my endless love

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my newest love. 'sabrina' its what i've named her. my rug that is.

i posted an add on craigslist looking for a persian-ish rug to cover our living room floor. I had xxx i was willing to spend and wanted something about 9x12.

I got one response. from a woman who told me she was SICK to see this rug go but it didn't fit in her new place. The day of the viewing & potential exchange she was kicking herself for agreeing to my price. We had many hobbies in common and i just LOVED her decor. It got to the point where i had to stop saying 'ME TOOO' for fear that i was looking insincere. By the time i left & helped her move some boxes to her car ~ she felt like fate had led her to see my ad and was happy to pass the rug along to a young family for a new life.

turns out its 9.5 x 13 (a lil big for our place, but we've made it work). a semi-antique (greater than 60 but less than 100 years) Persian machad (which means the red is more pink vs orange) with an all-over design (no medallion) -- after the army, her (ex)husband was an importer and she worked with him for a few years so she was able to teach me a little bit about it & how to care for it. Prior to the embargo-life this baby woulda been worth a nice bit, but unfortunately with the allowance of trade & flooding of pottery barn 'fakes' ~ the entire persian & oriental market has suffered.

now..most importantly -- PICTURES

Crafting

So it IS december and I am waaaay waaaay behind in my holiday crafting.  Perhaps its the lack of the FLOORS being FINISHED (PETER!) – or perhaps it’s just general business getting the best of me.

I vote Peter. 

Either way… G and I got some good stuff done last night & I wanted to share. 

And then, we started to make an advent calendar.  I’d like to combine chocolates (since 2/3 of the house are ADDICTS) with nice family activities.   Thankfully i’m doing these with paper, so i can sorta just do 1 a night :P 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'sick' days

So today G was deemed to sick for 'school' - by the powers that be. Sure her cough sounds horrible, but really...its loose and after weeks of a cold now seems to be the dumbest time to send her home ~ but whatevs. I'll take it :P

After a wonderful breakfast ~ we spent the morning cleaning her room in preparation for the floors getting DONE this weekend (& grandpa pete & gramma pat's visit - not a coincidence). I'm on a conference call now and she's sitting in her 'castle' (a great big box) and 'decorating' (coloring the walls with crayons). She was content with watching Jane occasionally - but has recently taken to 'moving' (dragging her castle across the living room floor every 5 minutes)

If i weren't WORKING...i'd be taking pictures. its a lovely day so far.

Where you at?

oh i KNOW where you at!
(that's for you mum)

Last week we spent the most wonderful week in the Outer Banks, NC. I seriously don't know how a single post can do it justice, but i'll certainly try.
- one of my bestests got married
- we crashed her honeymoon
- we saw horses on the beach
- we flew a kite
- i got to take some photos i love
- i celebrated my 31st
- G fell in love with donuts, cupcakes and a ginormous house and i fear life may never be the same.

and so are some photos from the lovely day...i'm sure i'll have more to share once my batteries are charged...say around christmas :P







Clearly a kid who's seen too many drinking games in her day.

The Alcantarians...keeping workplace romance alive since 2004

Thus was the response when i told a friend of ours about...

PETER'S NEW JOB!

Peter will be a technical recruiter with this great lil company i know. Heck ~ a great lil company i work for!

Currently we're a small-ish company (about 150 strong in DC & Boulder) and in the upcoming year we're looking to almost double our full time employees given the amazing contracts that we are gonna win. So peter's job is going to be a busy one. But at least i know it'll be rewarding and the people he'll be working with are ~ hee ~ like family :P

Good luck Pete-a-lee!
(but we will miss you at home)

Family Fun Fridays

I've always loved Octobers. Fall is my favorite season and halloween is SO. MUCH. FUN. I loooove to make costumes. I looooove cooking fun foods. and i Loooooove pumpkin well -- pumpkin anything, but pete-a-lee makes a to-die-for PSL (that's pumpkin spice latte for you newbies out there)

Last friday night we had a blast making dinner & dessert.


And in theory - tonight we'll 'play' a little more AND carve pumpkins.

Mi Casa

es horrible!!! (that means my house is a big ass mess)


So for those of you not in the know -- we're doing a little remodeling. I LOVE our home, but after 4 years i'm kinda tired of it. Since we can't exactly build on ~ why not completely remodel right?!?!

If last time our place was Starbucks Chic ~ this time will be Lake House Lovin.

Floors will be a polished concrete. Furniture eclectic as we find the funds :) And the walls will be toned down to a cheery but super super light yellow. Here's the general game plan.

We've successfully removed the carpet from all but G's room. And interestingly enough...i don't sneeze anymore the hour after i wake up like i used to. And to think ~ i originally researched this for G's allergies. Now we're debating on the floor stain color. I think we have a favorite, but i'm interested in others opinions...I KNOW you all have opinions :P

While peter was visiting the kids the other weekend I refinished the entertainment center. And look forward to refinishing the buffet (crackle) & the corner cabinet (accent color on the inside).

Of course its a ton of work ~ but its fun (mostly) and i can. not. wait. to see the finished project :)

G's first bully.

So this weekend i did not one but TWO things i swore i would n.e.v.e.r. do.
1) put g's living room toys front and center in the entertainment center (pics/post to come)
2) take her to the mall to play. yea. ewe is right.

Anyhoo - we had been shopping all morning, it was raining, and it was on the way home. G was LOVIN it. Just running around like a maniac and going down the slide headfirst like the big kids (but really ~ why do parents let their 8yo play here?!?) But then this 4-5 year old girl really takes a shine to G. Perhaps b.c. she was the youngest & most rambunctious in the group and she wanted to put her in her place?? So this chick follows G around, pushing her off the toys, blocking her from the slide, etc etc. They'd shove each other occasionally and for the most part G really held her own. Until this lil gangster acutally started chocking G and pushing her around. As soon as I stood up she stopped and G came over with giant doe eyes and said "Mommy she's mean. She hurt me" I said i know - but next time she comes near you - you look her in the eye and say "i don't want to play with you ~ you're mean".

Sure enough the second G was more than 3 feet away from me, that little girl was back. G tried climbing up on a mushroom and she blocked her. And what happened next made a whole row of watching parents smile. G glared into this girls face and almost growled the words i told her. Then just to solidify it ~ she finished with a hearty little shove and walked away.

Amazingly enough it worked! We stayed at least another 30 minutes and the girl kept her distance from then on.

One of the dad's commended me on my composure. I smiled and said thanks. But really. I wanted to drop punt the little bitch out of the play park.

:)

Donkey Bites and all that jazz

So yes. I got bit by a donkey. and it hurt. and i'd like to report that G added a new word to her vocabulary ~ but unfortunately she already knows them all.

BUT in other news...

We went to an apple orchard AND got to press our own cider. Ironically two rather unrelated events.
First we went apple picking which was awesome (sans damn donkey bite) G thoroughly enjoyed APPLES from TREEs and running down the dirt roads in her lil house on the prairie ensemble. She loved her new friend ~ "my lil mary". How she got that name is beyond me as Mary is anything but G's or little for that matter. She's my age (ha) and a pretty darn tall svelt lady. So the name alone is joke worthy. Anyhoo we picked apples, got scared by massive pigs and had a great time with some new friends.

Then we went to the CSA farm for our apple cider pressing. Our farmer had 2nd quality apples on hand for us to pick through and an awesome new cider press. What amazed me the most was 1) how easy it was and 2) how many bee's there were. But seriously - not a single sting among us. Apparently honey bees don't really do stinging unless you really tick em off ~ and apparently pete-a-lee was on his best behavior :P We were expecting approximately 2.5 gallons of cider and took home a little over 2 in our mr. beer 'keg' that is happily sitting in our fridge. But not for long as it is SOO YUMMY!

And another one ~ if only cause the bees are soo clear!

mmmm radishes!

So i had NO idea what radishes grew partially above ground. For some unknown reason i just presume they grew 100% under ground like carrots do. BUT THEY DON'T! and...they grow in like 23-25 days. A month. Talk about fun for a toddler (ha ~ who am i kidding, its fun for me. I LOVE a quick turn around)

So Monday we were at the garden weeding and just generally checking in on things (yes more stolen stuff) and i saw these little red thinks peeking out from the dirt under some beautiful green leaves. I was SHOCKED to see how much 'peeking' was going on. And have to admit - i think they're just adorable.


After a whole 24 hours of debating weather or not they are ready to pick or now ~ we finally gave into temptation and went late last night to gather the most assuming suspects from our garden. A little butter, salt & sesame crackers and we had a wonderful late night snack.

Perhaps its the changing of the seasons thats put me in such a great mood, but i really can't express how in love i am with these little radishes.

hee. call me crazy.

One little, two little, three little...

Here she is one morning after breakfast.

And here she was on another day telling her friend not only did she like his 'clippie' but that he had a nice pack-pack as well.

And of course you've gotta sit & have a chat when your drinkin your water after lunch.

For a few days I presume it was the sheer likeness in size that made her friends so appealing. But then one day I heard them talking. I asked what she talked to her friends about and she told me they tell her stories. I asked what the stories were about and she told me 'animals. you know like deer & beer and frogs mommy'. But of course i thought. And though i haven't seen a bear in 10+ years in the area ~we saw one only a few nights later.

Honi Honi

after and awesome weekend in deep creek ~ this has to be my favorite lil video.


For those of you not in 'the know' the Honi Honi is a local bar on the water. Used to be a LOT of fun b4 they 'family-ized' it.

just sayin hi...

CHEESE CHEESE

Now while you heart is melting as i know mine does --- take a look at THIS fun little video taken only a few moments later :)

Stealing is...NOT NICE

Can you believe it -- can you effin believe it.

SOMEONE STOLE ALL OUR RIPE TOMATOES FROM OUR GARDEN!!!!!!!

Tomatoes that i planted from SEED.

pissed doesn't even BEGIN to explain how angry i am.

I DID IT!!! (no really - I did it!)

So i have successfully given away 2/3 of G's clothing.

BAH.

First undies ~ now this. We were on a goodwill / freecycle kick today and i realized we're hoarding 2, 35gallon containers full of clothing ~ PLUS a few more grocery bags full AND an entire adult size dresser. FOR A TWO YEAR OLD.

so yea it hurts and i'm on the verge of meltdown, but no worries I've kept my favorites (including jammies) and am excited to be CLEAR of the CLUTTER.

AHHHH.

(haha - if only it were as simple as getting rid of a few bags of clothing!)

Mama Knows Best

So could this be the beginning of the middle of the end of diapers?!?

I can hardly believe it. She's wearing big girl undies. EVERY DAY now. Is this insane of what?!? MY BABY. Granted she's not 100% yet (and does a lot better with a nagging mommy than a fun and exciting daddy) BUT ~ give the girl a choice and its undee-pants every. single. time.

My mom totally called it. The pull ups / sewn diaper pants were still 'diapers' just thinner ones. Not till we (she) bought real little girl undies did we feel the shift in 'tude.

Still in shock though. My BABY wears undies. BAH.

Loot part II

b.c. i did promise pictures.

Loot!

So we're FINALLY reaping some gains from our little garden this year.

The tomatoes are BEAUTIFUL. Hearty and amazing. Its really amazing how much different they are from your 'home depot' brands. Until now we had staked them with broken sticks, but they were getting a little wilely and another gardener gave up his stands for the season. SCORE!

We've harvested a spaghetti squash and have another one patiently waiting. A single acorn squash. I don't know why ~ but the squash flowered a LOT ~ but didn't really produce a whole lot.

The kohlrabi is just a beautiful plant. And out of two plants we've been given 3 'baseballs'.

The broccoli is a BUST. Beetles have been having a hay-day with it, and well...we let em.

The lettuces have pretty much gone to seed while we were on vacation. But the swiss chard is shaping up nicely and looking beautiful with its thick red leaves.

And the ??? looks...interesting. We had a 'squash' / 'melon' that was this cute little round orange/yellow thing with NO idea what it was. Turns out it's a Lemon Cucumber. I haven't yet tasted but Pete-a-lee tells me its good!

And lastly the bug bites -- holy mole-ly do we all have out share of those!

Next steps...get seeds rolling for our fall crop!!!(and umm pictures!)

Hey Girlfriend

So this weekend G learned the finer points of the English language thanks to her Aunt & her friend (aka: Lester & Esther)


Yes ~ i know we own a video camera, but when your friends DEMAND something RIGHT NOW. It's so much easier just to get G to talk into the computer :P

I go boogie boardin

We're BA-ACK.

Ahh what a wonderful vacation! This year was sooo much fun. I learned the blessing of a lil thing called a crock-pot and really relished in the 'I have a husband who can do things too' part of vacationing this year. It kinda makes me wonder what the heck i've been stressing out over the past few years. BUT ~ i guess like everything this is a learning curve and just when i think i have it...we'll add something else to the mix & make it complicated again :)

Favorite Quotes from G
"Look mommy BROCCOLI!! Ohhh broccoli ~ MORE Broccoli" - those would be a different kinda tree they have in the south.


"OHHHHH - WATER!!" Close G - those are just boats. There isn't any water under them yet.

"MommyDaddy, daddymommmy when i boogeyboarding i keick my feets"

Its the little things...

So while it seems that not much has been going on lately ~ we've been incredibly busy. Work is busy ~ photography is busy ~ and having a lil one home alllll day is very very busy.

But here are some of my favorite developments.

1) G's new favorite TV show is Jane & the Dragon. I used to think it was because the dragon was kinda cute & the music was fun, but i may have been wrong.

"G ~ please put down the yardstick. It is not a toy to hit things with."
"Mommy it's my swoooooord"
"Oh, well then. Take your sword outside please"

Jane is a knight in training.

2) Giuliane MUST have at least 3 Curious George stories read to her before bed. And George may only be read before bed & no other time. George = bed. (so help me if i forget to pack the book for vaca)

3) ohhh there WAS something but now i can't remember what it was. bah.

**UPDATE*** i remembered...
G likes to wear a Santa hat in the middle of July. EVERYWHERE.

Art-O-Matic Ends....

Ahhhh it is with a happy heart that I report art-o-matic has come to an end. For those of you not in the know...Art-o-Matic is a HUUUUGE annual art show in DC. For years Pete-a-lee's band has played there and I've always said to myself 'you should do something.'

and this year i DID!

I combined two of my loves ~ natural childbirth & photography and did an installation called: Homemade ~ Homegrown ~ Homebirth
One of my favorite things to do at the show was to sit along the back window of the building and watch people pass my site. It was a rare treat when one of those people happened to be pregnant. I specifically wish I had my camera for this one couple. She was completely turned off and her body langauge could not have screamed 'UNCOMFORTABLE!' any louder than it did ~ while her partner/husband leeeeeaned in as far as he could to examine every detail and read each and every quote posted. He wanted to discuss and she wanted to run. and it was something i chose that made them feel THESE emotions. it was quite a kick.

Of course I was called 'creepy' and people pulled away in fear or disgust, but I will treasure soo much more than that.

"This is amazingly beautiful. I pray for strength when my day comes"

"Your work is truly inspirational. Such a wonderful and beautiful part of life"

"Thanks for these beautiful pictures. We need more images of strong women giving birth naturally. I'm getting ready for a home birth in a few months from now - Can't WAIT!"

"I am a young women not yet ready to be a mother, but am very interested in a peaceful natural birth in the future. Thanks you for sharing these experiences & meaningful quotes."

"Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for capturing the beauty of natural childbirth"

"Beautiful Photos - from a mother, home-birther, prenatal yoga teacher & doula"

"Your a feminist!" -- yea i think that's a compliment :)

"Thank-you so much for showing this to the world. More women need to know how wonderful this natural process is. You are such an inspiration! -- mother of two while gave natural childbirth

"Snacks is lovely. Thanks for sharing."

"Feet is really powerful"

"I like the one called life. Unlike the like people have created. It's real."

"Childbirth portrayed wonderfully."

"Amazing. Beautiful. Empowering."

"I want this so much I'll even marry the wrong person for it. Is that wrong" -- umm yes.

"Hooray for Homebirths!!!"

"You've made me so proud. Love Mom" -- yea that's a fav

"I LLLOve it! Proud breastfeeding Mom" -- hee hee LLL

"I am 5 mos and this has inspired me to enjoy the moment, to 'exist' in a miracle. Thank you for sharing"

So was it worth all the time, $$$, & effort?

WITHOUT a DOUBT!

Holy Toddler Batman

So last night G and I were TRYING to go to sleep. Ok ~ one of us was at least. The other kept calling her daddy in to say goodnight.

on the last round, she got her hug & kiss ~ made sure mommy hugged daddy too and then we all snuggled for a bit. Apparently G had officially had enough family time when she told Pete-a-lee. "Ok, you go clean kitch-ken now"

Thats my baby.

OUCH!

So this morning I was dutifully leaving for my weekly meeting. Typically this a far less eventful 'event' but since the onset of 'daddy daycare' ~ I had 2 goodbyes to contend with.

So i say my first goodbye ~ thankfully he didn't cry.
Then onto my next.

Come-ere and give mama kisses bye bye.
"NO - come toooooooo"
"No sweetie, mama has to go to work and be with all grown-ups today."
"NO MOMMY I COME TOO!"
(a few more rounds)

Then she darts in front of me, picks up her baby doll, hugs her and with venom in her eyes says to me.
"I take baby with ME!"

"Ahhh - so Mommy should take her baby too?"
"YES!"

Good argument kiddo - almost had me there for a minute.

Open for business – Daddy Daycare

If you read about lemons on May 27 you’ll understand why.

Two weeks have passed since the decision to take G out of daycare to save every penny earned. Each day I would watch her enter the class room and run to circle time where all the kids would sing and dance and learn something new. Each day I hated knowing that at some point she wouldn’t have that anymore and wondered if she knew…but of course she knew, she’s just stronger than her mom and me. As she waved bye to her teacher and friends last Friday Jenn and I were overcome with emotion and just balled. At least a weekend in the country helped cure (distract) the sadness and today starts a new chapter and some amazing memories I get to share with G.

Daddy daycare is open for business.

After breakfast the start was a bit rocky. I sat G down and asked what day is today? Blank stare. Monday. Mawndy. Good. And it’s the first day of the week, well technically the second…but…oh damn…Jenn... what do they say Monday is at Happy Faces????

But we found our groove with some water color painting, bike ride, swings and making lunch together before Jane and the Dragon, a book then a 12:45 nap. Just a little over 3 hours since this adventure started and I was exhausted and realized I need to have a plan to keep me sane and give G some order and continuity.

Jenn arrived home around 2pm so I left to shop for groceries and while out stopped by the library for some pre-school help.

Handtalk Zoo – George Ancona & Mary Beth
The Essential Montessori – Elizabeth Hainstock
Teaching Montessori in the home the pre-school years – Hainstock (a bit old school even for conservative ME)
Things to do with toddlers and twos – Karen Miller (my fave so far)
Have fun with your kids the lazy way – Marilee LeBon (title sounded great but the book is boring)

The afternoon session was all about cooking with G helping pour yogurt, pick mint leaves and mix fresh cucumbers and onions to get our Mediterranean feast ready for a picnic at the garden. A very fun and yummy way to get tactile, sensory, dexterity and vocabulary lessons and the best part....keep her attention.

Tonight after some light reading I decided to make play dough! Fun and easy...a sealed container now holds 3 smalls balls of red, green and blue dough. So, I’m set for 1 activity for tomorrow. Now if I can fill the other 6 ½ hours. I’m excited just thinking about all the possibilities!

sittin in a tree

So i've been telling EVERYONE and their brother about G's new boyfriend, I don't know why i don't just blog about it already so i can embarrass her forever with it down the road.

So yesterday G goes to school in a cute new sundress (thanks to aunt joanne!) When she enters the classroom a little boy says "Gew-y-anne like-ed your new dwess" To which she demurely replies "why thank-you" and does a little spin. Then she walks over to her seat and crawls up. WHY THANK-YOU and a coy spin. Are you KIDDING me?! I SWEAR to all that is holy i only watch real housewives late at night after she has gone to bed.

THEN when i went to pick her up. They had about a 7 minute exchange of goodbyes. "bye Gew-y-anne" ~ "bye bye kee-nu, see you tomorrow" complete with high fives and lil fingers through the fence. Sheesh. What do i have on my hands here.

But i will say - she's adorable and has been perused by "kee-nu" since day 1. When she first started transitioning into the toddler room he said " I like-ed gew-y-ann ~ she's CUTE!"

Oh boy. Things to come. The things to come.

Lots of Lemons

So here is it world wide web.

Pete-a-lee lost his job.

And it sucks. It sucks real bad. Frankly, it scares the CRAP outta me. Yea sure, we're smart, strong and have a BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY lil girl and with that I can be happy. (but it still sucks)

But in all that sucki-ness ~and the financial sucki-ness to come. I find myself taking stock in that which doesn't dwell directly inside my home.

1) i have a great family ALL over the US and not only that but i love them all and can openly talk with them all. Kinda cool
2) i have WONDERFUL friends who venture to the scary scary burbs for a 2 year old and even ~ yes EVEN come in from LA (yes, the one in california)
3) i finally have a garden. Something i've REALLY wanted for a good 4 years.
4) i am a photographer. I can finally say that without any disclaimers and/or qualifiers before or after it comes out of my mouth.
5) i can sew - pretty damn well actually. So - fine. I can't follow a pattern to save my life, but really - i say it would only stifle my creativity.
6) i am proud of the life i live. I eat well, i cook well, i let people merge when i drive and i no longer give folks the finger when they are OBVIOUSLY taking their time when crossing the street. (yes that's worth being proud of)
7) i recycle. Not because i FEAR the world is ending or because its the cool thing to do, but my dad always taught me to leave a place cleaner than i received it. And well -- i got some time to make up for.
8) i'm learning to garden without any chemicals and pesticides (see above)
9) i'm STILL meeting wonderful people and i like that. be it the group of out-of-towners that resuscitated a bit of life back into my cold shocked body, or the gardener that reminds me so much of my grandma Lois it takes my breath away.
10) i can no longer stomach most of whats shown on prime time television - and i am proud to have all my feelings back
11) i vow to grow more flowers this year
12) did i mention i can cook?
13) i've fostered good true honest to goodness friendships with people via WORDS. (ok that IS a nice way of saying i'm an online dork) BUT what underlies it all is a common thread to be a better person and learn from one another and in that i've met some amazing women with vastly different lives than me.
14) i teach classes on natural childbirth WITH my husband ~ not in spite of which seems to be so sadly the norm
15) i am sleepy and am off to dream of 'lemonade'

CHEESE!

This is what happens when Grandma & Grandpa & Aunt Becky & Aunt Yujin all come in to town. Now instead of just talking on the phone she holds it RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE and says..."say cheese"

Pay No Attention to the Baby Under the Carpet

No Seriously. This is the scene that i came home to after a night of "Martini's & a Movie (sans movie) with the girls.

No Seriously. This is how G fell asleep. THIS was the position she chose. Apparently SOMEONE suggested it was bedtime, someone was watching baseball and someone was giggling at her rolling under the carpet and then...

No Seriously. This is where she slept...until i got my fill of giggles & pictures in as well :)

Happy Birthday Baby!

Dear G,

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY! I really can't believe that my sweet lil baby girl is T-W-O. Although i don't know who i think i'm teasing because really...your growin like a weed. Mentally not a day goes by that you don't crack your daddy & I up. And physically, that lil lioness mane and those loong legs & arms crack me up every morning when i wake up with them all wrapped up around me.

This spring has been so much fun with you. I'd say our number one thing to do this year is take care of our plants and sew. It's so much fun to see you interested in watering our plants and at the farm 'comeon guys' helpin out as much as, if not more than, some of the adults.

For your birthday we went to brunch with Grandma & Grandpa and came home to PRESENTS! Your new shiny bike was by far the biggest it and I'll take a lil credit for my fun spin ~ spin ~ spinny dresses. After a lil nap Auntie Yuj & Auntie Becky came to for dinner and to PLAY. G got some awesome princess dress up stuff and we just laughed and laughed. We also sang happy birthday THREE times complete with candle blow out and relighting. Who can resist a request of 'one more time mommy?' on a birthday!?!?

Your a light in my life that I never dreamed would shine SOO BRIGHT. Some parents talk about how in awe they are of the love for their children ~ I've never been so shocked and I guess i'm lucky that way...I always felt TONS of love growing up. But i wasn't prepared for how a 'hi mommy' or a lil chubby hand on my chest could just make me melt and make all the ugliness of the day disappear.

I love you my lil buttercup. Thanks for letting me see the sun shine ~ even on the darkest of days.

Love,
Mama

Happy Mothers Day!!!

and i had a good one indeed! Admittedly saturday started off a bit shaky but that was VERY short lived and the rest of the weekend was fantastic!

Saturday we went to 'our' farm again. This time we had some friends drive up with us. As silly as it sounds it was fun just having other folks in the car to chat with. Made me feel young again. The farm, as always, was awesome. We toured around and saw how things are progressing (even with the absurd rainfall) and did a little more rock harvesting. But then we reaped the rewards: 3 dozen eggs, chives, and rhubarb. Afterwards we went to our real garden and just sorta hung out / day dreamed for awhile.

Sunday was MY kinda day. It was amazingly beautiful out and i didn't change a single diaper!!! On top of my wonderful gifts, we got to hang out & I did some sewing all day which was clearly awesome. I made G one of her birthday dresses & a pair of pants. We definitely stocked up on our vitamin D. It may have made Pete-a-lee a bitch twitcy not leaving the house, but it was truely my kinda day!

New baby smell

I really can't believe it. I JUST got back from a beautiful homebirth of a sweet 6lb 12oz lil baby girl. I had let some folks know that i was interested in doing some photos of a natural labor and a student I substitute taught for was interested.

This afternoon i met with them and we just chatted. 'Baby' was a little over a week late and mom didn't think it had an exit plan any time soon. Retrospectively interesting ~ i stayed far longer than i expected just chatting with them and hearing about some anxieties over the past week. It was a great fun & friendly meeting and upon leaving i COMMANDED the baby to come out. Well...7 hours later ~ contractions started.

I showed up at 3:30am and was out by 6:30. It was filled with many highs and a few lows, but ultimately ~ resulted in a perfect healthy baby. No Zimbabwe.

It was pretty interesting ~ just about 1 year and oh...350 days ago i was sitting in a bedroom holding my brand new baby. On both this morning and that ~ the birds were chirping after a fresh rainfall & the air smelled so sweet. Such a timely reminder of how much our family has grown in two years ~ and how precious life still is.

Mother’s little helper! (and…Daddy’s too)

So our little Pnut wants to be a part of the action no matter what we do. Sometimes I just want to get things done but then I realize she just wants to help, so even if it takes a little more time it’s worth it. Just watching her smile as she struggles to carry a small bag, or my grill scraper, or the cooler; yes she grabbed the handle of our quite large cooler with wheels and walked out towards the truck! She just really wants to help and be a part of everything and it’s awesome.

Friday was grilling night. Jen set outa blanket and opened a bottle of wine (Our new favorite, Pancake Cellars 2007 Big Day White, small price with a big yummy taste), and I fired up the coals. It was a beautiful night and as the sun was setting, Jenn read while I started to grill the squid. Pnut was at the picnic table with the plates from the cooler and was setting them out for each of us, along with forks and knives too! Jen’s and mine on one side of the table and hers across from ours. All the while muttering mommy, daddy, ME…mommy’s pate, daddy’s pate, ME pate.

Saturday we were back out at our "farm" to weed and pick up rocks so that we could harvest Asparagus. Yep...she was right next to Mom and Dad picking up rocks and tossing them into a large pile.

Fast forward to Sunday and we were cleaning or doing something other than watching our little girl. She was entertaining herself as usual and I hear plastic and clicking and she’s muttering again. I had to see what was up. She had found the plastic cups from the night before and had set out 3 on the coffee table. With an empty water bottle shewas “filling” up the 3 cups for Mommy, Daddy and ME! Amazed and pleased that our little G is happy, content, and filled with love for her family. I wonder if we can keep this up all the way through her teens. A father can hope.

Elephants use dirt and hay as a natural sunscreen

So why can't G???

At least this seems to be her theory. Of course this weekend was extra messy with a trip to 'our' farm to harvest the rock gardens and gather some asparagus. (ohh and for those of you who remember my oath...FRESH DOESN'T STINK! i don't know how or why, but thanks to Pete-a-lee who pointed it out. Men, right?!?)

Ok so back to Pigpen. I know we were at a farm, i KNOW we gardened, but seriously...seriously ~ how does it get everywhere? Including Mom?

and why? Why is is sooooo important to keep my lil gringa SLATHERED in sunscreen when all it does it attract dirt from miles and miles away? HELLO G ~ your DAD IS CUBAN & ITALIAN ~ and your brother and sisters ALL tan nicely.

Not that i'd let you tan at barely two years of age...but a mom can dream right?

April Adventures!

This month we had not one, but TWO adventures.

The first one was more of a mommy & daddy adventure! Can you image?!?! Yes, I can assure you ~ they DO exist! Anyhoo - my brother got married and with his fiance ~ (now better known as 'Aunt NINA') had they had the most fanflippintastic wedding weekend. For three nights in a row we got to play (and by play I mean drink) And although i can proudly say I survivied...it wasn't as easy as it was when i was 20. Not by a looong shot!

(watch out ~ the next shot is pretty riske) -- haha or not.


THEN the weekend after we drove down to the Sheandoah Mountains to visit Peter's sister & family. It was an awesome day trip. Complete with mountain views, swimming and tempting Vera Bradley bags. Although I didn't take a single picture while we were there. I did manage to snap a few as we were heading out the door.

Coo Coo for Tutu's!

So i bought this FLUFFY pink tutu on a whim at a second hand shop because i thought it would be a really cute photography prop. Never in a million years did I imagine that i'd have lil girly girl who was that kid who wore silly stuff. EVERYWHERE. No seriously ~ EVERYWHERE.

I actually wake up and coordinate her weekend outfits so the tutu doesn't look quite so ridiculous. Of course its not just day-time wear either. It makes the perfect accessory for bedtime as well.

My Life.

My Oath

I, JennalaMommy, do hereby solemnly swear that i will no longer serve asparagus until EVERYONE in this home is 100% potty trained. So help me God.

School Pictures

So today is PICTURE DAY at G's school. I bounced back and forth on how much I cared. Ranging from not.at.all to ~ she's missed every other picture day and it would be fun to see what comes from it.

Sooo last minute Peter reminded me and i whipped out the iron. Zoom zoom zoom ~ toss on the dress, add some pigtails per request, and we're off with cargo pants to change into later.

BUT WAIT. She looks soooo cute! I HAAAD TO GET A PIC. Channeling my inner G i feel i can claim "I DIT IT!"


But no matter what, they don't make me smile 1/2 as much as this one does.

in a minute...

Anyone think we took too much time getting ready???

Not THAT kinda bunny!

So we were playing around with G's bunny ears the other day (perhaps in anticipation of a photo shoot?!?!)

Little did we know she has aspirations of being a...bunny.

Not really the kind we had expected though.