Here for your viewing pleasure: pictures of my little sunshines, in the sunshine....
Nat took them back to Daffodil Hill today. How could he not? What a glorious week it has been.
Can you believe it's only March?
Perhaps global climate change isn't all bad.
They've come in advance of the April showers, these flowers.
Spring has sprung, in all its fullness and glory. The air smells of lilies and lawns shimmer with daffodils and the trees are greening. Dogwoods and magnolias have burst forth, overnight, a profusion of pink. It is heady and rich in the world.
The sunshine has continued into the week and my children are pink-cheeked and tired at the end of an 80 degree day.
It couldn't be better. Even the thunderstorms have been delightful. The ensuing humidity has made both my and Ivy's hair ring up into sausage curls. Jack loves lightning. It all works.
But before I linger on the details of a lovely two days (a trip to the beach, a trip to the zoo, family swimming, lots of burgers for the kids and lots of salads for Nat and I, sunny 75 degree days...) I have promised a post updating you on the amazing Ivy.
The girl is in the midst of a language explosion. She is using 2 and 3 word phrases all the time, and its just making her more hilarious.
Most things are "mine" or "me" (as in "ME walking kick" -- my walking stick, or course)
"O-tay!" said in many and various inflections, from super agreeable to signed and sorrowful, depending on the situation.
"Luboo!" (I love you!!!)
She fills in numbers for us when we count...she can do 1, 2, 3 on her own, and then fill in "ive" and "en" in the right spots.
She's finally mastered saying her own name. Though, to our chagrin, she often says it in an exasperated tone...
"Me down. Daddy." This is an example of her 2 +1 style of sentence: a two word phrase, followed by a single word, usually a name. Just to be sure we know who she's ordering around. Other examples? 'No bow! Mommy!" or "No yick! (lick) Doggie."
She continues to be fascinated with "that one" and "another one", both referred to as "one" and she continues to love sorting her world into the categories of "big" or "niny" (tiny). At the pool yesterday she rejected one blue kickboard in favor of another, identical one, as her chosen one was "biiiig!". She pushed away the other with a "niny." of utter derision.
Other words that are just cute: "Hannies" (hands), "tack" (stack)
She also likes to walk up and down stairs with no help, and she loves jumping, even though she only gets both feet off the ground on about every 5th try. She dances when she runs. She is fiercely independent and loves giving kisses. She's a delight, this little girl.
Sunday dawned sunny and warm and it begged to be captured and loved, to have us make something of it. So we donned rubber boots and a Kelty carrier and drove the troops to the Bedford Metroparks where we made ourselves a memory.
It was perfect.
We hiked down, talking and exploring the fallen trees and the rocks, finding walking sticks. We threw rocks in the stream and a very happy dog swam and swam and swam. Jack climbed the wall and made my heart catch in my throat and I wanted to grab him down but I didn't. Ivy was peaceful and sweet and proudly throwing the biggest rocks she could handle into the water.
We finished with time on the swings and lunch at Burger King and it was a day well spent indeed.
We got home at 3:00.
Soup Supper was scheduled to start at 5.
We were a cooking and cleaning machine, I am telling you. Nat chopped a LOT of asparagus.
I used the Dyson on every surface I could find.
We were ready at 5 and the wonderfulness continued.
It turns out, we didn't need to clean the house, because the whole party was outside. The balmy evning called to us, bug-less and fresh. We gathered on the deck, in chairs and on steps, bowls of wonderful asparagus soup balanced on knees. Children ran and chased and played in the treehouse.
Friends, old and new, chatted and relaxed in the fading evening light.
And at the end of the night, our house was still clean.
Best. Soup. Ever.
I'll leave you tonight with a few pictures of random cuteness from this week.
Tomorrow-- a post about Ivy. I have to tell you about her talking. She's amazing and hilarious and due for an update post. Tune in soon....
So much living and loving it all leaves not enough time to document it...
I'll make an attempt tonight. Forgive me if I am incoherent; the time change coincided with the beginning of our four day jump-start diet (complete with no coffee!) so today's been a little rough.
Not the weekend, though. It was perfect.
We hosted gathering after gathering while the sun shone down on us and the weather just got warmer and chores be damned-- it was the way life should be.
Friday afternoon Fiona and Anthony and baby Keely came for an overnight visit. Keely's not such a baby anymore, actually. She and Ivy got along swimmingly,and it was surprisingly easy, indeed rather delightful, to have double the little girl in our house.
Witness the following video clips:
And Friday night, we doubled the amount of little girls again, bringing Melinda's girls into the madness.
A table-full of cute.
And of course it wouldn't be Friday at our house without hordes of naked children running around. Here is Jack sporting his raver outfit, complete with blue skull necklace and yes, rocket ship undies. Those glasses are apparently pretty amazing, as Jack stood for a while staring at the strobe light saying, "Wow! Look at all the COLORS...." hmmm....
After putting kiddos to bed, we actually played a game and drank beer. With grownups. After 10pm. It was pretty rockin.
One of the most delightful things about overnight guests is the next morning. Extra people padding about in pajama pants, this great relaxed vibe, a feeling of stolen time.
Of course Jack and I missed out on that as we traveled together to the first resale of the season, getting there in time for the 8am early bird opening. Yes, I have a substance abuse problem. Sadly, the resale was the low point of the day, as it was horrifically crowded and the line to pay was out of control. We persevered, thanks to my most patient of all little boys, and we did score some great toys. I know, we need more toys around here like we need a hole in the head. But, its been a good opportunity to teach Jack about the in-out rule. ...
Back home to weekend fun in time for a lovely brunch with the addition of our friend Erica and her new beau. I adore brunch. Its this delicious excuse to just sit and linger and nibble and talk and soak up the essence of all that is weekend. Even with 3 children dashing about (they don't seem to understand that "sit and talk" concept ) we managed to do our brunch justice. Sun flowed into the windows from the crisp-cool day outside and we finished all the bacon. It was good.
Our guests all headed out midafternoon and we drove a sleepy little girl to Lakeview. While Nat stayed in the car with the babe, Jack and Corydon and I tromped about on a secret hillside, discovering secret evergreen forts and logs to climb on and snowdrops in bloom. Thankfully, Jack had his pirate sword along to defend us.
It was a wonderful bit of time with my boy.
This is about how we all felt at the end of the day...but there was still a glorious Sunday to come...
Our children are blessed with four of them, these wonderful humans who bring endless patience and unconditional love and many, many gifts...
This past week we had a wonderful, quick visit with Lulu, who was in town for the night and stayed with us. Both kids adore her, and not just for the Legos she brought them. They soak up her calm, gentle presence and easily sink into familiarity even though they don't see her for months at a time. Jack suggested, when she left, that maybe she could stay for two nights next time. :)
This weekend, we showered love on Gram-Gram, who celebrated a birthday today and who gives her time to these grandbabies several times per week. I love their comfort in her home and our family dinners every week and the sense of family and tradition we are building together.
(by the way, Gram was very surprised at her surprise party today!!)
Half a continent separates the kiddos from their Grandpa and Vovo, but the wonder of technology eases the distance and thanks to Skype (and beautiful, annual visits), Jack and Ivy love and trust and know their Wyoming grandparents fully. They laugh at their silly Grandpa's antics and enjoy his singing, they talk with Vovo and show off their new toys to the webcam; they try to share desserts by handing them to the screen. When we visited last summer, Grandpa and Vovo were worried about how the kids would respond to the "computer screen people." There was no need to worry. Even if they did think that their grandparents live in the computer, it didn't bother them a bit to find them in the real world, too. We had a magical stay in Guernsey-- such a great trip, in fact, that I am about to repeat it over my spring break. Just me and the kids-- we'll see how this goes!
No matter the travel hassles, it will be worth it, because these relationships-- they are so important. I love to just quietly observe our children when they talk or play or walk or even just watch TV with their grandparents. The beautiful sense of continuity and comfort and mutual adoration that is almost palpable in the air; generations of my family, resemblances tracing one another; these people who I love so much, giving their time and love and influence to these tiny ones of my heart.
Grandparents rock.
On a side note, my kids are cute. Here's proof.
Yes, in this picture Jack and Ivy are sitting on the stairs, high-fiving with their feet.
We play with a LOT of Legos around our house these days. A lot.
This one is just cute. That's all
Ivy is WAY into drawing these days. I adore the look of concentration on her face and the way she puts her face way down by the paper...
She's so big.
The Flirt, in action again-- this time wooing the girls by sharing the food he had left over
from lunch bunch...
His new Batman cape. My husband made this. He's awesome.
