Zo at 3 1/2
Dearest Zo,
You are such a delight at 3 1/2. You remember everything. You love to read...me reading to you and if you can't nap you will sit in your bed for hours with a big stack of books, looking through page by page. You love your stuffies, especially Wolfie and Lambikins and Bun Bun Sweetie the kitty and Gugie the pig. You like to pick out your clothes the night before, and wish I'd let you wear your pink spiny dress every day. You want to open a bakery with your brother when you grow up, called the Monster Bakery. You carry around a little robin's egg blue bound book into which you've drawn pictures and call yourself an artist. You pick things in nature...flowers, leaves, sticks, and bestow them as presents on me. You love to be outside, hiking and biking on your hot pink bike, going for walks, throwing rocks in the river. You've adjusted well to our move and are starting to settle into Steamboat life, with trips to story and craft hour at the library, to the beach in front of Daddy's hotel, to the hiking trail in our backyard, to the botanic gardens and all sorts of other spots. The crafts you make--and making them is one of your favorite things--you are lining up on your windowsill, so very proud of them. You love your mommy and daddy and Me-Ma, your Grammy and Papa and Uncle Ben and Aunt Jaimie and Bodie and Bailee. You like your cartoons with breakfast. You eat really well--sometimes--at least you can generally be counted on to eat some fruit and vegetables and meat. Your favorite is peanut butter and honey. You love playing make believe with your brother--your favorite is "Elsa and Anna." You are starting to be more independent, I don't have to watch you every second, like the other day you sat on the porch on your own and read books for 45 minutes. You love your costumes and will often come down in the morning dressed as a cowgirl or a construction worker or a princess. You sleep great at night, although you tend to go to bed late, 9:00-ish these days. You still take a nap most days and are cranky if you don't. You are super sweet to your brother, calling him "My Luke" but can also bite and hit and pinch when he does things you don't like. You can whine like crazy when you want to. You can be defiant. But mostly you smile and laugh and play and fill this house with light and love. We love you dearly, our little princess.
Love, Mommy
Luke at 3 1/2
Dearest Luke,
You are amazing at 3 1/2. You can't sit still and you whine and hit when you don't get your way and you can be defiant but more than that you are sweet and cuddly and very aware of others, giving people lots of love, making new friends very easily. You hate kisses but want to snuggle with me at night or in the morning especially. You get mad and pouty with your daddy when he does things you don't like but are also the one who can't wait to race down the stairs and greet him when he comes home. You love all our outdoors stuff--hiking and biking and the playground, you are so strong and brave and I keep an eye on you but I don't worry too much about you falling anymore. You make up elaborate games with your Sissy. You often want to hug her and then cry because she doesn't want to be hugged. You are a picky eater and late to bed...sometimes you are up until 10 or 11 o'clock. You love me to read to you but aren't interested so much in books on your own. You know all your letters and numbers and are starting to add, know letter sounds, etc. You could play in the bath for hours. You still want Mommy to dress you, even though you know how to do it. You like your duck "Duckie" and your bunny "Tiny" with you at night. You LOVE truck and cars and your trains too. You are very picky about what you want to wear each day. You do what you call your "tricks" which is break dancing and the cutest thing ever. You and Zo like to put on shows together, which are based on the circus, and are slow moving (but, as your mother, I think are absolutely adorable.) You are full of questions and I'm glad I have Google to help answer them. You love your family and never met someone you didn't think was going to be your friend. You miss your friends and your old house in Albuquerque, but I think you are adjusting well to Steamboat. You get so excited about things, like when we play "Count Your Chickens" and land on a bonus spot, you say with great enthusiasm, "WE GOT A BONUS CHICK!" Your enthusiasm and curiosity and happiness and joy are infectious, and we are so blessed to have you.
Love,
Mommy
Grace in small things, September 30, 2015
- The pretend foxes who came into our lives today courtesy of the kids..."Beeper" (Luke's, and funny, an old friend of mine's nickname as a kid was Beeper), and "Drowner" (Zo's). Beep lives in a blue house, Drowner in a pink...and Drowner has a mask and gloves but no cape...they rode around in the minivan this morning during errands...
- Making it to 6 AM Crossfit after not a great night's sleep...but you know, once I'm up I'm generally fine. I'm also feeling really good about Crossfit here...the people are ridiculous athletes, sooooo much stronger than me...but also so, so nice...
- Slow-roasted tomato sauce that I only make once or twice a year for dinner tonight
- A new comforter for Zo for the winter came in the mail today...we covered it in a happy rainbow flower duvet cover that used to be mine in Santa Barbara days...her room looks so cheery with it...
- Revising a big patient tutorial for work this week...it's work I really, really enjoy...especially since I have time to do it right...
XO
First trip to the dentist
Took the kids to the dentist yesterday. Everyone there was so nice and patient and did everything possible to make sure the kids were relaxed and had a good experience. Aside from Wolfie pretend biting the dental hygenist, everything went great. And I love how Zo--who had already had her teeth seen by the dentist--put her hand on Luke's arm while he did, lending some comfort and support.
XOXO
Grace in small things, September 28, 2015
- A pale, gold-ish moon about to set behind Emerald Mountain 6-ish when I woke up this morning
- A cool and peaceful hike first thing with Newtie while Jeff watched the kids
- Cleaning and errands and laundry -- check
- Phone conversations with my mom and also my best friend
- Zo snuggling up with her fuzzy polka-dot blanket just out of the dryer: "I'm getting all cozed up, Mommy!" (It's her new use of the word "cozy"...too cute...)
- The kids didn't nap today...but they did play and let me work for the most part...
XOXO
Grace in small things, September 27, 2015
- A massage and soak at the Old Town Hot Springs yesterday afternoon (with their beautiful hanging baskets, pictured above)...left me soooooo relaxed...
- A short hike to the hill behind our house (pictured above) to view the blood moon/super moon/eclipse...the clouds kind of thwarted our efforts but we saw a beautiful sunset and the kids loved how funny the flashlight made their shadows look on the way back. And later we went out on the lawn and were able to see the red eclipsed moon, which is like nothing I've ever seen before...
- Reading Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Signature of All Things," which is great...I'm nearing the end and want to stay up late to finish it...can't tell you how long it's been since that happened...
- Fruit and everything bagels and eggs with ham and peppers cooked by my husband for breakfast this morning
- A very lazy day, which doesn't happen often around here...it was delightful...
- Luke wrapping his arms around me at bedtime while I sang him "Man in the Moon"
- Zo swinging high today on a big kid swing...she's growing up so fast...
XOXO
Oh, how I try to feed the kids healthy meals
This plus a few crackers and small pieces of chicken was dinner the other night. The kids will eat some of what I put out, but gosh are they picky. And they'll go days hardly eating anything at all...
Grace in small things, September 23, 2015
- We took out the flashcards for the first time since ABQ and gosh, the kids are good with their letters and numbers. It's really cool. And cuteness overload when Zo picked up the pile and started quizzing me: "Mommy, what's THIS letter?"
- Two beautiful red foxes at the construction site that is our front yard last night...Jeff shone a flashlight on them and they didn't care...they poked around for quite a while...we almost woke the kids so they could see but decided against it...
- Snuggling in a chair on the porch this morning, blanket in our laps reading library books, including "Bulldog's Big Day," which is a current favorite of all of us
- Kids as of today on the waiting list for preschool next fall...I'm not sure I'm ready, but the 2 people I talked to were so, so nice...
- A workday where everything went smoothly and was easier than I anticipated
- Lots of errands, phone calls etc crossed off my list
- A nice little chat with my parents, who are embarking on a road trip...I love road trips...so glad they are off to have a good time...
- Margarita chicken on the grill for dinner...yum! Will make that recipie again...
XOXO
Kid cuteness, September 23, 2015
Luke: "Mommy, why are you crying?"
Me: "Because I'm scared, baby."
Luke: "If you are scared, you can just tell God, and he will make it better."
Luke during our nightly cuddle, arms wrapped around me: "Mommy, we are like ribbons tied tight together."
Zo: "I'm smelling the light."
Zo smelling me: "Just right."
Zo smelling Daddy: "Yuck!"
Zo in the botanic gardens: "These zinnias smell like Heaven!"
Zo talking about the deep warm bath I drew them: "This bath is so cozy!"
Luke after finishing his dinner: "Mommy, are we treat-available?" (vs treat-ready, which is how we usually talk about it.)
Zo: "I love rainbows! Rainbows are my life!!"
Luke: "Look! A flock of cows!"
Zo, about her Lambie with the guts out getting warmed in the microwave: "It's flat Lambie!"
XOXO
