful questions. He was always interested, always accepting and always sincere.
I admire Jim's tender heart. There was no question that he loved Matt, Dan, and Josh immensely. He didn't express his feelings often, because when he did, he would often become emotional. One Christmas, he made huge, involved, and thorough scrapbooks for each of his boys. What a treasure those books are. I don't know many dads who would take on such an endeavor.
Almost every time I said goodbye to Jim, his parting words were, "take good care of Matt." Even though Matt is an extremely independent-minded adult, Jim is still his father, and wants his son to be taken care of. I will do my best to honor his request.
I love Jim and I would regret it if I didn't take this opportunity to express my respect and admiration.
Jim was a man who lived simply and took pleasure in simple things. I remember one conversation with him when he described one of the most delicious things he had ever eaten. It was a peach picked fresh from the tree. He told me how sweet and juicy it was - so juicy that when he bit into it, the juices ran down his arm all the way to his elbow. After he told me this, I decided that I would try to find him a peach like the one he described. I remember after one attempt he told me, "it was good, but the juices didn't reach my elbow." I love that he took pleasure in such a simple thing, and every time I buy a peach, I always think of Jim.
My last conversation with Jim was when he called me to offer up a free plane ticket he had earned. I didn't want to take it, but he said, "it's a gift, and I wouldn't give it to you if I didn't want to."
Jim seemed to enjoy being "Grandpa Jim" or "Big Jim" as Josh taught Emmy to call him. He made it a point to be here for both Emmy and Sophie's blessing days. And they both enjoyed naps in his arms as infants. I am happy that at least for a short time, he was able to enter the pink world of little girls. Playing dress-up and baby dolls was a first for him, and he seemed to enjoy it. He was the kind of grandpa who would really get down on the ground and play. I found an email he wrote me a couple years ago, describing a few hours he spent with a two-and-a-half year old boy in his ward. I'll read you what he wrote, because I think it shows how he was with his own grandchildren:
"We crawled through cars in the garage, threw rock salt, chased birds, went down slides, had pillow fights, played hide and seek, went for a walk, ate dinner and that was all within two or three hours. It was a good learning experience for me. I now have more appreciation for moms."
When he was with Emmy, he seemed to look at the world through her eyes. He taught her to say "dog" and she remembers that when they would play dress-up, he would wear the fire man's hat. When Sophie is bigger, I will tell her about how her Grandpa Jim fed her chocolate cake when she was only 9 months old to keep her happy at Emmy's birthday party.
I always liked the sound of Jim's voice - kind and genuine. He would often ask me very thoughtful questions. He was always interested, always accepting and always sincere.
I admire Jim's tender heart. There was no question that he loved Matt, Dan, and Josh immensely. He didn't express his feelings often, because when he did, he would often become emotional. One Christmas, he made huge, involved, and thorough scrapbooks for each of his boys. What a treasure those books are. I don't know many dads who would take on such an endeavor.
Almost every time I said goodbye to Jim, his parting words were, "take good care of Matt." Even though Matt is an extremely independent-minded adult, Jim is still his father, and wants his son to be taken care of. I will do my best to honor his request.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tagged
My great friend, Rachel, "tagged" me. She probably knows I love stuff like this. So here are my answers to the following questions.
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Taking pictures of sunsets
2. Making new friends
3. Gaining 10 lbs (who would have thought drinking a Jamba Juice every day in addition to other meals and snacks would make such a difference?!)
4. Sleeping for hours every Sunday afternoon
5. Exploring the underground of BYU
5 things on my list of things to do today:
1. the dishes
2. filing papers
3. play the piano
4. go to bed early (ha!)
5. lots of thank you notes
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. ice cream
2. yogurt and granola
3. popcorn
4. clementine oranges (I have to agree, Rachel)
5. almonds
5 things I'd do if I became a millionaire: (the following are what I'd do after the practical and generous things)
1. Buy a vacation home in the Outer Banks
2. Always fly direct
3. Eat at great restaurants at least once a week
4. Take a few months to live in a small village in Italy, take cooking classes, and ride bikes with Matt through the countryside
5. Buy some land for a fruit and vegetable garden
5 places I've lived
1. Cincinnati, OH
2. Frankfurt, Germany
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. Denver, CO
5. Provo, UT
5 jobs I've had
1. J. Crew sales associate - hated the job, loved the discount on clothes
2. Early morning custodian at BYU - the job started at 5 am - didn't last long
3. High school English teacher - best job ever - except for the papers to grade!
4. Receptionist at Stanford - I think I would have enjoyed being a Stanford student more than a Stanford employee!
5. Special Collections Assistant at the BYU Library
5 people I tag
I don't even know who reads this blog - so if you read this, you are IT!
5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Taking pictures of sunsets
2. Making new friends
3. Gaining 10 lbs (who would have thought drinking a Jamba Juice every day in addition to other meals and snacks would make such a difference?!)
4. Sleeping for hours every Sunday afternoon
5. Exploring the underground of BYU
5 things on my list of things to do today:
1. the dishes
2. filing papers
3. play the piano
4. go to bed early (ha!)
5. lots of thank you notes
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. ice cream
2. yogurt and granola
3. popcorn
4. clementine oranges (I have to agree, Rachel)
5. almonds
5 things I'd do if I became a millionaire: (the following are what I'd do after the practical and generous things)
1. Buy a vacation home in the Outer Banks
2. Always fly direct
3. Eat at great restaurants at least once a week
4. Take a few months to live in a small village in Italy, take cooking classes, and ride bikes with Matt through the countryside
5. Buy some land for a fruit and vegetable garden
5 places I've lived
1. Cincinnati, OH
2. Frankfurt, Germany
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. Denver, CO
5. Provo, UT
5 jobs I've had
1. J. Crew sales associate - hated the job, loved the discount on clothes
2. Early morning custodian at BYU - the job started at 5 am - didn't last long
3. High school English teacher - best job ever - except for the papers to grade!
4. Receptionist at Stanford - I think I would have enjoyed being a Stanford student more than a Stanford employee!
5. Special Collections Assistant at the BYU Library
5 people I tag
I don't even know who reads this blog - so if you read this, you are IT!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Birthday Sophie!
Drama ensues: one of the partygoers got a little excited when we sang "Happy Birthday" and blew out the candle before Sophie (with Emmy's "help") had a chance - you'd think someone died.
An exuberant, chocolatey one-year old that we absolutely adore!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Hair Revolution Day
I've prepared most of you for this day - the day I would throw caution to the wind and go shorter than I've ever gone before. So, despite how shy I feel about posting these pictures, I will post them. The before and after. Here you go:
Before
After
Before
After
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Remind you of anyone?
Does that squinty-eyed smile remind you of anyone you know? That would be me. As much as I try, I can never seem to remember to open my eyes while smiling. It's kinda funny to see yourself come out in your children!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What a whirlwind - and we're back
When we think of summer, we imagine carefree days, sipping lemonade, hours stretching slowly by the poolside. We think of camping and fireworks, reading for fun, suntans, popsicles, evening strolls. On that first warm day in May, the dream begins. We pull out the cut-offs and dust off our flip-flops. June, July, August seem to hold all of the time in the world. And then, miraculously, the time is over. Well-spent, for sure, but over.
And here I am, marveling over the slippery summer days, feeling the need to capture them, to do them justice . . . for we did "have a great summer"(thanks to many yearbook wishes of old).
Instead of trying to bring it back - I'm moving on - looking forward to the crisp apple days of Autumn.
So here's what's going on now:
We finally have a piano! I used to tell Matt, quite emphatically, that before buying any furniture we would have to buy a piano. I believed myself, but quickly gave in to more practical purchases - like bookshelves, a mattress, a table, a dresser, and a couch. For some reason these things seemed more urgent. I guess they were. But now, I feel as complete and settled as a young person in Palo Alto can feel. We will have real music in our house this year, and every year from now on.
Sophie speaks: can you believe it? She now says baby, bye-bye, mama, dada, duck, and dog. Quite the repertoire! She's crawling all around, eats anything we give her, and has a funny sense of humor. She loves wrinkling her nose, smiling a silly smile, and wagging her head back and forth to make us laugh. She also loves kissing Emmy goodnight and cuddling with her in bed, as long as Emmy can control her urge to squeeze her too hard.
Emmy can (almost) swim! We just finished swimming lessons, and by the end she was actually swimming, head under water, arms moving, legs kicking. She's very proud of her accomplishment, and I'm just proud that by the end of the two-week session, she would allow her teacher to help her. I was the only parent who had to accompany my child in the water. While the other kids were terrified of the water, Emmy was terrified of the teachers.
Farmer's Market fun. I've always loved going to the Farmer's Market, but I've never appreciated it as much as I do now. I just read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegatable, Miracle and I have a new appreciation for local produce, and a yearning to someday "live off the fatta the lan.'" We've been loving the late summer heirloom tomatoes. Put them with fresh mozzarella, basil, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and yum. We've also tried out new melon varieties, made raspberry jam, roasted brighty colored peppers and dark green zucchini, and eaten more than our fair share of strawberry shortcake. Sophie has turned almost as purple as a blackberry, and Emmy has eated almost a whole carton of cherry tomatoes in one sitting. The freshly picked fruits and vegetables from local farms really do taste better.
These are the highlights of life as we speak. Besides that, our days are occupied by Sophie's long naps, Emmy's frequent tantrums, my failed attempts at keeping the house kind of clean, and Matt and I sighing together at 8:00 each evening as we enjoy a couple hours of time to ourselves.
And here I am, marveling over the slippery summer days, feeling the need to capture them, to do them justice . . . for we did "have a great summer"(thanks to many yearbook wishes of old).
Instead of trying to bring it back - I'm moving on - looking forward to the crisp apple days of Autumn.
So here's what's going on now:
We finally have a piano! I used to tell Matt, quite emphatically, that before buying any furniture we would have to buy a piano. I believed myself, but quickly gave in to more practical purchases - like bookshelves, a mattress, a table, a dresser, and a couch. For some reason these things seemed more urgent. I guess they were. But now, I feel as complete and settled as a young person in Palo Alto can feel. We will have real music in our house this year, and every year from now on.
Sophie speaks: can you believe it? She now says baby, bye-bye, mama, dada, duck, and dog. Quite the repertoire! She's crawling all around, eats anything we give her, and has a funny sense of humor. She loves wrinkling her nose, smiling a silly smile, and wagging her head back and forth to make us laugh. She also loves kissing Emmy goodnight and cuddling with her in bed, as long as Emmy can control her urge to squeeze her too hard.
Emmy can (almost) swim! We just finished swimming lessons, and by the end she was actually swimming, head under water, arms moving, legs kicking. She's very proud of her accomplishment, and I'm just proud that by the end of the two-week session, she would allow her teacher to help her. I was the only parent who had to accompany my child in the water. While the other kids were terrified of the water, Emmy was terrified of the teachers.
Farmer's Market fun. I've always loved going to the Farmer's Market, but I've never appreciated it as much as I do now. I just read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegatable, Miracle and I have a new appreciation for local produce, and a yearning to someday "live off the fatta the lan.'" We've been loving the late summer heirloom tomatoes. Put them with fresh mozzarella, basil, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and yum. We've also tried out new melon varieties, made raspberry jam, roasted brighty colored peppers and dark green zucchini, and eaten more than our fair share of strawberry shortcake. Sophie has turned almost as purple as a blackberry, and Emmy has eated almost a whole carton of cherry tomatoes in one sitting. The freshly picked fruits and vegetables from local farms really do taste better.
These are the highlights of life as we speak. Besides that, our days are occupied by Sophie's long naps, Emmy's frequent tantrums, my failed attempts at keeping the house kind of clean, and Matt and I sighing together at 8:00 each evening as we enjoy a couple hours of time to ourselves.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
A Blip From My Day
Emmy needed to eat her risotto before we could leave on our outing to the park and Jamba Juice. Instead of just eating the rice, she got very hyper and started laughing hysterically. I just sat on the couch and read a book and told her I couldn't play with her until she ate her lunch. So she laughed and laughed, and climbed on me, put pillows on my head, climbed up on my shoulders, while I did my best to ignore her. She never ate the lunch and we never went on our outing. Awhile later, when she calmed down, I asked her why she had been laughing. She answered, "because you were angry." I asked, "Why were you laughing because I was angry?"
She said,
"Sometimes, children laugh when their mommies are angry."
She said,
"Sometimes, children laugh when their mommies are angry."
The Summer Day
by Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself
out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out
of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and
forth instead of up and down -
who is gazing around with her
enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and
thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open,
and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention,
how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down
in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how
to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself
out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out
of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and
forth instead of up and down -
who is gazing around with her
enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and
thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open,
and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention,
how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down
in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how
to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Naughty Naughty
If you've seen pics of my little red-head, you might think she is sweet. And she is. But she has a dark side.
Scenario: Emmy has a backpack full of items that she wants to dump on the kitchen floor so that she can put more items in. She begins to pour them out on the floor.
Me: Emmy, please do not pour all of that on the kitchen floor. Put your stuff in your own room.
Emmy continues to dump her stuff on the kitchen floor. No acknowledgement of my request.
Me: Emmy please do not make a mess in the kitchen. Please take your things to your room.
Emmy: (with a look of defiance) You clean it up.
This was how our morning began. I then told her that I would not speak to her, get her breakfast, or do anything with her until she had cleaned up her mess. When she wouldn't do it immediately, I told her I was going back to bed.
I think it took her almost 20 minutes to finally pick up her mess. At least I got to enjoy a few more minutes of "sleep."
What a stubborn little girl.
Scenario: Emmy has a backpack full of items that she wants to dump on the kitchen floor so that she can put more items in. She begins to pour them out on the floor.
Me: Emmy, please do not pour all of that on the kitchen floor. Put your stuff in your own room.
Emmy continues to dump her stuff on the kitchen floor. No acknowledgement of my request.
Me: Emmy please do not make a mess in the kitchen. Please take your things to your room.
Emmy: (with a look of defiance) You clean it up.
This was how our morning began. I then told her that I would not speak to her, get her breakfast, or do anything with her until she had cleaned up her mess. When she wouldn't do it immediately, I told her I was going back to bed.
I think it took her almost 20 minutes to finally pick up her mess. At least I got to enjoy a few more minutes of "sleep."
What a stubborn little girl.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
SOPHIE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!
7:00 - 6:30 baby! I know many of you out there have amazing sleeper babies, but our sweet little Sophie has yet to sleep all the way through the night until just last night! Hopefully it continues!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Emmy went and did it!
As promised, I will now document the series of events that led to Emmy finally being completely potty-trained. If reading about bodily functions such as pee-pee and poopy disgusts you, than this is not the blog for you.
It all began in January. I had no intention of potty-training Emmy at the time. I'm a believer that potty-training should be easy and I didn't want to force things. Well, out of the blue, Emmy announced she wanted to be a big girl and proceeded to go pee-pee and poopy on the potty several times. So I decide to strike while the iron was hot and potty-train her. I read a fun book called Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day and got pretty excited at the prospect of no diapers. (The theory behind this book is that the first part of the day is spent potty-training a doll and then the second part of the day you work with the child to do what they just "taught" the dolly.) So to make a long story short, I went all out. I bought her a new potty seat and stool, lots of fun drinks, a baby doll that pees, and a new book about the going on the potty. I sewed little pairs of underwear for the baby doll. I decorated the house with balloons and flowers. I even put a variety of candy rewards in cute little blue cups and put them on a serving tray so that when she was successful she could choose one. This might have been one of the happiest days of Emmy's life. When she woke up, I declared that today we were having a potty party. I presented her with her gift and told her we would be eating breakfast (Fruit Loops, no less!) in the family room together. We read potty books, watched potty shows (the library is a great resource!), and had a lot of fun together. She did very well - no accidents - and we celebrated that night by taking her out for ice cream.
OK, so I'm not doing a good job at shortening this long story. Unfortunately, with each passing day, Emmy had more and more accidents. She began to resent going to the potty and it became a battle of wills. A battle that I was not in the mood to fight. So, I told her she wasn't ready to be a big girl yet, put the doll and big girl underwear away, and bided my time.
Fast forward a few months to May. I was feeding Sophie one morning when Emmy walked in and said, "I want to be potty-train." "Sure," I said. I had her spend the day with just a T-shirt on (yes, it was fun to see her cute little bare buns running around) and was very low-key about the whole thing. She had no accidents. I took her to Cold Stone to celebrate and she chose blue cotton-candy ice cream with gummy bears as a mix-in. The next day her friends came over and she peed her pants twice. But, after that day, she's been pretty near perfect, even at night! It turns out, she can hold it for hours and hours - refusing to use public restrooms and often refusing potties at friends' houses.
So the second time around was how I always hoped - almost effortless. Yes, I had to wait until she was almost three, but after only two days, I don't even have to think about it. She can take care of her own business now, and I'm so proud! More importantly, she is proud of herself and it is so fun to see her feel such a sense of accomplishment. The first few times she peed on the potty, the expression on her face was priceless. Also priceless is how she announces, "Mommy! Peep is coming out!" (Emmy calls pee, peep - which I think is pretty cute).
If you're wondering about the title of this blog, it is the first line of our victory song (this song was passed down from when I was a wee one):
Emmy went and did it, she did it, she did it
Emmy went and did it, she (fill in the blank) on the potty!
Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
Attempt #1: Potty Party Day
Practicing on the pot
What a big girl!
It all began in January. I had no intention of potty-training Emmy at the time. I'm a believer that potty-training should be easy and I didn't want to force things. Well, out of the blue, Emmy announced she wanted to be a big girl and proceeded to go pee-pee and poopy on the potty several times. So I decide to strike while the iron was hot and potty-train her. I read a fun book called Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day and got pretty excited at the prospect of no diapers. (The theory behind this book is that the first part of the day is spent potty-training a doll and then the second part of the day you work with the child to do what they just "taught" the dolly.) So to make a long story short, I went all out. I bought her a new potty seat and stool, lots of fun drinks, a baby doll that pees, and a new book about the going on the potty. I sewed little pairs of underwear for the baby doll. I decorated the house with balloons and flowers. I even put a variety of candy rewards in cute little blue cups and put them on a serving tray so that when she was successful she could choose one. This might have been one of the happiest days of Emmy's life. When she woke up, I declared that today we were having a potty party. I presented her with her gift and told her we would be eating breakfast (Fruit Loops, no less!) in the family room together. We read potty books, watched potty shows (the library is a great resource!), and had a lot of fun together. She did very well - no accidents - and we celebrated that night by taking her out for ice cream.
OK, so I'm not doing a good job at shortening this long story. Unfortunately, with each passing day, Emmy had more and more accidents. She began to resent going to the potty and it became a battle of wills. A battle that I was not in the mood to fight. So, I told her she wasn't ready to be a big girl yet, put the doll and big girl underwear away, and bided my time.
Fast forward a few months to May. I was feeding Sophie one morning when Emmy walked in and said, "I want to be potty-train." "Sure," I said. I had her spend the day with just a T-shirt on (yes, it was fun to see her cute little bare buns running around) and was very low-key about the whole thing. She had no accidents. I took her to Cold Stone to celebrate and she chose blue cotton-candy ice cream with gummy bears as a mix-in. The next day her friends came over and she peed her pants twice. But, after that day, she's been pretty near perfect, even at night! It turns out, she can hold it for hours and hours - refusing to use public restrooms and often refusing potties at friends' houses.
So the second time around was how I always hoped - almost effortless. Yes, I had to wait until she was almost three, but after only two days, I don't even have to think about it. She can take care of her own business now, and I'm so proud! More importantly, she is proud of herself and it is so fun to see her feel such a sense of accomplishment. The first few times she peed on the potty, the expression on her face was priceless. Also priceless is how she announces, "Mommy! Peep is coming out!" (Emmy calls pee, peep - which I think is pretty cute).
If you're wondering about the title of this blog, it is the first line of our victory song (this song was passed down from when I was a wee one):
Emmy went and did it, she did it, she did it
Emmy went and did it, she (fill in the blank) on the potty!
Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!
Attempt #1: Potty Party DayPracticing on the pot
What a big girl!
Monday, June 16, 2008
One Year of Blogging
Under my belt. I haven't been near as great as I thought I would be at updating the good ole blog. Still, its been fun to make note of the moments that make up our lives. A few highlights of the last little while:
My Birthday - I felt like a queen! A surprise party, a chocoloate mousse pedicure, dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, time to myself spent blissfully in the bookstore and Banana Republic, and a massage made my day very memorable! Thank you to all who showed me so much love that day! P.S. Thanks to my friend, Cassi, I have a new love: poco dolce bittersweet chocolate tiles - topped with grey sea salt and filled with sesame toffee - AMAZING
A visit from my Mom, my mother-in-law, and my sister - roughly three weeks in a row! How wonderful to have family members love my babies almost as much as I do. Emmy enjoyed reading "Pinkalicious" with my mom and then making pink cupcakes, she had fun at Fairyland in Oakland with her Grandma Jojo, and she played at the beach in Capitola with Aunt Ashley. Sophie smiled through it all.
Sophie eating solids - thankfully she has taken to babyfood much more willingly than her older sister! She's eaten almost everything I've given her and is pleasant throughout the experience, though very messy. She grabs the spoon, then grabs her hair, puts her hands in her mouth, wipes them on her clothes - a sticky, baby mess! I usually strip her down before each meal so that she doesn't have to wear three outfits in one day. She's growing so fast! She's very tall (90th percentile), fairly slender, toothless, and bald. We think her hair looks like it may end up being blonde, though its hard to tell. She's rolling around, grabbing at everything, and loves to shriek with joy. Oh, and she's still not sleeping through the night.
Emmy is potty-trained, finally! (Expect a blog detailing her potty-training journey at a later date)
Landscaping - we've planted two trees and many other bushes and flowers in our front lawn and are having fun watching everything grow!
A vacation to the Cayman Islands! We just got back into town last night. Pictures and more details will follow soon.
Happy Summer to you all - may we all enjoy happy times this summer!!
My Birthday - I felt like a queen! A surprise party, a chocoloate mousse pedicure, dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, time to myself spent blissfully in the bookstore and Banana Republic, and a massage made my day very memorable! Thank you to all who showed me so much love that day! P.S. Thanks to my friend, Cassi, I have a new love: poco dolce bittersweet chocolate tiles - topped with grey sea salt and filled with sesame toffee - AMAZING
A visit from my Mom, my mother-in-law, and my sister - roughly three weeks in a row! How wonderful to have family members love my babies almost as much as I do. Emmy enjoyed reading "Pinkalicious" with my mom and then making pink cupcakes, she had fun at Fairyland in Oakland with her Grandma Jojo, and she played at the beach in Capitola with Aunt Ashley. Sophie smiled through it all.
Sophie eating solids - thankfully she has taken to babyfood much more willingly than her older sister! She's eaten almost everything I've given her and is pleasant throughout the experience, though very messy. She grabs the spoon, then grabs her hair, puts her hands in her mouth, wipes them on her clothes - a sticky, baby mess! I usually strip her down before each meal so that she doesn't have to wear three outfits in one day. She's growing so fast! She's very tall (90th percentile), fairly slender, toothless, and bald. We think her hair looks like it may end up being blonde, though its hard to tell. She's rolling around, grabbing at everything, and loves to shriek with joy. Oh, and she's still not sleeping through the night.
Emmy is potty-trained, finally! (Expect a blog detailing her potty-training journey at a later date)
Landscaping - we've planted two trees and many other bushes and flowers in our front lawn and are having fun watching everything grow!
A vacation to the Cayman Islands! We just got back into town last night. Pictures and more details will follow soon.
Happy Summer to you all - may we all enjoy happy times this summer!!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
more national poetry month
Egg
C.G. Hanzlicek
I’m scrambling an egg for my daughter.
“Why are you always whistling?” she asks.
“Because I’m happy.”
And it’s true,
Though it stuns me to say it aloud;
There was a time when I wouldn’t
Have seen it as my future.
It’s partly a matter
Of who is there to eat the egg:
The self fallen out of love with itself
Through the tedium of familiarity,
Or this little self,
So curious, so hungry,
Who emerged from the woman I love,
A woman who loves me in a way
I’ve come to think I deserve,
Now that it arrives from outside me.
Everything changes, we’re told,
And now the changes are everywhere:
The house with its morning light
That fills me like a revelation,
The yard with its trees
That cast a bit more shade each summer,
The love of a woman
That both is and isn’t confounding,
And the love
Of this clamor of questions at my waist.
Clamor of questions,
You clamor of answers,
Here’s your egg.
C.G. Hanzlicek
I’m scrambling an egg for my daughter.
“Why are you always whistling?” she asks.
“Because I’m happy.”
And it’s true,
Though it stuns me to say it aloud;
There was a time when I wouldn’t
Have seen it as my future.
It’s partly a matter
Of who is there to eat the egg:
The self fallen out of love with itself
Through the tedium of familiarity,
Or this little self,
So curious, so hungry,
Who emerged from the woman I love,
A woman who loves me in a way
I’ve come to think I deserve,
Now that it arrives from outside me.
Everything changes, we’re told,
And now the changes are everywhere:
The house with its morning light
That fills me like a revelation,
The yard with its trees
That cast a bit more shade each summer,
The love of a woman
That both is and isn’t confounding,
And the love
Of this clamor of questions at my waist.
Clamor of questions,
You clamor of answers,
Here’s your egg.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
celebrate National Poetry Month
I learned in Real Simple Magazine that April is National Poetry Month. I've decided to participate in the celebration of words. I'll post poetry as it comes to me:
You Begin
by Margaret Atwood
You begin this way:
this is your hand,
this is your eye,
this is a fish, blue and flat
on the paper, almost
the shape of an eye
This is your mouth, this is an O
or a moon, whichever
you like. This is yellow.
Outside the window
is the rain, green
because it is summer, and beyond that
the trees and then the world,
which is round and has only
the colors of these nine crayons.
This is the world, which is fuller
and more difficult to learn than I have said.
You are right to smudge it that way
with the red and then
the orange: the world burns.
Once you have learned these words
you will learn that there are more
words than you can ever learn.
The word hand floats above your hand
like a small cloud over a lake.
The word hand anchors
your hand to this table
your hand is a warm stone
I hold between two words.
This is your hand, these are my hands, this is the world,
which is round but not flat and has more colors
than we can see.
It begins, it has an end,
this is what you will
come back to, this is your hand.
I have a splitting headache, so I can't really sit and write an analysis of this poem, but I'll tell you quickly what I like. I like the idea of the hand - how amazing it is when an infant discovers she has her own vehicle for discovery - and then how gradually, a child's perspective broadens, deepens. I also like the progression of the colors, from a basic primary color, to more colors than we can see.
May our palettes always be growing, may new shades and hues continue to color my world.
You Begin
by Margaret Atwood
You begin this way:
this is your hand,
this is your eye,
this is a fish, blue and flat
on the paper, almost
the shape of an eye
This is your mouth, this is an O
or a moon, whichever
you like. This is yellow.
Outside the window
is the rain, green
because it is summer, and beyond that
the trees and then the world,
which is round and has only
the colors of these nine crayons.
This is the world, which is fuller
and more difficult to learn than I have said.
You are right to smudge it that way
with the red and then
the orange: the world burns.
Once you have learned these words
you will learn that there are more
words than you can ever learn.
The word hand floats above your hand
like a small cloud over a lake.
The word hand anchors
your hand to this table
your hand is a warm stone
I hold between two words.
This is your hand, these are my hands, this is the world,
which is round but not flat and has more colors
than we can see.
It begins, it has an end,
this is what you will
come back to, this is your hand.
I have a splitting headache, so I can't really sit and write an analysis of this poem, but I'll tell you quickly what I like. I like the idea of the hand - how amazing it is when an infant discovers she has her own vehicle for discovery - and then how gradually, a child's perspective broadens, deepens. I also like the progression of the colors, from a basic primary color, to more colors than we can see.
May our palettes always be growing, may new shades and hues continue to color my world.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Mothering 101: Follow Your Nose
One day, I seemed to be on top of things. (ha!) The house was semi-clean, Emmy was playing quietly in her room, and I was peacefully feeding Sophie. I even had cookies baking in the oven. As I was enjoying the moment, I started to notice the smell of laundry detergent in the air. "Hmm. . . I thought, someone must be doing their laundry" (we live right next to the laundry room). I continued rocking with Sophie, when I realized that Emmy had been playing quietly for a long time . . . things were eerily quiet.
As I walked into her bedroom, her whole body jerked--she knew she was caught. She was sitting amidst clouds of laundry detergent, "cleaning" it with a square of toilet paper. It was quite a mess and cleaning it was made more arduous by Emmy's noble attempts to help out. When we were finally finished, I noticed another smell: the cookies! I rushed to take them out of the oven, but I was too late. They were burnt to a crisp.
What an afternoon. I sat down to take a breather, when I was confronted by yet another smell: sweet little Sophie needed a major diaper change. Yuck. Two kids in diapers makes the chore of diaper changing pretty routine, but still, not pleasant.
Too much laundry soap, burnt chocolate chip cookies, and poopy diapers made up the greater part of my afternoon, but you know, I'll take 'em - because everything is made worth it when I get to breathe in the soft, clean scent of Emmy's shiny hair, and inhale Sophie's sweet, milky breath.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Saga of the Matching Dresses
The moment I found out I was having another girl, I immediately began dreaming about two little girls in matching dresses. So when my mom sent Sophie an adorable dress for Christmas this year, I immediately ran to the store to buy Emmy a matching one.
Don't be deceived by these smiling faces . . .
Of course, my next step was to try to capture their cuteness on camera, which proved to be a much more difficult task than I originally thought. The first Sunday they wore their dresses proved to be impossible. This was one of Sophie's first outings to church and we had to cancel the photo shoot so that we could get there reasonably late. After church was a disaster, with Emmy throwing her scheduled 4:00 pm tantrum.
I decided that Sunday wasn't going to be a good day for picture-taking, so I called up the local Picture People and set up an appointment for professionals to take over. Picture day arrived and I packed up the car with dresses, accessories, bribes, and the two girls. My friend, Heather, and her perfect child, Abby, came with us for moral support. We explained the whole process to Emmy, assuring her that once the pictures were taken, she would get a sucker and a ride on the horsie. All seemed to be fine. The girls were darling, Sophie smiling, and Emmy with her strawberry-blonde locks neatly curled under. (I'd even gotten her to let me curl her hair!) Emmy seemed to be in good spirits as she asked me when the "man" would come to take her picture. Suddenly, though, the "man" did come, and right when he set up the black backdrop, Emmy let out a bloodcurdling scream of terror. She could not be calmed and she clung to me as if her life depended on it. I gave up. Heather escorted Emmy from the room and we took pictures of Sophie sans sister. Heather summed up the experience pretty well when she said, "That was hard."
So today I decided to try again. I knew I would probably fail, but I had to give it one more shot. Before church, Sophie fell asleep and we had to bring her in her pjs. So we decided to try for after church, in hopes that Emmy would postpone or give up altogether on her 4:00 tantrum. The stars aligned, just barely. Here are my two little girls in their matching dresses:
Emmy is very happy to have her picture taken
Sophie is thrilled as well
Awww
Don't be deceived by these smiling faces . . .
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