My Girl

can you spot my daughter in these pictures?
we spent a LOT of time at this park last summer.  these particular images were taken in early june.  i recall being surprised by the public school holiday.  i wasn't sure how stella would react to all the BIG kids in the fountains. 

her little 14 month self was undaunted.  enlivened by the action.  i just watched.  waiting for her to get overwhelmed and call for her momma.  she never did and in the end, i was the one calling for her.

and that's our stella.  she walked for a week before she was running everywhere.  and now she frequently tells me she's busy, or that she needs "two minutes," or that she doesn't want help.  

she's clever and strong and brave and friendly. 
she spontaneously sings her favorite songs (why is jingle bells so catchy?)
i am in awe of how capable she is.  
she makes me laugh.  she makes me want to be a better mom.

and other times she just makes me  crazy.

my boys.

In three days my baby turns 1.  

In seven days my husband's training is over.  

aren't they cute?

When Jason left to begin training, I had a tiny but nagging concern about his relationship with Anton.  Anton had been alive for 7 short months so their father-son bond was just beginning to form.  

If I had only known how this would all work out.

Anton crawls frantically toward the door when Jason gets home.  He leaps from my arms to be held by dad.  He buries his head into his neck (I like to do this too).  He watches Jason intently and breaks into a huge smile as soon as he catches his eye.  And my favorite?  The squeals of delight when they play together (from both of them).

All that concern for nothing.  Nothing.  They adore each other.  And oh, how I love my boys.

the day started rocky.
i was tired.  which happens when you stay up too late.
it was drizzly.  which happens in march.  

i thought fixing my hair might help get things going.

stella was doing a puzzle.  anton was chasing balls. 

stay with me. 
as i waited for the straightening iron to get hot, i heard a ball roll across kitchen and anton taking off after it, his hands smacking the floor.  this little game is my new favorite.  then i heard something different.
beads hitting the floor?  pencils dropping?

not good.  i dashed out of the bathroom and gasped.  CAT FOOD!  guess anton found a sound he liked.  he was throwing it all over the floor.  and as i got closer, he quickly slipped some in his mouth.  gag.

the mischievous smile was adorable but...

so much for turning my rocky day around.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

this week was good because...

- the bottoms pushed out of two cans of dietcoke left in the freezer but no messy explosion

- anton climbed into the refrigerator

- perfect weather (lots of vitamin d production)

- quality time with jason (including a kid-free date)

- i finished the shack and can now read something better

-sleep training may be working

- there are country music radio stations in virginia/d.c.

- the fabulous dress i coveted was on sale (think throw-your-arms-around-the-sales-girl happy)

AND

-clemyjontri park. ahhhmazing. everyone thinks so.

this park is MASSIVE. so big, in fact, i thought i lost stella a few times.

anton loved the rocker-rides. and slides. and ramps. and swings...

getting a face picture was impossible; these two giddy kids
were bouncing all over the place. 

this is cute face stella made when i said we had to leave in five minutes.
only cute because a tantrum didn't follow.

Hope you have a good weekend.

A Moment

...in the life of a two year old.
and to stella, every endeavor is a serious endeavor.

we are often told, "i do it." and "no, i got it." 

"shhhhtop." and "no." 

but the best are the shrieks of, "i did it." 

 she dashed around the house, huffing and puffing, examining her shoes, finding the "just right" spot to figure this mystery out.  

and when she did, oh boy!  "i did it! i did it!"  then she jumped around, pausing to look at her feet, showing anyone who would cheer, and now the practicing.  heaven help me, the practicing. 

together at last. together forever.

anton, stella and i took the plunge and moved to d.c. 

to live as a family. 

in a hotel (that's the plunge part). 

our hearts have been aching for jason. particularly those baby hearts. as much as i despise living apart, i love watching their reunions. stella jumps all over the place, talking fast streams of who-knows-what. inevitably she asks jason for one of their little inside games--"airplane" or "crack an egg." and anton, sweet anton, he crawls over to jason and shyly leans his head against him. just wanting to cuddle for a few minutes. their reactions are true to their personalities. 

despite my fears, hotel life isn't too bad.  the kids worked out their kinks and are now snoozing peacefully.  and, you know, sleep means the world to me.

speaking of sleep, this is frequently the situation in the back seat after our adventures.  more on those adventures later.   

how lucky am i?

Midwinter Walk

 I had a brilliant idea to take an afternoon walk along the Hudson--fresh air to breath, trains to watch, birds to feed, calories to burn. See? Great plan. 

 But... it was FRIGID. Ah, the wind blowing off the water on an overcast day.
Luckily Anton slept and Stella was too excited to notice. 

I swear these paths were paved when I was in high school.  Blasted memory.
After a few miles shoving our mediocre stroller (loaded with 58 pounds of baby) over gravel paths, I did what any mother would do... 

Stella loved walking up that last hill.