Happy Things

Quick picture post...

Lily and her ''range''

New tights

Rosy's friend Jakub (AKA Ah-buk) bouncing bikes off the puffy door ; )

Colors

Playing on the basketball court

 Lily's pics:

It's harder than it looks

Happy Birthday!

I think these babies may have surfaced a time or two on this blog, but it's time to whip them out again for one very special lady's very special birthday today. Happy birthday, mom. Here's to 60 more! We love you!!!

The Stoop

We have been takin' that dishrag full of summer and wringing it out for all it's worth. Tippin' that cup back and pounding on the bottom, sucking with all our might to try and get every last drop. Wearing sandals and tank tops on the farthest precipice of too cold for that to try and soak in all the Vitamin D we can before autumn's inversion sets in and once again our sun goes and hides itself behind sheets, nay, comforters of grey for who knows how long. Ok, enough metaphors that don't quite work. Let me just say this, September has been pretty sweet. And in my book sweet is synonymous with sunny. In the glorious tradition of The Cosby Show and 227, we have taken ourselves a stoop. Yes, just call me Marla Gibbs...or Jackée Harry? (haha that just made me laugh). And speaking of Jackée Harry, what ever happened to TV shows where when the bombshell character came on set the live studio audience whistled and woo-ed? I'm looking at you, Delta Burke. Delta Burxom. And speaking of Delta Burke, I just discovered that she and Gerald McRaney are still married. Mad props for that. And what ever happened to live studio audiences anyway? Ahem, back to the stoop. The apartment building next to us has some unused steps right by our entrance. And it happens to be bathed in sunlight much of the time, so we take a ball and some sidewalk chalk and scooters and I take my coffee and we play. It's so nice. We watch the neighborhood go by and the girls throw pebbles into puddles and Lily makes ''ranges'' (she misheard me when I said flower ''arrangement'') out of clover and plantain leaves, which we put into salt shaker vases. And I'm just really gonna miss it when the snow flies. If the snow flies. I was remembering this morning how last year the snow flew exactly once. And poor little Lily was out there trying desperately to make a snowball, and all she got was muddy mittens. I hope for her sake we can have some good neighborhood night sledding sessions like in years past. But let's not think about that just yet. I'm quite content to sit on our stoop, or the newly-added picnic table by the basketball court behind our flat and watch our two little flowers grow.     

Reverse ladybug

Mama, how do you make a G?

Sweater number two

The Hurry

Lately life has seemed so...I don't know...fast is part of it, also harsh would be another good word. Not life itself, but my own reaction to it. I am keenly aware of my propensity to try and rush things, and on my best days I fight it tooth and nail. When we go to the store, I find myself hurrying the girls along, and I have to mindfully stop myself and let them be little girls. Let myself be a mom enjoying sweet little girls. But everything around us (and in us) bucks against this. At least in this day and age. At least in me.  But I.will.win. Today, things just seemed crazy and chaotic most of the time. I was impatient and that spilled over onto the girls and as a result things were much worse. There was lots of screaming, screeching, snotting, slobbering, fits, fists and stomps. But then I sat down at the end of the day and looked back through these moments. And I got reinspired to fight the good fight against the Hurry. The Rush. To slo-o-o-o-w down and e-n-j-o-y. Because, as L'Oreal reminds us, I'm worth it. They're worth it.

Lily's store

Take note of Rosy's expression. That is a complex individual, I tell ya. 

So proud she climbed up and washed her own hands

I never, ever tire of this light. 

Dangerous outfit: I cannot resist any of her demands. She's too soft and squishy and cute. 

Lily's suns look less like suns, and more like some kind of bacteria with flagella. 

Sunday morning breakfast

Sweaters and Birthdays

We have three sweaters from Tomáš' childhood and when I want to cheer myself up I put them on the girls. They're too small for Lily now, and Rosy is spilling out of this one a little bit so I guess I'm going to need to milk them for all they're worth very soon. She threw a fit as soon as she saw the camera, as both she and Lily are accustomed to doing now, but at least I managed the second one. 

We also celebrated Tomáš' birthday (and mine, symbolically) yesterday. 

Easy, easy flourless dark chocolate almond torte

Brothers

Ah, the growing-out-the-bangs stage

Posing like politicians

Through Lily's lens

Itty