Uncle Doug and Aunt Carolyn knew exactly what they were doing when they gifted this to my daughter a few weeks ago. Legos were a new discovery for G at preschool and we hadn't picked any up for our home yet. And pink legos are way better than regular legos, right? Needless to say, this brick box gets use almost daily around here.
My newest indulgence is Gloomaway from Origins. Grapefruit is one of my favorite fruits and grapefruit-scented body souffle is an absolute treat on my very dry winter skin.
On this week's To Do list:
**assist G in making 15 valentines for her classmates {using a fancy pink marker pen, of course}. wednesday is her last day of school before valentine's day, but it looks like we're due for a snowstorm. i have a feeling she won't hand out her valentines until february 17th.
**grocery shopping. we're back on track with meal planning for one week at a time. we just cleaned out the pantry + i only have a few items to pick up for this week.
**take G for a haircut {just in time for chinese new year}. she'll have 2-3 inches cut. she has specifically told me that she does NOT want a new hairstyle...she only wants her dead ends trimmed.
**laundry. laundry. laundry.
**crystal cabin fever in pennsylvania. it's our first field trip as a family of four! we're going on friday, since school is closed for J + G.
**go to the bank. need to pick up some crisp bills for chinese new year {tea lunch on sunday}. J + G will attend tea lunch on sunday while B + i will exchange valentines here at home.
**bake a chocolate chip coffee cake. for J's monthly union meeting. if it turns out well, then i'll just have to bake one for home, too.
**update the sidebar on my blog. i can guarantee this will NOT happen this week, but i really, really hope to do it soon. maybe.
**address + mail baby announcement cards. i LOVE how they turned out. i'm hoping to have these finished by wednesday {the day of the snowstorm}.
**catch up on thank you notes. i'm about 2 weeks behind with these. B has received so many beautiful gifts...i need to finish the thank you's sooner rather than later.
photos: 1 month + 1 day old. mama's boy.
G received her first set of these wooden puzzles for her third birthday. We acquired a second one at the Eric Carle Museum. And most recently, G's friend Julia gifted her with this set. I'm a huge fan of puzzles and my daughter is a huge fan of these. Love how they pack up into neat little boxes.
Daddy would be proud. Fishing bedsheets. Football outfit. All that's missing is a baseball cap.
We took some B + G photos on Sunday for the baby announcement card. These are some outtakes. Stay tuned for the real deal.
In less than one month's time, my children have already connected. I am in awe.
Title: Groundhog Day
Artist: My Best Girl
Materials: 18" x 24" canvas; tempera paint; assorted paintbrushes
Date Completed: February 2, 2010
Notes: Still trying to have G paint on a canvas each season. She asked to paint for Groundhog Day this year. See the family of three? There's a Daddy, a Mama (check out her waist), and a baby. The baby is sad because she saw her shadow. Note the big black hole on the bottom of the painting. That's where they live. And what about those hearts in the sky? Gorgeous!
Fall 2009
Summer 2009
Spring 2009
Winter 2008
My mom picks up these sticky window decorations at the Christmas Tree Shop for each holiday. It thrills my daughter to be in charge of such decorations. Here was our conversation while she hung these:
G: (holding Cupid in her hand) Mama, who's this guy?
Me: Cupid.
G: What does he do?
Me: He shoots people with love arrows.
G: Does it hurt like a shot?
Me: No. Cupid is very small. (I squeeze my fingers together to show her an inch). His arrows are small and don't hurt at all.
G: Why does he shoot arrows?
Me: His arrows can make people fall in love. Cupid is a mischievous little guy. Like Liam (our resident leprechaun).
G: Tell me about the time when Cupid shooted you.
Me: Cupid shot me, but I did not feel it. It did not hurt. But the arrow made me fall in love with Daddy.
G: Well, listen. I don't want Cupid to shoot me with an arrow. I already love Daddy. And I already got shooted at the doctor.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Went on an 8-day Bermuda cruise with Jon's entire family. All 23 of us. I don't know if or when we'll ever be able to replicate that vacation, but I'll always have fond memories from our trip in August.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept four out of seven. I made seven new ones for next year. My word for 2010 is Nest.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Bryce was born to Glenn (Jon's cousin) + Liza
Kaelin was born to Brian (my cousin) + Kathy
Liam was born to Chris (my cousin) + Shari
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
Bermuda in August. We traveled to Cape Cod (April, July, September, + October). We went to upstate New York for Oz-Stravaganza in June. And we went to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania for the final weekend of Summer.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A finished nursery/bedroom for my son. I know it's not a necessity, but I'd really like to create a special cozy space for my little man. We'll be working on it soon. I hope.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Wednesday, September 9th. It was her first day of preschool.
8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year?
I scheduled us less. We did more things as just the three of us than ever before. We put our tiny family unit above all else and it felt wonderful. We even spent two holidays just the three of us (Easter and Christmas). Sure, we missed our families, but we took pride in knowing we ARE a family unto ourselves.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not always being the best mother I can be. Not always being the best wife I can be.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Miraculously, I remained in good health. My pregnancy brought on 30+ weeks of nausea and an irritating cough that lasted 15 weeks, but it wasn't an illness. Jon had H1N1 in November. It was awful.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A professional photo session from Blue Lily Photography. Central Park in October. The photos are amazing. We wanted to capture that exact moment in time of our family, including my growing baby belly.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jon. He dedicated his summer to his daughter...he built the Skyfort in July and he created the perfect pink bedroom in August.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My neighbors. I don't like how the elderly matriarch is treated. I'm glad I've connected with her and I'm happy she's in my life, though I wish her own family offered her more.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I don't know about most of our money, but a good chunk of it went to the American Girl store. Grace, my mom, and I went to Manhattan in November. After lunch at the AG Cafe, my mom took Grace to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I stayed at the store and did some major shopping for Baby Shush and Baby Charlotte. I remember calling Jon (he was working) to let him know I had pretty much spent his next paycheck. He told me to have fun. It was absolutely worth it on Christmas morning.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Grace's Rainbow Party. She asked for it way back in the Spring and she became more and more excited with each month. Her excitement was contagious and I wanted to create a perfect 4th birthday for her.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
(a) Happier.
(b) Heavier. I'm 3 weeks post-partum.
(c) Richer. Because of my family, my in-laws, my friends. My life is good.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Blog. I get a kick out of reading my older blog posts. It feels good to know I'm recording some of life's events. But the blog is one of the first things to get pushed onto a back burner when life gets hectic. I hope I don't regret skipping so much time.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Text and talk on my cell phone. It seems like such a waste of time.
20. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Absolutely. With my husband, my daughter, + my unborn child.
21. What was your favorite TV program?
Law + Order. The original. SVU. Criminal Intent. All of them. It seems like one of these shows is on TV at any given hour. I've probably seen every single episode at one point or another, but it's hard to resist the duhn-duhn of the opening scene.
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No hating for me. Sure, I dislike some people, but I don't hate.
23. What was the best book you read?
Every year I tell myself I'll read a real adult book, but it never happens. And every year, I'm more and more embarrassed to admit this. Here's what I do read: I read/scan the local paper each day (online). I read/scan through the FOX news site each day. I read about 15-20 blogs each week. I read People magazine each week. I read Real Simple, Martha Stewart's Living, and Yankee magazines each month. I read from a cookbook almost daily. I read to my children daily. And when I'm tutoring, I read from professional texts and literature each week. But getting back to the question...the best book I read this year has to be Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. I'll never tire of Madeline or Miss Clavel.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Alexi Murdoch with "All My Days" and Colin Hay with "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin". Also, I'm completely hooked on creating playlists in iTunes. I made playlists for the Rainbow Party, one for each month of the year, for St. Patrick's Day, for Thanksgiving, and two for Christmas (one for me and one for Grace).
25. What did you want and get?
A pregnancy.
26. What did you want and not get?
A fixed air conditioning system in my car. It costs too much ($1300) considering my car is already 6 years old. The A/C broke in July and we made managed through the summer, though we certainly used Jon's car when the heat was unbearable.
27. What was your favorite film of this year?
In the theater: The Princess + the Frog (watched with my daughter)
On DVD: Julie + Julia (watched with my husband)
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 37 on August 13th. I was in Bermuda. I had originally planned for Jon, Grace, and I to spend the day on a pink sandy beach, but we lost Baby Shush and everything changed. We eventually found Baby Shush at a bus stop and decided to spend the day on board the cruise ship. Mom and Dad C joined us. We had the entire ship to ourselves. It was blissful. Knowing how badly I wanted to step foot on a sandy Bermuda beach that day, Jon made arrangements for us to walk to a nearby beach after dinner. Mitch, Mary, and Calvin joined the three of us. Again, pure bliss. The only thing I would have changed that day was not being able to speak with my parents via telephone.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can't think of anything here. I guess it would have been ideal to document more...vacations, daily life, milestones, and family history.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
It's the year I discovered floral headbands. I experimented with some bright colors (coral, yellow, kelly green). And long necklaces.
31. What kept you sane?
My faith. My husband. My daughter. My family. My friends.
My 2007
My 2008
photo from july 2009, cape cod
One of her more recent fascinations is Angelina Ballerina. We have a few of the books and we TiVo the PBS show a few times a week. I've noticed my little girl has even begun to develop a British accent just like Angelina. I'm not surprised at all.
Here's a typical lunch for G on a Tuesday or Thursday {non school days}:
