Blue Felt, Stripes, and a Storyteller

I swapped the pink circles for a trio of blues--I love it.





I bought a few yards of striped fabric at Ikea for a tablecloth. I love it!


My friend Sarah charmed the children by reading to them. How cute is Asher all snuggled up on her shoulder?

Last Friday was quite productive! I took the kids to Ikea, prepared food for that night's Burrito Fest, cut out felt circles for a new look, made five mini pom poms, and then had a grand time with some of my favorite friends.

Pirate Ship Gear Cake

Asher and Soren PROUDLY show off their cake!





Asher and Soren worked together so cutely to collaborate on this special 'Pirate Ship Gear Cake.' The two of them carried it around the house and talked about how they needed to load it into their truck. I marvel at their imagination and the wonderful things they create and yet...I have a confession.

Where a lot of women probably read while they nurse--I like to watch 'the computer.' I don't always watch something while I nurse, especially now that I work, but I do enjoy a little pulp. One of the shows I enjoyed watching was Cake Boss because the cakes he and his crew made were amazing and I also felt it was a show that the boys could watch. Well--the boys LOVED that show--especially when Buddy and his peoples made that fire engine cake! Buddy definitely deserved credit for inspiring Asher and Soren to make their own fancy 'cake' out of gears and a whole lot of cuteness.

She Rolled!

Imagine my surprise this morning when I went to collect Maeve and found her on her back, which means that she had rolled over! Normally when I greet her in the morning she is resting on her stomach and she lifts her sweet head and those huge blue eyes of her explode with animation and happiness. I wish I could have seen how she had done this amazing trick!

I am daily in awe of the beauty of Maeve and yet the speed with which she is growing leaves me in a stupor. Slow it down little one!

Growing Up

Annika, my first cutie cutes, now holds one of my own Cutie Cutes

I love this photo of Annika with my Maeve. Before having kids I thought that Annika looked like she could be my own daughter--I always really loved that about her. It amazes me to see that sweet little girl holding my own daughter. Isabel and Annika will be TEN next week but in my mind they are still those cute little twin toddlers whom I adored immensely. Now that I have my own children and my own daughter, I continue to marvel at the whimsical and often unbelievable passage of time. My squishy and bright eyed newborn is now a very alert and very strong three (almost four) month old! Maeve not only holds her head up with power- she is constantly looking around and finding the source (read: brothers) of the sounds around her. If I hold up a toy she will study it and make attempts to touch or hold it. Amazing! She (or is it just me?) loves to be perched on my shoulder where she has a nice, elevated view of the world. She talks and laughs and loves to be noticed. If I hold her while I am doing something then she'll just hang out quietly but as soon as I look at her and engage her she becomes completely animated and just so darn adorable. She sleeps well and she eats well. Lately she'll take little breaks from nursing just to look up at me and smile and I sincerely do not know how she has invented the greatest cuteness the world has ever known. I call her my little story teller because she is very expressive physically and verbally.

Asher and Soren are great older brothers. They get a little rowdy at times but they are always affectionate. They play so amazingly well--most of the time together. Their imaginations are awesome and I have no greater joy than when I am holding Maeve and watching and listening to Asher and Soren play at the train table. I am so happy with the health and cuteness of my children but I still kind of resent this growing up business because it happens so fast and it seems kind of rude.

Mary's Photos

My friend Mary has all sorts of turbo talents and one of them is her skill for photography! I love these photos she took at River Farm on Friday!

A Presidential Weekend: Kites at the GW Masonic Temple

Ryan and Caroline with their turbo parachute kite!


Soren picking up the tail of our downed kite.


Windy wind fest!


I wish I knew what Asher was saying over there.



Tangled.


Livia owned our frog kite!


Our frog kite and the parachute kite mingle.





Our friends suggested flying kites near the masonic temple and we could not resist such a perfect winter activity! The winds this past weekend were fierce (and destructive! The National Christmas tree was knocked down!) and perfect for kite flying.

Jamie stayed at home with Miss Maeve while I took the boys and tried out our new kite. The winds made launching our kite easy but it really took a beating. If ever there was a day when the wind would punch a kite in the face--that was the day.

Caroline and Ryan had a remarkable parachate kite that was a two hander! I tried it and was nearly launched into space! I lacked the skills to control the power of their kite but it was sure fun to try and fly it.

Asher and Soren loved being outside with their friends and were happy to run and tackle and be tackled! After flying kites the kids climbed trees--the low lying and gently sloped branches were perfect for the younger set.

I love kite flying and I am so happy to do it with my children and friends. I can't wait to give our kite more wind action this spring!

A Presidential Weekend: Picnic at River Farm

Asher covered in the fruits of his play.


Happy baby!










I love this face.






After I took this photo Soren declared, "Now I can live with Jesus!" I guess he felt pretty good about himself after putting his arm around Asher and giving him a kiss. Ahh.

We live in the perfect place to properly celebrate President's Day. I say that both as a Virginian (Virginia was home to EIGHT presidents) and as someone living so closely to DC and all of its presidential monuments. This has been an informal George Washington weekend with visits to River Farm (his former property) and later kite flying at the Masonic temple named after him.

The weather on Friday was absolutely perfect! We wore short sleeves and said 'see ya!' so our jackets for the first time in months. We spent a generous amount of time at the lovely River Farm with several of our good friends. The boys were in outdoor heaven and they were so busy playing that Asher didn't even surface for nearly an hour and a half--even food couldn't keep him from playing on his 'pirate ship' or digging with his mini shovel.

I loved getting reacquainted with the sun and my old buddy grass. Had the boys not been covered in dirt and Maeve not ready for a nap then we probably never would have left!

Missing Maeve

This baby babe--I am so into her! Leaving Maeve and the boys on Monday morning was challenging. I missed them so much that I went home for lunch to see them and make sure they were okay. I nearly fell to my knees when I saw Maeve--in those few hours that I had spent at work she had somehow grown more adorable and irresistible. Isn't that how it is? We look away for a few moments and so much changes in our baby babes.

Going back to work after having Asher and Soren was hugely difficult but this seemed even worse--largely because Maeve is my last baby and I'll never have another little one to succor so sweetly. Just look at Asher and Soren! They are huge and so clever and amazing. I think the hardest part to all of this is knowing just HOW quickly these tender months pass and how much of that time I will spent outside of the company of my children. It just doesn't seem fair.

My week was made sweeter by the love of caring family and friends. It meant a lot anytime someone remembered that THIS was the week I went back to work and asked how I was doing. My friend Caroline asked to watch Asher and Soren one night after I got home from work so that I could spend some time with just Maeve! Her thoughtfulness was the perfect gift and I reveled in that time with Maeve knowing that Asher and Soren were thrilled to be with their friends.

I am absolutely ecstatic to see my children when I get home from work. I hug the boys for as long as they'll let me and once I get my hands on Maeve I never want to let her go. I breathe her in as deeply as I can and her sweet baby scent makes me swoon. Every evening reunion brings me the greatest joy. I look forward to nursing Maeve with the boys by my side--I think we all cherish those simple moments together. I try to stay positive and fill my days with activity but I still find myself thinking of nothing but my children and that will probably never change. I live for them.

Winter at Sky Meadow

Do you like my 'family' scarf?


Soren and his snow!


A&S outside the barn that they agreed Bob the Builder needed to fix.














Ignore my frumps and focus on that baby cutes!











One does not have to be a very regular reader of this blog to know how much I LOVE Sky Meadow State Park. Well, I thought an outing to SMSP would be the perfect ending to a delightful maternity leave. I had never been in the winter and I really wanted to get outside with the kids so it seemed like the perfect time to visit. I loved it in winter as I have loved it in every other season. The wind was nippy and the temperature cold but the scenery remained stunning and the benefits of time spent outdoors with my family were enormous. I marvel at the play instinct and how despite less than stellar conditions my kids will play, play, play. Soren adores snow and will jump in it any chance he gets. Asher likes to take his time exploring and is always quick to find a stick or stone to facilitate the workings of his imagination. Maeve was a champ and endured the cold happily.

I am hugely fortunate to have this little family and to have had three months at home with them. I'm sad that sweet time has concluded but the experiences we had together I will always keep in my heart as some of the most exquisite of my life.