a new hobby

who'd have thought that after a childhood of being dragged to cold dark archive libraries with my mother, waiting for her to comb through centuries of birth, marriage, and death records while quietly cursing our ancestors, i would one day catch the genealogy bug myself?

but i have.  and here's to advancements in ancestral (internet) research!  (i'm not sure i ever want to step foot into another cold dark archive library though.)

the family wall at my parents' house.

(an example of my dad's hobby is pictured here as well.  he just finished this beautiful desk!)

big moments

cousins are getting married.

friends are having babies.

birthdays are happening.

it's been a great year so far.

little jokes

i'm pretty sure the punch line involved a fart.  i try not to listen too hard.

neve

she's 6 years old.

she speaks before she thinks.

she loves awful music (think worst of the top 40), but she has a really good voice.

she does not like to be alone, but she's fun to be with.

she loves animals, but she's been known to scare them.

she draws all day long (when she's not explaining what she's drawing).

she's very funny.

she loves cheese, milk, and chocolate.  a lot.

she likes vegetables, but not nearly as much as cheese, milk, and chocolate.

she's a dare devil.  she asked for her training wheels to be removed at 4.

she never wants to leave home.  the mention of college frightens her.

she tells me she loves me everyday.

at the biggest park in atlanta, and yet so close to me.

happy, happy, happy.

twirling at 10:00 in my bedroom.  talking about baby bears.

frustrated by slow loading times.

fiona

she's 8 years old.

she thinks more than she speaks.

she loves good music.  (currently obsessed with david bowie.)

she likes to be alone.

she loves animals and often speaks for them.

she draws all day long.

she laughs more than she tells jokes.

she hates cheese, milk, and chocolate.

she loves raw vegetables.  (even raw potatoes!)

she's still scared to take the training wheels off her bike.

she wants to live in japan one day.

she tells me she loves me everyday.

she says she's going to teach herself how to play.  i believe her.

at the park, but always on her own.

a very serious magic show from the couch.

drawererers block.

first harvest for 2012

8 little radishes in 1 straight line, the smallest one was madeline.

my yoga instructor

promises, promises.

 so very overdue for a well visit at the pediatrician, i made an appointment.

on the car ride there, neve asks, "are you sure they aren't going to give us shots?"

i confidently reply, "no.  it's just a regular old check up", and proceed to give them a list of simple things that the doctor will do, such as checking their ears, eyes, and throats, measuring their weight and height, and asking them questions about wearing helmets while riding bikes.

by the time i'm done, they're practically looking forward to the visit.  salt water aquarium in the waiting room?  listening to their heartbeats through the stethoscope?  lollipops as parting gifts?  what fun!

"girls, i could've sworn there was a salt water tank here a few years ago.  here.  read this magazine."

"mom.  did she just tell us to take off our clothes!?  we don't even know them!  what do they want to look at!?"

"so girls.  remember how i said there'd be no shots today?  well..."

i had a feeling my pediatrician was going to report me to the vaccine authorities had i not updated them that day.  poor neve received 5 shots, and fiona got 1.  i was crowned big mouth mom.  

but all was soon forgotten with a trip to the bookstore and a stop for frozen yogurt.  

main break

a friend is about to have a baby.

i'm on the phone with her, inviting her to meet at our house for a labor-inducing walk and dinner afterwards (eggplant parmesan of course).

the girls overhear my conversation.

neve, nervously: "but mom!  what if her water runs at our house!?"

fiona, correcting: "neve, we have a bathroom, you know."

neve, annoyed: "duh, fiona.  but do you really think pregnant ladies can hold their loose water?"

gross.

he does smile. i promise.

Him.  This guy.  Handsome and a little shy and very funny and always prepared for a cold front...  

He had a birthday on March 31st.  It involved:

pancakes and bacon for breakfast (with some festive good morning dangling lanterns in the face)...

excited children who made him beautiful cards and picked out new shoes for him...

and lots and lots of love.

Happy (blog-belated) birthday, Terry!  We've shared 14 birthdays together so far, and I hope we share 100 more.  You're my meat and three.

mona-stare-y

In need of a peaceful day trip, me and the girls visited a monastery that lies about an hour away from Atlanta. 

{ neve's first monk-appearance expression }

{ leaving the cathedral balcony, where we watched them sing }

{ monk gardening garb }

It's an eye full- monks with big chanting voices in the cathedral, monks feeding geese by the lake, monks en route on golf carts, monks working the gift shop, and monks doing their thing in the bonsai gardens.  It's hard enough explaining why we have to be quiet to a child, let alone why we have to be quiet while a monk waves from a golf cart.

(If looking for a little "serenity now" in the Atlanta area, this is the place.  And they sell their lovely bonsai too!)

for the love of food.

when i'm not doing school with the girls, working in the garden, or driving home from the grocery store (i'm always driving home from the grocery store), i'm in the kitchen.

it only makes sense that i would give my love for food a post of it's own.  (also, cleaning out my camera.)

this became lemon cornmeal cookies. (and gluten free too!)

weekend breakfasts are my favorite.

huevos rancheros with a handsome view.

snack eggs from cagney, our chicken.

the world's biggest (most delicious) asparagus from love is love farms.

cute packaging from the sugar cube box.

this became a potato asparagus frittata.

and here are the leftovers for lunch.

in the case of an emergency, this will be one of my must-grabs on my way out.

lemon ricotta "mouse" pancakes.  because everything is tastier when it's tinier.

farmers market beauty.

leftover ingredients from easter beverages.

and a little tea for some scratchy throats this past week.  this coffee nut is learning to love tea.

midwest travels (and back again)

 my buddy, janet, invited me to visit her in chicago last month, and i bit.  

this was neve's first (memorable) plane ride.  there were some rapid heartbeats.

all in a day we took a 1. plane into midway, then a 2. train to downtown, then a 3. boat down the river (architect's tour!), and then 4. hoofed it to have dinner with our friend, nayt, and then a 5. taxi back downtown, and then an 6. elevator up to the top of the millennium building (poor man's sears tower), and finally 7. the train to indiana, where janet lives.  

dorothy (or dot) is still getting used to us.  and those lips?

we spent the following day at beverly shores (a place that deserves it's own blog post).

dorothy and neve, norway and italy.

they all played for hours, uninterrupted, while janet and i got caught up.

more with the lips.

they're even cuter from a distance.

you want this mask.  (search "horse head" in amazon.)

janet and john's house is so dreamy.

and back into the city...

but foggier and cooler than before.

and back onto the train.

the next day the whole group of us (minus john- wave to john) headed to birmingham, al.

we stopped in columbus, in, where we saw some beautiful architecture by mid-century designer, eero saarinen.  (not pictured.)

and then we headed for louiville, ky.

and passed some wind farms.

and then we stopped here.

obligatory kentucky blue grass photo for my father.

and then to memphis, by way of ancient greece.

oh, those faces!

only a mere 13 hours of harmonica-playing, snack-begging, potty-stopping car ride later we arrived at janet's dad's house in birmingham.  i love this place.

the kids set up rock and shell shops on the dock.

i creeped around his workshop, sneaking photos of his latest work- a dinghie!

and more handmade sailboats!  

bill even sews his own sails and makes these water bottles.  i'm so inspired when i visit.

i even love their decorative boats.  (i'm the creep who's photographing in the bathroom.)

and when we came home, we were eager to place our souvenirs on the mantel.  these rocks were gathered from beverly shores, from a wonderful visit with a wonderful friend.  it's your turn to come here, janet!