Thursday, February 23, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Flirt
We spent the evening at the mall with Melinda and her girls tonight. And Jack and Naomi spent a good deal of that time sitting together like this.
Yes, they are in front of a fire.
It was almost too cute to handle.
After this they spent a lot of time running in circles after each other and giggling.
Who knew the flirtation would start so soon...
It's been a fine week all told, recovering from the Valentine's festivities on Sunday. Ivy was ill on Tuesday but is back to her usual ornery self by yesterday. She has been talking more and more, parroting things we say (like, Wait up! after hearing Jack yell it across the library parking lot this evening).
Jack has been loving Valentine's day with its influx of presents, glitter, and candy. He has been sweet as can be recently, increasingly helpful to his sister (tonight he helped her take off her boots) and full of compliments and kind words. He's lovely.
Here are some pictures from preschool this week. Jack shared that the highlight of Nat's parent helper day, was pretending to a be a superhero with Sophie and defeating the Daddy-monster. Nat is quite popular among the preschool set. :)
Its a three day weekend and oh am I happy for that. You may get two posts in a row, imagine that!
Yes, they are in front of a fire.
It was almost too cute to handle.
After this they spent a lot of time running in circles after each other and giggling.
Who knew the flirtation would start so soon...
It's been a fine week all told, recovering from the Valentine's festivities on Sunday. Ivy was ill on Tuesday but is back to her usual ornery self by yesterday. She has been talking more and more, parroting things we say (like, Wait up! after hearing Jack yell it across the library parking lot this evening).
Jack has been loving Valentine's day with its influx of presents, glitter, and candy. He has been sweet as can be recently, increasingly helpful to his sister (tonight he helped her take off her boots) and full of compliments and kind words. He's lovely.
Here are some pictures from preschool this week. Jack shared that the highlight of Nat's parent helper day, was pretending to a be a superhero with Sophie and defeating the Daddy-monster. Nat is quite popular among the preschool set. :)
Its a three day weekend and oh am I happy for that. You may get two posts in a row, imagine that!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The babies...
...they're all grown up...
At the playground at St. Paul's, during our "springtime in February":
On a trip to the Natural History Museum, where the kids reportedly participated in some sort of craft. I just think Ivy looks like she's at a job interview here...
Playing "Laundry," one of their favorite games.
The little "reader":
At the Parent Center:
At play:
And of course, in the tub:
Jack's a champ at getting his face wet these days. We've also been going swimming once a week and he's all about jumping in and blowing bubbles and he's practically fearless. See? All grown up.
We've just had a most delightful Second Sunday Soup, and we've just finished clearing up the first round of dishes and glitter-from-Valentine-craziness.... post and pictures of tonight's event coming soon... for now, off to bed!
At the playground at St. Paul's, during our "springtime in February":
On a trip to the Natural History Museum, where the kids reportedly participated in some sort of craft. I just think Ivy looks like she's at a job interview here...
Playing "Laundry," one of their favorite games.
The little "reader":
At the Parent Center:
At play:
Jack's a champ at getting his face wet these days. We've also been going swimming once a week and he's all about jumping in and blowing bubbles and he's practically fearless. See? All grown up.
We've just had a most delightful Second Sunday Soup, and we've just finished clearing up the first round of dishes and glitter-from-Valentine-craziness.... post and pictures of tonight's event coming soon... for now, off to bed!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
More video fun...
Moments like this... oh, moments like this. I don't think I can put it into words...
I love these kids. Messy hair and all...
I love these kids. Messy hair and all...
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Springtime in February
Looking at my last post, that wintry view of our backyard.... this evening we were outside in our light jackets, playing tag in the grass and swinging and racing down the slide.
It's springtime in February and we are soaking it up.
I've had this lovely, wholesome evening with my children that I just need to share with you all. Our activity for the night? Going to the carwash, where Jack and Ivy helped to vacuum out the van by running around inside of it. Then we took it through the automatic wash and it was hilarious to watch Ivy's face change from apprehension to awe to delight as she got used to the onslaught of water and foam. Jack helpfully pointed out to her exactly when the water would hit her window, insisting that she "LOOK! LOOK!" each time. It was a noisy time in our car, for sure.
When we got home it was just too darn lovely out to stay in the house, even for a minute. We tromped right through and spent some time in our backyard. The dog ran and jumped and generally obstructed our games of hide-and-seek and tag, and Ivy wanted to swing instead of playing so I had to keep running back to push her some more....it was delightful.
Inside for supper and the kids wanted to stay in the kitchen while I cooked. So out came paper, markers, glue, and little bowls of random small items. The two of them sat and crafted while I made dinner. I actually had to pull them away from their coloring to get them to the table...where both of them actually ate.
I felt good about tonight, like it was a nice, well-rounded evening. I also managed to get both kiddos tucked in by 8:30, which also helps. I did not, however, take any pictures. So here are a few from Sunday instead.
The kids and I went swimming in the morning, which may just be a new weekend tradition, it is such fun. On the way home we enjoyed another stunning, spring-like day with some dancing in a garden bed at Eton place.
They are two of the funniest people I know.
Jack went to a Planetarium show on Saturday, "Cosmic Collisions", and now enjoys talking about the earth's electrical field, solar flares, and what happens when two space rocks "klurnk" into each other.
Ivy adds new words to her lexicon by the moment. Recent additions include: Cookie, tights, dots, puppy, nice, cute, moshe (more, of course), wet, owie, lap, nap (as in,"doggie nap!")... I could go on! She is stringing words together more and more. Today she happily said "Goodnight poop!!" as we disposed of a diaper. She is a true comedian and the sunniest of little girls, too, just the happiest thing, almost all of the time.
That is, unless she is screeching at the dog for licking her. Or at her brother for taking a toy.....
Tonight I read to both kids up in Jack's room in an effort to get our worn-out little boy to bed a bit earlier. It worked out fine but I did regret the decision several times as I tried to read a book to my snuggly boy while live-wire-the-sister got into stuff around the room and demanded my attention in any way she could manage. But it was all worth it when I tucked Jack in and he excitedly called Ivy over to snuggle in for a good night cuddle, too. And he just wrapped his arms around her and seemed so happy to have his sister in there, saying goodnight to him. It was perfect. Until Ivy started flailing and screeching and I had to extricate her from the bed. Jack didn't get his nice, long mommy-snuggle... but that didn't keep him from going to bed perfectly, about an hour earlier than normal. So we may be trying this bedtime arrangement again sometime...
It's springtime in February and we are soaking it up.
I've had this lovely, wholesome evening with my children that I just need to share with you all. Our activity for the night? Going to the carwash, where Jack and Ivy helped to vacuum out the van by running around inside of it. Then we took it through the automatic wash and it was hilarious to watch Ivy's face change from apprehension to awe to delight as she got used to the onslaught of water and foam. Jack helpfully pointed out to her exactly when the water would hit her window, insisting that she "LOOK! LOOK!" each time. It was a noisy time in our car, for sure.
When we got home it was just too darn lovely out to stay in the house, even for a minute. We tromped right through and spent some time in our backyard. The dog ran and jumped and generally obstructed our games of hide-and-seek and tag, and Ivy wanted to swing instead of playing so I had to keep running back to push her some more....it was delightful.
Inside for supper and the kids wanted to stay in the kitchen while I cooked. So out came paper, markers, glue, and little bowls of random small items. The two of them sat and crafted while I made dinner. I actually had to pull them away from their coloring to get them to the table...where both of them actually ate.
I felt good about tonight, like it was a nice, well-rounded evening. I also managed to get both kiddos tucked in by 8:30, which also helps. I did not, however, take any pictures. So here are a few from Sunday instead.
The kids and I went swimming in the morning, which may just be a new weekend tradition, it is such fun. On the way home we enjoyed another stunning, spring-like day with some dancing in a garden bed at Eton place.
They are two of the funniest people I know.
Jack went to a Planetarium show on Saturday, "Cosmic Collisions", and now enjoys talking about the earth's electrical field, solar flares, and what happens when two space rocks "klurnk" into each other.
Ivy adds new words to her lexicon by the moment. Recent additions include: Cookie, tights, dots, puppy, nice, cute, moshe (more, of course), wet, owie, lap, nap (as in,"doggie nap!")... I could go on! She is stringing words together more and more. Today she happily said "Goodnight poop!!" as we disposed of a diaper. She is a true comedian and the sunniest of little girls, too, just the happiest thing, almost all of the time.
That is, unless she is screeching at the dog for licking her. Or at her brother for taking a toy.....
Tonight I read to both kids up in Jack's room in an effort to get our worn-out little boy to bed a bit earlier. It worked out fine but I did regret the decision several times as I tried to read a book to my snuggly boy while live-wire-the-sister got into stuff around the room and demanded my attention in any way she could manage. But it was all worth it when I tucked Jack in and he excitedly called Ivy over to snuggle in for a good night cuddle, too. And he just wrapped his arms around her and seemed so happy to have his sister in there, saying goodnight to him. It was perfect. Until Ivy started flailing and screeching and I had to extricate her from the bed. Jack didn't get his nice, long mommy-snuggle... but that didn't keep him from going to bed perfectly, about an hour earlier than normal. So we may be trying this bedtime arrangement again sometime...
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Untitled
I have been waiting for inspiration to strike, for some grand event or momentous milestone to spur me towards a wonderful post about the darlings...
But it has been another quiet weekend, full of comfortable routine and card games and dustings of snow.
Nat taught Jack to play poker this week, complete with betting (you put a chip in if you think you'll win). The boy is obsessed. He is thoughtful and focused on the task, carefully checking that he has 5 cards, carefully deciding if he wants one, two or three new cards, exclaiming with joy when he gets a pair. "Oh, that's JUST the card I wanted!" "I have a REAWWY high pair!"
He has a ways to go with his poker face.
He loves the game and for the most part is a terrific sport, though if we take a chip from him in a bet more than two times in a game, the tears come hot and fierce. "IIII wanted to win! I want to get a chip from YOU!" Eyes ablaze and brimming with tears, face red, hands busy gathering the cards to play another round. I have to smile at him, just a little, before composing my face into serene empathy for his emotions. My little sensitive soul, that one.
The girl? She is more of a comedian every day. Tonight at bedtime was was cracking herself up. Seriously. We could hardly get through her bedtime routine because at every turn she was working herself into belly laughing hysterics, thrilled with her own jokes. Her favorite goes back to the "What does little birdie say" incident. Now she thinks its a big joke to present ANY animal as making a loud, high-pitched, kind of horrid squawking sound. She did this on every page of the Zoo Babies book tonight. Except by the end it was a loud, high-pitched, half-squawking-half-laughing sound because she couldn't handle how great her joke was. She lost it again when she couldn't keep a grip on her jammies zipper (she likes to zip herself up these days), and then again when she pulled her chin down into the neck of the jammies and "hid there".
Her eyes just dance and her laugh is irresistable and she is going to be able to get away with murder, this one.
She's talking more and more these days, too. We are starting to hear phrases strung together. "Mommy-- oh-ee dis!" ("open this" for those not fluent in Ivy-ese) or "me, up, bounce!" She loves dancing, being naked, jumping and sliding, and playing with her little porcelain tea set.
I love her.
This morning we had a little time before heading to a play-date/ clothing swap meet-up at a friend's house. (I love our friends, have I mentioned this before??) and I found myself with two snuggly creatures who were happy to share time reading a book.
But it has been another quiet weekend, full of comfortable routine and card games and dustings of snow.
Nat taught Jack to play poker this week, complete with betting (you put a chip in if you think you'll win). The boy is obsessed. He is thoughtful and focused on the task, carefully checking that he has 5 cards, carefully deciding if he wants one, two or three new cards, exclaiming with joy when he gets a pair. "Oh, that's JUST the card I wanted!" "I have a REAWWY high pair!"
He has a ways to go with his poker face.
He loves the game and for the most part is a terrific sport, though if we take a chip from him in a bet more than two times in a game, the tears come hot and fierce. "IIII wanted to win! I want to get a chip from YOU!" Eyes ablaze and brimming with tears, face red, hands busy gathering the cards to play another round. I have to smile at him, just a little, before composing my face into serene empathy for his emotions. My little sensitive soul, that one.
The girl? She is more of a comedian every day. Tonight at bedtime was was cracking herself up. Seriously. We could hardly get through her bedtime routine because at every turn she was working herself into belly laughing hysterics, thrilled with her own jokes. Her favorite goes back to the "What does little birdie say" incident. Now she thinks its a big joke to present ANY animal as making a loud, high-pitched, kind of horrid squawking sound. She did this on every page of the Zoo Babies book tonight. Except by the end it was a loud, high-pitched, half-squawking-half-laughing sound because she couldn't handle how great her joke was. She lost it again when she couldn't keep a grip on her jammies zipper (she likes to zip herself up these days), and then again when she pulled her chin down into the neck of the jammies and "hid there".
Her eyes just dance and her laugh is irresistable and she is going to be able to get away with murder, this one.
She's talking more and more these days, too. We are starting to hear phrases strung together. "Mommy-- oh-ee dis!" ("open this" for those not fluent in Ivy-ese) or "me, up, bounce!" She loves dancing, being naked, jumping and sliding, and playing with her little porcelain tea set.
I love her.
This morning we had a little time before heading to a play-date/ clothing swap meet-up at a friend's house. (I love our friends, have I mentioned this before??) and I found myself with two snuggly creatures who were happy to share time reading a book.
Moments like this, I feel like I might be doing all right at this Mommy thing.
Happy Sunday, all--
With love,
Amanda
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