Thanks

so I had possibly the most lovely Thanksgiving to date... this has always been by far, my favorite holiday. No exceptionally overcommercialized confusion about why we do what we do... just thanks... for everything we have and are. There are too many things to say about the thankfulness that fills my heart for this blessed life I get to live. And even better to have one day in particular to savor and celebrate it.

Our thanksgiving was filled with so many lovely little things that all equal the greatness of our life...
a beautiful table full of glorious food, so lovingly created
a glorious post bread breaking walk through the brightly colored woods
the sounds of little feet running behind and in front of us
almost being outnumbered by little ones
warm chai after a long, chilly walk
and most of all... family

I love you dear ones... can't imagine my world without you
Thanks for all you are and do. 

Autumn and her big birthday!

So we had a little birthday party for my little tiny one year old girl! can you believe it... one whoppin year old!
geez, it really does happen as fast as they say. Ya know how everyone always says "they grow up sooo fast.... bladdie bladdie blah." Well, all those people are right. It does indeed happen so very fast! And the silly thing is this: It is not like we don't know this is coming... we know, and it STILL surprises the heck out of us... sheesh!

In all of it, I still feel as though Autumn is my little baby. I still feel like I had her just a tiny bit ago. I still feel like she should be in the tiniest baby diapers and be playing only with the "safe toys"... all these things I know, even if I don't want to all the time.

There is something especially about Autumn that makes me want her to stay so small.... perhaps it is because she is simply my youngest girl or maybe it is because there is a good chance that she is my last baby. I don't know what it all is and feel like I shouldn't dwell on these clingings, but I know I would be fooling myself if I didn't just say these things out loud.


But ya know... despite all my attachments to her firsts, I still find myself so happy to see her grow... to watch her learn new signs, new ways to communicate and move her little body.
I am ever joyful to see her big beautiful smile, to see her get so excited about something that she just has to bob up and down to get it all out!
I am priviledged to be such a big part of the growings of this little person.


This weekend we celebrated... celebrated the debut of this little beauty one year ago, and the tremendous blessing she is!

God is good!

The Non Yellow, Non Brick Road

so it's me and my girls... and one very leafy back yard. Words may never be able to express just how much joy the leaves have brought to our little home. We press leaves, we talk about leaves, we jump in leaves, we make gorgeous leaf impressions with crayons and best of all, today we have raked a gorgeous green path meandering through the back yard. It is kinda like the yellow brick road... just green and made of grass, not bricks. This is what we do...

funny

so things have been really fun and really funny with these girls...

First off... Lavender now has a posse of stuffed animals... And here are their MOs:
There is a tiny white rabbit named Bunny Ka Cat, a black cat named Bear Tank, and another rabbit called Rabbity Decent and someone equally as strange that I can't remember. So weird, eh... funny too!

I simply cannot tell you how funny it is to hear this little girl asking her mom to find "Rabbity Decent"... eh eh

Second...
Little miss Autumn Marie said her first official, clearly pronounced word this weekend and you will not believe what it was....

It was NO!
loud and clear... NOOOOO!!!
Na na na Nooooooooo! NNOOOOO! No!

Hilarious... and a little tragic too... I don't even want to think about what this means.

And finally here is a little convo I had with Lavender this morning.

L: What is that blue and red thing?
Me: What blue and red thing?
L: The blue and red cone thingy that you don't have.... Daddy has...
ME: Where is it?
L: In the bathroom...Yep... Daddy cuts his hairs with it
Me: You mean the Clippers!!
L: Yeah...Daddy uses it to cut his hairs. Daddy doesn't have a beard.
Me: You're right about the clippers. Daddy trims his beard with them
L: Daddy doesn't have a beard
Me: I think he's growing one
L: No, he doesn't have one. See, he clippered his hairs with it this morning, see... so he doesn't have one... He doesn't, Mom... See?

oh

the perfect weekender

so I gotsta say that one of my most favorite things about the cold weather is the forced homeness of it all. We spent most of the cold weekend at home... my castle... my favorite place to be.

and we even got to do my favorite thing... we took a nice invigorating walk in the woods. I can't say enough how much the outdoors feeds my soul. It seems to be the perfect antidote for so many of life's ailments.
It is as if a sort of purification or cleansing takes place... and suddenly all the shoulds of your everyday melt away and you can't remember that thing that you thought you needed to own soo very much or all those additional commitments that you thought you needed to make or how you really should be doing a better job at one of your million roles.
Suddenly all the important things... this collection of little people and the amazing person who gave them to you is all you can see.

And somehow it is just easier to see the source and center of all we do behind these faces that smile so widely simply at the acquisition of a simple leaf.
My heart is thankful that I have a God that teaches me so much through the smallest things.




On another note... does anyone know what these wonderful green seed pod thingies are that drop from the trees every Fall?
When my bro and I were little, these made the greatest bombs in countless wars (even though they are remarkably heavy - yikes... er)...


Oh yeah... you gotta check out Autumn's bundled up baby look! so funny! I think Lavender's gloves will be the new hot fashion trend this Fall!

Peace out, yo!

The gems of Lavenderville

Lavender has come up with some pretty hilarious stuff lately.

Here are a few gems for your enjoyment....

Yesterday she comes to me and says...
L: Mom, I ate a purple one
M: A purple what?
L: Bead (she didn't)
M: What did it taste like?
L: A..... Flashlight!
M: A flashlight??
L: We don't eat flashlights, mom


And in the car...
L: Mom... remember that boy?
M: What boy?
L: The one on the slide that was having some green hair???
(We went to a festival where the kids were running around with painted hair)
M: oh yeah
L: He WAS! Having some green ones...


And then this morning...
L: Mom, I name my girl
M: Your doll?
L: yes
M: What did you name her?
L: Creamy snake
M: oh
L: I'm just being kidding!


Bill Cosby would be proud, eh...

Art history according to Lavender

Here are a few things Lavender has to say about the great world of art history...

Lavender definately thinks that Mona is smiling. "Yes, she IS smiling... she's not sad."  And she also asked if this was a picture of me... Wha  What???

Marsden Harltey paintings look like toys... 

and this one by MacDonald-Wright she likes - when you ask her why she will say "Because she sees lots of things... yes." - personally I have always been super creeped out by this, but what do I know... eeks.

And the ol' 'Lucky Strike' has lots of shapes. She likes that one too. 

But, 'The Blue Clown'... not so much she says. (Smart girl... Walt Kuhn painted all these super creepy clowns - all parents should take a look at these so they don't make the dreaded "clowns are soo fun, let's have one at little Billy's birthday mistake")

More from our art history tours lata, kids!

Finito

A new work has flown away.

This is a special piece for a special girl and her new baby boy!

congrats, Karen!

Another big day in Autumnville

SO big news with this little chica...

She is now standing ALONE for several moments!!!

I know, I know... she is getting so very big, eh?! Pulling up on everything and standing too!

Tomorrow she will be going to college, right...

Anyways... I am a proud little momma.

A new day

So this election is finally concluded and my body sighs with great relief. And I gotta say that as much as I did not ever want to write about anything political on this little ol' blog, I find that rule so ever hard to keep in the midst of such a monumental year. It seems that no matter what I do, I have a constant shadow of awareness of this election and the countless issues that ride on its shoulders. And even when I'm not awake I seem to be thinking about it (Case in point : Last night I dreamt that I met Barrack Obama and when he turned to greet me... It was Al Roker --- what the.....?)
All this to say... I'm happy that this election has reached a swift and generally problem free conclusion. And I feel many things...
Happiness
to see an African American finally reach such a pretigious leadership position
Satisfaction
that this race represented so many seemingly unacknowledged American voices - that of women and so many minorities
Dismay
that the candidates I was most excited about dropped out of the race long ago (as they do every election year)
Pride
to be here and watching our country make big choices
Fear
for the hard work ahead for our President and our country - so many things to work on
and finally Readiness
I am so ready for the proclamations to cease and the work to begin. I'm ready to put aside who we voted for and do the work of making this country a better place to live and work and be for ourselves and most of all for our kids and the generations to come.

All this to say - the results are in --- the election is done... let's do the work kids... pray for our leaders and get our hands dirty. 

Halloween 2008

No little monkey is complete without her "Man in the Yellow Hat" right??? Yes, yes... for Halloween we had one Curious George, one Man in the Yellow Hat and one little Acorn. I can't express how proud I am of my big sweetie for going out with a giant homemade yellow paper hat on it head that was so big that he had to walk in the middle of the road so not to hit the trees!!! What a good daddy!!!


One last thing...

Here is what Lavender said she dressed up as for Halloween.

a mat
a rubber band
a brown cup with pieces of pink paper
a pink pillow
a big movie
a can of air
a white pillow with an elephant coming out
a scary mask
and a hammer (with her bff Matthew-aka Cookie Monster- as the nail)

wha what???

so awesome to have this kid.